Book 11: Chapter 1: Irregular Force

The upper reaches of the Valley of Sin.

Of the three underworld organizations ruling the Valley of Sin, one faction.

The leader of the Three-Five Union spat out curses as he looked down the valley.

"Damn it, that crazy Eldest Young Master!"

Whenever he looked down at the night view of Luoyang, called the Moon Palace, from the uppermost reaches of this fortified valley, a heroic spirit would naturally surge within him.

Feeling as if he had placed all of Luoyang under his feet.

Those were the days when he dreamed of becoming a member of the Six Men Association, which ruled the darkness of Luoyang day by day.

The confidence that as long as the Sword Family turned a blind eye to the underworld, no one could conquer this naturally blessed fortress.

However.

"Leader! It's dangerous!"

As soon as he heard the guard's words, he grabbed his head and lay flat on the floor.

Along with a whooshing sound. "……!"

At the shadow that instantly cast over him, his entire body froze stiff.

'Am I really going to die like this?'

In the brief moment when his life flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern.

Casting a shadow, a giant boulder that passed right over his head crashed straight into the building behind him.

Rumble!

With a roar reminiscent of thunder, his high-rise mansion, which had been his pride, collapsed.

'…My mansion.'

Boulders flying from below the valley were smashing the defense towers in the upper reaches.

'…The defense towers.'

Even if they were grandly called defense towers in the first place, they merely relied on the terrain.

Like the rest of the scenery of the Valley of Sin, they were nothing more than crudely built structures using wood and other materials.

Before a proper engine of war like a catapult, they were meaningless.

'Is everything collapsing like this…!'

The catapults were indiscriminately battering not only the territory he occupied, but also the other two organizations.

The territories of the White Bone Gang and the Black Steel Gang were also being struck without distinction.

It seemed they had no way out either.

"…The ord… is wrong."

In the noise, the leader's muttering could not be heard clearly.

The leader's guard captain crawled on the floor and approached him.

"Leader, what did you say?!"

Grabbing his head, the leader sprang up from his spot.

"I said the order is wrong!" "……!"

Rising to his feet, the leader of the Three-Five Union screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Normally, by now, we should have been attacking the Eldest Young Master's forward base!"

That was the original plan.

"Once the district chiefs of Tanryung District and Gahyo District took the Eldest Young Master under the pretext of cooperation in the investigation, and the government soldiers disarmed the Eldest Young Master's forces!"

He shouted, spitting saliva with his eyes half-turned.

"Then we were supposed to attack! The elder from the Second Young Master's side of the Sword Family clearly told us that was the plan!"

But why?

Why were they being attacked instead of doing the attacking?!

"What on earth are those two district chiefs doing?!"

On the contrary, the government soldiers could be seen faintly marching from the lower stream, as if cooperating with the Eldest Young Master.

"And why are those government soldiers trying to attack us?!"

Since it was only a short while ago that the district chiefs of Tanryung District and Gahyo District had changed their minds and joined Yeon So-hyeon's alliance.

There was no way he could know.

"Leader! It's dangerous!"

"Take me to a safe place! To the underground!"

The guards rushing from all sides threw themselves on him and dragged him away.

"Why on earth did things turn out like this!"

His scream did not even echo in the valley, buried under the noise made by the falling boulders.

* * *

'The plan of the Second Young Master's side certainly seemed flawless and perfect.'

Although a boulder fell nearby and crushed his subordinates as it passed.

The leader of the Black Steel Gang, who was looking down, did not even bat an eye.

'Where did things start going wrong?'

Perhaps the plan had leaked from the Second Young Master's side.

'Incompetent bastards who put on airs just because they have the Sword Family and the Four Evil Heavens backing them…!'

Unlike the leader of the Three-Five Union, who had risen to the position of leader by rolling money in the underground economy, he was someone who had properly experienced the hell of war.

Compared to the chaos he had experienced, a mere flying boulder was not scary at all.

"Hold on, you bastards!"

His voice shouting at his subordinates rang out loudly, filled with internal energy.

"Those guys can't keep shooting stones forever either!"

To suppress the upper reaches, troops eventually had to enter.

Once the troops entered, they could not bombard the front line where a chaotic battle was occurring.

"It will be soon!"

His sharp gaze directed toward Yeon So-hyeon's troops climbing from the middle reaches of the valley.

They seemed to be surrounding them widely, as if to leave no room for escape.

Were they relying on the support of the government soldiers following from behind?

'How ridiculous.'

Having a deep understanding of military strategy as a commander who was dishonorably discharged from the army, he laughed inwardly.

'Attacking high ground with fewer troops while maintaining a siege formation?'

For the disadvantaged side to disperse their forces.

It was an absurd act.

'Arrogant bastards!'

They must have done this based on the judgment that the quality of their troops was overwhelming.

