As Prophet - Chapter 177



Only Noblemtl

Episode 177. Open the way.

Meanwhile, Dalcheon, who had annihilated the enemy’s advance party, took a long detour. He smiled in satisfaction when he heard that the advance party’s campsite was near Yanggeun’s ranch. This was because there were many mountains and many ways to go back.

The training center’s resignation brought the horse closer.

“Do you have a strategy?”

“It’s a surprise attack at night. What’s the need for a strategy? The vanguard, the eyes and ears of the enemy, has been annihilated. So there’s no need to look back. Shoot and then charge. Maintain the formation and approach.”

“Right now?”

“It will take more than an hour as we have to make a detour.”

Sajik grabbed the back of his neck and rubbed it.

“Why? Are you going through menopause already?”

“No. I thought too much. I thought about what I learned in school.”

“In real life, it’s much simpler. It would be nice to be able to catch the enemy by surprise.”

“What if I fail… … ?”

“Run away in all directions. I will tell you to gather in front of Heunginjimun.”

“What strategy… … .”

“We are the vanguard, so we are not many in number. We are two thousand against one thousand. We are in a position to make a surprise attack, and we know the terrain well.”

“Only the Lord knows, we don’t know.”

“Hehehe.”

“There are only mountains, so is there a road?”

“You have to get over one hill.”

“It’s just a mountain. Words can’t explain it.”

“We have to get over there even if we have to carry a horse. They’ll just be blocking the front and back of the river. Hehe.”

The sound of laughter carried far behind on the wind, as if something was so good.

“You should go as early as possible while it is still dark.”

“It will get dark soon.”

Dalcheon did not follow the river, but turned far to the north. As darkness grew, a thousand or so gathered at the foot of a mountain, where a deep forest blocked the view.

“Let’s rest here. Eat what we need, rest what we need, and then we’ll set off. Don’t complain.”

“Loyalty!”

The soldiers dismounted and scattered around. There was no line or formation, but they were moving in groups of twenty-five, which was the result of today’s training.

Dalcheon looked up at the mountain blocking his way. While setting up the school, he traveled around the nearby mountains and fields like the wind. And to a mountaineer, the mountain is a better road than the official road.

“All Yeosu, gather together!”

The Yeosu people who were resting at Dalcheon’s command gathered. Ten faces glistening with sweat stood at attention.

Dalcheon ordered the torches to be lit and drew a map on the ground. He had to cross a mountain to get to the basin where the men were, and since there was no road for horses to travel, he ordered his strong soldiers to open the way.

“You’re crossing the mountain? On horseback?”

“How can a horse be like that when it is also an animal?”

“It’s a small mountain with only a few hundred or so peaks.”

Dalcheon pointed to the mountain blocking the view ahead.

“There is a path that the slash-and-burn people take. Make sure to set up clear signs, and if you cross the mountain in a single line, a basin will open up. We will arrive at the other basin within an hour, reorganize our formation, and then run down the slope. Their advance party is on the river below.”

“Loyalty!”

Before anyone could say anything else, Sajik shouted his loyalty.

“Please select those with keen eyes to open the way, and send in those with equipment to cut down the trees and make the way.”

“Loyalty!”

“Who will open the way?”

Sajik raised his hand.

“I will do it.”

“It’s a long way.”

“No, it’s not a roadblock.”

“Yeah. Phew.”

“You can do it. Be loyal!”

When you feel that your words lack persuasiveness, you add the word loyalty. On the battlefield, motivation is important. As with other things, it is better to assign a motivated person to do the job.

“I will give you one hour. Please open a path for people and horses to pass through.”

“Loyalty!”

“The rest is easy.”

“Loyalty!”

“Be careful not to make any loud noises. They’re so noisy that you won’t be able to hear them, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.”

“Loyalty!”

Sajik got up from his resting place and started on his way. Normally, climbing a mountain would be no problem, but climbing it while maintaining full power was a different story.

After the meeting, Dalcheon left his horse and ran towards the place where the road was being made. It was an easier road than the main road for me, but it was an insurmountable wall for cavalry. He raised his eyes and found the road used by the slash-and-burn farmers, and cut down a lot of it. The soldiers of Sajik followed him and made the road. He cut and cut to make space, and he knocked down the dirt and stones to make it solid. Dozens of cavalry went back and forth on the already known road, and the road was already wide. He made a road for horses to go. He cut, broke, and trampled to make it wide, but if it didn’t work, he went around a long way.

“It might take a long time.”

“That won’t be a problem. From now until tomorrow morning, they’ll be there, unmoving.”

“okay.”

“You would never think that we would get over the mountain. We will win.”

I truly understood Dalcheon’s words that resignation was not a matter of a thousand or two thousand cavalry. Dalcheon suddenly went ahead. The soldiers looked for a place to widen the road and cut down trees. Since he moved alone, the messenger followed him diligently. He had to run almost to keep up with Dalcheon. He arrived at the top of the mountain before long. It didn’t even take half an hour.

“Whew, there it is.”

The lights of the enemy camp were visible. It was peaceful to be huddled together like a village. It was because they were far away. The soldiers came up, panting for breath.

“You have to be quiet from here on out.”

“yes.”

“If there is a master in their camp, they can detect it.”

“Loyalty.”

I took the path down, looking at the flickering lights far below. The river was close to the mountain. The river below the ridge seemed to have been cultivated up to the high ground, so the descent was short. I avoided steep slopes and hung signs at every intersection leading to the river. It was narrow, but the path continued.

There were a few houses here and there, but not a single light was on. They stopped at the point where they were, and they worked to find hay and food locally. They moved out to dozens of miles, not to mention the nearby ten. That was the secret and reason for their ability to move far and long with little supplies. The fact that the lights were off in the houses that were scattered meant that they had run away from them. The fact that they were nowhere to be seen meant that they had already searched everything in this valley.

