Read Novel Full Chapter 1232: That’s What They Say? (2)
Chapter 1232: That’s What They Say? (2)
“How is it?”
“Well...”
Yoon Jong trudged back and awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
“There’s not a single plank of wood, sasuk.”
“...Is that so?”
Baek Cheon asked in puzzlement, frowning.
“How about your side, Tang young lord?”
“The same.”
Tang Pae, who had been working with Namgung Do-Wei and Jo Gul, shook his head in dismay.
“First we’d need to see the boats to contact people and buy supplies, but there wasn’t a single boat on the nearby shore. Even in places that looked like fishing villages there weren’t any fishing boats.”
Baek Cheon frowned and fell into thought.
‘What on earth is going on?’
Of course, boats could be in short supply.
It’s true this place used to serve as a pier to the Southern Island, but it’s been years since Southern Island and Southern Lands traded. They wouldn’t have left boats idle; it’s not strange if they took them to somewhere useful.
But still, to have not even a single fishing boat where this vast sea meets the shore is just nonsense, isn’t it?
“Did you try asking why or...”
Namgung Do-Wei shook his head before the question was finished.
“Didn’t the Green Forest King repeatedly order minimizing contact with people? If we’d even seen a boat it might’ve been different, but there wasn’t even that, so we couldn’t just start talking to people.”
“...You did well.”
Though it was hard for them to accept, according to Im So-Byeong, Jang Ilso surprisingly didn’t have such a bad reputation in Guangdong.
To those trained in martial arts he was merciless, but to those who hadn’t been trained he seemed fairly lenient.
Thus, even though they were of the Justice faction, they couldn’t be sure civilians would automatically side with them.
And if the families of those they contacted joined the Ten Thousand People Clan, it could trigger truly irreversible consequences.
‘Indeed, Southern Lands is not easy ground.’
They had to be careful even contacting ordinary civilians...
“...Once the situation becomes clearer we’ll devise a plan, but we can’t rashly start anything, can we?”
Baek Cheon slowly nodded at Tang Pae’s words. At that moment, Chung Myung, who had been teasing Seol So-Baek, spoke indifferently.
“Just disperse them.”
“...Wait a moment.”
“I don’t know why you’re wasting time. We’ve got strong arms here.”
“...Our limbs are more fragile than you think.”
“That’s because you’ve been slacking on training, train!”
“Ugh.”
Baek Cheon shook his head as if fed up.
But in the distance Yu Yiseol and Tang Soso came running toward them. Their expressions were urgent at a glance.
“Sahyung.”
“What’s the matter, samae?”
“Sasuk! You have to see!”
Baek Cheon moved without hesitation.
Burly laborers with their shirts off were charring large logs over a fire. The already hot and humid southern-sea weather combined with the fire’s heat had them sweating all over in an instant.
“Hurry up!”
“How’s your work coming along?”
“It’s going smoothly. In about three days...”
“Too slow! Finish it within two days! If you don’t complete preparations before the commander arrives, you’re as good as dead!”
“We’ll finish within two days «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» for sure!”
The shaggy man looked around and shouted loudly.
“Move briskly! If you don’t complete preparations on time there will be severe punishment!”
“Yes!”
The laborers hurried back and forth without a moment’s respite.
Baek Cheon, hiding in the bushes, narrowed his eyes as he watched.
The shore was lined with boats of various sizes. He’d wondered why there wasn’t a single small fishing boat, apparently they’d requisitioned every vessel around here.
‘But they’re building more boats here?’
Even a rough count showed about five more boats under construction. They weren’t huge, but the important fact was they were increasing the number of boats.
Baek Cheon quietly stepped back to avoid making noise. Those who had been observing with him exchanged grim looks.
“It’s probably the Ten Thousand People Clan.”
“It seems likely.”
“Then those boats are...”
Tang Pae nodded with a dark expression.
“They’ll be heading to Southern Island. There was no need to requisition boats unnecessarily, so they’ve likely gathered them recently.”
Baek Cheon let out a heavy sigh.
But Jo Gul cocked his head as if he didn’t grasp the meaning of that remark.
“Sahyung. What do you mean?”
“...It means those boats have become useful now. To get to Southern Island you need boats, don’t you?”
“Huh?”
“It means the Four Sects Alliance is preparing to advance on Southern Island.”
Only then did Jo Gul, understanding the situation, harden his face. He slid closer to the bushes to recheck the shore, then returned with a grave expression and muttered.
“Are those all the boats?”
“...”
“No, how many troops are they planning to send...”
Jo Gul shivered as if gooseflesh ran down his body.
On land you can’t estimate troop size from the number of carts, but at sea it’s different. The number of boats essentially indicates the size of the force that will land on the Southern Island.
“...Indeed, this doesn’t look like a mere scolding-level action.”
Im So-Byeong, who had been quietly listening, snorted with a laugh.
“Isn’t it none other than Jang Ilso? If he gets involved—if he hasn’t before, once he does he’ll try to erase the very name of Southern Island from the world. That’s who Jang Ilso is.”
“...”
“More than that, this seems to be getting urgent faster than expected...”
Im So-Byeong poked his head with his fan. When everyone stared with stern faces, he spoke in a reluctant tone.
“Frankly, the Four Sects Alliance has no reason to move out this hastily. Their internal consolidation isn’t finished, so they could afford to move more leisurely...”
