Chapter 356
Chapter 356
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 356
Chapter Title: The Curtain Falls on the Battle of Jeoksu
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In the pitch-black darkness shrouding the rugged mountains.
Yi Seong-ji gazed down at the faintly visible landscape below, exhaling ragged breaths.
“Hoo!”
“Your Highness!”
Gong Ya-un pressed his palm against Yi Seong-ji’s back, channeling qi into him.
“I’ll be fine after a short rest, so stop. Give me some water.”
“Here you are.”
Gulp, gulp!
Was his thirst that severe? Yi Seong-ji only wiped his mouth after draining an entire waterskin.
“Where are we?”
“I’m sorry. Things happened so quickly that...”
They were now deep in some unknown mountain range.
Caught off guard by the Zhao Kingdom army’s sudden all-out assault, they had rushed toward the battlefield only to suffer an ambush. Fearing heavy casualties if they confronted the enemy head-on, Yi Seong-ji had chosen retreat.
They had fled here while evading the Zhao forces’ relentless pursuit.
In the process, several warriors who had followed him from Yeon Kingdom had gone missing or lost their lives.
“We can’t keep moving without knowing the direction—heading further north would be dangerous. It’s best to stay here until dawn.”
“Understood. Then I’ll look for a spot to shelter from the night dew.”
The warriors scattered in all directions.
Yi Seong-ji lifted his weary eyes to the starless night sky.
“How did it go?”
“Qin had more troops, so they likely held Jeoksu. But since it was an ambush, even if they repelled it, the losses must have been considerable.”
“If Zhao has seized Jeoksu, we’ll have to take a long detour to descend.”
“...To reach Qin, yes.”
At the odd remark, Yi Seong-ji stared at Gong Ya-un. He continued cautiously.
“Instead of going south, if we head straight northeast, Hubei Province isn’t far. For safety, that route might be...”
“You seem eager to return to Yeon Kingdom, Master.”
“This is for Your Highness’s safety. I’ll go wherever you are.”
A forlorn smile touched Yi Seong-ji’s lips. At the sight, Gong Ya-un felt a surge of emotion.
“I spoke assuming Jeoksu had fallen to Zhao—pay it no mind, Your Highness.”
“Master.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I’m sorry. You’ve trusted only me and stayed by my side all this time, yet I’ve been of no help at all.”
“Your Highness! How can you say such a thing!”
“Your Highness!”
The warriors knelt, their faces etched with grief.
“I need some sleep. Wake me when you find a place to stay.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Rest well.”
Yi Seong-ji lay down on the grass beneath a tree.
But how could sleep come? Closing his eyes brought a wave of desolation, roughening even his breath.
Yi Hwan’s face appeared in his mind.
The last conversation they’d shared echoed like a hallucination. He’d tried not to dwell on it, but now, with everyone in danger, regrets surfaced.
Throb.
His emotions stirred the pain in his chest. His old injury had flared up again.
‘Do I even have any hope left?’
* * *
The next morning.
Yi Tae-ji, who had woken early, narrowed his eyes at the dawn-lit mountains.
He realized he was in the heart of an endless mountain range.
Having traveled almost a full day without rest, he couldn’t even guess how far they’d come.
Rustle.
Light footsteps approached, followed by Gong Ya-un, who offered Yi Seong-ji a waterskin.
After taking a sip, Yi Seong-ji asked,
“Can you guess where we are?”
“The initial evasion of the Zhao pursuit was northward, so we’re likely in Zhao territory.”
“Then it’ll take considerable time to descend to Qin.”
“Yes. If Jeoksu has fallen to Zhao, we’ll need at least five days.”
Shadows fell over Yi Seong-ji’s face.
In his current condition, traversing these treacherous mountains for five days was nearly impossible.
But more than that, encountering Zhao forces on the way down would endanger the warriors with him.
Yi Seong-ji fell deep into thought.
After about a quarter of an hour,
Rustle!
The forest ahead stirred.
Gong Ya-un and the warriors swiftly drew their swords.
Clang, clang, clang!
“Who’s there!”
“It’s us!”
Familiar voices rang out as two men in blue robes emerged from the woods. They were the missing warriors.
“Your Highness!”
They approached Yi Seong-ji and bowed their heads.
“I’m relieved you’re safe.”
“We got delayed circling around after running into Zhao troops while searching for you. Seeing you unharmed puts my mind at ease.”
“Do you know the outcome?”
“We don’t, but we saw some thirty thousand Zhao troops heading to Jeoksu. The battle must have intensified or already ended.”
Gong Ya-un turned to Yi Seong-ji with a mournful tone.
“If the battle’s over, Zhao likely seized Jeoksu. Otherwise, they wouldn’t send more troops down.”
“That makes sense. If Zhao lost, they’d camp nearby and wait for their retreating forces instead of advancing.”
“Yes.”
Yi Seong-ji’s expression hardened further. If Zhao had taken Jeoksu, the issue wasn’t just the detour to Qin anymore.
‘Will they even accept me back? Me, who failed to deliver what they wanted...’
Crown Prince Yang Mu had wanted him to eliminate Yi Tae-ji.
But after his duel with Ban Go, Yi Seong-ji had holed up in camp to recover, accomplishing nothing.
It wasn’t mere failure—he hadn’t even tried—so Yang Mu’s disappointment would be immense.
‘Crown Prince Yang Mu is a narrow-minded man. He’ll surely hold me accountable.’
Yi Seong-ji headed toward the ridgeline.
