TKTCJ 06

Chapter 6

Northern Route Commandant (2)

At sunset, a long crimson glow stretched across the grasslands.

Jung-gyeom loosened the reins as he spotted a group of mounted warriors coming over the hill.

He already knew who the commander leading them was, so there was no need for much caution.

Before long, the two groups stopped at a fixed distance from each other.

Jung-gyeom urged his horse forward, unable to hide his delight.

“Brother Dap. How long has it been? Have you been well?”

Dapdon laughed heartily.

“Of course I have. You look quite well yourself. You’ve certainly changed since we last met.”

Before he had even finished speaking, a leather wineskin came flying through the air.

Inside was cloudy grain liquor.

Its sour smell stung the nose.

Gulp. Gulp.

Without a word, the liquor began passing from hand to hand.

When the wineskin was empty, Dapdon glanced at Jung-gyeom’s left and right before asking,

“Where did you leave your shadows? You came alone.”

“Guk-yang, Jeon Ye, I sent him back home for a while.”

Dapdon immediately nodded.

“He was always talking about his mother. So he finally went back.”

A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“After rising from a rebel to a general, I suppose he returned home in glory?”

Jung-gyeom chuckled.

“Where would Guk-yang be going? He’ll be back within a month and a half at most.”

Dapdon gave a quiet snort.

His expression seemed to say, Of course.

But then his face flushed, and he suddenly shouted like a thunderclap.

“You bastard! I nearly died because of you. When Gongsun Zan was coming, you should at least have given me some warning!”

Gritting his teeth, Dapdon continued.

“You slipped away by yourself and sent that useless Wang fellow to me? And you still call yourself this Dapdon’s brother?”

Under Dapdon’s furious glare, Jung-gyeom scratched his head.

“Now, now, why are you acting like this? Didn’t I repeatedly warn you at the time? I told you Gongsun Zan’s attack was close, so you should restrain your drinking and prepare your troops and equipment in advance. And besides… I had no choice either. Do you have any idea how fast and terrifying the White Horse Riders are? How was I supposed to know when they would advance? Just sending Wang to warn you put me in considerable danger.”

At times like this, one had to have thick skin.

Dapdon looked utterly dumbfounded by Jung-gyeom’s shameless excuses.

But soon, he gave a short laugh and shot him a look that clearly said he would remember this.

“You certainly know how to talk.”

Then he added briefly,

“Just wait. I’ll repay this debt of mine, no matter what.”

Jung-gyeom smiled back and waved the empty wineskin in front of him.

“Of course you should. The price of a life is worth more than this cheap grain liquor, after all.”

Dapdon could only shake his head.

It was as if he were admitting that he was no match for Jung-gyeom in an argument.

“I met Gongsun Gi at Shimen a few days ago. He was building quite a formidable earthen fortification. That was your doing too, wasn’t it?”

“Well, let’s say it was.”

Jung-gyeom calmly nodded in agreement.

Dapdon shot him a sidelong glare.

“I knew it. But get rid of the thought that the Wuhuan won’t be able to cross the Great Wall. There’s more than one road through.”

Of course Jung-gyeom knew that.

The purpose of the earthen fortification had never been to stop a Wuhuan invasion in the first place.

It had merely been intended to cut off any possible pursuit by Gongsun Zan.

Now that Jung-gyeom had become Northern Route Commandant, he was free from that particular threat.

But he had no intention of stopping construction of the fortification.

Once it was completed, he intended to turn the place into a trading hub with the Wuhuan.

In truth, trade with the Wuhuan was an issue Jung-gyeom had been pondering ever since taking office at Yeongji County.

He had to find some way to stop the raids.

But going to war would put his relationship with Dapdon at odds,

while simply allowing the raids to continue would mean abandoning his duty.

In the end, he had chosen another path.

After consulting with Jeon Ju, whom he had recently recruited, he had decided to reveal not all of his forces, but at least some of the troops hidden at Shimen County, along with the earthen fortification.

