Chapter 1612
So we have no choice but to tear them down. (2)
“General…”
Tang Gunak tried to say something with a bewildered look, but Chung Myung raised a hand slightly to stop him for a moment.
“Let’s check first.”
Chung Myung’s gaze turned to Zhuge Jain.
“Why did you lose?”
Zhuge Jain’s face momentarily filled with displeasure. Why bother asking something so obvious?
“Haven’t I repeated myself? An unknown enemy stood in our way…”
“No. What I’m asking is, even if that happened, was the power of Gupailbang truly so insignificant that they were utterly defeated?”
“…”
“Did you foresee this? Did you expect things to turn out like this just because you were a bit late?”
Zhuge Jain’s face hardened.
The sight he saw upon arriving at the battlefield was so devastating that there was no time to calculate, but this was indeed something he had considered.
“If we speak purely in terms of military strategy…”
Zhuge Jain hesitated before finally shaking his head.
Although he had personal grievances, as someone who bore the name Zhuge, he could not lie when discussing military strategy.
“No, definitely not.”
Chung Myung nodded.
“I think the same. No matter how great the tricks Sapaeryeon’s bastards used, their power didn’t suddenly become overwhelming. Shaolin, Paeng family, and Kongtong Sect should never have been crushed to such an extent. Even if Shaolin’s power was not at its fullest.”
Some faces hardened. Chung Myung sharply looked at Zhuge Jain again and asked again.
“Then why did it happen that way?”
Zhuge Jain unconsciously touched his dry lips. Why, indeed?
The horrific scene still vividly came to mind. To those who had not studied military strategy, it was just a spectacle of devastation.
But Zhuge Jain could find the answer even within that chaos.
When combining the ruined battlefield and the testimonies of the few survivors, the reason became crystal clear.
“The collapse of command… and individual actions.”
After giving his answer, Zhuge Jain let out a long sigh and nodded.
“Indeed… No, the General is right. It definitely wasn’t a force that should have been annihilated like that. The reason it happened is because they didn’t act as they had initially agreed.”
“Who are ‘they’?”
“The Paeng family and Kongtong. Originally, they were supposed to support Shaolin’s main attack. If they had faithfully played their roles, the corpses wouldn’t have been scattered and strewn all over the place.”
Zhuge Jain felt he had misspoken momentarily and checked the reactions, but Chung Myung continued the meeting without showing any concern.
“Then what was the reason they didn’t follow the agreed strategy?”
“That’s…”
There was no need to invoke military strategy for this. Even if Zhuge Jain did not answer, everyone here already knew the reason.
“Ambition. The desire to claim Paegun’s head and elevate the fame of their sect.”
Zhuge Jain let out another deep sigh.
‘Why did you do that?’
The more he thought about it, the more regretful he felt.
Had they just won, if only they could have won, the glory would have been shared by all. Shaolin would have taken the most glory, but even the remaining glory would have been enough to shine a light on any sect.
But why did they do such a nonsensical thing at that moment? What were they thinking?
In the end, their untimely greed led to this horrific result.
Yet, Zhuge Jain couldn’t bring himself to criticize them, despite his regret. He understood all too well what their mindset must have been. Didn’t all leaders share the desire to glorify their sect’s name? If Zhuge Jain had been in their position, he couldn’t be sure he would have acted differently.
“From the start, this war was initiated by the Abbot under the wrong circumstances. And then unforeseen variables were thrown into this poorly started war.”
Chung Myung’s eyes moved away from Zhuge Jain and scanned the others.
“But up to this point, this is something that could always happen in a war where people kill and get killed. So… if we had chosen the right timing and there were no unforeseen variables, could we have won?”
Zhuge Jain bit his lip and pondered before answering.
“…It would have been difficult.”
“Lord?”
Moyong Wigyeong looked at Zhuge Jain with a surprised face, finding his answer unexpected. But Zhuge Jain, knowing the truth, had to be honest.
“I have never heard of an army with many heads winning a war.”
This wasn’t just his problem. It was a problem of his family. After all, he was a person from Zhuge family, who were proficient in military strategy. While he could oppose and even bite back for his benefit, he couldn’t deny the family’s identity. Zhuge Jain was that kind of person.
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
Chung Myung nodded.
“The existence of a traitor? Of course, it’s important. But if we get distracted by that and fail to fix what truly needs to be fixed, the results will be the same next time.”
Tang Gunak let out a heavy sigh.
“Hmm… But, General, isn’t Cheonumaeng different from Gupailbang?”
“How is it different?”
“Well, we are…”
Tang Gunak started to say something but closed his mouth, as if feeling too embarrassed to continue. Chung Myung shook his head slightly.
“They probably believed the same. That their alliance was unshakeable.”
“…”
“If we have trust, they have history. We believe we have found a path to the future, while they had the loyalty forged from relying on and helping each other through difficult times.”
Moyong Wigyeong nodded vigorously.
