Chapter 1466
Let’s seize this opportunity to make history. (1)
The carts entering Hwaeum came to a halt in unison.
“Ugh! I said to arrive by morning! So slow!”
“Th-the Youn Master adviced us to adjust the speed to prevent damage to the cargo!”
Even if Chung Myung said to fry the meat on water, Namgung Dowi, who couldn’t endure it, couldn’t help but argue. But the response he received was enough to send Namgung Dowi far away.
“Tsk tsk. Only capable of doing one thing at a time, that’s the problem. You should have arrived on time without damaging the goods!”
“….”
“Incompetent fools!”
“Uh…”
Jo Geol gently patted Namgung Dowi’s slumped shoulders.
“You have to accept it now.”
“…This?”
“You’ll get used to it soon enough.”
While Jo Geol comforted Namgung Dowi, Chung Myung leaped down from the cart and carefully observed the situation in Hwaeum.
“Hmm… Well…”
Noticing the uneasy and stern gaze, Hwang Jong-ui cautiously spoke up.
“Uh, first of all, welcome back safely, Dojang.”
“Yeah, yeah. How have you been, Master Hwang?
“Oh. Thanks to your concerns…”
“Well, you have occasionally sent some goods from the rear, and had your share of leisure. Ah, I envy you.”
Hwang Jong-ui’s face, which had been overflowing with joy, suddenly twisted. Was he referring to the tasks he had been assigned in the rear, where he had spent every waking moment?
“We’ve been quite busy ourselves…”
“Despite that, your complexion looks so good? Have you been eating well?”
Hwang Jong-ui’s realization hit him like a ton of bricks. This man, he was always like this. Not seeing him for a while must have triggered some idealized image in his mind.
“Ah, anyway. You must be very busy right now. What are you doing here?”
“Oh, right. I was just about to tell you. We were discussing the issue of accommodating these people in Xian with the retired Sect Leader.”
“What?”
“Well, it seems that Hwaeum lacks the infrastructure to accommodate these people properly. It might be manageable for the common folks, but as you know, there are also people of the Tang clan here…”
“Xian?”
“Yes, Xian…”
“Xiaaaaaaaan?”
Hwang Jong-ui quietly closed his eyes. Seeing that annoying Taoist bastard rambling on about trivial matters indicated he had made another mistake. It was a familiar sight, but after a long time, it felt new again.
“You’re talking nonsense! If I had intended to accommodate those brats comfortably, wouldn’t I have sent them to Xian instead of here?”
“Well, that’s…”
“If it were like that, only the people in Xian would benefit. Why should I spend my money to make others happy?”
“Well, first of all, the people in Xian are not just strangers…”
And also, the money going into it isn’t yours, Dojang. It seems there’s a bit of a misunderstanding here, but perhaps understanding the concept a bit better would be…
“No infrastructure?”
“Well, yes. Realistically…”
“Then build it!”
In an instant, it seemed as if Hwang Jong-ui’s soul had left his body.
“That’s easier said than done…”
“Oh, it’s all possible, all of it. I’ve done it before, so I know. If you set out to build something, it’ll be done in no time!”
Hwang Jong-ui covered his face with both hands. Hyun Jong, who had been watching with pity, gently placed his hand on Hwang Jong-ui’s shoulder.
“Do you understand?”
…No wonder this guy seemed more annoying. Hwang Jong-ui sighed deeply before speaking again.
“I understand what you’re saying. Certainly, if we can create facilities to accommodate them here as Dojang suggests, and secure logistics to support them, Hwaeum will become an entirely different place from what it is now.”
Of course, it might not reach the level of Xian, the largest city in Shaanxi, but it could develop into one of the prominent cities in the region.
“But Dojang, realistically, we simply don’t have enough manpower to accomplish all of that. Laborers aren’t something you can just obtain by throwing money at-”
“Oh, you’ve been frustrating me with these complaints since earlier.”
“Um… yes?”
“Why is there a shortage of laborers? There are plenty of idle people around here.”
“…What?”
“Lord Tang!”
“Got it.”
Quietly listening to the conversation from behind, Tang Gunak stepped forward.
“A map.”
“Yes? Oh! A map! Yes! Quickly, bring a map! Hurry!”
At Hwang Jong-ui’s command, several guild members hurriedly ran off and returned with a neatly rolled map.
The map was spread out, detailing the topography of Hwaeum with Hwasan at its center.
“Hmm.”
After carefully examining the terrain of Hwaeum, Tang Gunak nodded slowly.
“How much space are you looking for, General?”
“Well, for starters…”
Chung Myung scratched his nose lightly.
“The existing ones should naturally be accommodated.”
“I see.”
“And we also need space to accommodate additional arrivals and small sects seeking to join.”
“Ah, indeed, that much space is necessary…”
“Aside from that, we’ll need a training ground for the youngsters, an armory to store weapons, warehouses for grains and essentials…”
“…”
“Oh! We’ll also need houses for the Tang’s people, and amidst all that, we have to create shelters for those coming down from Hwasan and accommodations for newcomers and travelers due to logistics…”
The more Chung Myung spoke, the paler Hwang Jong-ui’s face became. At this point, it seemed like he was almost building an entire new city.
“Is that all we need to do?”
“Oh, come on. We’re just getting started.”
“…Ha?”
