Ch.297297. Pacification Complete

As London was deeply contemplating the Queen’s coronation, Seoul was also beginning to undergo changes.

Particularly in Gwanghwamun, where the Seoul Reconstruction Headquarters was located, the collapsed plaza was slowly regaining its form. All the unprocessed debris had disappeared, and cement was gradually being poured into steel-framed buildings.

Before long, habitable buildings emerged, and on the roads that had been rebuilt early for efficient traffic, not only public service buses but also private vehicles began to appear. Though still lacking in many ways, scenes reminiscent of Seoul’s past could be seen again, and at the center of it all, the flag of Seorabeol fluttered proudly.

“The European problem has finally ended. Now I can truly focus on Seoul.”

“It seems you’ve finally defeated the Lord Protector. That’s truly fortunate.”

“Yes, it is fortunate.”

The good news wasn’t just that—by defeating Britain’s Lord Protector, the forces hostile to Seorabeol had been significantly weakened.

With Alicia’s victory, they could target the European market through Britain, and at the same time, Bahamut’s attention could focus solely on Seoul. This fact alone was enough to elicit a sigh of relief.

Yes, Seoul’s reconstruction was essentially Seorabeol’s ten-year plan, and if the reconstruction failed, all citizens of the Korean Peninsula would immediately cast suspicious glances at Seorabeol.

They needed to successfully complete Seoul’s reconstruction using all national resources, and they had already increased production of Bahamut coins for export.

“…As other buildings are starting to take shape, we should prepare government offices too. Especially for the Awakened project, don’t we need a temple for Bahamut?”

“That’s the issue. We’ve already designated the former Gyeongbokgung Palace as the site for my temple, and planned to convert the Blue House nearby into the Prime Minister’s Office.”

As Seoul’s reconstruction progressed, buildings to establish national prestige were naturally needed.

They couldn’t stay indefinitely in the temporary Seoul Reconstruction Headquarters, and to start the Awakened project, a temple for Bahamut was necessary.

At least for Bahamut and the Dragon Priestess, they planned to build a temple on the land where Gyeongbokgung Palace once stood, and had drawn up plans to prepare the cabinet at the former Blue House site in Gyeongju, but…

“We can’t postpone the temple construction any longer. The cabinet is already prepared to move to Seoul. It’s an essential project for the country to function.”

“I see.”

The problem was that Bahamut, who prioritized citizens, kept postponing the temple construction.

From Bahamut’s perspective, the citizens’ support was more important than temple construction, but even that has its limits. Those who had followed Bahamut from the beginning couldn’t help but feel anxious about Bahamut’s actions.

It was less about dissatisfaction and more like…

‘I wish we could build the temple and work from there! The pressure is too much! Save me! Save us! Oh, Dragon God Bahamut, this trial… it’s a trial given directly by the Dragon God!?’

‘Ms. Yuna. Please! Please! We can’t postpone the temple construction project anymore! We’re dying! We’re going to die!’

An extremely high-ranking person… even one called a divine being, was serving and working among citizens, but subordinates couldn’t help but suffer.

In their hearts, they knew this was the right answer and a way to win the hearts of Seoul’s citizens.

But for those working alongside, the pressure was killing them!

For even a little peace of mind, they desperately wished to quickly build the temple and command from there.

“Indeed, from a national perspective, it’s problematic for the head of state to reside in a temporary tent—it lacks dignity. I’ll approve the temple construction as Yuna suggested. However…”

Bahamut, seemingly concerned about this point as well, nodded in agreement.

“However?”

“The official announcement will be made when General Jeong Dong-geon completes the pacification of South Korea.”

Though the official announcement was postponed until the South Korean pacification ended, it was fortunate that they had at least begun breaking ground.

Above all, announcing it when the South Korean pacification officially ended would greatly enhance Seorabeol’s prestige, so the working-level officials dispatched from the cabinet nodded in heavy agreement.