Im So-Byeong was silent as if thinking about something, then nodded.
“If there’s a reason, it’s one of two things.”
“What are they?”
“Either Four Sects Alliance’s internal problems were resolved faster than we expected.”
“...”
“Or Southern Island’s faction is more irritating to Jang Ilso than we imagined.”
“Would Jang Ilso care so much about the Southern Island? After all...”
“I thought the same, but after seeing the situation in Guangdong it makes sense. To Jang Ilso, Guangdong is like a well-tended garden. Even though he’s of the Evil Sect, he’s gained popular support, and it’s in the rear so it’s a perfect stronghold safe from enemy incursions.”
“...Right.”
Even if the war between Four Sects Alliance and the Justice faction ended with the Justice faction’s victory, unless it’s an overwhelming triumph, it would be hard to push all the way to Guangdong. Why is that?
“Ten-Thousand Great Mountains...”
“Exactly, Namgung young lord.”
Namgung Do-Wei groaned.
They too had passed through the Ten-Thousand Great Mountains and knew: the place is a natural fortress, nearly impossible to advance through geographically and strategically. Guangdong, guarded by that range, was Jang Ilso’s safest stronghold.
“But if Southern Island is at his back the story changes. We considered Southern Island a dagger pointed at Four Sects Alliance’s back, but to Jang Ilso...”
“You’re saying the Island’s a fiend who might burn his garden at any moment.”
“Yes. So he’d want to root out the problem completely. Even if it causes problems elsewhere, he’d at least ensure Guangdong remains safe.”
Baek Cheon knitted his brows.
“Logically that makes sense, but is Jang Ilso really the kind to consider his rear that thoroughly? The Jang Ilso I know...”
“Don’t misunderstand, Acting Sect leader.”
“...What misunderstanding?”
Im So-Byeong spoke in a grave tone.
“The world sees Jang Ilso as a prodigy who rose through victory after victory, but he hasn’t always won.”
“...”
“Before his name was well known he barely clung to life. That’s how the Evil Sect works: they stomp on any promising sprouts early.”
Chung Myung nodded in agreement.
“Jang Ilso is someone who endured countless beasts aiming at him—sometimes fleeing, sometimes losing, sometimes suffering great loss—yet rose to this position. Don’t dismiss him as simply a war-crazed madman. What he wants is to get what he desires, and he’ll know what to prioritize to achieve that.”
Im So-Byeong might dislike Jang Ilso as much as Chung Myung does. This coming from him, their assessment was hard to ignore.
Im So-Byeong tapped his head with his fan.
“Hmm. It’s pointless to speculate why they’re hurrying now. The important thing... is that those boats will soon be filled with Ten Thousand People Clan men and land on the Southern Island.”
“...”
“On that island with nowhere to flee.”
Namgung Do-Wei asked with a noticeably anxious face.
“How much time do we have?”
“Well. It looks like those building the boats are the ones who stayed in Guangdong... The people who will board those boats are likely on their way here now. Judging by when the newly built boats will be finished...”
Tap tap tap tap.
Im So-Byeong, rhythmically tapping his shoulder with the tip of his fan, nodded gravely.
“At most five days. It won’t take longer than that.”
A groan escaped Baek Cheon’s lips.
‘Damn it.’
As expected, Four Sects Alliance should’ve moved months from now. They’d anticipated that once they finished preparing for war with Northern Lands, they’d aim for Southern Island first.
So they sent a small number to Southern Island first—to discuss matters with Southern Island Sect.
But at this rate, urging Southern Island Sect to join the Heavenly Friends Alliance is meaningless. In five days their sect might be gone—what good is the Alliance then?
“What will you do, Acting Sect leader?”
“Sasuk... what will you do?”
Baek Cheon pondered with a hard face. There were two options: quickly admit they lacked strength and withdraw, or enter Southern Island as soon as possible to inform them and devise countermeasures together.
“...There’s nothing more to mull over.”
He felt relieved they had passed through Southern Island. Had they taken a complacent detour, they might have heard news of Southern Island’s annihilation before even reaching halfway.
“First, we go to Southern Island.”
“...Isn’t that too dangerous to attempt now?”
“Even if it’s dangerous, it shouldn’t be so dangerous that the people here can’t pull themselves out.”
Baek Cheon said in a firm tone.
“But right now the Southern Island probably doesn’t know that Four Sects Alliance will attack at this time. Shouldn’t we at least let them know that?”
Everyone nodded at that. Even in this situation, there were those thinking pragmatically.
“But how do we get to Southern Island? Those bastards requisitioned all the boats. Should we try to seize even one at night?”
At Namgung Do-Wei’s question, Baek Cheon silently glanced to one side without answering.
“...Acting Sect leader?”
Namgung Do-Wei, sensing something ominous, asked in a trembling voice.
Baek Cheon, who had been staring out across the distant sea, turned and fixed his gaze on one person.
“...We can do it, right?”
“Ah, I told you it’s possible.”
“Really possible?”
“Ah, have I been fooled all this time?”
Chung Myung grinned and answered.
“It’s only about 20km at most. At that distance you could practically lie down and swim; it’d take half a day to get there.”
Baek Cheon nodded, then looked at the others.
“That’s what he says.”
Silence fell.
For the first time, Namgung Do-Wei felt an urge to poke at Baek Cheon’s clear, bright eyes.