Chapter 1408
It’s time to wake up from this dream. (3)
“I report! The forces of Maninbang, accompanied by the carriage ridden by Paegun Jang Ilso, crossed Maanshan [마안산(马鞍山)] and almost reached Nanjing!”
“Elders! The Black Ghost, mobilized from Hangzhou, have nearly reached Nanjing!”
“Surochae! The vanguard of Jang Ilso’s fleet has reached the vicinity of Nanjing!”
Urgent reports poured in, surrounding the tense council of beggars.
Horses on the map were swiftly moved around.
Cold sweat dripped down the back of Neungsam Jao Gae as he looked at the map. Black, red, and blue horses were converging on one spot on the map.
Nanjing. Cheonumaeng, who had crossed the river, used it as their escape route… No, it was the only route available.
The place where Cheonumaeng rushed to rescue Hwasan Geomhyeop is a terrain blocked by two massive lakes, Shijiu Lake [석구호(石臼湖)] on the left and Changdang Lake [장탕호(长荡湖)] on the right.
To escape from there, the only option is to head north towards Nanjing.
And now, it’s precisely that sole route that Maninbang, Black Ghost, and Surochae are blocking.
‘Oh, no!’
If they were to arrive first and block the route, there would be no hope for Cheonumaeng. They would never be able to cross the river.
“Cheonumaeng! What’s happened to Cheonumaeng? Haven’t we heard from them yet?”
“We’re doing our best right now, but…”
“Stop babbling and do whatever it takes! Right now!”
“But… the maneuvers of those in Gangnam…”
Kwaaaah!
Neungsam slammed the table with all his might.
“This…!”
As his energy radiated furiously, the faces of the beggars, stunned by his sudden burst of power, paled in an instant.
“If you value your lives, why did you crawl into the Beggars Sect? If you’re willing to hesitate over risking your lives when it’s needed, while living off the handouts of others, then you’re nothing but pathetic beggars!”
His words made the members of the Information Bureau bow their heads deeply.
“Send out the order again, immediately!”
“Yes, Elder.”
At that moment, the door burst open with a loud bang as a beggar rushed in.
“Elders! Shaolin! It’s a message from Shaolin’s Abbot!”
“Beop Jong?”
For a moment, a look of displeasure crossed Neungsam’s face. But he quickly composed himself and said.
“Go ahead.”
“We need to reevaluate the whereabouts of those gathering in Nanjing! No matter the sacrifices!”
“Are you kidding me? Who doesn’t know that! Isn’t that already being done?”
“N-no! We need to confirm if there are others besides those who’ve been exposed!”
“…What?”
“If Jang Ilso predicted this situation, he must have another move hidden. Shaolin emphasized the need to double-check if the forces we’ve identified are accurate.”
“…Another move?”
Neungsam’s face went blank for a moment. But then, his expression turned pale blue. Frozen as if he had seen a ghost, he hurriedly looked at the map.
‘Here… Is there something else here?’
It’s impossible. Absolutely impossible. Haven’t all the forces that Sapaeryeon could mobilize already been mobilized?
Except for Haomun, which is too far away to arrive in time, all the sects that make up Sapaeryeon are gathered.
But what if it’s possible?
What if Sapaeryeon possesses more forces than they know?
Sweat poured down Neungsam’s face like rain.
From the moment there’s a significant difference in forces, the situation escalates exponentially.
In a one-on-one fight between evenly matched opponents, both sides would end up battered. But in a situation where one side lacks numbers, they’d be overwhelmed without even putting up a proper fight.
This logic applies in warfare as well. If the difference in forces doubles, the damage inflicted on the side with larger forces decreases dramatically, while the damage inflicted on the other side increases exponentially.
But what if the forces gathering in Nanjing are more than they know? And what if they outnumber Cheonumaeng’s forces by several times?
‘It’s all over.’
Cheonumaeng will surely face utter destruction without even inflicting significant damage on Sapaeryeon. Then, it will be up to Gupailbang alone to confront Sapaeryeon, whose morale has soared to the sky.
So far, Gupailbang has been able to maintain a slight advantage against Sapaeryeon because the combined forces of Cheonumaeng and Gupailbang were superior to Sapaeryeon.
But if Cheonumaeng collapses completely, the situation in Gangho will plunge into a dire chaos that no one can predict.
It’s like the entire world will turn into a sea of flames.
“It’s impossible… It’s absolutely impossible for such a force to suddenly appear. At the very least, there must be one more force equivalent to Gupailbang… Where could it possibly be?”
“Elders!”
Stunned, Neungsam, who has been mumbling absentmindedly, jolted and nodded.
“Tell the beggars waiting across the river to cross! We must thoroughly search the vicinity of Nanjing! We need to confirm if they have hidden reinforcements!”
“Elder, if we do that, the beggars will all die.”
“I understand, but tell them to cross the river immediately! If necessary, shouldn’t we help them ourselves?”
“But, Elder, you don’t have the authority to…”
Neungsam glared fiercely at the hesitant individual.
“Since when did we need permission for actions in times of crisis? When?”
“…”
“If they’ve set a trap, Cheonumaeng is finished! Not just Cheonumaeng, but the entire Central Plains will turn into a sea of flames! Don’t you understand?”
At last, even the hesitant beggar nodded in agreement to the weighty words.
“…I understand.”
“Hurry up, quickly!”
“Yes!”
Watching the beggar rush out, Neungsam clenched his jaw so tightly that his jaw muscles bulged.
‘It’s just my paranoia caused by old age. Logically impossible.’
It was impossible to secure reinforcements in such a short time. And even if they had the necessary power, hiding it so thoroughly until now would be even more impossible. Where in the world could someone possess such patience?
Yet, there was only one reason why the creeping anxiety couldn’t be pushed away.