“What remains is… Gangwon Province.”

In reality, Seorabeol’s pacification of South Korea was gradually nearing completion.

The anti-Seorabeol warlords in Honam, Chungcheong, and Gyeonggi had been defeated one by one and were now under Seorabeol’s control.

Busan, being the stronghold of the Cult of Immortality, wasn’t included in the South Korean pacification, but once the rest of South Korea was pacified, they could simply mobilize all forces of the Seoul Alliance to subjugate it.

That meant only one territory remained for Seorabeol to pacify.

Only Gangwon Province remained, and currently, it was a hell where North Korean invaders and Gangwon resistance fighters were rampaging.

“The problem is that from the perspective of the Cult of Immortality, which has taken control of North Korea, Gangwon Province is territory they can’t easily give up.”

Having abandoned Gyeonggi, they needed a corridor to South Korea, and Gangwon Province, which the Kim regime had previously controlled, could serve as their passage to South Korea.

That’s why the Cult of Immortality continued to command the military personnel who had been leading the North Korean army, and on top of that, they committed acts that even left Jeong Dong-geon astonished.

“Using both Awakened and undead simultaneously… what an incredibly strange combination.”

“From our perspective, it’s a question of whether that’s even possible.”

It was a combination of military branches unthinkable in Asia during this zombie apocalypse.

However, the new North Korea—or rather, the Cult of Immortality—having already seized power in North Korea and controlling the Supreme Leader, didn’t need to worry about resistance from the North Korean military.

The Cult of Immortality gifted the isolated North Korean forces in Gangwon Province with soldiers they could freely use and massive supplies. With soldiers willing to rush toward death in their place and abundant provisions, they could turn the North Korean military’s loyalty toward the Supreme Leader, or more precisely, the Cult of Immortality.

At the very least, to prevent Seorabeol from perfectly completing the South Korean pacification, they began demonstrating North Korean movements and killing resistance fighters who might cooperate with Seorabeol.

“This is merely an operation to liberate Gangwon Province!”

They propagandized themselves as an army of freedom against the theocratic state of Seorabeol.

It was a pretext no one would believe, and the Gangwon resistance would rather surrender to Seorabeol than to the Cult of Immortality, but their demonstration began to significantly influence the movements of the Cult of Immortality in Busan.

“We’ve found a new home!”

It gave hope of survival to the headquarters that had been surrounded on all sides and was only preparing to die, and accordingly, operations for a great escape to North Korea began. The Cult of Immortality, which had made all of Seoul a battlefield, was now preparing to start a new war across the entire Korean Peninsula.

“We have no choice but to drive out the North Korean forces before a larger war breaks out.”

Despite the situation, Jeong Dong-geon showed no signs of surprise.

As a general who had fought the Cult of Immortality for a long time, he thought they wouldn’t retreat so easily, and as expected, the Cult of Immortality had simply moved nimbly.

Jeong Dong-geon’s response to this movement was simple.

If they could drive out the North Korean forces stationed in Gangwon Province before the conflict escalated, they could significantly weaken the movements of the Cult of Immortality in Busan.

“We’ll confront them head-on. If we lose in Gangwon Province, the South Korean pacification will be for nothing.”

And so, starting from Chuncheon, artillery battles and skirmishes began throughout Gangwon Province.

Jeong Dong-geon contacted the resistance fighters remaining in Gangwon Province to coordinate responses, and as Seorabeol attacked the North Korean forces stationed throughout Gangwon Province, the resistance also responded by beginning to drive out the North Korean forces.

The North Korean forces, already fatigued from their reckless expedition, began to be pushed back despite having undead legions, and this was indeed inevitable.

Though they had established themselves in North Korea, they couldn’t mass-produce Death Knight orders due to their still-developing foundation, and the undead army dispatched to the Gangwon front was of lower quality than those in Seoul.

