As Prophet - Chapter 187



Only Noblemtl

Episode 187. Advance Intelligence

Meanwhile, Dalcheon, who was returning to Hanyangseong, had markers placed at several places along the riverside road. Most of the places were narrow because the water and mountains were close by.

“What is that place?”

“This is the place to attack the enemy. I have marked it, so send the ships loaded with archers to attack the enemy. There will be no shortage of arrows, as it is raining arrows. Reduce the number of soldiers before you reach Hanyangseong. That is the reason.”

“Loyalty!”

Dalcheon, who stopped briefly at Songpa Ferry, hastily assembled a naval force and ordered them to monitor the enemy’s route for the next two days and to attack in the narrow waterway to slow down and reduce their numbers. Then, at Jo Dong-gil’s suggestion, he installed obstacles to slow down the enemy cavalry. He sent troops by land and waterway to install anti-cavalry obstacles in various places in the waterway. He built fences and dug pits to build sheep and horse fences. He drove in sticks and laid thin ropes that were difficult to see on the ground here and there.

* Sheep stable: A low wall built outside the castle.

The strategy was to slow down their speed and use the gap to attack with bows. When coming down the Han River, they set up traps and deployed naval forces in various waterways that met the road. The naval forces that existed on the southern coast were temporarily established in the Han River. Many ships were commandeered, and many cavalrymen were brought in to move quickly through the rapid currents.

* * *

In the precious time gained by breaking the vanguard, almost all the people were able to evacuate. Walking through the empty streets, the only noise was the sound of cavalry hooves rushing along the dirt road of Unjongga, which was covered with white waves.

They had already nailed boards against the large gate of the empty shrine. It was a sign telling them not to enter, but they wouldn’t do that. When I looked closely, the houses of the people were similar. They had nailed boards against the gate to make a sign telling people not to enter their house. They probably wanted the things they used when they came back to live there. Most of them must have come down to get those things… … .

The market was closed, and the goods that had been piled up like a mountain in front of the warehouse had all disappeared somewhere. The door was closed, and there was not a single person in sight. In times of war, a day is so important. If you can take out all the people, and if you are given another day, you can move the goods that the bastards are going to plunder. As I walked through the empty streets, my heart felt empty.

Dalcheon thought about attacking their camp one more time at night, but he stopped. This was the third time he had almost caught them but failed. There was some invisible force helping him. Maybe fate was protecting him. Maybe now was not the time to die. He sat on an empty tree trunk in front of an empty store during the time when the afternoon sunlight was slowing down, enjoying the leisure.

How much have their forces decreased? Even so, we cannot fight and win against them with a force of three thousand and four thousand. If we had known this would happen, we should have at least built a detached palace. We built all the palaces within Hanyang Castle. News of their movement arrived as the sun was setting.

The surprised commander sent someone to Dalcheon, who was resting on the street. Most of the military leaders were in the Heunginjimun area.

Dalcheon smiled broadly at the news delivered by the messenger. It may have been an attempt to avoid attacks on the water, but moving at night actually makes one vulnerable to surprise attacks and assassinations. It must be considered that he has hired a guide with keen eyesight.

It was already expected that Noh Ho-ra-ha-teuk-a would not turn his troops even though he threatened them. It is human nature to not leave without gaining anything, and even if you are afraid of a secret attack, you hope for a stroke of luck that you can somehow avoid it. Even if you put up a few fake generals, he will attack Hanyang Castle. The presence of Yeo-ui’s group in the military camp may have also played a part.

When Dalcheon went to the temporary command post at Heunginjimun, the generals were gathered and the king was also there.

“You contacted me quickly.”

“Moving at night? They’ve used an unexpected trick. We’ll arrive in front of Heunginjimun Gate tomorrow morning.”

There were many markings on the tactical map. It was a place to intercept them while they were coming. The defense situation of the two mountain fortresses in the north and south was also marked. Dalcheon smiled brightly.

“Night travel can be dangerous.”

The commander raised his hand slightly to shoulder height.

“It’s a huge advantage for us who ambushed them. We’ve deployed more troops to intercept them than our main force.”

“You must return when the Battle of Heunginjimun begins.”

“Yes. We will return using the Han River. First, we will get off at Ttukseom, and once they reach Ttukseom, we will get off at Yongsan and return through Sungnyemun.”

“Okay. I’ll go out for the night ambush too.”

The king asks anxiously.

“Wouldn’t it be better to protect Heunginjimun?”

“Of course I will be back by then. Your Majesty, I hope you will leave Hanyang Castle when the battle begins.”

“Okay. To Ganghwado?”

“yes.”

“Are you coming to Ganghwa Island too?”

“No. We will go to Bukhansanseong Fortress, where their attacks will be concentrated. Stopping them there will be the starting point of a counterattack. If we are behind them, they will have a hard time. We will come down every night to intercept them. If we are lucky, we can capture Nohoraha Teuk-a or Yeo-ui. It would be better to attack them from the inside of Hanyang Fortress, where there are many walls and buildings.”

“Uh, Jim, I wish you would come to Ganghwa Island with me.”

“They are afraid of water. Don’t worry at all. The royal troops coming up from the south will gather near Namhansanseong Fortress, and the royal troops coming down from the north will gather at Bukhansanseong Fortress. At that time, we will reclaim Hanyangseong Fortress through Amro and destroy them.”

The king’s anxiety was allayed by repeating the plan already known.

“I expect they will send men to assassinate Your Majesty, but I will deal with them without fail.”

