Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1085

“Elder Musang.”

Namgoong Seung opened his eyes.

“We have entered Shaanxi. We will head towards Zhongnan [a mountain range known for its Taoist temples] from here.”

“Did you inform the Young Alliance Leader?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Understood.”

The Hwaryong Clan Head stepped back and led his troops again.

The Martial Alliance’s forces advancing into Shaanxi numbered two thousand. The forces heading to the Imperial Palace numbered three thousand, bringing the total to five thousand.

Although a thousand short, none of the Martial Alliance forces heading to Shaanxi harbored any complaints.

The Imperial Palace was the center of the empire. Naturally, more troops had to be dispatched there.

Furthermore, the peerless master, Sword Saint Namgoong Seung, was with the two thousand here.

With the Martial Alliance’s next leader, Moyong Gun, and the Sword Saint joining forces, morale was naturally high. There were many masters at the Imperial Palace, so there was no need to send the best master there.

They were tense, but it was a pleasant tension. That was why their advance was swift and powerful.

How long had it been?

Moyong Gun, who had been leading the vanguard, approached Namgoong Seung at the rear.

“Elder Musang.”

“What is it, Young Alliance Leader?”

“I have received information that the forces of Mount Hua and Zhongnan are moving north and have set up camp below Lesser Mount Hua. It seems we will have to go to Lesser Mount Hua instead of Zhongnan.”

Namgoong Seung smiled.

“I am but a useful sword. It is the Young Alliance Leader who leads these troops. You don’t need to tell me everything.”

Moyong Gun smiled.

“Elder Musang’s strength is the most important in our army. I thought you should be aware of how the situation is unfolding.”

“Hahaha, is that so?”

It could be seen as being treated as just a piece of the war effort, but Namgoong Seung liked that aspect of Moyong Gun.

He was just good at martial arts, a washed-up has-been. The next generation of the martial world belonged to the young, and there was no point in him stepping forward.

He disliked it when the young people bowed their heads too much in front of him, but Moyong Gun did not do that.

It was not because he was the Young Alliance Leader, but because he knew his place well. In fact, Moyong Gun was polite, but he did not bow his head more than necessary.

‘Good. The Alliance Leader has a good eye for people.’

Namgoong Seung’s face gradually clouded as he watched Moyong Gun’s back as he returned to his position.

‘How wonderful it would have been if my children had been like that.’

Regret must remain regret. It was already past, and there was no point in regretting it.

But he could not shake the thought.

He had been obsessed with the sword his entire life and had neglected the management of his bloodline. He had treated his sons and grandsons in his own way.

But his son had become irreparably broken, and his grandsons were following in their father’s footsteps.

He should have been firm when things had reached that point. But Namgoong Seung could not shake the family’s hierarchy.

In the end, his son died, and his second grandson was also consumed by madness and committed terrible sins.

It was fortunate that his eldest grandson had come to his senses, but Namgoong Seung could not shake the feeling that his eldest grandson was just lucky. If he had been born at a different time than his second grandson, his eldest grandson might have followed the same path.

‘I am truly grateful for the Martial Alliance’s actions.’

Even if Namgoong In was like that, what Namgoong Hyeon had done was a great sin that was hard to forgive.

Even the best sword family in the Central Plains should be closed off. No, it would not be strange if the Namgoong Clan itself was destroyed during a time of war.

Gong Gong Daesa [a Buddhist monk] and Jeagal Mun-Ho, and many others, tried to end it with Namgoong Hyeon’s personal sin, but the enraged public did not allow it.

To appease the public, strong measures were needed against the Namgoong Clan. In the end, after this war, the Namgoong Clan promised to close its doors for fifty years.

Fifty years of closure. That meant that the Namgoong Clan could not interfere in the affairs of the martial world until Namgoong Pyo, the eldest grandson, was well past eighty years old.

However, if the Namgoong warriors made outstanding contributions in this war, the closure period could be shortened.

That was why Namgoong Seung had stepped forward for the first battle. He had wanted it himself, but there was also Gong Gong Daesa’s recommendation. It was a consideration to greatly shorten the closure period by accomplishing the important task of breaking the enemy’s spirit in the first battle.

‘I owe the Alliance Leader a great debt.’

After coming back into the world, he realized that the public’s opinion of the Namgoong Clan was bad.

He could no longer leave it like this. If he survived this war, he would teach his eldest grandson until the end of his life so that he would never walk the path of his ancestors.

Namgoong Seung made promise after promise.

Although not to the same extent, each of the two thousand troops heading to Lesser Mount Hua was armed with a strong spirit to annihilate the enemy. The mental strength that grew stronger over time would not be easily broken, no matter what forces they fought.

Another three days passed.

It was when the troops, who had reached the vicinity of Chang’an, the capital of Shaanxi, stopped for a short rest for their last break.

“……?!”

Moyong Gun’s eyes shook as he received a letter while eating.

Namgoong Seung, who was eating with him, looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“What is it, Young Alliance Leader?”

“The situation is not good.”

“Is it Shaanxi?”

“No. It’s Gansu.”

Namgoong Seung’s eyes flashed.

“Gansu? The information we received yesterday said that the Tang Clan Head had gone with his troops?”

“That is correct, but… it seems we have been caught in the enemy’s tactics.”

“How so?”

Moyong Gun handed the letter to Namgoong Seung and said,

“It is said that three thousand of the five thousand troops have bypassed to the southwest and penetrated to the bottom of Gansu.”

“……!”

“The terrain is too unfavorable to enter Sichuan. It is highly likely that they will enter Shaanxi.”

“If they don’t fight in Shaanxi and go south?”

“That would be Hubei. If they cross Shaanxi and enter the east, they can reach the Henan Martial Alliance right away.”

