C1735. What is Right? (5)
Dealing with the aftermath of a battle is more complicated than it seems.
Especially when the battle has ended in what can only be described as a "defeat," the leader of the army faces countless problems.
Low morale, cut supply lines, the enemy who could attack at any moment...
And, above all, the concern that the next battle could also end in defeat.
Handling all of that is like trying to restore a piece of tattered cloth to its original form.
Still, Ho Gakmyung, the Commander-in-Chief of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, didn't have too much trouble managing all that.
He even understood and accepted that he couldn't do it alone with his own abilities.
Like right now.
The makeshift tent wasn't exactly luxurious or elegant. In fact, the most appropriate term would be austere. Still, no one would dare say that upon setting foot inside.
All because of the large chair placed in the center of the tent and the person languidly resting in it.
Although he didn't emit any special aura or do anything extraordinary, his mere presence completely dominated the large space of the tent.
"So, what?"
Jang Ilso, sprawled carelessly in the large chair, looked indifferently and asked.
"I don't like beating around the bush. What do you want to say?"
The leader of the Southern Sea Sun Palace, Jin Pyeong, bit his lips.
Pain.
The wound inflicted by that young man from the Mount Hua Sect in the previous battle still hurt. It was a wound that almost cost him his life. Although the physical scars were no longer there, the memory of that moment was indelible.
But what really caused Jin Pyeong pain at this moment wasn't the wound inflicted by that young man. He spoke bitterly.
"Thousand-Faced Gentleman... what are you going to do with him?"
Jin Pyeong's furious gaze seemed like it could pierce Jang Ilso at any moment.
"You know he attacked me. But he still walks around freely here. Why?"
The shout of rage echoed throughout the tent.
In reality, the claim that Thousand-Faced Gentleman walked around freely was false. He had secluded himself since the last battle.
But everyone understood what Jin Pyeong meant.
"Answer, Ryeonju. Is this the way of the Evil Tyrant Alliance?"
What enraged Jin Pyeong wasn't the defeat or the death of his subordinates.
It was the fact that the one responsible for his attack hadn't received any punishment.
He couldn't tolerate this indifference.
"I'm talking to you right now!"
Jang Ilso, without moving an inch, looked at Jin Pyeong with narrowed eyes. Then he spoke in an indifferent tone.
"I've told you twice. I don't like beating around the bush. Get to the point."
Jang Ilso slowly leaned forward and, in a subtle voice, asked him.
"What do you want? Tell me."
"...His head."
"...Hmm."
"At least one of his arms. I can't calm my anger without that."
Jang Ilso, pretending to be in a dilemma, touched his cheek with his long fingers.
"If this demand is not met, our Southern Sea Sun Palace will withdraw immediately. This is..."
"A warning? Or a threat? Which is it?"
Jin Pyeong couldn't continue speaking. Jang Ilso's eyes, smiling with his chin resting on his hand, seemed colder than ever.
"It's not a difficult problem. Yes, it's not a difficult problem. If he has committed a crime, he must be punished. Isn't that so?"
When Jin Pyeong was about to nod quickly.
"But... that would be a bit unfair."
"......Unfair?"
"Thousand-Faced Gentleman committed a crime. He attacked a comrade. But... if that crime deserves his arm to be cut off, what punishment does someone who couldn't stop those young men and was the direct cause of our defeat deserve?"
At that moment, Jin Pyeong's face visibly hardened.
"Ryeonju, that's..."
"Answer me. What punishment does he deserve?"
It's not that Jin Pyeong had nothing to say. He simply couldn't respond. Jang Ilso's malicious smile was laden with such obvious murderous intent that anyone could see it.
The fear he had momentarily forgotten due to his fury returned to invade Jin Pyeong.
"I..."
But he didn't give up easily. Not because his fury had diminished. The Southern Sea Sun Palace was his pride, and he couldn't back down so easily.
Jin Pyeong bit his lips.
"If that's your answer... we will return to the Southern Sea."
Jang Ilso let out a sigh of pity and shook his head.
"Oh, oh. Why do you keep acting so stupidly?"
"...Ryeonju."
"Don't you understand yet? You no longer have a way back."
Jin Pyeong took those words as a threat and clenched his teeth. But Jang Ilso's next words were different.
"The war will end soon. We and they don't have the strength to continue. So, what will happen next?"
Jin Pyeong's eyes trembled briefly.
I repeat, Jin Pyeong is not a fool. He understood perfectly the meaning of those words.
After the war, there will be winners and losers.
Having used up most of their strength, there will be no end where both sides inflict only moderate damage and redraw boundaries. There will only be an end where one side is completely crushed.
And if that happens...
Will the victor, filled with blood and resentment, be satisfied only with the feeling of satiety for having conquered the Central Plains?
When Jin Pyeong couldn't respond, Jang Ilso let out a chuckle.
