The Mad Dog Inspector of the Martial Alliance

The Diancang Sect had gone mad. They were killing merchants and attacking merchant guilds.

It was a story that was bound to spread, but in reality, the rumor did not spread at all outside of Yunnan. It was because Yunnan was underdeveloped and was infinitely far from the center of the Central Plains.

The Diancang Sect was also systematically preventing the leakage of information. They killed messengers, killed horses, and shot down carrier pigeons. No matter how fast a horse ran, it was slower than a martial artist of the Diancang Sect, and even if a carrier pigeon could fly in the sky, it was not faster than an arrow.

Controlling information is an easy task. Just as the Great Cloud Guild had disappeared in Sichuan, a few merchant guilds would disappear in Yunnan. And just as the Great Cloud Guild had, the slaughter would be forgotten and time would pass as if nothing had happened.

But unlike the Tang family, there was an unexpected variable in the Diancang Sect. Elder Guyang Su of the Ten Thousand Li Solo Journey had fallen into a demonic state and was not in his right mind. So he could not distinguish between what he should say and what he shouldn't, and had made a slip of the tongue to Jang So-gil. Jang So-gil had predicted the worst-case scenario from his slip of the tongue and had sought out the Martial Alliance.

"Even if they are Taoists, if you peel back one layer, their foundation is that of a ruffian. They have no hesitation in using force, and if they have decided to use force, they will try to kill to silence."

"They might use force as a warning to the merchants, but to kill to silence. Isn't that too much of a conjecture?"

"Nine times out of ten, they have already done it. So we must respond quickly."

"It is better to refrain from acting rashly. I will send the Wind and Grace Group, so how about we wait for detailed information?"

The Wind and Grace Group was the information organization of the Martial Alliance. Jang So-gil had never seen them in person, but he did not trust them very much. It was because they had collected the information from Sichuan belatedly.

Jang So-gil's nose twitched in frustration.

"I'm telling you, it will be too late then."

"But there is no evidence in your words!"

"I'm telling you, if we wait until there is evidence, everyone will be dead!"

"Your words are getting shorter and shorter after your training."

"It's because I'm frustrated, so frustrated!"

Even if Jang So-gil got angry, Gu Munryong did not believe him. It seemed he trusted the Diancang Sect quite a bit.

A frustrating war of nerves continued. Sama Hwi, who could not watch it any longer, intervened.

"Alliance Lord, the Diancang Sect will do it."

"No, no matter how desperate they are for money, for a famous Orthodox sect, and a Taoist sect at that, to kill to silence, is that even a plausible story? They are Taoists. They are righteous and benevolent Taoists!"

"That is only in front of you, Alliance Lord."

"What?"

"Is there anyone who is not benevolent in front of you, Alliance Lord? Didn't even the lord of the Naman Beast Palace become docile in front of you? The statement that someone is a benevolent person because they were polite in front of you is not credible."

"Well- that's true... No, but it still doesn't make sense. To kill to silence, how can a martial artist, a chivalrous man, a Taoist do such a..."

Gu Munryong sighed and leaned back deep into his chair. The vitality that had filled his whole body disappeared in an instant. It was only when Jang So-gil, whose feet were hurting from standing for so long, leaned his back against a pillar that he finally opened his mouth. As if he were feeling extreme fatigue, he pressed his eyes and chose his words.

"Yes. Although there is no evidence, since the strategist and the inspector are saying it in unison, I will speak on the premise that a killing to silence has occurred. Then what should we do?"

Jang So-gil and Sama Hwi looked at each other. The two had already devised a plan and had come to an agreement. With a glance from So, Sama Hwi sighed and took a step forward.

"We must move. The faster, the better."

"Speed is a relative thing. Do you mean the faster, the better than anyone else?"

"We must be faster than the government's movements."

"The government?"

It is emphasized countless times, but basically, the government and the martial world are inviolable. But they are not infinitely inviolable. Strictly speaking, as long as the 'Martial Alliance' is functioning properly, the affairs of the martial world can be handled by the Martial Alliance, so they are inviolable. So what if the Martial Alliance is not functioning properly?

