Chapter 385 : Seed (4)
Chapter 385: Seed (4)
As someone who spent his life devoted to martial arts and consequently lived as an old bachelor well past the age of fifty, Wi Jin-hak was flabbergasted by the proposal
Il-mok was no less dumbfounded.
'So that's what he was after from the beginning!'
It was the moment he belatedly realized that the fellow who had been speaking so cheerfully all this while was no strategist but a matchmaker.
While everyone reeled from the unexpected proposal, Wi Jin-hak pulled himself together and answered.
"My apologies, but as the Cult Leader of the Divine Cult, I have not the slightest intention of taking to wife one who does not believe in our doctrine."
"Hahahaha. A temperament as unyielding as bamboo. But on that score, you need not worry about that. An alliance demands that each side know the other, and the daughter of our Zhuge Family shall devote herself and abide by the doctrines of the Divine Cult."
"Family Head of the Zhuge Family. What in the world are you trying to accomplish?"
"This is supposed to be a discussion about the future. Why are you trying to drag marriage into it?"
"The two seniors speak rightly."
Before Il-mok could jump in to address the man whose words somehow reeked of a sycophantic courtier, the Supreme Ultimate Sword Immortal, the Beggar King, and Hwangbo Ak all stepped forward to restrain him.
But on the contrary, Zhuge Mun’s reaction to the orthodox men is one of confusion.
"Marriage is the future. And from ancient times, nothing has cemented an alliance more reliably than matrimony. The Nine Great Sects and One Gang may differ, but it's been common practice among the Seven Great Families. The Peng Family of Hebei has even married into a general's house."
Before they could come up with anything to counter his polished rhetoric, Zhuge Mun delivered the knockout.
"If it really bothers you, why don’t you gentlemen exchange marriage proposals among yourselves as well?"
The faces of the old Daoist and the old beggar twisted into ugly grimaces.
"Must you really sink this low?"
"This is supposed to be about the future of the martial world, how can you be so obsessed with power? And selling off your own children to get it, no less."
Only after hearing the words from the Supreme Ultimate Sword Immortal and the Beggar King did the smile on Zhuge Mun’s face vanish.
"Yes. I must. Even if it means selling my own child, I have to do this. If it were up to me, I'd sell myself if it would help. When I think about the enemy we'll be facing, I'm not in any mood to be picky about the means."
"…"
While the Supreme Ultimate Sword Immortal and the Beggar King faltered at Zhuge Mun's abruptly altered manner, Zhuge Mun swept his gaze over the two of them and over Hwangbo Ak as he spoke.
"It seems you are all laboring under some grave misunderstanding to the point that you appear to have already forgotten just who the enemy is that we must face. With a foe before us whom we cannot guarantee victory against even were we all to unite as one, what in heaven's name have you been doing all this while?"
Zhuge Mun was rebuking the three for the guarded attitudes they had displayed ever since Wi Jin-hak had appeared.
Yet none of the three could readily refute his reproach.
'We have been thinking of this far too lightly.'
The enemy they were about to face was none other than the Imperial Family, the Ruler of the Central Plains.
As Zhuge Mun had said, it was a formidable adversary against whom victory could by no means be guaranteed.
A heavy atmosphere settled over them, but only for the briefest moment.
Before they knew it, Zhuge Mun had slipped back into the same easy smile he'd worn at the start, and turned his gaze again to Wi Jin-hak.
"What do you think, Cult Leader? Will you accept marriage with my daughter?"
Wi Jin-hak closed his eyes briefly in contemplation, then opened them and answered with a nod.
"If she's willing to accept the doctrines of our Divine Cult, I'll take her as my wife."
Yet Wi Jin-hak's words did not end there.
"The Zhuge Family has spoken of marriage to cement the alliance with our Divine Cult, but even without marriage, I have no thought of taking other alliances lightly."
He looked upon Hwangbo Ak, the Beggar King, and the Supreme Ultimate Sword Immortal.
"Our Divine Cult has only one purpose. To protect the masses and to strike the evils. The Imperial Family has slaughtered innocent commoners to wipe out martial artists, and they've even planted agents within our Cult to cunningly send our believers to their deaths."
