The Sprouts of Rebellion (1)
That afternoon.
A message arrived summoning the merchant group's key personnel to Eunwol Pavilion, and I hurried there as well.
Upon entering Eunwol Pavilion, I came face-to-face with a welcome sight.
It was my master.
He hadn't been able to oversee my training for a while due to external commitments. When did he arrive?
Besides my master, the head of the Changin Escort Bureau was also there, so I paid my respects to both.
I knew why they had come today.
It was to discuss countermeasures against those who had wounded Deputy Jo Yeong-yeong and stolen our escorted goods.
Given the gravity of the situation, I couldn't approach for a proper greeting and simply offered a fist salute with a bow of my head.
This wasn't the time for cheerful laughter and chatter.
Soon, everyone had gathered.
Father got straight to the point.
"The reason we've assembled like this is to discuss how to deal with them. Let's hear everyone's opinions."
The first to speak up was Outer Supervisor Go.
"Why should Eunhae Merchant Group cower before those scum? Just give me the order, and I'll slaughter every last one of them right now!"
Outer Supervisor Go declared, his face flushed with rage.
"It's not just about the goods—they nearly killed our Deputy Jo! Our Deputy Jo!"
For some reason, he seemed angrier about Deputy Jo nearly dying than about the stolen goods.
Honestly, I felt the same fury, but shouldn't we set aside such personal feelings for now?
As I scanned the room with that thought, I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
Everyone was nodding vigorously in agreement.
Ah...
Come to think of it, Deputy Jo wasn't just beloved by those present—she was like a daughter, niece, older sister, or little sister to most people in the merchant group.
She was the one who received everyone's overflowing affection.
As for Inner Supervisor Yu...
"Ahem."
Father cleared his throat awkwardly before speaking.
"Frankly, I'm pretty furious about that part myself. But we must approach this cautiously because they're not your typical bandits."
The head of the Changin Escort Bureau picked up from there.
"Exactly as the Group Leader says. They're a band of vagrants who have banded together into a peasant uprising. And as you know, to those starving out of their minds, death means little."
"True enough."
The most terrifying people in the world are those with nothing to lose—especially the starving ones.
A parent on the verge of watching their child die of hunger will do anything. Of course, there are heartless exceptions, but that's beside the point.
"So, we can't treat them like ordinary bandits. The problem is..."
The escort bureau head continued gravely.
"That their group is growing larger by the day."
Ah... right.
In my previous life, these peasant rebels had indeed started small.
But they swelled into a massive bandit force that swept through all of Hubei Province.
The chaos in Hubei had been immense.
Countless landowners and merchant groups fell victim to their raids.
Fortunately, Eunhae Merchant Group had survived unscathed...
But what good did that do?
For a merchant group to thrive, consumers need purchasing power to buy our goods.
Even we had struggled because of it.
As for Baekcheon Merchant Group...
Who would dare raid them with all those Murim Alliance experts stationed there?
"So what should we do? Abandon the subjugation? You know how other bandits will look down on Eunhae Merchant Group if we're not careful."
Pavilion Leader Yeon agreed with Outer Supervisor Go.
"He's right. But the bureau head surely knows that too."
The bureau head nodded at her words.
"That's why I'll leave the decision to Eunhae Merchant Group."
Such a kind soul.
It's a dilemma either way, so he's handing the choice to us, the clients.
Father's expression grew heavier with concern.
There really was no clear solution.
Subjugating them meant dealing with their desperate members, but ignoring them risked looking weak to others.
And to think that after just two years, vagrants had multiplied this much already.
What's astonishing is that this situation was far better than my previous life.
Back then, the vagrant bands had already grown too large to handle by this point.
The root cause of these peasant uprisings was land.
Most vagrants were those who had borrowed grain or money against their land and lost it all to famine, ending up on the streets.
Many more had been evicted from tenant farming.
Sigh.
Famines always hit the common folk hardest, no matter the era.
Land, huh...
Ah! A brilliant idea struck me.
"...Seo-ho?"
"..."
"Seo-ho, my boy?"
"Ah! Yes? Father, did you call me?"
"Yes. You suddenly zoned out, deep in thought."
"Oh, sorry."
"So, what had you pondering so intently?"
"I was thinking about a way to resolve this crisis."
At my words, everyone turned to me with shining eyes, like they were staring at a treasure chest.
Ugh! Why the sudden pressure?
"Go on, speak freely."
"The problem is that they're a peasant uprising, right?"
"Yes. Mishandle it, and we'll be branded as slaughterers of the common folk."
"Then why not stop them from being a peasant uprising?"
"How?"
"We buy the land. Then offer them tenancy."
"..."
Inner Supervisor Yu spoke up after a moment's calculation.
"It's a good idea, but it would require a massive sum. It could shake our finances."
"Really?"
"..."
"Is our merchant group's reserves that limited?"
