Chapter 284
Chapter 284
The Iron Emperor — Chapter 284
Of course, everyone already knew all of this, but reiterating it was no different from once again underscoring just how critical this war was.
"All we have to do is keep harrying the enemy's rear as long as possible. Starting tomorrow, we push the march at maximum speed."
"Yes, sir!"
On a board where every piece had already been placed, time was the most crucial element.
The success or failure of this entire operation hinged on how flawlessly each nation tasked with its own mission carried out its role.
"Your Majesty, Uljeol Risel has arrived with the supplies."
At the soldier's voice from outside, the commander seated at the far end of the tent bowed his head to Jin-cheon and called out on his behalf.
"Have him come in."
"Yes, sir!"
A moment later, Risel entered the tent, saluted Jin-cheon, and reported the completion of his mission.
"Good work."
"I merely do my utmost for the task given me."
"Will you head back right away?"
At Jin-cheon's question, Risel answered with a somewhat weary face.
"I believe I should rest a little. The distance is not yet unreasonable, but to avoid disruptions to the supply operations ahead, I must pace myself with adequate rest now."
"Mm, I see. Then have a cup of tea here before you go."
"By Your Majesty's grace, this Uljeol forgets his own fatigue."
Once Risel took his seat, a soldier brought tea and poured him a cup, steam curling gently upward.
"That aside, I did not know you enjoyed wine."
At Risel's words, Jin-cheon's hand, which had been lifting the teacup to his lips, paused briefly.
"I do drink it, but I don't particularly enjoy it."
"I-is that so. Ha, hahaha. A-anyhow, as of late, Her Highness the Yeolhu has been tending to the people so devotedly — it is truly a pleasure to see."
Caught off guard by Jin-cheon's remark that he did not particularly enjoy it, Risel laughed awkwardly and turned the subject toward Eulji. But there was no way Jin-cheon would fail to notice.
"That said, I have been making an effort to grow accustomed to it lately."
"I-is that so?"
Risel's expression turned equivocal.
Then Jin-cheon continued—
"I am sorry, my Uljeol. For making you concern yourself with even such trifling matters."
"Ah! Hahaha, not at all. How could I call such things trifling? I merely obtained what Gye Joui-du Daehyeong passed along to me, nothing more."
At Jin-cheon's words, Risel's face abruptly relaxed, and he waved his hands dismissively as he rattled off his explanation. A low chuckle followed.
"Hohoho, so that is how it was."
"Haha..."
As the smile on Jin-cheon's lips deepened, Risel's smile steadily faded.
"That bastard — now he's even smuggling alcohol..."
"..."
The outcome Risel had feared had come to pass after all.
* * *
"Kyaa! How have I never known this taste before!"
"Heh heh, sho good, sho good — wine is niiice, hey-hey."
"Hey, pass me some of that jerky."
In one corner of the temporary storage tent where food supplies were piled, Gye Ung-sam and the trio had a drinking party well underway.
As the song flowed mournfully along with Dupyo's tune, Buyeo Gi-yul, wearing a faintly concerned expression, ventured a word.
"But, uh — is this really all right?"
"That brat goes and gets himself a wife and now he's lost his damn nerve!"
Ung-sam suddenly burst out scolding him, and Giyul's eyes went wide as he tried to defend himself.
"What does that have to do with—"
"Tch, you bastard, you need to get your ass kicked!"
"We'll take this punk outside and straighten him out."
Abruptly, Dupyo and Ryu-hwa grabbed Giyul by the arms and started dragging him out — with expressions as if they had just met their lifelong mortal enemy.
"What did I even do!"
With those words, Giyul vanished outside. Gazing at the door they had gone through, Ung-sam let out a deep sigh and muttered to himself.
"Yeah, Ryu-hwa, Dupyo — I know exactly how you feel."
Having suffered the same ache of shared misery, Ung-sam understood their fury. He hoisted the wine bottle to his lips and snickered.
"Ah, to hell with it. As always, you're the only one who understands me!"
"Gulp it right down."
"..."
A sudden, chilling voice. Hoping his ears had deceived him, Ung-sam slowly turned his head toward the doorway.
There stood Go Jin-cheon and Eulji Uru, glaring at him as if they meant to devour him.
"Not just one bottle — four bottles all by yourself..."
As Jin-cheon's icy voice continued, Ung-sam frantically waved his hands. At this rate, he was going to end up saddled with every drop the trio had drunk too.
"Th-that's, I absolutely did not drink alone—"
"Don't bullshit."
"It's the truth—"
"You're dead."
Thud.
Some people you could reason with. Uru's verdict drove Ung-sam straight into despair.
* * *
After the matter of Gye Ung-sam had been dealt with, Go Jin-cheon was receiving reports on the rear situation through Risel when another communication arrived. This time, it was a transmission from Duke Baikal.
A wizard carried the crystal orb in, set it before Jin-cheon, and activated it. Duke Baikal's image rose into view.
[Your Majesty, Duke Baikal of the Divine pays his respects.]
"You have been working hard."
[Not at all. Is this war not one in which we were always fated to stand at the vanguard? Rather, I am merely humbled that Your Majesty has come all this long way without hesitation.]
"Mm. Well, what is it?"
