Chapter 353: v15c3 - An Old Debt
Volume 15 Chapter 3 – An Old Debt
Part 3 – An Old Debt
“You mean you prepared something even larger here?!”
“Amazing, Eldest Young Master…!”
Unlike the generals who were owners of relatively simple brains,
“……”
Murong Ho could not understand the situation currently unfolding.
‘He prepared in advance, thinking such a thing might happen?’
Just what on earth did that mean?
‘From what he heard, wasn’t using the Tea Fan Maidens to purchase food also something prepared several months ago?’
If it was several months ago it was before the moniker “Terror King” had even properly settled in the north.
Moreover, it was a time when the Eldest Young Master, who had not finished his seclusion long ago was in a major conflict with the Second Young Master, who had built up his power within the Luoyang Sword Family for many years.
‘Yet, in the midst of that, he was concerned about the food situation in the northern lands, not knowing whether it would be needed or not?’
Generals who were dull to financial matters might simply think, ‘He’s the Eldest Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Family, so he must have bought food because he has a lot of money,’ but he himself was not that simple.
‘How on earth did the Eldest Young Master procure that astronomical amount at that point?’
The woman named An Song-gyeong was merely laughing heartily, clapping her hands as if pretending to have a refreshingly open personality that shared everything with everyone here, but where was the funding secured?
“Did you prepare another move?”
“As expected of the Eldest Young Master!”
‘in reality, she did not mention anything that could be sensitive information…!’
How, and by whom would that much food be transported?
Just what was the plan?
‘The Tea Fan Maidens certainly have outstanding business talent, but…’
At best, they were only expanding with the land of Sichuan as their center.
‘How could they be capable of large-scale transport south of the Great Wall?’
If so that meant…
Murong Ho’s trembling gaze turned toward their new commander sitting in the seat of honor, the Eldest Young Master Yeon So-hyeon.
‘Did it mean that the Eldest Young Master still had a massive organization not yet revealed to the outside, and the Tea Fan Maidens were cooperating with them?’
Did his older sister know something?
Murong Ho slid a glance at Murong Un-jeong.
“……”
Her usual expressionless face.
As usual, it was impossible to tell what she was thinking, or if she even felt emotions wearing an extremely blunt expression, but
“……”
If one looked closely, one could see her nose twitching.
‘…She is just absolutely dying of joy.’
Having accurately penetrated his older sister’s mood, which no one could easily grasp, he swallowed a low sigh.
‘…Well.’
What was the point of thinking so hard?
‘If the capabilities of the new commander of our side are outstanding, then that is a good thing.’
“Let them enter.”
The Eldest Young Master’s command fell, and the door opened.
‘Is there anything that could appear now and surprise me?’
Thinking so inwardly, Murong Ho confirmed the identity of the person who revealed themselves, and he could not help but have his eyelids tremble as if having a spasm.
“It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Eldest Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Family.”
“……!”
“The next patriarch of the Gwak Family?”
* * *
“Isn’t that General Gwak…?”
Revealing himself while escorted by a squad of heavily armored troops was the one called General Gwak, the next patriarch of the Gwak Family.
“……”
He was by no means an unfamiliar figure to the high-ranking officers of the Northern Great General’s Headquarters.
Far from being unfamiliar it was rather an issue that they knew each other too well.
“What kind of place do you think this is that you come visiting?!”
“What is your business here, you who stayed in the safe rear and did not even support the Great General’s Headquarters?!”
“Even while holding that vast amount of food coming from the Great Plains, you pretended not to hear our requests?!”
As the generals of the Great General’s Headquarters stood up and ground their teeth the chairs rolled backward from the force of their momentum.
“A safe rear?”
However general Gwak, thoroughly escorted and surrounded by heavy troops, gave a low snort.
“Our Gwak Family pioneered the Great Plains north of the Great Wall before anyone here.”
Although the rank of the Gwak Family’s next patriarch in the military was merely general the power held by the Gwak Family gave him influence that far exceeded his rank.