"…"
"For this reason, this Cult Leader and the followers of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult shall stand at the very forefront in punishing the Imperial Family. I therefore ask that you place your trust in us and stand together with us."
When Wi Jin-hak finished speaking with a clasped-fist salute, the orthodox men responded in kind with their own clasped fists.
"Our Beggars’ Gang shall likewise lead the charge in the battle against the Imperial Family."
"I'll stake this old man's humble name on it. Wudang will never be the first to abandon righteousness."
"Hahaha. Our Hwangbo Family has already abandoned its homeland and is making its way here. We're as good as fighting with our backs to the river, so I look forward to working with you all."
Sensing that the alliance had somehow grown more solid, Zhuge Mun snapped open his fan and spoke.
"At last, the atmosphere has become one in which proper conversation is possible."
With a satisfied smile, Zhuge Mun continued.
"In truth, we don't have much time at our disposal. Two days have passed since Cheok Pae-myeong's death, so the news will probably reach Beijing in a few more days. We need to move before the Imperial Family gets the report and starts our war preparations in earnest."
"Do you mean we should march on Beijing before the news reaches the Imperial Court?"
Zhuge Mun shook his head at Hwangbo Ak’s question, and before Zhuge Mun could give his reply, Il-mok chimed in.
"On the way from here to Beijing, we will have to pass through numerous spheres of influence. What’s more, the Central Military Command sits squarely along that route. Our supply lines would stretch far too thin, and there's a very high chance we'd end up in the worst-case scenario of facing enemies on all sides."
Zhuge Mun looked at Il-mok for a moment with apparent interest, then added to his words.
"That's why our top priority shouldn't be Beijing, where the Imperial Family is based. It should be Shanxi Province."
"Indeed, if Shaanxi were to remain in enemy hands, there would be a danger of the Zhuge of Hubei and the Wudang being isolated."
When Wi Jin-hak nodded in understanding, Zhuge Mun answered in agreement.
"Exactly. If it were up to me, I'd want to push all the way to Henan or Anhui, but that would stretch our front too far and risk splitting our forces. Realistically, the only place we can settle before the Imperial Family moves in earnest seems to be Shaanxi Province."
All those gathered nodded in agreement.
The most renowned sects of Shaanxi Province were the Mount Hua Sect and Zhongnan, both of which had recently suffered immense losses.
"Once we deal with the Mount Hua Sect and Zhongnan in Shaanxi, we will have to put our internal affairs in order before the enemy completes its preparations and attacks. We must purge the officials and military authorities of Gansu, Shaanxi, and Hubei, so as to forestall any assault from within."
After hearing Zhuge Mun’s words, Il-mok calmly opened his mouth.
"There is a matter no less important than seizing Shaanxi. That is, propaganda. We need to spread the word about the Imperial Family's atrocities and the Eastern Depot's schemes, rally our countrymen all across the Central Plains, and grow our forces."
"Even were we to expose their conspiracies, I doubt many would believe us."
The Sword Immortal muttered in a bitter tone as he recalled the departed factions.
At that point, Il-mok shook his head and replied.
"That depends on how the propaganda is conducted. In the vast Central Plains, there are bound to be many who feel the current order is unjust. And since the Imperial Family has ruled the Central Plains for over two hundred years, the Imperial Family basically is a symbol of the present order."
"Are you saying that on top of spreading word of the Imperial Family's sins, we should also announce our intent to overthrow the current system and usher in a new world?"
“We might as well do so. Shaoling, Namgung, Qingcheng, Mount Heng. All of those who heard of our account and yet refused to believe have one thing in common. It’s that they have no great grievance with the present order. By nature, their vested interests don't want the world to change."
The Sword Immortal looked visibly disturbed at Il-mok's words.
"Namgung and Mount Heng, I cannot say, but Shaolin and Qingcheng aren't like that."
"Whether or not it's actually true, it's enough if we propagate it that way. We claim that those who sided with the Imperial Family each have vested interests and that they're following the Imperial Family only to protect their privileges from being taken away. If we frame it that way, the fight ultimately splits into two sides. The privileged and the unprivileged. And in any era, there are far more people outside the privileged class than inside it."
