Episode 18. Just know who the leader is.
Early March.
Namyanghyeon.
Nanyang Sangbang Gundan.
Namyangsangbang’s Bangju Im Won-yeong and Daehangsu Jeong Ji-won are sitting across from each other with yellow teacups between them.
As time passed, the teacups of both people had grown cold.
Suddenly, Lim Won-young turned his gaze out the window.
“Hehe. It seems like winter is almost over. I think it’s time to start finishing up the work I’ve been putting off. What do you think, Dae-haeng-su?”
Jeong Ji-won, who had been silent for a moment, nodded as if he had no choice.
“If that is the Lord’s will, then I must do it.”
“You look a bit uneasy.”
“I am a bit concerned about the reviews of O Bong San Chae.”
“It’s just an illusion created by the greed of the Pacheonma Army. You forcibly doubled the number of Nokrim 36? How long do you think the thieves of O Bong San Chae will last in the Nokrim?”
The general manager of the Nokrim, Pacheonmagun, was not satisfied with the thirty-six houses and expanded the board. As a result, new bandits appeared in the mountains and rivers, causing a commotion. However, something that was made carelessly would soon collapse. Im Won-yeong believed that the lifespan of the Obongsanchae would not last long.
“That’s true. Besides us, there are seven other people who have lost to the O Bong San Chae, including Mansu, Tapha, and Hwayang. With that many, it’s not a fluke.”
“Who said it was a fluke? But there’s one thing you overlooked. No other merchant has ever gone to O Bong San Chae before. They’ve all been defeated during ordinary merchant trips. So even if they win a few times, it doesn’t mean much. That’s not the real strength of the merchant. Isn’t that right?”
“Ugh. That’s true.”
Jeong Ji-won nodded reluctantly.
“The reason why we, ordinary merchants, who are neither government officials nor military officers, have been able to grow this much is because we don’t give up easily. Are we going to just let some bandits charge us tolls without doing anything? That can’t be happening. Yes, that’s true.”
“Your Majesty, then how about we unite with other merchants who travel to Mt. Obong?”
“Wow! You have some dignity. You’re joining hands with other bosses to deal with those thieves? How pathetic will other people think of us?”
To the confident Im Won-young, that was nonsense.
Jeong Ji-won also didn’t refute it, perhaps because he thought it was a bit off.
It is known that the O Bong San Chae is an organization formed by thieves from Bobong-hyeon. Although Gu Mil Bok Geom and Mu Yeong Shin Tu have recently joined, they are still considerably weaker than other Nokrim San Chae.
In fact, the power of the Nanyang Sangbang is stronger than the combined power of three or four military units. The Sangbang’s warriors alone number over a hundred. It makes no sense that they can’t deal with the bandits of Obongsan with such force.
“You’re being too cautious. Have some faith in our Nanyangsangbang.”
“I understand. But Cheongungwan has expressed their intention to join this expedition. What should we do about them?”
Lim Won-young stroked his beard for a moment.
Cheongungwan is a famous military school in Luoyang that produced Wang In-geol, the leader of Pungyun-dae. It seems that he wants revenge since his disciple Wang In-geol was humiliated by O Bong-san-chae.
“How many people said they would come?”
“Martial arts master and ten masters.”
“Tell them to send it. Strictly speaking, they are not foreigners. Even if it is known later, it will not be a problem.”
“All right.”
As the conversation came to a rough conclusion, Im Won-young and Jeong Ji-won drank the cold tea in one gulp.
***
Mid March.
Sujuhyun’s Mansu Sangbang gun corps.
The captain of the ark, Kwak Ja-ui, and the acting captain, Kwak Won-ho, are sitting with their heads together, their expressions serious.
The agent, Kwak Won-ho, spoke with the aforementioned face.
“Your Majesty, Nanyang Sangbang has finally taken the lead. We are going to subjugate Mt. Obong.”
Bangju Kwak Ja-ui silently rubbed the beard under his nose with his fingertips. His habit of coming out when he was deeply troubled came to the attention of his assistant, Kwak Won-ho, who was watching him. He continued to speak cautiously.
“The leader of the Nanyangsangbang, the swordsman of Gyeongcheon, Lee Mu-ryang, is moving in person.”
“What is this?”
A strange light appeared in Kwak Ja-ui’s eyes.
