Episode 776
Blood of the Empire (1)
“….”
Yang Chen’s face, unlike usual, was very serious as he sat in the royal palace and read the report.
It was a report I had already read several times. It was not just one page, but over ten pages.
I’ve been watching it for over half an hour now, thinking about it, and watching it again.
The White Paper quietly bowed down and waited for his lord to open his mouth. Bu-sun, who was standing next to him, also lowered his head in a polite manner, probably sensing his teacher’s seriousness.
How much time has passed like that?
“…You’re crazy.”
The expression on Yang Cheon’s face as he spit out those words was strange.
It seemed like something was unfair, it seemed like it was admiration, and it also seemed like it was out of place.
“Even if I go crazy, I’m definitely crazy. “I knew they were parasitic in the imperial palace, but was it on this scale?”
Baekseo said quietly.
“These guys are truly dangerous. “If he had that much control over the imperial palace, it would have taken at least half a century of effort.”
“I guess so. And for over half a century, the idiots in the imperial palace were not even aware of their existence.”
“….”
Yang Chen laughed.
“No matter what, I never thought the imperial palace would be reduced to such rubbish.”
I could tell by reading the report that it was an unavoidable situation. Since they attacked so spectacularly from this side, they must have had no choice but to risk everything to survive.
‘No, not exactly this way.’
Yang Chen’s eyes were fixed on a certain point in the report.
“It’s the Murim Alliance….”
“….”
“The Alliance apparently sent an envoy with the purpose of helping the Empress push back Crown Prince Woo Heon, who was in control of the palace, and restoring the dignity of the palace.”
“Yes, I know that too.”
“If they aren’t swindling us, doesn’t that mean the delegation voluntarily changed their mind in the middle?”
“Or, it is possible that the Murim Alliance soldier who made this plan gave a separate message.”
“Of course it could have been so.”
Yang Chen stroked his beard.
A glimpse of confusion appeared on his face.
“Even if it had happened, it would never have resulted in this kind of result if the people working at the scene had not responded properly.”
“I think so too.”
“No matter how much I think about it, it’s amazing. He went to see the empress and was immediately caught up in the treason, but he used that as an opportunity to go to the emperor and speak directly to him. Not only that, he even caught the grand marshal who was there….”
Baekseo said, raising his head.
“As you said, sir, even if there was a comment from the military there, it is ultimately the people on the ground who will deal with it. “I heard that one of the envoys who went with me was the wife of the Zhuge family, so I think it was a plan from their head.”
“A plan?”
Yang Chen’s face darkened with youthful embarrassment.
“Can this be called a plan?”
“….”
“This was literally straight ahead with no turning back. If I made a mistake, I might have to deal with the entire imperial palace. This isn’t a ploy or anything. “You’re just ignorant.”
At that time, Buseon cautiously opened his mouth.
“It certainly seems that way… but I thought differently.”
“Um, okay. “Let me hear your thoughts.”
Although it was an official event, Yangcheon respected Buseon.
Buseon nodded politely and continued speaking.
“We, as well as the Murim Alliance, knew that the imperial palace had been taken over by the Mythological Church.”
“It did.”
“Of course, unless they were fools, they wouldn’t have thought of touching the emperor. “If she had tried to mess with the emperor, the empress would never have been able to gain that much power in the first place.”
“You are right.”
“In other words, they wanted to maintain the legitimacy of the empire until the end by turning the emperor into a puppet. In other words, the intention was not to touch the last bastion of the Central Plains people.”
“It was a natural and reasonable thing to do.”
“The problem is us.”
“we?”
“If they had not removed the emperor but turned him into a puppet, it would have been a dangerous situation in itself. In other words, if they had raised the empire’s troops and swept down from Hebei first, we would have had to fight the empire without a move.”
Yang Chen’s eyes sparkled.
“Are you saying that Moorim could become a traitorous cabal at any time?”
“That’s right. In other words, it would not be strange if they personally had an audience with the emperor to check whether he was really their puppet and, if so, were prepared to draw their swords on the spot.”
“…huh.”
Yang Chen sighed and stroked his beard.
“Go to a place where there is a risk of becoming an enemy at any time and determine life or death by looking at the qualifications of the leader…”
“I think so.”
Yang Cheon stuck out his tongue.
“Then aren’t they even more crazy? “It seems like Black Island Sapara is more advanced than us.”
White Paper shook his head.
“It may seem rough, but on the other hand, it can also be said to be a clever plan. “They entered the palace through the empress, so they could easily infiltrate, and even if it wasn’t a treason situation, if they had the ability, they would have been able to invade the emperor’s residence somehow.”
“That’s right.”
“More than anything, it can be seen as a plan made after initially recognizing the imperial palace as an enemy. Otherwise, there is no explanation.”
“haha.”
Yang Chen shook his head.
“Anyway, all I can say is that I was lucky. There were only three. After killing the Prime Minister and taking control of the area, he brought in allies who were secretly working under the Emperor. “How could they have planned all this in advance?”
