Go Ahead and Try to Swallow This, Then. (2)
Perception was a strange thing.
People, oddly enough, did not easily recognize peace as peace, nor confusion as confusion.
What that meant was that when peace continued, its calm no longer felt special, and when chaos dragged on, its urgency no longer seemed unusual.
Three years had passed since the Janggang Tragedy.
At first, those who had groaned under the massive upheaval that began on the Yangtze had suffered from it keenly, but before long even they had begun to accept it as part of everyday life.
Even in chaos, stability could exist.
Amid the turmoil created by the conflict between the Four Hegemons Alliance and the Nine Great Sects, and by the countless Sapa factions spreading everywhere, the common people had somehow managed to build lives that were still livable.
That was, until a rumor that had come out of nowhere swept across the Yangtze region like wildfire.
“I hear the Tang Family is withdrawing from Hubei?”
The man who heard it jerked to his feet, eyes wide.
“Wh-what the hell are you talking about? The Tang Family is pulling out?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. They’re going back to Sichuan.”
“Then what are we supposed to do?”
The faces of those gathered in little clusters all went pale.
Those who farmed the land north of the Yangtze could not possibly be unaware of how much the Sichuan Tang Family had done over the past few years. If they had not protected this place, some of the people here would certainly not still be alive.
And now that very Tang Family was suddenly said to be withdrawing from the Yangtze. It was no wonder they were shocked.
“W-why all of a sudden?”
“Apparently Sapa factions have turned up in Sichuan.”
“What? In Sichuan?”
“So they say. Not long ago, Sapa factions ran wild there, burning homes and looting valuables, didn’t they?”
“So even Sichuan is in danger now……”
“And on top of that, those Sapa bastards stirred up trouble in Shaanxi too, not long ago. Seems neither Shaanxi nor Sichuan is safe anymore.”
“Ah……”
On the faces of those speaking, an ache too deep for words appeared.
As the name implied, the Sichuan Tang Family was the overlord of Sichuan. If Sapa factions were making a mess there, then of course the Tang Family had to go back and defend their own territory.
“……Still, it’s worrying. What happens if the Tang Family leaves……”
“Exactly.”
“Does the Tang Family really lack that much spare strength? Even if Sichuan is the problem, to withdraw entirely……”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
One of the listeners, face flushed, barked at him.
“It’s the Sichuan Tang Family! The Sichuan Tang Family! For the past few years, without having a single thing to do with Hubei, haven’t they protected us with no reward at all?”
“W-well, yes, but……”
“Then instead of crying your eyes out with gratitude as they leave, what? Their own house is on fire, and you want them to leave it and keep protecting us? Is that really the kind of thing a human being should say?”
“I was just saying it because I’m disappointed, all right? Why are you getting so worked up……”
The man who had spoken first shrank back, shoulders hunched.
“No, I’m serious! The ones who ought to take responsibility for those damned Sapa bastards are someone else entirely, aren’t they?”
At those words, a single sect name rose in everyone’s minds. The sect that had once been their pride until the Janggang Tragedy broke out.
“That Tang Family is going back to their own territory the moment trouble appears there, even traveling a thousand li without complaint, and yet the people of Hubei are suffering like this—so where in the world are those damned Mount Hua bastards sitting around doing nothing?”
“……Who doesn’t know that? You’re saying it because Mount Hua shut its gates and hasn’t shown its face, aren’t you?”
“Then go complain to Mount Hua! Honestly, what right does Mount Hua have to shut itself away after doing so little? And I heard that even Mount Hua, which had closed its gates, broke them and came out the moment Sapa showed up in Shaanxi!”
“That Mount Hua?”
“That’s what I’m saying!”
The expressions of those who heard the name Mount Hua turned complex.
For people of Hubei, Mount Hua was a name that stirred up very complicated feelings.
At one time, it had been a forgotten Daoist sect that could not even be compared to Wudang, which had represented Hubei. But after the Janggang Tragedy, it became the only sect that had fought against the Four Hegemons Alliance.
