Chapter 360
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 360
Chapter Title: Training That Became Useless
Zhao Kingdom's northern border.
Before the seven tribes had united into a single nation called Northern Yeon, Commander Nam Un—who had guarded that border for years—was holding a lavish drinking party with his subordinate generals.
“Hahaha!”
“Drink up!”
Nam Un, who usually enjoyed his liquor, often held these drinking sessions with his generals. Because of it, some of the more straightforward ones would speak their minds bluntly, but he paid it no mind.
The reason he could act with such utter disregard was that he was a Southwest Army general whom Emperor Jo Yun trusted above all others.
“The liquor tastes exceptional today! It’s just a pity there are no women! Keh heh heh!”
“We will definitely present some at the next gathering, Commander!”
“Hey! Bring in more liquor and food!”
Liquor and food kept streaming in without end.
It was after quite some time had passed, and even the freshly brought liquor had run dry.
“Commander!”
A young general burst in.
Nam Un glared at him with clear displeasure.
“What’s all this fuss about!”
“A report has come in that Northern Yeon’s main army is advancing south!”
“What?”
“By now, they’ve likely crossed the neutral zone and reached the vicinity of the border!”
“...!”
The atmosphere in the room froze in an instant.
Nam Un shot to his feet.
“Everyone, return to your posts and prepare for battle! Hurry!”
“Yes!”
The generals rushed outside.
Nam Un donned his armor.
“Why are these bastards suddenly...”
Moments later, Nam Un stepped out, mounted his warhorse, and headed north. Dozens of cavalrymen, including the deputy general, followed behind him.
Thud thud thud!
Arriving soon at the camp in the neutral zone, Nam Un climbed the watchtower, from which he could peer beyond the border.
From atop the watchtower, Northern Yeon’s army—blackening the vast plain—came into view all at once.
Flutter...
Nam Un’s eyes trembled. At a glance, their numbers exceeded at least fifty thousand.
Moments later, twenty thousand Zhao Kingdom troops arrived in tow. Their movements were astonishingly swift, as if they had prepared in advance.
This was thanks to Nam Un, who though he reveled in drinking parties with his generals, never slacked on the soldiers’ training. It was precisely his trait of always handling what needed doing that had prompted Jo Yun to station him here.
Nam Un gazed out at the plain once more.
Two riders stood side by side at the forefront of the Northern Yeon army. As Nam Un scrutinized them sharply, his brow furrowed slightly for an instant.
“A woman?”
One was unmistakably a woman.
“Were there any female generals among the barbarians capable of leading such a host?”
“I’ve never heard of any. Though I have heard that Tae Seon, daughter of Tae Mu-gwang, is superior to most generals.”
“Then that woman is Tae Mu-gwang’s daughter?”
A chill ran down Nam Un’s spine. If it was indeed Tae Seon, then the troops blackening the plain were undoubtedly Northern Yeon’s strongest elites.
The deputy general climbed up onto the watchtower.
“The catapults are ready, Commander.”
Creak creak...
Roaring sounds echoed from various spots.
Massive catapults were drawing their strings taut.
“Hold position for now.”
It was then.
Thud thud!
A single rider galloped in from the east.
“Commander! Northern Yeon’s fifty thousand have come right up to the border!”
“What?”
It was a messenger from the eastern garrison, also under Nam Un’s overall command.
The deputy general spoke with a hardened expression.
“The situation is far from ordinary. If they push down in one fell swoop by any chance, one of the two sites is bound to be breached!”
“...!”
Nam Un’s face grew utterly rigid.
Zhao Kingdom’s troops were divided between western and eastern garrisons, trained to swiftly reinforce the other side no matter which direction Northern Yeon attacked from.
Zhao had no choice but to devote more troops to guarding against Yeon Kingdom and Qin Kingdom than Northern Yeon, so this was to maximize efficiency with the bare minimum force.
Moreover, unless Northern Yeon came charging with a massive army intent on all-out war with Zhao, it was more than sufficient.
Yet defying those expectations, Northern Yeon had descended with a full hundred thousand—enough to strike both garrisons simultaneously. All the training they had conducted thus far had become utterly useless.
The greater issue was that Northern Yeon’s forces might not end there.
‘If Northern Yeon intends full-scale war...’
The troops now approaching the border could be mere vanguards, with Tae Mu-gwang possibly leading an even larger main force in their wake.
The thought sent another chill down Nam Un’s spine.
“We stand no chance in a head-on clash with that army! Best to abandon the forward garrison, seal the gates, focus on castle defense, and await reinforcements!”
“That’s my view as well! Losing troops here could make even holding the castle untenable!”
“Indeed!”
The generals cried out in unison.
‘To retreat with the enemy right before us...’
Nam Un bit his lip until it drew blood. He could scarcely accept fleeing from battle against Northern Yeon, whom he had dismissed as mere barbarians.
Yet his decision came swifter than expected. Though he indulged in liquor and women, he was numbered among Zhao’s premier commanders.
“Everyone, withdraw to the castle! Move stealthily so they don’t notice!”
“Yes!”
The generals descended the watchtower.
It was then.
Swoosh!
An arrow sliced through the air with a sharp whistle, embedding into the pillar right beside Nam Un.
Thud!
Nam Un could not conceal his shock.
‘Firing an arrow from there all the way here...’
No matter how strong the bow, it was an impossible distance. Yet the arrow had pierced the watchtower pillar clean through to its fletching.
Nam Un fixed his gaze on the man standing beside the woman he presumed to be Tae Seon. It was he who had loosed the arrow.
“Commander, descend at once!”
Nam Un hurriedly came down from the watchtower. He then galloped off toward the main camp alongside the deputy general.
“The moment we reach main camp, dispatch urgent missives to the Imperial Palace and the rear echelons!”