The swordsman Lee Mu-ryang of Gyeongcheon was a master who was like a symbol of Namyang Sangbang. That meant that Namyang Sangbang took this conquest of Obongsan quite seriously.
“It looks like we’ll be mobilizing seventy percent of Namyangsangbang’s forces.”
“Wow! So they’re saying they’re going to deploy everyone except for the ones currently on board.”
“Yes. They say that eleven masters from the Nanyang Cheongungwan will also be joining us.”
“Is it to save face for the King of Wind and Cloud?”
“Since Kyungcheon-dae Daeju Sogunpyeong is from Muhan Hongbang, it may also be to keep him in check. Isn’t the rivalry between Cheongungwan and Hongbang famous in Namyangsangbang?”
“If Namyangsangbang goes that far, it won’t even be our turn.”
“But that’s not certain either.”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
“A few days ago, a merchant passing through Hagachon heard a strange rumor.”
“rumor?”
“It seems that Gumilbokgeom and Muyeongshintu have been pushed out in the ranking competition.”
“Wow! There’s someone stronger than Gumilbokgeom and Muyeongshintu in Obongsanchae?”
Gumilbokgeom and Muyeongsintu are famous magic swords in Hanam Province. In particular, Gumilbokgeom’s name was enough to stop a crying child. It was never a good sign that there was someone stronger than them in Obongsanchae.
“It is said that he was defeated by a young master of Sanchae. However, since it is a rumor coming from the palace, it is not very credible.”
“A young master? Surely not the boy who cut the Baekrangdaeju’s sword?”
“I think so, I guess.”
“Hmm!”
A slurred voice flowed from Kwak Ja-ui’s mouth.
The Gyeongcheon swordsman Lee Mu-ryang is a famous master in Hanam Province, along with Gumilbokgeom and Muyeongshintu. We will have to see who is better among the three when they fight, but most people believe that Lee Mu-ryang is superior. That is probably why Namyangsangbang put Lee Mu-ryang forward.
But what if there is someone in O Bong San Chae who is better than Gu Mil Bok Geom and Mu Yeong Sin Tu?
Things get a lot more complicated.
This means that Imoo-ryang may be defeated, and that means.
“Is it possible that the expedition to Nanyangsangbang will end in failure… … .”
Kwak Won-ho’s voice came into Kwak Ja-ui’s ear, who was lost in thought.
“My lord, should we prepare too?”
Kwak Ja-ui looked at Kwak Won-ho with a strange look.
“If Imoo-ryang and our leader were to fight, what do you think the outcome would be?”
If the leader of the Nanyang Sangbang, the swordsman Gyeongcheon Lee Mu-ryang, is a disciple of the Hwasan faction, then the leader of the Mansu Sangbang, the swordsman Gwangpung Sangmucheon, is a disciple of the Mudang faction. It’s like they’re neck-and-neck.
Kwak Won-ho thought about the intention of the question Bang-ju posed.
It seemed like a roundabout way of asking, ‘Can the leader of our Mansu Sangbang defeat a young master whose name is still unknown to the world?’
A bitter smile appeared on Kwak Won-ho’s face.
It is known that the two supreme leaders, Imoo-ryang and Sangmu-cheon, have similar martial arts skills. That means that if Imoo-ryang fails, there is no hope for Sangmu-cheon either.
“The two patriarchs are so similar in their actions that it will be difficult to determine who is superior.”
“I guess so? Then what do you think we should prepare?”
Kwak Won-ho thought about it for a moment.
If the power of the General Director is not enough, then we have no choice but to borrow external power.
“Then what if we ask the Patriarch to bring the Master, the Heavenly Merchant?”
“Hmm. The merchant of heaven and earth is an elder of the shaman faction, so he won’t move easily.”
Although Sangmucheon is said to be the disciple of Cheonjisangin, he is merely a layman’s disciple. To be honest, it is rare for an elder from the main mountain to come down for the sake of a layman’s disciple.
“What if we send a donation to the leader of the non-partisan faction and make a petition? Since the non-partisan faction is also a member of the Justice Alliance, wouldn’t you send it to them out of consideration for morality in the martial world?”
“That’s okay. Five hundred nyang of silver would be fine, right?”
“Of course. If you ask Jang Moon-in for that amount of money, he will come to you.”
“No matter what! But you are still a non-partisan leader.”
