It May Have Already Begun (4)
It had been an unbearably long night.
For that one night, longer than any they had ever known in their lives, the swordsmen of the Namgung Family had been tormented by the fear that the water bandits would attack at any moment.
And yet there had been no way to try to escape the island. They had already learned all too painfully how dangerous the river was beneath the black veil of night.
In the end, the Namgung swordsmen had been forced to spend the entire night with their eyes open.
And when dawn finally broke, they were faced with a despair deeper than the darkness that had covered the river.
Namgung Myeong said with a groan, “...Those are the Water Bandit Sect’s warships.”
“Hmph.”
Namgung Hwang frowned.
As the sun rose in the east and spilled light across the river, the ships surrounding the island in the middle of the Yangtze River finally revealed themselves. Every single one of them was armed with massive cannons.
“...Those damn eels.”
Namgung Hwang ground his teeth.
At a glance, it was as though they had dragged every water bandit ship on the Yangtze River here. The sight made their intentions plain: not a single ant was to be allowed past the encirclement.
“Changgung Sword Squad Commander.”
“Yes, Family Head!”
“Can we break through?”
Namgung Myeong bit his lip tightly.
“...It will be difficult, Family Head.”
“Why?”
He swallowed dryly before answering.
“The distance to the riverbank is too great. If we forced it, it wouldn’t be impossible to cross, but... reaching shore while blocking the cannon fire and arrows pouring down from those bandit ships is impossible.”
Namgung Hwang bit his lip.
“What if I cross the river alone? I don’t know about the Changgung squad, but it shouldn’t be too difficult for me and the elders.”
“...It may be possible. But...”
Namgung Myeong forced the words out, though they seemed to catch in his throat.
“Even if you and the elders break through the encirclement and make it to land... nothing changes. That is the problem.”
This was an island.
To move people to the mainland, they needed boats. Even if Namgung Hwang went to the shore, secured a boat, and returned to the island, how could he possibly deal with that many ships alone?
Under the relentless bombardment, even the boat he brought back would eventually be sunk.
“Still, wouldn’t that be better than this?”
“Family Head...”
Namgung Myeong’s lips, clenched so tightly they had gone white, trembled. It was an embarrassing thing to say, but there was no avoiding it.
“...The moment you and the elders leave this island, they will not wait for your return. They’ll launch an attack on the island immediately. If that happens...”
“Hmph.”
Namgung Hwang let out a low, understanding grunt even before hearing the rest. Namgung Myeong said in a pained voice,
“Those left behind on the island will be...”
“Massacred.”
Namgung Hwang murmured it flatly and closed his eyes.
In a sect, a true master accounted for more than half of its total power. Without Namgung Hwang, the Namgung Family could never withstand the Water Bandit Sect.
The reason was simple.
A black ship was emerging grandly from among the vessels surrounding the island.
The Black Dragon Ship...
The Black Dragon King would be aboard it.
There was no need to even count the elders. The moment Namgung Hwang pulled out alone, the Black Dragon King would surely steer that ship in and try to land. Without Namgung Hwang, who in the Namgung Family could possibly stand against him?
On this poisonous island with no way out, the Black Dragon King would be like a cat leaping into a pit full of trapped rats.
“So in the end... you’re saying there’s nothing we can do.”
“Family Head...”
Namgung Hwang’s face was calm. He did not seem particularly angry.
But Namgung Myeong and Namgung Do-wi saw it clearly: blood leaking from the fist he had clenched so tightly that his nails had dug into his palm.
He was suppressing his rage with a grip so fierce it drew blood, and he was doing it without ever showing such a thing to the other members of the family.
“Hah!”
Namgung Hwang gave a short, contemptuous laugh and growled, “Those cowards don’t even have the guts to come charging in.”
His booming voice rang out across the island.
“Those fools can’t approach the island anyway. Then all they can do is keep us in a standoff. Don’t waste your strength standing guard pointlessly. Go and get some rest. There are enough halls here, so that won’t be a problem.”
The Namgung swordsmen cast him uneasy looks, but Namgung Hwang cut them off again.
“There’s nothing to worry about. As long as we hold out on this island for a little while, everything will be resolved!”
“Family Head...”
“Changgung Sword Squad Commander!”
“Yes, Family Head!”
“Divide the men into shifts and make them rest in rotation. Keep watch, but don’t exhaust yourselves! Watch only for ships approaching the island.”
“Yes!”
Namgung Myeong quickly gathered the men and organized the shifts. Then he more or less forcibly pushed the remaining personnel into the halls.
The worried men looked deeply uneasy about resting inside the halls where they could not see what was happening outside, but since there was no real alternative if they stood guard, they eventually obeyed Namgung Myeong’s orders.
Once the situation was somewhat settled, Namgung Hwang quietly called Namgung Myeong and Namgung Do-wi aside. Taking them to a place out of the others’ sight, he asked the two of them with a face that was different from before,
“What do you think we should do now?”
He was no fool.
He could not possibly fail to understand how terribly the situation was unfolding.
“Family Head...”
Namgung Myeong opened his mouth, his face filled with humiliation.
“For now, there is no choice.”
“...No choice?”
“Yes, Family Head. First, we must defend this island. If we try to break the encirclement clumsily, the Namgung Family will be finished that very day.”