“At the time of the Northern War, who defended that Great Plain until the end?”
He raised his hand for all to see.
“Only our Gwak Family remained in that place, defending the Great Plain from those barbarians at the cost of countless lives of our clan.”
With that, he swept his sharp gaze over the assembly and asked another question.
“At that time, where were you all, the proud generals of the Northern Great General’s Headquarters?”
“……”
“……”
While the generals of the Great General’s Headquarters ground their teeth but could not say a word, his low sound of ridicule filled the meeting room.
“And yet, now that you are in need, you utter nonsense like ‘safe rear’ to our Gwak Family and tell us to hand over military provisions?”
“Aren’t you acting as if you left the military provisions with us in safekeeping?”
“General Gwak! Watch your tongue!”
Unable to bear it any longer, Murong Ho stepped forward and shouted.
“You are also a general who receives the nation’s stipend, yet whose presence do you think you are in to speak so carelessly?!”
At those words general Gwak’s gaze slid toward Murong Un-jeong, but he quickly pretended not to see her and spoke.
“Eldest Young Master.”
He clicked his tongue.
“Well, having invited a guest, the hospitality is truly terrible. If this is the hospitality of the famous great Luoyang Sword Family, I will be disappointed.”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward the Eldest Young Master.
“……”
“……”
The Eldest Young Master had indeed said he prepared something, but it was because the next patriarch of the Gwak Family had a completely different attitude from the Tea Fan Maidens.
However, when the Eldest Young Master’s completely unexpected question popped out, the faces of the assembly became thick with curiosity.
“Is the esteemed patriarch still in good health?”
“…Of course. My father is healthy.”
Along with the answer, General Gwak’s face distorted.
“If my father were not in good health, I would have had no reason to come all the way here.”
Because the current patriarch, Elder Gwak, did not retire despite his advanced age general Gwak, who had long since entered middle age could not become the patriarch of the Gwak Family—which was a well-known fact in the north— so his reaction was not unusual to the people of the Northern Great General’s Headquarters.
Right now, the point they were concerned about was the relationship between the elderly current patriarch and the Eldest Young Master.
“Oh? That is good news to hear.”
“…Why act as if you do not know?”
General Gwak’s eyes trembled with anger.
“After thoroughly interfering in the fortress repair project with my father last spring and damaging my face…!”
He ground his teeth.
“You pretend to not know the news very well indeed!”
“The fortress repair project?”
As the Eldest Young Master wore a face that suggested he did not know what he was talking about, General Gwak burst into anger.
“I mean the fortress repair project that that damn Elder Yeom, the hero of the Northern War, took…!”
Just as he said last spring to receive the sword of Elder Yeom, who had visited him at Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment at the time, the Eldest Young Master had exerted some influence from where he sat.
“Ah.”
Only then did the Eldest Young Master casually pretend to remember.
“Come to think of it, did such a thing happen…?”
Of course it was impossible for Yeon So-hyeon to forget anything, and it was merely an act to scrape at General Gwak’s inside now, but as expected, seeing how precisely the intention had hit the mark, blood vessels stood out on General Gwak’s flushed face.
“Eldest Young Master!”
“If your plan was to call me here just to mock me, I will return immediately!”
“No, no. You must not do that.”
At his appearance, looking as if he would kick back his chair and leave right away the Eldest Young Master spoke with a good-natured chuckle.
“The Gwak Family must supply the food produced in the Great Plains to the Great General’s Headquarters for at least the next three years.”
“…What?!”
Unlike his good-natured smile the content was enough to completely twist General Gwak’s feelings.
“Just because you were appointed as the deputy by His Imperial Majesty, does everything in this land of Zhongyuan look like it belongs to you?!”
Since General Gwak was not the only one angered even the Gwak Family guards he had brought showed signs of rising agitation.
“Our Gwak Family pioneered the Great Plain and defended it alone! Thus, we were granted independent rights over the grain harvested from the Great Plain!”