Sama Hwi folded his fan and furrowed his brow.

"The Great Cloud Guild in Sichuan. And this time, a great slaughter has occurred in Yunnan. A word without feet travels a thousand li. No matter how much you try to block it and kill people, you cannot stop the rumors. It is only a matter of whether it is late or fast, the rumors will spread someday."

"Well, that's true."

Gu Munryong scratched his chin and looked at Jang So-gil with a troubled expression.

The story of the slaughter in Sichuan was slowly spreading in the martial world as well. It was an unavoidable thing. The person who had survived that slaughter was Jang So-gil. The very fact that Jang So-gil was alive and existing made it impossible for the rumor of the Sichuan slaughter not to spread.

The great slaughter in Yunnan, no matter how far away it was and how uninterested people were, the rumor would spread someday.

Because the word 'absolute' is never absolute.

"Bad rumors are already spreading in the business world due to the Sichuan incident. The fear of armed robbery against merchant guilds is so great that the commercial transactions with the martial world are visibly faltering. If the Yunnan incident spreads in this situation, what will happen?"

"The merchants' distrust will grow."

Trust is difficult to build but easy to break.

To regain broken trust, it takes several times the effort and time.

"The best thing is to resolve it before the tower of trust collapses. Therefore, the affairs of the martial world must be handled by the Martial Alliance. We must strike the Diancang Sect now, grasp the truth, and punish them."

"Hmm. But then why does the government come into this?"

"Yunnan and Luoyang are far apart. Who will the merchants who have been slaughtered turn to right now?"

"I see. They will go to the government office."

"Yunnan is a place where the government's power is so weak that it would be sad if it were second in the world. It's a matter of course, but even if they go to the government, the merchants will not receive proper help."

Yunnan is located at the southernmost tip of the Central China region and is a remote area that cannot even be called the Central Plains. Ming had abandoned Yunnan and did not manage it. So unlike the orderly Luoyang, it was a land teeming with bandits and thieves, and overflowing with wanted criminals and criminals.

"The worst case is when the Diancang Sect attacks the government."

"They attack the government!?"

"To kill to silence means to annihilate all mouths. As far as I know, the total number of constables in Yunnan is less than a hundred. What's so difficult about silencing the mouths of a few officials? The Diancang Sect could wipe them all out in half a day. That's why it's a problem."

"Because even those few mouths are still the government."

"Yes. The government will definitely get the information."

If you were to name the number one information organization in the world, you would name the Beggars' Sect and the Hao Faction, but that was a story of the martial world. If you were to really discuss all the information organizations under the sky, the imperial family's Jinyiwei and the Eastern Depot were the best. It was easier for them to obtain information from Yunnan than flipping their palms.

"The government will intervene."

"Yes. And on a very large scale. They will move the army, and starting with that, they will put restrictions on the actions of the Martial Alliance."

The government and the Martial Alliance are on good terms now, but that is only when they are doing their job well.

A hunter boils and eats a hunting dog that cannot do its job. A hunting dog must always prove its worth by hunting.

The Yunnan incident was clearly the Martial Alliance's fault. Because they had overlooked the danger of the Diancang Sect on the grounds that it was an Orthodox faction. Because they had failed to manage them.

"So we have to solve the problem before the rumors spread?"

"At the very least, after the rumors have spread, the Martial Alliance must be able to announce that it has honorably resolved the incident. We must move in a visible form and resolve it in a visible form."

A visible form, that is, war.

Gu Munryong narrowed his eyes.

"How many do you need to resolve it?"

"At least three groups are needed."

"Do as you wish."

Gu Munryong threw his sword. It was the Yellow Dragon Sword, the symbol of the Martial Alliance Lord.

Sama Hwi, who had received the sword, said with a resolute eye.

"I will obey your command."

* * *

The Martial Alliance moved to punish the Diancang Sect. Fearing an internal uprising, Elder Guyang Su's Four-One Group was immediately confined, and Sama Hwi convened the elders and dispatched three groups. One group included three battalions, so it was a whopping nine battalions. The reason for mobilizing such an excessive force was that if they fought the Diancang Sect with the same force, the Martial Alliance's damage would also be great.