He certainly thought that way. No matter how rapidly Cheonumaeng gained momentum, it couldn’t surpass the bonds of Gupailbang and the Five Great Families that had been united for hundreds of years. Even in such dire straits, those fighting together were true comrades.
“But that belief was shattered. Not because of betrayal or conflict. Their faith in each other was probably solid. Yet they ended up as a disorganized mess. Why?”
Chung Myung’s voice fell heavily.
“Because they couldn’t let go of their ambition to glorify their own sect, their desire to make their names renowned throughout the world. And Jang Ilso knew how to exploit that desire better than anyone.”
Zhuge Jain let out an involuntary, hollow laugh.
He and Hwasan Geomhyeop had seen the same thing. They arrived around the same time, witnessed the same scenes, and reached the same place.
However, the answers he gave and those the other provided were completely different.
It wasn’t about what was right or wrong. The important thing was that Chung Myung had already seen something he hadn’t even considered.
‘Age isn’t the issue here.’
He finally understood why that person sat in the General’s seat, why he led the meeting with such distinguished individuals gathered.
With eyes that could see the world in that way and the audacity to speak such truths, it was no wonder the Alliance Leader and the Vice Leader of Cheonumaeng came running at his word.
“‘We are different, we can handle it.’ Such thoughts always lie behind countless historical defeats.”
Tang Gunak nodded heavily. The belief that ‘we are different’ was not enough.
This was clearly a valid point that needed to be acknowledged.
A brief silence fell over the conference room. Then, Zhuge Jain spoke up.
“May I ask something?”
“Yes.”
“I understand what you mean, General. But even if we can dissect and understand the situation, it’s meaningless without a solution.”
Unlike before, his tone was respectful. Amidst everyone’s surprised looks, Zhuge Jain paused to catch his breath.
“But martial artists and ambition are inseparable. You may not know this since you belong to a Taoist sect, but asking ordinary martial artists to abandon their ambition and just fight is akin to asking people not to breathe.”
Chung Myung nodded in agreement.
“You’re right.”
“Then won’t this ultimately be a pointless discussion? If the solution to a problem of mindset is merely to change that mindset… it will become a predictable and ineffective statement.”
This time, Chung Myung shook his head.
“You’re correct that it’s impossible to change people’s hearts with just words. I’m sure Abbot repeatedly emphasized before this battle that everyone needed to move as agreed.”
Zhuge Jain nodded vehemently. Even he, who had barely interacted directly with Beop Jong, had found it tiresome. So, the leaders of Kongtong and Paeng must have heard it countless times.
Yet, at the crucial moment, they couldn’t overcome their desires.
“No matter how resolute one’s determination, it’s the same. Jang Ilso is someone who can find the cracks in that firm resolve.”
As the survivors said, if Jang Ilso hadn’t personally offered his neck and taunted them to strike, Kongtong and Paeng wouldn’t have been shaken to such an extent.
Even a perfectly disciplined army can lose formation at the moment of victory. Doesn’t this imply that perfection is impossible in human endeavors?
Chung Myung spoke firmly.
“We cannot change human nature. All we can do is trust. We must trust that those sitting here, and those who have had our backs so far, will prioritize their comrades over their own fame and ambition.”
His gaze met each person in the room. They understood the weight of his words and could only nod heavily.
Then, Chung Myung brought up the main point.
“But there is something we can change.”
“And what is that?”
“The sects.”
His voice was calm, but the statement was not something to be taken lightly. The leaders exchanged puzzled looks and asked in confusion.
“…The sects?”
Chung Myung took a deep breath.
“Exactly as I said. The name of Hwasan, the name of Tang clan, the name of Zhuge family, the name of Jongnam, the distinction between Just and Evil Sects, the separation of inner and outer territories, the classification into major and minor sects. All these names and walls, all the boundaries that make us different from each other.”
As Chung Myung continued, the expressions of the leaders hardened. They were beginning to understand what he was implying.
“While we can’t change human nature, we can break down the boundaries between the sects. If the destination we all reach together ultimately faces that ‘difference,’ then there is only one solution.”
Chung Myung’s words fell with the weight of a thousand guem.
“To truly become one.”
Someone hurriedly tried to speak, but Chung Myung did not give them a chance. His gaze was fixed directly on Hyun Jong.
“I believe we must revoke the command authority of each sect within Cheonumaeng and unify all affiliated members under the name of the Alliance, eliminating the boundaries between the sects.”
“….”
“That, I believe, is the best we can do right now.”
A dead silence filled the room.
No one dared to speak. What they had just heard was too outrageous.
“Heh… Heh heh.”
In the silence that could swallow a person whole, someone let out a small laugh. Though it was a tiny sound, everyone’s eyes turned towards it.
“Vice Sect Leader?”
“Oh… I’m sorry.”
Baek Cheon covered his mouth with his hand, trying to suppress his remaining laughter.
What path had he walked? What glances had he received?
‘Indeed, one can’t compete with him.’
Baek Cheon felt this. Whether it was right or wrong, this was an incredibly Chung-Myung-like solution.
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