Chapter 357: v15c7 - Macroscopic Perspective
Volume 15 Chapter 7 – Macroscopic Perspective
Part 7 – Macroscopic Perspective
Northeast of the Imperial Capital.
A city located near Shanhaiguan, the terminal point of the Great Wall.
Fitting for a trading hub that connected the State of Zhongyuan, the north, and the northern part of the State of Eastern Kingdom by land.
The city was bustling with an endless stream of people coming and going.
“(This Goryeo ginseng is a top-grade product that must go directly to the Imperial Capital. You want to exchange such precious ginseng for mere hides? Are you crazy?)” he was slipping pouches stuffed with gold coins to corrupt officials.
“(You must be the crazy one! How is this white tiger hide inferior to that smelly root?!)” the merchant from the State of Eastern Kingdom and the merchant from the northern tribes raised their voices as if they would grab each other’s collars at any moment.
“Stepping foot into this State of Zhongyuan without going through proper customs procedures is—” a Zhongyuan strawman merchant group leader, hired by someone to evade the trade tariffs imposed on foreign merchant groups.
“Oh, officers. How could I forget the procedures?”
“Here, here. I have packed this ‘procedure’ full of sincerity!”
“Ahem…!”
“(Did you just insult our tribe?!)” the clamor and chaos were indeed reminiscent of a battlefield.
“(It is a duel, right now!)” sword fights broke out here and there with no small frequency.
“…….”
“…….”
Traveling through such a street without any conversation, wearing even capes in this hot weather.
Although an armed group exuding an obviously unusual aura crossed, their eyes flashing.
With just that much.
It was difficult to draw any special attention in this city.
[It is over there.]
Spotting the prearranged signal, the warrior at the lead guided the group to a luxurious inn.
“Heuuu…”
Along with a dying sound.
Sweat was pouring down the face of the high-ranking tactician, who threw off his cape as soon as he entered the room.
“You worked hard!”
“Here, cold tea! Everyone, please take one!”
The high-ranking tactician downed the cold tea handed to him by the waiting servers of the luxurious inn in a single gulp.
“Keuha…!”
Looking disapprovingly at the high-ranking tactician who drank what was given without any proper verification procedures.
The security chief reported to the person behind him.
[…The inn is filled with unusual energy. It seems they have no intention of hiding it.]
The one who took off the cape with a hoarse voice was,
“Since there is no need to hide it, they do not hide it.”
None other than Grand Tactician Sima.
Considering his advanced age in that heat, he must have been more exhausted than anyone else, but.
His eyes alone shone piercingly.
“Seek cooperation and conduct a joint security check.”
[Understood.]
As the security chief moved out, leaving a minimal number of personnel behind,
“Grand Tactician.”
The high-ranking tactician, looking visibly exhausted, carefully opened his mouth.
“The time spent stopping by this city is not small.”
“…And?”
When Grand Tactician Sima’s eyes turned toward him, he continued his suggestion even more cautiously.
“Would it not have been better to join the Third Young Master even a day sooner…?”
As a result of holding each other back.
That they could not move the forces within the Sword Family immediately was the same for both the Eldest Young Master and the Third Young Master.
“As you said, since our side has the upper hand in forces that can be moved from the outside right now, arriving in the north even a bit faster—” grand Tactician Sima, who moistened his throat with a sip of cold tea that had been cleared for safety by a guard, cut off his words.
“—War.”
“It is different from local skirmishes. If you lose a macroscopic perspective for even a single moment…”
Grand Tactician Sima raised his scrawny hand and covered the high-ranking tactician’s eyes.
“You will not even see defeat approaching right before your throat.”
When he removed the hand that covered them.
“……!”
Fully armed martial artists.
Surrounding them from front, back, left, and right before he knew it, filled the high-ranking tactician’s field of vision.
“…….”
The high-ranking tactician asked Grand Tactician Sima, swallowing dry saliva.
“…Just who is the person you decided to hold a meeting with, Grand Tactician?”
“There is no need for you to know.”
At that moment, as if approval had been granted.
“His Excellency is waiting.”
One of the martial artists of unknown affiliation pointed upward to Grand Tactician Sima.
* * *
“…….”
There was not a single noise in the elegantly decorated room.
To the point where the pandemonium they had passed outside felt like a lie.
A desk placed in the middle of the room.
The middle-aged man sitting at the massive desk did not say a word to Grand Tactician Sima and only stared at the documents, but.
“…….”
“…….”