"Once you get into the mud, it's impossible to get out without getting dirty. Either you survive as a mess... or you die there, there's no other option."
"This..."
"And although it's a bit unfortunate... to survive in that mud, you have to use anything at your disposal, even if that means stabbing your comrade in the chest."
Jin Pyeong's face was trembling. Anger and humiliation were consuming him, but before he could say anything else, Jang Ilso spoke again with a smile.
"Let's do it halfway. Half of the treasures the Hao Sect has accumulated so far. That should be enough compensation, right?"
Jin Pyeong looked at Jang Ilso with a surprised expression.
"If that's not enough, I can also add a bit more. There are some untouched treasures from the days of the Black Demon Castle, so that should be enough to save appearances. What do you say? Are you satisfied?"
After a brief hesitation, Jin Pyeong nodded slowly.
Actually, he hadn't come seeking compensation, but the amount of wealth Jang Ilso was offering was surprising even to him. With that amount of money, he could not only strengthen the position of the Southern Sea Sun Palace but also stabilize Yunnan quickly after the war.
With so much money, he could bear his anger.
"Promise..."
"Of course."
Jang Ilso took the bottle of liquor in front of him and poured the contents into an empty cup.
"I have never broken a promise in my life."
His piercing eyes fixed on Jin Pyeong, still with a smile on his face.
"Drink. Liquor is a good medicine to get rid of old resentments."
Jin Pyeong extended his hand and took the cup. He hesitated for a moment but then drank slowly.
Jang Ilso watched him with a smile on his lips.
Jin Pyeong didn't know.
He couldn't see the cold, deep look that seeped through Jang Ilso's smiling eyes, a look that seemed to drag him into an endless abyss.
After Jin Pyeong left, Jang Ilso lifted his cup filled with liquor and stared at it intently, as if it were about to spill.
But the liquor didn't spill. Just like the Evil Tyrant Alliance at that moment.
"Will he be satisfied?"
Jang Ilso, without taking his eyes off the cup, responded to Ho Gakmyung's question.
"That's not the issue. The important thing is not satisfaction but acceptance."
"Acceptance...?"
"Yes, more precisely, something he can justify."
Jang Ilso smiled.
"After all, he is a distinguished person. Sometimes, those people value a grand justification more than practical utility."
Ho Gakmyung nodded in agreement.
Wealth wasn't the important thing. The important thing was that this wealth was obtained as compensation from the Hao Sect and the Evil Tyrant Alliance. For Jin Pyeong, that was a significant achievement he could present to his followers.
'How pathetic.'
Although he recognized that Jin Pyeong had reasons to feel aggrieved, Ho Gakmyung thought his actions were pathetic. If he had a complaint against the leader of the Hao Sect, he should face him directly. Even though the leader of the Hao Sect was in seclusion, he hadn't abandoned the battlefield. Seeking Jang Ilso to resolve this meant...
'Perhaps he never intended to hold the leader of the Hao Sect accountable.'
Or maybe he didn't want to lose such an important force before the war. In any case, this would keep Jin Pyeong quiet for a while.
"It's always the same."
"Sorry?"
"It's always precarious."
Jang Ilso observed the almost-spilling cup.
"Giving everything is never stable. Problems always arise, and things tend to wobble, as if they are about to explode."
Ho Gakmyung nodded unconsciously.
"That's what it means to be able to handle it."
Muttering, Jang Ilso looked toward the entrance of the tent where Jin Pyeong had left.
"It's easier to deal with children. You give them a candy, and they stop crying."
"Are you worried about Thousand-Faced Gentleman?"
"It's easier to deal with the old ones too. People who value their lives above all don't take risks. No matter how deep their anger is."
Jang Ilso's eyes turned cold.
"But what's really difficult to handle are those whose desires are not clear."
Ho Gakmyung understood whom Jang Ilso was referring to.
"So, where were they?"
"They climbed the mountain and entered the Wudang Sect."
"No, no. Ho Gakmyung, what I'm asking is what happened afterward."
"......Sorry?"
"They disappeared for a day and then joined the alliance as if nothing happened. Isn't that so?"
Ho Gakmyung nodded, but internally he had doubts.
That can happen at any time, especially on a battlefield where life and death are at stake.
It was right after a major defeat. If they had spent an entire day deciding whether to continue with the Evil Tyrant Alliance, there was nothing reproachable. Life is valuable.
But Jang Ilso, who should understand this better than anyone, was questioning this fact.
"Ryeonju, they..."
"I know, Gakmyung. There are no certainties in this world."
The conversation seemed logical and yet strangely disjointed. But before Ho Gakmyung could reflect on this discrepancy, Jang Ilso spoke again.
"But, although we can't be sure, we can put the sword to their neck, right?"
"......"
"Bring the Blood Palace Leader."
Jang Ilso's mouth twisted into a strange smile.
"I'm curious to know what they are thinking."
His eyes, which had been calm and deep, began to stir again with an unsettling intensity.
