Ch.321The Sword Path (2)

I began moving north of Hanyang with Munglig, or rather, Ko Yoon.

As the armed soldiers moved, the people looked at us with puzzled expressions.

“The people seem curious.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s rare for troops to be mobilized to suppress criminal gangs like this.”

“Rare?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Usually when gangsters like the Geom Association are captured, the focus is on rehabilitation.”

Ko Yoon began his explanation.

According to him, Goryeo originally focused on rehabilitation rather than direct punishment of criminals, similar to historical Joseon.

This made sense because Goryeo’s political ideology was Confucianism.

Of course, the situation was somewhat different since it was based on Yangming School, which emphasized moral practice, rather than Neo-Confucianism that formed the foundation of Joseon.

I had heard that in Joseon, they would punish criminals and make them recognize their morally wrong behavior to suppress crime in society.

In contrast, Goryeo in this world corrected immoral behavior through punishment.

Specifically, through physical training.

“When someone commits a crime, they go to Geunhwadang. There are Geungyeong scholars there who conduct large-scale rehabilitation activities for criminals.”

“By large-scale rehabilitation activities, you mean…?”

“They force them to complete a set number of prescribed exercises every day. Then they run around the field and repeat until exhaustion.”

Hearing his explanation, something came to mind.

CrossFit.

They performed what’s commonly called WOD (Workout of the Day), a training program.

CrossFit originally focused on building exercise capacity.

As a result, the purpose was to complete numerous exercise missions in a short time.

While it’s called completing missions, for gangsters sentenced to rehabilitation, it was nothing short of torture.

Improved exercise performance meant a healthier body.

As the body kept improving but the actions remained painful and repetitive, the mind couldn’t help but deteriorate.

In other words, rehabilitation was both physical and mental torture.

“…”

“Most are successfully rehabilitated this way.”

Yes, I’m sure they are rehabilitated.

If not, they would go insane.

“It’s a good sys… I mean, system.”

It truly was an excellent system.

Those who underwent rehabilitation, or rather “muscle punishment,” not only repented for their crimes but returned to society with superior physiques.

That’s exactly what I was aiming for.

Anyway, as I smiled mischievously with gleaming eyes, Ko Yoon tilted his head in confusion.

“What is it, Your Majesty?”

“Nothing. Let’s lead the soldiers north.”

As I mentioned before, the Geom Association’s headquarters was at Mount Surak.

They were essentially no different from mountain bandits.

As we moved, I could feel the gazes of the people around us.

They gathered in small groups and began discussing me.

“Is that the son of that scoundrel?”

“Where is he going with those soldiers?”

“Is he going to harm those who criticized the scoundrel?”

My father’s reputation was so poor that people openly criticized me.

This was possible because I was of Mongol origin, not Goryeo.

Although the imperial family of the Goryeo-Liaodong Federation was also of Mongol origin, they had married women from Goryeo for generations, making them essentially Goryeo people.

In contrast, I was of pure Mongol blood, which caused people to show great antipathy toward me as a foreigner.

Add to that my father’s notorious reputation as a scoundrel, and I couldn’t complain even if stones were thrown at me right now.

“I apologize, Your Majesty. The surroundings are noisy.”

Ko Yoon apologized to me with these words.

However, his words didn’t translate into action.

This meant that Ko Yoon also saw me as someone like my father.

It was natural to be treated this way since I hadn’t earned his trust yet.

“I don’t mind. Rather, I’m sorry that the people have suffered greatly because of my father.”

At this, I noticed Ko Yoon’s gaze change slightly.

I planned to gradually win his heart this way.

Because Ko Yoon was a talent I had my eye on… not a slave.

“Head toward Mount Surak while minimizing harm to the people.”

“I will obey your command.”

Ko Yoon raised his sword, and the government soldiers following behind changed their formation.

Moving this way, we soon arrived near Mount Surak.

“I don’t see many houses around here.”

“That’s right. Mount Surak, while not as much as other mountains, is still home to tigers, so people tend to avoid it.”

The Korean peninsula was historically famous for its tiger population.

This made sense because with its abundant forests and mountains, it was an ideal habitat for tigers.

As a result, there were rumors of tigers even on Mount Surak, which was close to Hanyang.

Of course, it was likely that the government had eradicated the tigers through large-scale suppression operations to protect the emperor.

Nevertheless, the persistence of such rumors could be attributed to the Geom Association’s machinations.

If rumors of tigers persisted, people would stay away, naturally reducing government influence in the area.

“I should go tiger hunting when I get the chance.”

“Tiger hunting, Your Majesty?”

“Yes.”

Tiger skins were expensive.

Selling them could bring in quite a profit.

Of course, hunting them was extremely dangerous as it risked one’s life.

That’s why I planned to do it later when things were more established.

