episode_0028

“Release him. The Chief Judge of Illness, who became a servant for speaking one wrong word, blatantly defied the command of His Majesty Taesang King and evaluated His Majesty Taesang King’s command. I must watch closely how the Chief Ritual Master, who evaluates His Majesty’s commands, will handle this. In my opinion, since the matter is so grave, it will not end with just one person.”

“Ugh… P-please… I-I was wrong. This is so corrupt.”

Scrub, scrub.

The Chief Ritual Master knelt down to his knees, clasping his hands together and begged earnestly.

“Hmph. Are you making good use of the tiger skin?”

“Huh? Oh! I will return it right away.”

The Chief Ritual Master hurried off and brought back the tiger skin.

“This… It’s quite peculiar to receive a gift, use it to your heart’s content, and then return it as if nothing happened…”

“S-so what do you suggest?”

“When you commit such an offense, isn’t it proper etiquette to prepare a separate gift?”

Huff.

Looking around the room, he scanned the area.

“Hmm. There should be some gold ornaments over there…”

“A-are you asking for gold? You boldly demand a bribe like this. I could risk everything for you.”

“Even if you ask for a bribe, wouldn’t you report it since you value your subordinates greatly? I’ll take a little reward, avoid going to the dreaded Great Magic Island, and that will be it.”

“You don’t want to go? Weren’t you the one who volunteered?”

The Chief Ritual Master looked puzzled.

“Hah! You’re so foolish. I said that to appear brave on the surface. That way, I thought I would be granted a higher and more comfortable position. But to actually be told to go… Anyway, I might be guilty of bribery, but I don’t think this will ruin the family. However, challenging His Majesty Taesang King’s authority, the Chief Ritual Master might… be in danger?”

Astonished.

“Ah, I see. Just wait a moment.”

The Chief Ritual Master took out a few gold nuggets.

“Really, is this all you have?”

“H-how much do you want exactly?”

“I need to save a doomed family, and this is all you offer? If it were me, I would strip every last bit of wealth, even if it meant silencing someone…”

“Ugh. Alright, just a moment…”

That day, the Chief Ritual Master had to vomit up all the bribes he had taken while in office.

Thanks to that, I made about twice as much money as I did when I fleeced the most from the Jomal tribe.

The reason I went so far was that I wouldn’t have to worry about the Chief Ritual Master anymore in the future.

Instead, I firmly held his leash, so even if I did this, he would have to silently endure it.

“It worked out well. The more money, the better.”

On the way to the starting point, I bought a few good horses, hired some Violettes to serve as attendants, and packed our belongings.

I also bought official documents from the Ministry of War at each government office we passed, requesting cooperation.

Carrying around gold was risky, buying land before going to war was pointless, and this was also to increase the number of slaves.

There might be a risk of dying on the battlefield, but if I saved them and brought them back alive, they would be all mine.

I bought two young attendants among the officials, the biggest guy among the attendants, and purchased weapons good enough for the blacksmith.

“I’ve got my own soldiers now.”

At each tavern we stopped by on the way, I spent money lavishly, ensuring we ate well.

“You are not mere soldiers. Focus only on protecting my wife, Violette.”

Who is Violette?

Violette was too long and difficult to pronounce, so I decided to shorten it.

“San-gong?”

Without being taught, Violette learned from watching Gemi and started calling me San-gong.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Your treatment keeps getting better?”

Before meeting the Chief Ritual Master in Jeolla Province, I had to sleep in rooms provided by the government and eat food given by the officials.

Naturally, the bedding was shabby, and the food was inadequate.

But as money flowed in and I spent it freely, Violette found it strange and commented on it.

“Things will only get better from now on.”

“Are we heading to the battlefield?”

Sigh.

“That’s not going to happen.”

Unable to provide details, I lightly chuckled and spoke.

#

As time passed, the day of departure arrived, and the date was June 18th.

It was the same day as when Yi Jong-mu sent a landing party on ten ships in the original history.

Is this also the coercion of history?

Along with the soldiers following me, we boarded ten ships at Jiseppo Port in Geoje Island, heading towards Daemado.