Regardless of the era, the grand premise of strategy is to face the enemy with the largest possible number. If they attacked with three times the force of the Diancang Sect, their damage would be small. It would consume a huge amount of military funds and expenses, but that could be collected later. So the victory of the Martial Alliance was a foregone conclusion.

As an inspector, as a merchant, as a human, Jang So-gil's job was over by making the Martial Alliance move. Now it was the stage of just watching the results. But even so, Jang So-gil had no intention of just sitting back and playing.

On a moonlit night after a hard day's work, Jang So-gil said.

"Let's go to Yunnan."

"Why are we going to Yunnan?"

"We're going to pick up jewels."

"Jewels? Did you buy a jewel mine there?"

"You foolish fool. It's a metaphor, a metaphor."

"Ah, a metaphor. Then what is the jewel a metaphor for?"

"People."

For a moment, Yang Gwan got goosebumps. For a person to be a jewel, it was too romantic to be a word that came out of Jang So-gil's mouth, and it didn't suit him. Wasn't it like a line from a poem?

No, wait a minute. Don't tell me?!

"Are you planning to become a slave trader!"

"Are you crazy! Who's becoming a slave trader!?"

"You said a person is a jewel?! You said you're going to pick up jewels. Aren't you trying to capture the refugees as slaves! Guild Master So, that's not right! Please reconsider!"

"Is this bastard trying to get me killed? What kind of bullshit are you talking about in Luoyang?!"

In the laws of Ming, only those who had passed the past examination could have slaves, and even then, they had to be paid a salary, and it was a contract position that could be quit at any time if the slave wanted. Of course, even if it was prohibited by law, there were many cases of illegally owning slaves, and the further you went into the provinces, the worse it got, but this was Luoyang. Slave traders had their three generations exterminated, and those who illegally owned slaves received fifty lashes.

"It's not that, right? Right? It's not that, right?"

As Yang Gwan said, trembling, Jang So-gil put his hand on his forehead.

"Think about it. The Diancang Sect is running wild in Yunnan right now."

"That's right. The Martial Alliance went to stop that, didn't they?"

"Even if the Martial Alliance is all martial artists, when they move as an army, their movements are slow. It will take a long time to get to Yunnan, and how many merchant guilds will go bankrupt in the meantime?"

"Well, countless will go bankrupt...?"

"Yes. I'm trying to recruit the merchants of those bankrupt merchant guilds."

"Why?"

"Don't we need merchants to rebuild the Great Cloud Guild?"

"Ah-!"

The children Jang So-gil was taking care of now were all twenty. When the children who had been sold to distant places but had been found again arrived, the total would be twenty-five. It was a sufficient number to be used as employees of the merchant guild that Jang So-gil would first create, but he needed a general manager to manage them. A general manager is very difficult to raise. At the very least, they need more than 15 years of experience as a merchant.

"I don't need many people. If I can sort through the jade and stones and get just one outstanding person, this trip will be a great success."

"Can't you be that general manager, Guild Master So?"

"It would be best if I did it, but I also have to do my inspector work and my martial arts training. And to build trust, it's better to get it from now on."

"Ah, ahhh. I understand."

"Of course, there's a saying among merchants that a merchant from a bankrupt merchant guild is worse than a dog..."

A merchant who has bankrupted a merchant guild or a shop is not welcomed anywhere.

A merchant who has ruined a merchant guild once can ruin it a second time.

It is said that people learn from their failures, but if a shop has gone bankrupt, it is clear that several failures have accumulated. So it was the common sense of a merchant not to take people from a bankrupt shop.

"But this time is different, isn't it? They went bankrupt because a martial artist of the Diancang Sect went crazy and ran wild, so what responsibility do they have? If there is a responsibility, it's the fault of the Martial Alliance, which failed to manage them."

"I understand. When will you be leaving?"

"We'll buy horses as soon as the market opens tomorrow and leave right away. If you have any luggage, prepare it in advance.”

(End of Chapter)