Chapter 1455
Please take care of me from now on. (5)
“Hmm.”
Eyes darting restlessly, Chung Myung meticulously scanned the ledgers submitted by each sect. His eyes, having gone over the documents multiple times, narrowed to thin slits.
“Hmm.”
Lifting his gaze from the ledgers, he looked at the leaders of the sects. Their expressions twisted uncomfortably.
‘What’s he going to nitpick now?’
‘Who suggested making this guy the General?’
‘Certainly wasn’t me.’
It was peculiar.
Granting Chung Myung the title of the General wasn’t a particularly grand gesture. He had already been receiving such deference implicitly. But the official title of “General” now seemed to add an oddly uncomfortable weight to his scrutinizing gaze.
“Is this everything?”
“…”
“Really?”
“Ahem.”
Tang Gunak cleared his throat and spoke up.
“The Tang clan has given all it has…”
“Ah, forget the Tang clan. I know everything was burned down.”
Tang Gunak’s face subtly showed his hurt feelings as he looked off into the distant sky.
“Hey, Nokrim King.”
“Yes?”
“This is all?”
“Haha… How much money do you think a bunch of bandits could have? Even if we gather everything from our mountain strongholds…”
“What about Maehwado?”
“Ay, General! You personally managed all the money we made from Maehwado! We might be able to fool ghosts, but we can’t fool the ledgers sent to Hwasan…”
“That’s the money earned there, not Nokrim’s assets.”
“Huh?”
Im Sobyeong tilted his head in confusion. Chung Myung gestured towards him with his chin.
“You paid your guys wages for their work at Maehwado, right?”
“Of course. If we don’t pay them for their labor, we’d get dragged to the authorities. You know how scared we are of them.”
“And then you skimmed some off the top and pocketed it as extra tribute money, right?”
“…What?”
“Where did that money go?”
Im Sobyeong’s mouth slowly opened, eyes wide with fear as if he had seen a ghost. How did he know about that…?
“Anyway, these crooked bastards always have their tricks. Spit it out, or would you rather die?”
“Hehe. Actually, I wasn’t planning to keep it for myself. I was going to present it all to you, General, specially…”
“Cut the crap and write it all down.”
“…Sure.”
Im Sobyeong grumbled as he stepped back. Chung Myung carefully reviewed the ledger once more to confirm.
“Anyway, there’s nothing missing now, right?”
“I’ve recorded everything clearly.”
“Hmm.”
Finally, Chung Myung folded the ledger and tapped it against his palm.
“You’ve done a good job.”
The faces of the sect leaders twisted in horror. That damn Taoist…
“Well, anyway, I think we can make it work with this.”
At that moment, Seol Sobaek hesitantly raised his hand.
“But…”
“What?”
“Uh, D-Dojang. Just out of curiosity, how much are you planning to take from there…?”
Everyone’s ears perked up. Although they hadn’t dared to ask, it was one of the things they were most curious about.
‘Will it be thirty percent?’
‘There’s no way it could be forty percent, right? That guy is human too, isn’t he?’
‘Even a devil wouldn’t take more than fifty percent! That would just be ruinous.’
Everyone waited with their own hopes as Chung Myung prepared to speak. However, his answer was a bit, just a bit, different from their expectations.
“I don’t know.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know. We’ll have to see how it goes. How should I know?”
Seol Sobaek’s eyes rounded like the ice crystals of the Northern Sea.
“What, what do you mean…?”
“How can we predict how much money we’ll need when we don’t know how long the war will last or what will happen in the future? That’s something only the invaders can estimate, not the defenders. Even Zhuge Liang wouldn’t know.”
“Zhuge Liang would probably know…”
“Kaak!”
Chung Myung’s curses made Seol Sobaek flinch and shrink back.
“Ahem, anyway… we’ve roughly estimated the assets, so I’ll manage them as needed.”
“…Yes.”
“Oh, and for those assets that can’t be used immediately, we should convert them into cash or grain.”
