As Prophet - Chapter 174



Only Noblemtl

Episode 174. Let’s make 2,000 out of 1,000.

The commander sighed and asked in a muttered tone.

“Intercepting the exit… … Do you think we have such forces?”

It was not directed at anyone. In these times, 2,000 cavalrymen are impossible. It would not be possible even if all the horses from the nearby stables were gathered. The oblivious liaison officer answered the commander-in-chief’s lament, thinking it was a question.

“He said to prepare immediately.”

The commander bit his lip. He felt like he wanted to cut everyone down. The commander asked Yoo Seok-do for advice.

“Do you think there is such a cavalry?”

“I have to gather them all. I don’t know if I’ll even get to two thousand.”

“… … .”

“Isn’t that what you call a command?”

“… … .”

“That gentleman isn’t like that normally, but he’s definitely like that on the battlefield.”

“Have you seen it?”

“I heard and saw it again. It must be an accurate judgment. It is natural to intercept enemy cavalry that has come running from a long distance. I think they will probably encounter an advance party. It may be an intention to delay the advance, or it may be a matter of pride.”

“What should I do?”

“If you give an order, you must obey it.”

“How about we settle things by informing His Majesty and informing him that it is not possible?”

That’s right. That’s how it should be. However, Yoo Seok-do trembled with a feeling similar to that of the Battle of Hakgwan. He recalled the words of those who turned around in the form of officials, cursing them for not doing their jobs, for being immobile, for lying down for a hundred years as long as they had food left for themselves.

“That may be natural, but there must be a meaning to it all. It may sound like something you say without thinking, but there is a reason for everything, and you will later realize that it was an important part of the process of things happening.”

“What, you mean you can see the future?”

“I often think that it might really be true. I think it would be good to try to make it happen somehow.”

The commander-in-chief burst out laughing, but Yoo Seok-do couldn’t laugh anymore because his face was serious.

“Do you think that’s possible?”

“Let’s make it a hundred that can be ten. Now that I think about it, there was no order to bring the horses from the stables. That came first. If we are to fight enemy cavalry, we must also be cavalry.”

“Oh. It seems like everyone around that gentleman is starting to resemble him.”

“It’s the belief that we can do it. That’s how we’ve won success after success. Let’s make and send 25 units as much as possible. It’s not like there’s nothing.”

“It’s hard to say no when the general says so. Let’s try. Phew.”

The commander-in-chief thought that he could not produce even 500 prayers. He had seen too many military requests rejected. He had seen the military government collapse, and weapons and armor rotted away in warehouses, unusable, and he could not do anything about it.

The long period of silently enduring the uncomfortable gaze mixed with distrust and fear toward the unmanned continued throughout one’s armed life. So experience is not necessarily good. The negative effects of failed experiences are worse than you think. It makes you give up on the necessary attempts themselves, and even prevents you from even thinking about such possibilities. It limits future possibilities, and makes it difficult to even imagine another way.

The Commander-in-Chief is a better person to push things forward than Yoo Seok-do, who has been in a long hiatus. He called the messenger waiting a few steps away.

“Two thousand may be difficult, but tell them that you will prepare as much as possible and send it to Heunginjimun as soon as possible.”

“debriefing!”

The messenger ran out, waving the flag. Yoo Seok-do muttered.

“The palace is now a sort of headquarters. The messengers must be mounted.”

“I will take action accordingly.”

Yu Seok-do went into the side hall and reported to the king, and the commander-in-chief went to the palace cabinet where his generals were gathered and gave the order to call up the cavalry.

“Gather all the horses and cavalry within Hanyang Castle and send them to Heunginjimun.”

“Loyalty!”

“Run to Sabuk-si and take action to conscript horses from all the ranches and send them to Dongdaemun!”

“Loyalty!”

“Select cavalrymen and those who can ride horses, and organize them into groups of 25. Bring out all the armor, bows, spears, and cavalry shields, equip them, and send them to Heunginjimun.”

“Loyalty!”

“Select one hundred Daejeong and Yeosu who can command cavalry and send them. Send them to Heunginjimun regardless of whether they have horses or not.”

“Loyalty!”

The governor-general quickly gave an order. The dozen or so people who had been looking at various documents in one corner of the cabinet office left the cabinet office.

The commander-in-chief called a general in his 40s who had risen to the position of commander-in-chief through his own abilities, unlike himself.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes, sir.”

“This matter should be handled by Jang Gong. Go to Heunginjimun and organize the troops that are being called up.”

“debriefing!”

“What do we mean by ‘revenge’? I came this far thanks to my relatives, and you came this far because of your skills. Let’s make the 2,000 ki that the real person wants.”

“Loyalty!”

He is an adult of the royal family. The old general who has protected the Five Guard Commanderies with his military power until now made a humble request, so Jang Gong bowed to him at the gate and ran out.

* * *

As I moved in the wide courtyard behind Dongdaemun, white dust rose. People passing by in a line moved to one side to avoid the dust and crouched down, but the dust and smoke, as if they had eyes, always sought out where people were. They might be following the invisible wind that the existence created.

He was instructed not to cause any damage to the evacuation procession, but someone in the procession was staring intently at Dalcheon. It was a distance of more than fifty chapters, but it was a familiar gaze. It was Baek I-jeong. They loaded the cart with luggage and put the old man on the back of a donkey. Many family members were carrying the luggage in front and behind, and there were a little less than thirty adults and children.

Dalcheon turned around and rode his horse closer.

“Elder!”

“Another riot?”

“Yes. Are you going to Namhansanseong?”

“I don’t know! I just followed wherever you were going.”

“You must stay healthy.”

“You’re on the battlefield again. The young general is cool. I like him!”