“That’s true.”
“What would have happened if the King of Jin had not followed the emperor’s orders? “It was too risky and impulsive.”
Buseon opened his mouth.
“If that were the case… the envoys might have kidnapped the emperor and escaped the imperial palace.”
“That much?”
“It may seem surprising because the opponent is a member of the Murim League, but in fact, I think Master would have acted no differently if he were in the same situation.”
“Hmm?”
Yang Chen was deep in thought.
After a while.
“I don’t want to admit it, but…”
Yang Chen chuckled.
“Yeah, I think it would have moved in a similar way.”
Buseon bowed his head wordlessly.
Yang Chen’s eyes sank heavily.
“We would have moved like that too, but it is surprising because it is the Murim Alliance… If you think about it in a different way, you can take it to mean that the Murim Alliance also has no time to spare.”
“yes. I think so.”
“Why can’t I afford it? Of course, everyone knows that the three religions are dangerous, but it doesn’t just happen for a day or two, so there doesn’t seem to be any reason to act so unconventionally.”
Baekseo and Buseon remained silent as if they did not know the exact reason.
At that time, Yang Chen’s eyes sparkled.
“It’s because of the leader.”
“yes?”
“There must be many other reasons… I will look into the intention of even touching the imperial palace and even make sure to distinguish between enemies… I think it is because of the selection of the leader.”
Buseon asked curiously.
“Is there any correlation between the selection of the leader of the Murim Alliance and what happens in the imperial palace?”
“There are two things.”
Yang Chen’s fingers tapped the armrest.
“Firstly, it is to resolve the decrease in power of the Maeng due to denial.”
“yes?”
“The Murim League has already suffered from the measles once due to the three actions of the three religions. “You can’t help but be sensitive to such issues.”
“Of course I do.”
“There are many things you must have in order to become a lord. It’s not just about being strong in martial arts and having a high reputation. “As political power is important, friendly forces must be solid and personal influence must be sufficient.”
White Paper exclaimed.
“If the candidates try to expand their influence even if it is unreasonable…”
“Yes, what works well in the martial arts world is the connections between the imperial palace and government officials. “Some of the forces have no ties to that side, but those who are a part of it are all connected to the officials.”
Yang Chen’s eyes lit up.
“It’s different from us. That’s important to them. However, since it is a matter of electing a leader, it is not something that can be done haphazardly, and at least each person will show up with a few influential figures.”
“….”
“If an official from the imperial palace is involved, it will be a headache. “If you don’t clean the imperial palace properly, the risk of having your own people selected as the head of the three religions will be enormous.”
“….”
“But we can’t take the risk of attracting the influence of the three religions to elect a leader. “The purpose of establishing the Murim Alliance in the first place and selecting its leader was to wage war against the three religions, but if that happens, it would be like the war is overturned before the war even begins.”
Buseon spoke cautiously.
“It would be better if we used a method that blocks negativity at the source…”
“Like I said, they are different from us. The direction of thinking itself is different. “We both know very well that all of that is just scratching the surface.”
Yang Cheon quenched his appetite.
“I’ve seen it quite a bit, me too.”
“I see.”
“Hmm.”
Yang Cheon buried his body in Taesa Temple.
“Well, it may have been because of that intention that the imperial palace was cleaned out, but there must have been other reasons as well. Just looking at geography, the area north of the Yangtze River is teeming with political factions. However, if the imperial palace plays into the hands of the Shinhwa cultists and starts moving south, wouldn’t it be like putting fire to their own feet?”
“That’s right.”
“I guess we had no choice but to organize things in many ways. And…”
Yang Cheon’s eyes changed.
“It was really neatly organized. “It was probably more than they expected.”
White Paper opened his mouth.
“Even though the Bu Meng has formed an alliance, if the emperor sided with the other side by chance, it would not be a good situation.”
Buseon silently nodded his head and agreed with what he said.
Yang Chen’s eyes deepened.
“I guess it has to be that way. But we still have him.”
“yes?”
“Adjutant Yeon. Looking at the report, it seems that Yeongaju has caught the emperor’s attention. If that son has access to the Ink Dragon Ministry, there won’t be any major problems right away.”
“Of course it is.”
“The problem is what will be the result of the power struggle after the war ends.”
Yang Chen sighed deeply.
“Damn Yeon Ho-jeong, this b*stard hasn’t forgotten that before he was the leader of the Murim Alliance’s military, he was an adjutant at the headquarters, right? “If we talk nonsense in front of the emperor, we’ll get in trouble too.”
“Surely Deputy Yeon should do that?”
“I’m not that kind of guy… Oh, I don’t know anymore. That temperament must be so damn good. “It’s not what we expected. It’s what we expected.”
Yang Chen frowned and scratched his head.
“You killed King Bi and ascended to Seongcheon. Now you won’t take a step back because you’re afraid of my fist, right? A cheap guy. Thinking about it makes me angry. Still, there is a thing called hierarchy, but is Ji, who has surpassed all her seniors, the king? Rotten.”