Did they really charge like that just because they had some heavy equipment?

By the time they reached the upper reaches, how much physical strength would the troops have left?

'That arrogance will lead to your defeat, Eldest Young Master!'

The leader of the Black Steel Gang ground his teeth and raised his voice with internal energy.

"Give them no openings! Tighten our defense inside! If we just defend, this battle is our guaranteed victory!"

Moreover, the number of defenders on the high ground was more than twice that of the attackers.

This was possible because they had received the full support of the Six Men Association by the order of the Second Young Master's side.

'Though they were troops that should have gone on the attack, this is actually for the better.'

The subordinate in charge of observation shouted.

"They will clash soon!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yeon So-hyeon's troops appeared in the upper reaches.

Just as the leader of the Black Steel Gang had thought.

Having climbed to the steeply sloped upper reaches, the Eldest Young Master's troops moved slowly and sluggishly, as if exhausted.

'I will repay the grudge from a few days ago exactly!'

The leader of the Black Steel Gang shouted.

"Just hold on! They will exhaust themselves and self-destruct!"

Today, he would show the taste of defeat to the Eldest Young Master who was causing a stir in all of Luoyang.

'The battlefield is not an easy place where you can show off your intellect, brat!'

"The enemy is charging!"

The heavily armored troops of the Eldest Young Master's side were incredibly slow, rendering the word 'charge' meaningless.

'We won.'

A smile played on the lips of the Black Steel Gang's leader.

But.

As it was with almost all commanders.

Once the battle began, the battlefield immediately went beyond the commander's expectations.

"Le-Leader…!"

And by a wide margin.

"Our boys are disobeying orders and charging toward the enemy!"

The subordinate's report was unnecessary. "……?"

Because he was also seeing the situation clearly with his own two eyes.

His subordinates.

The subordinates of the other two organizations.

Abandoned the defense in the narrow alleys without exception, and were all running out into the open space.

An incomprehensible situation.

Even if it was not by his command.

'Anyone should know that defending is more advantageous for survival?!'

"Uaaaaah!"

"Dieeeee!"

The strange screams uttered by the charging subordinates even reached his ears.

And at that moment.

He realized why his troops had chosen to charge.

He realized the reason.

"Poppy…!"

* * *

"The enemy is charging."

The Old Strategist smiled, a gleam shining deep in his eyes.

"Just as expected."

Unlike almost all commanders, a special few military strategists successfully predicted the battlefield.

The Old Strategist of the war advisory council was just such a person.

"The Poppy following the catapult attack. Under the influence of its powerful awakening effect, the enemies have completely lost control."

"Indeed…"

At those words, Yeon So-hyeon stroked his chin with interest.

"Since they couldn't do anything and only took the catapult attacks unilaterally, the aggressiveness caused by Poppy became conspicuously stronger."

"As expected of the Eldest Young Master. You are correct."

The Old Strategist nodded.

"From the beginning, our heavy infantry had no need to charge at the enemies on the high ground."

"Is that why you had our allies march rapidly from the beginning?"

"Because that was better for provoking the enemy."

Whether the enemies grew excited at the sight of the rapidly approaching heavy infantry.

Or whether the enemy's vanguard leadership became excited.

Either way, the Old Strategist's tactics were bound to work.

"Impressive."

"No, Eldest Young Master."

At Yeon So-hyeon's words, the Old Strategist shook his head humbly.

"It was only possible because the Eldest Young Master used your strategy to pull in the district chiefs and crush the schemes of the Second Young Master's side."

Although the district chiefs did not know the strategy of the Second Young Master's side through the underworld.

There was no way Yeon So-hyeon, who saw the district chiefs' movements, would fail to notice the strategy of the Second Young Master's side.

"But without you all, it would have been impossible."

While the two were thus friendly painting gold on each other's faces. "……."

The patriarchs of Yeon So-hyeon's new allied families were not even hearing that conversation.

"The enemies are…"

When one patriarch could not continue speaking with a stunned expression, the son-in-law of the Seo Family let out a hollow laugh.

"The enemies are melting away."

The scene they were looking at from afar.

Was indeed to the extent that the expression 'melting away' was accurate.

"For light infantry to charge at heavy infantry in a dense formation without any array…"

The armament level of the enemies.

Was an overestimation even to be called light infantry.

Originally, due to the nature of the underworld.

Many of the enemy's forces did not even have proper armor, and a countless number of them had bare chests.

Countless corpses of the enemies were piling up in front of the Heavy Armored Unit of the House of Benevolence and Love, which was holding out like an iron wall.

"But no matter how light the enemy's armor is, it's a charge made from high ground without regard for their own safety…"

The Acting Patriarch of the Seo Family, who was observing the Heavy Armored Unit, frowned as if she could not understand.

"Just how can their level of training and on-site command be so high…?"

