As Prophet - Chapter 204



Only Noblemtl

Episode 204. Siege Plan

They had the power to fight back, but they abandoned the castle and fled. So we suffered a lot of damage before we could enter. They were capable and intercepted properly, and they took advantage of our weaknesses.

He must have known that we could open another gate. He knew that we couldn’t defend it anyway. Above all, it’s amazing that he was able to persuade us to abandon the castle. Who could persuade us to abandon the castle? There are no such officials left in Joseon now. Only those who are watching the mood and whose goal and destiny is to fulfill their own greed remain. This is the work of Jinin Dalcheon.

“Where do you want to go?”

The person asking the question is resentful. There is nowhere to go. No, the place to go is the main hall, but isn’t the barbarian king seated there? Unfulfilled anger is mixed with the groundless resentment.

“Let’s take a look around the palace.”

Unlike before, the guards were startled by the detailed tone. They lost a lot. Are they the only ones left now? No. People are organized as they are.

“Is there anything you are looking for?”

“Whew. I wish I had a seal, but I guess I don’t!”

“I will invite you to the Royal Secretariat.”

“Okay.”

I went around the outer wall of the palace and headed to the Seungjeongwon, which was not far away. When riding a horse, the palace wall was low. The scenery beyond was low and small, so it seemed like a world that could be crushed. When I heard the sound of horse hooves, two people from the Seungjeongwon opened the door and came out. They were the left and right vice-ministers.

“Are you here?”

“You were here.”

“I’ve been waiting.”

“Oh, in the midst of all that chaos.”

“I was waiting in hiding when I saw them running away. I’ll take you inside.”

There was a square pavilion in the yard, and the upper floor was connected to the main building like a passage. Eun-myeon glanced at the dry grass on the pavilion and headed inside. When he sat down in the main building, in addition to the left and right ministers, two 7th-rank ministers stood up and bowed deeply.

“What about the jade seal?”

“The Eastern Seungji relayed this message upon his abdication.”

“It’s not here. It’s not here.”

“That’s right.”

Just thinking about it makes my head spin. If I had taken a picture of it and sent it, it would have been easier to control the local officials, but that’s impossible. He must have taken care of it as a top priority. That’s why he put all his effort into persuading the Do Seung-ji, but he died on the evening of the day the rebellion began.

“You kept it in the Sangseowon?”

“Yes. The King rarely did anything, so there was little need to stamp the royal seal. It is surprising that it was not lost.”

“I see. You didn’t do your job!”

First of all, he calls the king a bastard.

“Yes. How about making one? The royal seal is important in diplomatic documents with the Ming. Documents without the royal seal from the Ming were not recognized. That’s why, for official administration, a specially made national seal was often used.”

“Why would they make a distinction? They don’t know the importance of orders. The king can say this and that. He can give orders verbally. But the moment the royal seal is affixed, it becomes an edict. It becomes an obligation for the person who receives it. That’s why it’s important. The king must have taken the royal seal, right?”

“I don’t know.”

“Where is the King’s destination?”

“I went to Ganghwa Island. If that didn’t work out, I said I would go to Naju.”

“Ganghwa and Naju. Huh, it’s a desperate fight.”

“Yes.”

Eun-myeon thought about it for a while and then shouted out in a fit of rage.

“Find a craftsman and make one just like him!”

“Loyalty!”

“It shouldn’t last more than a day. I will ascend to the throne tomorrow.”

“Loyalty!”

Using two people from the Royal Secretariat, he gathered the same group that remained in Hanyang. Those who had been hiding gathered one by one into the Bukgung Palace.

An order to assemble was given to the palace where the king was absent. It was absurd, but there were still people who responded. The officials who had not fled and stayed behind crawled out again, wondering if there was anything they could get. A considerable number of officials came out, all of them wearing their official uniforms. It seemed that they were preparing to welcome the new king.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dalcheon, who was left in Hangangjin, stared blankly at the last boat and turned around. Suddenly, he began to wonder if this was the right thing to do. When everyone leaves and he ascends to the throne, wouldn’t this place become his kingdom? Now, treason is considered the worst crime, but weren’t those who founded the country all treason from the beginning? As he walked toward Sungnyemun, Baek Yi-jeong came out of the forest.

“Oh! You didn’t go?”

“I said I would do my duty. I will do it together.”

It’s my fault for not taking care of everything. I should have seen it go by.

“Let’s eat something. It’s empty.”

“It will be difficult to find food since we have conducted a scorched earth operation.”

“Yeah, I was thinking of looking around to see if there was a noodle restaurant open.”

Even though I said it, I found it so funny that I laughed alone.

“If there is such a house, it is right to strictly order it to leave immediately.”

As Dalcheon went north, he wandered around here and there and headed toward Chilpae Market. There was not a single person coming or going. The Gyeonggi governor did a good job. It was a market street without even a single rat.

The midday sunlight was shining peacefully on the market floor, which had been chaotic, noisy, and tumultuous, and several ownerless yellow horses were strutting around like their owners.

“Oh my, it wasn’t always this quiet, was it?”

“Yes, everyone has evacuated.”

“Let’s see if there’s anything to eat here.”

I took everything with me, but there were things I couldn’t move. I was told to bury them in the ground or burn them. I searched the streets where I was told not to leave anything behind, looking for something to eat. There was a pot of cooked rice* on one side of a savory liquor store.

* Godubap: Rice that is cooked very well without any moisture and is sticky. It is mainly made for soaking alcohol.

It seems that he had already done it, but ran away because he couldn’t do anything about it. Dalcheon washed his hands and made a ball. He made a few small, round rice balls. Baek Ijeong brought out some alcohol on a small table.

