Episode 454
I opened the letter, looked at its contents, and narrowed my eyes.
As Sima Yun said, it was written that the battle line in Hebei had collapsed.
It is said that the martial powers in the region, including the Paeng family, swallowed their anger and retreated to Shandong.
‘What about you, Master?’
Hebei was the area where the torpedo squad led by Master was dispatched.
Rather than the extent of the damage or the situation on the battlefield, I was more concerned about Master’s safety.
Even though I thought it would be okay, I couldn’t help but be worried.
‘······Thankfully, you are safe.’
This is how the front line collapsed.
The White-Faced Death God has been appearing in Hebei steadily since last year.
In order to subdue him, the teacher left the room for a while, and it seemed that the demonic army took advantage of that gap and rushed in.
‘It is truly an unfortunate incident.’
How did the Demonic Cult know that Master was absent?
It’s unlikely that Master made a noticeable move on purpose.
It’s hard to say it was just a coincidence, but the sequence of events came together as if they were following a script written by someone.
There is only one possibility that comes to mind.
I wondered if a traitor inside had sold the information to the Demonic Cult.
From the beginning, the White Faced Reaper must have been bait to attract the teacher.
‘I guess the Demon Cultist hasn’t been idle all this time either. Maybe they prepared a replacement for Akga and used it this time.’
In this martial arts world, there were many individuals and groups with unfair circumstances other than the evil ones.
The religious leader was a person who sought out such people like ghosts and extended his hand.
Wasn’t the reason why the Empty School collapsed and the Demonic Cult easily swallowed up Ganshu because the internal enemy was active?
It would not be surprising if there was a second or third white door.
‘In the end, just like the history of my previous life, the Demonic Cult ate up the entire northern part of the Central Plains.’
Although Liaoning (遼寧) remained, it was virtually isolated due to its location, so it would not be able to hold out for long.
In the end, the martial arts forces of Liaoning, including the Mo Yong family, will be given two options.
Either surrender to the Demonic Cult or close the gate.
‘I don’t know if the Demonic Cult will really leave the clans and families that have been buried alive.’
Still, I was relieved that it wasn’t the worst.
The Sword King and the Thunder King were safe, and the number of casualties was relatively small.
King Gwon, who led the rescue army to confront the Demon Cult leader, was seriously injured, but it did not seem to be life-threatening.
‘by the way.’
A phrase written near the middle of the letter caught my attention.
『The retreating warriors are now…』
Retreat, not defeat.
It felt strange to think that it was simply a purification of expression.
Especially considering that it is an official document to convey battlefield news to the branch of the League.
‘To understand the details, I’ll have to return to the headquarters first.’
Did you read this person’s thoughts?
Sima Yun said, gesturing in the direction of the main gate.
“I have instructed my servant to prepare a carriage on the way.”
I nodded with a faint smile on my face.
This is why it was good to have smart subordinates.
“It’s a shame. “I wanted to stay in Sima Sega for a while and observe the process of change in the power structure of Guizhou, but I no longer have the time to do so.”
“Please leave the rest to me. “I will wait with all preparations in place.”
“I will trust the small cooperative.”
* * *
“Welcome, Cheonan Inspector General.”
As soon as I arrived at the main meeting of the group, I was called into the meeting room of the main office of the group. I looked around and clicked my tongue.
The elders were barely visible.
Only Sanghyeolgeom of the Ami faction, Sohyeongeom of the Hwasan faction, and Pamyeonggeom of the Haenam faction were present.
For the past few months, the guys who had been attending meetings and biting at me when I was bored disappeared all at once, as if they had made an agreement in advance as the situation on the battlefield became more serious.
At this point, if he was caught by the leader, his military unit could be dragged into battle, so he was trying to protect himself.
In the case of Pamyeonggeom, a person who usually stayed in his own home and did not leave the house showed his face in an unusual way.
Regardless of the situation on the battlefield, he probably walked all the way to the conference room to see me using the Flame Soul Sword.
“You made a big contribution this time too.”
“The credit for catching the demon ship lies not with me, but with the martial arts people of Gwiju. I just finished it. In other words, it’s like catching a mouse while a cow is backing up.”
“Even so, a ball is a ball.”
As soon as the meeting started, Maeng Ju and Joo Hwa Baek painted my face with gold.
These days, his words and actions feel more and more burdensome.
He very openly considered me as one of his own and pushed me, and it was like watching a parent bragging about their child.
“Now that you say that, I don’t know what to do.”
I bowed my head politely and gave up.
Whatever it was, it was impossible to show it on the outside.
Artist Joo’s public affairs continued for a long time afterwards.
Sohyeongeom, who was quietly watching the situation, quietly took steps to stop him.
“Lord.”
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“Why but?”
“I think it’s time to get to the point.”
Juhwabaek glances at Sohyeongeom with sharply narrowed eyes.
Even with a look in his eyes that would make an ordinary person go numb, Sohyeongeom did not waver at all.
Just continue talking calmly.
“I know that Director Cheonan’s contribution is not small, but isn’t the purpose of convening this meeting to protect public affairs?”
