Chapter 174: I Will Count to Three (3)

So-mu’s gaze, which sank as deep as an abyss, looked around.

The Sisanhyeolhae stretched out over a radius of about 100 zhang. There was not a single intact body. What they had in common was that they all had only one scar, as if they had been hit by a single blow.

“Please save me.”

“please…….”

About fifty soldiers were trembling in front of So-mu. They were conscripts who gave up fighting from the beginning.

Although it was not an elite unit, over a thousand soldiers were devastated by just one person. There was no way I could remain sane even after seeing that scary scene.

“As promised, I will spare your life. Your left arm or your right arm. Choose one.”

It was impossible to let it go completely. It was necessary to prevent him from rejoining the legion or harming innocent people.

The conscripts held out their unused arms forward with a grateful look on their faces.

And at that moment, So-mu’s new brother disappeared from his seat. Before he knew it, he was winding through the conscripts like a storm.

Whirririririk-!

Pot-! Papapot-!

Thin, short streams of blood shot out from all directions.

“Tsk!”

“Ugh!”

Soft moaned escaped the conscripts’ mouths, but not a single one screamed. There was no pain they expected. The arm was not cut off, but only the tendons in the wrist were torn.

“Leave here within a moment.”

Incredibly precise, lightning-quick swordsmanship. The conscripts who encountered it felt an instinctive fear and awe of a being that could not resist.

They ran to get out of Maengjin Port without looking back. It wouldn’t have affected his daily life, but since he lost the full use of one hand, he would never be incorporated into the Hui Dynasty’s troops again.

So-mu turned his head again and looked at where the shipyard was.

One by one, healthy ships were being launched quickly onto the watered of the Yellow River. Engineers at the shipyard were busy and hastened to escape.

A moment later, the first battleship crowded onto the deck ahead of departure.

“Thank you, General!”

“See you in the marketplace!”

“I won’t forget this favor! Thank you!”

How can I express in words the joy of escaping slavery and going to paradise? Their faces showed sincerity that could not be hidden.

So-mu nodded once and turned his back. I couldn’t stay here leisurely.

As soon as the signal was raised at Maengjin Port, news of the surprise attack would reached Luoyang in a day or two. The reconnaissance had to be completed before then.

So-mu continued south toward Luoyang.

We were able to come across a few villages on the way. The situation here was completely different from the situation in Shaanxi. The residents living in poverty all had dull and sick eyes.

It was as if they lived in a different world from Sona.

‘What should we do with them? ‘What can I do to set them free?’

A deep sigh came out of So-mu’s mouth.

How can it be only Luoyang? The State of Hui had already occupied more than half of the central plains. That wasn’t all. From the Mongolian grasslands to the Xijiang Plateau. They were endlessly expanding their territory as if they wanted to dominate the whole world. Even now, countless people were suffering from their madness.

‘Recovering Hui’s territory through war was not the only solution. The unity of the world for peace was nothing more than a delusion of a massacre disguised as personal ambition, and will only intensify the suffering of the common people. If possible, we should find a way to keep the world at peace without fighting.’

You might be able to find the answer by meeting the Emperor of the State of Hui, but unfortunately, information about him was still unknown. There was a long way to go.

While I was lost in thought, I was able to see the walls of Luoyang in the distance. So-mu killed In-cheok and inspected the place.

While Changan and Hanzhong were bustling with people bustling through the gates, there was nothing like that to be seen here.

It was a city that was completely controlled and lifeless.

Most of those coming and going through the castle gate were soldiers. Or it was all their slaves.

‘It won’t be easy.’

The perimeter on the castle wall was also tight. It wouldn’t be difficult to get over it, but the problem was the Wan’an Hui and Wu Long Sangjang, which were presumed to be here. Here, I had to be discreet and discreet.

It was when I was looking at a city hall outside the castle. The opportunity has finally arrived.

Dust rose from afar and a group of infantry units appeared. Hundreds of people were being dragged behind them.

“Aren’t you walking fast?”

“Those who fall behind know how to fall behind!”

They seemed to have been captured from the village to serve as slaves. There were no people of any age or gender. Her wrists were tied with rope, and her appearance was pitiful. I felt like every step I took was difficult, as I wasn’t able to eat or rest properly.

At that time, a boy fell about halfway through. As if he had been waiting, a soldier ran up and kicked the child in the stomach.

Kwasik-!

“Aya!”

“Why don’t you get up quickly? If you try this trick again, I’ll kill you.”

The child was shaking on the floor, clutching his stomach. Because of this, the procession was delayed and everyone’s attention was focused on one place. The soldier who was watching couldn’t resist and pulled out his sword.

Eyes full of murderous energy. It was easy for everyone to guess what he was trying to do. It was a moment when those watching around were astonished.

Someone squeezed through the gap between the slaves and carefully picked up the child and placed him on his shoulder.

“Aren’t you still a child? I’ll carry you on my back.”

It was So-mu who secretly joined the slaves. He had mud on his clothes and face for camouflage.

The soldier who was about to swing his sword looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked.