Jeon Ju’s courtesy name was Jaetae.

He was the recluse Jung-gyeom had visited earlier with Jeon Ye.

After persistently persuading him despite his refusal to enter public life, Jung-gyeom had finally brought him into his service.

Privately, he had even congratulated himself.

‘At last, I’ve gotten my hands on a truly useful talent.’

The fortification was bound to be exposed anyway, since Gongsun Gi had built it on a larger scale than Jung-gyeom had initially expected.

Putting that aside, Jung-gyeom shook his head at Dapdon’s teasing.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Everyone under Heaven knows that the Wuhuan’s strength lies in cavalry. Why would cavalrymen even try to cross those narrow mountains? What are you going on about the earthen fortification for?”

At Jung-gyeom’s rebuke, Dapdon immediately made a smacking sound with his lips and began rambling.

“Well, I was just saying. An earthen fortification suddenly appeared at Shimen, and I wondered why that Gongsun fellow would do something so strange… Ah, I was simply curious.”

At Dapdon’s feeble excuse, Jung-gyeom became serious.

“Enough of that. Let’s get to the point. You already know this, Brother Dap, but I have taken up residence at Yeongji County under the Inspector’s orders. So I intend to establish proper trade with the Wuhuan. I need your help.”

“Trade? You want to trade with us?”

“That’s right. The Wuhuan cannot continue relying on raiding forever, can they? In the end, who suffers from hunger? The powerless elderly, the women, and the children who know nothing of the world. I will open the way for merchants from Youzhou to come. Let’s trade.”

“Hmm. Trade, trade…”

Dapdon stroked his beard, repeating the word.

Then he let out a quiet sigh.

“Trade is fine. It’s not as though we made raiding our livelihood from the beginning. Even a dozen or so years ago, there was some small-scale trade across the grasslands. But…”

Dapdon’s voice gradually sank.

“The scales were crooked. You know which way they tilted, even if I don’t say it, right?”

Jung-gyeom nodded.

“Once we were cheated, the next part was simple. We took as much as we had been cheated out of.”

Dapdon raised his eyes and looked directly at Jung-gyeom.

“That was how trade was cut off. But now, if we say we’re going to resume trade, who would be willing to raise their hand and trust us?”

When Dapdon finished speaking, Jung-gyeom slowly opened his mouth.

“Brother Dap, I don’t know who will raise their hand. But don’t worry about the scales.”

Dapdon narrowed his eyes.

“The Shimen fortification you saw.”

Jung-gyeom’s voice grew a little firmer.

“It is now in this younger brother’s hands.”

Dapdon’s gaze wavered slightly.

“Let us begin there.”

Strength entered Jung-gyeom’s voice.

“I, of course, and Brother Gongsun as well, will respect the Wuhuan and strictly supervise the market.”

His voice was firm.

“I swear to you, Brother.”

Even the air seemed to grow heavier.

“As long as I am here, there will be no cheating, and you will have nothing taken from you.”

Dapdon slowly stroked his beard.

Jung-gyeom drove the final nail home.

“Let’s be more honest with each other. Whatever else you may need, you need salt, don’t you?”

Salt?

Dapdon’s pupils trembled violently.

“Just open the trade route. I will make certain that you never suffer a shortage of salt.”

After parting with Dapdon and returning to the fortress, Jung-gyeom immediately went to find Jeon Ju.

Having been worked without a moment of rest since arriving at Yeongji County, Jeon Ju had dark circles beneath his eyes.

Jung-gyeom felt somewhat guilty,

but this man had a temperament where, the moment he opened his mouth, he started picking holes in everything.

For the time being, Jung-gyeom decided to leave him as he was.

“Once the Shimen fortification is complete, we will open the trade route. Tell Deputy Commander Gongsun and find out when it will be finished.”

Jeon Ju, who had been buried in paperwork, raised his head.

His gaze toward Jung-gyeom was subtly sullen.

