Chapter 1735
What’s the right thing to do… (5)
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The aftermath of a battle is often more challenging than one might think, especially when the battle ends in a way that can hardly be described as anything but a defeat. The commander responsible for the army faces a multitude of problems: low morale, disrupted supply lines, an enemy that could strike again at any moment…
And above all, the lingering fear that the next battle might also end in defeat.
To manage all of that, to restore a tattered army to something resembling its former strength, is akin to turning rags into whole cloth again.
Yet, Ho Gamyeong, the Commander of Sapaeryeon, was managing these tasks with surprising ease.
He was also wise enough to understand that this success wasn’t due to his own abilities alone, and he accepted that truth readily.
Just like now.
The makeshift tent they had erected was anything but luxurious or impressive. In fact, calling it bleak would have been more fitting. Yet, anyone who stepped foot inside wouldn’t dare voice such an opinion.
The reason for that was the large chair at the center of the tent and the man lounging lazily in it.
Despite the lack of any overt display of power or grand actions, the man’s mere presence completely dominated the spacious tent.
“So?”
Jang Ilso, slouched casually in the large chair, cast an indifferent glance and asked,
“I’m not fond of beating around the bush. What is it you want to say?”
Sun Palace Lord Jin Pyeong bit down on his lip.
A dull throb.
The wound he had received from that young brat from Hwasan in the previous battle still ached. It had been a near-fatal injury, one that almost cost him his life. Though the scars from that battle no longer marred his flesh, the memory of that moment was something he could neither erase nor burn away.
However, the true source of the Sun Palace Lord’s pain wasn’t the wound left by that young brat. With gritted teeth, he spat out his words.
“Cheon Myeon Susa… What do you intend to do with that man?”
The fury in the Sun Palace Lord’s eyes was sharp enough to pierce through Jang Ilso.
“You must have heard that he attacked me! So why is he still walking around here as if nothing happened? Why?!”
His enraged shout echoed through the tent.
In truth, it was a lie that Cheon Myeon Susa was walking around freely. He had been hiding since the battle ended.
But everyone understood what the Sun Palace Lord was truly getting at.
“Answer me, Ryeonju! Is this really how Sapaeryeon operates?”
What had angered the Sun Palace Lord after days of lingering near death, barely regaining consciousness, wasn’t the defeat in battle. It wasn’t even the lives of his fallen warriors.
It was the fact that the one who attacked him and caused all this chaos had not been held accountable, not punished in any way.
He found it impossible to tolerate such a lukewarm response.
“I’m asking you a question right now!”
Jang Ilso, without the slightest movement, gazed at the Sun Palace Lord with his eyes narrowed. Then, with a disinterested tone, he replied.
“I’ve already told you twice. I don’t like beating around the bush. Let’s get straight to the point.”
Jang Ilso slowly leaned forward from his previously reclined position. He then leaned in closer to the Sun Palace Lord and asked in a quiet, secretive manner.
“What is it you want? Tell me, what do you desire?”
“…His head.”
“Hmm…”
“At the very least, I want an arm. No, a leg. If I don’t get that, my anger won’t be quelled!”
Jang Ilso tapped his cheek with his long fingers in an exaggerated manner, as if he were deep in thought.
“If this matter isn’t resolved, Sun Palace will return to the Southern Sea immediately. This is-”
“A warning? Or a threat? Which is it?”
The Sun Palace Lord fell silent, unable to continue speaking. The chill in Jang Ilso’s gaze, despite the smile on his face, was unmistakable.
“It’s not a difficult request, really. Yes, it’s not difficult at all. If someone commits a crime, they should be punished. Don’t you agree?”
The Sun Palace Lord was about to nod quickly in agreement when Jang Ilso continued.
“But… that would be quite unfair, would it?”
“…Unfair?”
“Cheon Myeon Susa committed a crime. He attacked a comrade, after all. But… if that’s a crime worthy of losing an arm, what kind of punishment should be given to someone who failed to stop those little brats and became the direct cause of our defeat?”
At that moment, the Sun Palace Lord’s face visibly hardened.
“Ryeonju, that’s…”
“Answer me. What punishment should they receive?”
It wasn’t that the Sun Palace Lord had nothing to say. It was that he couldn’t answer. The smiling face of Jang Ilso, now brimming with an unmistakable killing intent, was a clear warning.
The fear of Jang Ilso, momentarily forgotten in his rage, quickly cooled the blood of the Sun Palace Lord.
“I…”
But he didn’t back down so easily. It wasn’t just anger driving him – his pride as the Sun Palace Lord was at stake. His pride was his very identity, and for that reason, he couldn’t simply retreat. The Sun Palace Lord bit his lip in frustration.
“If that’s your answer, Ryeonju… then we’ll return to the Southern Sea.”
Jang Ilso sighed as if genuinely disappointed, shaking his head.
“Oh dear, oh dear. Why are you becoming more foolish by the day?”
“…Ryeonju!”
“Don’t you understand it yet? There’s no way back for you anymore.”
Jin Pyeong took Jang Ilso’s words as a threat and ground his teeth, but what Jang Ilso said next was slightly different.
“The war is about to end. Neither we nor our enemies have the strength to continue. So, what do you think will happen next?”
For a moment, Jin Pyeong’s eyes flickered with uncertainty.
Jin Pyeong was by no means a foolish man. He fully understood the implications of what Jang Ilso was saying.
When the war ends, there will be winners and losers.
At this point, with both sides having deployed nearly all their forces, the conclusion won’t be one where both sides simply inflict some damage and then retreat to redraw the borders. The only outcome will be the complete destruction of one side.
And when that happens…
Will the victor, having swallowed all the blood and resentment, be content with just the satisfaction of having conquered the Central Plains?
