It’s already been four days since we left our main base in Hubei.
And I keep my word.
“Oww…”
“Aren’t you going a bit too far, seriously?”
In front of me, Brother Jin-ho and the sixth squad members were sprawled on the ground, groaning and whining.
Today made it the second day of our spars.
Just like yesterday, we spent this morning sparring against Brother Jin-ho and the sixth squad, exactly as I’d said we would.
But instead of me, my Escort Guards were the ones who took the front lines. As soon as they heard I’d be sparring with those guys, my Escort Guards came to make a request.
“We’ll take the front this time. Please grant us this request.”
“Any particular reason?”
“We’re our lord’s Escort Guards. It means we should always be standing in front of you. And we also want to build up more real combat experience.”
As I was hesitating, Palgap spoke up.
“Young Master, the boss is supposed to show up last, you know.”
“Hmm, is that how it works?”
Though calling me “boss” feels a little off, doesn’t it?
Anyway, I accepted their request and explained the situation to Brother Jin-ho.
He was happy and agreed on the spot, but… was it really something to be happy about?
In some ways, my Escort Guards are even more ruthless than I am.
Even if Brother Jin-ho is a Peak–realm warrior, among my Escort Guards there are two Peak–realm warriors.
And the other four are outstanding even among First-rate warriors.
Brother Jin-ho couldn’t last long against the combined assault of Escort Guard Seo Wu and Escort Guard Jin Yu before collapsing, and the sixth squad members went down one by one against the remaining four Escort Guards.
They held out maybe half a step longer than yesterday, but even then, it barely passed a quarter of an hour.
They’d tried to reset their mindset based on yesterday’s experience, but my Escort Guards aren’t exactly normal opponents.
I walked over to Brother Jin-ho.
“Brother, you okay?”
“You brat, don’t smile while reaching your hand out!”
“Sorry. I just can’t help laughing.”
“Dammit!”
“Still, you held out a bit longer than yesterday.”
I could feel that he was trying to fight the way I wanted him to, and that made me grateful.
.
.
.
Before we knew it, we’d left Hubei behind and entered Henan.
In Hubei, the Eunhae Merchant Group’s influence is strong, so the Forest bandits don’t even dare show themselves.
But Henan is a different story.
It’s where the Murim Alliance and Shaolin have their main bases, but even they don’t bother stepping in unless someone touches them or their allies.
If they really decided to run a full–scale campaign to wipe bandits out, they’d take serious losses, and there’s no real reason for them to take that risk.
Knowing that, the Forest bandits in Henan only go after targets they think they can hit without causing trouble.
Like a merchant group such as ours, for example.
“There’s killing intent ahead.”
At Escort Guard Jin Yu’s words, I sighed.
“I figured. Go inform everyone. Tell them there are people up ahead targeting us.”
“Understood.”
Escort Guard Jin Yu first reported it to Escort Chief Ha. Then Escort Chief Ha relayed it to everyone.
“Prepare for battle.”
“Yes, sir!”
Normally, they just take a toll and let you go, but with killing intent this thick…
So much for slipping by quietly.
Which means they know exactly what we’re carrying. News really does travel fast.
With grain prices at their peak right now, this isn’t something the Forest bandits can just wave through for a little toll.
A short while later.
Thwip–!
An arrow came flying in.
Shraaak–!
Brother Jin-ho’s Azure Dragon Dance sliced the arrow apart. That was the start of the fight.
“Get them! The food’s over there!”
At the shout from someone who looked like the chieftain of the mountain stronghold, the Forest bandits roared and charged at us.
We responded calmly.
“Don’t let them take anything!”
“Yes, sir!”
The escorts from the Changin Escort Bureau fought fiercely, and our Eunpoong Division refused to give ground.
But…
“Aaagh! You bastards! Are you seriously hitting this hard?”
“It really hurts, you maniacs!”
“Captain! We had good times in the Eunpoong Division! We were happy here!”
Is it just me, or is their anger not actually aimed at the Forest bandits?
Thinking that, I turned to my Escort Guards.
“Maybe we were a bit too harsh.”
At Escort Guard Seo Wu’s words, I gave a small laugh and said,
“Not at all. Keep it up just like that. Thanks to you, that missing edge has settled in nicely.”
Saying that, I drew my sword as well.
I ordered Palgap to protect Lady Seohyang, then joined my Escort Guards in fighting the bandits.