Il-mok's explanation drew a range of reactions from those present. Some looked stunned; others let out conflicted sighs at the suggestion of effectively slandering others.
Among them, Zhuge Mun looked at Il-mok with keen interest.
"Oh my. Using propaganda to transform this into a fight between the old order and the new —the privileged versus the unprivileged. I'm really quite curious how you came up with such an idea."
Wi Jin-hak burst into hearty laughter at Zhuge Mun’s compliment.
"Hahaha. It is widely acknowledged that my youngest brother is the most brilliant within the Divine Cult. Why else would he be called a genius?"
Il-mok struggled to suppress a sheepish smile at the praise.
Though Il-mok had been the one to think of it, it was not a strategy newly devised.
It was merely a strategy that had come to mind thanks to what he had seen countless times in his past life.
The same thing that repeated itself without fail every election season.
In other words, smearing shits on your opponent.
Just then, the Beggar King quipped, "But isn't that all assuming the propaganda actually takes hold? You may say plenty of people may resent the Imperial Family's regime, but no rebellion has ever succeeded under the current dynasty's reign."
"A valid concern indeed. No matter how much someone may dislike the current system, it's still better than dying. So in the beginning, not many will rally to us. But once we show that we can hold our ground, things will change."
"Hmm. All the more reason propaganda is critical, then."
When everyone wore puzzled expressions at Zhuge Mun's seemingly abrupt remark, Il-mok added an explanation.
"Justification may seem meaningless at first glance, but the longer a war goes on, the more important it becomes. Soldiers fighting purely for the Emperor and the vested interests' power, versus soldiers fighting to overthrow an unjust system and open up a new world. If the battle is a one-sided slaughter, all of those things would be meaningless. But if the war is prolonged, which side's morale would be higher?"
While the others showed signs of being more or less persuaded by Il-mok's explanation, the Beggar King asked again, "But isn't that, ultimately, also dependent on whether or not the propaganda is working?"
To that question, Il-mok flashed a grin.
"Have no fear for when it comes to propaganda, no one would dare to claim the number one if I claim to be the number two.”
It was confidence born of experience.
Starting from Gansu Province and reaching all the way to the northern steppes, Qinghai, and even Tibet, he'd already succeeded in spreading a religion called the Maitreya Luminous Cult in a remarkably short time.
'I shall show them the propagation power of a cult.'
Propaganda and proselytization had, in many ways, plenty in common.
***
After that, discussions for the coming war continued.
Two figures led the council.
Zhuge Mun chiefly addressed matters pertaining to military strategy. And Il-mok addressed strategies for stabilizing the rear and for effective propaganda.
Though Il-mok possessed memories of his past life, he had been an ordinary public servant, and so when it came to military strategy, Zhuge Mun's knowledge and wisdom ran deeper and broader.
And so, only after the framework had been laid out for everything that needed to be handled before the Imperial Family could mobilize did the lengthy council finally come to an end.
"We need to move as fast as possible, so I'll take my leave."
"On the appointed day, we'll meet again in Shanxi."
"Ugh. My beggars are scattered all over the place; just calling them in is going to be a job."
After the talks concluded, the Supreme Ultimate Sword Immortal, Zhuge Mun, and the Beggar King rose to their feet and offered their farewells.
With their bases rooted in the Central Plains, they needed to return immediately to their families and sects to put today's decisions into action.
Once they'd left, Hwangbo Ak approached Il-mok and quietly addressed him.
"With everything being so urgent, my greetings are late. Your condition looked dire, but I'm relieved to see you safe and sound."
"Was my condition really that bad?"
When Il-mok asked in puzzlement, Hwangbo Ak nodded.
"If it weren't for that young lady's treatment, you wouldn't be walking around like this or wouldn't have woken up alive at all."
"By a young lady, which one do you refer to?"
It’s Hwangbo Ak’s turn to tilt his head in confusion at Il-mok’s words.
"…The young lady named Jin Hayeon didn't tell you anything?"