Chapter 65 : Cheongra Cap
Chapter 65: Cheongra Cap
I took the lead and received the merit.
“In this battle, none who survived failed to witness Ondal, who swung the flail and crushed the enemy vanguard. Dozens of enemy heads were shattered by his flail擊.”
In The Biography of Ondal, I believe it was written that he “beheaded dozens斬.”
Here, it seemed it would be recorded as skulls crushed instead.
And that wasn't the only thing.
“Also, it cannot be said that the merit of obtaining Sukgun Fortress, a legacy of the Grand King, was small for Ondal.”
The capture of Sukgun Fortress could not be omitted.
Did he capture Sukgun Fortress in the original history too?
At the very least, I’d never come across such a record.
Perhaps, in the original timeline, while they won, it wasn’t a sweeping victory—maybe they didn’t have the strength to take the fortress.
Go Yangseong looked at me with eyes devoid of affection and declared in front of the generals:
“Ondal predicted the war beforehand. To prepare, he developed the baby arrow and flail, contributing to Goguryeo’s victory, and the newly devised tactics have also proven their effectiveness.
Then… what words, besides Supreme Merit-Bearer, would be appropriate to describe this achievement?”
Supreme Merit-Bearer.
Usually, the person with the greatest merit is called “Merit-Bearer,” and this went a step beyond that.
‘Even in the original history, Ondal was titled Supreme Merit-Bearer…’
In terms of accomplishments, I felt I had done even more than the original Ondal, but there seemed to be no higher title than this.
“If someone like this remains a junior elder, all the world would laugh. Here and now, I shall bestow a rank befitting Supreme Merit-Bearer Ondal. Remove your hat.”
I removed my bird-feather cap. When I looked ahead, I saw Go Yangseong holding a blue cap.
Cheongra Cap 靑羅冠. In the Goguryeo hierarchy, this came after the Baekra Cap of the Grand King and the Jara Cap of the Jegas. Normally, those ranked from Elder to Head Elder wore this blue cap.
‘Then this means, I’m now an Elder?’
The 7th rank in Goguryeo's hierarchy, a symbol of entering the realm of “high officials.” In 21st-century military terms, one could say everything below Elder is a company officer, and from Elder onward is a field-grade officer.
Even in the original history, Ondal received the Elder rank after the Battle of Baesan. So, was this aligning with the original history?
Go Yangseong placed the cap on my head.
“Thank y—”
“It’s too early for thanks.”
He added a silver insignia atop my cap.
‘Huh, does the Elder usually have a cap insignia?’
As I pondered that—
Go Yangseong spoke.
“I hereby appoint Ondal as 6th-rank Chief Envoy.”
Not Elder, but Chief Envoy?
This position handled administrative duties just below the Head of the Nobility Council—akin to a vice minister today.
‘One rank higher than in the original history?’
Before I could even be impressed, Go Yangseong smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Ondal. It is a blessing that you are my royal son-in-law.”
He called me royal son-in-law.
Go Yangseong publicly declared me his son-in-law.
In that moment—
‘…Wow, I’m getting emotional.’
It felt like all the hardship I’d endured had finally been rewarded.
I wasn’t the only one to achieve merit on this front.
First, there was Go Heul, who served as Supreme Commander.
But Go Heul didn’t get promoted. There was nowhere higher for a Supreme Chancellor to go.
He didn’t receive a tax village either.
It had been quite a while since Goguryeo granted tax villages, and Go Yangseong, who aimed to strengthen royal authority, probably wanted to abolish even the existing ones. The only reason they remained was because they had been granted by former kings, and couldn't be retracted lightly.
In the end, what Go Heul received was not a promotion or a tax village, but a treasured sword… and its appearance was quite unusual.
‘That’s not Goguryeo style.’
I didn’t mean it was Chinese or Silla-style either. The scabbard gleamed with jewels and was decorated with mosaic.
Go Yangseong said:
“Go Heul, receive the treasured sword of the Western Regions. It was once received by King Jangsu in exchange for horses given to Liu Song.”
So it really was a Persian artifact.
Trade during the Three Kingdoms period was extensive.
Southeast Asian jade beads are often excavated from Baekje royal tombs.
Even items from as far as Persia or the Eastern Roman Empire came through the Silk Road. What Go Heul received was one such artifact.
If it was from the time of King Jangsu, it would be at least 100 years old. Like Sukgun Fortress, it symbolized the golden age of Goguryeo—so it carried great symbolic weight.
Go Yangseong said:
“This comes from the farthest west of the world (and within this world’s setting, the Eastern Roman Empire is the edge), and nothing could suit the man who pacified Goguryeo’s west better.”
Go Heul accepted the treasured sword.
Then he knelt.
“Your servant Go Heul shall treasure this as a family heirloom.”
As he rose from kneeling, Go Heul swayed slightly. His face had grown quite haggard in just a few days.
