Chapter 169
Chapter 169
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: Tiger Disaster Deception
-----------------------------------------------------------------
At that moment, in the streets of Yangyang City.
One of the Five Great Families, the Zhuge Clan, was located in the front courtyard—a geographic advantage that had kept Yangyang relatively peaceful until a bolt-from-the-blue rumor struck like lightning.
"Tigers, you say? A tiger plague?"
"Not just one or two, either. A whole pack showed up on Yungjung Mountain, they say!"
"They dragged off an entire family!"
Tiger plague.
It referred to the harm inflicted on people or livestock by fierce tigers.
Even in a world where martial artists trained in martial arts and wielded inner energy, that was still a matter confined to the martial world.
For ordinary folk, a tiger plague was as terrifying as a typhoon or flood—perhaps even more so.
Why else would Confucius say that harsh government is fiercer than tigers?
The sudden appearance of tigers on Yungjung Mountain was shocking enough, but casualties had already occurred.
"An entire family torn apart? Which house are we talking about?"
"You know that rundown place at the far end of the western outskirts—the Seok family."
There was only one Seok family on the western outskirts: the household of Seok Il-gwang, who had lost his shop in a fire a few years back and gone completely bankrupt.
"Good heavens, didn't they have five kids? So the whole family of seven got taken?"
"That's why they're calling it a pack of tigers. And apparently, they trashed the entire house while dragging them off."
Someone listening to the murmurs joined the conversation.
"I saw it with my own eyes. I went to check after hearing the story, and the whole place was smashed to bits. Blood everywhere... Ugh, it was so gruesome I was afraid it'd haunt my dreams."
"Is that true?"
Those who saw the devastation inside pitied the ill-fated Seok family's cruel destiny and clicked their tongues.
"What a wretched fate. All that hardship, only to fall victim to a tiger plague..."
And so, the rumor spread through people's mouths: a pack of tigers had devoured an entire family on the outskirts.
The rumor spread with uncanny speed, eventually reaching even the ears of Magistrate Ji-hyeon.
"...A pack of tigers? On Yungjung Mountain?"
Ji-hyeon was utterly dumbfounded by the sudden tiger plague.
No, tigers on Yungjung Mountain?
"Why would tigers be on that little hill? What's there to eat?"
"...Maybe there was nothing to eat, so they came down and took a family?"
"......"
It was a fairly convincing hypothesis.
Moreover, from what Hyeon-seung reported, all of Yangyang was abuzz with talk of the tiger plague.
Ji-hyeon couldn't just sit idly by, so he clicked his tongue briefly and issued an order.
"No helping it. Contact the Tiger Suppression Bureau and request reinforcements."
"...You think that'll work?"
"Hm?"
Ji-hyeon looked up, radiating annoyance at Hyeon-seung's question.
He was your typical magistrate—moderately lazy, moderately corrupt, and utterly indifferent to whether a few county folk got mauled by tigers.
Especially with a mountain of work already piling up.
Hyeon-seung knew his superior's mindset inside out.
Normally, he wouldn't have questioned it, but this time, he couldn't back down.
Tigers, after all.
Even well-trained soldiers would need hundreds mobilized for a hunt.
And there was no guarantee of zero casualties—even bad luck could mean dozens dead.
Plus, it was a pack of tigers, which was unusual.
'Tigers don't usually hunt in packs.'
And if they'd taken a whole family of seven at once, that meant at least seven tigers.
A pack of seven tigers hunting together.
It was a bizarre tale Hyeon-seung had never heard before.
Naturally, a pack of seven would mean proportionally greater expected losses.
What Tiger Suppression commander would cheerfully send troops after hearing this?
"Requesting reinforcements from the Tiger Suppression Bureau will just drag on forever. They'll stall deployment, hoping the plague fizzles out."
"...Yeah, sounds about right."
Ji-hyeon frowned, thinking of the bureau's commander, Kang Cheonho.
'That guy's just the type.'
Kang Cheonho was obsessed with self-preservation.
He even cut training sessions because overtrained subordinates might get hurt, leaving him accountable.
"Commander Kang cherishes his men so much. He'd avoid losing any if possible."
'Cherishes them? He's just dodging the splashback.'
Ji-hyeon grumbled inwardly at Hyeon-seung's words before sighing in response.
"...True, those slackers wouldn't catch a thing anyway."
"Ahem..."
Ji-hyeon eyed Hyeon-seung, who coughed awkwardly and pretended not to hear the blunt remark.
"So? If we don't request troops from the bureau, what then?"
Hyeon-seung replied instantly, as if he'd been waiting.
"How about asking the Zhuge Clan for cooperation?"
"...Huh?"
Ji-hyeon stared at him like he'd spouted nonsense.
Ask who for cooperation?
"...Are you in your right mind? The Zhuge Clan? Not some martial sect like Wudang—those weaklings?"
His tone dripped with distrust for the Zhuge Clan.
