Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 169

Three days later.

“What was that?”

Moyong Gun’s expression immediately turned fierce.

“Are you saying there’s talk of postponing the departure of the Tangma [Tang Clan’s elite cavalry] and Myeolsa [a military unit] Combined Forces?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“What kind of lunatic would utter such nonsense?”

Moyong Gun was rarely this angry.

It was understandable. The departure date of the Tangma Myeolsa Combined Forces, as well as their target, had already been set.

In particular, that target was among the most troublesome in the martial world. They were elusive, appearing in the east and then the west, but a reliable informant had provided their travel routes and where they would stay for a month.

They just needed to strike that location, and it would be over. The Myeolsa Army would be at the forefront anyway, and after a splendid victory, all the credit would go to Moyong Woo, the leader of the combined forces.

He had planned to use this as a starting point to gradually showcase the might of the Tangma Army and the value of Moyong Woo, but now they were delaying the departure?

“That is…”

Moyong Gun’s most trusted aide, Ho-gyeong, spoke with a troubled expression.

“It seems the first to mention it was the head of the Emei Sect.”

“Bok Ho-satae?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The rising anger subsided instantly.

The leadership of the Martial Alliance wasn’t solely composed of the Bonggong faction. They had appointed the heads of each organization based on their abilities and reputations, and among them were those whose esteemed reputations even the Bonggong couldn’t easily disregard.

If such talk had emerged, he would have assumed it came from them. But the head of the Emei Sect?

‘Something’s up.’

He sensed something was amiss. The sharp intuition that had brought him to where he was now detected an ominous sign.

Moyong Gun, who had been lost in thought for a moment, spoke.

“This matter hasn’t even been discussed in the Bonggong Council, so there’s no way such a significant issue would have circulated. Isn’t it possible that someone deliberately spread it?”

“That’s…”

Ho-gyeong said with a troubled face.

“There are Emei disciples among the soldiers of the Myeolsa Army. Our people overheard them talking in the mess hall.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes gleamed coldly.

‘Young pups, are they?’

He knew that there wasn’t a single soldier with proper experience in the Myeolsa Army.

“Go and get the personal details of the Emei disciples. As quickly as possible.”

“Understood.”

Half a day passed.

“Master.”

Ho-gyeong handed over several documents.

They contained the personal details of the Emei disciples, starting with Song Yeon-gyeong. Their martial arts level, personality, and position within the sect were all detailed.

Moyong Gun, who had been examining the documents for a long time, suddenly released a blue aura from his hand.

*Crack!* *Whoosh!*

A threatening flash of lightning appeared, and the documents turned into a pile of ash and disappeared.

“When is the Bonggong Council meeting?”

“It’s at noon in two days.”

At that meeting, they were scheduled to re-examine the preparations for the Tangma Myeolsa Combined Forces’ departure and then send them out exactly five days later.

‘It’s difficult to grasp anything just by looking at the positions and personalities of these young pups. Then…’

Moyong Gun looked at the pile of documents beside him. They were documents outlining the proposals he would make at the final Bonggong Council meeting before the departure.

“Where is Gong Gong?”

“He’s currently at his residence.”

“Go and tell him. There’s an urgent matter, so let’s move the meeting to tomorrow morning.”

* * *

The next morning, the Bonggong gathered in the Museong Hall meeting room.

Gong Gong opened his mouth.

“So, Moyong Bonggong, what brings us together today?”

Before answering, Moyong Gun looked around at the Bonggong.

His eyes stopped on Bok Ho-satae.

‘…’

Bok Ho-satae seemed quite calm. He didn’t seem surprised by the sudden advancement of the meeting.

Moyong Gun’s eyes deepened.

‘He knew.’

He already knew how he would react.

‘Bok Ho-satae isn’t someone with great political acumen. He’s someone who has lived his entire life for the righteous path and chivalrous deeds.’

There were a total of three Bonggong whom he had thoroughly excluded in the process of bringing various Bonggong to his side.

They were the heads of the Shaolin, Wudang, and Emei sects.

The leaders of these three sects were not easily swayed. Approaching them carelessly could lead to a backlash.

So he had been cautious, but to be backstabbed like this.

‘If this wasn’t intended by Bok Ho-satae.’

His eyes turned to Yeon-wi.

‘Not Yeon-gaju either.’

In some ways, he was an even more rigid person than Bok Ho-satae. Moreover, he was the father of Yeon Ho-jeong, the commander of the Myeolsa Army. Due to propriety and face, he wouldn’t easily mention anything related to the Myeolsa Army.

‘The possibility of it being Peng-gaju is also slim.’

His eyes finally turned to Jeagal Mun-ho.

The way he slowly sipped his tea was truly like the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang [a famous strategist in Chinese history].

‘A strategist, is he?’

Confusion flickered across Gong Gong’s face.

“Moyong Bonggong?”

“…I will speak.”

Moyong Gun said with a somewhat stiff face.

“Recently, there have been illegal activities in the Shandong area…”

He conveyed the contents of the documents he had brought, one by one, in detail.

There was quite a lot, and some of it was serious. There were even issues that would immediately negatively impact the lives of the people, so the atmosphere in the meeting room became quite heavy.

However, the Bonggong knew. The reason Moyong Gun had advanced the meeting wasn’t solely because of the contents of those documents.

Even if they weren’t skilled in politics, they had understood the atmosphere after months of meetings. The Bonggong waited patiently for Moyong Gun’s true intentions to emerge.

After a while.

“These are all the proposals I have to present today.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, and…”

Moyong Gun’s eyes gleamed.

