Book 11: Chapter 17: Clouds of War

The Valley of Sin.

As darkness fell over the valley bonfires were rising here and there, and armed people were sitting around them.

They were Yeon So-hyeon's troops.

“…Therefore, under situations like today's, the conclusion is that a field commander must not focus solely on killing many enemies in front of them—that is, on military achievements.”

A person clad in armor stood before a bonfire, conducting a lecture as well as a post-battle review of today's combat.

“Grasping the situation on the front line, maintaining the formation, and focusing on major and secondary targets. A commander must…”

The one carrying on this surprisingly excellent lecture was, naturally, the Chief Warrior of the War Advisory Council.

Not to mention the middle managers of the House of Benevolence and Love, even the middle commanders of the government troops who remained for follow-up operations were listening to the lecture spellbound.

“…Impressive.”

“Hooh…”

“Today's breakthrough was excellent. However, after the primary breakthrough, a closer coordination with our allies was lacking.”

The Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment maids were listening intently to the old woman's story.

The old woman.

As Elder Gwak, who was called the Crouching Dragon of Nanman, was a figure who had been active in wars all her life she had an endless supply of stories that became flesh and bone.

“…The measures for wounded comrades are…”

Throughout the valley, even to the lowest-ranking soldiers lectures were being delivered like that.

There was a person silently looking down at that scene through the window of his office. "……."

It was Yeon So-hyeon.

As always it was impossible to know what thoughts floated in his eyes, which were deep like an abyss.

“Eldest Young Master.”

Behind him, a husky voice was heard.

“What trick on earth did you pull to make the Supreme Executive Council attempt a plea bargain with Grand Madame Ouyang?”

The owner of the husky voice tapped his prosthetic leg against the floor.

“I know all too well how heavy-bottomed those fellows are.”

There were few in the Luoyang Sword Family who could call the Supreme Executive Council "those fellows," but they did exist.

As the President of Sword Family Construction, he was one of those very few individuals.

“Surely they would not have obediently moved as you wished solely on the pretext of helping the Emperor?”

He was feeling intensely intrigued.

As a president who had to deal directly with the Sword Family's Supreme Executive Council quite often, he wanted to somehow learn Yeon So-hyeon's secret method.

“What is the news on the Chief Manager of the Inner Courtyard?”

Instead of answering, Yeon So-hyeon threw a question in reverse, and the President of Sword Family Construction answered obediently, even while smacking his lips.

“Well, though there is no information about the Chief Manager of the Inner Courtyard himself, looking at the atmosphere of the Inner Courtyard, it will not differ much from your expectations.”

“We finally succeeded in raiding the Great Immortal Merchant Group, but you snatched away the most delicious part.”

The most delicious part he spoke of must refer to Grand Madame Ouyang.

“It would not be surprising if the Chief Manager of the Inner Courtyard is hanging a straw doll of you on his wall and driving large nails into it right now.”

He laughed heartily.

Over the past ten-odd years there had been no precedent of the Chief Manager of the Inner Courtyard, who was called the old monster of the Sword Family, getting hit in a political battle of wits.

Even if he seemed cornered at the moment, it had always ended in his victory in the end.

Yet, following the last book price incident to this current matter, that Chief Manager of the Inner Courtyard had been beaten by the Eldest Young Master twice in a row.

“That old man, the Chief Manager of the Inner Courtyard, has been a bit strange ever since the Patriarch collapsed.”

The President of Sword Family Construction spoke in a quite gratified tone.

“I hope he snaps out of it using this incident as an opportunity. However…”

Reaching that point, he raised his prosthetic leg and thumped it hard against the floor.

“Now, stop beating around the bush and explain it to me, Eldest Young Master!”

Yeon So-hyeon smirked and turned toward him.

“Have you heard about His Majesty the Emperor's Yangtze River Waterway Expansion and Renovation Project?”

“Hmm, not in detail, but…”

The President of Sword Family Construction stroked his scar-filled chin.

“The upstream project of the Yangtze River already has the agreement of the Sichuan Tang Family and the Dali Duan Family, and they tried to make a plea bargain with Grand Madame Ouyang to 'persuade' Evil Tyrant Heaven of the downstream area?”

“Hooh…”

Although he said himself that it was not in detail regarding a matter that had only recently begun to emerge in earnest, he grasped the situation so accurately that Yeon So-hyeon was slightly surprised.

