As Prophet - Chapter 13



Only Krnovel

Episode 13. It’s a faulty construction.

The attack began at the end of the Si-si (巳時). The army, led by the Peng Baesu, stopped a hundred jang in front of the castle wall, and the archers took a firing position in three rows behind them. Since both the long swordsman and the long spearman carried bows, it was meaningless to distinguish the archers separately. More than 70% of the Joseon army carried bows. They also knew well that the enemy did not have many bows and that their bows had a short range.

As the drums sounded, arrows poured out beyond the castle walls. The Japanese pirates, who had no long-range weapons, responded with bows they had taken from the Joseon soldiers. Hundreds, if not thousands, of arrows flew toward the collapsed gate tower and castle walls. The words “raining” felt real.

At the back, they were preparing a long ladder to climb over the wall, but it was quite clumsy. They had not prepared any siege weapons while they were rushing down. If they climbed up by stepping on it, they would have been perfect food for enemy arrows.

“Are you going to do it with that?”

“I need to create a cloud, but they tell me to attack right away… … .”

Dalcheon asks and Baek Ui-hyeong answers, but Dalcheon seems like a debt collector. He seems to think that it’s okay since I’m not going up. I want to put a ladle in the head of the guy who thought that and stir it up.

“If you place a ladder against the wall and climb up, the soldiers will suffer great damage.”

I looked back at the commander who was not there. I felt burdened by the fierce pressure. I don’t think he meant to kill soldiers and take damage while attacking, but it sounded like he meant to succeed regardless of the means and methods. It’s up to you to choose the method, and I’ll only see if you achieve your goal, so it seems like he’s yelling at you to hurry up and do it. Baek Ui-hyung answered with difficulty.

“yes.”

“Let’s make it. One is fine, two is fine.”

“Wouldn’t it take… time? Wouldn’t it be okay if we quickly climb up the uninhabited wall?”

“It’s a siege. No matter how shabby the flat ground is, it’s too high for soldiers to jump over. Climbing the ladder over it would be no different from walking the tightrope of Namsadangpae. Everyone would die.”

The spleen-like Baek-ui-hyeong hesitated. If you just shoot arrows while attacking, you will be shouted at from behind. What is more frightening than the enemy is a thoughtless superior. They tell you to do something even though they know it won’t work, and they tell you to try it even though they know you will die. They say something no matter what. They say they will only see if it is achieved, but they say something about the method and route.

“Yeah, that’s right. A lot of people die and get hurt.”

“Make a cloud made by the Airborne Division. Now.”

* Gongsuban: A person from the State of Lu during the Warring States period. An engineer. Known as the inventor of the saw and ink line used by carpenters, he is known as the father of carpenters.

“Airborne?”

“Yes, I know.”

Even if it takes time, Baek Ui-hyeong hesitated at Dalcheon’s suggestion to make a proper transport ship and go over the castle wall. He is the best of the Gyeongsan-hyeon’s transport ships, and is the representative general of Gyeongsan.

“We just have to get over that wall today.”

“Today?”

“Yes. Fortunately, the walls aren’t that high… … If we build them while attacking now, we can definitely do it. If we can safely push the army into the castle, we’ll win.”

The spleen took a deep breath and let it out. Yes. He remembered what he had said about taking over today. The meeting was quite far away, so did he hear it all?

“I wonder?”

Dalcheon’s words were a hundred percent true, but it was not easy to build a siege tower. Suddenly, I thought that he was dreaming of some strange ideal he had seen in a book. How would he build a wheeled airborne unit in an empty field?

But I couldn’t say no because there was no error in his words to reduce the damage. Although he was young and inexperienced, he had a strange power that prevented him from contradicting his words.

He ordered the soldiers to advance to the front of the castle walls and attack, while encouraging them to build siege ramparts behind them. While gathering carpenters from the area, Dalcheon drew up a rough outline of the plan.

The carpenter asked for time and personnel. It is a small place, but it is not that big. Everyone knows what they are doing. The master carpenter, Mr. Ahn, looks at the forest from afar, and it looks like he is going to cut down some trees and make something.

Soldiers with axes and saws went to the nearby mountain and cut down trees. They tied the cut trees to two horses of the cavalry and dragged them, and on one side they cut off some of the rough bark and tied the trees together in a loose manner. They tore down the shabby house in front of the castle and took out the timber. They made the ladder wide enough to prevent it from falling over, and they made the ladder slope forward so that it could not be pushed from inside.

Meanwhile, thousands of arrows flew into the castle at the order to attack, but that was not enough to end the battle. Gyeongsanhyeon’s army, with their shields raised in front, slowly advanced forward, shooting down those who resisted from the castle walls. They fell from the castle walls, making noises like monkeys.

On the other side, Udo’s soldiers were seen running with makeshift ladders. Those guys who say they’re going to do it are scary.

The enemy on the castle concentrated their fire, and it became more intense as they approached. The casualties on our side increased rapidly at close range, but we could not retreat because of our general’s orders, and we moved forward hesitantly. It was quite a sight to see them cover their front with their shields, stick their butts back, and approach slowly.

A couple of ladders were placed on the wall, but they shook violently so that no one could jump up. Some soldiers, unable to endure the general’s nagging, climbed up and were hit by enemy arrows and fell.

