What Geumryeong had brought me as a birthday present was a spirit herb called the Heavenly Spirit Root (天靈根).
Just like the name suggested, it was a spirit herb infused with a thousand years of the earth’s essence.
No spirit herb was ever easy to find, but even among them, this one was notoriously difficult.
It stayed buried deep underground, so unless the earth split open or long years of erosion exposed it, no one would ever find it.
Naturally, its effects were astonishing.
A single root of it could make even someone on death’s door spring back to their feet.
It was the very definition of a miracle cure, with its restorative power taken to the absolute extreme.
“So that’s why you came back covered in dirt. You were digging this up for me. Thanks.”
At my gratitude, Geumryeong let out an embarrassed little “Kui.” I learned for the first time that whenever Geumryeong got shy, it twisted its tail around and around.
“I’ll make very good use of this.”
“Kui.”
“Come on, then. Let’s clean you up before Palgap starts nagging.”
I took out a handkerchief, wet it with water from my canteen, and carefully wiped Geumryeong down.
.
.
.
That night.
I woke from sleep when I faintly sensed killing intent.
As soon as I sat up, Escort Guard Chang Un, who had been standing watch, asked,
“Do you need to relieve yourself?”
“No.”
When he saw me reaching for my sword, his face immediately hardened.
“There are people targeting this place. Wake everyone else.”
At my order, Escort Guard Chang Un immediately started rousing our group.
The killing intent aimed at us was weak.
That was why even the Peak Escort Guards hadn’t noticed it yet.
Which meant our enemies were still some distance away, so we had more than enough time to respond.
As we hurriedly armed ourselves, one of the guards from another merchant group, who had gotten familiar with us over the course of the journey, walked over and asked,
“What’s going on?”
“It looks like someone’s after the grain being transported.”
“Hah! They’re planning to get through the Imperial Guards? They’ve got some nerve.”
“They really do.”
By then, even the Peak masters in our group seemed to have finally sensed the killing intent, and their hands tightened around their sword hilts.
There was only one reason anyone would come after us – the grain being transported right now.
But they had to know elite Imperial Guards were protecting it, which meant they had something to rely on.
Men, weapons, or strategy.
If you asked me, strategy was the most likely.
Strategy, huh…
In that case, I’d answer strategy with strategy.
Dark night.
A group moved through the forest, pushing past the undergrowth.
Eventually, they stopped at one spot.
Far off in the distance, they could see the glow of campfires and countless carts gathered nearby.
“You’re saying all of that is grain? Hell, even one of those carts would be enough to feed our wives and kids a warm bowl of porridge.”
“And soon it will be. Right?”
“Yes, Chieftain.”
The man who answered looked to be in his late thirties.
Unlike the others from the mountain stronghold, he wore a scholar’s headcloth and had a sharp gleam in his eyes.
“If you follow my instructions exactly, we can take that grain without losing a single man.”
For the briefest instant, irritation flickered in the Chieftain’s eyes, but it was gone so fast that no one noticed.
“I’m splitting our people into four groups. First, the advance unit will approach, strike lightly, and pull back, luring the Imperial Guards away. Then another unit will rush in from the opposite side and draw the guards there too.”
He continued without pause.
“While that happens, one of the remaining units will set fire to either part of the grain or their camp to lure out anyone left behind, and the last unit will seize the grain and escape.”
At that, someone voiced a concern.
“But wouldn’t it be a problem if the other Imperial Guards come in as reinforcements?”
“It would. But the Imperial Guards escorting this grain are camping at set intervals from one another.”
If too many men gathered in one place, daily life became a mess.
Securing water, dealing with bodily needs, all of it.
They had confirmed that through long observation, which was why this plan had been possible in the first place.
“So we need to finish the job before the others realize what’s happening and come running to help.”
“Ohh… impressive!”
“As expected of our Strategist.”
“If this plan works, we’ll eat well all winter.”
The stronghold’s men began praising the Strategist in the headcloth, and at the sight of that, the Chieftain bit his lip slightly.
“Then let’s get ready.”
“Do it.”
“But what if we fail?”
“We won’t.”
The Strategist answered with complete confidence, and the Chieftain soon divided their forces according to his plan. Then, as he headed to the position he was supposed to take, he muttered to himself,
‘Just because he’s got a brain, he’s gotten full of himself… At this rate, who’s the Chieftain here?’
