Episode 489
Piece (7)
“Father!”
“Yes, I heard.”
Zhuge Munho’s appearance, leisurely drinking tea and examining documents, was no different from usual.
Zhuge Zhen’s eyes wavered.
“Is this okay? “Is it really okay?”
“Okay.”
Zhuge Wenhu, who was nodding his head, then smiled bitterly.
“No. Actually, it’s not okay. I can’t be okay. It’s about imprisoning the Murim League’s Bonggong in prison. “In order to put out a fire right in front of us, we may be inviting the risk of a flood in the future.”
“That’s right!”
“The problem is that one small flame can burn the entire Murimmaeng.”
Zhuge Yan bit his lip.
She knew it too. How important is it to catch Sejak this time? I also know that if I don’t catch him, something terrible could happen due to the information he steals.
But… even taking that into account, it was too risky.
“Wouldn’t it be better to explain the situation now and find another alternative? The communal faction is strong. Not only is it powerful, but its influence is also powerful. In particular, in Gansu Province, the communal faction….”
“A clan faction that exerts influence even on the Okmunguan. In other words, it can be said to have a significant impact on the northern commercial district.”
“That’s right! “If this fact is known to the outside world…!”
“We have to prevent it from becoming known. The communal faction will also try to keep quiet. “They won’t sit back and watch their collective reputation fall to the ground.”
Zhuge Wenhu raised his head and saw Zhuge Zhen.
“Zinc.”
“…yes.”
“The seat where Abby sits is a place where she is despised rather than praised. “Even if this father uses his brains well and is of great help to the Murim Alliance, the merit belongs to the next leader or servant, not mine.”
“….”
“But what happens if I don’t do it? Then, they will criticize the Murim Alliance and say that it is because of the incompetent military general that it got to that point. The general military is that kind of position. “It’s a nasty position where you get criticized more than anyone else if you don’t make a living even if you do well.”
Zhuge Wenhu smiled.
“Nevertheless, the reason I did not reject the recommendations of the monks was because I also wanted to be of some help to the world. Regardless of my abilities, I accepted this position because I thought it would be a good thing if the influence of my family and my small wisdom could help the world’s well-being.”
“I know.”
“I left everything behind when I accepted this position. That’s why you’ve already made your younger brother take housekeeping lessons. “Because before I am the head of the Zhuge family, I am the general of the Murim Alliance.”
Zhuge Wenhu’s eyes sparkled. The smile that filled his face instantly changed into the stamina of a strong man.
“As the general of the military, I am prepared to bear all the shame. Even though it may seem extreme at times and petty at times, I am prepared to risk everything for the well-being of the world.”
“….”
“Of course I won’t cross the line.”
I won’t cross the line.
That means you are ready to do anything as long as you don’t cross the line. In some ways, it sounded more brutal than crossing a line.
“If we don’t catch Sejak, the Murim Alliance’s information will be passed on to the enemy. The Murim Alliance is an alliance of Baekdo political factions, but at the same time, it handles information throughout the central plains. In other words, they are easily obtaining all the information in the world with just one trick planted in their brain.”
“….”
“When I think about what they will do to this central plain in the future, I want to hunt down Se-jak, even if it means throwing the Shaolin Temple’s Gong Gong-gong, not the Dong-gong faction, into prison.”
Zhuge Yan sighed.
“Are you really okay with that?”
“It’s not okay. “But you still have to do it.”
“If you think about it, my father and Hojeong would have thoroughly considered other methods besides this method. However, there must be a good reason why this method was chosen.”
Zhuge Wenhu smiled.
He was proud of his daughter. Smart people tend to lack understanding, but my daughter did not.
So I felt very sorry. Although it was in the past, didn’t his daughter almost suffer great harm due to his inability to reject the arranged marriage suggested by the Crown Prince Namgung because his family was in trouble?
I am always a sorry and thankful daughter.
Because she was that kind of daughter, I didn’t want her to follow the same path as me. It was the same for my son.
However, I thought it would be okay to tell my daughter.
What he and Yeon Ho-jeong are looking at and what they want.
“It’s not just because of Sejak.”
“yes?”
“If it was just to catch Sejak, it would have been worth spending more time on. “There is no need to make unreasonable plans, such as saying we will capture them within a few days or set a trap.”
At least if you catch just three pieces.
A look of puzzlement appeared on Zhuge Zhen’s face.
“I was curious about that part too. Of course, it would be better to catch Sejak as soon as possible, but since we have already declared that we are aware of its existence, Sejak will not be able to do anything foolish for the time being.”
“As expected, you could see all the way there.”
“yes.”
“So then, do you think we are moving forward in such a hurry for any purpose other than hunting down Sejak?”
“….”
Zhuge Zhen’s face became serious.
In fact, she guessed up to this point. It’s not certain, but there’s more to it than catching Sejak. I thought there must be another reason I didn’t know that forced me to catch Sejak as soon as possible.
But when I heard it like this, it seemed like there was another important thing to do apart from hunting down Sejak.
“I… I don’t know, father.”
Zhuge Wenhu shook his head.