And now, three years later, Mount Hua stood somewhere between those two extremes.
“Mount Hua broke its gates and came out……”
“Exactly! That’s what I’m saying. To speak plainly, is Mount Hua’s closure really the same as Wudang’s closure?”
“No. Not at all.”
Mount Hua had closed its gates in order to build up its own strength. Wudang, on the other hand, had shut itself away like a coward, unable to endure the criticism raining down on it.
“If Mount Hua had been active in the martial world over the past three years, they would have been showered with praise. Mount Hua is the only sect that preserved the pride of the Righteous Faction in that cursed Janggang Tragedy, isn’t it? And yet, turning that down, saying they lacked strength and closing their gates—that sect was Mount Hua! Mount Hua!”
“……True enough. It’s an incredible sect.”
“And even that sect, when trouble arose in Shaanxi, broke its closure and came out to protect people, while those damned Wudang bastards don’t seem to care if people in Hubei die or live. Tch, damn them!”
The fear that the Tang Family was withdrawing soon turned into denunciations of Wudang.
In truth, anyone with a working brain would have had no choice but to say the same.
“And it’s not just Wudang, either. What the hell are the smaller Hubei sects doing right now? They always acted so superior, calling themselves Wudang’s affiliated families! If Wudang isn’t around, are its branch families just supposed to sit there sucking their fingers? I heard the branch families in Shaanxi fought the evil bastards even before Mount Hua arrived!”
“Apparently even the affiliated families of the closed-off Zhongnan Sect risked their lives fighting.”
“Just what in the world is Wudang……”
What provoked people most deeply was, after all, anxiety.
The anxiety that the Tang Family’s absence would deepen the chaos was boiling the people of Hubei alive.
“I heard that the people of Junxian went up to Wudang, so let’s wait a little longer. If they have any shame at all, they’ll open the gates and come out now.”
“……If they had any shame, would they have shut their gates in the first place?”
“Damn it! I’m about ready to burst!”
The news of the Tang Family’s withdrawal was enough to throw the Yangtze into upheaval. But the place where the flames truly landed was elsewhere.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“What? What did you just say?”
“……Maehwado is withdrawing.”
The blood drained from the face of Sima Gong, the chief manager of Dafu Merchant House.
“Maehwado?”
“……Yes, sir.”
“N-no! Why the hell would Maehwado suddenly withdraw? I didn’t mishear, did I?”
“No, sir. The rumor is everywhere now. They’re saying they’ll take shipments until tomorrow, and after that they won’t accept anything else.”
“A-are they repairing it? That’s it, right?”
“……Looks like they’re pulling out entirely.”
“What? Why would they pull out of Maehwado? They’re raking money in with a damn rake! And what about all the facilities they built there? What the hell are they planning to do with those?”
“It seems they intend to abandon all of it too.”
“……Just what the hell is this……”
Sima Gong muttered dazedly, too stunned to make sense of it.
How much effort had the Heavenly Union poured into Maehwado and the adjacent docks? What had once been nothing but empty open land had become a vast city, one that now rivaled any place in Hubei.
And they were going to pull out of that place completely?
Have they lost their minds?
By his common sense, it was an utterly incomprehensible thing.
He was a merchant, so it was only natural that he could not understand every thought of martial world lunatics, but even so……
“If that was the plan, they shouldn’t have started a business in the first place! They’re making even more money here, and now they’re shutting down? Are they insane?”
Sima Gong could not hold himself back and shot to his feet.
“M-manager? What are you going to do?”
“I have to see it for myself! I can’t believe this!”
Sima Gong dashed outside at once.
Fortunately, the branch where he was staying was not far from Maehwado. Not only Dafu Merchant House, but many other trading companies had also established branches nearby and stationed their people there to ensure smooth shipping.
When he reached the docks, breath coming in ragged gasps, he saw that many others who had heard the same news had already gathered there.
“Island Lord! What on earth is going on?”