Everyone turned to look at one person. Under their collective gaze, Namgung Dowi’s cheeks twitched as if in a spasm.
“U-Us?”
“No, no. I’m not singling out Namgung specifically. I mean assets like taverns, land, or pavilions that can’t be used as cash right now. The ‘immovable assets,’ you know.”
“Right now, our sect is the only one with those ‘immovable assets’!”
“Ah? Is that so?”
A vein bulged on Namgung Dowi’s forehead.
“Dojang, that’s not possible!”
“Huh? Why not?”
“No, it’s not that I’m reluctant to sell the pavilions or taverns! Don’t you understand the current situation in the Central Plains? With the way things are, who would buy a pavilion or a tavern? Even though I’m not well-versed in business, I know that much.”
“Oh? So?”
“If we sell these assets now, we’ll never get their true value! We’ll be lucky to get half of their worth!”
“Ah, really?”
Chung Myung nodded as if he understood. Just as Namgung Dowi’s face brightened at this sign of comprehension, Chung Myung’s indifferent voice followed.
“That’s not my concern. It’s not my money, after all.”
…Namgung Dowi’s shoulders slumped to his knees.
“Look, the important thing about money is not its value but using it at the right time.”
“But, but there should be a limit to that…”
“This guy’s gotten so arrogant because everyone been treating him like a family head. Is now the time to be whining about money? Even if you’re mad about money, you should know when and where it’s appropriate!”
Namgung Dowi’s vision blurred with moisture. Sure, it wasn’t wrong. But was it really right to hear those words from this guy?
At that moment, Tang Gunak quietly placed a hand on Namgung Dowi’s shoulder.
“Stay strong…”
“Didn’t Lord Tang suggest putting him in charge?”
“You agreed as well, didn’t you?”
“Namgung won’t forget this.”
The sight of Namgung Dowi’s venom-filled eyes made a cold sweat break out on Tang Gunak’s back.
Don’t speak so seriously, you madman.
“Aren’t we also being stripped bare?”
“Seems like you don’t have much left to lose anyway.”
“…What did you say?”
Watching Namgung Dowi and Tang Gunak bicker from a distance, Five Swords felt a sense of futility wash over them.
“…Just as expected.”
Baek Cheon muttered and shook his head with a tired face. Yoon Jong agreed.
“The sect leaders can’t do anything, after all.”
“Right? I told you, they shouldn’t have given him any major seat.”
“He’ll strip you clean. Down to your undergarments.”
“…Hey, Sahyeong. At least he leaves the undergarments now. He’s gotten so much nicer. He’s almost like a real Taoist these days.”
“Soso-ya, don’t say scary things.”
“It’s true, though.”
“That’s why it’s scary.”
“Oh…”
Jo Geol laughed and joked with Tang Soso. Yoon Jong, standing nearby, cautiously observed Jo Geol’s face. He couldn’t detect anything but amusement. As Yoon Jong turned his head, his eyes met Baek Cheon’s.
Baek Cheon quietly shook his head, and Yoon Jong nodded silently in response.
Tak!
At that moment, the sound of Chung Myung placing the ledger onto the cart echoed.
“Well, anyway, thank you for cooperating with the investigation.”
“Ugh.”
“Whatever…”
Grumbling could be heard from various corners. Chung Myung calmly looked at the gathered people. These were the core members of Cheonumaemg, the ones he would now have to lead.
“Honestly, this won’t be easy.”
“…”
“We’ve made some mistakes, but ultimately, Sapaeryeon’s bastards have gained too much. And Gupailbang will undoubtedly seize this opportunity to crush us.”
Tang Gunak nodded solemnly. It was the Tang clan that had given them a reason, which is why he was prepared to sacrifice everything and serve as a common soldier.
“Well, we’ll just have to do our best.”
Chung Myung’s tone was indifferent, causing a wave of unease to spread among the sect leaders.
“Hwasan Geomhyeop.”
“Yes?”