The one who went up with the shield went a little further. However, the Japanese pirates’ fire was concentrated, and the one who could not bear the weight of the arrows embedded in the shield dropped the shield, was hit by an arrow himself, and fell to his death. The one who followed met the same fate. The general shouted for cover from below the wall, but the ones above had the advantage.

The sound of drums, the sound of urging the advance, the sound of sticks hitting the backs of armor continued. Several more ladders were raised, and the two armies fought while sustaining casualties. The general Baek Ui-hyeong, who had been urging the firing from the south gate, looked behind him.

Dalcheon was working directly among the carpenters who had gone. After cutting, fitting, and tying them together with ropes, he made it and used the wheels of an oxcart he had picked up nearby to roll it. Although it was in a poor state, the ladder of the oxcart, which was tilted at about 45 degrees, looked much better than the ladder of the Udo attached to the bottom of the wall. It was also wide enough to climb up in three rows.

Baek Ui-hyung ran over and asked.

“Is it done?”

“There is one.”

“Take it.”

“You are in too much of a hurry.”

“The other side is attacking, but it’s obvious.”

Dalcheon let out a sigh.

“Oh my, is this something to be aware of?”

“The soldiers of Udo are dying one after another, but we seem to be standing still, so the magistrate is getting restless. We are the only ones not climbing up and are only shooting arrows… … .”

The reason for everything that happens in the county is attached to the county magistrate. Then the weight of the words changes, and because of the consciousness of the very basic and fundamental orders given before the order, he cannot help but do it. Dalcheon made his lower lip thin and chewed it.

“Just wait a moment. If you place that out in front and then place a strong armor right next to it, you can get over it. You win. Let’s make one more.”

“How many were you planning to make?”

Dalcheon showed his palm.

“five things?”

“yes.”

“why?”

“We have to go up at once so that our troops who have climbed over the wall are not isolated. If we just go over with one, we will be surrounded by enemies on three sides… … and we will all die.”

“It looks more stable now. It seems like it’ll be easier to get over… … If I just keep my balance, I’ll be able to get over while standing armed.”

Dalcheon, who couldn’t stand to watch, gave up his job.

“If you want to see the south gate, please bring at least one. It’s on the left side of the south gate.”

“Okay.”

“The advancing soldiers must be protected by the cavalry and the archers must provide covering fire. This is a must.”

“Okay, I understand!”

Now, he is giving away a piece of equipment that he has just made, and he is complaining a lot. No, to someone who is in a hurry, any word of it sounds like complaining. Dalcheon pointed to a place where the axis of the wall that was connected in a straight line had collapsed. It was a point where the wall had lowered slightly, as if it had collapsed.

“There it is. We’ll focus the movement over there. Bring it close, but don’t let it touch the wall.”

“Okay, I understand!”

I was annoyed. I called the soldiers and had them take the ark. It was quite heavy because it was made by cutting and connecting raw trees. It looked like it was made carelessly, but the points where the trees intersected were connected by cutting the edges. The angles where the carpenter had worked fit perfectly. Expensive nails were driven into the important parts.

“Isn’t this shoddy construction?”

“It is indeed poor construction.”

“Heh heh.”

The four brothers looked at each other and smiled. Dalcheon encouraged carpenter Ahn.

“Okay, that’s enough for one.”

“Whew! This is difficult because there’s nothing there.”

“Now we are soldiers. Creating something from nothing… … .”

Dalcheon felt awkward between those who wanted it done quickly and those who said it would take time to make.

“Without this, we’d just have to put down a ladder and climb up. Then we’d all die.”

“Yes.”

“Even Carpenter Ahn could die if he climbs up like that.”

Dalcheon pointed towards the castle wall where Udo’s soldiers were attacking in the distance.

“Look. They encourage us from behind, and we go up naked, and then we all fall to our deaths. Think about it as if it were me, not someone else. I, um… … can only slow down the advance so much. Privately, the chief of the spleen is sentenced to death. So we can cling to them and say no, but if an ignorant general pushes forward with force, the old man with the flatfish and the old man with the dog poop from the village down there will all just die.”

Although the carpenter complained, it was impossible to say that the young soldier was wrong. The shouts from all directions continued endlessly. The Japanese soldiers on the castle walls were giving their all. They knew very well that if this castle fell, they would all die.

“Who doesn’t know that?”

“We’re not talking about building a large, neat hip-and-gable roof. We just need to get over that small wall. Safely.”

Despite Dalcheon’s persuasion, Ahn hesitated, and the carpenters around him started to murmur.

“Let’s do it.”

“You can do it.”

“Isn’t it enough to just make one more?”

“If a young person asks you to do something, you should do it.”

“And here comes another tree.”

There is not a single straight tree in the nearby mountains. This is because the earth energy is weak. They cut down the best trees that have grown twisted under the red earth worn down for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Even if they are slightly crooked, they are cut down and brought in with the intention of being reattached.

The faces of the carpenters receiving the lumber turned dark, but the ones who cut it threw it away as if it was someone else’s business and ran away as if they were turning their heads. Some carpenters screamed, but they just ran faster. They are the same county, and if you cross a bridge, they are all people you know. Carpenter Ahn screamed.

“You little bastards, you can’t cut it straight!”

Dalcheon encouraged the production and advanced to the front. One of the ships was being escorted by soldiers. Fortunately, the other side was attacking the wall and was also assisting. It was also helpful that they had arrived early and attacked the gate tower. The enemy’s response was not fierce, and thanks to this, they were able to place the ship where they wanted it to be.