“If there are that many people, we’ll need water too, right? So, naturally, we’ll have to dig at least ten new wells. Oh, we should also make one with a proper cover. Well, there’s plenty of other small tasks to do as well.”
Nodding slowly, Tang Gunak replied.
“I get the gist of it. But there’s a bit of an issue with that approach.”
“What’s that?”
“As you can see, Hwaeum has a mountain behind it, which means the city has to expand forward.”
“Yes.”
“However, the terrain in the front is dotted with small hills. If we lay out the sectors like this, the city itself will become hilly. It might have some advantages in defense, but there’s a limit to how much the city can expand.”
Hwang Jong-ui vigorously nodded. This was the decisive reason why Hwaeum had never become a major city until now.
A city doesn’t just grow because it’s in a good location. Above all, the people who live there need to be able to comfortably build and live in their homes.
Due to its rugged terrain under Hwasan, Hwaeum could never become a large city.
“If we don’t solve this problem, we’ll end up with a half-baked city. If you’re willing to accept that, then there’s no issue.”
Upon hearing this, Chung Myung smiled contentedly.
“Ah, I’ve explained it so simply, yet you still don’t understand.”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t it obvious? What does ‘flatland’ mean? It refers to land without any curves.”
“True. But there’s no such flat land here…”
“Then let’s make it.”
Throughout the conversation, Tang Gunak, who had been calm and composed, twitched his eyebrows for the first time.
“This…?”
“Yes.”
“All of this…?”
“Yes!”
Tang Gunak was at a loss for words, and Chung Myung smiled even more contentedly.
“Lord Tang. If we perfectly execute our tasks according to the situation, it will yield results, right?”
“Well, yes.”
“But if we go beyond the situation and do more than perfect, it becomes history.”
“…”
“Where…”
Chung Myung turned his head to look into the distance. Numerous small mountains dotted the landscape of Hwaeum.
“Let’s seize this opportunity to make history.”
“…”
“Come on, come on! We’re busy. Let’s get moving! Quickly!”
It looked like Tang Gunak’s soul escaped from his mouth.
“From here to here!”
Swordsmen of Namgung clan, holding construction tools in their hands, glanced bewilderedly at the map Chung Myung was pointing at.
‘What does he mean by “from here to here”?’
‘Is there something different about reading maps in Shaanxi?’
‘That couldn’t be true.’
Certainly, there shouldn’t be. No matter how diverse the regions are in the Central Plains, the way of reading maps should be more or less the same everywhere.
Yet, there was one reason why they had doubts.
“Umm, there, Hwasan Geomhyeop?”
“What?”
“Um… If I understand correctly, you mean we’re supposed to flatten these hills ahead?”
“Yeah. You got it.”
“Well, I get it from here, but I’m not sure about where it ends…”
Chung Myung grimaced in frustration, then clicked his tongue.
“No, it’s clearly marked here on the map. What’s this? What is it?”
“That… It’s a river?”
“No, it’s a stream, considering its width.”
“Anyway, it’s flowing water.”
“Exactly! A stream! It’s right there! Over there!”
The heads of Namgung’s warriors, who were murmuring among themselves, turned in unison.
“Where…?”
“Ah, oh! Are you really all hit in the head? It’s there. Over there among the mountains!”
Countless hills, too numerous but too small to be deemed mountains, overlapped endlessly. And amid them, a barely discernible stream flowed in the distance.
Everyone chuckled quietly at the stream, visible only as a thin line.
‘It can’t be.’
‘It isn’t.’
‘It mustn’t be. Absolutely not!’
Yet, no one dared to venture to utter a word. It felt as though saying a single word might seal their fate.
However, as always when people gathered forming a crowd, there was bound to be at least one oblivious soul among them.
“Hey, is that stream you mentioned over there?”
“That rascal…”
Namgung’s swordsmen panicked and attempted to silence the person who spoke, but it was too late. Chung Myung, who had already heard the words, nodded as if in admiration, continuously tilting his head.
“Heh, as expected, Namgung acts tough when he’s not around. You guys are much better than your frustrating leader.”
“…”
“That’s right. Just stop there. Easy, right? Take a break when it’s all done.”
“…Take a break?”
After all that, you want us to take a break?
“Um, Hwasan Geom…”
“Oh, by the way, I’ve allocated land appropriately for each sect.”
“Huh?”
Why bring that up out of the blue?
“But then, there’s still one piece of land left, right? Hmph. Getting old means dying.”
“…”
“So, here’s the thing.”
A smile spread across Chung Myung’s face in an instant. It was a grin fit for demons or those bound for hell.
“The sect that finishes their task last agreed to take care of that one too. So take it easy.”
At that moment, Namgung clan’s gazes sharply shifted away from Hwaeum.
Crash!
And they saw it. Hwasan and Ice Palace fiercely demolishing the hills. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the scene.
Namgung’s swordsmen’s feet lit up on fire.
“G-Go!”
“Move it, you idiots!”
“But wait, each sect has a different number of people! This is unfair…”
“Unfair or not, grab a shovel and start digging, you fools!”
“Aaaargh! We can’t come in last!”
There’s no point trying to reason with that guy anyway.
Namgung, with all their might, dashed towards the small mountain that was rising in front of them.
Chung Myung chuckled contentedly.
“Seems like everyone is quite eager to listen.”
Well, they better be. Hehehe!
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