Although it was almost a monologue.

Perhaps his ears had grown sharper as he aged.

'Hehe.'

The Old Strategist, who managed to hear those words in the midst of this, smiled to himself.

'For that very purpose, every single warrior of the war advisory council even sacrificed their vacation.'

The Old Strategist's gaze turned toward those forming the battle line in the distance.

* * *

"Narrow the gap! Put your shoulders together with the comrade next to you!"

A person wearing the same armor as the other heavily equipped troops shouted like thunder.

"Just do as trained! Everyone, keep your wits about you!"

The only difference was a single sword slung across his back.

"Uaaaaah!"

An enemy high on Poppy climbed over the shields like a madman, ignoring his wounds.

He jumped down into the rear, holding blades in both hands.

"Hup!"

No.

It was only his torso that fell.

With a low grunt, the head of the enemy was caught on the sword of the person who was giving commands.

"Everyone is doing well!"

A display of martial prowess that was unbelievable for a decurion.

"Trust the judgment of the command and trust our instructions!"

That was because the decurions of the current Heavy Armored Unit.

"Don't just hold the shields, put your weight into them!"

Were the warriors of the war advisory council.

Following Elder Yeom's instructions, they had used their vacation period to devote all their strength to training the Heavy Armored Unit of the House of Benevolence and Love.

And they were even.

Participating in the battle as decurions, commanding and tempering them in actual combat.

"Good! Keep doing just that! Never protrude alone from the formation!"

If there was a pushed area, the swords of the war advisory council fluttered, sensing it like a ghost.

"Don't get excited! The attack is not our job!"

Even though the members of the Heavy Armored Unit of the House of Benevolence and Love were veterans of the Northern War, none of them were from the same unit, yet the advisors made them move like a single body in a short period of time.

"In this battle, we are the anvil! We will never move, and we will never retreat!"

That was, during the past Northern War.

Tempering conscripts into elite soldiers wherever they were deployed, and consequently affecting the outcome of the war.

The true power of the war advisory council warriors.

* * *

"Le-Leader!"

The subordinate acting as a messenger reported with a pale face.

"The front line has completely lost control!"

"I know that too!"

Grit.

The leader of the Black Steel Gang ground his teeth.

"Retreat! You bastards! I told you to retreat and block them in the alleys!"

"Cha-a-a-arge!"

Rushing this way and that, in utter confusion.

The subordinates, completely dominated by the aggressiveness of Poppy, were rushing toward the enemies like moths to a flame.

And the subordinates who maintained relative sanity.

Could do neither this nor that.

'Judgment…! I must make a decision quickly…!'

For a commander, the worst result does not come from wrong commands.

It comes when they fail to give commands.

"Tell them to charge!"

The messenger looked at him with a blank expression.

"Yes?"

"Since it has come to this, tell everyone to charge immediately!"

Ignoring the stunned messenger, the leader of the Black Steel Gang raised his voice, channeling his internal energy.

"Everyone, charge!"

* * *

"I mean, everyone charge!"

The leader's voice, full of internal energy, was heard clearly even in the chaotic situation.

"Boys."

Without even using Poppy.

"You all heard it, right?"

Those who had been quietly waiting for their moment and catching their breath stood up at their leader's call.

"Currently, the only martial artists in the Eldest Young Master's front line are a few acting as decurions in the rear."

Dozens of people.

A chilling murderous intent lingered in the eyes of all those dozens of men, whose attire and weapons were all different.

"Inferior slum dwellers who have no internal energy and know no martial arts."

The moment the martial artists of the unorthodox path poured out of the safe houses.

"Let's tear them all to pieces."

The scout who spotted them from a nearby rooftop urgently waved a flag and shouted.

"Enemy martial artists spotted ahead!"

Just those few words.

While he was making the report, their figures had already rushed to the front line.

That was a martial artist.

That was martial arts.

A speed that did not even give time to respond.

The warriors of the war advisory council were beyond the shield wall for command, and it seemed too late for them to respond.

"Ah…!"

A scream like a sigh burst from the scout's mouth, but.

The unorthodox martial artists who had rushed in as if they would tear through the front line at any moment were instead torn apart themselves.

"Wh-What?!"

Just how fierce the sword strikes bursting from between the shield walls were.

The front line fell into a brief lull for a moment.

A smile played on the lips of the war advisory council warrior who was leisurely watching the scene from the rear.

"As expected of the Wind-Cleaving Chaotic Sword."

"Now."

A woman's voice flowed from the mouth of the one who was blended into the front line in the exact same attire as the Heavy Armored Unit.

"To the inferior crowd of unorthodox martial artists…"

As she took off her helmet, her long hair spilled down like a waterfall.

She was indeed the superintendent nun of the Emei Sect.

"Let them feel the sword of our Emei Sect."