‘If it’s Paegun.’
That one phrase from Beob Jong’s message wouldn’t leave his mind.
It’s an impossible task for anyone.
But if it’s Paegun, if it’s that Paegun, couldn’t he do it?
If he could dominate the world, couldn’t he have predicted all these situations and set traps that no one could escape from?
“…Damn it.”
Muttering curses under his breath, Neungsam stared intently at Nanjing on the map.
If they quickly finish their preparations and block the path in front of Cheonumaeng, Nanjing will be dyed entirely red with the blood shed by Cheonumaeng’s members.
‘Alliance Leader, please… Please hurry. Please!’
❀ ❀ ❀
“Hurry!”
Hyun Jong screamed until his throat was hoarse. At his command, Cheonumaeng’s members gritted their teeth and dashed forward.
They knew. No matter how fast they ran, they couldn’t avoid the confrontation with the enemy. The territory controlled by Sapaeryeon in Gangnam wasn’t easy to enter for those who had simply swaggered in. Surely, there would be those who had blocked the way.
But even if they couldn’t avoid the confrontation, they could reduce the number of opponents they faced. If they could reach Yangtze before all the Sapaeryeon gathered, that would be the key.
“Alliance Leader! Haenam! Haenam is falling behind!”
“Ugh…!”
A suppressed groan burst from Hyun Jong’s lips.
They understood. They had already exceeded their limits. Unlike Cheonumaeng, who had only recently crossed the Yangtze River, Haenam had already engaged in battle and broke through Gangnam. Just getting this far was impressive enough.
But just because they understood didn’t mean all frustration vanished.
“Those who have the strength, carry Haenam’s disciples, now!”
“Yes!”
The disciples of Hwasan rushed to the rear. And they quickly surrounded Haenam’s disciples in front of them, almost scooping them up.
“I, I’m fine!”
The bewildered disciples of Haenam resisted clumsily, pushing against the shoulders of Hwasan’s disciples, but they held them tightly.
“Damn it! This is not the time for petty pride!”
“Ugh…”
In the end, the disciples of Haenam agreed to be carried on their backs without resistance. Indeed, now was not the time to show one’s pride. If they were surrounded by the enemy due to delays caused by Haenam, pride would no longer matter.
“This way!”
“We’ll help too!”
“Step aside! Using strength is our specialty at the Beast Palace!”
Not only from Hwasan, but also from other sects, strong people rushed in to surround the disciples of Haenam.
Seeing this, Hyun Jong clenched his teeth and pounded the ground.
‘Soon! It’s almost time!’
Fortunately, they were not caught by the remnants of Maninbang who were chasing them. At this rate, they would be able to reach the Yangtze River without a major confrontation.
“Gather your last strength!”
Hyun Jong encouraged his disciples, but Baek Cheon, who was carried on his back, weakly raised his hand to cover his mouth as coughs forced their way out.
Cough, cough.
Along with the coughs, black blood trickled down his hand. Baek Cheon, his vision blurred, silently clenched his fist and hid it within his sleeve after checking his hand.
“Are you okay?”
Hyun Jong asked, to which Baek Cheon forced a nod, pretending to be fine.
“I’m… fine.”
“Hold on a little longer. We’re almost at the Yangtze River!”
“…Yes.”
A bitter smile formed at the corner of Baek Cheon’s lips. Despite Hyun Jong continuously pushing his energy into him, his body was like a broken vessel, only able to let Hyun Jong’s energy flow out it.
‘The others…’
Baek Cheon turned his head to glance at his fellow disciples. Considering their physical condition, they could easily let go of consciousness, yet they all struggled desperately to hold onto it.
They knew too. That their fate would soon be decided.
Wasn’t it said, “Do your best and leave the rest to heaven”?
They had done everything they could. No, they had even done what they couldn’t. So now, all they could do was entrust themselves to the sky.
If heaven didn’t turn away from them, if it even slightly understood their efforts, it would have left an opening for them to survive.
If not, it would be too cruel.
“Alliance Leader, we’re almost there! Once we cross that hill, we’ll see the Yangtze River!”
At Tang Gunak’s shout, everyone’s gaze turned forward. Ahead, a long uphill road stretched out. Just beyond that road lay the Yangtze River.
Finally, this excruciating journey would come to an end.
‘Please!’
Baek Cheon bit his lip tightly.
He doesn’t ask for much. Hoping for the absence of enemies altogether would be too unrealistic.
He only wishes for one thing!
That the number of enemies isn’t too great. That there are just enough enemies for him to sacrifice his life and open the way.
“Stay strong!”
Hyun Jong urged his disciples on as they ran forward.
Lush forests brushed past them as they sprinted. The end of the towering hill quickly approached before them.
‘Please!’
Had there ever been such desperation? Such urgency?
‘Oh, Heavenly One!’
Hyun Jong prayed, and prayed again.
If the Heavenly One was truly watching over them, if he, who had seemed to turn away from Hwasan to the point of resentment, truly existed, then he hoped, just for this moment, that he would protect them. At least, not turn away from this desperation.
If a price had to be paid under the guise of causality, then he hoped, let it be satisfied with his aged life alone.
“Alliance Leader!”
Hyun Jong pounded the ground with all his might.
At the end of the not-so-high hill, where the earth met the sky, Hyun Jong finally beheld the unfolding spectacle.
What first came into his sight was an expanse of water so vast, it might as well have been called the sea rather than the river.
His gaze slowly lowered.
The wide land stretching all the way to the Yangtze River… was dyed black and red.
In this moment, what could that mean?
Hyun Jong’s legs trembled, buckling in despair.
“Oh… oh…”
Every piece of land within his sight was crowded with people. The road to the Yangtze River was densely packed with people.
It was despair under the name of the enemy [적(敵)].
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