Chapter 39
Chapter 39
The Iron Emperor — Chapter 39
"Proceed."
Go Jin-cheon's curt voice signaled the start of the meeting. Yeon Hwi-garam rose from his seat and began to speak.
"Supreme One of All Heavens, who embraces all people and all things......"
"Enough."
"..."
As the others moved to offer formal greetings according to ritual, Go Jin-cheon shouted with a frown. While everyone stood there blankly, Go Jin-cheon let out a sigh and spoke.
"From now on, strip out all the prefatory and concluding flourishes."
"That is unacceptable, Your Majesty!"
To Jin-cheon, formal addresses packed with flowery rhetoric were uncomfortable to hear. Calling it the Yeolje's first command from the throne might have been a bit absurd, but Go Jin-cheon was genuinely uncomfortable. Yet there was one man who seized on his first command to raise an objection: none other than Captain of the Guard Dae Mu-deok.
"And what is unacceptable?"
"Until now it was of no consequence, as Your Majesty had not formally proclaimed the Opening of Heaven, but no longer. You have now ascended to the seat of the Yeolje, who cares for all things in creation! No further disrespect can be permitted!"
"..."
Jin-cheon began to feel the inside of his skull throbbing violently. This was the sort of thing he detested most.
'You are now the Yeolje, so you must attach formal flourishes to your greetings.'
The very fact that a point that could be finished in a single short sentence had to be stretched out with such verbiage bothered him. Pressing his fingers against his temple, Jin-cheon cut off Mu-deok, who was still going on about this and that.
"And so such words were spoken by the late Yeolje..."
"Enough."
But Mu-deok's fervor was not the kind to stop just because he was told to.
"Your Majesty!"
"Enough. I am not telling you to discard propriety. I am merely telling you to excise those interminable, pointless words. Do you not realize that because of all that verbiage, a meeting that could be finished in one shichen drags on for two or even three?"
"But, Your Majesty!"
"In that same time we could discuss more pressing matters and conduct more business for the people. So I ask you to understand my intent."
At Jin-cheon's words, Mu-deok's eyes began to waver. Jin-cheon, sensing the danger, tried to speak, but it was already too late.
"Yourrr Majesty! Punish this general's disloyalty, I beseech you! Punish this servant who, failing to apprehend Your Majesty's profound intent, clung only to empty shells and nearly obstructed the greater cause!"
From there, what should have been a simple "I was wrong, please punish me" unspooled into an unending torrent of words. Feeling the gravity of the situation, Jin-cheon quietly asked Hwi-garam, who was standing awkwardly beside him.
"Was Mu-deok always this long-winded?"
"Well... I have certainly seen him act this way before the late Yeolje in the Imperial Hall..."
In stark contrast to the flustered expressions around him, Mu-deok's eloquence churned through the Imperial Hall—the chamber where state affairs were conducted—like a fish meeting water.
Having barely managed to placate him, Jin-cheon ordered that all prior practices be reformed and the foundations of the state consolidated. He also did not forget to command that henceforth all administrative meetings follow the same abbreviated format as the military councils.
"Then for today's meeting..."
"Your Majesty!"
"What is it now!"
When Jin-cheon's voice emerged tinged with irritation, the cowed Mu-deok spoke in a timorous, crawling tone.
"That is... regarding the Yeolhu investiture..."
"Speak."
"..."
Jin-cheon's voice, which had seemed on the verge of anger just moments before, abruptly softened.
"If that is the matter, I shall submit my report."
"Mm."
"Following the will of the late Bojang Yeolje, although Lady Eulji is still very young, I propose first designating her as Yeolhu—"
"Halt."
"Pfft."
There were Jin-cheon letting out a sigh and Hwi-garam suppressing a laugh. But Mu-deok's loyalty was so fervent that Jin-cheon could not say more against him; he slowly began to speak.
"One hundred days."
"Pardon?"
"It has now been one hundred days."
"..."
"Shall we go ahead and consummate the union right this moment?"
At Jin-cheon's words, Mu-deok, as if realizing he had run too far ahead, bowed his head deeply and spoke again.