“······.”
“It is not too late to postpone discussing what kind of award to give until after we have decided how to respond to the movements of the Demonic Cult.”
“······.”
“The head of the Cheonan Inspector General, who is a party to the situation, will also want to hear news about the situation on the battlefield first.”
A tense battle ensued.
Joohwabaek and Sohyeongeom stare at each other in silence for a while.
In the end, it was Joo Hwabaek who took a step back first.
Commander Zhuge Huan, who had been quietly observing the situation, stepped forward and spoke to me.
“Cheonan Inspector General.”
“yes.”
“You must have been exhausted from your battle with the Demon Ship, so the reason you hurriedly returned to the headquarters was because you heard about the situation on the battlefield. is not it?”
“That’s right.”
“Let me ask you one thing. “When you checked the contents of the letter delivered to the Gwiju branch, didn’t you feel any discomfort?”
“They used the expression retreat, not defeat. “The number of casualties was small compared to the scale and outcome of the battle.”
“You have a good eye for attention.”
“Seeing that you talk so clearly, it seems like there is a hidden story behind it.”
Zhuge Huan nodded, drawing an arc at the corner of his mouth.
As I waited for him to speak with a puzzled expression, he spoke with a hint of energy in his voice.
“Come in.”
The door to the conference room opened wide, and a woman appeared inside.
I looked back and opened my eyes wide.
Zhuge Hye, who was dressed in bright and colorful clothes unlike usual, walked lightly and approached Zhuge Huan.
I felt his presence right away, but I thought he was just accompanying Zhuge Huan as a member of the Dark Night Army.
I never thought she would show up at an official meeting.
The first thing she said after secretly exchanging glances with Zhuge Huan was enough to shock the middle class.
“This is Zhuge Hye, who has recently become deputy military commander. “I will explain in detail.”
The disturbance spread.
Meng’s executives who attended the meeting looked at each other in confusion and murmured.
‘Vice-gun?’
Even I couldn’t help but be surprised by this.
I knew that Commander-in-Chief Zhuge Huan had selected Zhuge Hui as his successor.
However, I thought it would be a little later for her to go up to the bright stage.
That was inevitable because the war was still in full swing.
The sudden change in the power structure within the military department was bound to cause confusion.
‘I think we’re pushing things forward too hastily.’
It was an issue that could raise the dissatisfaction of other members to the surface.
Zhuge Hye was the leader of the Black Night Army.
It was a blind island with no official records of activity.
To put it bluntly, she did not have any achievements to be recognized as vice-military.
‘What on earth are you thinking?’
Of course, there were quite a few people in the military department who had no past history of activity for similar reasons.
However, none of them were given that level of status upon entering the military department.
“For your information, I was the one who suggested to the leadership commanding the Allied Forces in Hebei that they retreat to Shandong.”
The conference room was turned upside down.
It was natural since he was admitting that he was the reason why the front line was pushed back.
Some people were indignant, asking why he did such a thing, while others pointed fingers at him, asking if he was sane.
“First, please listen to my story to the end.”
Zhuge Hye was not intimidated by the pouring gaze and continued speaking calmly.
Joo Hwabaek and Zhuge Huan took turns shouting to calm down the middle school officials.
“I’m telling you in case you misunderstand, but I had no authority to command the Allied Forces. “If the suggestion I made was unreasonable, the head of the Hebei Peng family would never have accepted it.”
I nodded in agreement with her remarks.
The Hebei Peng family could not have made the decision to abandon their family home easily.
The great clans and large corporations that dominated the region placed great importance on the history built up in their hometowns.
It wasn’t simply a matter of pride.
The reason why the Old Daemun Sect and the Odaesae were revered and supported by local residents was because they took on the role of guardians who protected the general public.
The trust they instilled in local residents over a long period of time was also closely related to practical benefits.
A representative example was the independent faction.
Even in an urgent situation where demonic cultists were flocking in, what was the reason why they could not easily abandon the monks and, feeling anxious, headed to Yangyang (襄阳) belatedly?
It was not difficult to repair and hang the fallen signboard and rebuild the collapsed building.
However, it was very difficult to restore trust once it was broken.
The damage inflicted by the Demon cultists on the residents of Hebei would continue to act as an obstacle to the revival of the Peng family.
‘Nevertheless, the Hebei Paeng family accepted Zhuge Hui’s suggestion.’
This meant that a justifiable reason, or a clear counter-benefit, was presented.
Everyone held their breath and waited for the next words to come out of Zhuge Hui’s mouth.
“I think everyone knows that the Demon Ship has been subdued.”
“······.”
“Due to his death, the Demonic Cult will face a major setback in the production of Demonic Dan from now on.”
Sohyeongeom’s expression showed surprise.
He and some others seemed to have figured out what Zhuge Hye was trying to say even before hearing what he said.
“And the way the Demonic Cult stabilizes its occupied territories is through indoctrination.”
“······!”
“The key material for enlightenment is madan. Now that Ma Xian has died, a huge area called Hebei has fallen into the hands of Ma Cult. “You can easily guess what happens next.”
martial arts,