Gong Ya-un started to follow but hesitated, sensing he wanted to be alone.
Whoosh!
Stepping to the ridgeline, a fierce wind from below whipped across Yi Seong-ji’s body.
His gaze shifted slowly from south to northeast.
‘It doesn’t matter what happens to me. But I can’t lose any more of them.’
If Yang Mu refused him, he and his warriors would be sent to even harsher posts, dying off one by one.
Clench.
His lip turned blue under his gritted teeth.
“Master.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Gong Ya-un approached.
Staring at the northeastern sky, Yi Seong-ji continued.
“We’ll go to Hubei Province.”
* * *
Today, Jeoksu looked exceptionally clear. Even the fog that had annoyed him so much was absent.
Yi Tae-ji chewed on a twig as he watched fish darting beneath the lake surface.
‘Did that guy survive?’
He meant Yi Seong-ji.
After the battle, he’d inquired about him, but neither Yi Seong-ji nor his followers were among the surrendered prisoners.
He’d asked a captured general, but that one belonged to a different unit from Yi Seong-ji’s.
There were times he’d hated him as much as Yi Hwan for not fighting alongside him, but now that things had come to this, worry for him had ruined his appetite.
‘Damn it...’
Crunch, crunch.
Footsteps approached.
It was Do Geom.
“Want some?”
He offered alcohol. Yi Tae-ji snatched it and downed a bottle in one go.
Splash!
Ripples spread across the lake where the bottle fell.
Do Geom sat beside him and asked,
“What’s troubling you?”
“Nothing.”
“Is it about that younger brother of yours from the Qin army?”
“He’s no different from the enemy—why would I worry about him?”
Yi Tae-ji flopped back onto the ground. Do Geom started to ask something else but stopped.
“We might not stop at Jeoksu—we could keep pushing east to Jeongan County.”
Yi Tae-ji turned his head to stare at Do Geom.
“Pushing all the way to the capital Gwiyang would cost us dearly too, so that’s unlikely. But since retreating now feels like a waste, they probably plan to take Jeongan at least.”
“Probably.”
Do Geom nodded silently.
“We can’t drag the war longer because of Yeon Kingdom anyway. Plus, we have North Yeon looming over us.”
Just then, a warrior came running.
“They’re calling everyone!”
“Who?”
“The elder just issued the summons.”
“Got it—go on.”
“You should hurry.”
“I said I got it.”
“...Yes. Then.”
The warrior hurried off.
Do Geom turned to Yi Tae-ji.
“Have you thought about what I said before?”
Yi Tae-ji rolled onto his other side and replied,
“I’m thinking about it.”
Do Geom gazed at him a moment before heading to the camp.
Yi Tae-ji lay back, staring at the sky.
Empress Hong Seon’s face appeared in the clouds, soon pushed aside by Yi Seong-ji’s.
‘Are we all cursed with rotten fates? Damn it...’
* * *
Zhao Kingdom’s Imperial Palace.
Jo Yun laughed heartily again and again. News of victory from Jeoksu had arrived.
A middle-aged man attending him in place of General U Mun-sul smiled and said,
“It was a strategy His Highness the Crown Prince devised and executed himself, Your Majesty.”
“Though he’s given me headaches, I always believed in his limitless potential. My judgment was spot on. Hahaha.”
“Your Majesty, with this momentum, shouldn’t we claim one more leg?”
“One more leg?”
“Yes. It’d be a shame to sheathe the drawn blade now.”
Jo Yun shook his head.
“We’ve committed too many troops to this war. If they push further south and trouble arises, it’ll take too long to regroup, and we could lose even more.”
“Do you think Yeon Kingdom will move?”
“They won’t just watch us advance unchecked. Even if they don’t send troops themselves, just stirring North Yeon would complicate things. We must keep our forces within range to respond to any situation.”
“Hmm...”
Tap!
Jo Yun lightly tapped the armrest and smiled again.
“Confirming the Crown Prince’s abilities alone makes this war a huge gain. So, we’ll wrap it up by seizing Jeongan County after Jeoksu—two counties in total.”
“Understood.”
Then,
A general entered.
“Yeon’s Empress requests an audience.”
“Bring her in.”
Moments later, Hong Seon entered.
As she did, the middle-aged man rose and stood behind Jo Yun.
Jo Yun asked,
“What brings you here, Empress?”
“I wanted to check on my son’s safety.”
“No need to worry. Not only is he safe, but he’s racked up brilliant achievements.”
“Are you certain?”
“Why would I lie to you? It’s true—put your mind at ease.”
Relief flickered in Hong Seon’s eyes.
“Any word on the third?”
“Why would we bother tracking that friend who sided with Qin? If we hear he’s dead or something, I’ll let you know right away.”
“...”
“By the way, I hear your subordinates have been going out often lately. You’re not plotting something behind my back, are you?”
“With Your Majesty’s prestige spanning all of Zhao Kingdom, how could I dare scheme? If that’s all.”
Hong Seon turned crisply and exited the hall. Her fitted robes clung slightly, revealing the curves of her hips and waist with each step.
Lust flared in Jo Yun’s eyes, but only for an instant.
“How many reinforcements did you send to the Crown Prince?”
“Thirty thousand first, with fifty thousand more to follow. That should be enough to take Jeongan easily.”
“It had better be.”
Jo Yun stood.
“I’ll rest. Unless it’s urgent, don’t disturb me until tomorrow’s morning assembly.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”