I was worried that maybe they had advanced to the village where the children attending the school lived. They said they were clearing the fields, but the order would not have gone as far as Yanggeun. I suddenly became worried about the children. When war breaks out, it is not only the soldiers who die. The people in the vicinity die more. I hope there were no civilian casualties, but they would not have been able to escape the men who suddenly came. I recalled the endless stream of people fleeing from Hanyangseong.

He saw a light leaking out of a house and approached it silently. A dozen people sat around a fire in the yard. They used the ash tree fence of someone else’s house as firewood, and the flames rose up fiercely every time they added wood. They were grilling meat on the fire, and the sizzling smell spread far away. Dalcheon glanced down into the distance. After checking if there were any other vanguards nearby, he calmly walked inside.

“What is it?”

One of them tilted his head, asking, “Maybe it’s because they’re dressed differently.”

“Well, I’m Dalcheon. Who are you?”

“That guy is suspicious!”

He shouted, and the people who had gathered in groups of three or five drew their weapons. Dalcheon calmly entered their firing range. He approached them so naturally that they could not bring themselves to swing their swords. The Yeojin soldiers, wearing armor and holding weapons, hesitated, and Dalcheon started a fight.

“It’s weird that people come to other people’s houses and do things like this.”

“Is this your house?”

“no.”

“But why?”

“It’s not my house, but it’s not your house either.”

“I drafted him.”

“Did you get permission from the owner?”

“Everyone ran away and there was no one there. Why are you making a fuss? Which unit is it?”

“I wanted to catch you and ask you something.”

“who is this?”

“I said it was Dalcheon?”

“Not the name, but the status.”

“Well, Taoist priest.”

“taoist?”

“Don’t you know the Taoist? He flies through the sky and changes everything around him with just one talisman.”

“Is this the Joseon Army?”

“I told you I’m not a soldier?”

He gathered the men while talking nonsense. Dalcheon’s hand moved quickly toward the dozen or so men who had already approached him.

Tututututu!

There was a sound of a pistol being fired, and the ten people’s bodies froze stiffly.

“Okay, now let’s hear what he has to say.”

“… … .”

“Which tribe are you from?”

“There are many tribes.”

The guy I had talked to at first answered insincerely, his body tense, and his face frowned. But somehow he couldn’t move a single hand. The guy behind him frowned and tried to shout, “Enemy!” Dalcheon’s finger touched the guy’s acupoint. The guy’s chin trembled before he could utter a single word. This was a miracle. Those who had experienced something they had never seen in their lives just blinked.

“Well, I’ll ask you a simple question! If you answer correctly, I’ll let you live, but if not, you’ll die. Your body’s stiff, right? You can’t move a finger, right? If I touch you one more time, your body’s going to twist and, um, break. And then you’re going to die.”

Ten people’s eyes were filled with fear. I heard that the masters could immobilize someone by touching the acupoints with their fingers. This was the first time I saw it in person, but Izawa was a master.

“So, a union of several tribes? Then who is your leader?”

“This is Nohoraha Special.”

It quickly changed to a polite form.

“Hmm, that guy ate them all!”

“More than half of the tribes in Liaodong and Liaoxi were subjugated.”

“Well, he was originally a capable person.”

“Do you know?”

“A little bit. Okay, now let me ask you again. How many soldiers are there?”

“There are 2,000 here, and including the main force and rearguard, there are about 20,000.”

“You’ve come a long way! Aren’t you worried about your hometown?”

“I am only following orders.”

“Who’s on the advance team?”

“We have everything.”

“What is that?”

“Nohoraha Special Forces, the leader, and the guy wearing a mask who joined us here, as well as the guide troops.”

Dalcheon was surprised by the words Nohoraha Special and Myeongu. No, rather than being surprised, he seemed to be taken aback.

“Why aren’t you at the main unit?”

“I met a Korean collaborator here.”

“Aha. Where is the main unit?”

“It’s about a hundred li behind.”

“Hmm, it fell a lot.”

“The advance party hurried because the matter in Hanyang was urgent.”

“Ahem, you want to meet that guy with the mask on?”

“I think so.”

“Has his army joined?”

“They say they were completely decimated in the battle that took place beforehand. There are only about 200 people left.”

“You little rat. You were here. Ahem.”

“… … .”

“And what else?”

“The North Korean military unit in Hoeryong guided us.”

“moore?”

Dalcheon clenched his fist.

“Did you just say Hoeryeong?”

“Yes.”

“How long will you live?”

“I only know him as Mr. Baek.”

“this.”

Dalcheon’s body shook. He must have been used for something or he must have been deceived. Dalcheon thought for a moment and then thought of a question again.

“What is the date of the Hanyang Fortress conquest?”

“The plan is to arrive in front of Hanyangseong tomorrow afternoon.”

“What about the main unit?”

“It’ll be a day late. Hurry up. I’ve seen you urge me to hurry several times already.”

Whether out of naivety or out of hostility, he gave me some pretty important information.

“Please, save me.”

Dalcheon’s eyes narrowed. He looked outside. The Joseon soldiers who had followed him and were standing guard were trembling more than the men. They were armed fiercely, but if they went to Yodong, they might be the kind-hearted uncle next door.

“It’s war. You’re all going to die anyway. You guys.”

“Please save me.”

“So why did you participate in invading another country? If you do whatever you’re told to do, are you a human being? That’s why people like that are called so-and-so’s dogs. If you did it because you were told to, you could have done anything. You just have to stand firm and say no.”

“It’s difficult. War is a duty.”

“Of course! Who would come out because they want to go to war? I understand.”