As Prophet - Chapter 200



Only Noblemtl

Episode 200. The reason for emptying Hanyangseong

Dalcheon didn’t head straight to the castle gate. He ran along the wall, gradually getting closer to the wall. It seemed like he was running diagonally toward the gate.

At some point, Dalcheon’s body floated in the air. No, it felt like it was floating. It felt like he was barely touching the ground.

The troops, making a large detour on both sides of the front, attempted to block Dalcheon’s advance by forming another triangle. They did so as if hunting, even without detailed instructions.

Dalcheon jumped over the trap field. The soldiers who were bypassing from the left collapsed. They fell into the sledgehammer and tripped over the lances. Some were impaled on long pieces of wood, and others fell off their horses and had their heads blown off. However, it seemed as if all these traps had been activated at the same time. As they approached the wall diagonally, it seemed as if the irregular traps had been activated at the same time. Dozens of cavalrymen were destroyed at once. Should we say that a whole cavalry corps was completely sunk?

But it’s strange. He goes on without getting caught at all. Why is it that only the Yeojin army gets caught in the traps and he doesn’t? Even if you remember all the traps, it’s a dark night. You can’t avoid them all.

Jal-an-eo-jeon tilted his head and shouted at his soldiers to retreat. Dal-cheon, who ran down the wall, was surprised. Was he preparing? The Joseon archers on the wall fired simultaneously. A rain of arrows poured down on those struggling in the trap field. It was difficult to dodge and block them because it was dark and hard to see. The front line of the central army, which had been chasing them, was exposed to the rain of arrows.

The screams continued. Dalcheon ran along the wall as if he had achieved his goal. He ran toward the entrance he had first discovered. He thought he knew why he was not caught in the trap. He seemed to be running slightly, as if he was floating, his feet not touching the ground. He crossed his legs as if he was running to show the pursuers, but if you looked closely, he was floating very smoothly in the air. It was dark at night, so he couldn’t see well, and he was in a hurry to chase after him, so he couldn’t see him.

‘oh my god!’

Jal-An-Eo-Jeon, who had been watching Dal-Cheon closely, tried to turn his troops around, but it was already too late. The castle walls were too close. As soon as Dal-Cheon went down, the castle was preparing to attack. Dal-Cheon leisurely escaped, leaving behind traps, arrow rain, screams, and shouts.

Dalcheon headed to the building complex where the guys’ entrance was. He slid down and rose high into the air. There were already many soldiers gathered around the building complex. Was it too late? Dozens of arrows flew. Then the black unmanned soldiers swarmed. Dalcheon drew the shortest imaginary straight line with the castle wall. It was just a thought in his mind, but his belief that there was a cave there grew stronger, and he struck the ground with all his might.

Kkwang!

He struck down with his sword, adding strength to his speed as he descended, and the ground shook heavily as he rose up. The earth and rocks that were broken flew everywhere. It was almost like a natural disaster. The ground caved in and collapsed into a round hemisphere. Dalcheon jumped up once more and struck down with his sword.

Wow!

A thick line as high as a person’s waist was drawn on the ground. Parts of the ground that could not withstand the force collapsed limply.

The dust that rose high into the sky did not easily disappear. Even if he intentionally made smoke, it would not have been the same. The black drones that ran and glared at him. After a while, the dust cleared, but he was nowhere to be seen.

When I returned through Gwanghuimun, Baek Ijeong greeted me happily.

“Are you okay?”

“yes.”

“You must be having a hard time.”

“I’d like to rest for a bit. Is there any other news from the training center?”

“yes.”

Dalcheon looked at the messenger who followed Lee Jeong.

“Loyalty! I’ll be back.”

* * *

They gathered their troops at the entrance. It was not far from the castle walls. It was beyond the range of arrows, but it was close enough for a cannon to fly and blow them away. Dalcheon, sitting on the gate tower of Gwanghuimun, requested a cannon attack. Since their attacks were concentrated on Heunginjimun, most of their firepower was concentrated there.

“Please fire a cannon at the entrance to the dark room.”

“Loyalty! I will do so.”

The messenger ran toward Heunginjimun. It was only a short distance. The commander-in-chief himself ran toward him.

“Are you okay?”

“You overdid it. Just rest a little.”

“Oh my, you should think about your health! No matter how young you are, if you work yourself so hard… … .”

“I was hoping that the rock would collapse when I struck it, but I wonder what happened.”

“I’ll destroy it with a cannon! Don’t worry.”

Soon a dozen or so artillery pieces arrived. They pushed up the slope, up the wall, and aimed at the place where the men were gathered.

Dalcheon, sitting on the gate tower of Gwanghuimun, looked out into the distance and then saw the training center in the distance.

“No contact?”

“I’ll send one more.”

At that moment, a loud noise that shook the heavens and the earth was heard, and a shell flew toward the entrance.

Wow!

A cloud of dust rose and countless screams erupted. Fortunately, it was within the range of the cannons. Dalcheon staggered and tried to get up. Baek I-jeong grabbed his shoulder and sat him down.

“Get some rest.”

“I think the training center side… … .”

“There is no news yet.”

“That gentleman might try to solve it on his own. He’s stubborn.”

Baek Yi-jeong snickered. In her view, there are few men who are not stubborn. They are the type of people who feel satisfied only when they do what they believe is right, no matter what.

“Where is there a person without stubbornness?”

“That is… … .”