"In that case, perhaps designate her now and hold the formal investiture in thirteen years..."
"Enough. That is all."
To tell them to formally invest her as consort after thirteen years was to tell Jin-cheon to live a solitary, celibate existence until then. Jin-cheon addressed Mu-deok, who was silently gauging his reaction.
"The late Bojang Yeolje only asked my intentions; he did not order me to appoint her Yeolhu."
"But, Your Majesty."
To Mu-deok's tenaciously obstinate voice, Jin-cheon responded with a decisively cutting finality.
"'But, Your Majesty,' my foot! She hasn't even had her first birthday—"
"..."
"Hoo, let us set this matter aside for now."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Mu-deok had been persistently pushing for Eulji—who had not yet even passed her first birthday—to be made Yeolhu, and had been relying on the late Bojang Yeolje's backing to do it. Jin-cheon, who was still a vigorous young man, declared the meeting adjourned rather than continue it any further.
"Ahem."
"Thirteen years... is a bit long, is it not?"
"Ehem."
Jin-cheon could not hide his discomfort at Hwi-garam's teasing remark from beside him. But he had no intention of backing down himself. Even now, every morning he was rather proud of his vigorous condition, so what sense did it make to tell him to live celibate for thirteen years! Just then, from outside the now-empty Imperial Hall, Mu-deok's wails resounded.
"O late Bojang Yeolje! This foolish servant already grieves that he could not protect you to the end, and now he has failed even to carry out your will! Kkeuheuheuheong! O Yeolje!"
Jin-cheon and Hwi-garam began to feel the seriousness of the situation. As the wailing grew louder, Jin-cheon, unable to bear it, called for Hwi-garam.
"Stop him, would you."
"And how, by what means, am I supposed to do that?"
"Kkeung."
There was no answer.
Go Jin-cheon looked at Dae Mu-deok before him and cradled his throbbing head with one hand.
"We shall defer that matter for the time being."
"..."
"I'm not casting Eulji aside."
"In that case, Your Majesty."
At Jin-cheon's words, Mu-deok lifted his head slightly, and Hwi-garam gave a quiet, involuntary laugh. Could a man change so completely just by a shift in roles?
"Think about it. Is it possible to hold a formal wedding ceremony with a child not even a year old? And then you said thirteen years, was it? To put it bluntly, do you take me for some kind of ascetic monk!"
"Well, that is..."
"Frankly, do you not feel a little sorry for me, a young man forced into celibacy?"
"..."
At Jin-cheon's explicit words, Mu-deok, at a loss for words, hung his head. Seeing that, Jin-cheon did not pursue the matter further and turned the topic elsewhere.
"Let us bury that issue for now and address it later. The urgent matters at present are the establishment of our governing framework and the building up of our military strength. Consort investiture and all the rest can wait—right now, the point is to survive."
"Yes."
At last, Mu-deok bowed his head, as if his will had yielded.
A moment later, as Dae Mu-deok exited the Imperial Hall, Yeon Hwi-garam followed in his wake.
"Captain of the Guard."
"Ah, General Yeon."
"Unlike before, you have suddenly become rather hidebound."
"Hoo."
At Hwi-garam's words, a sigh escaped Mu-deok. At that reaction, Hwi-garam could not help but be puzzled. Mu-deok smiled slightly and began to speak.
"It is because the only task I am able to perform is that of becoming hidebound."
"I'm not sure I understand..."
"Heh heh heh."
Hwi-garam sent Mu-deok, who described himself as hidebound, a questioning look. Nodding as if he had already expected such a reaction, Mu-deok slowly continued.
"His Majesty has spent his life solely on the battlefield. And all those about him were likewise those cast out from their houses, drifting from camp to camp. Perhaps because of this, he tends toward the unorthodox in all things. I do not say that the unorthodox is bad, of course. I, too, have seen the assemblies under the late Yeolje—factions that only debated on formalities and wrangled over verbiage. In that respect, I am in sympathy with what the present Yeolje is doing."