'…As expected of the President of Sword Family Construction.'

Apart from the intelligence department of the Luoyang Sword Family, he must possess a thorough information network of his own.

Yeon So-hyeon nodded and continued.

“Once negotiations with Evil Tyrant Heaven are concluded, will the waterway expansion and renovation project not start in the downstream area as well?”

“Indeed.”

Although it was an obvious point, the President of Sword Family Construction nodded patiently.

“Only then will the project be complete.”

“In that case, who do you think will carry out the project in the downstream area?”

“Carry it out…”

At that difficult question, the President of Sword Family Construction narrowed his eyes.

“The Sichuan Tang Family and the Dali Duan Family are absolutely out of the question.”

He began his reasoning, muttering to himself.

“Because Evil Tyrant Heaven would never tolerate those families, who eagerly covet ports leading to the ocean, stepping into their territory.”

It was an open secret that the Sichuan Tang Family and the Dali Duan Family coveted ocean ports.

They wanted to become like the Luoyang Sword Family and Evil Tyrant Heaven, which recorded massive surpluses every year in overseas trade with Western empires.

Wanting to expand and renovate the Yangtze River so that foreign sailing ships could travel up to the upstream area was also for that reason.

“Then, Evil Tyrant Heaven directly?”

At Yeon So-hyeon's words, the President of Sword Family Construction smiled and waved his hand.

“Nonsense.”

He spoke as if it were absurd.

“Those bastards of Evil Tyrant Heaven would be lucky if they even know how to shovel properly; they lack the ability to conduct such a super-large civil engineering project, do they not? Unless it is us, Sword Family Construction. Those guys who cannot even build a proper levee…”

The eyes of the President of Sword Family Construction widened as he spoke up to that point.

It was because his reasoning had reached the answer in his mind.

“…Could it be?”

“Yes.”

Yeon So-hyeon raised a finger to point at him.

“The construction in the downstream of the Yangtze River will be handled by the Luoyang Sword Family. In other words, Sword Family Construction.”

“So…!”

Yeon So-hyeon nodded.

“That is why the Supreme Executive Council moved 'that heavy bottom' of theirs and proposed a plea bargain to Grand Madame Ouyang.”

“Because the Sword Family will secure the contract for a super-large civil engineering project!”

“Yes.”

“And our Sword Family Construction at that!”

“Yes.”

Yeon So-hyeon cast a glance at him.

“The downstream of the Yangtze River, namely Jiangnan, is the territory of Evil Tyrant Heaven. During the project, friction will occur with Evil Tyrant Heaven in every single matter every day. Without substantial guts and strength, one will not even be able to start.”

Yeon So-hyeon wore a provocative smile on his lips as he looked at the President of Sword Family Construction.

“Are you confident?”

“Did you ask if I am confident?”

The President of Sword Family Construction burst into a hearty laugh.

“Under heaven, if not for me, who would dare speak of guts?”

Tapping his thick arm muscles, he bared his teeth.

“Thank you! Thanks to the Eldest Young Master, I will be able to soothe my regret of not being able to participate in the Patriarch's conquest of Jiangnan in the past!”

He laughed heartily once more, he jumped up from his seat.

“This is no time to be sitting around; I must head back and start drafting the plan proposal!”

“Do so.”

Yeon So-hyeon glanced at the President of Sword Family Construction like that, turned back, and looked out at the night view through the window again.

“…By the way, Eldest Young Master.”

Holding the doorknob, the President of Sword Family Construction glanced back.

“Why are you still not letting the troops rest?”

It was a question that had been nagging at his mind from the start, kept bottled up.

He could not check the expression of Yeon So-hyeon, whose back was turned.

Yeon So-hyeon, this time as well threw a question in reverse to his question.

“Did they say Grand Madame Ouyang agreed to the plea bargain of the Supreme Executive Council?”

“Though concrete movements have not begun yet,” the President of Sword Family Construction shrugged his shoulders.

“they say she conveyed that she is reviewing the plea bargain quite positively.”

“That means no proper progress has been made.”

Yeon So-hyeon's voice grew low.

“…And at the same time, it also means the matter is not yet over.”

“…I see.”

There was something chilling in Yeon So-hyeon's tone.

The clouds filling the night sky spread outside the window he was looking at that they felt exceptionally dark was surely not just the imagination of the President.

“I wish you luck, Eldest Young Master.”