“What can’t be done with money? They say you can even control ghosts.”
Kwak Ja-ui, who was snickering, said.
“First, let’s release some people into Hagachon. We need to know the results of the suppression quickly.”
“yes.”
“And meet the Patriarch and inform him of our intentions. Be careful not to hurt his feelings.”
“Okay, I’ll have a drink with the Patriarch today.”
The conversation between the two people was interrupted.
How much time has passed?
Kwak Ja-ui, who was tapping the table with his fingertips, muttered.
“The suppression of Nanyangsangbang must be successful.”
“Ha! I wish I could blow my nose without using my hands this time.”
Kwak Ja-ui looked at Kwak Won-ho with complicated eyes.
It’s telepathy.
It’s not that I feel bad about wasting 500 nyang of silver, but it’s because I feel uncomfortable dealing with Nokrim.
***
It takes two days to walk from Namyanghyeon to Bobonghyeon.
The great movement of warriors from Nanyang, armed with swords, was reported to Bobong County in less than half a day.
Namyangsangbang goes to O Bong San Chae!
The rumor that shook up Bobonghyeon quickly spread to Hagachon.
Among the gangsters of Hagachon, several who were on friendly terms with the bandits immediately passed the news to Obongsanchae.
The surprised Poongyeoncho quickly called the thieves who were resting into the yard.
“The guys from Nanyang are coming to attack us right now. What should we do?”
Poongyeoncho, who had little experience in martial arts, glanced at Simyanggak and Baekgyo.
However, Sim Yang-gak and Baek Gyo did not step forward first because they had to save face as the head of the provincial government.
Although he was not as good as them, Hwang Yeo-myeong, a famous poison sage in the county, asked cautiously.
“How many Nanyang Sangbang guys are there?”
He had a rag wrapped tightly around his left arm and kept checking Yeonjeokha’s expression as he spoke.
“They say there are about eighty or ninety people.”
“Huh!”
Huang Yeomyeong’s mouth dropped open at the number eighty-nine.
The number of thieves in O Bong San Chae has increased slightly in the past month to thirty. However, it is still a large number compared to the number of 890.
The atmosphere became heavy.
At that moment, Sim Yang-gak kicked Huang Yeo-myeong’s shin as he stood there dumbfounded.
“You idiot! Why are you so surprised? In the world of martial arts, the number of heads of the lower classes means nothing. All you need to know is who the leader is!”
This is not said to Hwang Yeomyeong, but to Pungyeoncho.
Poongyeoncho answered quickly.
“The leader of these men is the great swordsman Lee Mu-ryang.”
Sim Yang-gak, who knew a little about Imoo-ryang, immediately sneered.
“Huh! Imoo-ryang is looking for a place to die.”
The complexion of the dying wind chime brightened.
“Sim No-je. If you have a good idea, please tell me.”
Since Poongyeoncho knew his subject, he politely made a request to Simyanggak.
However, Sim Yang-gak, who had strong pride, pretended not to hear. This was because he did not want to listen to the words of Ha-su Pungyeon-cho, who did not even know the art of internal energy.
Yeonjeokha’s eyes, who had been watching from behind, became fierce.
Huang Yeoming, startled, quickly intervened.
“Hey, Brother Shim, what should we do if the enemy comes in the 80s or 90s?”
Only then, pretending not to be able to win, Sim Yang-gak opened his mouth.
“About twenty years ago, four groups of merchants joined forces to attack Daebyeol Mountain. At that time, the leader of Daebyeol Mountain, King Dokbiyeom, blocked the door and held out.”
“Oh! So what happened?”
Huang Yeoming added some appropriate exclamations.
“After about three days, when the guards of the upper quarters were relaxed, the King of Dokbi opened the door in one breath and ran out. Then, when the leaders of the upper quarters stepped forward to take control of the situation, he cut down two of them. Ironically, the fight ended then. The other two were overwhelmed by the momentum and fled, and all the warriors of the upper quarters fled as well.”
The faces of the bandits brightened at the words, “They all ran away.” This was because they finally understood what Sim Yang-gak was trying to say. After all, even wars between countries end when the commander dies, so how much worse must the fights between factions be!
In short, all you have to do is hit the head.
The faces of the thieves, who had been crushed to death by overwhelming numbers, finally began to show signs of life.
Wuxia,
