Alliance on a Knife's Edge
The border between Xuzhou and Yanzhou. The wind howled fiercely. Two groups stood facing each other in a thick fog of tension. On one side was Do Gyeom, the man who had pacified Xuzhou. Opposite him, Jang Yeon stepped forward alone, wrapped in a black hood. Do Gyeom narrowed his eyes, studying Jang Yeon intently. Around him, heavily armed Danyang Soldiers stood guard in absolute silence. A handful of cavalry waited behind Jang Yeon, but they were no match for the elite Danyang troops. Even so, Jang Yeon stood before Do Gyeom with unshakable confidence.
"...A mere bandit dares summon a general of the realm?" Do Gyeom's words were short and razor-sharp. His eyebrows twitched with displeasure.
Jang Yeon lifted the corner of his mouth in a smile. It was insolent, yet strangely polished.
"General Do. If I'd gone to Xuzhou, my head would likely be decorating a pole by now, wouldn't it? This is Yanzhou. It's not your territory, so isn't this the perfect place for a conversation?"
At those words, Jo Pyo standing beside Do Gyeom shot him a blatantly disgusted look. But Do Gyeom didn't move a single finger, simply gazing down at Jang Yeon.
This man's speech is crude, but he's no fool.
Jang Yeon narrowed his eyes, cleared his throat lightly, and continued.
"Ahem. I hear Yangzhou is getting noisy."
It was a brief remark, but Do Gyeom's gaze sharpened even further. Jang Yeon spoke on smoothly.
"You don't plan to remain seated in Xuzhou forever, do you, General? News of rebellion in Yangzhou will reach the court soon, and they'll summon someone. If you haven't completely pacified Xuzhou by then, we both know what happens next."
Do Gyeom's eyebrows twitched strangely at that.
"...What nonsense is this?" His voice was cold and low. Yet behind him, Jo Pyo felt a thin film of sweat form in his palms.
Jang Yeon smirked lazily.
"If you return to Yangzhou, Xuzhou will stir again with remnants of the Yellow Turbans and bandit gangs. You think they'll leave such rich land untouched? The court will send someone again. And the odds are high that person will be you once more."
Jang Yeon slowly raised his head and met Do Gyeom's eyes directly.
"At that time—"
He snapped his fingers.
"Wouldn't it be interesting if the Black Mountain Army supported you?"
A taut silence fell. Do Gyeom narrowed his eyes to slits. The wind whipped dust between them, carving a line in the space that separated the two men.
"A mere bandit dares—" Do Gyeom began through gritted teeth, but Jang Yeon calmly raised a hand to cut him off.
"I am a citizen of Han."
A short, powerful statement. Do Gyeom's eyes shifted again.
This bastard...
Jang Yeon straightened his back and spoke with composure.
"Banditry? I admit it. My men may have kidnapped women and had their way with them. They may have raided civilian homes against my orders."
Jang Yeon's eyes turned fierce.
"But if they brought a woman, I made them take responsibility and live with her to the end. If they failed at that, I took their heads. As for plunder? I gave a clear order: 'Do not plunder unless I permit it.' I executed every man who disobeyed."
Jang Yeon's lips curled as he continued.
"General Do, I have never personally raised a blade to commit plunder. Well, I may have done some thieving, but I never mercilessly slaughtered civilians or burned down villages."
Silence.
"I simply brought order to a broken land. I created safe roads for merchants and travelers, and I bound the plundering bastards under one banner so they could no longer run wild. Is that a crime worthy of death?"
Do Gyeom stared at him quietly—very quietly.
"Collecting tolls privately—" Do Gyeom said coldly, "is treason against the court."
Jang Yeon let out a snort of laughter.
"Treason? Puhahaha..."
He clutched his stomach as he laughed, then fired back immediately.
"Aren't the real traitors the high officials sitting in the court?"
Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, Jang Yeon continued.
"Why did the Yellow Turbans rise? Why are the bandit groups running so rampant? Because the court doesn't care for the people and only devours itself. That's why the world is collapsing."
The words were rough, yet strangely persuasive. Do Gyeom remained silent for a moment. Jo Pyo trembled beside him.
This insolent bastard...
But Do Gyeom endured. He was a veteran of Han, a soldier who had dealt with the Qiang tribes for many years. Drawing a blade over a war of words was the height of stupidity.
