Tangmunjeon - Chapter 376



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Tangmunjeon Episode 376

Dialogue and compromise

Bringing together the martial arts world in three months? No matter how I think about it, it’s too short a period of time.

But rather, because it was so short, Dang Mu-jin was able to guess what Hyun-gong was thinking.

“You, you didn’t come to Namgung Se-ga for nothing.”

“Since I came to see the wedding, I might as well do some work.”

The first reason Hyungong came to Namgung Se-ga was, of course, to congratulate Namgung Myung on his wedding. Namgung Myung was Hyungong’s close friend, and at the same time, one of the connections he had to manage first.

But at the same time, there was a second reason that was equally important. It was rare for so many martial artists to gather together.

The current situation is unusual to anyone. It is not the wedding of one of the children of the Namgung Se-ga family, but the wedding of the Namgung Se-ga family itself. It is not even a situation where he is taking a second wife or a concubine.

How many events would bring together so many Jeongpa martial artists?

And the fact that people are gathering means that it is easy for Hyun-gong to proceed with his work and for Jeongcheon-maeng’s forces to be called upon.

“and···.”

Hyun-gong turned his gaze and looked at Hong-geol-gae.

Hong Geol-gae assumed that Hyun-gong would tease him like his other friends, so he took a slightly defensive stance and came up with an excuse.

However, Hyeon-gong did not tease Hong-geol-gae. Rather, Hyeon-gong looked a little impressed.

“Hong Geol-gae. I heard you got a great opportunity.”

“···opportunity?”

“I heard you became the main character. How long have you been planning this?”

“···plan?”

Hong Geol-gae rolled his eyes, unable to understand Hyeon-gong’s story.

Only then did Hyun-gong realize that Hong-geol-gae had not been the target of the gunshot wound on purpose.

“Hong Geol-gae, didn’t you become a gunman on purpose?”

When Hong Geol-gae smiled bashfully, Hyeon-gong clicked his tongue.

Well, is it possible that this guy thought and acted that deeply?

“Hong Geol-gae. I thought you weren’t happy with your current situation, but you’re mistaken.”

“You’re mistaken. The Ark is much higher than the Gunpla. It’s much better to just have the Ark in my name.”

“What’s important isn’t that you become the Dragon’s Head Ark in your name. What’s important is how much power you can wield as the Ark. In that sense, you’ve been given the best opportunity.”

Hong Geol-gae still didn’t seem to understand Hyeon-gong’s story.

Hyun-gong spoke while taking a handful of fried snacks from the bowl in the middle.

“I see you have no idea what the position of the chief of police is. What position do you think the chief of police is?”

“Seven knots.”

It was such an accurate answer, on the level of Hong Geol-gae, that Dang Mu-jin and Nam Gung-myeong, who were listening, nodded at the same time.

Hyun-gong clicked his tongue again.

“I don’t know why I have to explain the meaning of openness to the Open Chieftain… But I guess I should at least explain it to him. The Open Chieftain is effectively the second-in-command of openness.”

“Second person? Haha! Hyun-gong, have you forgotten that the back has eight knots?”

As Hong Geol-gae spoke as if he had seized the opportunity, Hyeon-gong narrowed his eyes.

“The successor is recognized as the next ark and receives a high position, but has little authority. It is merely a symbolic position.”

Hong Geol-gae understood the story while thinking of Wang Jin-cheong.

The current Hou-gae, Wang Jin-cheong, is not yet twenty years old. Just because Wang Jin-cheong obtained eight knots overnight and became the second-in-command of the Open Movement, it is unlikely that he will be able to wield power that overwhelms other high-ranking officials of the Open Movement. The situation of the Hou-gaes of the past was probably not much different.

“But I’m not the only one in the Seven Guardians. There are elders. There’s also the chief elder…”

“Even if you say he’s the chief elder, he’s just an elder. Furthermore, having multiple elders means that the limited power is shared among multiple people. On the other hand, there’s only one head of the family. He has no rivals.”

Hong Geol-gae didn’t quite understand the story.

