As Prophet - Chapter 176



Only Noblemtl

Episode 176. Baek Ui-hyung’s Question

Baek Ui-hyeong was deeply confused. If Baek Sa-ban had not come to the border, he would not have moved. He would not have guided the Jurchen cavalry. It was Baek Sa-ban who convinced him that the task now was to inform them of the country’s troubles, inform them of their military duties, and then help them establish justice.

It was a claim that even a simpleton would not easily accept. If it weren’t for Baek Sa-ban’s persuasion, he would never have come this far. Why did he do that? Why did he, a pure official who worked in the Ministry of War,… .

Baek Ui-hyeong approached Baek Sa-ban.

“Uncle! This doesn’t seem right.”

“What are you talking about now?”

“I came purely to help the country in its difficulties. However, the author is not the loyal subject that the general knows. He seems like a man who gathers up back-alley troublemakers and slanders the great general.”

“Your Majesty has now been removed from the throne. How can we remain silent while this happens?”

“Who is that masked man?”

“The head of the Il-dae-gye clan is called Yeo-ui. I know her as a relative.”

“A grand plan? A plan?”

Baek Yi-hyung tried to shake off the pungent smell.

“The royal family is trying to set the country straight?”

“That’s right.”

“Who drove out His Majesty the King?”

“He is a great general. He has been trying to build up his power and overthrow the country for a long time. Even though there is a national foundation, he has not given up his dream of succession to the throne. The one sitting on the throne now is a traitor and a usurper. It is said that a loyal subject should not serve two masters. How can he live off of that salary?”

Baek Ui-hyung frowned.

“No, didn’t you come to the north before, uncle? I didn’t even know there was chaos, and now I know that the abdication has taken place.”

“The news has just been delivered.”

Baek Ui-hyeong’s eyes lit up. It was when he encountered the guys at Yanggeun that he began to feel something strange. A strange guy wearing a cotton turban appeared, and the chieftain Nohoraha-teuk-a who welcomed him was not normal.

No, it was strange from the moment Baek Sa-ban arrived at the border. It was not normal for him to come that far. He talked about the problems in Hanyang politics as if he was being chased by something, and that there was a group of rebels and that they had to be stopped, but they had already taken control and there was nothing they could do. It felt like he was rushing to explain.

Going to meet the chieftain of the Yeojin was not something he, a timid man, could do. There were more than a few times when he felt that the attendant of Baek Sa-ban was more like a superior. Baek Ui-hyeong felt a sense of duty to make up for the shortcomings of Baek Sa-ban, the eldest member of the family.

“Do you know the current situation in Hanyang?”

Baek Sa-ban nodded to Baek Ui-hyeong’s question. They had been moving together all this time. They hadn’t always been together, but they should still have the same amount of information. However, after meeting them, Baek Sa-ban’s amount of information was incomparably greater. This was information obtained from them.

Baek Yi-hyung waved his hand. Those who had been aiming their arrows put away their weapons.

“Let’s talk about it separately.”

“Okay.”

Baek Sa-ban flinched at Baek Ui-hyeong’s momentum. He seemed to be pierced by something as he shook his shoulders.

“Anyway, I’ll be staying here today. You know that.”

Nohoraha Special Agent looked back at Eun-myeon and smiled. Eun-myeon slowly nodded up and down. He turned first, and the black unmanned men turned around so that they could hear a whistle. Behind him, the dozens of people he had brought glared at Baek-ui-hyeong and turned around.

Were there such people in Hanyang? There was no place that I could guess. Noh Ho-ra-ha-teuk-ah approached Baek Ui-hyeong.

“You seem overly sensitive, isn’t this a battlefield? We have suffered a terrible defeat, so we must understand. The movement and command of the troops is still entirely your responsibility.”

“All right.”

While setting up camp at Yanggeun, Baek Ui-hyeong took Baek Sa-ban to the water’s edge.

“Is there something you didn’t tell me?”

“There is no such thing.”

“I ask again. Who is Eun-myeon?”

“He is an elder of the royal family. He is from the previous generation, so even if I tell you, you probably won’t understand.”

“Do you know the author’s true identity?”

“I said we’re relatives?”

“The royal family has that many private soldiers?”

“I understand that you prepared it with your own money out of a desire to serve the country.”

Baek Ui-hyung shook his head.

“They are not people you can buy with money. They are people you have to train over a long period of time. There are quite a few experts.”

“If that’s what you saw, then yes!”

“You raised a private army with the intention of serving the country? In this peaceful country?”

“That’s right. There is truly a lot wrong with the current political situation.”

“What is it?”

“Haven’t we lost Liaodong? The Jurchens who followed His Majesty the King have turned their backs.”

“It makes no sense to say that the rebellion was committed because Joseon’s northern policy was wrong.”

“The prince is dead.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

Baek Ui-hyung was startled.

“The great general came leading his army and beheaded the Crown Prince. Then he ascended to the throne.”

“No way.”

The Grand Prince that Baek Ui-hyeong knew was not that kind of person. He was someone who avoided work and ran away, hoping to avoid trouble. And the army, where did he have an army? Without one, didn’t he suffer from the threat of assassins all day long? Could the Mukhyeong and the less than ten guards by his side be called an army? He looked at Baek Sa-ban with a look of distrust. He had the feeling that he had joined the rebels after being kicked out of office.

“I think you’ve got some misinformation. A person who has resigned should not be so deeply involved in state affairs.”

“He’s already been cut off. What else do you have to worry about?”

“Does that mean you change the object of your loyalty?”

“I didn’t change it. I’m not trying to restore His Majesty the King.”

“No way. With this level of preparation, they are not just people trying to restore His Majesty the King.”