“No, why alcohol?”

“You’ve worked hard, so having a drink won’t be a bad thing.”

“How can I drink alcohol at someone else’s house?”

Baek Yi-jeong smiled brightly.

“What about food from someone else’s house?”

“Rice will spoil before the master returns, so it is right to put it in my stomach and enrich everything, but alcohol is meant to be kept intact until the master returns… … .”

“How can you live so meticulously, distinguishing things in every way? I put the coin down next to you, thinking you might say something like that.”

I secretly placed it behind the corner pillar of the veranda. I don’t know if it will end up in the owner’s hands.

If you eat rice balls, they recommend you drink alcohol.

“You didn’t stay here for this reason, did you?”

Dalcheon laughed brightly at Baek I-jeong’s subtle question.

“I thought about sending everyone away and being left alone. How nice it is to not have anyone. There are really too many people. People are happy because of other people, but when there are too many people, it becomes a burden.”

“There are other numbers? Other plans?”

“I don’t know what you’ll think if I say something like that. Nowadays, you can kill everyone. That’s the kind of world it is. Ahaha. How convenient it is when everyone you see is your enemy.”

Baek Yi-jeong’s forehead furrowed slightly. Dal-cheon explained further.

“Before, there was no distinction between friend and foe. If you were not careful, there were continuous situations where you could hurt your own army. It seems that rebellion and treason are like that. Friends and foes are mixed. But now, they are cleanly divided into two. Everyone in Hanyang is an enemy. Ahaha, what a simple world this is.”

“So you’re going to kill them all?”

“You can kill them. It’s war! Above all, you don’t have to worry about the people getting hurt. That’s why I stayed.”

Baek Yi-jeong took a deep breath. Her father must have been among them. Feeling sorry, she turned her head and looked north. The sound of a group of Jurchen soldiers pillaging was approaching.

It seems that they came out of the castle because there was nothing inside. They had come a long way and had to carry something back, but since they had nothing to salvage, they were causing trouble by destroying things here and there. However, since no one responded, they soon became discouraged. I could hear them complaining among themselves.

Dalcheon emptied the glass in front of him. It was not the fragrant, takju he used to drink when he worked in the countryside, but a clear, hwaju. It was one of the large liquor stores that consumed hundreds of kilns a year. Dalcheon was not the only one who thought there were no people. The Yeojin army was also plundering with ease.

But there was nothing to find even if you searched. Since we had to go a long way, we only found what we could take, and cleared everything away. We were going crazy because we didn’t have the food we needed right away. We thought we could make up for the food shortage if we just captured Hanyangseong, but we systematically cleared away all the food. Only the food of the officials who didn’t cooperate with the work would remain. We mobilized the army’s wagons to carry the people’s food and supplies up the mountains. That’s why there’s almost nothing left. It was a hastily organized scorched-earth operation.

“Let’s go.”

“where?”

“I want to go to Bukhansanseong first. I haven’t checked the defense status there.”

“Okay, I will guide you.”

Two men caught the Yeojin army, changed their clothes, and ran north. Their faces were indistinguishable. They passed quite a few soldiers, but they did not catch anyone.

It wasn’t difficult to find. As I entered Gugi Valley, the majesty of Bukhansan overwhelmed me.

“Oh my, what a nice mountain.”

“Are there good and bad things about mountains?”

“The energy, that is, the feeling is good. There is such a nice mountain so close to Hanyangseong.”

“You didn’t know.”

“There is a tendency to deliberately avoid the mountains near Hanyangseong and Goryeo’s Gaeseong.”

“why?”

Dalcheon smiled brightly.

“So, among the mountain people, which one would you call a mountain person? Let’s say a Bukhansan person. Isn’t that a bit strange? It gives off the feeling of a mountaineer, and it’s strange not to call them a mountain person. So I suspect that they have settled down in a nearby place in pursuit of worldly gain. There’s no reason to settle down there when there are better places. There’s a tendency to secretly look down on those who settle down near a city. Baekdusan people, um, how good are they? Ahaha.”

“It’s Taebaek Mountain. He is a true man.”

“Yes. Hahaha! At this point, we should take off their clothes. Don’t you think they’re our own soldiers and shoot at them?”

Two people got down on the side of the road and took off the clothes they were wearing.

“Oh my, it’s hot. It’s so hot that I should put on another layer.”

It felt refreshing to be dressed in Joseon military uniform again. The two men got back on their horses and slowly climbed up the valley when they heard a voice shouting, “Military fire!” from the forest.

Since Hanyangseong and Bukhansanseong moved separately, the military command is unknown. Dalcheon raised both hands high.

“I don’t know! I’ve just left Hanyang.”

“You came from Hanyang? Who are you?”

“My name is Dalcheon.”

Baek I-jeong, who couldn’t stand to watch, shouted from the side.

“You are the true king!”

“But why don’t you know the military order?”

“Isn’t the military name of Hanyangseong different from this one?”

Five men came down from the forest. After that, more people were waiting in ambush. The soldiers who saw Dalcheon in his armor and blood-covered clothes were terrified. Fortunately, there was someone they knew.

“You are right, Jin-in. Loyalty!”

Dalcheon smiled brightly. The war had made their military spirit strict.

“Is it done now?”

The gun came down late and examined the two people closely.

“What happened to Hanyangseong?”

I know you know, but I ask. Dalcheon answered in a passing voice.

“I gave it to you.”

The gunman’s expression hardened.

“Did you lose?”

“Strategic retreat, siege plan.”

“I knew it, but I still feel bad.”

“Please give me some guidance.”

At the signal of the gun, two mounted soldiers came, leading another horse. The gun mounted the horse and galloped inside.