Chapter 13: Glimmer of Hope in the Darkness (2)
Thanks to the valiant fighting of Group 16, the members of the Hui Dynasty’s strike force were cut down one by one. This sight breathed fiery courage into the rest of the sword infantry. Only now did it occur to them that they might actually be stronger than their enemies.
Finally, some of the fleeing recruits began to pick up their swords.
“How dare these bastards invade this place!”
“Get that one first!”
As the recruits finally showed signs of fighting back, Commander Wi Jin-cheol roared from the center of the camp, “Don’t back down! Reinforcements will be here soon!”
Truthfully, they didn’t need reinforcements to deal with a raid of only two hundred men. Their numbers were more than ten times the enemy’s, and the tide of battle had already turned. Nevertheless, the mention of “reinforcements” shattered the enemies’ remaining morale while doubling the spirits of the Song troops.
The general leading the Hui strike force realized that his raid had failed. He blew a sharp whistle, and his surviving soldiers quickly gathered around him, preparing to retreat.
Of the original two hundred raiders, less than half were still standing. As they began to pull back, General Jang-yang and his adjutant, Yang Yeon-jeong, finally arrived at the sword infantry barracks.
General Jang-yang bellowed to the soldiers, “Do not pursue!”
Wi Jin-cheol, his face flushed with adrenaline and anger, rushed up to the general.
“General! If we pursue them now, we can wipe them all out before they even clear the fortress gates!”
“I said, let them go!”
Wi Jin-cheol felt the decision was deeply unfair.
His men had been slaughtered in their sleep. He had finally turned the tide and had a chance to avenge them, yet he was being ordered to stop. It was infuriating.
However, he had no intention of disobeying Jang-yang’s direct order. Wi Jin-cheol blew his whistle, signaling all the recruits to halt their pursuit and assemble.
Jang-yang looked at the frustrated, slumped shoulders of Wi Jin-cheol.
“You did well. If not for you, the entire barracks might have fallen to a small enemy strike force.”
“But why did you let them escape, General?” Wi Jin-cheol asked, watching the retreating Hui soldiers fade into the darkness.
“Because they must return alive for us to have a chance in the battles ahead. The general leading that strike force is clearly a man blinded by greed for military glory. He will undoubtedly exaggerate his achievements as much as possible.”
Jang-yang was absolutely correct. The Hui commander was not going to return to his base and report that he had been thrashed by a pack of recruits.
“Since a mere two hundred of them managed to scale our walls, infiltrate our barracks, cause absolute chaos, and return alive, they will look down on our army as a ragtag mob.”
“Precisely. Even though the enemy forces stationed at Chang’an Fortress number a hundred thousand, they will believe Hanzhong can easily be taken with a small force. The more they let their guard down, the more opportunities we will have.”
Only then did Wi Jin-cheol understand the general’s strategy. If they had wiped out the strike force, the enemy might have moved with caution and deployed their full, overwhelming strength next time. Against such odds, they would have had no chance of victory.
“I understand, General. But if they dare to come again, I will slaughter every last one of them.”
“Haha. I won’t stop you then. By the way, how did you manage to stabilize the situation so quickly? The recruits are completely inexperienced; they shouldn’t have had the courage to face a night raid.”
Wi Jin-cheol hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Did I not mention it before, General? I selected the elites from the sword infantry and formed a special unit.”
“Ah, yes. You did. Where are they?”
Wi Jin-cheol pointed toward where Group 16 stood in formation. Jang-yang turned his gaze to examine them.
Every single one of them had sharp, extraordinary eyes. Furthermore, despite fighting at the very front of the skirmish, not a single member appeared to be injured. In stark contrast, the other groups had suffered anywhere from five to ten casualties.
A look of deep satisfaction spread across Jang-yang’s face. The other officers who had arrived with him cast envious glances at Wi Jin-cheol. Leaning in, Jang-yang whispered quietly in Wi Jin-cheol’s ear.
“A highly dependable group. Remember, you are the officer I trust most in this army.”
A wide grin spread across Wi Jin-cheol’s face. He straightened his posture and declared, “I will train an invincible sword infantry corps that will surpass even the legendary Dragon Guard!”
The Dragon Guard. This legendary unit under General Yue Fei had an undefeated record. Alongside General Han Se-chung’s Heavenly Martial Army, they were renowned as the two elite pillars of the Song Dynasty.
“Indeed, you must. And I would like to reward them for their deeds.”
Wi Jin-cheol motioned for So-mu to step forward. As So-mu approached, Wi Jin-cheol puffed out his chest with pride.
“This is the leader of Group 16. I recognized his natural talent early on and have been nurturing him as our secret weapon.”
Jang-yang patted So-mu on the shoulder and asked, “It is reassuring to see such brave young men fighting for our country. You have performed a great deed. What would you like as a reward?”
Normally, soldiers would ask for silver or a promotion. However, So-mu’s request caught the general completely off guard.
“Could you grant us some meat and alcohol so I can share them with my squad members?”
It was a request that cost practically nothing. It was hard to imagine a more modest reward. Instead of being pleased, however, General Jang-yang looked slightly awkward.
“Haha. That is actually the most difficult request for me. The military has strict regulations; I cannot allow soldiers to drink inside the barracks. However, I can grant your squad leave. I will cover your expenses, so why don’t you spend this evening in the city of Hanzhong?”
