As Prophet - Chapter 30



Only Krnovel

Episode 30. I’ve Never Seen the Sun on a Cloudy Day

The two were led into the spacious main hall of the Samgunbu General Affairs Office. Twenty-six people in official uniforms were sitting there, including Baek Sa-ban.

Baek Ui-hyeong spoke loudly from the doorway.

“Loyalty! I brought Dalcheon, the great general of Gyeongsan County.”

Five men, old and young, were sitting in the front, where the leader was, and two rows on either side were sitting in a spacious manner, each with a stiff expression on their face. The crown prince and grand prince were there.

“Loyalty! This is Dalcheon, the great general of Gyeongsan County.”

“Isn’t there a last name?”

The sound heard from the front was a question from the person who was initially introduced as the general.

“Yes, I don’t have a last name. My name is just Dalcheon.”

“What about your parents?”

“I don’t know because I lost my parents at a young age and became a mountain man.”

“Oh my, what happened?”

“It was a very dry year. They say that bandits who had been nesting in the distant mountains came down to the village. They not only stole things but also took people, so it seems that they resisted, and that’s when my parents died. My house was burned down, and I had nowhere to go, so they say that the mountain man took me.”

“I guess you don’t know at all.”

“After some time had passed, I went down to my hometown and saw that the village itself had disappeared, as if something had happened. I went to another nearby village to ask, and they said that after that incident, people became sick and died, and so they turned their backs on their hometown and left, leaving it as a deserted village. That’s why I couldn’t even find out.”

“Oh my, my goodness! If it was something like that, wouldn’t a report have been submitted? Since you said you were 15 years old, we can look back at what happened 15 years ago.”

“I looked into it and saw that as people’s hearts became oppressed, the water dried up and eventually even the well water dried up.”

“I don’t know whether the well comes first or the people’s hearts come first.”

Even though the conversation was going off track, no one intervened as the prince continued to ask questions. It was a time to confirm once again that Dalcheon had no basis. It was an expression of interest, but the words that came out afterwards were an explanation that clearly revealed the people’s difficulties, so the officials clicked their tongues.

“Yeah, you studied in the mountains?”

“I went to the mountains when I was young, and from then until now, I have only studied.”

“Would you like to tell me the story of how you defeated the Japanese army?”

Dalcheon looked around and began to explain. Everyone held their breath as if they were waiting for that.

I mumbled and explained everything from when the order to assemble was given in Gyeongsan-hyeon to when the castle under the control of the enemy was destroyed. It would be a very long story, but since I already knew most of it, I felt satisfied even if I skipped over it.

However, the war seen from Dalcheon’s perspective had a slightly different flavor. Dalcheon added the reason for his judgment when explaining. He added another interpretation to the battlefield he saw. He explained the reason for his judgment when he ran to the west gate, the reason he decided to make a cloud even if it took time, and the reason for not helping Baek Ui-hyeong advance to the center of the castle and instead opening the south gate.

Even in the same game, a game with explanations from someone who is good at it is more interesting. Everyone agreed with Dalcheon’s decision, which he made quickly after looking at the overall situation.

Exclamations like, “Wow, that’s amazing,” “Martial arts are of a high caliber,” and “He saved Joseon” just came out naturally.

Above all, the battle from Dalcheon’s perspective was very interesting, persuasive, and realistic. It was qualitatively different from the stiff reports and chronologically arranged reports. Above all, I discovered that the battlefield seen by the expert was quite different from what we thought, and that was something interesting.

After the long story, the questions began.

“Why did you think you had to open the south gate? You could have just pushed your way into the center and decapitated the enemy general.”

“The number of our troops who crossed over the castle walls is small. We crossed over in a hurry, but I thought it would be difficult to fight the enemy troops in the center, which were about the same number as our entire force, with such a small number. I thought that the priority was to quickly bring our large force into the castle, and that was the only way to win.”

One of the people lined up on either side raised his hand.

“This is Imoogi, the servant of cooperation.”

“Oh, yes.”

For the first time, a polite person appeared who revealed who he was. Dalcheon laughed to himself as he repeated the name Imoogi. It was fortunate that he didn’t call him a baby snake.

“I just want to hear the difference between a ladder and a ladder.”

“A ladder is just a ladder. You place it on the wall and climb over it. You are completely exposed to enemy attacks, and you can fall while climbing.

On the other hand, the hull is wide from left to right and is supported firmly by the structure below, so it does not fall over. If it is well-made, it can go over a five-row column, and since it can hold the center, it can use defensive equipment such as shields. It is safe and fast, and at the same time, it can send more soldiers over the wall.”

“Oh, yes. But how did you manage to make it?”

“Fortunately, I knew the drawing, so I explained it to the carpenters and they made something similar. The wheels were difficult, but I used several wheels from a nearby cart.”

“You made a fortune in half a day. That’s amazing.”

Next, the man in the high-ranking position in front of the front asked.

“How did you know that the enemies had come out through the West Gate and how did you respond? The Gyeongsan County army was in charge of the South Gate.”

“I was in charge of the South Gate, but I was the vanguard. The vanguard means going first, but on the other hand, it also plays a role in clearing the way for the main force to arrive. Fortunately, I was able to secure a lot of cavalry, so I had a lot of room to move. While I was walking around the perimeter of the town wall, I discovered the enemy coming out of the West Gate.

