Chapter 386
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 386
Chapter Title: News from Jeoksu
Jeoksu had once again transformed into a battlefield.
The Zhao Kingdom pressed the Qin Kingdom harder than before with even greater force.
However, the Qin forces, led by General Wei Ji-gwan, were no longer yielding ground easily. Though they had ceded northern Jeoksu to Zhao, the tide of battle hung in perfect balance, refusing to favor either side.
Crown Prince Yang Mu, who had ascended to Jeoksu after guarding the Emperor's side. And Jo Gwang-mu, burning with the resolve to overrun not just Jeoksu but the whole of Gwiju Fortress.
Jeoksu was nothing less than the proving ground for these two—the future emperors of Qin and Zhao.
For the vanquished, it meant inevitable and dire setbacks ahead, leaving both sides no choice but to clash with unprecedented ferocity.
Shwaaa!
Rain poured down.
Amid the wind and rain mingled with the stench of blood, Crown Prince Yang Mu subtly creased his brow.
"The Zhao dogs seem quiet today, thanks to the rain."
"Those bastards never say when they'll strike next, so I've passed word to keep the guard up as usual."
"Have you seen General Wei Ji-gwan yet?"
"Not yet...."
Yang Mu turned to Won Gae-se.
"Now is the time for us to stand united against the foe. Put aside any private grudges and meet him at once to bolster his strength."
"Understood."
Yang Mu turned his gaze forward once more.
Unlike before, his face brimmed with confidence. He was content with holding the deadlock this long.
"What of the reinforcements from the martial artists?"
"The ones who left the capital will arrive soon. With them, we can reclaim northern Jeoksu."
Won Gae-se nodded at Yang Mu's words.
*If we can hold without aid from Yeon Kingdom, the ministers won't dare question my worth again.*
Yang Mu viewed this war not as peril, but opportunity. Hence his resolve burned brighter than most.
That was when it happened.
Dududu!
From the front, a lone rider burst through the downpour. The banner on his back marked him as a frontline courier.
In moments, he reined up before Yang Mu.
"What's happened?"
"We've sighted a Zhao host numbering one hundred thousand descending on us! General Wei Ji-gwan urgently requests reinforcements!"
"One hundred thousand more coming down?!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Yang Mu's face darkened in an instant. He whirled to Won Gae-se.
"Take your men north at once!"
"Understood!"
Moments later, Won Gae-se rode out with fifty thousand troops toward the north.
Yang Mu watched him go, biting his lip.
*Zhao's Emperor—you're in earnest this time.*
Then an aide approached from behind.
"Shouldn't we request aid from the capital?"
"Not yet. I'll observe a little longer before deciding."
Truth be told, Yang Mu yearned to call for help right then.
But the capital had already dispatched no small force to Gwiju Fortress. With pirates raiding ceaselessly and Zhao's navy poised to strike anytime along thousands of ri of coastline, he could not move troops lightly.
Should trouble arise from such a move, the blame would fall squarely on him—making the request a heavy one.
*Worst case, we'll beg Yeon Kingdom again.*
He loathed it, but no help for it. Yeon Kingdom remained his final bulwark when all else failed.
Of course, it might cost him dearly again, but to defend the realm, he would bear it.
Yet that was only for utter calamity.
*Not this time. Absolutely not.*
Kkwaak!
* * *
Shwaaa!
An army pushed south through the torrent. The Zhao host stretched endlessly.
Leading them rode a figure draped in dark gray over blood-red armor.
None other than Zhao Emperor Jo Yun.
At his side walked U Mun-sul, who had not returned to Jo Gwang-mu after his audience. To left and right, rear, lurked figures as somber as the shrouded sky.
"Your Majesty, the rain falls too fiercely. Rest a moment, then press on."
"On a field whipped by blood and gales, this downpour is nothing. March on."
"Understood."
The troops in his wake were the finest of the Southwest Army—Zhao's unmatched force—handpicked elites.
*I'd meant to vanguard them against Yeon Kingdom....*
Since claiming the throne, Jo Yun had devoted himself to forging the Southwest Army into an invincible legion.
Their first mark: Yeon Kingdom's Northern Legion.
For Jo Yun, unsheathing this long-honed blade now chafed inwardly.
His gaze cooled as Jeoksu's border came into view.
