Ch.252252. Seoul Expedition (2)

When the Dragon Priestess made her decision, the Three Heroes also began preparing for war.

In war, nothing is more important than justification.

While General Jeong Dong-geon was engaged in training preparations for the war, Hwang Geun-chul and Park Cheol-gon launched a public opinion campaign to facilitate smoother war preparations.

“Respected citizens of Seorabeol, this is Prime Minister Hwang Geun-chul. The reason I am addressing you in this national address is…”

Before long, the Seorabeol government’s official bulletin boards, the Prime Minister’s direct address to the nation, and both political parties through live broadcasts informed the public that the Seoul Reclamation Operation had been officially approved.

The reactions within Seorabeol were divided in two directions.

“Seoul? Why does Seoul matter now? Seoul abandoned us! They failed miserably and now they’re asking us for help? If they wanted salvation, they should have asked for it a year ago when this country was still under the Balhut Cult!”

“There’s no special reason why South Korea collapsed! Just incompetence and corruption! Those two words are enough!”

Initially, negative reactions were the majority.

While generational responses might differ, most Seorabeol citizens rejected the Seoul Reclamation Operation.

The newly established universities and military academies in Seorabeol also expressed negative reactions to the Seoul Reclamation Operation, leading university students to take to the streets and begin anti-war protests.

“We are not citizens of South Korea! We are Seorabeol, the divine nation directly protected by the Dragon God! Why should we bear the corpse of a failed country?”

“We are creating a new era! There’s no need to be bound by the old relic called South Korea!”

The justification was simple.

They were no longer citizens of South Korea, but citizens of Seorabeol.

The fact that the national identity of Seorabeol had been accepted by the public was actually a tremendous boon for the country, but for the immediate war effort, it was more of a hindrance.

“Seoul! Seoul! Seoul! I’m sick of that name! How could we forget what happened a year ago? My friends! My family all died because of their groundless confidence! What saved my remaining family wasn’t Seoul! It was the Balhut Cult… Seorabeol!”

Like the Dragon God Association, Seorabeol citizens opposed the reclamation of Seoul based on emotion rather than reason.

One year was enough time to change people, and had Seoul provided any help to Gyeongju… no, Seorabeol during that year?

“Only the hero Kim Su-ho shared information for our benefit, but was there anyone else from Seoul who helped Seorabeol?”

“That damn president! President! We were always told to follow the president’s words! Has the South Korean president even existed during this past year? Is that president even alive?!”

Of course, it was true that Kim Su-ho, known as Seoul’s hero, had shared various information to help people living on the Korean peninsula survive on their own, which had been a great help to Seorabeol.

And until he was driven to Gangnam, he had prevented the rise of warlords and maintained order during the apocalypse, among other achievements that even Seorabeol citizens couldn’t deny.

But what about the rest besides Kim Su-ho?

Had they ever helped Seorabeol?

“Remember the time before the Dragon God descended! Remember our families who were mercilessly slaughtered by the undead!”

The only memory etched in the minds of Seorabeol citizens was how the damage to local regions had been accelerated under the name of the president’s orders.

It was a trauma too terrible to describe.

It was an intense hatred that couldn’t be healed in just a year, and that hatred was now being expressed.

“That’s right! Why should we, who barely overcame the apocalypse with the Dragon God’s blessing, help those who abandoned us!”

Similar opinions erupted from some university student groups among the younger generation.

For them, Seoul was a remnant of the past they didn’t want to return to.

“Abandon Seoul! Seoul is no longer needed on the Korean peninsula!”

Some online forums even featured such extreme claims.

However, where there are extremists, there are also moderates.

Although negative reactions were the majority, there were certainly those who considered the Seoul Reclamation Operation meaningful.

“But that was the position of Seoul’s leadership, ordinary people living in Seoul never thought that way!”

Yes, it couldn’t be assumed that all Seoul citizens had abandoned the provinces.

Those who advocated for the Seoul Reclamation argued that it was merely the position of the leadership that had ruled Seoul, and that Seoul citizens had no intention of abandoning the provinces.

“It’s perfectly natural to resent Seoul! But people always come first! In this apocalypse, Seorabeol must show that justice is still alive!”

“If Seorabeol is truly a different nation from South Korea, we should rush to rescue the survivors remaining in Seoul!”

Even they couldn’t deny that Seoul was resented, knowing the pre-Dragon God era.

Yes, everyone knew that the hatred in their hearts identified Seoul as the culprit, and if the Dragon God hadn’t descended, they might not even be here.

But that doesn’t mean all the blame falls on citizens who simply lived in Seoul!

In other words, all responsibility lay with those in power, and the innocent citizens were blameless people that Seorabeol should save.

“Just because Seoul turned its back on us doesn’t mean we should walk the same path as Seoul! We learn from mistakes, and we shouldn’t repeat Seoul’s mistakes!”

And people always learn from failure.

Just because South Korea didn’t save innocent citizens, should Seorabeol also not save innocent citizens?

Rather, to avoid repeating South Korea’s failures, and to show that Seorabeol was a completely different country from South Korea, there were opinions that they should proactively save Seoul.