Grand Tactician Sima did not make a sound.
He just stood there, waiting for him to finish his business.
“…You are late.”
That was the middle-aged man’s first words.
Grand Tactician Sima’s eyes glanced at the antique clock hanging on the wall.
Barely a quarter of an hour.
However, Grand Tactician Sima obediently bowed his head to express regret.
“I apologize.”
Despite the clean apology.
The middle-aged man’s mood seemed strangely displeased.
“The Second Young Master of your family, Yeon Ja-cheong, also always tried to rush, but in the end, he was late.”
Even if he was currently detained.
How many people in the State of Zhongyuan could casually call the name of the Second Young Master of the great Luoyang Sword Family?
“Wearing a gold mask and such to hide his ugly face, and acting as if he could do anything, he lost miserably to Eldest Young Master Yeon So-hyeon.”
As far as Grand Tactician Sima knew.
That middle-aged man was, without a doubt.
A person who could casually call the names of the Luoyang Sword Family’s young masters.
“Would you all, the Third Young Master, have something different?”
“Certainly…”
Grand Tactician Sima nodded slowly.
“It would not be easy to suddenly build a relationship of trust. But…”
The old man with the appearance of a Daoist immortal showed his teeth slightly with a gentle expression.
“At that time, the one who suffered defeat from the Eldest Young Master was not only the Second Young Master of our family, but was it not the same for Your Excellency as well?”
Grand Tactician Sima said, looking straight into the middle-aged man’s eyes.
“O Patriarch of the Gongsun Family, one of the Sixteen Imperial Capital Families.”
The Patriarch of the Gongsun Family.
The current Patriarch of the Gongsun Family, who was a foster son of Gongsun Na-gang, the former patriarch of the Gongsun Family and an Old Demon who followed Yeon So-hyeon.
As the current Patriarch of the Gongsun Family, he was the one who possessed immense influence within the imperial court.
“…….”
Although he glared at Grand Tactician Sima with a heavy gaze.
“…….”
Grand Tactician Sima did not avoid his eyes.
Whether he liked that appearance, in the end.
Relaxing the strength in his eyes, the Patriarch of the Gongsun Family spoke first.
“…Call me Grand Eunuch.”
The eunuchs who held immense power.
And he was the head of the Directorate of Ceremonial, the organization that controlled all the eunuchs in the imperial court of the State of Zhongyuan.
Namely, the Grand Eunuch.
“Yes, Elder Grand Eunuch of Ceremonial.”
The Grand Eunuch gestured.
“Sit there.”
Concurrently with those words, suddenly behind Grand Tactician Sima.
A martial artist popped out without a trace of presence, set down a chair, and disappeared again like a phantom.
“…I will stand.”
“As you wish.”
The position of Grand Eunuch had no time to rest.
Without any small talk.
He picked up and turned a new document, immediately entering the main topic.
“If Yelu Nujucha, who claims the title of king in the north, wins, he will replace Murong and become the new Northern Grand General.”
The one speaking was the head of the Directorate of Ceremonial.
It was not a prediction or foresight like ‘the imperial court will have no choice but to make this decision.’
It was a confirmation, a decided matter.
“If our side helps the Yelu Tribe win…?”
The Grand Eunuch answered immediately.
“Third Young Master Yeon Jeok-gwang will become a meritorious official of the State of Zhongyuan.”
“Is that something the Patriarchs of the other Sixteen Families also—” with this.
“—It is a matter agreed upon by everyone.”
Measures for a war without aftermath were clearly taken.
“Thank you.”
“There is nothing to be thankful for at this point.”
The Grand Eunuch wore a twisted smile.
“Since we are well aware that you have already formed an alliance with those barbarians.”
Grand Tactician Sima shrugged with a calm expression.
“Were not the Sixteen Families themselves secretly supporting the Yelu Tribe from behind since long ago?”
At Grand Tactician Sima’s unexpected words, instead of replying, the Grand Eunuch snorted while looking down at the documents.
“Rather than that…”
Grand Tactician Sima changed the subject.
And brought up the question that had remained unresolved all this time.
“Could you not have prevented such authority from being given to the Eldest Young Master from the beginning?”
The hand of the Grand Eunuch, which was turning the documents, paused for a moment.
“…….”
After a short while, keeping his eyes glued to the documents, he opened his mouth to reply.
“…That was impossible.”
“Does that mean—” the Grand Eunuch intercepted the speculation Grand Tactician Sima was about to make.