“I am telling the truth. None of this is untrue.”

“It’s true… … Phew, I want to know the truth. You’re not the type to push things this hard, are you? If we’re not careful, our Baek family will be punished by the destruction of all of our clans. And this is too urgent. Nohoraha Special Forces, who should be at the main camp, is in the advance team. How urgent must it be?”

“You were the one who convinced him.”

“Okay.”

Baek Ui-hyeong recalled the incident with Noh Ho-ra-ha-teuk-a, who had been persuaded too easily. When he visited him one evening and asked him to help him set things right in Hanyang by opening the way, he readily agreed. He had thought that hundreds of cavalry would come, but a whopping 20,000 troops were mobilized. He said that a little over ten thousand cavalry was not much, but did Baek Ui-hyeong not notice it? The main force was larger than the advance party, and the rear guard was even larger.

“Something is amiss. I don’t think it would be a good idea to intervene any further.”

“We are now leading the army outside of Hanyang. We have already crossed the river of no return. There is no other way than to restore His Majesty, who has abdicated as the king, and to set things right.”

“Their intentions may be different.”

“We have decided to do so. He is Your Majesty’s uncle.”

“Eunmyeon is your uncle? Then is he the younger brother of His Majesty the King?”

“That’s right.”

Baek Ui-hyeong’s mind became complicated. There was little information about the king’s uncle. There had been fierce disputes over the succession to the throne in previous generations. An old legend that a battle had been fought in the city to establish the principle of primogeniture came to mind. Even that was uncertain. There was also a story that he had yielded to his superior brother and left the world and gone into the mountains. In any case, it was not the main trend in Hanyang politics.

“Why did you appear now after so many years?”

“The conflict between the national foundation and the grand army intensified, and the state affairs were in chaos.”

“He is a relative of the king. He is someone who should not interfere in state affairs.”

“How can that be? The great general killed the king and ascended to the throne by force, and we should still remain silent?”

They returned to the barracks and talked, but Baek Ui-hyeong could not shake off his suspicions.

“So what is the goal of the silver mask?”

“Return to its original form! Return to its original form.”

“Whew. Where did you hear that?”

“This guy.”

At that time, news came that the scouts sent out as advance guards had been annihilated.

“moore!”

The conversation did not continue. The advance scouts sent out the bravest men. They were the fastest and strongest among the Jurchen cavalry. Even if they encountered the enemy, if it was not going well, they could just run away. But what kind of situation would have prevented them from running away? They would have been blocked from behind. If those who knew the surrounding geography well had not blocked them from behind, they would not have been annihilated.

Baek Ui-hyeong ran out of the barracks and asked the reporter.

“where?”

“It’s a place where you have to decide whether you win or lose.”

“How did you know they were all killed?”

“We found all the soldiers we sent to contact dead.”

“small?”

“It appears to have retreated. It is not visible nearby.”

After annihilating the scouts, he retreated? That is to say, the advance party of about a hundred scouts. Baek Ui-hyeong shook his head. He did not retreat, but came by another route. It is reasonable to think that way.

Baek Ui-hyeong was nervous. Only cavalry can catch cavalry. Could there be a force in Hanyang that could annihilate a hundred or so fast and powerful vanguards without a sound? As far as he knew, there was no such force. The scouts sent as vanguards might have been too lax.

“We need to call a meeting.”

Baek Sa-ban approached me, caressing the back of my neck.

“Why? Is it a big deal?”

“Yes, the starters were wiped out. That can’t happen.”

“We need to strengthen our security.”

“It’s more than that.”

Baek Ui-hyeong went to Nohoraha’s tent and gathered the generals. Most of them were Jurchen generals, but Eun-myeon and a dozen of his subordinates also attended.

“The selection was completely wiped out?”

Noh Ho-ra-ha-teuk-ah said with a gloomy expression.

“Yes.”

“There are many variables in war.”

“They blocked our eyes and ears. They destroyed a hundred of the most agile and brave cavalry. There is no army in Hanyang that can do that.”

“So you called a meeting?”

“We are facing a powerful enemy, whoever it may be. We.”

“Are you worried about how many cavalry there are in Joseon?”

“The impossible has happened. We must be alert and prepared. We must dispatch advance guards in all directions to prepare for an enemy invasion.”

“The sun has set. Are you saying we’re going on a night mission?”

Baek Ui-hyeong turned his gaze to Eun-myeon.

“You must tell us something we do not know. Where did such an army come from?”

“It was just a result of carelessness in selection. There is nothing to worry about.”

“It’s getting dark and we have no idea who the enemy is, how many there are, or where they are. And yet we have nothing to worry about?”

“Oh my! There’s been a lot of opposition since earlier. Weren’t you supposed to be a guide anyway?”

Eun-myeon looked down on Baek-ui-hyeong. Noh-ho-ra-ha-teuk-ah shook his head.

“General Baek is our friend. He is our comrade.”

Eun-myeon changed her words at Noh-ho-ra-ha-teuk-ah’s words.

“It’s not bad to be careful, but since you’ve come a long way, it would be better to get some rest tonight and then go out to attack tomorrow. He’s arrogant since he abdicated the throne. He has good control and has already taken control of most of the government and official houses. However, he doesn’t have many soldiers, so there shouldn’t be much difficulty.

“My friend General Baek has requested that we strengthen our security, so I think it wouldn’t hurt to be careful.”

“I see. Let the soldiers rest and strengthen the security. That’s all we have to do.”

The Jurchen generals shouted, “Revive!” Baek Ui-hyeong did not give them another chance to say anything. Baek Ui-hyeong spread out a map, marked a place that could be used as a crossroads, and requested that security be strengthened.