Our ships were significantly larger than the Waegeon ships, easily three times their size.

When we met Taejong, he didn’t even demand Western-style attire, but tried to give us two months’ worth of supplies without saying a word, which I accepted.

Since a scribe of the third rank was sent from the Royal Court to handle records, I kept him by my side.

The 500 men of the Siwi Byeolpae on board were selected from Gyeonggi Province and Jeolla Province.

Most of those selected from Jeolla Province were naval forces who would be manning the ships.

Not knowing who they were when they first came to me, I interviewed each one individually to classify them.

There wasn’t a single person in the Siwi Byeolpae with a high rank.

Those with some rank were deemed to be in danger and had already been removed.

In short, they had selectively chosen only the timid ones.

Even if I had performed remarkable feats, it was clear that conquering Daemado with just 500 men was absurd.

I was relieved that I could freely distribute troops without any constraints in this situation.

With the current circumstances, I could divide the troops as I pleased without any issues.

The new system was as follows:

Those young, healthy, and robust were placed in the first row.

Those who appeared sturdy despite their age were in the second row.

Those who seemed average regardless of age were in the third row.

Those who appeared frail regardless of age were in the fourth row.

The third and fourth rows were designated for supply and cooking duties.

The second row’s main task was to guard the ship.

The first row, consisting of just over a hundred individuals, was responsible for disembarking on land, directly engaging in combat.

Addressing them loudly, I said, “You must stand at the front and fight the enemy. This means you are most likely to die first.”

No one responded, but the looks they gave me were fierce.

“In return, you will be exempt from menial tasks. You will receive the best equipment, the best food, and eat the most. You will also obtain a lot of loot.”

This much is necessary for fairness.

Turning slightly, I shouted to those in the second to fourth rows, “You will either do menial work or cook! Those guarding the deck must also establish a barracks on the landing site, take turns standing guard at night! You must wake up early and sleep late. Your equipment won’t be good, your food will be inadequate, and the portions will be small. There will be no loot!”

In essence, it meant working hard until death, with nothing to gain.

As I continued speaking negatively, the expressions of those in the second to fourth rows stiffened.

“If anyone has a problem with this, come here. Stand at the front and fight the enemy!”

No one moved to join the first row.

Although the treatment was harsh, engaging in life-and-death combat is daunting.

This time, I turned to look at the first row and said, “You are young, healthy, and strong. That’s why you were chosen. You have no choice but to select combat duties. If anyone deserts due to dislike, they will face punishment up to their family under the desertion law.”

No one spoke up, and the atmosphere grew somber once again.

“Don’t be too discouraged. Our destination is Daemado. It’s an island, so there’s nowhere to escape. If you die, consider that others behind you will die too.”

The expressions of the first row softened slightly.

Realizing that it wasn’t just themselves who would die.

Honestly, where could they go on this island anyway?

“If any of you die or get injured, the ones behind will be called to fill in.”

This time, the faces from the 2nd to the 4th row darkened.

No matter if they were assigned as non-combatants, they had to fight when necessary. Isn’t that right?

“Wearing better equipment rather than hanging back might actually increase your chances of surviving longer. Dying in battle and being captured as a prisoner, tortured, and living like a slave wouldn’t be better, right?”

In reality, with only 500 troops, it was a mere handful.

Considering the situation here, it was all the same.

Especially after arriving on the island, where could they possibly escape to!

If it comes to ships, the foreigners would be better at sailing than us.

After sorting them out, there was also time for training.

Recruitment was rushed, departure was urgent, so there wasn’t much time to teach many things.

I demanded that all soldiers be given spears.

No bows, no swords, just spears!

Instead of just a regular spear for the 1st row of 100, I provided them with a nodachi similar to what I was holding.

However, to be precise, it was slightly different from what I held.

Since there were no prepared nodachis, I had the blacksmiths detach the handle of a large sword and attach the handle of a spear to it.

Just this task alone took quite some time, so we could only train with the nodachi for about a week.

Therefore, excluding the difficult parts, I taught them simple movements.

“First, I will show you how to use the nodachi.”

I had those with swords step forward and demonstrate sparring for everyone to see.