Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: The Southern War
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#048 The Southern War
When I was young, there was a saying that went around: “Don’t even talk to someone who hasn’t read *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* at least three times.”
At the time, I believed it wholeheartedly, bought the book, and read it three times through. I felt a great sense of betrayal later when I found out it was just a line made up by publishers to sell more books.
‘Later, a new saying started circulating: Don’t hang out with people who’ve read *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* more than three times.’
In any case, if you read the novel, you’ll see massive armies of five hundred thousand or even a million being mobilized as if it were nothing, but that’s a complete lie.
Because, when you consider the gross domestic product and population of China at the time, those numbers are utterly ridiculous.
Mobilizing an army of that scale consumes an enormous amount of resources and manpower.
And that was no different for our Nine Dragons Fortress.
“This is never-ending…”
All the warriors of the Outer Hall were out at the fortress gate, inspecting the endless stream of supplies coming in.
Neigh! Mooo!
The carts, heavy with supplies, seemed to be too much for the horses and oxen, which cried out from all directions as people bustled about, carrying loads.
“When is this supposed to end?”
Yang Gang, pouting heavily, suddenly asked.
“I don’t know either, you dolt. It’ll be over when all the supplies are in.”
“Hah.”
He let out a sigh and chose a sack of rice, piercing it with his sword.
He was checking to see if a spy might be hiding inside.
With an all-out war against the Southern Heaven Palace looming, security was tighter than ever before.
Merchant guilds would bring their goods to the gates of the outer fortress.
The Outer Hall warriors would then thoroughly search the supplies before allowing them to pass.
Workers, waiting inside, would take over the carts and the animals pulling them, moving everything to a storage yard set up in the inner fortress.
Even the workers weren't just randomly chosen; they were all residents of the outer fortress.
It was all to completely block any infiltration by spies.
Of course, there were likely moles who had already been planted.
“I’m not a spy! I’m truly innocent!”
“We already know everything, so come along quietly. Resisting is useless.”
Like that worker being dragged away by the warriors of the Red Dragon Hall.
Thanks to this, the Red Dragon Hall, tasked with rooting out spies, moved with a deadlier intensity than ever before.
The one silver lining was that they seemed to have been preparing for this for some time, so there were no cases of innocent people being arrested.
Though there were instances of them catching spies from factions other than the Southern Heaven Palace.
Perfect control of information.
That was the state of the Nine Dragons Fortress right now.
As a result, the atmosphere in the outer fortress was more grim than ever.
A neighbor you greeted just yesterday.
A regular customer who visited the tavern every day.
An old woman who ran a stall in the market.
All of them, fearing they might be suspected of being spies, wouldn't even look at each other on the street, let alone exchange greetings.
Instead, they eyed one another with suspicion, reporting anything even slightly out of the ordinary.
‘This is what a damn war does.’
It was a bitterly grim state of affairs.
A week passed like this.
By the time supplies were piled high as the sky in the storage yard at the heart of the inner fortress.
“The orders are in.”
The orders came down from the Military Affairs Department.
At Ga Rip’s words, the squad leaders gathered at the headquarters looked at him, their faces taut with tension.
“Our mission is logistics. The key is to supply the goods to the right place at the right time, as quickly as possible.”
“Are there any other Halls moving with us?”
“None. The supply mission is the sole responsibility of our Outer Hall.”
“…Hmm, a dangerous mission, then.”
At Ga Rip’s explanation, Squad Leader Lee expressed his concern.
It was only natural.
Given the scale of our preparations, the Southern Heaven Palace must have a rough idea that we were planning an all-out war.
Since logistics are the most critical part of a full-scale war, it was highly likely they would dispatch special units to attack us relentlessly.
To handle logistics in such a situation with only Outer Hall warriors was tantamount to ordering us to break through their interference by sacrificing our lives.
All the squad leaders nodded in agreement with Squad Leader Lee’s concern, but.
“Our intelligence agents and the Black Mountain Tigers have already infiltrated enemy territory. They will move as much as possible to block the enemy’s special units. Of course, they won’t be able to stop them all, so each squad should be fully prepared for ambushes.”
The moment the name ‘Black Mountain Tigers’ was mentioned, the squad leaders exclaimed in shock.
“The Black!”
“Mountain!”
“Tigers!”
I was just as surprised.
The Black Mountain Tigers were a clandestine military force directly under the Fortress Lord, composed exclusively of warriors at or above the peak level.
Which meant one thing.
‘The Fortress Lord has gone all-in.’
It meant there would be no retreat this time, no pulling a stunt like in the siege of the Mount Chang Sect branch, suggesting, ‘How about we call it a draw?’
At Ga Rip’s explanation, the squad leaders nodded with grim determination.
Their expressions were a mixture of relief at the news of the Black Mountain Tigers’ deployment and tension from the danger of an all-out war.
After being briefed on the date of departure and a few other matters, the meeting for the day concluded.
Just as I was about to leave the headquarters amidst the heavy atmosphere, Bukgung Baek’s voice called out.
“Vice Hall Master and the First Squad Leader, stay behind.”
A moment later.
As Ga Rip and I sat facing each other, Bukgung Baek spoke with a calm expression.
“There is a special mission.”
The situation was reminiscent of a past event.
A tension that started in my heart shot up to the frontal lobe of my brain.
Sure enough.
Bukgung Baek pointed to a spot on the map.
It was a mountain in the southernmost part of Yunnan Province, exactly a day’s journey from the Southern Heaven Palace.
“You are to depart immediately and build a secret base here on Mount Song. Who will go?”
An S-rank difficulty quest, dropped out of nowhere.
“Here, you say?”