“A messenger has already arrived. I looked into it first, and it seems it will take roughly three months to complete. So we can open the trade route then. As for the preparations…”

Jeon Ju narrowed his brows and continued,

“Ahem. I will take care of them.”

Ahem.

Jung-gyeom couldn’t help clearing his throat.

“Let’s do that. I am, after all, a general, so I’m not particularly accustomed to paperwork. And one more thing.”

His gaze lowered.

“We need to send someone onto the grasslands. It is only a suspicion for now, but… just in case.”

Jung-gyeom paused briefly before adding,

“There was something in the chieftain’s words that caught my attention. We need to confirm it.”

Jeon Ju’s expression became even more displeased, his eyes narrowing into a thin slit.

“Tell me the circumstances. I will act accordingly.”

He was right.

Jung-gyeom lowered his head.

“Do you know who Quluju’s eldest son is?”

“Nurpan, is it not?”

Jeon Ju began to speak, then suddenly stopped.

“No way…”

His eyes widened.

“Did Nurpan die inside the Great Wall?”

Jeon Ju’s expression hardened completely.

It seemed the word ‘war’ had flashed through his mind.

Seeing Jeon Ju’s stiffening face, Jung-gyeom almost laughed inwardly.

His thoughts were written all over his face.

“Fortunately, it isn’t that.”

For a moment, Jung-gyeom considered teasing him, but then shook his head.

If he made light of something like this, Jeon Ju would undoubtedly leap out of his skin.

“It seems Nurpan crossed into Xiongnu territory in the heat of youthful blood and has returned. I haven’t heard the details, but judging by the worry written all over the chieftain’s face, he must have caused quite a serious incident.”

There was genuine concern in Jung-gyeom’s voice.

“That is why I want to investigate the matter.”

A small measure of relief passed across Jeon Ju’s face.

As long as it was not a war, it was manageable.

But only for a moment.

Irritation soon spread across his eyes again.

They had just decided to open the trade route.

This was not a simple commercial transaction.

The peace of Youzhou itself was at stake.

And if one incident caused everything to fall apart—

“This is poor timing.”

Jeon Ju’s gaze sharpened.

“This… is not something we can simply overlook. Leave it to me. I will investigate immediately.”

Jung-gyeom spoke in a heavy tone.

“Good. I will trust my Chief Clerk Jeon.”

Meanwhile.

Jeon Ye was riding back toward Jung-gyeom.

He had tried to somehow bring his mother with him, but in the end, he had failed.

Partly because he had not yet established himself properly, but more than anything, because his mother had no desire to leave her hometown.

Believing that the time was not yet right, he had no choice but to promise that he would return for her someday.

During the several days he stayed there, the village had been in an uproar.

It had only been a few years since Jeon Ye had left his hometown.

Now he had returned leading dozens of mounted warriors, making him a subject of fascination all by himself.

The small village quickly became lively, and a feast was held.

Liquor flowed, and laughter continued.

After several days passed like that, Jeon Ye suddenly remembered Jung-gyeom’s words.

“You are now a general who draws a salary from the state. I urge you not to stay away for too long and return.”

They were true words.

Moreover, his mother herself had sternly urged him to leave.

“As a man entrusted with the affairs of the state, how can you remain away from your post for so long? Go back and attend to your duties.”

In the end, Jeon Ye had no choice but to force himself to take steps away from home.

A man was riding closely beside Jeon Ye.

His name was Wang Mun.

He was a man renowned throughout the region as a merchant, and when Jeon Ye met him, he found that the rumors had not been exaggerated and brought him into his service.

He was cautious in both speech and conduct and possessed a strong sense of loyalty, making him a man Jeon Ye rather liked.

With Wang Mun at his side and dozens of guards accompanying him, Jeon Ye rode onward.

They passed Ji and entered the mountain road to the west.

That was when—

The sound of spears and blades clashing came from somewhere, followed by faint screams carried on the wind.

Jeon Ye pulled his reins to a stop.

Wang Mun rode over and spoke cautiously.

“My lord, it seems there is a major battle taking place in the mountains. What shall we do?”