As Prophet - Chapter 205



Only Noblemtl

Episode 205. Bukhansanseong – Current Status Report

As you pass through Daeseongmun Gate, ask for the military name.

“Red Mountain!”

The gate opened at the gun’s answer.

“I will guide you to the inertia center.”

“What is that?”

“It’s a kind of government office that manages Mt. Bukhan. Well, should I say it’s a barracks?”

“Ah! Yes.”

Running fast along the mountain path, I soon came across a gate. It was made like a government office gate, but it was low. The stone walls on the left and right spread their wings wide. When I went inside, there was a large stream on the right and a warehouse on the left, with a signboard that read “Hyangmigo.” Not far behind was an armory, and the office was in front, with the buildings standing as if they were surrounding the yard. A government office in the mountains? It was amazing that they had prepared for such a day. Beyond the government office wall were tents for the people who had taken refuge, and beyond that, the shouts of soldiers training in the open space were loud.

There was someone running out in a hurry, holding up his sangap (skirt armor) with both hands. It was Jin Dong-hee. He was a secret student of Yang Ju-hyeon, who studied at the academy and passed the military service examination. He passed the military service examination but was not given an official position, but it seems he has been given a role this time.

“Your Majesty!”

“Oh, General Jin!”

When I call him general, he smiles. The face of a person who has achieved what he wants through hard work is beautiful.

“Miss Baek is here too.”

“I evacuated Hanyangseong at dawn today. They’re coming. I stopped by to check on the fortress’ defenses.”

“I heard the news. I will take you inside.”

A group of generals came out in front of the main hall and paid their respects. And Yu Seok-do was there.

“No, why is the general here? Aren’t you supposed to be going to Ganghwa Island?”

“General Cho Dong-gil went to Ganghwa Island.”

“Who would change roles as they please?”

Dalcheon asked with a serious expression as if he was going to confront him, but Yoo Seokdo answered calmly.

“I told you in advance, but you seemed to be listening halfheartedly.”

“Is that all you have to say? The general must serve His Majesty.”

“General Cho said he wanted to serve Your Majesty.”

Dalcheon frowned. There are those who are together but are not clear about black and white. I can trust only Yu Seok-do completely, so I sent him to Ganghwado, which will be the last line of defense, but he came to Bukhansanseong where the first battle will take place. Since there are no ships, there will be no battle at Namhansanseong. I understand the desire of the warriors to fight, but this does not seem right. However, I could not bring myself to say that I do not completely trust General Jo.

“Why did you do that?”

“I told you in advance.”

“Out of the hundred reports I heard while I was busy and in a hurry, I can’t even remember ten of them.”

Yoo Seok-do looked around at the generals and spoke his sincerity to Dal-cheon.

“I wanted to fight.”

Dalcheon closed his eyes. I understand. He must have done it because he wanted to.

“But what will happen to Your Majesty’s safety if he changes his mind and betrays you? I have entrusted Ganghwa Palace to someone I can completely trust.”

“The director’s thoughts were short-sighted. But what can we do? It has already come to this.”

It must have been expected and slightly changed. The desire of those who wanted to fight and those who wanted to stick their faces next to His Majesty coincided. Should they change again now? Will Jo Dong-gil betray? The chief of the royal guard must have been the one who paid the most attention to persuading them.

Then the game inspector slammed the table.

“No, is that what you came all the way here to say?”

The voice is too loud. Have they been arguing with each other all this time? Dalcheon looked at the Gyeonggi inspector quietly. Lee Ja-do was also the person they had tried to persuade. It is unknown whether he responded, but can we trust him since he did not stay in Hanyang?

“Your Majesty’s safety is of the utmost importance. Quite a few officials have betrayed you. They have fallen for the great plan of appeasement… … It is regrettable. There is no guarantee that it will not happen again.”

“Do you doubt my disguise?”