Dalcheon mumbled. After a while, the chief came and sat down on the floor where Dalcheon was sitting. It was a floor built on top of a gatehouse. It was called a floor because it was made of wood, but it was not a floor for sitting, but a floor for standing. It was a place where you could walk around while wearing shoes. It would be very difficult to lower yourself, but I sat down next to you without hesitation.

“It’s barely within striking distance. Add a little more gunpowder and the cannon will explode.”

Boom! Boom!

The occasional sound of gunfire feels distant. It’s not a noise that can be accustomed to our ears, but when we hear it often, it feels distant, like the sound of a water mill.

“That’s great. This will buy me another day.”

The goal of the fight was to gain just one more day… … The commander-in-chief stopped talking. His strategy could not be denied. He was called the Emperor of the Uncrowned. He was the one who contributed the most to the new king’s ascension to the throne. After that, he will probably rise to the position of one person below ten thousand people. Furthermore, the current war situation has strengthened his influence. Strategy is strategy, but because it is supported by inaction, he can accomplish the impossible. These are tactical choices that would not have been made without him.

Since the commander-in-chief did not answer with a thoughtful expression, Dalcheon continued speaking.

“Tomorrow, when we realize that neither of these is working, we will launch an all-out attack. 20,000 vs. 2,000, or 3,000? We have nothing to show for it other than the walls, armor, and a few high-quality weapons, but we will inflict as much damage as possible on them while the walls are there.”

“Yes.”

“And the generals guarding each gate, keep a close watch. He is not a man of such a secretive nature. He has persuaded many people to his side. He is a man of persuasion. If another general is ready to change his mind, it is time to open the gate. Place an assassin next to the person who can order the opening of each gate. He must be a man with the judgment and force to immediately execute him when an unjust order is given.”

“Huh. Surely our generals would be like that?”

“I’ve persuaded people who I thought would never do something like that.”

Dalcheon lowered his head in pain. He felt frustrated because he didn’t know why Baek Sa-ban was persuaded by them. What were the conditions that made him turn away so easily?

But what is more urgent now is that there are more than one or two such people. There must be some who have not yet revealed their true colors, and the most urgent thing now is to open the gates. If the caves don’t work, I am worried about the traitors inside.

“Understood. I will support high-level martial artists at each gate and monitor the generals.”

“It would be good to say publicly that that’s why I came.”

Others take care of things that others cannot even think of. It is a great ability to estimate. It is as if he has laid out the whole world’s affairs and is looking at everything. He knows what is going on in the other side while he is here.

“Do you know who it is?”

Dalcheon sighs.

“I saw those people on the list. There are fewer people who are not. Everyone can do that. Instead of suspecting, ‘Who was persuaded?’, it is quicker to think about who was not persuaded.”

“Oh! So that’s why you said you couldn’t protect this castle.”

“Yes. The gates will open someday. The internal situation here is relayed to them in real time. The problem is not the walls, but the people standing there.”

“Is it that many?”

“You didn’t see it. If you saw it, things wouldn’t work out, so I covered it up after watching it. Most of the high-ranking officials were taken over by them.”

“no way.”

“He cut off the head of the chief minister. Why would he do that? He wanted to show them off in front of them.”

“What about lower-level officials?”

“Relatively less. Less irrelevant… … .”

“oh my god…….”

“How long can we defend this castle when those who want to open the gates and welcome the enemy are scurrying about?”

“I understand. I thought Jin-in’s strategy was too passive, and there was a reason for that.”

“I couldn’t even say this because the moment I said it, they flinched.”

“Oh my.”

The governor sighed. A bureaucracy with more traitors.

“All problems start with people. You say a natural disaster happened? It has never happened before. The results depend on whether you are prepared to deal with it. Every year there is a drought, and every year there is a rainy season. Did you fill the reservoirs with water in preparation for the spring dry season, did you reinforce the dams and prepare reservoirs in preparation for the rainy season, and did you move the people in the low-lying areas to avoid damage? These are human efforts. Are local officials who do not do these things and say it is not their fault because it is a natural disaster qualified to be governors?”

“Oh my.”

“What more can I say? I will protect this country… … .”

The commander-in-chief was suddenly ashamed. In such a world, he lived with his neck held high as a high-ranking official. He did not know that the pillars were rotting. Should he say that it was not his duty? Should he say that he did not have to worry about it because it was not his duty? Even if the country was rotting and the people were suffering, would it be okay if it was not his duty?

I was deeply ashamed of the superior prejudice and the idea that officials should rule and govern. They are people who take care of their own selfish desires first and do anything bad if they can get through one more day. Are there many people who do nothing and just sit there because they don’t like something? Those people betrayed me.

“Are there really more people like that?”

“How many officials are there? About 3,000 are receiving salaries, and of those, excluding the palace guards, there are 500 civil and military officials? There are over 300 names on the list. What do you mean, yes?”

“Four, four, three hundred?”

“I saw it at first glance. I stopped watching. There must be differences in degree. There must have been some who cooperated without even knowing the name of Il-dae-gye. It would not have been strange for the country to be involved.”

A voice without pitch is more powerful than one with strong emphasis. The governor suddenly wanted to say sorry. Even if he did not represent the people, he wanted to say sorry as an adult in this society.

“It is not strange that some impulsive actions occur in certain situations. If we leave, they will cling to Khan’s army. Even if we do not distinguish them, the faction is distinguished. How convenient is it now? Those who remain are enemies, and those who leave together are allies.”

“So you’re trying to empty Hanyangseong?”

“The fact that we have fewer troops is also a reason. What good is it if we win? If the soldiers and the people are all dead and gone. We can rebuild houses and prepare household goods. But we can’t do that with people.”