Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1262

Jeagal Ayeon asked,

“In what way do you think it’s a checkmate?”

“Are you asking even though you already know?”

“The three of us here have had sufficient discussion, but we are not entirely certain. If someone who has managed the affairs of the Business Alliance, even for a short time, speaks, it will lend weight to our judgment.”

Moyong Gun shook his head as if he couldn’t help it, then spoke again with a serious face.

“The lands of the grasslands are rough and desolate. But even in such places, people live. More than we might expect.”

“We know.”

“There are many people, but life is harsh, so naturally, talent becomes scarce, and competition for territory becomes fierce. That’s why the battles between tribes continue for generations.”

There were more reasons than that, but in reality, the battles between the grassland tribes were notoriously long-lasting.

“As resources are scarce, trading with merchants from the Central Plains is natural. In fact, the history of trade with the grassland tribes is quite old.”

Moyong Gun pointed to the grasslands on the map.

“There were forces among the northern merchants, and even some southern merchants, who traded with the grasslands. You might say it’s crazy to cross the Central Plains to get there, but for merchants chasing money, that distance isn’t impossibly far.”

“So?”

“The important thing is what the merchants who trade with the grassland tribes from that far distance offer.”

Seo Jeong-Gwang’s eyes deepened.

“Weapons and armor.”

“Well observed. Their tribal life is a constant struggle. The winner takes everything, and the loser loses everything.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes sparkled.

“But even in that long history, there have been a few cases where trade was cut off.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded.

“Tribal unification.”

“The conversation is getting easier. That’s right, when tribes unified, they no longer needed weapons and armor. For a few years after unification, they still kept each other in check. But after that, they tend to focus on governance. The number of iron weapon transactions inevitably decreases.”

Seo Jeong-Gwang shook his head.

“I don’t understand that part.”

“What do you mean?”

“The tribes of the grasslands have a different way of life than here in the Central Plains. It’s hard to understand why they would establish a stable governing base rather than seek to expand their power to broaden their territory.”

In fact, after the grassland tribes unified in the past, they had invaded the Central Plains. No, not just the Central Plains, but they had even gone on expeditions to the far East and West.

Moyong Gun shook his head.

“Certainly, there were times like that. But for three hundred, no, for about five hundred years, their conflicts have only occurred within the grasslands.”

“What’s the reason?”

“The Murim [martial arts world].”

Moyong Gun pointed his finger at the entire Central Plains.

“The Murim forces, which scatter and then unite, and then shatter again. When united, they are as dangerous as they are united, and when scattered, they rely on the imperial court and set out to conquer the north. Moreover, it’s hard to find anyone in the grasslands who has mastered martial arts. For them, the existence of the Murim is a terror in itself.”

“I see.”

“There was an attempt in the Western Tibet Murim to unify the grassland tribes, teach them martial arts, and expand their power. If that happened, a massive force that could encompass even Qinghai would naturally be created.”

“The Qinghai Murim wouldn’t have stood idly by.”

“Furthermore, the Central Plains wouldn’t have allowed it either. Because of that history, after the grassland tribes unified, they began to focus on internal affairs rather than territorial expansion.”

They had been educated for generations. Do not advance into the continent, they are like devils.

Of course, there were cases where evil members of the Black and Demonic Paths or martial artists who had been expelled flowed into the grasslands and taught martial arts.

However, the martial arts that were passed down did not last for more than one generation. Everything from the writing system to the way of life was different, making it difficult to spread martial arts, and decisively, there were several advances towards the grasslands in each generation.

“How do you know so much about them?”

Moyong Gun chuckled.

“Although not from the grasslands, our family also came from far away in Liaoning.”

Whether the Moyong family of the continent was truly a descendant of the Moyong clan that flowed in from outside the continent is unknown.

The important thing is that the Moyong family teaches their descendants that way. There was a reason why Moyong Gun was so knowledgeable about the past situation in the grasslands and Liaodong.

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded.

“Continue.”

“There’s not much more to continue. The grasslands, which did not turn outward, focused on developing their own weapons and created powerful military forces.”

“But those attempts have repeatedly failed.”

“It was lucky if they lasted even two generations, let alone a hundred years. It’s the same this time. They could scatter at any moment.”

Moyong Gun’s face hardened.

“But the important thing is that they have started buying not iron ore, but northern-style dried rations and warhorses, among other daily necessities.”

“……”

“If it were silk clothes, or even warhorses, I could concede that. But there’s no reason for them to need dried rations. Yet, it’s not like they’re preparing for another war, as the trade in weapons has completely stopped.”

Thump!

Moyong Gun’s hand covered the map.

“There’s only one reason why they are procuring things that are not needed for war or governance.”

“……”

“It means that even though they are unified, they can barely make ends meet without dried rations.”

“I think so too.”

“Then, you tell me. How did a tribal alliance that had unified and built a powerful force become so impoverished that they can barely make ends meet?”

At that moment, everyone’s eyes shone with the same light.

“The Three Cults.”

Moyong Gun nodded.

“The Blood Cult was annihilated this time, right? The Shin Hwa Cult [a religious cult] is sweeping through Hebei and Shanxi. Then, what’s left is the Saeum Cult.”

Seo Jeong-Gwang spoke cautiously.

“There might still be remnants of the Blood Cult.”