They had the advantage in numbers, but they were nothing compared to our side.
Leaving me out of it, there were still four Peak–realm warriors.
Escort Chief Ha Cheol was a Peak–realm warrior as well.
About half an hour later.
The situation was wrapped up, and we quickly left the area.
Staying long where blood has soaked the ground only draws wild beasts and clouds of flies.
We reached Luoyang and got on a boat right away.
We chose to sail to Jinan first, then head straight north from there.
Yeah, traveling by boat really is comfortable.
I lay down on the deck and stared up at the sky. Spring skies have a way of making people feel drowsy.
“Escort Guard Seo Wu.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Has sparring against Brother Jin-ho and the sixth squad helped you at all?”
At my question, Escort Guard Seo Wu answered,
“Yes. It’s helping us learn how to handle multiple opponents more efficiently, and how to use our internal Qi more efficiently as well.”
“I’m glad it’s been useful.”
“It’s a shame we can’t do any group spars for a while now that we’re on the boat.”
As I chatted with Escort Guard Seo Wu, I looked over the report Brother Jin-ho had submitted.
I’d been constantly hounding him and making him write battle review reports.
I still haven’t forgotten what he wrote on the very first one.
[Fought. Lost. Seo-ho’s stronger than me. The places he hit still hurt.]
That day, Brother Jin-ho got almost an hour–long lecture from me and ended up having to rewrite the report.
After repeating that a few times, he finally started writing reports worth reading.
And I could slowly feel that he was actually thinking while he fought.
Just like I said, it’s not that he can’t do it. He just never did before.
Brother Jin-ho was figuring out how to fight more efficiently even faster than I’d expected.
He’d stuck to his old “crush them in the opening clash” style because of his personality, but he was never actually stupid to begin with.
“Escort Guard Seo Wu, and Escort Guard Jin Yu. Starting tomorrow, every morning, I want you to have one–on–one spars with Brother Jin-ho.”
“Understood.”
While we’re traveling by boat, I plan to make sure he fully understands what strategy and mind games in battle really mean.
Baek Wui, Deputy of the Eunpoong Division’s sixth squad, had been a warrior for fifteen years now.
Even before Eun Jin-ho became captain of the sixth squad, Baek Wui had already been serving as Deputy.
With that much experience, it was only natural that watching Eun Jin-ho always made them uneasy.
Because they knew victories and defeats aren’t decided solely by the level of one’s martial arts.
But Eun Jin-ho had always insisted he didn’t need tactics, shouting that striking first was the key and bulldozing ahead on pure will.
As Deputy, Baek Wui had been torn on whether to speak up about it or just leave things be.
That dilemma was resolved thanks to an unexpected person.
Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho, Eun Jin-ho’s younger brother, had told him to start using his head when he fought.
The problem was that, to hammer that new way of fighting into his body, they’d dragged the entire sixth squad into it.
Even now, the leg that had been hit by that person called Seo Wu still throbbed. The back that Jin Yu had struck still ached.
But…
As the spars went on, Baek Wui could clearly see the sixth squad’s eyes filling with ferocity and feel their skills steadily rising.
Only then did Baek Wui realize.
Eun Seo-ho truly cherished Eun Jin-ho.
Putting the entire sixth squad, including themselves, through this kind of training was also for the sake of helping Eun Jin-ho.
Thinking that, Baek Wui suddenly doubted their own eyes.
Because Eun Jin-ho was reading a book that looked suspiciously like a tactics manual.
“C–Captain? Is that book you’re reading right now… a tactics manual?”
“Yeah.”
“Haven’t you always said tactics were pointless?”
“I did. But watching my squad get beaten bloody because of me made me feel so guilty I was going crazy. So before we got on the boat, I went and bought a tactics manual.”
Come to think of it, before boarding the ship he’d said he had to go somewhere for a bit. So that place had been a bookstore.
“But didn’t the Commander teach you tactics already?”
“He did, probably. I just didn’t bother listening back then.”
“…”
“Reading this tactics manual is bringing back what he taught me. Damn it. And I’m realizing just how stupidly I’ve been fighting.”
Watching him say that, Baek Wui thought,
A huge step forward.
Honestly, Eun Jin-ho’s spear techniques were terrifying. If someone like him started using his head on top of that…
Baek Wui swallowed hard.
In Hubei, just the name Eun Jin-ho alone would become a powerful shield.