Not only had they received meat and alcohol, but they had also secured leave. There was no reason to refuse.
“Thank you, General.”
***
The recruits were in high spirits. It was practically unheard of for recruits who hadn’t even finished their training to be granted leave. The feeling of receiving a special privilege was indescribable. Il-gwang led the way, swinging his arms excitedly.
“Let’s head to the largest tavern in Hanzhong! Who here is a local?”
At Il-gwang’s call, Cheoldu stepped forward.
“Brother Il-gwang, I was born and raised here. It’s just about three hundred yards that way.”
“Excellent! Lead the way!”
Seeing Il-gwang act like a grand commander was highly amusing, and Cheong-hae couldn’t help but chuckle behind him. The rest of the squad members followed in formation, their faces bright with joy. So-mu walked at the very rear of the group, a gentle smile playing on his lips.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at their destination. It was a massive two-story tavern with a sign that read ‘Hwayang’ hanging from the entrance. It was the most famous and historic tavern in Hanzhong. So-mu remembered visiting it a long time ago.
“Alright, let’s go in! Let’s drink to our hearts’ content!”
“Yeahhhhh!”
Following Il-gwang, the recruits poured into the tavern like a tide.
However, So-mu, who was bringing up the rear, stopped. He noticed Cheong-hae hesitating at the threshold, refusing to step inside.
“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you going in?”
Cheong-hae’s face was pale, his eyes trembling with anxiety.
“Brother So-mu… can’t we go somewhere else?”
Having an inkling of what was wrong, So-mu quietly scanned the interior of the tavern. He quickly spotted the reason for Cheong-hae’s hesitation.
Occupying a large table in the center of the tavern were four martial artists. They wore white robes with blue collars and carried long swords adorned with plum blossom patterns. Consisting of three men and one woman, they were disciples of the Mount Hua Sect.
Since Mount Hua was not far from Hanzhong, it was not unusual to see its disciples in the city. The problem was that their presence made Cheong-hae incredibly uncomfortable.
But So-mu’s hesitation did not last long.
‘You cannot run away forever. You will have to face them eventually.’
So-mu grabbed Cheong-hae’s wrist and pulled him into the tavern.
“Everyone is already inside. Let’s just enjoy ourselves.”
Coincidentally, the table So-mu chose for his group was right next to the Mount Hua disciples. Naturally, this was an intentional choice. Five of the squad members sat down at the table with them.
Seeing the dusty, sweaty soldiers sit at the adjacent table, the Mount Hua disciples frowned in disgust. Their whispered complaints carried clearly to So-mu’s superhuman ears.
One of the disciples grumbled in an irritated tone, “Senior brothers, let’s eat quickly and get out of here. It reeks…”
“Junior Sister Baek-hee is right,” another agreed. “Let’s finish this drink and leave. They’re ruining the taste of the alcohol.”
So-mu’s brow furrowed for a brief second before returning to normal. To save time, the recruits of Group 16 had rushed out in their training uniforms. It was only natural that they smelled of sweat.
So-mu quietly looked around. The recruits had gathered in groups of five or six, excitedly placing their orders. Il-gwang had also claimed a table and was chatting loudly.
Unlike the rest of the excited squad, Cheong-hae sat with his head bowed low. However, such unnatural behavior only drew more attention. The recruit sitting next to Cheong-hae kept calling out to him. It was Songhwa, who was the same age.
“Cheong-hae, what’s wrong? Are you sick? Lift your head, Cheong-hae!”
Perhaps hearing that familiar name triggered something, because the Mount Hua disciples suddenly focused their attention on their table. The female disciple, Baek-hee, shrieked in recognition.
“Senior brothers, isn’t that Cheong-hae?”
“Who is Cheong-hae?”
As Baek-hee’s voice grew louder, the recruits at So-mu’s table could hear her clearly.
“Don’t you remember? The guy who was beaten half to death by the Plum Blossom Sword Guards and expelled?”
“Ah! That third-generation disciple who was excommunicated for spying on martial arts at the Plum Sword Pond?”
The recruits’ faces filled with confusion and anger, while Cheong-hae’s face turned bright red with humiliation.
Cheong-hae knew them. They were second-generation disciples of the Mount Hua Sect. They were notorious within the sect for moving in a pack and playing cruel pranks on their juniors.
Recognizing Cheong-hae, the disciples ignored the other soldiers and continued to mock him loudly, deliberately trying to humiliate him.
“I’m pretty sure that’s Cheong-hae. We let him leave with his life as a lay disciple, and now he’s just a common foot soldier?”
“Hey, Cheong-hae! You see your senior brothers and you don’t even greet us?”
The recruits sitting next to Cheong-hae trembled with rage. However, their opponents were disciples of the prestigious Mount Hua Sect. They lacked the confidence to stand up to such figures.
The recruits turned their eyes to So-mu, but he was looking away, acting as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
“Cheong-hae! Are you deaf? Greet your senior brothers!”
“Raise your head, you bastard!”
When Cheong-hae refused to respond, the disciples’ faces flushed with anger. They could not tolerate a disgraced junior ignoring their demands.
It was then.
Suddenly, someone in a corner of the tavern stood up and let out a furious roar.
“Hey! Shut your damn mouths and eat! Before I rip your jaws apart!”
A heavy silence fell over the tavern as every eye turned toward the source of the shout.
A soldier with the massive build of a bear was scowling fiercely.
It was Il-gwang.