"Break Jeoksu, then drive straight to provincial capital Gwi-yang. We'll make it our spearhead for conquering Qin. Plan accordingly from here."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Indeed.
Jo Yun took the field to seize not Jeoksu alone, but Gwiju Fortress's heart—Gwi-yang—as foothold for toppling Qin.
How much farther they marched, the lashing rain tapered, then ceased like a lie.
"The skies clear. Heaven itself hails Your Majesty's coming."
Jo Yun glanced back. One hundred thousand elites filled him with ironclad assurance.
"Rest briefly."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
* * *
On the vast plain, the Zhao army halted to rest.
Eyes watched them.
Two in blue robes—Moon Pavilion agents active near Jeoksu.
Their stares fixed on Jo Yun sipping tea beneath the grandest tent.
"That's Zhao Emperor Jo Yun, isn't it?"
"Aye, the Emperor himself."
"Him taking the field in person. Unbelievable, even seeing it."
"He's dead set on it. Hurry—report to the main force first."
Soon, a messenger pigeon winged northeast.
Flutter!
"Can Qin hold Jeoksu?"
"They've endured so far, but the Emperor himself? Tough."
"Then they'll beg our aid again."
"Only natural."
One blue-robe drew dried meat from his bosom.
"I'm famished."
"Share some."
That was when—
Flash!
A ray lanced from the left. Reflexively, the pair vaulted back, swords whipping free.
Chaeng!
Puk!
The beam gouged a vast hole in a tree before winking out. Dreadful might.
Then ghosts descended. Blood-red robes cloaked them head to toe.
Sting!
The blue-robes' eyes quivered at the fiendish aura pouring forth—so potent their skin prickled.
A spectral voice slithered from one blood-robe's lips, like some wraith's.
"Kneel. You'll die swift, at least."
That was when one blue-robe laughed.
"Been a pleasure, friend. Let's share the underworld too."
"Stay close—follow tight."
Crack!
Something snapped within the blue-robes. Blood gushed from their mouths; they toppled rearward.
Thud! Thud!
Moon Pavilion agents, for whom secrecy trumped life. Death sealed their oath.
Pat!
Fury? Blood-glow flared in the blood-robes' eyes. Crimson qi rent the corpses asunder.
Pupu puk!
* * *
One blood-robe knelt before Jo Yun.
"Forgive us. We failed to stop their self-slaughter."
"Caught off guard? Or lax?"
"...Forgive us."
"A bird took wing—northeast. Yeon Kingdom vermin, then?"
Jo Yun raised his teacup. A merciless edict followed.
"One ear pays the debt."
"Gratitude, my lord!"
Crack!
Two ears hit the dirt. The blood-robes bowed anew, then melted away like phantoms.
Crush!
The cup pulverized in Jo Yun's grip.
"Brainless curs."
"Quell your wrath. Who could foresee foes ending themselves sans fight?"
"That's why they grow frail—you coddle them so."
"...."
"Resume march."
"Understood."
* * *
Late night, Songja.
Go Mi sought Yi Hwan in haste.
Yi Hwan, bedding-bound, read the crisis in her face.
"What is it?"
"Jo Yun marches on Jeoksu."
"What?"
"See this."
Go Mi proffered a dispatch.
Yi Hwan scanned it at once. Her words rang true therein.
"If Jo Yun leads personally, odds are slim he'll halt at Jeoksu."
"So it seems."
Yi Hwan sank deep into his chair, gaze icing. Jo Yun in the field lay beyond imagination.
"Can Qin endure?"
"With the Emperor down and Zhao's vaunted Southwest Army? Unlikely."
Yi Hwan probed Jo Yun's aims from every angle. Nothing took hold.
"Full war—beyond Gwiju Fortress, likeliest alternate thrust?"
"Sea raid on Qin's rear. Zhao's navy rivals theirs in might."
"Moon Pavilion there?"
"Yes. No navy stirrings reported. Their scale makes stealth impossible—they haven't yet."
"Watch it anyway."
"Understood."
"A drink?"
"Bedtime, no?"
"Moon Lord's chased sleep away."
"...My fault. I'll ready it now."
Go Mi departed.
Yi Hwan burrowed deeper into the chair, murmuring chill.
"No emperor stirs for a paltry Jeoksu. What do you truly seek, Jo Yun?"
Jo Yun's visage surfaced in mind.
Chill words pierced his lips anew.
"You've misread the treaty, it seems."