When Jin-cheon asked why he had contacted him so suddenly, Duke Baikal hesitated a moment, then carefully began to speak.
[I reached out to request a portion of troops from Your Majesty, as they will be needed for the operations ahead.]
"Troops?"
At the mention of Baikal needing troops, Jin-cheon raised one eyebrow and asked, as if demanding a more detailed explanation.
[Raids on supply units, after all, are a form of rear-area disruption, yet at present I have almost no troops capable of handling ranger or special-operations duties. And so...]
"That does make sense."
[I contacted you in the hope that even just a dozen or so of Lord Ung-sam's experienced swordsmen might be made available.]
"I will send Gye Ung-sam himself."
[What — Lord Ung-sam himself, you say?!]
Having believed that men under Ung-sam's command alone would suffice, Marquis Baikal's face lit up the moment Jin-cheon said he would dispatch Ung-sam in person.
[Lord Ung-sam surely has much to attend to as it is...]
Still, perhaps feeling sheepish about drawing away such a major combat asset, Duke Baikal cautiously began to speak.
"Do not worry about that. However — there is a condition."
[A condition? What do you mean, Your Majesty?]
At Jin-cheon's conditional approval, Duke Baikal looked flustered. Paying his reaction no mind, Jin-cheon simply said what he wanted to say.
"Without fail — work him until he is nearly dead."
[...]
Sensing an inexplicable killing intent radiating from Jin-cheon, Duke Baikal concluded that Ung-sam must have caused yet another incident.
* * *
Countless wagons were drawing up in formation on one side under the spears and swords of the soldiers. Flags denoting the Holy Empire fluttered everywhere among the wagons, so that anyone could tell at a glance this was an imperial supply column.
From a distance, a band of cavalry approached head-on, plucked the banner from their backs, and waved it in the air. The baton in the hand of the middle-aged man leading the column rose slightly.
"Viscount Kwai, the scouts are signaling all clear."
Whether the signal truly meant safety, one of the staff officers cautiously reported to the commander, Viscount Kwai.
"Then we stop here for today."
"Understood."
When Viscount Kwai, who was in charge of the supply unit, spoke quietly to the staff officer riding beside him, the officer gestured to a knight following as escort from the rear.
"Whoa — lead element, halt in place!"
The knight's booming shout echoed far and was relayed down the column like a rolling echo.
"Whoa!"
"Stop the wagons!"
A column totaling thirty thousand — twenty thousand escort troops and ten thousand transport troops — required no small amount of time to grind to a halt.
After all, how enormous must the volume of supplies have been, meant to sustain a main army of one hundred and fifty thousand and its supporting transport personnel?
"We rest here tonight. Baronet Slav, draw knights and form a cavalry detachment for extended reconnaissance of the surrounding area. The enemy will assuredly be targeting the supply train."
"Understood, Viscount Kwai."
At Viscount Kwai's command, Baronet Slav saluted and spurred his horse toward the rear.
"Viscount Kwai, a magic communication from the main army."
A graying wizard riding a horse-drawn wagon guided by soldiers approached from behind and raised his voice. Viscount Kwai wheeled his horse around and tilted his head.
It was not yet time for the regularly scheduled communication.
"What matter brings you here in such haste?"
Viscount Kwai stroked his slightly bristling mustache and asked the wizard who had stuck his head out of the wagon, full of curiosity.
"A dispatch has come from the main camp ordering the supply unit to maximize its speed. And there is also an order to minimize water consumption."
"What do you mean? I am aware that wells and the like have been destroyed, but surely the main army must have reached the Sineo River by now?"
The wizard's status apparently being considerable, Viscount Kwai addressed him with formal speech rather than familiar address.
"Could it be that enemy raiders have deliberately seized the riverbank?"
"It is not that — the enemy went so far as to scatter poison herbs into the river itself, and the main army has taken a blow from it. The casualties among the troops are not great, but they say the army will be immobilized for two or three days. On top of that, with enemies upstream constantly and furtively dumping toxins before fleeing, they are even having to purify the river water through a magic field before it can be used."
"Good heavens!"
Viscount Kwai's face grew grave as he expressed his dismay.
No matter that the main army numbered one hundred and fifty thousand — if the enemy was determined to dump toxins upstream and flee, there was simply no stopping them.
Sensing that the enemy's resistance was unexpectedly tenacious, Viscount Kwai had a distinct premonition that the supply unit, too, would surely face an attack.
Even if enemy raids had been practically nonexistent since the supply unit's troop strength had been reinforced of late, the reason the enemy had adopted such tactics was tantamount to openly declaring their intent to sever the supply lines.
"Hmm. Even if it strains us somewhat, increase the guard. Not a single item of supplies must be damaged."
"Understood."
After the wizard had returned, Viscount Kwai summoned several knights and piled admonition upon admonition, preparing for a possible ambush.
* * *
Because they had begun late, by the time the encampment was fully established, deep darkness had already settled in.
"Hmm. They are somewhat late."
In the supply unit's command tent, Viscount Kwai, who had been waiting for the cavalry patrol that had gone out to reconnoiter, was pacing with a faintly anxious look in his eyes.
Just then, a clamorous voice rang out from outside the tent.
"Viscount! Viscount!"
"What is all that racket!"