Hyun-gong explained while wiping the oil on his hands from eating fried food on Hong-geol-gae’s pants.

“I heard you were pushed out of the open senior executive meeting and became the general manager. Where was that meeting held?”

“I did it in the opening shot of Gaebong.”

“Who chaired that meeting?”

“Former general, now retired.”

“Yes. Being the Chief of Staff means being the chairperson of the senior executive meeting.”

Hyun-gong looked as if he had finished explaining, but Hong-geol-gae still did not understand the explanation.

“What’s the big deal? What’s the point of being the chair of a meeting? You’re just stuck in the middle.”

“···If the head of the council is indecisive, that’s what will happen. However, the chairperson of the meeting can guide the direction and results of the meeting within an appropriate line. The head of the council can personally influence the opinions of all six law schools and seven elders.”

I thought that if Hyungong were to preside over the meeting, it would certainly be possible. Hyungong’s trickery had reached the level of a mastermind.

But it was unknown whether Hong Geol-gae would be able to do it.

Hyun-gong continued the story.

“The only way for the Open Government to stop the tyranny of the Yongdubangju is through the meeting results of the Open Government’s senior officials.”

Hyun-gong raised both his hands and spread out the index fingers of his left and right hands. Then, he wiggled his left fingers and spoke to Hong-geol-gae.

“First of all, you can become the Dragon Head Ark and rule the open world as the Heavenly Spirit Dog Hong-Gyeon.”

Then Hyun-gong snapped his right fingers.

“Next, you can become the leader of the Dragon Head Ark and suppress all opposition to the Ark by becoming your own master. This is a power that an ordinary open Ark cannot obtain. You can become the Dragon Head Ark with the most powerful authority in the history of martial arts.”

That was no exaggeration. Hyun-gong thought that Hong-geol-gae’s background score should be at least nine out of ten, or ninety-eight out of a hundred.

Of all the people Hyun-gong had rated so far, none had a better background than Hong-geol-gae. It is unclear whether the slightly dull Hong-geol-gae can skillfully handle that power.

Dang Mu-jin and Namgung Myeong also looked at Hong Geol-gae with some admiration.

It was no laughing matter that it failed to become an open ark.

“Hong Geol-gae. You should know what a great opportunity you have. In the entire martial arts world, there are few people with more power than you.”

Hyun-gong praised Hong-geol-gae to an unusual degree.

Hong Geol-gae smiled happily, feeling good for no reason.

“Okay, I understand.”

Then why did Hyun-gong give Hong-geol-gae a score of ninety-eight out of a hundred instead of full marks?

The reason was simple.

Finally, Hyun-gong said to Hong-geol-gae.

“Hong Geol-gae. Lead the way to openness well. The Mudangpa and Jeongcheonmaeng will also become strong allies of openness.”

“Okay, don’t worry.”

This is because Hyun-gong intended to exert influence on the opening of the country through Hong-geol-gae.

Full marks are given only to those who have reached the highest position in the world.

The behind-the-scenes ruler, Hyeon-gong, smiled with satisfaction.

*

As the wedding approached, more and more people began to gather at Namgung Se-ga. Namgung Myeong was busy greeting the people who gathered, and Hyeon-gong was busy trying to coax the people who gathered with his three-inch tongue.

And today, a big shot has arrived at Namgung Segae. It is Wanli Seung, who succeeded Shin Seung as the abbot of Shaolin Temple.

As soon as Manryeokseung finished exchanging brief greetings with Namgungmyeong, Hyeon-gong naturally appeared and approached Manryeokseung.

“Master, may I talk to you for a moment?”

“Ah! Aren’t you the new leader of the non-partisan faction? What’s going on?”

“It’s important, so I think we should talk inside for a moment.”

When Wanli Sheng nodded, Xuan Gong guided Wanli Sheng to the annex.

People looked curious, perhaps because it was strange to see two big figures of the political faction moving together. Of course, no one bravely followed them.

After arriving at the annex and exchanging greetings for a moment, Hyun-gong began his serious conversation.

“The reason I asked for your time now is because of matters related to the future course of the Murim Alliance.”

