Book 10: Chapter 13: Diversification of the Frontline

At the point when the martial hero holding the hand axe and his companion heroes raided the escort agency passing through the mountain path in the name of the highway robber band such attacks were currently taking place concurrently in the outskirts of Luoyang.

* * *

The Yellow River the East-West Grand Canal.

While the brightly shining moon rested behind the clouds for a moment there was a sailing ship passing through the East-West Grand Canal.

The vessel was a common sailing ship, with nothing of a major distinguishing feature in its appearance.

Only.

There were more troops visible on the deck than on other sailing ships, and the fact that the waterline was clearly exposed, as if what it carried was not as heavy as grain, was peculiar if anything. "……."

And.

A figure that had risen from the water without a sound was climbing up the hull.

Climbing up the slippery hull as skillfully as a spider, she looked left and right before boarding the deck.

'Their state of armament is no joke?'

Then, she crawled on all fours, dodging the gaze of the guarding troops, and slipped into the sailing ship's warehouse.

'Found it…!'

Seeing the items piled up under the white cover, a deep smile hung on her lips.

And after a moment.

Screeech—!

A signal arrow shot high near the stern of the sailing ship.

The moment he verified the signal arrow that shone brightly along with the sound, the escort commander's face distorted ruthlessly.

“Enemy ra—!”

He spat blood just as he was about to say "raid."

He had no choice but to spit blood since a dagger pierced straight out of his chest.

“C-cough…!”

“O protector who guards and shields the wealth accumulated by sucking the lifeblood of the common people.”

A voice was heard from behind the escort commander, whose legs lost their strength as he knelt and slumped in his place.

“Do not think of our blades as heartless.”

The commander barely raised his head to look at the one who stabbed him.

“Y-you are…?”

“You mean us?”

A martial hero whose mouth was covered with waterproof cloth pondered for a moment and then smiled at him.

“We are the water robber band.”

The dagger flashed once more in the hand of the martial hero.

Was it a relief, if anything?

“It's a signal arrow!”

“All crew! To battle stations!”

“Everyone get up! Go up to the deck!”

Even in the state of losing their commander, the standby troops responded just as prearranged and trained.

But.

What reflected in the eyes of the troops who hastily came up to the deck, was the sight of the deck already turned into a bloodbath and occupied by the water robber band. "……!"

After a short while.

Verifying the signal, a few small boats approached the sailing ship and people began to board.

“Fellow martial heroes, thank you for your hard work. It is already the third big catch.”

Though they were ordinary people with no internal energy, each and every one of them was large and agile.

“It is nothing.”

Watching those who descended to the warehouse and began bringing up the baggage before anyone even told them to, the martial hero clasped his hands and expressed his gratitude.

“It is possible because the people of the House of Benevolence and Love support us from behind like this and do all the hard work.”

That was so.

They were those dispatched from the House of Benevolence and Love.

The leader of the dispatch unit smiled.

“We are the Eldest Young Master's most loyal hands and feet. We are merely doing what we ought to do.”

The martial hero averted his eyes from the corpses rolling in the bloodbath and asked.

“…It is a question I ask only now, but do you not feel any aversion to this kind of work?”

“Not at all.”

The answer was immediate.

The members of the dispatch unit skillfully began lowering the baggage onto the small boats while avoiding the corpses.

It felt as though they did not even see the corpses in their eyes.

“Rather, it feels refreshing.”

“It feels refreshing?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

The leader of the dispatch unit looked straight at the martial hero and spoke.

“Until now, we were only able to help and help those in need and difficulty. However, that work was a endless task.”

Because the cause that made people suffer and struggle—the culprits—existed separately.

“We were powerless.”

His gaze was deep.

The martial hero could clearly feel the emotion harbored deep within that gaze.

“But now, we too, finally.”

That emotion was anger.

“We have become able to help deal a blow to those culprits.”

And it was joy.

“So, how could we not feel refreshed and happy?”

The martial hero nodded as if sighing.

“You all are indeed those who possess the true spirit of a martial hero.”

“You flatter us.”

The leader of the dispatch unit of the House of Benevolence and Love scratched his nose in embarrassment and spoke.

“Furthermore, when doing the work of the House of Benevolence and Love in the first place, we see terrible sights day in and day out, so we were somewhat accustomed to it.”

Laughing heartily, he handed a note to the martial hero from his robes.

A pungent smell came from the note.

It was the same note as the one he had already received several times.

“It is the next prey.”

“Yes. Likewise, it is information handed over from the Shadow Group of the Sichuan Tang Family.”