While he had fought splendidly, his body didn’t seem to be recovering. I suspected this might be his last battle in life.
Go Yangseong looked at Go Heul and said:
“Long ago, Isabu served Dong Yimaegeum. At the age of 70, he destroyed the State of Banna (Daegaya). But how can we compare that tiny frontier nation to the army of Northern Zhou, which held half of the Western Land?”
“Ah…!”
Go Heul trembled at the shoulders. Perhaps, that was exactly the praise he had longed to hear.
Go Heul received a treasured sword, and I was promoted.
But I wasn’t the only one promoted.
“M-Me, a noble…?”
Soyong knelt on the floor, trembling. The position he received was 11th-rank Jehyeong. It was the lowest rank within the Hyeong class, but still, it was a Hyeong.
In Goguryeo, Hyeong meant “leader of a group,” and a leader was a noble. At this point, he had officially entered the nobility.
“Congratulations, Soyong. You’ve achieved your dream.”
“I-I think I’m going mad. Seriously. This isn’t a dream, right?”
“You’ve earned it.”
Soyong smiled as if overwhelmed. And he wasn’t the only one promoted.
“You two are Elders now too.”
My friends had also been promoted.
Maeng Sap grinned.
“Thanks to you, Ondal! Elder, we’re Elders now! Hey, check out this blue hat!”
“Don’t be so dramatic, Maeng Sap.”
“Come on, Jaemu. If we can’t celebrate on a day like this, then when can we, huh? Should I shake it for you?”
Truthfully, both of them were sons of High Officials, so in Goguryeo’s noble society, promotions to high positions were practically guaranteed.
But even so, a promotion was worth celebrating. And it had come swiftly, accompanied by real military achievements. For men of Goguryeo, this was something to be proud of.
And there was yet more to celebrate.
The two, who had been bickering, suddenly smiled.
“Hey, Elder Go Jaemu with the blue cap.”
“What?”
“It’s nothing, but… don’t you smell a red cap around here?”
Both of their gazes turned toward Eulji Mundeok at the same time.
Eulji Mundeok let out a sigh.
“…Seniors, seriously?”
“Oh? Don’t you see the color of this hat? Is a Junior Elder supposed to speak so freely in front of an Elder?”
“Well…”
Eulji Mundeok had also been promoted, but only one rank higher—from 11th-rank Jehyeong to 10th-rank Junior Elder.
Partly because he was still too young, and unlike me, Go Jaemu, and Maeng Sap, he was stationed in the relatively safe rear during this battle.
The biggest reason, however, was his teacher, Go Heul.
‘This one must rise slowly, step by step. He must experience as many things and perform as many duties as possible. Only then will he shine. And if one too young rises too fast, he’ll be envied by others.’
Eulji Mundeok grumbled in complaint.
“I honestly wasn’t dissatisfied, but after seeing what Senior Maeng Sap’s doing, I’m getting a little annoyed.”
“Don’t worry.”
I grinned.
“In my opinion, you’ll be the most successful out of the four of us.”
There wasn’t an ounce of falsehood in my words.
This boy would grow up to become the most famous general in the history of Goguryeo—no, of Korean history.
And it wasn’t just my close aides.
“Thank you, Royal Son-in-law! Now that you’re officially the Royal Son-in-law, I can call you that!”
“If not for you, this battle would’ve been far more difficult!”
Numerous generals and officials, both high and low, who had joined me on the front line, expressed their support.
‘Things have really turned out great.’
It was unfortunate for Go San.
But by achieving this military merit, I had firmly secured my political foothold within the Domestic Fortress Faction.
While the older officials in the North still likely supported Go San, many younger northern figures and quite a few in the West seemed to have shifted to my side.
Moreover, it wasn’t just within the Domestic Fortress Faction.
“Ugh, smells like a Bira Cap.”
“Seriously… not just Senior Maeng Sap, but even you too, Senior Go Jaemu?”
“Watching Maeng Sap do it made it look fun.”
“Agh.”
Go Jaemu and Eulji Mundeok.
Though not part of the Domestic Fortress Faction, they belonged to the Pyeongyang Faction—but now stood with me.
“Royal Son-in-law, have you considered joining the Royal Army?”
“You really fought impressively…”
Even the Royal Army, which had many from the Pyeongyang Faction, was expressing strong support. The greatest strength of the Reformist Faction I created—its expansiveness—was beginning to shine.
This was likely one of the reasons Go Yangseong acknowledged me as Royal Son-in-law in the first place.
One might say I was acknowledged because of my military achievements, but… at this point, it was probably deemed safe enough to do so.
After the war ended, the first thing Goguryeo did was prepare tribute to Northern Zhou.
At first, I was baffled. We won—so what’s with tribute? But of course, there was a reason.
‘Tribute in this era had a very broad meaning.’
It included trade, diplomatic envoys, cultural exchanges, and even peace treaty negotiations. Even in the 21st century, we have guanxi, right?
