Read Novel Full Chapter 1159: A Sect Abandoned By All Of Justice Faction. (4)
Chapter 1159: A Sect Abandoned By All Of Justice Faction. (4)
“Huh?”
“You?”
As incredulous gazes poured in, Chung Myung’s face twisted sharply.
“Why? Am I not allowed to oppose?”
“Actually, that’s not the strange part.”
“No, if you think about it, it’s much stranger that you actually listen obediently to others.”
Everyone nodded in agreement at Baek Cheon’s final remark, an authority on Chung Myung studies.
“That’s right?”
“Exactly.”
“As expected of the sasuk.”
“These bastards?”
But when Chung Myung glared, everyone quickly averted their eyes. Even Tang Gunak, who had unknowingly lowered his gaze, flinched and swiftly returned his head to its place.
“Mount Hua’s Sword Saint.”
“Yes.”
“What is your opinion on this?”
Then Chung Myung slightly raised his head and looked at the map.
“Hey, listen carefully.”
“Yes, brother!”
Beon Chung quickly spread the map wide and lifted it up. It looked much more disciplined than when the Green Forest King ordered it, but no one found it strange. When Chung Myung was involved, even odd things were accepted as normal.
Chung Myung scratched his ear and said.
“Well. It’s not like I don’t want the big bald guy to get mad and end up like a well-cooked octopus head.”
“More than anyone else, you would want that.”
“I think this bastard will ascend that day.”
“…Will the celestial realm accept him?”
“Ah… I hadn’t thought of that.”
If he actually ascends, the celestial realm would have to hold an emergency meeting. Accepting such a person as an immortal could lead to unpredictable consequences.
“Of course. Moreover, this isn’t just about feelings with Shaolin, is it?”
Tang Gunak continued in a serious tone.
“To screw over Shaolin… ahem! No, resolving old grudges with Shaolin is merely a side matter. The important thing is to strengthen the Heavenly Friends Alliance’s power and prove to the world that the Heavenly Friends Alliance is now equal to the Nine Great Sects.”
“Hmm.”
“As you know, people don’t accept new things easily. It will take more than a hundred years to gain greater influence than the Nine Great Sects by orthodox means.”
Even Hyun Jong nodded as if agreeing with this statement.
When Mount Hua was on the path to destruction, Hyun Jong’s dream was to someday rejoin the Nine Great Sects, even though he knew it was impossible.
If even Hyun Jong, who suffered the humiliation of being expelled from the Nine Great Sects, felt that way, how much more so others?
“But if one sect belonging to the Nine Great Sects can be made to choose the Heavenly Friends Alliance instead, that hundred-year task can be accomplished at once. Isn’t that so?”
“Well. That would be the case.”
But Chung Myung’s reaction was rather indifferent.
“Then why do you oppose? Isn’t it always your claim that the Heavenly Friends Alliance should be strengthened to oppose the Four Sects Alliance and the Demonic cult?”
“Ah. Sure, sure. Of course, it would be good if it could happen.”
“Hmm?”
Chung Myung grinned.
“Now, let’s decide. The Four Sects Alliance bastards who have gone crazy swarm Southern land. That lunatic Jang Ilso, with his eyes wide open, ‘Oh ho ho! You’ve crawled in well!’ will run at full speed to welcome us, breaking through the land like a bell.”
When Chung Myung snapped his fingers, Hyun Young spoke as if waiting for this moment.
“For reference, from river mouth, it takes 1200KM just to reach Zhanjiang, adjacent to Southern Island.”
“Eek!”
“1200KM?”
“And that’s in a straight line.”
Wide-eyed, Yoon Jong looked at Tang Soso.
“Soso, how far was it when we went to the North Sea?”
“Back then… um, it was probably about 2200KM since we started from Shaanxi.”
“Only 2200KM to the North Sea?”
Jo Gul’s voice came out hollow.
“We almost died back then too.”
“Exactly. I really thought we were going to die.”
“And there weren’t even enemies there. But now we have to go 1200KM through Southern lands, full of enemies?”
Everyone stared at the map in despair. Looking at the map of the entire Central Plains, they momentarily lost their sense of reality. Only after hearing ‘1200KM’ did it sink in.
“S-So, how long will it take?”
“If we consider normal travel speed… let’s see… if we can somehow cover 30-40Km per day…”
“Forty days?”
“If lucky, a month. And that’s only if traveling on well-paved roads.”
“Ha… haha…”
Baek Cheon burst out laughing.
‘This won’t work.’
To be honest, anyone who can survive a month in Four Sects Alliance-controlled Southern Land wouldn’t need to go all the way to the Southern Island.
That person would be a Martial God; why bother strengthening forces? They could just wipe out the Four Sects Alliance in that time.
“Well, let’s say we do go. Let’s say we reach the Southern Island.”
Chung Myung scratched his ear with a sullen face and said.
“Then what?
“What do you mean? Ah! I get it. Well, since the situation is bad, won’t the Southern Island sect cooperate?”
“No, what if they do cooperate?”
“…Huh?”
Chung Myung’s face twisted sharply.
“Let’s say they’re crazy enough to say, ‘Ah! We were already pissed off at that big bald guy!’ and decide to join the Heavenly Friends Alliance!”
“Yeah.”
“Then they just say, ‘Oh! Please take care of us!’ and leave? What’s different from now?”
“…The affiliation of Southern Island would change.”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. A very good thing. Then when the Four Sects Alliance bastards start beating the Southern Island Sect, they’ll just hear that we were watching from afar. That big bald guy will click his tongue and say, ‘If it were the Nine Great Sects, they would have helped. Damn it!’”