* * *

In that way to the point where the deepening night felt meaningless, raids were taking place everywhere.

On the highways, the highway robber band on the East-West Grand Canal, the water robber band, and even the martial heroes who did not speak their name because they felt ashamed of the name robber band.

They were thoroughly hunting down the assets of the Yeon family blood relatives that were being transported out of Luoyang.

The martial heroes gathered and dispersed according to instructions, showing their capabilities beyond their limits depending on the situation and the target.

And, of course, the reason it was possible was because the one who enabled them to bring out that capability stood as their commander.

“The hunt is smooth.”

Sangwan Nan-hwa reported to the Eldest Young Master Yeon So-hyeon.

“The cooperation of the Shadow Group, the House of Benevolence and Love, and the martial heroes of the Spring of Luoyang is extremely smooth.”

She spoke to Yeon So-hyeon with eyes filled with surprise.

“It is a united force that runs so well that it is hard to believe it is the first time they are working together. Such a thing is possible…!”

“It is nothing much.”

Yeon So-hyeon smiled slightly.

“Because I clearly classified their roles according to each of their specialized fields.”

Yeon So-hyeon stroked his chin while looking at the strategic map.

“Tracking the smuggled wealth is handled by the Shadow Group. The raids are done by the Spring of Luoyang. And securing the spoils is managed by the House of Benevolence and Love.”

Sangwan Nan-hwa nodded.

“Sometimes, rather than blending organizations into one, maximizing the expertise of each organization creates a natural mutual solidarity.”

“Exactly.”

The speed with which she learned his art of personnel management by Yeon So-hyeon's side was fast enough to surprise even Yeon So-hyeon himself.

Moreover, her role was not merely learning by his side.

“The companies in which you, the Tea Fan Maidenss, have secured stakes over the past few days are playing their parts.”

It was impossible to quickly transport all the spoils with the existing House of Benevolence and Love alone.

“Since they are companies whose specialty is logistics and transport in the first place.”

Without the expertise of the logistics and transport companies newly affiliated under the business group of the House of Benevolence and Love, it would have been impossible to transport the spoils while avoiding the gaze of others.

“And that is truly nothing much.”

She rolled her eyes beautifully at Yeon So-hyeon.

“Are they not all companies that the Representative commanded to purchase stakes in beforehand?”

Yeon So-hyeon had entrusted the business group of the House of Benevolence and Love to the Tea Fan Maidenss and handed over a list of companies in which stakes should be secured.

“For them, they only need to secretly transport the spoils secured by the dispatch unit of the House of Benevolence and Love, so there is nothing difficult about it.”

Although she spoke as if it were nothing much, managing newly acquired companies like one's own hands and feet was not as easy as it sounded.

Without the active roles of the Tea Fan Maidens members dispatched to each company, it would have been impossible.

“By the way, Representative.”

Sangwan Nan-hwa asked while looking at the strategic map Yeon So-hyeon was peering into.

“If we scatter the looted assets completely like this, wouldn't their utility decrease?”

The final destinations of the spoils were marked on the map, and as Sangwan Nan-hwa said, they were set to be scattered throughout the North China region.

“It is inevitable.”

Yeon So-hyeon explained while tracing the map with his finger.

“As you know, we have merely robbed the assets that the Yeon family blood relatives are smuggling away; their material and political assets accumulated over generations remain intact.”

“That is… true.”

Sangwan Nan-hwa nodded with a stunned face.

The amount looted so far was a sum exceeding the total wealth of a decent family.

To think that such an amount was merely a fraction of it.

Although she knew it in her mind, hearing it directly from Yeon So-hyeon, who thoroughly understood the Luoyang Sword Family inside out, felt different.

“The corrupt Yeon family blood relatives will not stop their pursuit to reclaim their plundered wealth no matter what.”

Therefore, it meant that if the spoils were gathered in one place, the risk of exposure would increase.

“I see. And not just them…”

Sangwan Nan-hwa swallowed hard and spoke.

“The Left and Right Grand Tacticians of the Third Young Master's faction will also never stop pursuing the martial heroes of the Spring of Luoyang.”

Both the Third Young Master's side and the corrupt Yeon family blood relatives.

If they had one thing in common…

“If they have a common point, it is because their resources are overflowing.” "……."

An attitude as if talking about someone else.

Momentarily, Sangwan Nan-hwa was left speechless.

Yeon So-hyeon looked so calm that it was hard to believe he was in hostility with all those forces.

“…If so.”