“You mean the black crowd?”

“yes.”

The king nodded and asked.

“Where on earth do they come from?”

Dalcheon glanced at Mukhyeong, who was guarding the king. He always assisted the king from close range, but he didn’t say anything as if he didn’t exist. The generals now paid little attention to him, who existed as if he were an inanimate object.

“They are those who learned from the mountain people. There are bound to be those who failed to continue their studies and came down from the mountain. It seems that they recruited several people who came down from the mountain a long time ago. I don’t know who they are, but they must have had the help of some mountain people. There is a gloomy aura in their martial arts, and it smells like the sorcerers who were popular in the past. If you look around the mountain, you might be able to find out who they are.

As Your Majesty knows, martial arts are not something that can be improved quickly. Even if you study hard, there are times when you stagnate for a while, and after a long time, you improve again. That is why it is nearly impossible to train hundreds of masters. But they did it. The martial arts of each of them are so strong that even three or four of our soldiers could not handle them.

“There is something fishy about it. It seems like they have used drugs, or maybe they have been reinforced with sorcery. I think they have taken over a group of martial arts. They are risking their lives to protect Yeoui. That is loyalty. You can’t force it. It smells like an organization. In any case, I will be able to find out, but it will take some time.”

The water does not see people, but keeps looking at the silent figure. It means that you should figure it out. Since the silent figure does not react like an inanimate object, Dalcheon reported it to the king.

“I think you can figure it out, Mukhyeong. I have a rough guess, but if you hit it with a guess, many people will be harmed.”

“What are you going to do if you find out?”

“The law of the mountain is a bit scary. They will abolish your martial arts and throw you into a cave in the mountain. They will write words on your face and turn the entire mountain around. You will be beaten wherever you go, and if you are not careful, you may even be beaten to death. Most of the punishments are quite educational and guidance-oriented, but if it were me, I would just destroy them all. And when I made contact with them, I promised to destroy their headquarters.”

“Oh my. You are truly a scary true man.”

“You must be of help to your country and people. You must not commit rebellion, treason, conspiracy, collusion, assassination, or murder. If you do that, won’t your study become a tool for bad guys instead of enriching your life and elevating your status as a person?”

It was a statement that gave a glimpse into the thoughts of a true person about studying. Words may be packaged plausibly, but we all exist as tools of someone or something. This is because we live in a society where many people live together.

No matter how much you shout that you have an inherent value that is uniquely human and therefore meaningful in itself, to those who interact with you, you are only perceived as a tool, as a value.

The audience shook their heads at the thought of a foolish mountain man raising his voice alone in a desolate society. What is wrong with people wanting profit and gain? Isn’t it the case that they invest their lives to obtain it, working all day and all their lives? So you don’t like the world being perceived that way?

The king sorted out the situation, as the words seemed to be contradicting.

“Hearing the words of the true man, my mind becomes much more at ease. But that was after the Battle of Hanyang.”

“No. We need to catch a few of them and beat them up. We need to make sure that such people never appear again. This world despises even mixing with the humans of the lower world, and yet you cling to power. It’s ridiculous to help those who desire power.”

Someone might ask, “What are you expecting?” Dalcheon continued.

“When I finish my work, I return to the mountains. I do not gain anything from this Hanyang.”

The crowd was licking their lips. There was nothing left to say on the battlefield.

Dalcheon stepped back as if embarrassed. The time continued for the commander to go over the plan one by one and instruct each person in charge of their role on the goal and method.

The one who was in a hurry was the navy(?). They placed cavalry obstacles at three or four waterholes and deployed one or two boats, but a firefight is a matter of quantity. Jo Dong-gil, who ran to Ttukseom, hurriedly got on the boat. He looked back as he got on. Although Dalcheon was free, he wondered if he would get on the boat this time. No, he wished he could ride with him.

He ordered his soldiers to depart and asked his subordinates.

“Where did the true man go?”

“You said you were going by land.”

“Did you ask?”

“Yes. I asked him if he would come with us this time, and he said he would go by land and catch a few.”

“Well done.”

It’s a shame, but I know what you’re trying to do.

“You can’t be late. Hurry up and row.”

One of the men hit the side of the boat with a stick. He rowed to the sound of the drum. The boat began to cut through the water and rise. It was Yanggeun from Ttukseom. It took time to go over mountains and fields and go around here and there to get to the land, but it wasn’t that far by sea. The boat moved forward to the sound of the men’s heavy breathing.

“Archers, stick to the oars!”

When he spoke loudly enough for the other ships to hear, the archers joined the geukgun and helped. They didn’t know how to do it, so they just added strength to what the geukgun was doing, but the ship’s speed increased. With the geukgun adding technique and the archers adding strength, the ship quickly sailed upstream.

Meanwhile, Dalcheon ran alone by land. He left the people who were going to follow him and went up the mountain, and flew like the wind on the straight road connecting the mountains. He skipped dozens of chapters in one breath. It would be better if there was no road. Because he didn’t have to worry about what other people thought. He flew like a feather blowing in the wind.

Seeing that there was no trace of them on the road, I ran to the first ambush site. The naval fleet had not yet arrived.

Looking at the other side, a dark aura was creeping up from beyond the dark forest. People might not be bad. They would be kind uncles and brothers when they go home, but the aura they gave off was not good. Dalcheon tilted his head. The gloomy aura that the body was showing was evil. It might look even worse at night. White smoke also looks black at night.