“...”
“What you said, Family Head, is correct. No matter how much they are the Water Bandit Sect, they will not dare to land on an island defended by the Namgung Family.”
“...It’s not that they won’t dare. It’s that they won’t need to.”
Struck at the heart of it, Namgung Myeong pressed his lips shut.
Even if a tiger had fallen into a trap, to approach it while it still had strength left would be suicide. A seasoned hunter would not rush. He would simply wait patiently until the tiger exhausted itself.
And when it had lost even the strength to resist, he would approach leisurely and cut its throat without damaging the hide.
“Fine. Let’s say that’s the only thing we can do for now. But if we endure, does that mean the situation will change?”
“...Rescue will come.”
“Rescue?”
Namgung Myeong nodded with difficulty.
“Yes... There is no way Shaolin or the orthodox sects will rejoice at seeing the Namgung Family surrounded by the Water Bandit Sect. If they come to our aid, we should be able to break the blockade and escape this island.”
Namgung Hwang’s expression twisted.
“Haven’t you already experienced the strength of those people?”
“F-Family Head.”
“We could not even properly resist their assault. Do you still not understand that the reason we were able to claim a complete victory in the naval battle three years ago was not because we were stronger than them, but because those defeated soldiers lured us into the Black Dragon Clan?”
“...”
“And you think Shaolin can stand against them on the water? Do you truly believe that?”
“Family Head...”
It was not the voice of an angry man shouting in fury.
Rather, it was a voice asking about the situation with terrifying calm.
“Even so, it is Shaolin.”
“...”
“Their strength may not be enough to save us completely, but they can at least open a path for us.”
“...I see.”
Namgung Hwang nodded and looked up at the sky.
His shoulders looked slightly smaller than usual.
“Was I too greedy?”
“...F-Family Head.”
“I began this to escape Shaolin’s shadow and stand fully under the Namgung name on our own, and yet here we are—captured by the enemy, waiting for Shaolin’s salvation. I can’t help but laugh at myself.”
“Please don’t say that, Father.”
Then Namgung Do-wi spoke with unwavering firmness.
“Winning and losing a battle are not what matter. What matters is not victory in battle, but victory in war.”
“...”
“No matter what hardships we suffer, if we can still win in the end, then we have not lost. If I were not blood of the Namgung Family, I would laugh not at the danger the family now faces, but at Father’s current state of mind.”
“Do-wi!”
Namgung Myeong cried out in alarm, but Namgung Hwang, hearing those words, only laughed.
“That’s right. To think Namgung Hwang would be the one crying.”
After laughing heartily for a moment, Namgung Hwang clenched his teeth and said,
“There is always a chance, no matter when it may come. If we can only hold out against this blockade, there will surely come a time when I cast all of them into this freezing river.”
“It will come, Father.”
“Do-wi.”
“Yes, Family Head!”
Namgung Hwang gave a firm order.
“Keep the family from wavering.”
“You needn’t worry, Family Head. The swords of Namgung are never weak. If they could be broken so easily, they would not have dared to bear the Namgung name.”
Namgung Hwang’s mouth curled slightly, and he nodded.
His son had grown so much without him noticing, and now he was becoming a source of strength. Every word he spoke sounded more like a Family Head than Namgung Hwang himself.
“Changgung Sword Squad Commander.”
“Yes, Family Head.”
“Help the Young Master.”
Namgung Myeong nodded.
“I will do so without fail.”
Namgung Myeong and Namgung Do-wi bowed deeply and left. Left alone by the riverbank, Namgung Hwang quietly turned his head to look at the ships surrounding the island.
So all we have to do is endure until Shaolin’s rescue comes?
Namgung Hwang’s mouth twisted.
That bastard Myeong is quite good at lying.
No, in truth, it could not really be called a lie. What he had said was certainly true.
It was just that there was something he had left unsaid.
If Shaolin realized the situation and began to move, then those defeated soldiers would move as well.
If the defeated soldiers and the Maninbang reached the Yangtze River before Shaolin did?
Then this place will become the grave of me and the Namgung Family.
For those defeated soldiers would never let such an opportunity slip away.
“Ha.”
He gave a bitter laugh and glared at the Black Dragon Ship visible in the distance.
“Even if I die here, I’m taking your head with me, Black Dragon King!”
The force he unleashed rolled across the waves of the Yangtze River.
And that momentum was clearly felt by the Black Dragon King, who was watching the island from the river.
“Namgung Hwang.”
A triumphant smile appeared at the corner of the Black Dragon King’s mouth.
The aura Namgung Hwang released was indeed threatening. Even more so than when they had crossed blades three years ago.
But that was all it was. When a beast rages most fiercely, it is because it has fallen into a trap. That aura only served to reveal the situation Namgung Hwang now found himself in.
“Did you send word to the Alliance Leader?”
“Yes, Black Dragon King!”
“Good.”
A sly smile spread across the Black Dragon King’s face.
“Then let us... slowly cook the rat trapped in the jar.”
A laugh he could no longer suppress leaked through his lips.
I’ll make you understand exactly what it means for blood to run dry, Emperor Sword.
Soon, the Yangtze River would be dyed red with the Namgung Family’s blood.