This was a big problem.

The combat power of Gansu was by no means weak. Although the number of sects was small, the region’s temperament itself was strong, and it was a place where the weak were thoroughly eliminated, just like the Black Path martial world [a term for the underworld of martial arts].

To break through such forces? Even Tang Gwan, who had reached the pinnacle, was there?

“Is there any information about the Tang Clan’s forces?”

“It has not arrived yet, but they would not have been defeated. If the Tang Clan had been defeated, we would have received a message about it first.”

“The Young Alliance Leader is right.”

Namgoong Seung’s face became serious.

“What should we do? If they go south, we must block the southwest of Shaanxi. If either Hubei or Henan is breached, a great tragedy will occur.”

Apart from the enemy’s strength, there were countless civilians there.

Moreover, the speed of their advance was unusual. Even if the supply of martial artists was less than that of ordinary soldiers, this was too fast.

Moyong Gun’s eyes deepened.

“I need to think for a moment.”

“As the Young Alliance Leader knows, war is a race against time. We need a quick decision at this point.”

“Do not worry.”

Moyong Gun took out a large map. It was a map of the Central Plains that the Martial Alliance made every year.

He looked at Gansu, Shaanxi, and Liaoning in turn.

‘Five thousand, ten thousand, and five thousand.’

A total of twenty thousand troops.

The combat power of each of the three sects was evaluated as being able to match the Central Plains. If so, the combat strength of one of the three sects should be seen as at least 100,000 or more.

Assuming a total of about 400,000, 20,000 troops might not be much.

But.

‘It’s been strange from the beginning. If the troops of the Shin Hwa Sect that entered Liaoning moved without agreement, the dispatch of troops from other heretical sects only means the existence of a brilliant strategist, and nothing more.’

Of course, that alone was great.

But what did the Shin Hwa Sect believe in to move like that? The fact that they had deployed 5,000 troops, believing in the reaction of other heretical sects, meant that they trusted the power of the heretical sects that much.

In other words, they sent troops without exchanging opinions with the heretical sects they trusted so much.

‘It doesn’t make sense.’

Moyong Gun’s eyes flashed as he pondered.

‘There is no way the Shin Hwa Sect would have deployed 5,000 troops without any countermeasures. If the other heretical sects do not react properly, they will have to strike from the northeast of the Central Plains with only 5,000 troops.’

Five thousand.

It was not a small number, but it was hard to see it as a large number considering the entire Central Plains.

‘The fact that they acted rashly means that the Shin Hwa Sect was confident to some extent. It would be impossible to conquer the Central Plains alone, but they would not have dared to act so boldly without the conviction that they could inflict a fairly strong blow.’

Moyong Gun’s eyes scanned the area above Hebei.

“…A surprise attack force.”

Moyong Gun did not answer Namgoong Seung’s question. He was extremely focused.

Namgoong Seung also closed his mouth after seeing Moyong Gun’s eyes. He knew that it was not good to disturb him now.

‘The Shin Hwa Sect secretly advanced 5,000 troops to Liaoning. Even if we were careless, this is really amazing. It’s not just about being secretive, but the speed of the advance itself was incredibly fast.’

Moyong Gun’s index finger pointed above Hebei.

‘If the Imperial Palace raises a large army to wipe out the 5,000 troops, they will surely strike down from above.’

The Shin Hwa Sect had been touching the Imperial Palace for a long time.

This time is the same. Those guys are planning to occupy the Imperial Palace first and then enter the full-scale war.

‘Then what about the other heretical sects?’

Currently, 10,000 cavalry are coming down from northern Shaanxi.

It was definitely slower than the Guanghyeol’s forces advancing south from Gansu. It could not be helped because of the management of the cavalry.

‘Guanghyeol from Gansu, Saeum from Shaanxi, Shin Hwa from Jilin…’

Moyong Gun’s eyes quickly scanned the three provinces.

‘No, that’s not it.’

Just like the Shin Hwa Sect was thoroughly targeting the Imperial Palace.

It was highly likely that the other two sects would also target one area.

‘They might strike into the central region. But what if they really do that? They could inflict great damage, but that would be the end of it. They would be suppressed in some way. Is that really that meaningful?’

It is.

If the cavalry of Shaanxi breaks through Mount Hua and Zhongnan and comes down, Guanghyeol’s passage through Gansu will be very meaningful. Even considering the losses that the two forces would suffer in the process, a total of 5,000 to 8,000 could enter the central region.

If that was the only goal, it was a possibility.

However.

‘I can’t be sure that they will strike from two places at the same time. Even if Guanghyeol and Saeum had thoroughly conspired in advance, it is impossible to communicate with each other from a distance of a thousand miles. Especially while advancing so quickly.’

If they were really aiming for the central part of the Central Plains, would they have tried to fight with such a small force?

This was not a game of chess or Go [a strategic board game]. Moreover, the Martial Alliance was not the capital of the empire.

With that number of troops, they could not wage a full-scale war with the Martial Alliance. In other words, even if they struck into the central region, they would only inflict some damage and then disappear completely.

Assuming that the three sects had 400,000 troops, would the three sects be so stupid as to let the ‘mere’ 20,000 troops be annihilated?

“They are not going down.”

“What?”

Moyong Gun’s eyes flashed with divine light.

“The demons of Gansu are unlikely to strike into the central region.”

“……?!”

“This is a land grab. If they can’t take it, they have to inflict as much damage as possible. If Shin Hwa is Hebei, where the Imperial Palace is located, and Saeum is Shaanxi, then Guanghyeol will thoroughly target Gansu.”

Moyong Gun slammed the map.

“A flanking maneuver. The 3,000 troops are not trying to escape Gansu, but to strike from the rear of the Gansu forces and annihilate the gathered troops.”