“Is Mount Hua really withdrawing from Maehwado?”
“Then what are we supposed to do? If that happens, we’ll all starve to death!”
Surrounded by the crowd, Im So-byeong let out a long sigh.
Damn it.
Today he had gone all the way to Shaanxi, been driven back without even a chance to rest, and returned to Maehwado. And the moment he was back, he was being surrounded and pestered by people again, making him want to cry.
No, wait.
Maybe he should be a little happy. After all, at least these people treated him like an island lord, not like some stray bandit scraps, unlike that accursed human being who only ever bullied him.
“Everyone, please calm down.”
Im So-byeong cleared his throat and spoke.
“Is it true, Lord Island?”
“It is. Regrettably, Maehwado will close its business as of tomorrow.”
“T-then what are we supposed to do?”
“Without Maehwado, we can’t transport goods to Jiangnan! Those water bandit bastards are still running wild out there!”
“Mount Hua! What does Mount Hua say? Is this Mount Hua’s decision?”
“Now, now. Please calm yourselves.”
Im So-byeong waved his hand, soothing the noisy crowd.
“I would like to continue operations as well, but unfortunately, the movements in Jiangnan are anything but normal. You all roughly know the situation, don’t you?”
At that, the ones who had been resisting all shut their mouths at once.
They knew the Four Hegemons Alliance had finished cleaning up internal affairs. They were merchants, after all. No matter how wicked and violent the Four Hegemons Alliance might be, it wasn’t as though they would personally hunt down and slaughter every one of them.
But Maehwado was Mount Hua’s territory. It was surely the first place they would target the moment they crossed the Yangtze.
“Then it really is……”
Im So-byeong nodded.
“Still, there is no need to worry too much. This is Maehwado, after all. Surely, if not Mount Hua, someone else will try to keep operations going.”
“Hmm. That may be true, but……”
“Then does the Heavenly Union know anything about this?”
“Well.”
Im So-byeong smiled, a smile that said he knew and didn’t know all at once.
“There is little point in those leaving to quarrel over it. However……”
“However?”
“Isn’t everything bound to flow according to the natural order? The rightful owner will reclaim their place.”
“If you say rightful owner……”
“Well, I think I’ve said all I need to say. We’ll keep moving goods without rest even through the night, and by tomorrow evening we’ll have hauled out everything we can, so if you still have cargo left unloaded, bring it quickly!”
At those words, the merchants’ eyes shook violently.
“M-move!”
“Damn it, the warehouses are still full of goods!”
“W-wait, even if we move the cargo, what about the goods we’ve already exchanged?”
“Worry about that later!”
In an instant, the crowd was thrown into chaos, and no one had the presence of mind to ask Im So-byeong anything further.
In the middle of that bedlam, Im So-byeong snickered.
Sapa’s scheme?
Ridiculous.
If it was a question of schemes, he couldn’t even reach the tip of that devil’s shoe.
Im So-byeong took in the great city spread out before him. A commercial city where the richest merchants in the world gathered, a city that anyone in the world would covet.
Is there a bait bigger than this in the entire world?
Whether that damn Chung Myung had thought of this from three years ago, or whether things had simply flowed until they ended up like this, even Im So-byeong couldn’t say. Maybe it was one of those cases where the suspicion was there but the proof wasn’t?
In any case, whatever the intention, this Jiujiang would surely become the core of a typhoon that would sweep away countless people.
“……It’s a shame, but……”
Im So-byeong clicked his tongue and jerked his chin at his subordinates.
“Load the valuables first. Once tomorrow comes, we’re pulling out immediately.”
“Yes! Green Fore— no, Lord Island!”
“Tch.”
Im So-byeong snapped his fan open and fanned himself slowly in front of his face.
“It’s a pity that the title of island lord will disappear, but it hardly matters.”
His gaze drifted across the river.
“Things are about to get much more interesting.”
A low laugh slipped out and drifted among the uproar of the restless crowd.