'You were posted elsewhere, Magistrate, so you're not up on the latest.'
Hyeon-seung smiled awkwardly and persuaded him.
"The Zhuge Clan isn't what it used to be. They've recruited famous experts as retainers and built their own armed forces."
"...Tch. Bunch of riffraff calling themselves armed forces."
Like any official, Ji-hyeon disliked the idea of a clan wielding real power.
Hyeon-seung scratched that itch perfectly.
"All the more reason to use them. They've flourished thanks to His Majesty's grace. Protecting His Majesty's subjects by shedding blood is the least they owe, right?"
Ji-hyeon pondered Hyeon-seung's words.
If the bureau dragged its feet on reinforcements, he'd bear the people's wrath.
Requesting from the Zhuge Clan would ensure a swift response.
Seven tigers would be tough even for martial artists.
In other words, tigers versus the Zhuge Clan.
Pit annoying things against each other?
Wasn't that the classic strategy of using barbarians to check barbarians?
"...Not bad."
No, actually good.
Who knew Jo Hyeon-seung had such a sharp mind?
"Fine, send a formal request to the Zhuge Clan."
Ji-hyeon issued the order, eyeing Hyeon-seung with newfound respect.
Hyeon-seung drafted the document at once and left the county office.
Out on the street, he didn't head straight for the Zhuge Clan.
Instead, he slipped into a nearby alley after checking for eyes, where he met a man.
The man greeted Hyeon-seung warmly.
"So, how'd it go? You came out, so it must've worked?"
"Whew, somehow. Here's the cooperation letter."
Hyeon-seung pulled the document from his robe and waved it.
The man grinned in satisfaction and handed over a heavy money pouch.
Seeing the surprisingly hefty weight and the glinting silver inside, Hyeon-seung smiled just as pleased, tucking the letter away.
The man repeated his familiar reminder.
"Don't forget to push it to the end. Tell the clan head..."
"...To mobilize their entire armed forces? My ears are blistered, you rascal."
The man chuckled cheekily at Hyeon-seung's exasperated tone.
Hyeon-seung grinned slyly back.
"You guys are pathetic. Worried the armed forces will overshadow the retainers now that they've grown strong, so you pull a stunt like this."
When the man first asked him to do this, Hyeon-seung had seen through it immediately.
Dragging the clan's armed forces into a tiger hunt with inevitable casualties—to weaken them and restore the retainers' influence.
"Ah, haha... Yeah, exactly."
A massive misunderstanding, but the man let it slide with a laugh.
As one of the Zhuge Clan's retainers—and a fervent supporter of Hyeok Ri-gwang—that was far from the truth.
His motive for bribing Hyeon-seung to deploy the armed forces wasn't internal clan strife, but a self-initiated plan.
*
This plan, which I personally dubbed the "Tiger Disaster Deception," consisted of three stages.
First, create the tiger plague commotion.
To that end, I found a suitable house on the outskirts.
A retainer with good intel told me about the Seok family on the western edge.
Their story checked out, so last night I gave them ten taels of silver and urged them to flee under cover of darkness.
I even assigned a couple retainers for escort all the way to Wuhan—no issues there.
Since they were merchants originally, I asked Hwa-ryeon for a letter of recommendation to the Changcheon Merchant Group.
If they work hard, they can settle in nicely.
Next came staging the aftermath of a tiger attack.
I rounded up some retainers to smash things up, tear stuff apart, procure animal blood, and splatter it around to mimic a massacre.
A close inspection might reveal inconsistencies, but it only needed to fool people briefly.
Then, with rumor-mongers spreading the word, nonexistent tigers came alive on people's tongues across Yangyang.
Second, use the commotion to make the county office request aid from the Zhuge Clan.
Normally, tiger plagues are handled by local suppression offices, but I aimed to get the magistrate to mobilize the clan first.
"I have some ties with Hyeon-seung. Leave it to me."
One retainer, reeking faintly of daytime drinking, stepped up after hearing this.
Said he was drinking buddies with Yangyang's deputy magistrate.
"If that worked, the formal letter should arrive any time..."
Fortunately, word soon came that Hyeon-seung had entered the clan and delivered it to the clan head.
"...Will it work? We got the rumor going, but deploying the full armed forces..."
Hwa-ryeon's worried remark.
Truth be told, even I couldn't guarantee this part.
I'd done my best, but the world doesn't bend to one man's will.
"Well, if it fails, nothing we can do. But for seven tigers, they'll send at least two units, right?"
I soothed Hwa-ryeon—two out of three gone would be a blessing—but inwardly prayed to the Primeval Lord of Heaven and Buddha, whom I rarely invoked.
Please, make all three leave!
Did my prayers work?
The next morning,
the three armed units—Ho-cheon, Ho-ji, and Ho-in—departed the clan for the tiger hunt.
This marked the start of the third stage of the Tiger Disaster Deception—and our turn to move.