“Yes!”
Thud thud!
* * *
“Was that man just now Zhao’s army commander?”
“Yes. Nam Un—a famed fierce general in Zhao, though lacking in cunning, from what I know.”
With her profound inner power, Tae Seon had identified the watchtower’s occupant as Nam Un at a glance.
“Shall we advance first to a spot beyond the enemy catapults’ range?”
Cheol Mu-ok spoke as he keenly surveyed the watchtower protruding from the forest and its surroundings.
“Scout first.”
“Understood.”
Whistle!
Tae Seon let out a shrill whistle. At once, Northern Yeon’s warriors dashed off like the wind.
Cheol Mu-ok glanced behind him.
Northern Yeon’s warriors stood ready to charge at any moment, awaiting only the order.
Gazing upon them stirred an odd feeling within him. These men were now inextricably bound to him.
Tae Seon spoke with a faint smile.
“Truth be told, these are elites long trained in preparation for war with Yeon Kingdom. Yet now they stand against Zhao for Yeon’s sake.”
“It serves Northern Yeon as well.”
“Of course.”
Cheol Mu-ok steadied his gaze and continued.
“If battle commences, don’t venture too deep.”
“Got it. I’ll stick right by your side, so worry not.”
Cheol Mu-ok looked ahead once more.
Yet something felt slightly amiss.
“Doesn’t it seem overly quiet?”
“Even combined, Zhao’s border garrisons outnumber us less, so they won’t dare strike first. They’re likely holding their breath, waiting for us to attack.”
“Then they’ll likely hole up in the castle and focus on defense.”
“If they shun open battle, it’ll be no easy fight. The walls are towering and sturdy—hard to breach—and the catapults firing from the inner keep pack quite a punch, so even reaching the gates demands heavy sacrifices.”
Cheol Mu-ok nodded silently, awaiting the scouts’ return.
And moments later, one of the dispatched scouts returned.
“Zhao’s troops are withdrawing!”
“Just as you said.”
Tae Seon whipped around to Cheol Mu-ok, eyes wide.
Cheol Mu-ok—who had hoped for a frontal clash—narrowed his brow.
“Advance there first, then we’ll deliberate our next move.”
“Understood.”
Tae Seon signaled rearward. A long trumpet blast echoed forth.
Toot! Toot!
Thud thud!
Northern Yeon’s cavalry began to move.
* * *
Zhao Kingdom’s Imperial Palace.
Jo Yun’s face hardened in an instant upon receiving the report from the middle-aged man who served as his aide in U Mun-sul’s stead, as he had been leisurely sipping tea.
“Those barbarian scum have come down to the neutral zone?!”
“Yes. And their numbers reach a full hundred thousand.”
“These curs dare...”
Crack!
The teacup shattered in Jo Yun’s grasp. His beard quivered with fury.
The middle-aged man continued cautiously.
“It seems Qin Kingdom requested aid from Yeon Kingdom.”
Jo Yun said nothing, his eyes alone trembling. He had just been entertaining the same thought.
“Once they build momentum, they’re harder to halt, so the troops I’d planned to send to Guiju Fortress should be redirected north at once.”
Grip!
“See it done.”
“Yes.”
The middle-aged man exited the hall.
Jo Yun clutched the throne’s armrests with both hands, grinding his teeth.
“The day we seize northern Guiju Fortress draws near, and it has to be now, of all times...”
Then Yi Hwan came to mind.
High was the chance that Northern Yeon moved not at Yeon Emperor Yi So’s behest, but Yi Hwan’s will.
The realization sent a surge boiling up from his chest.
‘Should have slain him then...’
The searing regret resurfaced, tormenting his mind anew.
Crack!
At last, the throne’s armrest snapped, fragments clattering to the floor.
Clatter!
“Is no one outside!”
At Jo Yun’s roar, a general rushed in.
“You summoned me?”
“Dispatch an urgent missive to the Southwest Army: send twenty thousand elites north immediately!”
“Understood!”
Jo Yun’s eyes—roiling with rage moments before—cooled to glacial ice in the blink of an eye.
“The neutral zone I permit. But should they stray one step onto Qin soil...”
Whoosh!
Fierce demonic energy flooded the hall.
A chilling voice slipped from his lips.
“I’ll make them weep tears of blood in regret.”
* * *
South of the Yellow River.
Baek Woo-kyeong and Baek Yeon—who had fought several engagements that day—tilted their cups to soothe their weary bodies and spirits.
Baek Yeon spoke in a somber tone.
“The enemy’s numbers swell by the day. At this rate, retaking the Yellow River will prove difficult.”
“Ten thousand elites ascend from the rear—let us wait.”
Baek Woo-kyeong drained cup after cup.
Thud!
“I cannot fathom what has become of this land. To cast aside so many capable generals and coddle the likes of him...”
In anger? His white beard quivered, sending the droplet of liquor clinging to its end splashing into the cup.
Plop!
Draining yet another, Baek Woo-kyeong steadied his gaze and continued.
“We must alter our strategy.”
“How so?”
“From tomorrow, I forgo marching with the main army. Instead, I’ll infiltrate the enemy lines and target their commanders alone. Gather five thousand of our finest for it.”
“Will the Grand Commander permit it?”
“Permission is needless. I shan’t even report it.”
“...”
Never had Baek Yeon seen Baek Woo-kyeong so incensed; he could say no more.
“Quell your wrath, brother.”
“I must, yet thoughts of the Grand Commander stir it unrelentingly. Ha...”
At last, Baek Woo-kyeong heaved a sigh.
Baek Yeon quietly refilled his cup, sighing inwardly all the while.
‘Had it been General Wi Ji-gwan, matters would never have reached this pass.’