That was the biggest reason General Gwak could speak loudly at the Great General’s Headquarters.
“I have never owed any debt to the Luoyang Sword Family, nor to you, Eldest Young Master, so do not speak carelessly to me!”
At his fierce shout, even the generals let out low groans, but the Eldest Young Master still spoke with a good-natured face.
“Did you say you have no debt?”
“If not for this Yeon So-hyeon, the Gwak Family would not even have succeeded in pioneering the Great Plain?”
Just what did that mean?
The assembly buzzed.
“Did you hear that just now?”
“They succeeded in pioneering the Great Plain thanks to the Eldest Young Master?”
“I have never heard of such a story…”
Murong Ho, who quickly calculated in his head, wore a bewildered expression.
‘No. The Gwak Family’s pioneering of the Great Plain was a matter from when the Eldest Young Master was far younger, wasn’t it?’
Without caring how the assembly buzzed, it was so.
“General Gwak, you also could not have been entirely ignorant of the situation back then?”
“……”
In the past, when the pioneering work of the Great Plain faced numerous difficulties his father frequently exchanged letters with someone.
Every time that happened, the sluggish project proceeded smoothly as if a blocked stream had been opened.
And from around that time the name of the Eldest Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Family began to be frequently mentioned from his father’s mouth, who had never even met him.
Therefore, the assumption that his father had succeeded in the pioneering work with the help of the young Yeon So-hyeon became reality, and was clearly revealed at this moment.
“My father…”
General Gwak spoke as if mumbling.
“never accurately informed anyone about your role—” the Eldest Young Master tapped the desk lightly.
“That was because I did not want to snatch away the lifelong efforts the esteemed elder had put in, so we agreed to do it that way.”
“Thus, the esteemed elder had been keeping that fact buried.”
“……”
The Eldest Young Master clicked his tongue and spoke to General Gwak.
“The esteemed elder, who has difficulty moving, sent you in his stead and must have strictly urged you to absolutely accept this Yeon So-hyeon’s request and not to make difficulties. Is that not so?”
“……”
Because those words were true general Gwak had nothing to say.
“Before harboring resentment about your aging father not letting go of the patriarch position, you should have thought deeply.”
The Eldest Young Master’s voice rang out.
“Last spring, when the esteemed elder, who had retired from the front line, granted my request in the fortress repair project even at the cost of damaging your face, did you feel nothing?”
“……”
Before long.
“Even from the fact that Elder Gwak sent you here immediately upon receiving the letter I sent, did you feel nothing but resentment?”
“……”
“Do you still not know why the esteemed elder did not share the secret, and why he has not handed over the patriarch position to you?”
“……”
Yeon So-hyeon’s tone had changed to a lower speech level and his gaze looking down from the seat of honor was heavy.
“Did you say you owe me no debt? No. That is not it.”
Yeon So-hyeon slowly shook his finger.
“The clothes you wear now, the position you occupy, and all that your family enjoys now,” his finger pointed to himself.
“is due to me.”
The Eldest Young Master showed his teeth.
“It is a debt owed to Yeon So-hyeon.”
“……”
“……”
While the assembly dared not even breathe loudly general Gwak forced his mouth open with difficulty.
“…Did you say three years?”
“Yes.”
As the Eldest Young Master answered immediately, General Gwak drew a line.
“With this, our Gwak Family has no further debt to you, Eldest Young Master.”
The footsteps of General Gwak, who spoke so and was about to turn around, were caught by the Eldest Young Master’s words.
“No, no. That is not it.”
“Should we not calculate precisely?”
General Gwak turned around again.
“…What do you mean?”
As he looked back, the Eldest Young Master spoke without a single trace of laughter on his face.
“Seeing that the eldest son of the family behaved so arrogantly before me, yet was able to walk back safely on his own two feet…”
“……!”
A freezing killing intent was flowing from the Eldest Young Master.
“Rather, it should be viewed that the Gwak Family’s debt has increased by one.”