“No, it is a problem that you can fully understand with your wisdom. “It’s just that Dae-soo and I are doing this work, so I didn’t bother to use my brain.”
“yes?”
“Because the Abby you see is someone who doesn’t do anything drastic.”
Zhuge Zhen had no idea what his father was talking about.
Zhuge Wenhu looked out the window.
Beyond dozens of buildings, I saw a large and spacious three-story pavilion. A huge wall was built around the pavilion, and although it looked old-fashioned, it felt somehow unsettling.
It was the execution site of the Murim League.
“The current Murim Alliance is in danger. It looks flashy and powerful on the outside, but it’s actually empty on the inside. “If you make a mistake, even one ember from the bonfire will cause it to burn brightly.”
“…?!”
“The power is growing by the minute, but the substance is actually poor. “The reason is because of the peasants.”
Zhuge Zhenyan swallowed his saliva without realizing it.
She realized it intuitively. Now, my father is sharing a bloody secret that only Yeon Ho-jeong knows, which he has not told anyone.
“We are not black. However, it is not an imperial palace, and it is not a blood religion or a demonic religion that has already disappeared. “We are people who know how to open our ears, respect each other, and even admit our own mistakes.”
You may be wondering what a big deal that is, but anyone who knows will know. The more obvious something is, the more difficult it is.
The school’s medal teaches children not to lie. But there is no one in the world who has never told a lie.
Conversely, it can be interpreted to mean that it is difficult to keep the ‘basics’.
“It was a misjudgment. It’s good to respect each other, but at the same time, the Murim Alliance is a huge military organization. Where power goes, there is action. And depending on how the case is resolved, the future of countless people will be determined.”
“….”
“While the feudal lords were lazily proclaiming that they respected each other, the enemies were increasing their strength by the minute. The same goes for us, but if this situation continues, the Murim Alliance will turn into stupid monsters that don’t know where to wield their enormous power.”
“But… we are different from the Black Island because we are based on respect.”
“Yes. It is right to hope and dream of ideals. Even if you don’t achieve your ideal, if you don’t pursue it, you’re no different from an animal. But…”
Zhuge Wenhu turned his gaze to Zhuge Zhen.
Suddenly, Zhuge Zhenyan could see in his father’s eyes the extreme fatigue and strong will to solve real-world problems.
“Ideals and reality must be viewed differently. “I realized it.”
Why wouldn’t someone as high as Zhuge Lianghu know that? What he meant now was that he had finally felt something he had only known in his head.
“We still have to dream of ideals. You have to take firm steps toward your ideal, one step at a time. But we must not ignore reality. Future-oriented thinking that ignores reality causes serious problems. Just like the current Murim Alliance.”
“…Then what does your father think the Murim Alliance should look like?”
“We need a ruling system dominated by a leader with strong authority.”
“…!”
“Of course, the leader must have outstanding abilities. And there must be no moral defects. “It’s not that you don’t have one, you have to have a moral utopia that is much clearer than others.”
“….”
“Furthermore, a strong determination that is not swayed by the morals of reality is also necessary. In other words, a person who can wisely view the good of morality and reality but does not exclude morality should become the leader. And the feudal lords must follow such a leader.”
Zhuge Zhen’s eyes wavered.
“Such a leader….”
“Not at the moment.”
Zhuge Munho spoke as if he were asserting.
“Currently, there are no suitable talents. However, without such talented people, we cannot just sit back and watch the defeat of the Murim Alliance. As a military officer, I have a duty to create a safe environment until such a leader takes office.”
“What if it’s a certain environment?”
“It is to eliminate those who cause trouble.”
Zhuge Zhen was surprised.
“You mean to eliminate me?!”
Zhuge Wenhu smiled.
“The choice of words was a bit extreme. The word elimination does not really mean killing or imprisoning the communists. “It means imposing a political death sentence so that they cannot participate in the politics of the Murim Alliance.”
“…!!”
“No matter who becomes the leader, we must at least make sure that the Murim Alliance does not lose its purpose. In order to do that, even if it means losing a little bit of power right now, we have to dig out all the people who are harming the Murim Alliance.”
“Then why did you send Jang Mun-in of the communist faction to the execution hall?!”
“Yes, it is part of the plan. “It would have been a difficult plan to attempt if it weren’t for Yeon Dae-su.”
Zhuge Li’s eyes lit up.
“The Murim Alliance must change. We need to seize power, weed out the feudal lords who cause strife, and create an organization of ‘real’ people who only work together for peace and order. At least the current Murim Alliance needs such measures.”
One day, Prince Mo Yong said to Zhuge Wenhu:
I don’t hate you. Rather, I think he is a person who is absolutely necessary for the Murim Alliance.
Mo Yong-gun cited Zhuge Li’s tendency as the reason.
No matter who becomes the leader, Zhuge Li will do his best to ensure that the Murim Alliance functions according to its purpose. It was the same even now that there was no leader.
Zhuge Munho was changing like that. The frustration of the dark reality made him act like the unknown soldier that Mo Yong saw.
“I will overturn all stigma. I will not share this responsibility with Ambassador Gong Gong or Professor Yeon. “That is the military.”