"How..." Do Gyeom muttered.
Jang Yeon waited quietly.
"How can I possibly trust a bandit?"
A cold, low voice. Yet conflict seeped through it.
Jang Yeon smiled.
"You may not trust a bandit, but you can trust a warlord, can't you?"
The weight of the air changed. Do Gyeom's eyebrows twitched once more.
Jang Yeon added lightly, "Twenty-five thousand men. Does that look like mere bandits to a general's eyes? If so, your eyes are mistaken."
There was a hint of mockery, but Do Gyeom read the true meaning behind the words.
This man won't remain a mere bandit.
After a short silence, Do Gyeom spoke slowly.
"Very well."
Jang Yeon's eyes sparkled. Do Gyeom drew the sword at his waist. The soldiers tensed at once. But Do Gyeom did not point the blade at Jang Yeon. Instead—
"I entrust my son to you."
Jang Yeon blinked in surprise.
"Your son...? Wait, isn't that what I was supposed to do?"
Do Gyeom shot back coldly.
"Refuse, and this negotiation ends here."
Jang Yeon stared at him wordlessly.
"Furthermore, if you lay a hand on my son or interfere with our communication—" Do Gyeom's voice was murderous. "I will use every means at my disposal to tear you and all your forces to pieces."
A chill ran down the back of Jang Yeon's neck. This was Do Gyeom. The weight of an old general. A cold, merciless, iron will.
Jang Yeon took a breath, then smiled.
"Let's do that."
His answer was short and decisive. Though Jang Yeon stood with ease, his mind had already finished its meticulous calculations.
Fuck, I can't just end things here. I need to survive and eat, after all.
He opened his mouth slowly.
"General."
Do Gyeom nodded, watching him.
"Grant the Black Mountain Army and the merchants it recognizes the right to trade within Xuzhou."
A short, simple request. Yet the weight it carried was anything but light. Jo Pyo's face twisted openly the moment he heard it.
This bandit bastard dares... He's trying to plant roots in Xuzhou itself!
Do Gyeom narrowed his eyes. Jang Yeon instinctively realized the old general had seen through him. Then Do Gyeom spoke.
"What benefit do I gain if I permit it?"
A sharp question. Jang Yeon twisted his lips into a grin.
As expected. Even in the original history he wasn't some saint who moved only on a sense of justice.
He continued slowly.
"I know you harbor greater ambitions, General."
Do Gyeom's eyes flashed. Jang Yeon took one step closer without concern.
"Stabilizing Xuzhou? Of course that's important. But you're looking beyond that, aren't you?"
Jang Yeon's hood fluttered in the wind.
"You are not a man who would be satisfied with a small plot of land like Xuzhou."
Jang Yeon spoke with absolute certainty.
"I am trying to open a path for you, General. A path."
Do Gyeom remained expressionless, but the time he spent calculating grew longer.
It wouldn't be bad to listen.
Jang Yeon drove the wedge deeper into the pondering Do Gyeom.
"Even if you pacify Xuzhou and return to Yangzhou, this land will quickly become a sea of blood again."
He drew a line through the air with his index finger.
"Yellow Turban remnants, bandit hordes, foreign tribes—"
Jang Yeon laughed lowly.
"They'll crawl back out, won't they?"
"......"
Do Gyeom stayed silent. Jang Yeon didn't miss the opportunity.
"But what if the Black Mountain Army guards Xuzhou?"
Do Gyeom narrowed his eyes.
"No bandit or Yellow Turban would dare raise their head again."
Rough but convincing logic. Do Gyeom understood. Jang Yeon was cleverly positioning himself as a necessary evil for Xuzhou.
He's trying to make himself indispensable to Xuzhou.
Even the demand to allow trade for merchants recognized by the Black Mountain Army—
On the surface they're merchants, but in reality he's trying to plant the Black Mountain Army across all of Xuzhou.
Do Gyeom pressed his lips together slightly.
However...
He already knew. No matter how thoroughly he pacified Xuzhou, the moment he left it would collapse. The Inspector of Xuzhou was incompetent, the central court was corrupt, and the local commanderies were all looking out for themselves. Whether Jang Yeon set the board or not, a force was needed to fill that void. And if...
