Chapter 410: Bait (2)
As terrifying rumors swept across the Central Plains along with the notices, and the atmosphere of war grew thick.
At the Zhengmu League on Dongting Lake, which could be called the center of the incident, some people stopped coming, while others began arriving in greater numbers.
Ordinary civilians and martial artists of meager skill stayed away in fear, while the major sects and families of the martial world continued sending people to determine how the Zhengmu League intended to respond.
Among them was an Outer Hall Elder of the Hebei Peng Family.
“The entire Central Plains is in chaos, so what in the world is the League thinking, Chief Strategist!!”
Peng Chubo, an Outer Hall Elder of the Peng Family, shouted as though pressing Zhuge Muhuan for an answer.
Even though elders and important figures from other sects and families were all present around them.
“We are also still assessing the situation, Elder Peng.”
At Zhuge Muhuan’s curt reply, Peng Chubo, true to his reputation as a hot-tempered elder of the Peng Family, flushed red and shouted again.
“What is there to assess! This is the crime of humiliating a member of the imperial family! There is no choice but to prostrate yourselves and beg forgiveness!”
“Do you believe the imperial family will let this pass merely because we prostrate ourselves and beg forgiveness?”
“His Majesty the Emperor’s imperial decree has already been issued! It says that as long as the League Leader personally admits his crime and pays the price, no one else will be held accountable!”
At Peng Chubo’s shout, a smile appeared on Zhuge Muhuan’s otherwise expressionless face.
It was open mockery.
“Does Elder Peng truly believe those words?”
“Are you now daring to say that His Majesty the Emperor is lying? Does the Chief Strategist also wish to be dragged away for treason?”
“Oh my. What a truly frightening thing to say. Somehow, it feels as though I am speaking not with an elder of the Peng Family, but with a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”
At Zhuge Muhuan’s sarcasm, Peng Chubo raised his energy and glared at him as though he wanted to kill him.
Though Zhuge Muhuan’s martial arts were meager for a Chief Strategist, he continued wearing a mocking expression even while being pushed back by that pressure.
The struggle of wills continued for a moment.
When the atmosphere among those nearby began to sour, Peng Chubo finally withdrew his pressure and asked.
“Then where is the League Leader?”
He meant that he wished to speak with the League Leader himself rather than the Chief Strategist.
However, the answer to that question was far beyond anything Peng Chubo had expected.
“He has already left.”
“Are you saying he fled!?”
At Peng Chubo’s shocked question, Zhuge Muhuan merely shrugged as though it were nothing noteworthy and answered.
“They are only targeting him anyway, so he said he would let them pursue him alone and departed.”
***
After Peng Chubo and several others left upon hearing that Mujin had already vanished.
“Is it truly all right to simply let them leave like that?”
At the question of Hyegyeol, the Outer Hall Master of Shaolin, Zhuge Muhuan covered his mouth with his fan and replied.
“Such things are necessary if one wishes to separate sand from pearls. There is even a saying that allies can be more frightening than enemies, is there not?”
“Still, judging by Elder Peng’s behavior, he seemed to have sided completely with the imperial family. We do not know what sort of conspiracy he may attempt outside, do we?”
“At most, he will try to gather those who harbor ambitions for the position of League Leader while insisting that a new League Leader must be appointed. And would he not then attempt to swear loyalty to the imperial family together with them? Hehehe. It seems he intends to become the vanguard who delivers the League into the imperial family’s hands.”
At Zhuge Muhuan’s utterly relaxed attitude, those gathered let out sighs.
Some sighed in relief because they interpreted that attitude as confidence, while others sighed anxiously because they felt an ominous sense of foreboding.
“More importantly, are the preparations truly complete?”
At the question of someone who felt uneasy, Zhuge Muhuan nodded.
In truth, those who remained here had been chosen by Mujin and Zhuge Muhuan.
While Emperor Taiping waged his war, Mujin and Zhuge Muhuan had worried that something like this might happen afterward and selected those they trusted most.
And among these people, a plan for what to do if such an event occurred had already been established.
At Zhuge Muhuan’s confident nod, Hyegyeol added, as though trying to reassure the anxious ones.
“Would the fact that the Chief Strategist remains here not prove that he is confident?”
“Indeed, that is true.”
This time, everyone had no choice but to nod.
At least among the upper ranks of the martial world, everyone knew that Zhuge Muhuan valued his own life above all else.
At the blatant reactions of those gathered, Zhuge Muhuan wore a rotten smile and spoke.
“What reason would there be to avoid a battle where victory is certain? As long as our chess pieces move according to plan, there will be no possibility of failure.”
No one took particular offense at Zhuge Muhuan referring to people as chess pieces.
The atmosphere was simply one of, he had always been that sort of man.
“Then what do you intend to do if one of those chess pieces betrays us or moves according to its own judgment?”
At someone’s question, Zhuge Muhuan wore an expression that asked why they were stating the obvious.
“Why, flee, of course.”
“.......”
“.......”
Once again, everyone sighed together with expressions that said, ‘Of course.’
***
Several days later.
News spread throughout the Central Plains that Mujin had left the Zhengmu League to bear the imperial family’s pursuit alone.
Strangely, that action of Mujin’s gave the imperial family yet another justification.
Those who attempt to hide the Leader of the Zhengmu League will be held guilty of a crime equivalent to rebellion.Anyone with even the slightest connection to the Leader of the Zhengmu League must immediately report to the authorities and provide information about him.Those who fail to do so will likewise be judged guilty of a crime equivalent to rebellion.Under such justification, warnings were finally issued not only to the Zhengmu League, but to every sect and family with even the slightest connection to Mujin, and the army began to move.
It was absurd.