Just as the Wudangpa led the Jeongcheon Alliance, the Shaolin Temple led a small group called the Wurim Alliance after it opened up.

Actually, it was a bit strange to say that it was a small group, because among these types of groups, the size of the Murim Alliance was the largest.

Manryeokseung seemed to have guessed Hyeon-gong’s intentions and spoke leisurely.

“Ah, I heard. The Mudangpa has been expanding the scale of the Jeongcheon Alliance recently.”

Strictly speaking, the Jeongcheon Alliance and the Murim Alliance could be said to have a kind of competitive relationship.

They don’t fight or argue with each other because they have pride in being from the same political party, but there is always a hidden competitive spirit among martial artists.

“That’s right. The rise of the Demonic Cult is approaching, so we must join forces to prepare for the Great Battle of Jeongma. There are many alliances in various places, but the largest ones at present are the Murim Alliance and the Jeongcheon Alliance.”

“Hmm.”

Manryukseung thought that a slightly annoying story was about to begin.

The relationship between groups, and furthermore the unity of groups, is not as easy as it may seem.

This was especially true for the Murim Alliance and the Jeongcheon Alliance, which were groups based on friendship and had no vested interests involved.

At first glance, it seems like the groups could be merged without any problems since there were no vested interests involved.

But that is a mistake. If we think about the story that there were no vested interests at stake in a different way, we can understand its meaning.

If there are no vested interests, the only remaining issue is pride.

Even if one side gives up vested interests, it is difficult to bend the pride of a martial artist, so why would there be a reason to bend pride in a situation where there are no vested interests to promise?

That’s why Manryukseung answered a little indifferently.

“This story will probably be long, so I think it would be better to meet up and talk about it separately later.”

“It won’t take long. I’ll give you a choice, and you just have to decide immediately.”

“Choice?”

“yes.”

Hyun-gong spoke to Wan-ryeok-seung in a calm voice.

“How about the Moorim Alliance absorbing the Jeongcheon Alliance?”

Manryeok Seung almost snapped at Hyungong, asking what kind of nonsense that was. This was because he understood it to mean that the Mudangpa Jeongcheonmaeng was talking about absorbing the Murimmaeng.

But then again, Hyun-gong’s story was the opposite.

The ones being absorbed are Shaolin Temple and the Open Martial Arts Alliance. The ones being absorbed are the Jeongcheon Alliance, which is centered around the Taoist sects including the Wudang sect.

As soon as the story began, Hyun-gong fell down flat on his face, which made Wan-lik-seung feel embarrassed.

“···Did I hear that wrong?”

“No. I want the Murim Alliance to absorb the Jeongcheon Alliance.”

“Why would you make such a suggestion?”

“I told you, the martial arts world must join forces before the Demonic Cult takes over.”

“What else do you wish for?”

“doesn’t exist.”

Wanli Seung thought deeply.

Since there are no vested interests, there is nothing to be said about gains and losses.

In that situation, I took care of my pride, so I had nothing to lose.

Since the situation is so clear, there will be no problem in persuading Gae-bong to lead the Murim Alliance together.

At that time, Hyun-gong added the story.

“No, after thinking about it carefully, I think we need at least one promise.”

“What is it?”

Wanli Seung smiled inwardly. As expected, it seems he had some kind of hidden agenda.

However, Hyun-gong’s story was different from what Wan-li-seung had expected.

“Even after the Murim Alliance absorbs the Jeongcheon Alliance, please do not stand still, but actively move forward and help unite the forces of other factions.”

“···and?”

“That’s all.”

Hyun-gong and Wan-ryeok-seung’s gazes crossed.

More than ten breaths passed without any conversation. It wasn’t a long time, but it was enough time to look at each other and guess what was on their minds.

Hyun-gong did not avoid Wan-li-seung’s eyes, nor did he feel ashamed.

That is why Wanli Sheng realized that Hyungong’s story was the unshakable truth.

“Huh!”

In the end, Wan Licheng let out an exclamation of admiration without realizing it.

