Chapter 460 : Allies (2)
Chapter 460: Allies (2)
Since he couldn't exactly start hurling curses in the middle of a formal council, especially one hosted by his Eldest Brother, he forced himself to stay calm as he spoke.
"Why is everyone looking at me?"
I'm still technically on medical leave, you psychopaths!!
Before he could even get out the latter part, Zhuge Mun answered with a sly smile. "Well, isn't it because everyone recognizes the Left Guardian's abilities?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, every single head in the room bobbed in agreement.
With the room's approval behind him, Zhuge Mun kept going. "If our Cult Leader is a sovereign with a vessel vast enough to embrace everyone, then the Left Guardian has an outstanding gift for bringing all sorts of different people together. We proved that much in the last war, didn't we? If the Left Guardian hadn't been there, would it have been possible for people from these different backgrounds to unite their strength?"
In other words, he was saying Il-mok should put that very talent to use and go win over the Northern Military Command and the rebel forces down south.
Wi Jin-hak burst into a booming laugh upon hearing Zhuge Mun’s praise.
"Hahaha. Chief Strategist Zhuge speaks the truth. The Left Guardian's martial arts are impressive enough, but this Cult Leader values that other talent of his even more. Above all, you would be able to determine in my stead whether they are people we should recruit, or people we must eliminate even if it means prolonging the war."
While praising Il-mok, Wi Jin-hak also told him there was no need to unconditionally win them over.
With the Cult Leader throwing his full weight behind the idea, refusing was no longer an option. But there was no way in hell Il-mok was going to do all the heavy lifting himself.
With a mindset of mutual destruction, Il-mok gathered his thoughts and soon voiced his scheme. "I am deeply honored by your high praise, Cult Leader. But even I can't be in two places at once, visiting the Northern Military Command up north and the rebel forces down south at the same time is impossible even for me."
"Hmm. That's a fair point. In that case, who do you believe we should send to the other faction?"
"In my view, Chief Strategist Zhuge would be the right choice for the other side. No one can match his eloquence and quick thinking, and since the Guangdong Jin Family and the Hainan Sect both originally came from the Orthodox Faction, it would make for a smoother negotiation if Chief Strategist Zhuge went instead of me."
Deeming Il-mok's proposal perfectly logical, Wi Jin-hak nodded in acceptance.
***
The next day, Il-mok boarded a carriage and headed north with a very small entourage.
Since speed was of the essence and they weren't marching to war, bringing a massive army was pointless.
Riding in the carriage were Il-mok, his personal maids, Seo Jae-pil, and Seo Wan-pyeong.
His Third Brother had come along just in case anything went wrong. Il-mok might have been walking around fine, but his internal injuries meant he couldn't even wield half his usual strength in a fight.
If the negotiations went south, Seo Wan-pyeong and his maids would immediately escort him out of the territory at all costs. Since the backup strategy was just run back to Beijing, dragging a massive army along would only slow them down.
After two days of leaving Beijing and heading north.
"Left Guardian, we should be reaching the Northern Military Command soon."
Il-mok nodded at Ju Seo-yeon's voice coming from outside the carriage.
‘Guess it's a relief the Northern Military Command is at least closer than the south.’
Zhuge Mun was probably going to be stuck bouncing around in a carriage for days just to reach his destination.
Savoring his petty revenge against the man who had smooth-talked him into this mess, Il-mok let himself relax a little.
Before long, the carriage carrying them came to a stop.
"The Left Guardian of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult has come to speak with the Northern Military Commander!"
Ju Seo-yeon's shout echoed from the driver’s seat as she boldly announced their arrival to the guards.
A moment later, the heavy groan of the gates opening up was heard, and the carriage moved forward again.
When he peeked out through the window, Il-mok saw soldiers up on the walls watching them with a sharp glint in their eyes.
‘Now, those are real soldiers.’
They were a completely different breed from the disorganized rabble the Imperial Family had thrown at them near the end of the war. He wondered if the war would have dragged on much longer if the Northern Military Command had joined the fight from the start.
‘If they'd joined in even before we killed the Divine Monk, it might not have just dragged on. It could've actually been difficult for us to win.’
Just as that thought crossed his mind, the carriage stopped and a gruff voice called out from outside.
"You can't go any further by carriage from here."
Everyone in the carriage turned to look at Il-mok.
Since he hadn't come here to cause trouble anyway, Il-mok got up.
"We'll walk from here."
"If that's what the Left Guardian wants, I'll go along with it."
Il-mok gave a wry smile at his Third Brother's overly formal words. As they climbed down from the carriage, a middle-aged military officer standing out front came over and clasped his fists in greeting.
"I'm So Ji-ak, Assistant Commander of the Northern Military Command. I'll show you to the Commander."
He was showing courtesy, yet there was nothing servile about him. It seemed to stem from his highly disciplined demeanor.
‘How peculiar.’
These men served the Imperial Family of the Han Dynasty. From their point of view, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was clearly a rebel force. And yet here they were, showing one of the rebels higher up with proper courtesy and all. It gave Il-mok plenty to think about.
They followed So Ji-ak across the Northern Military Command grounds and arrived at a large but plain-looking building.
It had a certain grandeur to it, but not a trace of extravagance. As they approached, the warriors guarding the front blocked the entrance with their spears and spoke.
"Only the Left Guardian of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult may enter the hall."
Seo Wan-pyeong and the maids immediately flared their murderous intent, but Il-mok raised a hand to stop them.
"Stand down. I can sense that only the Northern Military Commander is inside. If he's willing to meet me alone, the least I can do is return the favor."