Seeing that Jin Pyeong was unable to respond, Jang Ilso let out a low, mocking laugh.
“Once you’ve stepped into the mud, it’s impossible to emerge without getting dirty. You’ll either survive, completely battered and bruised, or you’ll die there. There are no other options.”
“You…!”
“And as unfortunate as it may be… to survive in that swamp, you have to use whatever you can. Even if it means using the kind of bastard who stabs a comrade in the heart.”
Jin Pyeong’s face trembled with rage. The combination of anger and humiliation was almost too much for him to bear, and his body began to tremble with suppressed fury. But before he could erupt, Jang Ilso continued, still smiling.
“Let’s say it will be half. Half of the wealth that Haomun has amassed. That should be sufficient compensation, don’t you think?”
Jin Pyeong stared at Jang Ilso with slightly widened eyes.
“If that’s not enough, I can add a bit more myself. After all, I might bear some responsibility for not managing things properly. There’s still some wealth left over from what the Black Ghost had accumulated. It should suffice to save face. How does that sound? Are you satisfied?”
After a moment of contemplation, the Sun Palace Lord slowly nodded.
Truthfully, he hadn’t come expecting compensation, but the amount of wealth Jang Ilso was offering was staggering, even to him. With that much money, not only could the Sun Palace solidify its position, but they could also quickly stabilize Yunnan, which would fall into their hands after the war.
With that kind of wealth, he could easily swallow his anger.
“Just make sure to keep your promise…”
“Of course.”
Jang Ilso lifted the bottle of liquor in front of him and poured it into an empty cup.
“I’ve never broken a promise before.”
His serpent-like eyes fixed on the Sun Palace Lord, still with that ever-present smile.
“Drink up. Alcohol is a great remedy for clearing away old grudges.”
Jin Pyeong reached out, took the cup, and, after a brief hesitation, slowly drank it down.
Jang Ilso watched him with a gentle smile.
But Jin Pyeong was unaware of the cold glint in Jang Ilso’s eyes, barely visible between his narrowed, crescent shaped eyes.
The cold, deep gaze, like an abyss with no bottom, seemed to draw the Sun Palace Lord Jin Pyeong into its depths.
After the Sun Palace Lord Jin Pyeong left, Jang Ilso remained in the tent, lifting his cup filled with liquor. He stared at the cup, which was so full it looked like it might spill over at any moment, yet it didn’t – just like Sapaeryeon at that moment.
“Do you think he’s satisfied?”
Ho Gamyeong asked. Jang Ilso, still focused on the cup, responded without looking up.
“That doesn’t matter. In situations like this, what’s needed isn’t satisfaction but acceptance.”
“Acceptance…”
“To elaborate, it’s about having a convincing justification, isn’t it?”
Jang Ilso smiled warmly.
“Despite appearances, he’s a man of status. Such people sometimes value grand principles more than practical benefits.”
Ho Gamyeong nodded in agreement.
It wasn’t the wealth that mattered. What was important was that the wealth was obtained under the pretext of Haomun’s apology and Sapaeryeon’s compensation. For the Sun Palace Lord, this would serve as an adequate justification to present to his subordinates.
But the current course of action is truly pathetic. If there is a grudge against Haomunju, it would be best to confront him directly. Even though he has gone into seclusion, he hasn’t left the battlefield. To discuss the affairs of Cheon Myeon Susa and then seek out Jang Ilso…
‘It might mean there was never any intention to hold Cheon Myeon Susa accountable from the start.’
Or it could be that they couldn’t afford to lose such a powerful force on the eve of war. In any case, this will keep the Lord of the Sun Palace quiet for a while.
“It’s always like this.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s always so precarious.”
Jang Ilso murmured as he quietly stared at the cup, on the verge of overflowing.
“Giving your all is far from being stable. Problems inevitably arise, and things are bound to shake. Eventually, it feels as if it could explode at any moment.”
Ho Gamyung nodded without realizing it.
“The ability to withstand that is yours.”
Jang Ilso, who had been mumbling, suddenly cast his gaze towards the entrance of the tent where the Sun Palace Lord had left.
“Children are rather easier to handle. Give them a candy, and they stop crying.”
“Are you worried about Cheon Myeon Susa?”
“Even an old ginger is easier to deal with than you think. Those who value their lives above all else don’t take risks, no matter how deep their grudges run.”
Jang Ilso’s eyes sank gloomily.
“What’s truly difficult to handle… are those whose desires are unclear.”
Ho Gamyung realized whom Jang Ilso was referring to.
“Where were they at that time?”
“They climbed the mountain and entered Wudang.”
“No, no. Gamyeong-ah, what I’m asking is what happened after that.”
“…Pardon?”
“They remained out of sight for about a day after that, didn’t they? Then, they calmly rejoined Sapaeryeon. Isn’t that right?”
Ho Gamyeong confirmed that it was. However, a question arose in his mind.
Couldn’t such a thing happen at any time? Especially on a battlefield where lives are at stake.
It was right after a significant defeat. Even if they had spent the entire day questioning whether they should stay with Sapaeryeon, there wasn’t really anything to blame them for. After all, no one has more than one life.
But Jang Ilso, who should understand this better than anyone, was fixating on it.
“Ryeonju. They are…”
“I know, Gamyeong-ah. There’s nothing certain in this world.”
The conversation seemed to be going smoothly, yet there was something oddly off about it. However, before Ho Gamyeong could grasp the reason for this disconnect, Jang Ilso spoke again.
“But, you know, even if you can’t make something certain, you can still hold a knife to their throat, can’t you?”
“…”
“Bring me the Lord of Blood Palace.”
The corners of Jang Ilso’s mouth twisted into a grotesque smile.
“I’m curious, after all. What exactly are they thinking?”
The eyes, which had been seemingly calm and sunken, began to stir ominously once again.
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