“I was a little worried when I heard that you were given the important role of the leader of the Mudang faction at such a young age, but I guess I needn’t have been. You are no ordinary person. Is this really the true Duke of Jeong-eon?”

“It’s an embarrassing nickname.”

“No, on the contrary, I should be ashamed. This is a problem that should be embarrassing not only for me, but for everyone in the Shaolin Temple and the Wudangpa. If only one person had made a bold decision, this could have been easily solved, but we have been unable to put aside our differences until now, trying to save our pride a little.”

It wasn’t an empty boast that he was embarrassed, as Wan Licheng’s face turned slightly red.

Even his shaved head seemed to have turned a little red.

Manryeokseung stood up from his seat and smiled deeply.

“I will accept your proposal. The Murim Alliance and the Jeongcheon Alliance will become one. I will persuade the open side, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“Since Jeongcheonmaeng has made a big concession, it would be right for us to make one concession as well. Would you like to temporarily assume the position of leader until we elect a new leader?”

Manryeokseung responded with a big concession after a big concession. But Hyeon-gong shook his head.

“My bowl is not that big.”

The answer was so touching that a faint moisture could be heard in Wanli Sheng’s voice.

“How can you be talking about a vessel? If there had been even one person with as much vessel as you, the Jeongpa martial arts world would not have continued with such empty pride battles… It’s embarrassing. It’s embarrassing…”

Hyun-gong did not answer separately, but simply waited in a humble attitude.

Manryeokseung stared at Hyeon-gong for a moment, then left the annex with slightly lighter steps. Now it seemed as if Hyeon-gong was the only one left in the reception hall.

But there was one more person in the annex.

Dang Mu-jin, who had been hiding in a corner of the annex, appeared and approached Hyeon-gong.

Just like Wanli Seung, Dang Mujin also looked quite impressed.

“I knew you didn’t start out joking, but I didn’t know you would make such a bold suggestion.”

“The important thing is to unite the Jeongpa martial arts world. We can give up the name of Jeongcheonmaeng.”

The reason Dang Mu-jin hid quietly and eavesdropped on the conversation between the two was because he was curious about what kind of worldly wisdom Hyeon-gong would show.

However, the behavior that Hyun-gong showed now was far from worldly wisdom.

Dang Mu-jin said to Hyeon-gong.

“But, this is a situation where you’re handing over all initiative to the Murim Alliance. I naturally thought you’d try to take the initiative.”

“There’s nothing we can do right now.”

“···now?”

One corner of Hyun-gong’s mouth slightly rose.

It was not the expression of the young hero he had seen until now, but the expression of Hyeon-gong that Dang Mu-jin remembered.

“Dang Mu-jin. If you have confidence, there is no need to be impatient in front of profits.”

“···what do you mean?”

When Dang Mu-jin showed a bewildered reaction, Hyun-gong sat down and explained.

“The difficult part is the process of merging the Jeongcheon Alliance and the Murim Alliance. Once they are merged, who will take the initiative is purely a matter of political ability and worldly wisdom.”

“···?”

“It may seem like the Shaolin Temple has taken the initiative now. The Wanli Sheng and the Shaolin monks will be very excited and will be traveling around the Central Plains to expand the power of the Martial Arts Alliance. What do you think I’ll do in the meantime?”

“no way.”

“While Manryuk Seung is running around sweating, I will take control of the Murim Alliance from within.”

Hyun-gong’s confidence had ample basis.

Didn’t Hyun-gong’s worldly wisdom reach the realm of enlightenment?

“···You declined the position of leader of the martial arts world, didn’t you?”

“I’m going to get elected anyway, so there’s no need to rush.”

If things go according to Hyun-gong’s plan, the Murim Alliance will lose everything except the signboard.

What’s even more frightening is that Wanli Seung may never realize that he was a victim.

And in Dang Mu-jin’s experience, there was a high probability that everything would go as Hyun-gong had said.

Hyun-gong spoke for the last time.

“I thought I had to absorb them after winning first, so the situation was sluggish. There is a good way to do it by first merging and then destroying them from the inside…”

Hyun-gong laughed viciously.