Maybe it was because Il-mok had read the presence inside so effortlessly, but the soldiers blocking him flinched. But true to their elite training, they immediately corrected their bearing and quickly settled back into their stern stances.
"But..."
Jin Hayeon started to say something, but Il-mok sent her a voice transmission.
—If I keep hesitating and you all keep trying to stop me, it'll just tip them off that something's wrong with me.
Realizing he was right, Jin Hayeon swallowed her protests and gave a stiff bow.
"We will wait for you out here."
—If the Northern Military Commander shows even the slightest sign of anything suspicious, please send us a signal immediately.
With a nod at Jin Hayeon's words, Il-mok walked past the soldiers guarding the entrance and stepped inside the hall.
Sitting inside was a hulking man with a sturdy build and a piercing gaze.
If not for the wrinkles and white hair, he didn't look like an old man in the slightest.
"I'm Il-mok, Left Guardian of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."
Il-mok offered a respectful salute, and the old man rose from his chair to return the gesture.
"I'm Han So-ryong, Northern Military Commander. Hmm. Though I suppose calling myself that is a bit of a joke now, seeing as the man who gave me the title is gone."
His delivery was so dry that Il-mok couldn't tell if it was a joke or just stating a bleak fact. Han So-ryong gestured to the chair across from him.
"No point in standing on ceremony. Have a seat."
"Then I'll take you up on that."
Once Il-mok sat down, the old man poured a cup of tea and handed it to him.
Il-mok wasn't exactly a connoisseur of tea, but even he could tell there was nothing special about this one.
"My apologies, but these are just common tea leaves. I am not trying to slight you; it's just there's nothing better than that around here."
Il-mok nodded in understanding.
"It seems you are not very fond of vanity and extravagance."
"If I have coin to waste on fine tea, I'd rather spend it forging an extra set of armor for my men." Han So-ryong answered, just as flatly as before. Then he returned a question, "So, what brings the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Left Guardian all the way out here?"
By now, Il-mok had a rough understanding of the old man. He knew the man wasn't being sarcastic or rude. He just hated small talk and preferred getting straight to the point.
"I came to ask where the Northern Military Command stands."
"Where do I stand? On what, exactly?"
"For starters, I'd like an answer as to why the Northern Military Command sat out the entire war. Things like that. Was it on the Supreme Eunuch's orders?"
In answer, the Northern Military Commander shook his head. "That was this old man's own call. The Mierqi are a treacherous lot. Leave the north undefended and they'll come raiding the moment they get the chance."
"So you defied a direct order from the Supreme Eunuch?"
"I did."
This was new to Il-mok. Since the Divine Cult had been on the opposing side, there was no way Il-mok could have known the internal politics of the Han military.
"You realize that if the Han Dynasty had won the war, the Supreme Eunuch would have had you executed for high treason, right?"
"A border general's duty is to protect the people from outside enemies. I have lived my entire life adhering to that single purpose."
‘As expected. This one is also one hell of a stubborn old man.’
Putting it nicely, the man was as unbending as a stalk of bamboo. He is the kind who would happily snap in two before he ever compromised his principles.
One silver lining was that his legendary stubbornness was aimed squarely at defending the border rather than loyalty to the Imperial Family.
‘With this level of obstinance, it probably would not have mattered who came here.’
This wasn't a man you could negotiate with or talk around.
If your goals lined up, you were allies. If they didn't, the conversation was over.
Realizing this diplomatic mission was going to be refreshingly short, Il-mok asked his question. "Does that still hold true now that the sky over the Central Plains has changed? Is guarding the northern border still your only purpose?"
"That is a stupid question to ask."
He didn't care who sat on the throne; his only job was keeping foreign invaders off their lawn.
It seemed the Northern Military Commander regarded this whole war as nothing more than an internal squabble.
Il-mok decided to push his buttons a little to test the waters. "Your neutrality was definitely a huge help to us, but the fact remains that you didn't actually fight for the Divine Cult. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you might end up stripped of your rank as a Commander. Are you fine with that?"
"I don't know why you keep going on about things that don't matter. My one and only purpose is holding this border. Demote me all you want. As long as I can stay right here and slaughter anyone who tries to cross, I'm satisfied."
To Il-mok's ears, those words carried a slightly different implication.
It sounds like he said he didn't care about being demoted, but he wouldn't tolerate being transferred elsewhere.
‘Hmm. Even if we strip him of his rank, his men are fiercely loyal to him. That's a tricky problem.’
However, that didn't mean there was no solution.
All they had to do was leave this stubborn old man in his post, while slowly redistributing the generals and elite troops who followed him to other locations.
It was a tactic straight out of the life of a civil servant that he had suffered through in his past life.
‘It would probably be best to just mix them with the Divine Cult forces currently fighting the Mierqie tribe and form a massive defensive line across the North…’
But just as he finalized the plan, a forgotten fact resurfaced in his mind.
‘Wait a fucking minute. The Divine Cult’s Supreme Commander for the North is that stubborn old coot.’
The only other person in the Cult who held the same rank as Il-mok. Another one of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's second-in-commands.
The Right Guardian, Dokgo Ryong.
‘So, I'm about to put this stubborn old man under the direct command of a certifiably insane old man...’
It was a combination so bizarre he couldn't even guess how the northern front would turn out.
But there was just one thing he could say for certain.
‘The poor staff officers stuck between them are going to suffer a fate worse than death.’
And Il-mok made a solemn vow to stay as far away from the North as humanly possible.