‘In other words, a powerful warrior who’ll protect the Eunhae Merchant Group!’
That was probably Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho’s true goal. Baek Wui found themselves looking forward to Eun Jin-ho’s future even more.
‘Then I have to get stronger too! If the captain grows stronger, there’s no way the Deputy can lag behind!’
Baek Wui clenched a fist.
“And Seo-ho said starting tomorrow morning, I’m supposed to have one–on–one spars with Escort Guard Seo Wu and Escort Guard Jin Yu.”
Eun Jin-ho ground his teeth.
“This time I’m definitely going to smash their smug faces in!”
And as always, Eun Seo-ho was very good at baiting people.
“Young Master, we’re at Jinan now.”
At Palgap’s words, I nodded.
“Guess we should start getting ready to disembark.”
This was the end of the comfortable part of the journey. The moment we got off the boat, the hard road would begin again.
The Forest bandits would once more be coming after our grain.
Still, from Jinan to Beijing the official road was well maintained, and it was an area without any uprisings.
Bandits are one thing, but cutting down ordinary commoners never feels good.
Soon we arrived at Jinan and disembarked.
Watching the dockworkers unload the grain from the boat, I asked Escort Chief Ha,
“Are we heading out right away?”
“Yes. It’ll be hard, but I think we should. Still, if we travel for about an hour, there’s a place where we can wash and rest. We can camp there for the night.”
“Understood.”
Freshly unloaded horses really ought to rest at an inn, but given our situation, we couldn’t afford that.
Fortunately, just like Escort Chief Ha said, after about an hour we reached a place suitable for resting.
A decent–sized stream flowed nearby.
When we arrived there, I got a little sentimental.
In my previous life, I’d sometimes camped here during northbound trade runs.
Thinking back to those times made it all feel strangely new.
We were smooth at setting up camp by now.
Our group split up: half set up the campsite while the other half went to wash.
The Yellow River we’d sailed up was a murky, yellow mess, but the stream here was so clear you could see the bottom.
Clear enough that you could drink it without worry.
In other words, a perfect campsite.
A little while later, the ones who’d gone to wash came back with clean faces and rotated with the ones setting up camp, who then started preparing dinner.
Those who’d been working on the campsite went to wash, and about half an hour later, when they returned, it was finally the women’s turn.
There were women among the Eunpoong Division’s sixth squad and the Changin Escort Bureau’s escorts.
“Deputy Gwak, you should go wash too.”
“Alright, I’ll be right back.”
Lady Seohyang went to wash together with them.
I sat in front of the campfire and waited for dinner. I planned to wash later, after I’d eaten.
I did want to wash quickly, but the ones who’d worked harder should wash first.
Using the short break, I read the latest battle report Brother Jin-ho had submitted.
He’d recently gotten himself a tactics manual and started reading it, and I could clearly see the results.
[The opponent was Escort Guard Seo Wu. Escort Guard Seo Wu was originally from an Escort Bureau, and maybe because of that, he uses very practical sword techniques suited for real combat. Also, perhaps because he’s used to protecting people, he checks his surroundings very frequently.
To defeat someone like Escort Guard Seo Wu, I decided I’d need an unconventional way of fighting.
So this time I tried to force him to move as much as possible with my attacks and drain his stamina that way…]
I chuckled and burned the report.
Partly because Brother Jin-ho’s analysis was surprisingly sharp, and partly because nothing good would come from leaving something like that lying around.
A little later, Lady Seohyang came back. For some reason, she smelled faintly of plum blossoms.
Come to think of it, at some point she’d started carrying this sweet plum blossom scent with her.
Now I was curious what kind of fragrance it was.
“Did you have something you wanted to say to me?”
“Do you, by any chance, use any perfume or incense?”
“Perfume?”
She shook her head.
“No. I don’t use anything like that. It’s expensive, and I don’t really need it.”
“I see.”
So she doesn’t use perfume, yet she smells like plum blossoms…
Now that I think about it, Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin had smelled like orchids.
I still had no idea what the cause of it was.
Once we finished dinner, we got ready for bed.
Sleeping on the ground had become familiar by now.
Thinking that, I was about to tell Lady Seohyang she should go get some sleep, then stopped.
Because her eyes had lost focus.
Had she just seen the future?
A moment later, Lady Seohyang looked at me with a grave expression.
“Um, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“What is it?”
–TL Notes–
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