This Isn’t Exactly A Good Choice Either. (1)

“……Great General?”

The adjutants looked at Hwang-Bo Ung in confusion. Hadn’t Hwang-Bo Ung himself just said that there was no large army over there? Then what on earth was the problem?

But Hwang-Bo Ung, the one who ought to provide the answer, merely stared ahead with a hardened expression. As the thirsty are the ones who dig wells, they eventually spoke first, cautiously.

“Great General. With dust clouds billowing so thickly over there, why do you believe it is merely an empty show of force?”

At the adjutant’s words, Hwang-Bo Ung furrowed his brow.

“That is not dust raised by an army.”

“But……”

“Look.”

At those words, the adjutants quickly turned their gazes forward.

‘What are we supposed to look at……?’

But no matter how hard they looked, they could not discern any difference. No—in fact, their conviction only grew stronger. Creating a cloud of dust that large was no ordinary feat. A clever ploy might raise dust for a short while, but wouldn’t it take countless men and warhorses to keep raising dust continuously for this long?

“Great General, we simply can’t…… Huh?”

But at that moment, something strange began to catch their eyes as well.

“The dust……”

The dust newly rising on the left was spreading toward the right. It had no distinct shape, but to eyes that had spent decades watching dust raised by warhorses, its movement was unmistakable.

But……

“……It’s fast.”

“It is.”

The dust was rising at a rapid speed. Abnormally so. No matter how swift a warhorse was, it could not move that quickly. Moreover, raising a cloud of dust that large would require at least dozens of warhorses. It was utterly impossible for that many warhorses to all be running so fast.

“……I see.”

The adjutants’ heads nodded of their own accord.

Once the fact was confirmed, it became clear. The dust rising before their eyes was definitely not being raised by a large army.

‘But that is only obvious because we know it now.’

Even when they had no idea of that fact, Great General Hwang-Bo Ung had seen through it in an instant. This was where the difference in ‘caliber’ emerged.

“What a pathetic trick.”

The adjutants’ faces flushed slightly upon realizing it. The fact that Hwang-Bo Ung was exceptional did not change the fact that they had been fooled by the enemy’s ruse.

“Great General. Give the order. I will bring in those fools who dared to attempt such a ridiculous trick before you.”

“Yes, Great General! Please let me go.”

The adjutants pleaded, but Hwang-Bo Ung kept his gaze fixed ahead without so much as twitching an eyebrow.

“Great General.”

“How would you do that?”

“……Pardon?”

Hwang-Bo Ung furrowed his brow. He turned his head and glared at the adjutants with an utterly stern gaze.

“Did you not see it? That those things are moving faster than warhorses.”

“……Ah.”

“How do you intend to chase and capture people like that?”

The adjutants fell silent. One of them, apparently deep in thought, cautiously opened his mouth.

“……Isn’t it possible that nothing is actually running in the first place? If they are using some kind of mechanism……”

“If it were something that could be done with a mechanism, they would have been better off setting a trap to put us in danger. Would any fool go to all that trouble merely to raise some dust?”

The adjutant, acknowledging that the Great General was right, lowered his head without answering.

“But Great General, then what is the true nature of that dust?”

“Exactly.”

The Great General nodded. His eyes flashed sharply.

“They are martial artists.”

“Martial artists……”

With that explanation, everything fell into place. Once the adjutants understood that the opponents were likely martial artists, they could not help but understand why Hwang-Bo Ung had fallen into thought.

“Why would martial artists……”

Someone let out a low groan.

Not every martial artist was a central plains person. Some of those working in the imperial government also practiced martial arts like the central plains practitioners did. The military, too, sometimes required generals above a certain rank to learn martial arts. They themselves were, after all, generals who had learned a certain degree of martial arts.

But that only made it harder to understand.

“If they are martial artists from the imperial capital, they must belong to the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Eastern Depot. Why would they suddenly block our path? That Do-Hyeon……”

“Chief of Ceremonial Affairs.”

“……My apologies. This should be impossible unless that Director of Ceremonial Affairs has betrayed us.”

For the Eastern Depot to move, it needed the permission of Do-Hyeon, the Director of Ceremonial Affairs.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard? The same applied to them. There was only one person in all the world who could mobilize the Embroidered Uniform Guard. But if the emperor had mobilized them, word should naturally have come from Do-Hyeon.

But they had received no message whatsoever from Do-Hyeon. Naturally, they had no choice but to suspect him.

“……Martial artists are not found only in the imperial court.”

“Great General, are you perhaps suspecting the central plains people?”

“There is no reason not to suspect them. That is one possible explanation.”

“But…… why would the Central Plains people suddenly involve themselves in this matter?”

Hwang-Bo Ung did not answer and fell into thought for a moment.

‘There aren’t many of them.’

A little over ten at most. An absurdly small number.

But that very fact made Hwang-Bo Ung hesitate.

There was no reason to fear them simply because they were central plains. At the end of the day, they were nothing more than a disorderly rabble unfamiliar with strict military discipline. He acknowledged that each of them was strong, but war was not a sparring match in which individuals competed in martial prowess.

If he put his mind to it, he would not hesitate to take on the entire central plains. How could he possibly fear a mere ten martial artists?

That was precisely why he hesitated.

‘What are they thinking, blocking our path with so few people?’

Was it a trap? No, it was far too crude to be a trap. But if it was not a trap, it made even less sense. Then were they truly a bunch of hopeless idiots?

‘That can’t be.’

No matter how foolish they were, they could not be entirely ignorant of fear. Yet blocking the path of an army with so few people was something only exceptionally bold individuals could do. Therefore, he had to consider the possibility that this action had another purpose.