“It’s good to say we’ll do our best, but to be honest… we didn’t agree to follow your lead just to hear those words. Don’t you have a plan?”
Chung Myung casually shrugged.
“Of course, there’s a plan.”
“What is it?”
“Well, we’re preparing various things, but… first, we need to protect our home.”
“Home?”
“I already told you. We’re going to use the money from selling those unnecessary assets to fortify our defenses. We need to prepare a place where all these people, as well as those relocating from Anhui and the ones coming from the Northern Sea, can live.”
Tang Gunak’s eye twitched slightly. This wasn’t the answer he was hoping for.
“Of course, that’s something we must do. But… it’s a bit surprising. I didn’t expect to hear you talk about securing our defenses.”
“Securing? Me?”
A look of confusion crossed Tang Gunak’s face. What did he mean by that?
“Ugh, I’m tired of just defending. I’m sick of constantly reacting to their movements, running here and there.”
“…Then why?”
“See, this is why those who don’t understand war are hopeless…”
Tang Gunak frowned at Chung Myung’s words. At that moment, Im Sobyeong spoke up.
“The most crucial aspect of an offensive is logistics.”
“…Logistics?”
“No matter how skilled a warrior is, they can’t fight without food. That’s why the most important thing before launching an attack is securing supplies, supply lines, and above all else…”
Im Sobyeong folded his fan and smacked it against his hand.
“It’s crucial to properly secure the base from which these supplies originate. Isn’t that what you’re saying?”
“…Why is someone with that brain only the leader of bandits?”
“I was born the son of a bandit chief, so what do you expect me to do…”
Chung Myung nodded.
“Yes, that’s right. The strength of Cheonumaeng is currently scattered in all directions. We need to properly consolidate it.”
At that moment, Im Sobyeong raised his hand high.
“What?”
“Out of curiosity, while I agree with what you intend to do, don’t we lack the necessary manpower? The Tang clan or the remaining people here can quickly build pavilions, but… to properly manage supplies, we’re absolutely short on personnel. Does Eunha merchant guild have that much capacity?”
“Of course not. Even if they are one of the top ten trading companies in the Central Plains, they’re still just merchants who’ve been doing business in Shaanxi.”
“Then what’s your plan for that?”
Chung Myung shrugged.
“That’s our first task.”
“What?”
A peculiar smile twisted at the corner of Chung Myung’s mouth. Then he suddenly switched topics.
“Gupailbang and Sapaeryeon are probably quite pleased right now. They likely think that Cheonumaemg’s grand mission to save the world has been clouded by our need to take care of our own.”
“Hm.”
Tang Gunak let out a faint groan. Chung Myung continued in a calm voice.
“The reason Cheonumaeng has been able to grow until now is because we had a righteous cause. But now, we no longer have that cause. So, Cheonumaeng won’t be able to grow any further.”
“…That’s not entirely wrong.”
“No. It’s completely wrong.”
“Huh?”
Chung Myung grinned.
“They say the problem is that we’re taking care of our own. That people will criticize us for it.”
“That’s right.”
“Then we just have to do the opposite.”
Confusion spread across everyone’s faces. Chung Myung laughed triumphantly.
“Let’s show them the reverse. Let’s demonstrate just how thoroughly and fiercely we take care of our own. So much so that people realize how secure it is to be under Cheonumaeng.”
“That’s…”
It wasn’t immediately clear, but there was no need to understand it fully just yet. They could simply ask.
“How?”
“Before that, we need to confirm one thing again.”
Chung Myung turned his head to look at a certain spot. Five Swords were standing there.
Grinning, Chung Myung blinked and turned away looking at the sect leaders with strange eyes.
“Since I’m the General, that means you all have to follow my orders, right?”
“…Hwasan… Geomhyeop?”
“Any orders, right?”
“…”
“Well, good, good. Hahaha! This is really convenient. Should have done this earlier! Hahaha!”
Chung Myung’s eyes gleamed with madness. The sect leaders exchanged looks with dead eyes.
It felt like they had made an irreversible mistake.
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