"If you sympathize, then why?"
At Hwi-garam's counter-question, Mu-deok gave a faint smile.
"Men change, and life changes. And in the midst of that, law and institutions must also change. Surely those assembled here will change them. You all understand, better than anyone, the pain of those who were cast aside. Change is therefore natural. Yet, even though all else changes, there are things that must not change."
At Mu-deok's words, Hwi-garam's head was already nodding. Mu-deok's speech contained a conviction more unshakeable than anyone's.
CLAAANG!
Mu-deok drew his blade from its sheath.
The sharp ring of steel echoed through the empty air, and the cold body of the sword revealed itself before the eyes of the two men.
"Even this sword has advanced and developed, yet there is something that does not change."
"..."
"The use of fire and the beating of the hammer to forge it, and... the pursuit of sharpness. What a sword must never lose is its sharpness."
Sseogeok.
Mu-deok, who had drawn his sword and been speaking as he held it, swung it to one side. The blades of grass that had existed in the arc of that sword's path tumbled, strengthless, to the ground.
"In carrying on the name of Gauri in this place, unorthodox methods are also necessary. Yet I am saying that even where there is unorthodoxy, there are things that do not change. A harmony between old and new is needed. However, am I not the only one here who can speak for the old?"
"Ah..."
So that was it. Just earlier, the only person who had been offering opposition to anything was Dae Mu-deok. The generals, Jin-cheon included, were all in their twenties or thirties, and every one of them had belonged to the same single unit, leading the same collective life.
In short, he was saying they could become too one-sided. Mu-deok was a man who had lived a different life from theirs. And that very man was now voluntarily stepping into the role of brake for them all.
"But I'm hardly any good at it, even so. His Majesty has only to say a single word and I flinch. Hahaha."
Mu-deok, sheepish for whatever reason, let out a genial laugh, but Hwi-garam was keenly aware: of just how deeply he cherished Jin-cheon and all of them.
"..."
And on the other side, Jin-cheon, who had overheard the entire exchange between the two, merely stood in silence.
"The formal investiture of Eulji as Yeolhu will be set five years from now."
"Pardon?"
"What, so suddenly?"
It was what Go Jin-cheon announced out of the blue when everyone had assembled in the Imperial Hall the following day. His attitude, which until the day before had been vaguely deflecting the matter, had changed. As Dae Mu-deok's face gradually brightened, Jin-cheon cut him off.
"However!"
With one forcefully sharp word, Jin-cheon infused the air with pressure and spoke.
"Should the opportunity arise, I shall first invest a secondary consort."
"How can you—such a thing!"
Cutting off Mu-deok, who was about to object, Jin-cheon's words shot out again.
"The investiture of Eulji as Yeolhu was merely deferred for five years because she is too young; it is all but already decided. However, due to unforeseen political factors, there may be need to bring in a secondary consort. I wish for this matter not to be raised again. Now, let us proceed to the next agenda item."
In the end, he was proposing a compromise. Mu-deok had no choice but to let the matter pass without further words.
After the day's meeting concluded, Mu-deok and Hwi-garam met once more.
"General Yeon, thank you for your help."
"Think nothing of it. Is His Majesty not known for his deep sentiments?"
The two men wore singular smiles. Their grasped hands were clasped tightly, as if containing some secret between them. Once the two had released each other's hands and each had disappeared toward his own quarters, Jin-cheon revealed himself.
"They plotted this."
It had struck Jin-cheon the day before that the pair's private conversation had somehow sounded unusually loud.
A month had passed since the proclamation to restore Gauri. The total population, albeit slightly under three thousand, bore the anomalous characteristic that nearly all were combat troops rather than productive labor.
Jin-cheon accordingly began to govern centered on the military, so that by now it was no strange sight to see even children running about and shooting bows.
"The supply of iron is the problem."
At last, the trouble began to surface.
With hunting continuing, all the iron they had gathered so far was being used to re-equip their forces and supply the additional troops. But it was woefully insufficient for arrowheads and stockpiled reserves. Moreover, they had no mine, and even if they did, it could not immediately meet the needed quantity.