“Finally, I would like to discuss the departure date of the Tangma Myeolsa Combined Forces.”

Confusion flickered across the face of the head of the Mount Hua Sect, Yong Hwa-jin.

“Wasn’t the departure date of the combined forces set for five days from now?”

“Of course, it was. However, I thought it would be right to hold a meeting even one day earlier and then convey the operational details to the soldiers of the combined forces.”

“Hmm.”

“The Myeolsa Army has been working together for months through actual combat. However, the Tangma Army is not the same. Since there are many personnel, I believe it’s necessary to give them even one day of extra time.”

Yong Hwa-jin nodded.

“That’s correct. In fact, there are concerns about sending them out without proper training. However, the martial arts and presence of Moyong Gun-jang that I saw at the founding ceremony were truly impressive, so I think we can be at ease in that regard.”

“That’s right.”

Moyong Gun smiled.

“Moreover, the members of the Tangma Army are all renowned experts in the martial world. If Moyong Gun-jang leads them well, they will be able to accomplish their mission without any significant losses.”

Yong Hwa-jin smiled back.

“However, giving them about a day more would be beneficial to the morale of the entire army. I agree with Moyong Bonggong’s opinion.”

“Thank you.”

It was truly a good thing to have someone to share a political path with.

Moreover, the Mount Hua Sect had long been a sect that rivaled the Wudang Sect as the greatest sword sect in the world. With the head of such a sect agreeing, several Bonggong nodded in agreement.

It was then.

“I have something to say regarding that matter.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes flashed.

‘So it’s you after all.’

Jeagal Mun-ho opened his mouth.

“To be direct, how about delaying the departure date of the Tangma Myeolsa Combined Forces a little?”

Namgoong In frowned.

“Why delay the departure date that has already been decided?”

Jeagal Mun-ho wore a relaxed smile.

“Actually, I’ve been pondering that matter for some time. In the case of the Myeolsa Army, they joined the alliance without a founding ceremony and achieved countless feats. The members of the Tangma Army are also outstanding, so there’s no reason why they can’t do the same.”

“That’s right.”

“However, the situation is different now than it was then. When the Myeolsa Army departed, the alliance’s system wasn’t established, but now we have a clear system and organizational chart, don’t we?”

Yeon-wi asked briefly.

“Are you saying there’s no need to push ourselves?”

“That’s correct.”

Deung Cheon-gyo, the head of the Gongdong Sect, frowned.

“The abilities of Tangma Gun-jang Moyong Woo are outstanding. If the already decided departure date is delayed, the rising morale will collapse.”

“As Bonggong Deung said, Moyong Gun-jang’s abilities are outstanding, so he will be able to soothe the collapsed morale well.”

“I think it’s a pointless act.”

It was a rather harsh statement. It was a typical way of speaking for the head of the Gongdong Sect, who was known for his roughness.

Seung Hyeon-jin, the head of the Wudang Sect, spoke.

“Strategist Jeagal.”

“Please speak.”

“Even in my humble opinion, delaying the departure date seems problematic. Of course, it would be good to prepare more thoroughly, but with only a few days left until the departure, wouldn’t it be unreasonable to adjust the timing now?”

Jeagal Mun-ho nodded.

“Is that so?”

“That’s what I think.”

“Well, I was also concerned about that part.”

Jeagal Mun-ho stood up and clasped his hands.

“It seems I didn’t want to take risks with the alliance’s organizational system in place. Please forgive my hasty remarks.”

It was a clean apology.

Most of the Bonggong smiled and said it was okay, but Moyong Gun couldn’t.

‘What is it?’

Moyong Gun’s eyes narrowed.

‘He’s giving up already? That can’t be right?’

Looking at Bok Ho-satae’s expression, the answer was clear. Jeagal Mun-ho had clearly foreseen that he would advance the meeting.

“Ah! Since we’re talking about the departure date, I have one more proposal to make.”

Moyong Gun flinched.

‘A proposal?’

What is it? That reaction, as if they were waiting for it?

In an instant, Moyong Gun felt a chill run down his spine.

‘Were they really waiting for it?!’

Was spreading the rumor to advance the meeting, and even the talk about the departure date, all bait?

‘…What for?’

Jeagal Mun-ho smiled and said,

“It’s about the Alliance Leader’s Office. Would you like to hear it?”

Interest sparked on the faces of the Bonggong.

Gong Gong nodded.

“It was a matter that we would have to discuss eventually. So, what part are you planning to propose?”

“The position of Alliance Leader is truly an honorable one. However, even if the system is established, it’s clear that it will be somewhat difficult for anyone to lead the newly formed Martial Alliance. Not because of a lack of ability, but in terms of experience.”

“So?”

“Therefore, I propose.”

Jeagal Mun-ho said calmly.

“How about creating two Vice Alliance Leader positions in the newly established Alliance Leader’s Office?”

Not one, but two.

Seeing the eyes of the Bonggong sparkle, Moyong Gun was struck by one thought.

He had been played.

* * *

“Vice Alliance Leaders… I understand, but why two instead of one?”

“It’s to guard against the concentration of power.”

“But even the Alliance Leader can’t ignore the Bonggong, can they?”

“However, what do you think would happen if the majority of the Bonggong supported the Alliance Leader?”

“…!”

“A check and balance system must be created. A power structure should only exist for the sake of the world. It shouldn’t be swayed by one person’s political abilities.”

“Hmph.”

Yeon Ho-jeong smiled coldly and looked out the window.

The sunlight was beautiful.

“If the Alliance Leader is truly a good person, wouldn’t they be able to embrace the opposition party as well?”