“…You seem to have many complaints.”
Shouldn’t I have complaints when I have to infiltrate the heart of a battlefield with a bunch of scrubs who are barely good for digging ditches?
I wanted to argue right then and there, but I summoned my superhuman patience and protested cautiously.
“It’s not that, it’s just that I feel it might be too dangerous…”
“Dangerous or not, it must be done.”
Bukgung Baek’s assertion was final. I immediately glanced at Ga Rip.
It seemed I was going to be left holding the bag again.
However, my worries were unfounded.
“I will go.”
“You, Vice Hall Master?”
My goodness, Ga Rip was volunteering himself.
I stared at him, my mouth agape in disbelief, and he gave a bitter smile. Bukgung Baek frowned at him.
“It will be dangerous. I believe it would be better for Squad Leader Jin to go.”
“Though Squad Leader Jin’s martial arts are profound, he is still young and lacks experience. I believe my going would offer a greater chance of success.”
“…Is that so?”
Bukgung Baek nodded slightly and continued.
“Understood. The Vice Hall Master will go instead of the First Squad Leader. However, you must come back alive. The Outer Hall would be difficult to run without you.”
Listening to his somewhat solemn words, I thought to myself.
*Hey, so it’s okay if I die?*
***
On the night of the third day after Ga Rip left the fortress with twenty aces from the various squads.
*Boom! Boom!*
With the thunderous beat of a great drum, a flag depicting nine dragons of various colors was raised, signaling the departure of two thousand warriors of the Nine Dragons Fortress.
Watching them leave from atop the fortress wall, the reality that the war was truly beginning sank in.
“You seem tense.”
“Wouldn’t it be stranger not to be?”
“In the end, is not the life of a warrior one lived on the edge of a blade? Do not be too tense.”
Bukgung Baek descended from the wall, trying to act cool.
I really have no idea why that man lives the way he does.
“Hoo.”
Perhaps because I was to leave for the battlefield tomorrow?
My heart was in turmoil.
‘This won’t do.’
I had considered not going, thinking it might be a death flag, but I changed my mind.
It was to see, even just one more time, the person I wanted to keep in my memory before leaving for war.
‘Manager Yuk…’
The moment I made up my mind, I ran straight for the Red Blossom Pavilion.
I was determined to confess my feelings to her today.
And so I arrived at the Red Blossom Pavilion.
The doors were firmly shut, as it was closed for business due to the war, but I paid it no mind.
*Bang, bang, bang!*
I knocked on the door, and a middle-aged man with sleepy eyes emerged.
It was Wang Su, a worker at the pavilion.
“What is it at this time of night…! Isn’t it Great Warrior Jin? What brings you here?”
I was about to ask him to call for Manager Yuk, but the words wouldn’t come out easily.
“Ahem, are… are you open for business today?”
The random words that tumbled out were met with a troubled look from Wang Su.
“Oh, what to do… The Red Blossom Pavilion will be closed for the time being.”
“…Is that so? It can’t be helped, then.”
“Yes.”
After a moment, I mustered my courage again and managed to speak.
“Is everyone doing well? I haven’t seen Manager Yuk in a long time.”
“Of course. However, she has returned to the Red Dragon Hall to help out.”
At the news that Yuk Jin-hwa wasn’t here, a cold winter wave crashed in a corner of my heart.
‘Ah, love is a long and distant road.’
Sensing my disappointment, Wang Su spoke cautiously.
“Um, the Pavilion Mistress is still inside…”
“I don’t need her!”
At the unnecessary mention of Jeok Hwa-ran, a loud shout burst out of me without thinking.
“Hic!”
Startled, Wang Su hiccupped.
“Ahem, my, my apologies. My voice was unintentionally loud.”
“Hic! It’s… Hic! …alright. Hic!”
“…Well then, I’ll see you next time. I won’t forget what happened today and will properly apologize later.”
Just as I was about to turn away with a heavy heart, a clear voice came from behind.
“Senior?”
It was Jeok Hwa-ran.
I considered just ignoring her and leaving, but she was the boss of my beloved Yuk Jin-hwa.
Which meant she was also the boss of the woman who would soon be my wife.
I greeted her as calmly as I could.
“Hwa-ran. Where are you headed at this hour?”
“Oh, I just have some business at the Red Dragon Hall. What about you, Senior? What brings you here?”
“I had to see someone…”
At that, Jeok Hwa-ran’s eyes lit up and she nodded.
“Hmm, are you leaving tomorrow?”
“Yes, I don’t think I’ll be able to return for a while.”
“Someone you wanted to see the day before leaving for a battlefield… I think I have a pretty good idea of what’s going on.”
Her attitude, as if she knew something, made my heart drop.
“Is-is-is that so?”
*What? Did she figure out what’s between me and Manager Yuk?*
“Fufufu, fufufu.”
While I was failing to hide my bewilderment, Jeok Hwa-ran blushed and slapped my shoulder with a loud thwack.
“Senior, really! If that’s how you felt, you should have just told me right away.”
*I’m caught.*
If this is how it is, I have no choice.
I have to face it head-on.
“Ahem, perhaps I was a bit thoughtless. Now that you know, what do you think?”
“Of course it’s okay! Let’s see… Today doesn’t seem like the right day. Come find me after the war is over.”
Hearing her offer to play Cupid for me after the war, I quietly nodded.
I never thought the clueless Jeok Hwa-ran would notice what was between me and Manager Yuk.
I guess it’s true that people are capable of growth.
“Then I’ll come find you after the war.”
“Yes! You absolutely must! Promise!”
*Alright, alright, stop raising the tension. It feels like you’re setting up a death flag.*