"Hm-mm."
Jin-cheon, who had been listening to Elder Jang Moo's explanation, let out a deep hum. This was something beyond even his ability to fix. Uru, who had been keeping silent at his side, quietly spoke up.
"Could we not go to the cities and purchase it? Did we not send people out last time to buy grain and seed as well?"
"That is impossible."
The answer to Uru's question, however, came from Gerard. After clearing his throat slightly, Gerard began his explanation.
"At present, the continent is sliding into a proxy war between the two great empires. The Kingdom of Haian, which borders our territory, is currently requisitioning even the iron in commoners' homes across its lands."
"Why's Haian handing over iron when it's the empires that are fighting?"
When Buru countered his words with an expression of utter incomprehension, Gerard moistened his lips, drew a breath, and continued his explanation.
"The Kingdom of Haian, caught between the two empires, serves as their buffer zone. Additionally, its sea routes place it in proximity to another empire, making it, in practical terms, a center of gravity for the three great empires. The issue is that while none of the empires will invade it outright, they each demand concessions from Haian and requisition its materials and military forces."
"Madness."
Jin-cheon rendered his brief assessment.
As before, he considered Haian to lack even the value of continued existence. Though it was precisely thanks to that situation that they had been able to build up their power here without hindrance.
"Then what're we supposed to do about it?"
"We..."
Into the tense silence, Galling Stone timidly spoke up.
"The reason we came here in the first place was for mining development. We have already identified a prospective site—what if we were to develop it?"
"That so?"
"Yes."
As Uru brightened, Galling Stone nodded his head as if to confirm. But from Jin-cheon's mouth came a flat refusal.
"Out of the question."
"...?"
"Who is going to build a mine, and on what timeline? We are already short on manpower as it is."
At Jin-cheon's words, Hwain Stone hesitantly stepped forward and spoke.
"That can be handled by our tribe, which is situated to the south of the Reganza Mountains. Our tribe's population has grown to excess, and we are planning to migrate to this area. So that point poses no problem."
"Ho-oh, and I suppose you will want something in return?"
As Jin-cheon looked on with interest, Hwain Stone's eyes glittered and he spoke.
"The art of handling fire, and the technique of folding and quenching steel..."
"Out of the question!"
This time, the words erupted from Elder Jang's mouth.
"You lot dare to barter with what you are being taught! I granted you instruction because I thought you were working diligently, but it seems you are still far from ready!"
"No, that is..."
"Eei!"
After his volley of scolding, Elder Jang turned his back and withdrew, and Jin-cheon let slip a short laugh.
"No matter that I am the Yeolje of this place, I do not override a master artisan's stubbornness with commands to do this or do that."
"..."
Hwain Stone was at a loss for words. But the ends of Jin-cheon's eyebrows twitched.
"And besides, where do you propose to build this mine?"
"In the vicinity here..."
At Jin-cheon's question, Galling Stone, with an expression that said 'Why do you ask?', trailed off vaguely. What followed was Jin-cheon's unequivocal voice.
"I said this land is Gauri territory. I won't stop you from coming here, but then it's only proper that you pay the taxes that come with it."
As Jin-cheon spoke with a sardonic smile, Mawin Stone, who had been standing aside, flared up.
"Is this not too much! How can a human demand tribute from the children of the Earth Tribe..."
Wham!
Flop.
Yet Mawin Stone's defiance was put to rest by a single blow from Buru.
"What's all this jabberin' now? These bastards still ain't come around, have they? Leave 'em loose for a bit and they're startin' trouble again."
"..."
"P-please, withdraw your wrath."
To them, the authority of the Titan clan was more frightening than that of a human like Jin-cheon. The Titan clan were to dwarves what High Elves were to the elven tribes.
"Enough. Shut up, drag that bastard out, and get moving. You're all gonna die today."
"..."
"What're you starin' at! You rock-heads, get out!"
In the end, the dwarves' cunning scheme to acquire technical knowledge was suppressed by Buru's raw force.