Still, the decay and poison magic deployed by the undead units threatened the expedition led by Jeong Dong-geon, but then…

“Hwarang. Deploy.”

That’s when the Hwarang appeared.

Seorabeol’s elite agents who guarded the Dragon Priestess appeared on the battlefield, and the Hwarang began to rampage, ignoring the decay and poison displayed by the undead.

They conquered beyond Chuncheon to Wonju, and as the battle continued, more resistance fighters began to join Jeong Dong-geon’s expedition.

“All that remains is Goseong.”

Now only Goseong County remained before them.

However, the North Korean forces stationed in Goseong County were extremely few, and their commander shouted:

“There will be no South Korean pacification! The Korean Peninsula is ours!”

He shouted that the Korean Peninsula was theirs in an attempt to encourage his soldiers, but the difference in military power was already overwhelming.

The remnants of the North Korean military loyal to the Kim family had no chance against an army that included Seorabeol’s elite forces, the Hwarang, and the Gangwon resistance fighters.

In less than 30 minutes, Goseong County was conquered, and Seorabeol’s flag began to flutter over the county office.

Most of the North Korean soldiers remaining in Goseong County were either killed or captured, and only a very small number escaped and had to return to North Korea.

“The North Korean forces have fled north.”

“It doesn’t matter. Our mission is to complete the pacification of South Korea, not to attack North Korea.”

Jeong Dong-geon didn’t bother pursuing the fleeing North Korean forces, and he needed to announce to the world that the South Korean pacification was complete with the end of this battle.

The warlords who opposed Seorabeol had been subjugated, those who didn’t oppose had submitted, and Seorabeol’s flag had been raised over all of South Korea except Busan.

Even those who had opposed Seorabeol’s new order were forced to accept it throughout South Korea, and thus the official pacification of South Korea by Seorabeol was complete.

However…

“The rewards for meritorious service remain.”

“Indeed.”

At the end of that glory, only one thing remained: the time for rewarding meritorious service.

It was a debate about who should take the glory of victory, and in fact, within the Seorabeol cabinet and the military, people were subtly or openly claiming that they had made great contributions to this war.

Once one entered the rewards process and got their name on the list of meritorious subjects, they could obtain wealth sufficient for three generations to live without want, and even those not interested in wealth were drooling over the honor bestowed by the Dragon God.

The Dragon God Association, the Constitutional Democratic Party, and even the recently rising Korea First Party were all loudly proclaiming that they had contributed to this war and wanted their names on the list of meritorious subjects. The fervor within Seorabeol was formidable.

“Rewards for meritorious service. Then I too…”

“General, you will definitely be on the list of meritorious subjects!”

Even Jeong Dong-geon himself secretly wanted to be on the list of meritorious subjects.

He was a steadfast general who had loyally served the Dragon God without hesitation from the time of the Balhut Cult through the completion of the South Korean pacification, and as such a steadfast general, Jeong Dong-geon was less interested in the wealth given to meritorious subjects than…

‘Now the name Jeong Dong-geon will finally be recorded in Seorabeol’s history!’

He greatly rejoiced at the fact that his name could be recorded in Seorabeol’s future history.

Yes, he firmly believed that the name Jeong Dong-geon would never be forgotten in Seorabeol’s military, and that his name would continue to be mentioned even decades later.

‘But this issue will greatly shake Seorabeol internally.’

Conversely, many others would have thoughts similar to Jeong Dong-geon’s, and the moment the South Korean pacification was declared complete, Seorabeol’s political forces would rise significantly.

It wasn’t just political forces.

Each guild, faction, and general was preparing to emphasize their own merits and demand rewards for their loyalty to Seorabeol.

“I will officially complete the pacification of South Korea and build my temple on the site of the former Gyeongbokgung Palace. And… now that South Korea has been pacified, it’s time to proceed with rewarding your meritorious service.”

And finally, from Bahamut’s own mouth, the topic of rewarding meritorious service began to be discussed.