“Another of my guards has already betrayed me. Do you remember Mr. Seo Jae-cheol?”

The crowd could not object any further to the clear example that Dalcheon had mentioned. Then, one person behind the generals raised his hand.

“My royal guard’s family came here. They couldn’t go to Namhansanseong.”

“why?”

“I don’t know if it was because I had a lot of valuables or what, but I was delayed and came here instead of boarding the ship.”

It is said that he might not betray him if he evacuated his family, Dalcheon suggested.

“Then let’s do this. Can you send word that your family has arrived here safely and is doing well?”

“Of course. I will send it by sea.”

“Please deal with it immediately, and you will understand what I mean.”

“Loyalty.”

As the general went out, Yoo Seok-do muttered.

“Your Majesty, there is Mukhyeong by your side. You don’t have to worry too much.”

“Mukhyeong, he is trustworthy. But I am worried because it seems like his health has not fully recovered.”

“Haven’t you recovered? You’ve already recovered.”

“I think it’s half recovered. A human body is not complete just because it has a shell and bones. A person is a being that is both simple and spiritual. A person is a person because they have a divine energy stored up in them. That needs to be recovered, but it seems that it hasn’t been done yet.”

Yoo Seok-do asked right away.

“Is powerlessness, that is, inaction, the same as the weight of existence?”

It was a strange question. It was not a question that should have come out here. But wasn’t it Wangsa, the great master of the time? Dalcheon slowly nodded his head at the sudden question.

“Looking at that, while the Confucian scholars were studying, they were talking about whether the principle and the energy were the same or different. What vain people! Who can’t say it with words? They say things because they think it’s like that without knowing, feeling, or seeing it.”

“Why does the theory of principle and vital energy pop up here again?”

“For example, a Zen master has realized. He has realized the true nature of the principle. However, his body is no different from that of an ordinary person. That is why he suffers.

“A Taoist in the mountains practiced breathing diligently and reached the highest level. But is that stupid?”

At the word fool, Yuseokdo shrugged his shoulders. It was because he remembered being a fool. At that time, he studied mainly breathing. Without knowing what it was, he studied the Sun God Art during the day and the Big Dipper Art at night, just as the real person had taught him. The name was grand, but it was nothing special. It was a study where he stood facing the morning sun and took deep breaths and exhaled, and at night, he sat cross-legged and practiced breathing toward the North Star. The seal on his hand was unique and he recommended sitting meditation.

As the study deepened, it was I who recovered my intelligence. I can’t tell exactly what triggered my recovery, but it is true that the study helped.

While the crowd was silent over the meaningless conversation, Dalcheon waved his hand. It was not the kind of conversation that could be had in a place where people were gathered.

“Oh, now is not the time to talk about this. Let’s take care of Ganghwa Island and check the defense here. Please report back to us as a whole, and each person should report on the status of their assigned area.”

First, a large general stood up.

“I am General Heo Gi-yang of Guancheng. First of all, I am honored to report to you.”

After introducing ourselves and setting the formalities, Dalcheon smiled brightly, touching his cheek with his palm.

“What, as far as glory… … . Please speak.”

“First, the people. Almost half of the people living within Hanyangseong and Seongjeoshipri have come to this mountain fortress. It was a great help that they moved in advance. The people have decided on a place to live from the entrance. Since each person has brought their own things, distribution has not been carried out yet. We have set up outposts here and there to ensure that there are no inconveniences in their lives.

The soldiers who entered Bukhansanseong Fortress are mostly from the Gyeonggi Gamyeong. There are 1,500 of them, but most of them are infantry. They are provided with weapons and equipment and are training every day. They are stationed at each gate to strengthen their defenses, and they are manufacturing and installing defensive weapons whenever they have time. Since most of the weapons from the Gamyeong were brought, there is no shortage of bows and arrows.