Stepping out of the door, the President of Sword Family Construction thought to himself.

'…Have the clouds of war not yet cleared?'

* * *

The Imperial Capital.

The meeting of the current patriarchs of the Sixteen Families entered a brief recess.

It was due to the shock of the news the Second Young Master had received from Luoyang.

“By no means must the Grand Madame accept a plea bargain!”

“That is equivalent to our side admitting defeat in this war!”

The Second Young Master's staff were arguing back and forth.

“Then what shall we do?!”

“Are you going to personally advise the Grand Madame to be imprisoned?!”

“T-that is…!”

Although it had been a long time since they began their discussion to squeeze out a strategy no clever solution was anywhere in sight.

It had long since begun to take the form of a wasteful war of words rather than a discussion. "……."

Leaving the chaos of the staff behind the Second Young Master placed his hands behind his back.

From behind his gold mask, he watched outside the window.

Creak.

The ink-colored armor wrapping his left hand produced an uncomfortable noise but unlike usual, that sound was completely buried amidst the shouting of his staff.

'Yeon So-hyeon…'

His half-brother.

He repeated Yeon So-hyeon's name syllable by syllable, as if spitting it out.

'Though I have never once underestimated him.'

The very moment Yeon So-hyeon visited Mount Beimang as his first official move he had headed here to the Imperial Capital.

When Yeon So-hyeon gathered the former patriarchs of the Sixteen Families, he immediately gathered the current patriarchs of the Sixteen Families.

As the opponent showed movements in the Imperial Palace he too gathered the current patriarchs and began his response.

One move.

And another move.

He thought they were playing chess by taking turns moving pieces against each other but as it turned out, the figure named Yeon So-hyeon had already played dozens of moves on his own.

'I cannot admit defeat like this.'

There was a 'last resort.'

His mother, Grand Madame Ouyang, would be steadily stalling for time to prepare that means right now.

'However,' a decisive move was still lacking to overturn a board that had already tilted.

'Dark Venerable.'

The critical issue was that unknown existence called the Dark Venerable.

As if Yeon So-hyeon had foreknowledge that he would deploy his last resort he had already subtly revealed that the existence called the Dark Venerable was related to himself.

Just as he ground his teeth, along with the sound of the room door opening, a commotion arose.

“Second Young Master, are you there?”

“Who are you?!”

“To enter without permission!”

“What are the warriors outside doing?!”

The responding voice was bizarre.

“The warriors seemed tired, as they were asleep.”

It was as though two people were speaking at the same time.

“Now that I look closely… are you not a strategist of our Jiangnan Division?”

In the view of the Second Young Master, who turned back from the window, the visitor's figure appeared.

With pale skin, as if all the blood had drained from his body his face was one where every single vein was twisted and stained blue.

Pointing at that face, one of the Second Young Master's staff spoke as he recalled his memory. Another staff member who remembered that name recalled it. The answer came not from Han Myeong-hwi, but from their lord.

“Surely, are you not Han Myeong-hwi of the Jiangnan Division?”

“Han Myeong-hwi? Is he not the chief strategist who was said to have gone missing a few days ago?”

“Everyone, leave the room.”

The Second Young Master certainly remembered having heard that bizarre overlapping of voices.

“What? But, my Lord…!”

“Immediately.”

Watching the staff leave the room, the figure called Han Myeong-hwi snickered.

"Run along now."

Yet even that smiling appearance was bizarre.

The figure called Han Myeong-hwi could not stay still at all, and his limbs twisted slightly as if having a seizure and each time, the sound of joints and muscles twisting echoed.

The snickering was not laughter but sounded almost like screaming.

“It has been a long time, Second Young Master of the Sword Family.”

The Second Young Master recognized that face.

Han Myeong-hwi.

Just as his staff had said he was the strategist of the Jiangnan Division who was said to have vanished a few days ago on the streets of Luoyang.

It was Han Myeong-hwi.

The very Han Myeong-hwi who had previously made achievements by predicting Yeon So-hyeon's movements during the Inner Courtyard book price incident.

“It has been a long time.”

However, the Second Young Master called his name 'differently.'

“Geum-jil.”

Geum-jil, wearing the skin of Han Myeong-hwi, smiled widely.

“You seem to be troubled because of that existence called the Dark Venerable.”

Through Han Myeong-hwi's vocal cords, Geum-jil spoke.

“I have prepared the answer.”