Looking at Yeon So-hyeon's profile as he stared at the map for a moment, she carefully spoke.

“Wouldn't it be insufficient to just scatter the spoils here and there?”

Reflecting on her own experience, she spoke.

“Unless all those funds are buried underground, they will eventually be tracked down.”

“It seems your worries are as massive as a mountain.”

Yeon So-hyeon turned toward her and smiled faintly.

“Do not worry.”

Yeon So-hyeon added briefly.

“Because with their remaining resources, they will now be too busy keeping each other in check to come to their senses.”

“…Pardon?”

* * *

The Luoyang Sword Family, a certain place.

“…What did you say?”

The jeweled rings screamed in his tightly clenched fist.

“Say that again.”

At the host's voice of utter disbelief, his subordinate bumped his head on the floor.

“K-kill me, my lord!”

The Yeon family blood relative, the master, raised his hand wearing jeweled rings and pressed his temple.

“The things split into four routes and secretly transported were all plundered?”

“We are currently deploying additional people to grasp just what on earth is happening…!”

They said that when facing a completely absurd situation, a person could not even get angry.

Right now, this Yeon family blood relative was in exactly that situation.

“Just what is this…”

Having almost lost his mind for a moment, he leaped up from his seat and asked his subordinate urgently.

“Wh-what about the other blood relatives?! Is there no news from the other blood relatives?!”

He was not the only one smuggling away illegally accumulated assets today.

“There is no news transmitted specifically, but…”

The subordinate reported with his head bumped on the floor.

“Without exception, it is said that everyone is running around their mansions as if they are on fire. Judging by that…”

The Yeon family blood relative's mouth fell open.

“Everyone was hit by the same method…?”

He slumped down onto his seat.

“…How could we be robbed so easily? Did we not deploy high-level warriors?”

“…In all likelihood, our guess is.”

The close confidant standing by his side bowed his head.

“To avoid detection, splitting the transport method into multiple routes seems to have backfired instead.”

“What about immediate tracking…”

The close confidant shook his head.

“Normally, we would have borrowed the strength of the Main Family's intelligence departments, but…”

No, before even borrowing their strength, the intelligence departments of the Luoyang Sword Family would have already grasped all movements.

“However, we drew away the attention of those intelligence departments. To conceal the movement of the assets, by our own choice…”

Isn't it too coincidental?

He wiped his forehead.

“Does it mean someone targeted this situation from the very beginning? In synchronization with the Central Inspection Department's investigation?”

The close confidant bowed his head.

“…It cannot be explained in any other way.”

“If so, who…?”

The office fell into silence. "……."

He excluded the Eldest Young Master for now.

As far as he knew, the Eldest Young Master could plan such a thing, but did not have the organization to execute it.

'Then the next candidate is—' his thoughts were cut off by a shout coming in.

“Master!”

His chief butler hastily entered the office.

“Just now in the mansion's garden, a note like this…!”

The note was enclosed with an arrow.

Someone had tied the note to an arrow and shot it into the garden.

He hastily opened and read the note.

“This is the price for you choosing the wrong side.”

The moment he confirmed the content of that note everything in his mind connected as one.

“…The bastards of the Third Young Master's side!”

In the first place, those who tried to blockade Luoyang were also them.

Initially, it seemed like they were helping the Central Inspection Department's investigation to cover up the corruption of the Third Young Master's faction, but they were not.

“It was their doing from the very beginning!”

When the Eldest Young Master visited the Sword Family Bank, the source of corruption the Yeon family blood relatives had responded to the summons of the Second Young Master's faction to resolve the situation.

And.

[This is the price for you choosing the wrong side.] the Third Young Master's side must have sent a warning close to a declaration of war to them!

“These, dog-like sons of bitches…!”

The anger that could not find a place to go surged all at once.

His close confidant hastily waved his hand.

“C-calm yourself, my lord!”

He stopped his lord, who was about to leave his seat immediately to charge into the Third Young Master's faction.

“Not everything has become clear yet, has it?! This could all be a scheme to sow discord!”

At those words, the Yeon family blood relative's movement stopped for a moment.

“Right, a scheme to sow discord. That could be. But even so, we must strike the Third Young Master's side.”

However, his decision did not change.

“Wh-why…?”

He spat out the words as if chewing them.

“If I get hit and just sit back, everyone will think lightly of me.”

“But… if the real culprit is revealed later…!”

At the close confidant's words, the Yeon family blood relative bared his teeth.

“Then at that time, I can just smash that guy too, can't I?”