"Ahem."
Inner Supervisor Yu averted his gaze slyly.
"But absorbing every rebel band that way is unrealistic."
"True. There are limits. Still, if we do it as much as we can afford, this could resolve more easily than we think."
Outer Supervisor Go asked with a displeased frown.
"Are you saying we forgive the ones who stole from headquarters and nearly killed our Deputy Jo?"
I countered.
"When did I say forgive them?"
"Pardon?"
"Of course they must pay for their crimes."
"Blood for blood, then..."
"No. Fortunately, no one died..."
I continued.
"Make them farm without pay for about five years."
"Without pay? What will they eat?"
"We'll lend it to them."
"That just traps them in an endless cycle of debt."
"You could call it no better than a greedy landlord, but they are the ones who turned to banditry. Giving them a chance to live is already generous. And if they work hard, we'll give them a way out of that cycle."
The Changin Escort Bureau head, who had listened quietly, raised an objection.
"But they might refuse. They've already tasted easy success once. Why sweat for money when plunder comes easily?"
"You're right. First, we need to show them plundering isn't easy."
It hadn't been long since the peasant rebels had set up camp in the mountains between Sungyang County and Yangeun County.
And their chosen means of livelihood? Plunder.
They ambushed travelers on the pass between Sungyang and Yangeun, seizing their goods.
The first time was tough, but afterward, hesitation vanished.
Then one day.
Their numbers had grown to over fifty, and they pulled off their biggest score yet.
They raided the Eunhae Merchant Group caravan heading to Yangeun County.
Seeing the carts piled high with grain, they cheered. That stock would fill their bellies for quite a while.
Even among the herbs, there were plenty of useful ones.
At first, they worried about retaliation. But days passed with no sign of pursuit.
"Looks like they gave up the goods."
"Makes sense—what force does a merchant group have against us?"
"After tasting my spicy arrows, they won't dare approach."
Soon, a thought took root among them.
Plundering is easier than I thought?
No need to farm anymore, right?
We could get rich quick!
Emboldened, they ramped up their raids.
Word spread of their massive grain haul, drawing more desperate locals to join.
Their ranks swelled.
The problem? Supplies dwindled faster than expected.
One day.
Scouts came running back.
"Prepare to hunt now! Carts loaded with grain are coming."
"What?"
"Never seen this merchant group's emblem before. Few escorts visible—easy prey."
They geared up for what they called a "hunt."
One young man sensed something off.
"Hey, uncle. Doesn't this feel suspicious?"
"What does?"
"Eunhae letting us off is already weird, and now another big grain caravan passes through here?"
"So?"
"Word's out they got hit... This smells like a trap."
"Then what? We've got five days' food left—want to starve?"
"Well..."
"If you've got no plan, shut it!"
Morale high, they grabbed weapons and headed out.
They hid in their pre-set mountain ambush spots, waiting.
Clatter, clatter.
Cart wheels echoed closer. Experience from past raids had honed their timing.
The carts appeared.
"...!"
They swallowed hard.
Mountains of grain.
All that grain?
Good lord!
That'll last us a month easy!
And as the scouts said, few escorts in sight.
As the caravan fully entered the valley, the leader sprang up and shouted.
"Attack!"
"Waaah!"
They charged, swinging at the escorts and drivers.
But.
Clang-!
Kang-!
"What? These bastards?"
Their weapons were effortlessly parried by the escorts' swords. And then,
Slash-!
"Guhk!"
The escorts' blades severed weapons, then limbs—non-lethal cuts to arms and legs.
"Bandits after the goods! Show no mercy—kill them!"
"Yes, sir!"
By now, the raiders realized something was wrong.
They'd all die at this rate!
"Retreat! Fall back!"
"Aaaagh!"
"S-spare me!"
The rebels fled in panicked chaos.
"Aigoo, what happened?"
Those waiting at the mountain stronghold rushed out in shock at the wounded stragglers.
They'd left full of bravado, returning half-dead.
Morale plummeted.
They learned the hard way: life as bandits, plundering—it wasn't easy.
Worries about the future mounted, despair setting in.
I sheathed my sword and said,
"Operation complete."
My companions stowed their weapons and exchanged words.
"Good work."
"You too."
We'd staged a little play to hook these rebels.
If we'd truly meant to subjugate them, we'd have gone for the necks, not spared their lives with limb wounds.
For this plan, I'd led four elite guards, top warriors, and escorts.
Individual skill was key to trouncing them without casualties.
But this wasn't enough yet.
A few more failures, and their spirit would break completely.
.
.
.
Three days passed after that.
By now, their food must be gone.
Time to talk.
For this, my master represented the Changin Escort Bureau, and I spoke for Eunhae Merchant Group.
Heading to their mountain stronghold, we encountered a group.
Hm?
I couldn't hide my surprise at one young man among them.
Why is that guy here?