“Think about family living in Seoul! Can any of us truly say we have no connection to Seoul?”

“Family…”

“Can we go back? Our homes. Our families who might be there.”

And Seorabeol wasn’t populated solely by Seorabeol citizens.

Before the apocalypse, some had visited Yeongnam for work or tourism, and some citizens had originally been from Seoul before moving to Yeongnam.

For them, just the mention of family living in Seoul made even their hatred crumble, and they actively supported the Seoul Reclamation Operation announced by the Seorabeol cabinet to find family members who might still be in Seoul.

And as Seorabeol citizens’ reactions split in two directions, the Three Heroes who had begun war preparations gathered in one place and sighed.

“Half successful, half failed. Public opinion is split in half.”

In fact, having about half agree to the Seoul Reclamation Operation was already a significant achievement.

But considering that this operation was directly advised by Bahamut, it meant relatively few citizens had responded positively, and for the Dragon God Association, which was faithful to the ideology of following Bahamut rather than just being conservative, it was an unsettling start.

To Hwang Geun-chul’s concern, Park Cheol-gon smiled slightly and spoke.

“A nation for the people always takes risks. We’re not machines that only pursue practicality. Eventually, everyone will acknowledge the necessity of the great expedition.”

In his view, Seorabeol needed time, and as time passed, Seorabeol citizens would understand the necessity of Seoul and temporarily set aside their fierce hatred.

Yes, they might be emotionally angry now, but everyone knew that to completely end the apocalypse on the Korean peninsula, reclaiming Seoul was essential.

People couldn’t stay angry forever, and once that anger subsided, the Seoul Reclamation would begin.

“At least the opposition acknowledges Kim Su-ho. What about spreading Kim Su-ho’s manifesto throughout the Korean peninsula?”

“That’s a great idea!”

The mere mention of a hero’s name that even Seorabeol citizens acknowledged was a positive factor.

Jeong Dong-geon proposed using the name of Seoul’s hero, Kim Su-ho, to gain support not only from Seorabeol citizens but also from righteous warlords across the Korean peninsula, and both Hwang Geun-chul and Park Cheol-gon responded positively, seeing it as a good strategy.

Thus, Kim Su-ho’s manifesto delivered to Seorabeol spread throughout the Korean peninsula.

“Seoul’s Kim Su-ho… he’s still fighting.”

“At least he held out until the end.”

“Could he… really become a hero?”

Consequently, the name of Seoul’s hero, Kim Su-ho, began to be mentioned continuously throughout the Korean peninsula.

Kim Su-ho, who had been driven from Gangnam by Seoul’s power holders, a loser, even mocked as a powerless pushover, was now spreading his name widely across the Korean peninsula as a symbol of hope, becoming a topic of conversation for many people.

And as Seorabeol officially declared support for this hero… various entities across the Korean peninsula who could be called warlords began to react in their own ways.

“The era when we couldn’t overcome the apocalypse is over! Let’s all unite to reclaim Seoul! Long live Seoul’s hero Kim Su-ho!”

However, not all warlords who responded to Kim Su-ho’s name did so solely for their own benefit.

There were still noble heroes who believed justice remained in the world, and they were respected and supported by citizens as heroes of their regions, just like Kim Su-ho.

Do Yoon-tae, based in Daejeon Metropolitan City, had gathered civilian survivors in the center of Daejeon, forming a vigilante-like force to protect citizens, and was still influential in Daejeon after a year.

Daejeon itself was where the South Korean Ministry of National Defense had been located, and if one could somehow absorb the strategic weapons and military expertise that remained there, they could defend against undead attacks more easily than anyone else.

“For the next generation. The current generation must somehow overcome this apocalypse! Everyone knows that Daejeon alone cannot overcome the apocalypse, and Seoul is needed to overcome it! We in Daejeon declare our support for Kim Su-ho’s manifesto!”

However, this claim also revealed Daejeon’s limitations.

The city of Daejeon itself was one that relied heavily on consumption, a city that couldn’t maintain its urban foundation through urban industry alone.

“With Seoul’s fall, we are next in line for authority! I am the acting president!”

“A plunderer stained with slaughter has quite a long tongue! Isn’t the Defense Minister who was supposedly there missing? And our vigilante group has never recognized you as the South Korean Ministry of Defense!”

Shortly after the apocalypse began, the former minister of the Ministry of Defense, who had aimed for supreme power on the Korean peninsula, couldn’t even properly maintain his direct army with just Daejeon, and was forcibly divided and disbanded within three months of the apocalypse’s start. The military commanders, fragmented, lost control and went berserk, dividing the city of Daejeon among themselves, turning it into a lawless city pursuing only self-survival.

Do Yoon-tae, a former special police force agent, had somehow gathered Daejeon citizens to form a vigilante group to stand against the rampaging military, but he was still lacking in power. When Kim Su-ho’s manifesto spread throughout the Korean peninsula, he could unhesitatingly declare his support for Kim Su-ho.

“Ignore their words and fight for the capital with one heart and mind!”