When I return to Xuzhou, if I can control that force...
Do Gyeom thought coldly.
I can overlook this much.
After a brief silence, Do Gyeom spoke in a low voice.
"Very well."
Jang Yeon narrowed his eyes, watching him. Do Gyeom added with firm determination, as if seeking one final confirmation.
"I accept your request. I will guarantee safe passage within Xuzhou, but if plunder or crime occurs—"
"Don't worry. If such bastards appear, I'll take all their heads myself," Jang Yeon answered with a smile. "I swear it on my name—Jang Yeon."
Do Gyeom let out a deep breath. A short shiver ran down his spine. He had just given the Black Mountain Army a share of Xuzhou. A new order that no one yet knew about was quietly taking root here.
A few days later.
Once again, two groups appeared on the plains at the border between Xuzhou and Yanzhou. Beneath a sky heavy with dark clouds, the tension remained exactly the same. The only difference from their first meeting was that this time, there was a 'gift.'
Do Gyeom walked forward silently. Behind him followed the youth Do Eung. Jang Yeon stood with one leg relaxed, black hood worn lightly, hand resting casually on his waist.
He's here.
Do Gyeom stopped in front of Jang Yeon without a word. With a gesture, the boy stepped forward. Jang Yeon tilted his head slightly.
"How old?"
The boy—Do Eung—lifted his head without hesitation.
"Seventeen, sir."
His voice was clear and precise. Though slightly young, his eyes showed no disturbance.
"My name is Do Eung, courtesy name Mingyu."
Jang Yeon looked at Do Eung.
He might prove more useful than I thought.
Thinking that, he smiled faintly.
"Mingyu, is it."
Jang Yeon nodded slowly.
"A good name."
Do Gyeom still said nothing. He simply stared at Jang Yeon as if trying to pierce through him. That gaze carried a single unspoken warning.
Do not make a mistake.
Jang Yeon did not avoid that gaze. Instead, he tilted his head slightly and answered.
"Understood."
A short reply. Yet the words carried heavy weight. Do Gyeom extended his hand.
"Mingyu will write letters freely."
"I know."
"If those letters are blocked, if he is detained—"
Do Gyeom took one step forward. The Danyang Soldiers tensed. But Do Gyeom did not draw his sword. He simply added in a cold voice.
"Or if he loses his life, this entire agreement ends immediately."
"Of course," Jang Yeon answered calmly. "Did you think I lacked even that much judgment?"
Do Gyeom exhaled shortly. Then he slowly turned his body.
"Watch over him well."
Leaving only those brief words, he withdrew with Jo Pyo. What remained were Do Eung and Jang Yeon, and the strange atmosphere flowing between them.
Jang Yeon tapped his scabbard lightly with his fingers.
"Mingyu."
He spoke to the youth.
"From now on, you will follow me."
"Understood, sir."
Do Eung answered precisely. Jang Yeon narrowed his eyes and examined the boy once more.
Hands were getting short anyway. He'll be useful.
The Black Mountain Army of Taishan. And now Xuzhou. Jang Yeon slowly smiled. The board was gradually being laid.
Do Gyeom walked with slow steps. Jo Pyo following behind still wore a stiff expression. Silence lingered for a moment. Then Jo Pyo could no longer endure and spoke.
"General, can you truly entrust the young master to that man?"
His voice carried unmistakable anxiety.
"We don't know what schemes that bandit might be hiding."
Do Gyeom stopped walking. A short pause. Then he slowly turned his head to look at Jo Pyo.
"He is not that kind of man."
A low, heavy voice. But at the end of the sentence, Do Gyeom continued very slowly.
"However—if—"
The cold wind brushed against their clothes.
"If that man lays a hand on Mingyu."
Do Gyeom's eyes were like deep frost.
"Then I—"
He gripped the scabbard at his waist tightly.
"Will destroy everything he has and kill him."
Jo Pyo swallowed hard. Cold sweat ran down his back. It was not a simple threat. It was sincerity. The absolute conviction that Do Gyeom would mobilize every ounce of his power and every means to see it through to the end.
Once again, the fierce wind blew. Across the plains that divided Xuzhou and Yanzhou, the two men walked in silence. Only the gradually fading sound of their footsteps remained behind.