The military forces throughout the Central Plains had been making preparations from the very beginning, yet they were framing the situation as though everything had been caused by Mujin’s flight.
And the military units beginning to move from various regions advanced toward places connected to Mujin, such as Shaolin and the Tianliu Merchant Association.
They could interrogate them and extract information about Mujin, kill them and weaken the strength of the martial world, or perhaps even lure Mujin out when he appeared to protect them.
Among the military units advancing in this manner, there was strangely even one heading toward a mountain.
“Traitors who dare cultivate His Majesty the Emperor’s land and collect tolls as they please, come down at once and receive your punishment!!”
Their objective was to uproot those who called themselves the ‘Foolish Old Man Road Party.’
It was widely known that Mugung, the Party Master of the Foolish Old Man Road Party, was Mujin’s friend, and they were also insolent men who had dared behave as though the emperor’s land belonged to them.
Meanwhile.
Mugung enhanced his eyesight with internal energy and observed the army shouting from below the mountain before letting out a faint sigh.
'So it has come to this after all.'
He had expected that the imperial family would not leave the Foolish Old Man Road Party alone once the war ended.
The Foolish Old Man Road Party had been created despite knowing that from the start. Its purpose had been to guide men who would otherwise have turned to banditry.
“What should we do, Party Master?”
“Just give the order! I will stand at the vanguard!”
However, the Party members, unaware of Mugung’s thoughts, shouted for a fight to the death with fire in their eyes.
Some had served as members of the Road Party for as little as a year, while the longest-serving among them had spent more than four years cutting roads through mountains.
Before they knew it, they had come to take pride in the work they did.
At the sight of those Party members, an emotion of pity that did not suit Mugung’s face appeared upon it.
“Look at their numbers and armaments. If you resist, more than half of you will die.”
“But!”
“We cannot simply abandon the roads we worked ourselves half to death building all this time and leave!”
As the Party members’ desperate shouts rang out one after another, Mugung let out a sigh and shouted with internal energy.
“Silence! You have already changed. You are the men who suffered beside me for years, tilling the earth and cutting roads through mountains. Think for yourselves. No matter where you go in the world, can there be any work harder than cutting a road through a mountain?”
“.......”
“Remember the roads you have built until now. You can accomplish anything! So leave the mountain at once. Escape by any means necessary, survive, establish yourselves somewhere new, and live upright lives. Do you understand?”
“Party Master.......”
At the sight of the Party members’ conflicted expressions, Mugung shouted again.
“Leave at once! Hurry!”
At his roar, most of the Party members reluctantly turned their feet and began descending the mountain one by one.
A few who remained until the very end asked Mugung.
“Why are you not leaving, Party Master?”
“Do you intend to bury your bones here?”
“Then we will remain with you!”
At their cries, Mugung gave a faint laugh and looked to the side.
“Why would I die when I have a precious wife and child?”
At his words, Baek Garyeong, who stood beside him with a child in her arms, smiled gently.
“Your martial arts are still meager, so I intend to buy you some time before escaping. Do not worry and leave.”
“Then we will stay as well.......”
“Tch. You would only get in the way. Leave at once.”
“.......”
Unable to deny that statement, they departed one by one with helpless expressions.
After driving every Party member from the mountain in that way. Mugung looked at Baek Garyeong and the guards surrounding her.
“My wife should leave now as well. I will only buy a little time before escaping.”
Baek Garyeong gazed at Mugung for a moment with complicated emotions in her eyes, then nodded and turned away.
Before emotion, she was a wise woman. She knew that if she and the child remained nearby, they might only become hindrances.
Once everyone had left, Mugung stood alone on the cleared mountain slope and looked down below, only for bewilderment to enter his eyes.
Having spent so long only in the martial world, he had misunderstood something.
The way an army fought.
“Fire!!”
Absurdly, rather than climbing the mountain directly, the army began shooting arrows toward it.
Naturally, they were far too distant for the arrows to reach the cleared mountain slope.
The problem was.
WHOOSH.
“Those lunatics! They mean to burn the entire mountain down!”
The arrows they were firing had been set aflame.
The moment Mugung confirmed that fact, he turned and sprinted after the Party members and his wife in the direction they had departed.
For the moment, the flaming arrows had little effect, but Mugung, who had spent years cutting roads through mountains, knew well.
Once a forest fire properly caught, it would spread at a truly terrifying speed.
“They have set fire to the mountain! Run at once!!”
At Mugung’s full-throated roar, those who had gone ahead and had been descending reluctantly began running down the mountain with devastated expressions.
Although they were being driven away by the army, they had at least believed that the roads they had built would remain.
But if the mountain was set ablaze, the roads they had cultivated all this time would inevitably disappear with it.
How long had they run down the mountain with clenched teeth in their devastation?
SLASH.
“Aaaaaagh.......”
The sound of cutting and screams began erupting among those descending at the very front.
“Hehehe.”
“You vermin. Did you truly think you would return alive?”
Before long, several dozen people dressed in green appeared ahead of them.
Their clothing, similar in color to the mountain’s vegetation, gave them a strangely peculiar appearance.
Every one of them had an unusually delicate air for a man, and even their mocking voices sounded strangely androgynous.
The contrast was especially striking when compared to the members of the Foolish Old Man Road Party, all of whom boasted fierce appearances thanks to the repeated hard labor of clearing mountains.
Baek Garyeong immediately recognized their identity and urgently shouted.
“They are eunuchs of the Eastern Depot!”
As though her prediction was correct, one of the eunuchs with that peculiar atmosphere spoke in a strangely seductive tone.
“Ohohoho. There are quite a few who look strong enough to be useful. Leave only a few of the most promising ones alive and kill the rest!”