“Do Yoon-tae! Stop talking nonsense, we in Daejeon have no such intention! We are the real acting president! Kim Su-ho is nothing but a usurper who has stolen our position!”

“Ridiculous! Can an army that exploits citizens truly be called an army?”

The fragmented military, shouting that they had no such intention, dismissed the vigilante group’s claims as nonsense.

From the perspective of the military stationed in Daejeon, unlike the vigilante group protecting citizens, they could survive by plundering citizens like thieves, and there were actually entire military units that had transformed into plunderers.

But from the unit’s perspective, they had their own justification: with supplies running out, requisitioning civilian goods was necessary for the unit’s survival, and in exchange, they protected civilians from the undead, making it a fair give-and-take in their view.

“Yes! As Kim Su-ho says, now is the time for counterattack! This apocalypse must end someday! Let’s reclaim Seoul with one heart and mind! Long live Seoul’s hero Kim Su-ho!”

But this wasn’t just Do Yoon-tae’s opinion alone, as other regions proved.

In other regions too, noble heroes began to appear one by one, as if justice still remained in the world, and they all advocated for saving Seoul and the families that might be there.

Maeng Jeong-ha, based in the Cheongju area, had transformed an abandoned small city into a fortress against the undead, gathering farmers from the vicinity to form a force, and was still influential in Cheongju after a year.

Unlike Do Yoon-tae, who was merely a vigilante group defending a military base, she had begun pioneering a path from Cheongju to Seoul in direct response to Kim Su-ho’s manifesto, providing military supplies to heroes who responded to Kim Su-ho’s manifesto, and actively preparing anything Kim Su-ho might need for conducting the war.

“My family is in Seoul too! Although their fate is unknown after a year. I will actively participate in Kim Su-ho’s manifesto to save my family! Long live the Kim Su-ho-Seorabeol alliance!”

She then completely reorganized her domain to focus on securing supply routes, and was actually putting effort into pioneering the Yeongdeok Expressway, the only route that would allow Seorabeol to reach Cheongju directly without passing through Daejeon.

Whether she was sincerely participating in Kim Su-ho’s cause was still unclear, but she had demonstrated through her actions that she sympathized with Kim Su-ho’s cause and was a strong supporting force for this alliance.

“Why should we get involved with Seoul?”

“Isn’t Kim Su-ho a traitor? Don’t you know this obvious fact?”

“Without Kim Su-ho, we finally have a chance to establish our own country?”

But if there were warlords positive about Kim Su-ho’s cause, there were also negative ones.

Not only the military units in Daejeon that had turned into plunderers, but from the perspective of warlords based in Gyeonggi Province, Kim Su-ho was the worst warlord and the strongest rival who must be defeated.

Considering that Gyeon Gwan-im had been pushed back to Daegu after being defeated by Kim Su-ho, Kim Su-ho was a figure who had earned much resentment from warlords, and for warlords whose tendencies didn’t align with his, he was truly like an enemy.

“If they fail, we can just take what they miss, right?”

“Seorabeol is leaving its position. Now’s our chance. The justice fools go to the front, and the real benefits come to the rear! We have an opportunity to seize cities without Seorabeol’s check!”

“Finally, the time has come to establish my own country!”

There were even warlords aiming to build a nation like Seorabeol, so there were certainly forces that saw Kim Su-ho’s manifesto as an opportunity.

Therefore, they began pursuing their interests not through direct involvement, but by using spies and disruption tactics, and there were surprisingly many warlords based in Gyeonggi Province who didn’t want Seoul to be reclaimed.

“Except for Gwangju, the rest of the regions are opposing my manifesto. That’s always been the case.”

“The response wasn’t as good as expected?”

It seemed to be having an effect, as the eastern Gyeonggi region, except for Gwangju which Kim Su-ho had pacified to accommodate refugees, had long been filled with anti-Kim Su-ho warlords.

While the major force Seorabeol and Kim Su-ho were focused on reclaiming Seoul, these warlords officially declared their opposition to the Seoul Reclamation to pursue their own interests, attempting to obstruct the formation of this alliance.

“Hehe. Fight and rampage all you want.”

“We’ll just do what we need to do.”

“Don’t even worry about Seoul.”

And finally, the neutrals.

Although they were called neutrals for now, they were essentially wolves looking to benefit from the conflict.

Publicly declaring neutrality, these neutrals showed no movement outwardly, but beneath the surface, they were helping the opposition or preparing to plunder resources during the chaos of the Seoul Reclamation Operation, getting ready to make a big score and then disappear.

In fact, not all neutrals were like this; some had genuinely declared neutrality out of skepticism about Kim Su-ho’s manifesto, but most could be described as wolves who were just watching and waiting while engaging in military activities.

“It’s literally a race for Seoul.”

Yu-na evaluated this situation as a kind of race.

Seoul was the former capital of South Korea, and while its glory was in the past, its value had now increased as a future where everything could be gained.

Seoul, which had become a new battlefield, was now…

“Whoever steps into Seoul first. Does that determine who will be the king of the next world?”

It had transformed into a throne that would determine the king of the next era.