“What on earth are they thinking?”

Hwang-Bo Ung’s brow furrowed even further. Countless possibilities were rushing through his mind.

“Oh, yes. Keep thinking.”

Chung Myung took a handful of roasted beans from his pocket and flicked one into his mouth with his thumb.

Chung Myung crunched the bean between his teeth and grinned.

“But what are you going to do? Thinking about it won’t get you an answer.”

Watching him snicker, the disciples of Mount Hua shuddered as though creeped out.

“……What has he been muttering to himself all this time?”

“Leave him be. It’s not as if this is the first or second day he’s been like that.”

“It just seems a little worse than usual today.”

“That is true, but……”

Yoon Jong was the sort of person who would silently walk away if something ugly appeared before him. Unfortunately, Baek Cheon was not that kind of person. If something ugly appeared before him, he was the sort who would at least poke it once, even if only with a stick.

“But…… what do you mean, they can’t move as long as we keep doing this? It’s so flimsy.”

“They can’t move because it’s flimsy.”

“……That’s exactly what I’m asking. The enemy is supposedly a man known as a master general, isn’t he? Of course he’ll notice that we haven’t prepared properly.”

“He will.”

When Chung Myung nodded as though it were nothing important, Baek Cheon finally exploded.

“Ah, come on! Stop being so vague and explain it, you bastard!”

“Good grief.”

Chung Myung scratched his head vigorously.

“Fine, fine. Yes, I suppose clever old me will have to put up with this.”

“…….”

“That old man will obviously notice that we haven’t prepared properly. That’s only natural.”

“Right.”

“Then what do you think he’ll assume? That some crazy bastards came here wanting to die without even preparing properly, or that even this might be part of some plan?”

“That……”

Baek Cheon fell silent.

Normally, if your opponent appeared ill-prepared, you would assume the former.

‘But that is only when they are merely somewhat ill-prepared.’

When they were this ill-prepared, it became difficult to interpret it as nothing more than a lack of preparation.

“……So you’re saying he’ll think it’s a trap?”

“Well, that’s one possibility.”

Baek Cheon scowled at Chung Myung’s somehow infuriating response.

“Let’s say you’re right. That could be the case. Though I don’t want to admit it.”

“……Sasuk, whose side are you on?”

“I’m definitely not on your side. Anyway, even so, they can’t afford to keep being held up here. They’re the ones short on time right now, aren’t they? If it were me, I’d try to break through even if it meant accepting some losses.”

“Exactly.”

“……Huh?”

Baek Cheon tilted his head again. Talking to this bastard sometimes left him confused about what he himself had even said.

“You’re saying I’m right?”

“Yeah. More precisely, you’re only half right. Why are they pressed for time in the first place?”

“Well…… because they have to finish the job before reinforcements arrive in the imperial capital.”

“No. That is not the reason. To be precise, it is because this is something that absolutely cannot fail.”

“…….”

Baek Cheon stared at Chung Myung with an expression that suggested he almost understood, then suddenly cried out.

“So what you’re saying is…… even a general who would normally choose to advance in a situation like this despite accepting a certain amount of casualties can’t make such a bold move this time? Because he is afraid that even those minor losses might lead to failure?”

“Exactly.”

Baek Cheon muttered with a blank expression.

“That makes no sens…… No, I suppose it does make sense.”

He thought he more or less understood. The important thing was not which choice was right—whether to force an advance or not. It was the situation itself, in which neither choice could be made easily. Hwang-Bo Ung was likely being more cautious now than at any other point in his life.

Therefore, this dust was not meant to deceive the enemy. It was a way to make the already exceedingly cautious Hwang-Bo Ung even more cautious and tie his feet down.

‘But that’s easier said than done.’

To read the opponent’s mind in the midst of this urgency and think of exploiting it? To make a move that could easily end with them falling into their own trap without accomplishing anything?

‘What the hell did this bastard grow up eating?’

The more Baek Cheon learned about Chung Myung, the more incomprehensible he became.

“Hmm. I understand the logic.”

Jo Gul stepped forward with an expression that still looked slightly confused.

“But they can’t keep hesitating like that forever. Not them, either.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“In the end, he’ll have to order an advance. There could be no worse outcome than dragging things out like this and then retreating in defeat.”

“Yeah, that’s right. But……”

Chung Myung grinned.

“That isn’t exactly a good choice either.”

“Huh?”

Jo Gul tilted his head to the side.

“Great General.”

“Hmm.”

Hwang-Bo Ung slowly shook his head.

“There is someone extraordinary among our opponents.”

“Pardon?”

“……Even among those who have devoted themselves to the military, I do not think I have often seen someone of this caliber.”

Hearing those words, the adjutants stared at Hwang-Bo Ung in astonishment.

Had Hwang-Bo Ung ever praised an opponent this highly before?

‘Why on earth?’

They did not doubt Hwang-Bo Ung’s judgment. If Hwang-Bo Ung said it was so, then it was so. This was not blind faith. They believed him simply because the Hwang-Bo Ung they had watched until now was more than capable of making such a judgment.

But hadn’t Hwang-Bo Ung seen far too little to make such an assessment? What on earth had he seen in that dust?

“But……”

Hwang-Bo Ung soon shook his head.

“We have no time to indulge them at our leisure. Advance. We will break through.”

“Yes!”

No sooner had Hwang-Bo Ung’s order been issued than the Red Banner Army began to move. Hwang-Bo Ung’s eyes grew heavy as he stared at the forest that continued to spew dust.