Just hearing that twists their stomach.
“…Then help… no, wait.”
Even Jo Gul cut off his own words mid-sentence. It was that absurd. How could they send troops over 1200KM away to help?
If they could send main forces to the southernmost lands, there’d be no need to talk about help. They would have already wiped out the Four Sects Alliance on the way.
“Hey. That’s thinking too one-sidedly.”
“Huh?”
Then Jo Gul chuckled and said.
“I’ve learned something from you too. At times like this, you think the opposite! If the Four Sects Alliance attack Southern Island, we invade the Yangtze! Then the front splits into two!”
“Oh, really? Then the big bald guy will happily clap beside the full-scale war between the Heavenly Friends Alliance and the Four Sects Alliance! Good! Good! Both fight and both die!”
Jo Gul’s cheek twitched slightly. Chung Myung scolded.
“Hey, you crazy bastard! Do you think eating one sect as Southern Island Sect will give us the power to beat the Four Sects Alliance? Do you know what the tactic used by the weaker side is called?”
“W-Well?”
“It’s divide and conquer, you bastard! Divide and conquer!”
As the enraged Chung Myung tried to rush at Jo Gul, Hyun Jong quickly grabbed his collar.
“Chung Myung.”
“No, that guy is so infuriating…!”
“Yeah, yeah. But we’re in a meeting, so hit him later.”
“Ugh.”
As Chung Myung groaned, Jo Gul bowed deeply.
“Hmm. But Mount Hua’s Sword Saint, I think Jo Gul’s words have merit. The tactic of diversion isn’t only for the side with more troops. If we find a way to move the Nine Great Sects somehow…”
“Then Jang Ilso will stop it.”
“…Why?”
“You can’t think of that bastard as an ordinary person. He came all the way here to kneel if necessary to beat the Demonic Cult appearing on his land.”
“…”
“You plan to betray Jang Ilso?”
Chung Myung scoffed.
“I guarantee that the moment we push into the Yangtze, he’ll calmly pull his troops back.”
“…You mean abandon the Yangtze?”
“Tsk tsk. This is why the elders… no, the higher-ups…”
Chung Myung shook his head.
“They are trapped by the prejudice that once land is held, it can’t be easily given up, so they think Jang Ilso will resist. But Jang Ilso isn’t a defender; he’s an attacker. If we attack, he’ll gladly withdraw his troops. Then what should we do?”
“Well…”
Tang Gunak sighed.
“We have to keep attacking. Otherwise, it’s meaningless.”
“Yes. We have to attack all the way to Southern Island. How many kilometers?”
“…1200KM.”
“Yes, yes. Leading troops and dealing with those who stall, it would take about a month. In that time, Jang Ilso could finish off the Southern Island, build a villa in the South Sea, and play a few games.”
“…”
“What if Jang Ilso decides to return without that?”
Chung Myung stared coldly at the map.
“What we feared during the Demonic Cult incident will really happen. We’ll be trapped fighting in the middle of the Southern lands.”
“…Just thinking about it is horrifying.”
Distance is the problem, distance. Realistically, when the Southern Island sect is attacked, there’s no way to help.
Then Baek Cheon tilted his head in confusion.
“No, so… I don’t really understand why we’re here. We initially discussed not leaving the Hainan faction there. That Hainan faction…”
“Dong-Ryong.”
“Yes?”
Chung Myung looked at him with the most contemptuous eyes, and Baek Cheon flinched, looking around nervously.
“Ah, right. If we bring the Southern Island guys here, it’s over, right?”
“Y-Yeah. The ships are a problem, but somehow we’ll plan it well…”
“Yeah. Okay. They board ships and arrive on land. Then what?”
“What do you mean? Well…”
“Yes. The Southern Island has over five hundred people, and we have to break through the Southern lands with them.”
“…”
“And if we lose strength in the process, it’s meaningless, so we have to protect them intact.”
“Wow… that’s an incredible feat.”
“What, you bastard?”
“Ah, speak properly! With words!”
Hyun Jong pulled Chung Myung back, but this time Chung Myung couldn’t calm down easily.
“If I could do that, would I be worrying here? I’d just go down to the southern lands and chop off Jang Ilso’s head! Hey, you crazy fools! We’re strengthening our forces to beat the Four Sects Alliance, but you’re bringing up something that requires beating the Four Sects Alliance first? And everyone’s all excited about it? Hey, you guys! You’re making me sick to my stomach!”
Everyone cleared their throats and avoided Chung Myung’s gaze.
After grumbling for a while, he finally calmed down and exhaled deeply.
“The phrase chicken ribs (less meat more bones) is used for times like this. It’s good to have, but you lose more than you gain to get it.”
“…”
“It’s not that the big bald guy is careless and lets it be. The map is hopeless. If you meddle, it’ll only get worse.”
“Hmm, indeed…”
“We thought too much.”
“It’s a shame. It was a good idea.”
Those gathered nodded, understanding the practical difficulties. The plan wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t something to be handled lightly. It was better to leave it be.
Everyone accepted this fact. But one person, Yu Yiseol, silently stared at Chung Myung with a clear gaze amidst it all.
Pierced by that indifferent gaze, Chung Myung narrowed his eyes.
“What sago?”
“Then what about the Southern Island?”
“Huh?”
“…The people of the Southern Island?”
“…”
“Are they going to be abandoned like this?”
Chung Myung suddenly closed his mouth. His eyes darkened.