“What are you? When did you take the ropes off your wrists?”

“It resolved itself.”

“Is this guy kidding me?”

The soldier’s kick came towards the knee. Although I didn’t feel like it, I had no choice but to accept it.

Kwasik-!

“Ugh!”

There was no shock at all, but So-mu groaned and fell to one knee. A series of kicks were fired at him.

Wow! Puck-! Wow!

“Ugh!”

Aside from my daughter, it was the first time in decades that I had been hit by anyone. No one touched his body. There was no way I was in a good mood. Part of me wanted to break the soldier’s neck, but for now I had to hold back.

“Why are you playing with words to make this happen?”

How could he know? That he was now kicking the military governor of an enemy country. He beat her for a long time as if he wanted to set an example to other slaves.

After the attack stopped, So-mu stood up unsteadily.

“sorry.”

“Shut up and go back to your seat.”

The soldier didn’t even think about tying her hands again. I thought I wouldn’t have the strength to run away due to the shock from earlier.

So-mu limped and walked to the rear of the group while holding the child.

When we arrived at the table, the child on my shoulder expressed his gratitude, wiping away tore.

“Thank you…”

“You’re fine, so there’s nothing to worry about. How old are you?”

“Eight…”

“You’re the same age as my daughter.”

“Really?”

So-mu nodded and smiled bitterly.

“I wish I could free you and all these people and take them away, but I don’t have the ability to do that right now.”

“…….”

“Never give up even if you have to go through difficult times for a while. It is said that the darkest time is before dawn. If you endure, I will definitely let you live in a good world.”

The child could not understand what was being said. I just felt like his words were a warm consolation and that my heart was at ease.

“Thank you.”

Then the head of the line began to pass through the gate.

So-mu, who was following behind, looked around the castle. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut at the sight that came into view.

Soldiers were completely occupying the streets. Just looking at the visible numbers, the military here was enormous. Among them, it was not difficult to find residents being dragged around like livestock.

‘It’s no different wherever you go.’

The Hui Dynasty did not view the people of the conquered cities as anything more than livestock. I felt frustrated, but there was nothing I could do now.

After a while, the place he arrived at was a large vacant lot that looked like a pig farm. There were straw bales spread on the floor, and a torn tent seemed to surround it.

“Come on in!”

“hurry!”

So-mu sat in the corner and waited. And the break wasn’t long.

Before the eclipse was complete, the soldiers came again.

“You, and you! And that guy too.”

A person who appeared to be the Ten Seals pointed out dozens of people with his fingers.

Coincidentally, So-mu was included. He took out the beef jerky that Yeon Seo-hwa had given him from her pocket and secretly put it in the hem of the child’s clothes.

“Keep in mind what the uncle said. It may be difficult right now, but if you hold on, a better world will come, so you have to grit your teeth and survive.”

“Yes, uncle… thank you.”

So-mu stroked the child’s head once and said goodbye.

“Why don’t you come quickly? Do you want to die?”

“I’m leaving now.”

He followed the soldiers deeper into the castle. It was in the direction where the palace was located. So-mu continued to look around to see if there was anything unusual.

‘The level of training was quite good.’

Although they were not comparable to the elite soldiers of the So Dynasty, they were qualitatively different from the enemy soldiers they had fought so far. I was curious as to why he was taking a break even with such a medical history.

After a while, So-mu’s brow furrowed. This was because I saw a mountain of corpses piled up on one side. It was the image of the people who were harassed until the end and died pitifully.

‘I don’t know how much longer I can endure if I continue to stay here.’

As we entered the palace, construction work was going on everywhere. It was a place of labor. A large number of people were carrying bricks and erecting the shrine.

“You go there! You go there!”

So-mu moved to the direction instructed. Then the supervisor, holding a whip, ordered him to work.

“Don’t hesitate, move quickly! If we don’t meet today’s workload, we’ll all starve!”

“All right.”

So-mu, clutching a brick behind his back like the others, walked back and forth and looked around. Labor work varied. All work done within the corps was done through slaves. And nothing interested him.

‘There’s nothing special here either. ‘I’ll have to check somewhere else.’

As So-mu watched for an opportunity, a supervisor was approaching. And to the right, an empty pavilion was seen.

“Why are you doing tricks instead of working?”

“My back hurts. I’ll take a break and then do it.”

The supervisor looked at So-mu with a bewildered expression. He was trudging toward the empty pavilion.

“Did this guy turn around?”

The supervisor followed So-mu inside, holding his whip and huffing. After one more breath, he was falling to the floor without any understanding.

Dump-!

So-mu quickly took off his clothes and changed them. After hiding his body in a corner, he came out of the palace.

‘I have to hurry. As soon as it gets dark, a curfew will begin, making action more difficult.’

His gait became unstoppable. Ban Si-jin went around Luoyang Castle and scouted out places.

The moment So-mu left the place where the workshop was crowded, So-mu’s steps stopped. A lot of people moving around busily in a wide basin. And there was something at the center of them that caught So-mu’s attention.

‘That…’ … ?’