“Currently, in the political circles of the Imperial Capital.”
As if even that time was a waste.
“The Eldest Young Master’s influence has penetrated deeper than your expectations.”
“…….”
Was it to that extent?
More wrinkles were added to Grand Tactician Sima’s wrinkled forehead.
“Starting from His Majesty the Emperor, not to mention Prime Minister Kang Sang, many high officials are secretly holding hands with that guy, Yeon So-hyeon.”
The Second Young Master’s defeat was key.
The sound of the Grand Eunuch clicking his tongue softly echoed in the room.
“Furthermore, on the outside, those damn Old Demons are invisibly obstructing everything across the State of Zhongyuan.”
In the end.
The Grand Eunuch threw the documents, which he had not even been reading properly, onto the desk.
“We thought the Eldest Young Master had drawn in the Old Demons to reinforce His Majesty the Emperor’s allies in the Imperial Capital. But—” this time, Grand Tactician Sima cut off his words.
“The Eldest Young Master, from the very beginning, wanted to shake the Sixteen Imperial Capital Families from a place far from the Imperial Capital.”
The Grand Eunuch nodded with a bitter expression.
“…In the first place, I suspect that bastard, the Eldest Young Master, brought up the ‘Yangtze River Waterway Expansion and Maintenance Project’ just to drag us out of the Imperial Capital.”
Since the Yangtze River was far from the Imperial Capital.
Since the Old Demons, under the pretext of helping the Emperor, were stirring up trouble everywhere while pushing the Yangtze River Waterway Expansion and Maintenance Project the current patriarchs could not stay sitting in the Imperial Capital in order to respond.
“…So you are saying that, taking advantage of that gap, the Eldest Young Master received His Majesty the Emperor’s imperial decree.”
“That is right.”
The Grand Eunuch nodded, and then.
Burying himself deep in his chair, he looked at Grand Tactician Sima.
“And that Eldest Young Master reportedly arrived at the Northern Grand General’s Estate yesterday.”
“I have also received reports on that.”
The Grand Eunuch snorted softly.
“Did you also hear that he resolved the food problem in a single day?”
“…….”
To Grand Tactician Sima, who did not reply, a subordinate of the Grand Eunuch brought a report.
“…….”
Looking at Grand Tactician Sima, who read the content of the report with clenched teeth, the Grand Eunuch said.
“The Terror King, Yelu Nujucha, tried to choke the opponent to pursue a slow but sure victory, but that strategy has already failed.”
He warned.
“Whatever you plan to do, you had better move quickly.”
Toward the back of Grand Tactician Sima, who turned his steps to leave.
The Grand Eunuch’s voice followed.
“The Second Young Master, Yeon Ja-cheong, always rushed but was always later than his opponent, so he failed in the end. I hope you all find a different ending.”
* * *
The Northern Grand General’s Estate.
“…….”
Blankly.
Murong Un-jeong, who sat before the dining table, turned her head and looked out the window.
“…It will all get cold.”
At Yeon So-hyeon’s words, she put rice back into her mouth, chewed a few times, and.
Forgetting to even chew, she looked outside again.
“…….”
Throughout the camp, where the term ‘northern refugee camp’ was more fitting than the ‘Northern Grand General’s Estate,’ smoke from cooking rice was rising.
From the large tents where entire tribes lived.
To the small tents that looked like they could collapse at any moment.
Without a single exception, the dense, savory smoke of cooking rice rose up.
“—-!”
“—!”
At the sound of sunburned children playing and giggling in the mud outside she ended up forgetting to chew her rice.
“…It feels like a dream.”
At her words, which sounded as if she were wandering in a dream, Yeon So-hyeon set down his chopsticks with a bitter smile and stood up.
“Are you happy?”
Watching him stand by the window, Murong Un-jeong smiled.
“…I am happy.”
“That is a relief.”
She also set down her utensils, stood up, and headed toward the window.
Carefully.
Standing at a distance that was neither too close nor too far from Yeon So-hyeon.
She continued speaking.
“With this, morale is sufficient. Even right now—” toward her, who looked back with a puzzled face, Yeon So-hyeon said.
“No, not yet.”
“We cannot fight a battle while leaving a source of trouble in our rear.”
Murong Un-jeong’s eyes widened to the limit.
“Does that mean—”
* * *
“Depart immediately!”
Grand Tactician Sima, who hurriedly climbed into the carriage, shouted.
“The Eldest Young Master’s next target is the Murong Clan!”