With Gi Cheon-Woong leading the Shin Hwa Cult forces, there was no way they could misjudge.

But no one knew about the Blood Cult.

“Of course, that could be the case. But whether the ones holding and wielding the grassland tribes are the Blood Cult or the Saeum Cult is not important. What’s important is!”

For the first time in a long while, a murderous aura surrounded Moyong Gun’s face.

“That another force from beyond the borders could come down, bypassing the Shin Hwa Cult.”

It was an accurate assessment.

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded.

“We thought so too. We could deduce up to the East Sea with the Central Plains’ spiderweb-like information network and the insight of strategists, but no one would have thought that there would be a force coming south using the grassland tribes as servants.”

“That’s right.”

“The truly painful point is that all of this is in the realm of prediction, and we still lack information to be certain.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes deepened.

“Was the Black Emperor Castle planning to concentrate its forces on the East Sea?”

“Yes. In fact, we have already sent the Dragon Fang Iron Cavalry to Jiangsu Province.”

“Dragon Fang… They sent a fierce card from the start.”

“If all of the Saeum Cult comes to the East Sea, even the Dragon Fang will be helpless. There are the imperial army, the Yeon family, and the Jiangsu Murim sects, but they will naturally struggle.”

“The Black Emperor Castle has no choice but to go. I understand.”

Moyong Gun, who had been stroking his chin, then gave a bitter smile.

“Yes, I see why you called me.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes, which were looking at Yeon Ho-Jeong, had already regained their original composure.

“You want the Moyong family to step in?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded.

“And the Business Alliance as well.”

“Everything we’ve built so far could crumble.”

“If we lose the war, everything will truly collapse.”

Moyong Gun, who had been watching Yeon Ho-Jeong, turned his eyes back to the map.

“This much is certain. If the Saeum Cult leader comes, it will be by sea rather than land. They will come to the East Sea.”

“……”

“Why? Do you think differently?”

“Honestly… I don’t know.”

“That’s surprising. I never thought I’d hear those words from you.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong sighed.

“At first, I also thought it was the East Sea, but looking at the Saeum Cult’s erratic behavior now, I wonder if the cult leader will even come directly.”

The Silver Horse Troops were the Saeum Cult’s forces. And it was a large army of nearly ten thousand.

Still, they were managing their forces much better than the Blood Cult or the Shin Hwa Cult. They had captured quite a few Saeum Cult experts and destroyed several units, but it didn’t seem like their forces had decreased significantly.

That was partly because of Gi Cheon-Woong’s words, and partly because of Yeon Ho-Jeong’s own past experiences.

‘The Saeum Cult’s forces are beyond imagination. In terms of actual numbers, they overwhelm the other two cults.’

In the past, if the Shin Hwa Cult had taken control of the imperial court and the Blood Cult had spearheaded infiltration and regional devastation, the Saeum Cult had faced the Murim world with its forces alone.

The Saeum Cult was so powerful that it could sweep away the entire Murim world. If they were capable of a life-or-death battle with the Murim, it was unimaginable how strong their forces were.

It was Yeon Ho-Jeong and Moyong Gun who fought against that power and eventually killed the cult leader.

But all that remained was a continent filled with blood and corpses, so devastated that it was doubtful whether it could ever recover.

‘Even if you think about it logically, it’s not easy to pour all of the Saeum forces into the East Sea. Of course, I don’t think they wouldn’t have made such preparations, but would the guys who are using the Shin Hwa and grassland tribes as pawns simply target the East Sea alone?’

If he hadn’t considered the grassland tribes, he would have been certain about the East Sea.

‘If they concentrated more of their forces in the north and came down, the Murim Alliance forces dispatched to Shanxi and Hebei would be completely annihilated. Then, they would advance south like a tidal wave, starting with Shaolin and reaching the Murim Alliance headquarters.’

It was a complete power struggle.

And the Saeum Cult was strong enough to wage that power struggle. The Murim world’s power had greatly diminished while blocking the Three Cults so far, so there would be no force to stop the Saeum Cult’s advance.

‘Damn it.’

Just one more thing to worry about, and the density of his worries quadrupled.

In a naval battle, they could stop the Saeum Cult with constant attrition of their forces. But if they divided their forces between the sea and land, the advantage of the Central Plains forces, which were powerful when united, would be greatly reduced.

‘I missed this part too. If it weren’t for Ga Bang-Ju’s information, half of the continent would have been lost.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been staring at the map, nodded.

“There’s not much time. We need to move right now.”

“What will you do?”

“Deploy the forces of the Moyong family and the Business Alliance to the northern part of Shaanxi right now. We should avoid engaging the Shin Hwa Cult forces as much as possible.”

“Time will be tight.”

“My castle’s Yangtze River naval forces will assist you. I’ve already contacted them just in case, so you’ll be able to move in the shortest time possible.”

Moyong Gun chuckled.

“You’re thorough. What were you going to do if I hadn’t agreed?”

“I was going to beat you up and send you anyway.”

The two looked at each other and smiled.

“Alright, Moyong is Moyong, and the Business Alliance is the Business Alliance. I’ll also receive support from Sichuan, so I have no complaints, but what about the Black Emperor Castle?”

“I will send eighty percent of the forces to the East Sea.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Seo Jeong-Gwang.

“I will lead the remaining twenty percent of the forces to the north myself. Prepare.”