Baek Yi-jeong took three or four steps closer and stood in front.

“I heard you came.”

Dalcheon got off his horse, spread out his hands, and pointed to the dirt on both sides.

“This is it. It’s been like this since I got here. I haven’t had a single day of sleep.”

“I thought you were going to leave and never come back again. At that time.”

The sadness mixed in the sentence was buried shallowly.

“I was going to do that, but this is what happened. I have to go back. I plan to go quickly once this is over.”

“May you enjoy a thousand years of glory in unchanging light and glory.”

“I think it’s all pointless. Where else are you going?”

“I’m following the refugee line heading to Namhansanseong. I’m going to the southern part of Gwangju because my grandfather’s relatives are there. I don’t think the enemy will come that far.”

Dalcheon narrowed his eyes. It was hard to tell whether Namhansanseong would be better or the countryside a little further away. If they crossed the river, they would raid the nearby towns to secure military supplies and equipment. Since the army usually only carried two weeks’ worth of food, they would rely on conscription and looting for supplies thereafter.

“Is this a safe place?”

“Yes. He said that it was a place surrounded by deep mountains and that few people came and went there.”

“What about your father?”

“You went north… … . I’m worried.”

Lee Sang-ta, why did you go north? After being kicked out of your job, you wandered around the mountains and fields thinking it was good… … .

“To the north? Why?”

“He said he had something to do to meet his uncle. He’s been gone for quite some time.”

“Ahem. There’s something going on up front.”

“It’s been quite some time since you left right after receiving a letter from your uncle.”

“Since there are no elders, Baek I-jeong is the head of the household. I hope you take good care of your family and stay safe.”

“Thank you. I hope you are safe and well. I wish you good luck.”

I was worried that something else would come up, but I didn’t say anything else because I was aware of the people waiting behind me. The awkward look on my face when I left the school building overlapped with the crying face I had left behind. Dalcheon turned his horse’s head.

* * *

As the afternoon sun slowly set, a messenger sent to the east came running. Dalcheon snickered. It was as expected. Dalcheon called the messenger from the gate.

“Loyalty! I report. Two thousand enemy soldiers have approached Yanggeun.”

“What about the main unit?”

“I couldn’t find it. It seems like there’s a distance behind it that I can’t see.”

“What about weapons?”

“Most of them are bows and machetes. There are even war horses in reserve. It seems like the pack horses are loaded with food and military tents.”

“Yanggeun? Hehehe, they’ve already crossed the Gangwon-do Pass. They must have been so poor that they resorted to unexpected measures. Go to the palace headquarters and report immediately.”

“Loyalty!”

Dalcheon took a deep breath. Thanks to the efforts of the commander-in-chief, 500 cavalrymen were gathered behind Heunginjimun. In Sabuksi*, 200 horses from Jeon Gwan Ranch** were brought.

* Saboksi: An office in charge of the horses, carriages, and saddlery of the king during the Joseon Dynasty, as well as livestock. It was located on the east side of Yukjo Street, across from Hanseongbu and Hojo and Junghakcheon, i.e., the current Jongno-gu Office.

* Jeon Gwan Ranch: A ranch created during the reign of King Taejo to promote the new horse business, covering the area of ​​the current Hwigyeong-dong and Myeonmok-dong.

Jang Gong worked hard to provide horses to the cavalry, and to equip them with weapons and equipment. It was a hastily assembled army, but as the Daejeong-level and Yeosu-level generals arrived, he created twenty-five cavalry units as the numbers grew, and when they were all gathered, he assigned a Yeosu-level general to command them. He had them train on the spot, practicing running in formation, stopping, and shooting empty arrows.

Dalcheon dispatched many spies to Yanggeun to identify the enemy and to observe the main force that would follow behind.

Jang Gong asked Dalcheon.

“True man!”

“yes.”

“To be honest, two thousand cavalry is not realistic. We are seriously short on horses. If we have time, we will add horses. I have sent word to the ranch in Yangju to bring all the horses, so if we have time, we can do it, but if we are going to deploy this afternoon, about one thousand horses seems like the maximum possible number.”

Dalcheon nodded as he watched the cavalry spinning around, creating a whirlwind.

“I know it’s not easy… … It’s a shame. Cavalry is all about movement. The connection between front and back, stopping and moving, shooting and evading must all be done in perfect unison. They are untrained, not up to the task of fighting, and, above all, they are outnumbered by the enemy’s advance guard. I don’t think they can even dream of moving at night.”

“What should I do?”

“The war will not wait for us. Let’s engage the advance party before the sun sets. If we can defeat them, that would be good, and if we can annihilate them, that would be even better. We can take their horses. With two thousand cavalry, there will be more than five thousand horses. If we can secure more cavalry than we want, the outcome of this war can change.”

“You told us to all leave and move to the capital. But what did you say?”

“You can’t fight the enemy with your family behind you. You have to send them far away and stick with them. Even if you lose the battle, there should be no harm to your family. If it can end with just my death, I can die a heroic death. Isn’t that right?”

“Huh, was that your intention?”

“Let’s try to get the vanguard. Let’s see what comes out. If we run the way they came, we might not get anything, but we can buy another day. That’s a big deal.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s try to make two thousand out of one thousand.”

“Loyalty!”

“Divide the thousand into two, Jang Gong will take 500. I will take the remaining 500. Well, the strategy is simple. Attack their front and rear. It’s cavalry warfare. Rush in, take them down, retreat, reorganize your formation, pretend to run away, and if they get caught up, take them all down.”

“You are skilled in cavalry tactics.”

“These five hundred must never be scattered.”

“Loyalty!”

“We will depart after this.”

“Loyalty!”