The cavalry that you are curious about is currently only about 200. This is because the cavalry and horses were handed over to the main castle defense force. The horses collected from the ranch in Yangju were also handed over to the main castle defense force. Therefore, we can say that there is no attack power. I apologize. We have sent many nimble soldiers as vanguards to the Gugi Valley area where the enemy is expected to enter.

Third, contact. We are contacting Namhansanseong and Bonghwa, but it is difficult to convey the meaning. Because if the weather is not clear, it is difficult to see. We are going as far as Imjin Port and contacting Ganghwa and Songpa Port by boat. Etc.”

Heo Gi-yang’s report was calm and detailed. He had the advantage of saying that he couldn’t do something that he couldn’t do. There are some who say that they did something that they didn’t do, and it’s common to omit related issues, but he reported it as it was, with no intention of going up.

“Could you please tell me the prepared wall defense equipment?”

“First, I built a ram farm in front of the castle wall. I don’t think we’re waiting for them to get to the castle gate. We’re planning to build two ram farms and deploy archers to intercept them. I’ve set up a cavalry obstacle in front of the ram farm. Since it’s in the mountains, we couldn’t dig a pit. We’ve made a field of rocks using the slopes and placed wooden stakes in between. You’ll have to get off your horse and dismantle them one by one as you come in.”

“I see. I saw it on my way here.”

“In preparation for the possibility of a siege on the wall, I made several siege towers and placed them at the rear of the wall. If they come, the siege towers will burst their heads.

“I have dug a trap in front of the gate in case they try to open it with a battering ram. I have placed oil barrels on top of the gate. I will pour it over them and set them on fire.”

“Great. How about the mountain side?”

“It is a rough terrain that even the most experienced mountaineers find difficult to pass through. I had a quick mountaineer search for gaps in each section to see if there was a way to get over. I found several collapsed areas and reinforced them. Since the mud was dug up and stones were placed on top, it won’t last long. It could collapse if winter comes once or twice.”

“Where is that?”

“We’ve placed catapults at each gate. Since it’s on a slope, the stones that are thrown can roll down and cause fatal damage to the enemies. It takes about ten people to pull them, and although the accuracy is very low, once they fly, they can cause great damage to the enemies. Even if you just shoot roughly, they’ll roll down the slope and sweep away the enemies.”

Dalcheon heard Heo Giyang’s report and realized that Gwanseongjang had prepared quite a lot.

“I prepared a lot in a short period of time.”

“We were managing this place even in normal times. What are you doing? We made this and that. I hope this day will never come, but when the enemy comes, what can we say we can’t do because we don’t have something, what can we say we lack?

Since there was no bamboo, they cut down a zelkova tree and made arrows. Since arrowheads were expensive, they had a blacksmith shop inside and made them as they could.

“A talented person has made a bow. Even people who can’t shoot a bow can shoot it. It has a short range and low accuracy, but when the enemy is close by, there is no better weapon. I plan to have the people use it.”

Dalcheon groaned at the word “people.” Preparations were sufficient. Those who had prepared in advance and those who had heard in advance were effective. Dalcheon asked the person in charge of each question about the defense posture. There were many cases where Yu Seok-do explained on behalf of generals who were not good at speaking. Dalcheon agreed with most of the explanations. After answering, Heo Gi-yang asked.

“When will you counterattack?”

Dalcheon smiled lightly. It was a possible question because he knew that the castle had not been taken, but that he had escaped safely as part of the siege plan. It was nice to see that he was not worried about when the enemy would come or how many there were.

“We will attack Hanyangseong in three or four days.”

Yoo Seok-do asked.

“How do we prepare?”

“Please allow the spearmen and archers to unite. Please recruit new spearmen and train them. This is a street battle. We will block the enemy cavalry with spearmen and spearmen and attack with archers’ fire. We need to be able to block the main road, so please focus on training the formations of the straight and circular formations. It will start soon.”

“Loyalty!”

The audience was delighted and banged on the table as Dalcheon explained.