Before discussing business with Chinese entrepreneurs, people first find an introducer, drink together, exchange gifts—and then get down to business.
Tribute was like that but expanded to the international level. The obsession of the Western Land people with tribute was beyond imagination.
Even Roman envoys sent during the Han dynasty were treated as tribute-bearers.
During the Song dynasty, horses sent by Liao or Jin were repaid with entire storehouses of treasure—as tribute.
Even the “equal treaty” of Nerchinsk, signed with the Russian Empire during the Qing dynasty, was considered tribute by their standards.
And after their defeat in the Opium Wars, they still somehow interpreted those unequal treaties as tribute using the ultimate mental gymnastics and self-hypnosis—just to salvage a sliver of pride and extract a few ounces of silver as tribute goods.
At this point, it’s not obsession—it’s madness.
So tribute is both the pride of the Western Land and, at the same time, a diplomatic protocol.
Even Goguryeo sent “tributes” to Northern Wei under the guise of trade and tech exchanges. But when Northern Wei said things like, “We’ll attack Yan, so you sit tight,” Goguryeo replied, “Screw off,” and stopped the tribute.
Hence, what matters in tribute isn’t the formality but the substance. It must be approached realistically, as diplomacy.
And this time, the goal of the tribute was a ceasefire and reconciliation with Northern Zhou. The envoys Goguryeo dispatched came back with a rather decent result.
Go Yangseong clicked his tongue as he read the letter.
“Grand General Authorized to Establish His Own Government, Duke of Liaodong Commandery, King of Goguryeo…”
The title “Grand General Authorized to Establish His Own Government” meant someone with authority to establish their own military office, equivalent in rank to the Three Dukes (Grand Chancellor, Grand Commandant, and Grand Marshal). It was the highest honorary title in the Western Land.
The next part, “Duke of Liaodong Commandery, King of Goguryeo,” was intriguing. Normally, the titles Duke and King are separate. A King outranks a Duke—like a CEO to a branch manager.
So usually, they’re not used together. But the Western Land made exceptions when appointing foreign rulers.
“The important part is ‘King of Goguryeo,’ is it not?”
Goguryeo styled itself as Grand King, equal to an emperor. But the Western Land would never acknowledge that. From their perspective, this was the highest possible diplomatic courtesy.
In essence: “We recognize you as a king of the East. Now let’s end this war.”
“They’re bowing lower than I expected.”
“That defeat must’ve hurt them more than we thought.”
“Yes. This… this isn’t bad.”
Go Yangseong nodded. Then Go Heul asked,
“By the way, what shall we do with the gold seal they sent?”
“The gold seal…”
A monarch’s seal is generally divided into In (seal) and Sae (imperial seal). The In is for vassal kings; the Sae is for emperors.
Western emperors, like those of Northern Zhou, often sent Goguryeo a gold seal inscribed with long titles like “Grand General Authorized to Establish His Own Government, Duke of Liaodong Commandery, King of Goguryeo.”
But unfortunately, Goguryeo couldn’t care less about such pretentious titles.
To us, the simple two characters for Grand King sufficed. We even rejected the In they sent and used an imperial Sae instead.
There was a difference in material too. Goguryeo used gold seals instead of jade ones—because Koreans absolutely loved gold.
You might say “Who doesn’t like gold?” but in Korea, it’s on another level.
Out of the 14 gold crowns unearthed globally, 10 were found on the Korean Peninsula.
Seals had many practical uses, so of course we made them—but we preferred gold over jade, so we made them in gold. A practical yet independent national style of Goguryeo.
Go Yangseong pondered for a moment, then clapped his hands.
“That gold seal, which we received by defeating Northern Zhou—shouldn’t it go to Go Heul? What if we melt it down and forge another Golden Inscribed Iron Decree?”
“A Golden Inscribed Iron Decree, you say?”
This was Goguryeo’s certificate of loyalty—its most famous function being amnesty. It pardoned minor crimes and spared even the death penalty for major ones.
Sounds invincible? Of course not. Just like how asking your lover for the moon gets you dumped, abusing a Golden Inscribed Iron Decree would get you beheaded, fast.
It was Goguryeo’s adaptation of the Western Land’s Inscribed Iron Decree.
In the Western Land, they engraved text on iron plates with cinnabar ink and stamped them with jade seals. Goguryeo, however, melted gold onto iron and stamped it with a gold seal.
“Indeed. Your ancestor, Go Mil, received a Golden Inscribed Iron Decree from King Gogukwon for his victories over Yan. I wish to answer that legacy. I’ve long worried I haven’t rewarded you enough—this is perfect.”
Go Yangseong looked at Go Heul and said,
“Your deeds will be remembered until the Amnok River dries and Baekdu wears down.”
Go Heul bowed deeply.
“Your grace… is immeasurable.”
And with that, the Battle of Baesan was finally, truly over.
It was time for me to leave the North—and return to my rightful place.