For a moment, he even felt anxious that he might be pushed out of the Chieftain’s seat altogether.
Still, grain came first.
If they failed to secure it, all that resentment would come crashing down on him.
So for now, he still needed the Strategist.
Pweeeet!
At the sound of the whistle, they charged toward the Imperial Guards according to the plan.
“Attack!”
“Yes!”
Before long, they clashed with the Imperial Guards.
Clang!
Claaang!
The sounds of cold steel colliding rang out as the battle began.
But the man leading that unit had not forgotten the Strategist’s warning.
“Don’t drag this fight out. They may not be highly trained in martial arts, but they’re still elite soldiers. The moment you see the signal, retreat immediately.”
At least they were facing Imperial Guards, not the Embroidered Guard or the Eastern Depot, so even men at a bandit’s level could hold their own for a short while.
Pweeeet!
The signal came again.
At once, they pulled back, and the Imperial Guards began to chase them.
Then, on the opposite side, another group attacked the place where the grain had been piled up.
Just like that, they lured away the rest of the Imperial Guards as well.
Now only two groups remained – the ones assigned to start the fire and the ones assigned to steal the grain.
The Strategist was with them.
Someone had to issue the orders at exactly the right moment.
But then a problem arose.
“S–Strategist!”
“T–this is bad!”
They were stunned. In the blink of an eye, Imperial Guards had surrounded them.
At that, the Strategist bit his lip.
‘What is this? Reinforcements already? But even the nearest unit was more than five li away, and it’s the middle of the night.’
It should have been too soon for anyone to notice the commotion here and come running.
And yet the fact remained – they had been completely encircled by Imperial Guards.
As fear spread through them, a soft, pleasant voice drifted over.
“If you surrender, I’ll spare your lives.”
I let out a faint laugh as I looked at the men, whose panic was written all over their faces.
As I walked toward them, I asked,
“Still, I’ve got to say, you’ve got nerve. What exactly were you thinking, trying to steal this grain?”
“…”
“A feint mixed into a pincer maneuver was a pretty decent strategy. You were just unlucky with your opponent.”
“How… how did you see through it?”
The one who asked was the young man in the headcloth.
His face looked strangely familiar… but I couldn’t place it right away.
Still, I should answer the question.
At that, I gave a small smile.
“It was obvious.”
“…Don’t mock me.”
“I’m not.”
The moment I realized they’d taken up position, I sent the Escort Guards out to scout.
The first step in building a strategy was to understand the situation accurately. The second was to understand the enemy.
I already knew the size and positions of the Imperial Guard units, so all I needed was information on our enemies.
And on my side, I had people especially suited for reconnaissance.
Peak Realm martial artists wouldn’t be detected by the likes of them, and Palgap also had the talent of the King of Assassins.
So they slipped into the enemy camp, listened to the plan, and reported back on their movements.
Which meant I hadn’t been lying when I said it was obvious.
“You lured the Imperial Guards away, but we only pretended to take the bait. Then we immediately changed direction and came here.”
I continued,
“And the Imperial Guards camping elsewhere dealt with the ones who actually ran after the decoys.”
When I gave the signal, the Imperial Guards approached.
They had quite a few bandits bound and dragged along with them.
“You’ve done excellent work.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. We should be the ones thanking you. Hahaha!”
The Imperial Guard commander laughed heartily and waved it off, but relief was plain on his face.
Well, of course. If they had lost the grain, the Emperor would have punished them severely.
The moment I learned these men were targeting the convoy, I used the scouts to figure out their strategy and then immediately went to the commander.
Honestly, if he hadn’t listened to me, I had been prepared to reveal the Censorate Inspector authority the Emperor had granted me.
There was no way I was going to let the grain the people of the Eunhae Merchant Group had worked so hard to bring back get stolen.
But.
“Is that true?”
He had trusted my words almost to a shocking degree.
“His Majesty told me not to dismiss anything you say, no matter how small.”
Of course he did.
So the Emperor’s hand had reached all the way here too.
“And seeing how seriously you take the work entrusted to you, you didn’t look like the sort to speak carelessly.”
Come to think of it, when I had said, “No merchant leaves the goods while transporting them,” the way he looked at me had been unusual.