“Ko Yoon.”

“I await your command, Your Majesty.”

“Send soldiers to locate the Geom Association’s headquarters. Also, check the surrounding terrain.”

Ko Yoon looked surprised at my words.

While this was militarily basic, considering I was 12 years old, Ko Yoon’s surprise was understandable.

“According to the Pyodo section of the Six Secret Teachings, to employ the Five Cloud Mountain Formation, one must have their back to the mountain, beat drums, and drive the enemy to gain advantage. For this, understanding the terrain is essential.”

The Six Secret Teachings was a strategic text presented as a dialogue between Jiang Ziya and King Wu of Zhou.

Although it was later revealed to be a forgery, its content was valuable and widely read in Korea, China, and Japan.

Anyway, the Pyodo section explained the Five Cloud Mountain Formation, which detailed tactics for mountain warfare.

While some aspects might seem strange from a modern perspective, the basic framework made sense.

Attacking while facing a mountain puts one at a disadvantage, while attacking with one’s back to it is advantageous.

In simple terms, it advised against engaging in battle when the enemy is descending from a mountain.

Of course, this wasn’t an absolute tactical rule.

When Yesugei faced the Western Xia general Zhang Yunchang, we were positioned below while the enemy was above.

We won in that situation, so the tactic wasn’t universally correct.

However, in general situations like the present, following the tactic was advisable.

“Have you mastered the Six Secret Teachings?”

“I’ve just been reading it recently.”

While this might seem like showing off, such self-promotion was beneficial.

Even in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when Xiahou Mou claimed mastery of the Six Secret Teachings, it was largely to demonstrate his worth.

Of course, reading tactical texts doesn’t make one a master of combat.

But my case was different.

I had the experience of Yesugei, who had spent his life eating and fighting.

In modern terms, I was like the experienced newcomer that all companies desire.

“Impressive. But you mustn’t become overconfident.”

Ko Yoon looked at me with concerned eyes.

It felt like Wang Lang worrying about Xiahou Mou.

“I will deeply heed the advice of Chief Magistrate Ko.”

He nodded, seemingly somewhat reassured by my words.

His expression suggested he wasn’t too worried since he would be handling most of the command anyway.

While we were conversing, the scout who had been examining Mount Surak returned.

After bowing, he reported to Ko Yoon.

“We’ve found the Geom Association’s headquarters.”

“Good. Everyone arm yourselves and prepare to eliminate the enemy.”

The government soldiers picked up shields and swords.

They looked like basic sword-and-shield infantry.

As we moved, the Geom Association seemed to have noticed our arrival and was already prepared.

“Government troops!”

“The government troops are here! Everyone prepare for battle!”

“Don’t resist, you thugs!”

“If you surrender peacefully, we’ll reduce your rehabilitation sentence!”

“My friend who was taken there became obsessed with muscles, why would I go there!”

“I’d rather die than go to Geunhwadang!”

A tense standoff began between the Geom Association and the government troops.

Despite several more calls to surrender, the Geom Association remained steadfast.

Ko Yoon then ordered their suppression.

“Attack!”

As Ko Yoon’s order fell, the government soldiers charged.

The Geom Association began to resist.

“Drive out all the government dogs!”

“We have far greater numbers!”

“Numbers mean nothing for a rabble like you!”

“Look at these failures who couldn’t even pass the military exam showing off!”

As the government troops’ swords flashed, the thugs’ weapons flew away.

The Geom Association members who lost their weapons tried to resist but were immobilized by the government troops’ ropes.

The government troops began to subdue the Geom Association in an instant.

“Goryeo’s government troops are truly impressive.”

When I said this, Ko Yoon smiled and expressed his gratitude.

Just as we were making progress subduing the Geom Association, a loud noise suddenly came from the north.

“Government dogs! We’ll make this your grave!”

“You’ll regret attacking our headquarters!”

As additional Geom Association forces arrived, their morale rose again.

To make matters worse, we were surrounded on both sides, creating a difficult situation.

Of course, this situation wasn’t impossible to overcome.

However, it was clear that some casualties were inevitable.

Recognizing this, Ko Yoon picked up his weapon as if to take direct action.

Seeing him, I extended my hand to calm him down.

“If we leave things as they are, the government troops will suffer casualties.”

“I will take command.”

“Your Majesty? This is no time for war games, Your Majesty.”

“I will ensure not a single casualty occurs.”

Ko Yoon silently looked at me in response.

I met his gaze without flinching.

“…Very well.”

Ko Yoon nodded as if resigned.

He seemed to have granted permission thinking that even if casualties occurred, they wouldn’t be significant.

Whatever the case, from my position, I had gained an opportunity.

“All troops gather in one place!”

I raised the command baton high.

It was the moment my first battle in my second life began.