They were an army that was planning to make a flanking attack when our forces attacked the South Gate. If we had left them alone, our forces would have suffered great losses. However, they were infantry, and we had about a hundred cavalry, so we shot them with bows and arrows and retreated little by little.

Their bows were large, but they were wooden bows, so their range was very short and their penetrative power was not very good. They formed a formation like the wings of a goose and rained down arrows from all directions, making it difficult for the enemies. It was a one-sided firefight. They shot, then retreated when they approached, and shot again when they ran, retreating until they completely annihilated the ones who came out through the west gate.

“After attacking like that, I saw that the enemy was in disarray and charged. I built a fort and placed a longsword man behind the spearmen and then charged. Using traditional northern tactics, I split the enemy in two and then passed through and then split again, and the enemy retreated.”

“Oh. It was a charge following the archers’ shooting.”

“Yes.”

The third question came up. It was on the opposite side, and judging from the person next to the Jeongrang of the Ministry of War who had guided me here, he seemed to be from the Ministry of War.

“Let me ask you a question.”

“Please speak.”

“They said that the Japanese army was good at close combat and that if they charged with their large swords raised, no one could stop them. How did they attack?”

“They are not peasant conscripts like us. They are a professional samurai military organization, soldiers who have spent their entire lives wielding swords. Peasant conscripts cannot win. In addition, the Satsuma sword technique, in which a long sword is raised and a single blow is used, has the power to break shields, cut spears, and even crush human bodies in one fell swoop.

So I made them move in groups of two or three, with long spears to intercept and long swordsmen to unite. Then I made them form a line so that the Peng Baesu would block their attacks first, and the long spearmen and swordsmen behind them would deal with them.”

“Oh. They’re unmanned?”

“Even the lower-ranking samurai, the Hira samurai, are people who make a living only with a sword.”

“So, how should we train our army now? Should we form groups and attack?”

“Yes. You have to use a combination of projectile weapons, long weapons, short weapons, and shields to fight the enemy.”

I haven’t mentioned the increased costs, the current problems, etc. yet. It might not suit their taste. Dalcheon looked around.

“The evaluation was long. It is good for the people, but the country may become weak. We cannot end the war with only bows from a long distance. We must use tactics that maximize the strengths of our bows, but in the end, the battle is ended by charges and close combat. Therefore, we must strengthen the training of swords, spears, and spearmen. If the spearmen hesitate because they are afraid of the enemy, the swordsmen and spearmen will also fall. A unit that has to block a fiercely charging enemy with a shield cannot do it without training. It is scary. The same goes for long swordsmen. The length of the sword cannot be shortened. We must supplement our equipment. We must supplement and train spears, shields, bows, and crossbows. I believe that victory in battle comes from supplies and training.”

I tried to say that I was getting weaker, but I adjusted my tone to say that I was getting weaker, but an uncomfortable glint lingered in the depths of the gazes of those sitting above me. When the atmosphere became awkward, the official on the other end asked.

“I heard that you defeated the enemy at the very front. How good is your martial arts?”

It was a difficult question. How can I express my inaction? Dalcheon pondered for a moment and then gave a short answer.

“I don’t know how to express it, but there probably aren’t many people in this Joseon who could put their lives at risk.”

If you think about it, it was a very arrogant expression. I sighed, “Oh my!” Until now, I had been good at choosing words that would make my superiors listen, but the sudden arrogant expression caused the audience to murmur.

Dalcheon answered difficult questions point by point, giving bold answers as if he had no sense of hierarchy. He was not intimidated at all. As expected, he asked from the other side.

“So, are you saying that you are the strongest in this Joseon?”

“There are so many weird people in the world. How can I say that? That’s why I put it in a roundabout way. There aren’t many people who can put me in danger.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Dalcheon looked at the official’s question at the end of the line through his eyes. Why did he ask this question, and why did he persistently ask about the truth of the answer? It was not friendly at all. Dalcheon focused his gaze and drew up the story, and the man stopped.

“Just relax. I asked and you answered.”

The atmosphere has become cold and gloomy. Moreover, this is the Samgunbu. It is a place where the most famous military leaders in Joseon are swarming around.

Dalcheon glanced at the people lined up on both sides and shrugged his shoulders. He was making a gesture to get up since no other questions were asked. So the Ministry of War official hurriedly asked.

“I think it would be good for someone like you to help protect the country. Don’t you think you should use your martial arts skills for the sake of this country? Or don’t you think you should?”

The words were awkwardly slurred, but it sounded like he was being told to work as a manager.

“I have already devoted myself to protecting the country. If the same thing happens, I will revive, go out in white clothes, and fight the enemy. However, I have no intention of working as an official or a soldier. I live in the mountains and am not good at organizational life.

I don’t have the confidence to stand between what is necessary and what is not, between unreasonable demands and demands with ulterior motives.

Above all, I fight for my country and people with the awareness that I am unmanned, and I have never seen even a cloudy day until now.”

The white sand dune on one side sighed quietly. What a cloudy sun… … .

“Does that mean you won’t work even if the King gives you a government post?”

That’s the bottom line.

“I am a person who studies in the mountains. I have already realized that going out into the world and working will ultimately destroy my precious self. I plan to return and devote my energy to cultivating and improving myself.”

As he finished speaking, he turned his head toward the Grand Prince. He asked with his eyes if it was over. The Grand Prince’s gaze was smiling bitterly.