Anyway, once I secured the commander’s cooperation so easily, everything moved at lightning speed, and that was how we had stopped the attack without much damage.
At my explanation, the man in the headcloth collapsed where he stood.
“Damn it!”
“So it was you. You’re the one who came up with the plan.”
At those words, a rough voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
“That’s right! He’s the bastard who planned this! You son of a bitch! We trusted your plan, and now we’re all going to die! What the hell are you going to do about it?”
Hm? That man’s face looked oddly familiar too.
At the accusation, the man in the headcloth bit his lip and his hands began to tremble.
I wasn’t sure what was filling his heart.
Was he frustrated that his strategy had been seen through? Or terrified of what would happen next?
Or maybe…
“To build a strategy means taking responsibility for countless lives. That’s why a truly capable strategist also has to think about what happens when the plan fails.”
Escort Guard Jin Yu had reported it to me.
He had apparently boasted that failure was impossible.
“It seems you never understood the weight of the responsibility that comes with making plans.”
His eyes turned toward me.
“Putting together a strategy and carrying it out isn’t just some board game. If you don’t understand the weight of the lives of the people carrying out your plan, then you have no right to call yourself a Strategist.”
At my words, his head slowly dropped.
I turned to the Imperial Guard commander.
“What will you do with them? You’re the one in charge here, sir.”
“To be honest, killing them all would be the easiest thing…”
At that, their faces drained of color.
“S–spare us!”
“Please, show mercy!”
“We’ve already lost the little land we had and have been wandering ever since!”
Well, that much was true. These days, more than half the bandits were displaced refugees.
They had endured one bad harvest after another until they could no longer survive in their hometowns, and in the end they had drifted into bandit bands.
Then that same rough voice rang out again.
“He made us do it, so why should we die? Kill him and let the rest of us go!”
Thud!
“Shut up!”
He took a kick to the stomach from another Imperial Guard and doubled over, coughing.
I looked at the man standing there in silence, his head bowed.
Honestly, the strategy he came up with had been pretty interesting.
His problem was that he’d been too arrogant, but that was closer to youthful inexperience than anything else.
It really would be a waste to throw away talent like his.
I stepped closer to him and quietly asked,
“What’s your name?”
“What?”
“Your name.”
“My name is… Gal Hyeon.”
“…!”
The moment I heard that name, my eyes widened.
So that was why both this Strategist and that Chieftain had looked familiar…
I’d met them in my previous life.
When you traveled the country on trade runs, paying a small toll to pass through a mountain stronghold’s territory was practically an unwritten rule.
And there had been one mountain stronghold operating in the forests between Shanxi and Hebei that I’d owed quite a bit to.
Once, a sudden storm had caused part of the mountain to collapse, and I’d been stranded there with no way out.
At the time, it had been that stronghold’s Strategist who suggested I stay with them for a while, and that Strategist had been this man.
Back then, we had stayed up through the night talking, and I’d been deeply impressed by his insight and tactical mind.
I’ve always been greedy for talented people.
So I quietly sounded him out and offered to recruit him, but he refused.
Even after I left that stronghold, I kept worrying about him.
Because the Chieftain I had seen was a narrow-minded man.
When we met again later, I tried once more to bring him over, but he refused that time too.
That had been my last chance to make him one of mine.
Because in the end, that small-minded Chieftain had Gal Hyeon killed.
Not long after he was removed, that mountain stronghold was crushed by another one and absorbed.
It had only prospered because it relied on Gal Hyeon’s ability, so once he was gone, the outcome had been obvious.
Still, because of the future I changed, I’d ended up meeting someone from my past in the last place I ever expected.
In my previous life, his life had turned out so miserable because he had chosen the wrong lord.
But it hadn’t been a choice he made willingly.
He and his family had become wandering refugees, and that man had saved his life. After that, he had nowhere else to go, so he stayed under him.
In other words, he remained there to repay a life-saving debt.
I spoke to him.
“That man yelling his head off over there is the Chieftain, isn’t he?”
“…”
“You probably didn’t choose a lord like that because you wanted to.”
He silently listened to me.
Judging by the way he was biting his lip, this situation was humiliating for him too.
What could be more miserable for a subordinate than serving a lord too small for the position?
“And this time, you don’t have a choice either. Will you work under me, or will you die?”
–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won’t get any ads!
If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/InsanityTheGame
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt