Chapter 28
Ruthless Discipline
Ihwan crossed the ditch and stepped up into the Peng Clan’s camp.
Song Cheonmu followed close behind.
Just then, Youngho Chung and Peng Muwi—who had just returned to the camp and were stepping out to assess the situation—spotted Ihwan and approached.
Youngho Chung bowed his head.
“I heard some of your men were badly injured under my command. I apologize on their behalf.”
“Did you just say apologize?”
“……”
“You should be begging for forgiveness.”
“I heard it was only a minor scuffle, Great Prince.”
“Harming the men of the Great Prince is a ‘minor’ thing…?”
Ihwan drew Song Cheonmu’s sword and hurled it straight at Youngho Chung.
“……!”
Youngho Chung only barely tilted his head aside to dodge. The blade sailed past him and impaled the shoulder of a warrior standing behind.
Thud!
“Urgh!”
It was one of the Youngho Clan’s men.
“Great Prince! What are you doing!”
Youngho Chung shouted angrily, eyes wide. Ihwan ignored him and strode toward the moaning warrior, yanking the sword free.
“Was it you?”
“N-no, it wasn’t!”
“Ah, my mistake then. So who was it?”
Ihwan slowly swept his gaze across the gathered Youngho warriors. But not one dared step forward.
Flash!
A streak of light—and another warrior collapsed, spurting blood.
“Gahh!”
“Great Prince! Please restrain yourself!”
Peng Muwi stepped forward, but Ihwan shoved him back with a single palm strike to the chest.
Peng staggered back. This time Youngho Chung moved.
“Stand down.”
“Enough, Great Prince.”
His tone was polite, but his eyes were not. Ihwan and Youngho Chung’s gazes clashed sharply in the air.
Inwardly, Ihwan sneered coldly.
I’d bet my life that you’ll back down.
Sure enough, Youngho Chung eventually retreated two steps. No matter whose command he served under, he couldn’t openly oppose a royal prince.
Grinding his teeth, his insides boiling, Youngho Chung turned to his warriors.
“Who caused this commotion! Step forward, now!”
At that, two warriors finally came out.
Ihwan strode past Youngho Chung and stood before them.
“You will explain everything that happened. But if I find so much as a fingernail’s worth of a lie, your heads will be hanging at the execution platform.”
“……!”
The two men turned to Youngho Chung in shock.
But he did nothing—only sent them a voice transmission.
[Kneel and beg for forgiveness.]
The two warriors fell to their knees.
“Forgive us! We let our tempers flare and in our folly injured the Great Prince’s men!”
“Please forgive us!”
Thud, thud!
They slammed their foreheads against the ground until their skin split and bled.
Ihwan glanced back at Song Cheonmu.
Song approached.
“Cut off their arms.”
In most cases, that command would spark hesitation. But Song Cheonmu, as if waiting for it, struck without pause.
Slash!
“Aaagh!”
“Uwaah!”
The two warriors writhed in agony as their arms were severed.
But neither Youngho Chung nor Peng Muwi moved to intervene. They could only watch. If the injured men had belonged to any other prince, they themselves might have been punished as well.
Ihwan turned back to Youngho Chung.
“For disgracing the Great Prince, death would be the rightful penalty. But since you are newly conscripted, I will let it end here. If such an incident occurs again, punishment will not stop at the culprits alone.”
“……!”
Without another word, Ihwan turned and headed back to the camp.
Behind him, Song Cheonmu wore a faint smile.
“They weren’t much of a challenge?”
“They caught me off guard.”
“Speak honestly.”
“It’s the truth. I didn’t expect them to counter with real killing intent… I apologize.”
“If they had been true enemies, you’d already be dead. And still you say you were just off guard?”
“……”
Song bowed his head, but the smile never left his lips.
How satisfying this is!
* * *
Crash!
A desk in the camp splintered beneath Youngho Chung’s fist. His eyes blazed with fury, seeping with murderous intent.
This debt—I will repay it without fail.
He had always dismissed Ihwan as laughable.
But wielding his status as a prince, Ihwan had acted with utter ruthlessness, and even he had been powerless to resist. Whatever his abilities, a prince was still a prince, beyond challenge.
“Did you say the Great Prince intends to go into battle?”
“Yes. Since recovering from his injuries, he’s been even more proactive.”
“I see…”
Poison gleamed in Youngho Chung’s eyes.
At that moment, Peng Muwi entered. He looked down at Youngho with an oddly amused expression, as if mocking him.
Taking a seat opposite, Peng spoke with feigned gravity.
“Those two warriors will need to be sent back to recover, won’t they?”
Youngho said nothing, only downed a glass of cold water.
Clack!
“Was the Great Prince always like this?”
“Of course not. But many say that after he was gravely injured and unconscious, he changed. That was around the time I was transferred here, I believe. Either way—if you treat him lightly based on rumors, you’ll end up in trouble again, just like today.”
Youngho fixed his eyes on Peng.
“Earlier, when the Great Prince pushed you back, what happened?”
“I was just stepping forward and lost my balance. You don’t seriously think I was overpowered, do you?”
“I think you let yourself be pushed. That way, you could stand aside while he raged unchecked.”
Twitch!
“What did you say?”
Peng surged to his feet—
Clang, clang, clang!
Suddenly alarm bells rang out across the camp. It was the signal of an enemy attack.
A Peng Clan warrior burst inside, shouting,
“General! The Zhao army is advancing on us!”
* * *
Just as Ihwan entered his tent, he heard the bells. He stopped, turned back. Warriors all across the camp were pouring out. Among them was Song Hoe.
Ihwan called to him calmly.
“Has Muok not yet returned?”
“No, Great Prince!”
“Gather the Dragon-Tiger troops and move them to the southern side of the camp. Station a few men to guard Junggyeong.”
“Yes, Great Prince!”
Song Hoe dashed off like the wind toward the Dragon-Tiger unit.
Ihwan headed toward Hwangho’s camp, Song Cheonmu at his side.
Meanwhile, from Peng’s camp, warriors too were racing south.
* * *
“They say the enemy numbers nearly twenty thousand!”
“They lost heavily last time—they’ve come determined. Let’s get to our posts.”
“Yes, General.”
Hwangho and Jeongcheon stepped out of their tent, just as Ihwan entered.
“Welcome, Great Prince.”
“Have the enemy numbers been confirmed?”
Jeongcheon answered.
“Roughly twenty thousand.”
A massive force—the full contingent stationed at Zhao’s forward base.
“There’s also a chance their main forces will march up as well.”
“Of course. We’ve already sent scouts toward their base.”
“Then let’s go.”
Ihwan took the lead.
Hwangho and Jeongcheon exchanged glances, then followed.
“Great Prince, you should stay in the rear.”
“Still worrying over me?”
“The Crown Prince himself ordered us to ensure your safety.”
“If the defenses fall, do you think the rear will be safe? The best way to protect me is to hold the line. Focus there, not on me.”
“……”
Normally Hwangho would have pressed again, but he couldn’t. He was overwhelmed by Ihwan’s presence.
Uwooooh!
Clang!
“Gahhh!”
“Urrghhh!”
The clash had already begun at the outer defenses. Battle cries and dying screams echoed faintly through the forest.
Ihwan thought of Iso, the Crown Prince.
Since I’ve chosen to support him, I have no choice but to give my all.
But he couldn’t be certain of the outcome. The strength and number of Zhao’s martial experts were unknown. Most concerning of all were the demonic energy wielders confirmed through the slain scouts.
In the end, victory or defeat will depend on the warriors’ true skill.
That was his greatest worry.
“General.”
“Yes, Great Prince?”
“Leave Zhao’s martial experts to the Peng Clan and Youngho Clan. Send every one of their fighters out. Not a single one is to be held back.”
“Understood.”
“General Jeong, do not cross the defensive line. Stand by inside. If any section begins to collapse, reinforce immediately. But I repeat—do not cross the line.”
“…Yes, Great Prince.”
Ihwan was leading the strategy. Oddly, neither Hwangho nor Jeongcheon realized they were simply following his orders as if it were natural.
Ihwan halted and fixed Hwangho with a stare.
“Are you confident?”
“I’ll hold, even at the cost of my life.”
“Then I’ll see you after.”
With that, Ihwan moved off with Song Cheonmu to join the Dragon-Tiger troops.
Watching his retreating back, Hwangho and Jeongcheon both showed belated surprise.
Without realizing it, I obeyed his command—as if it were only natural.
Jeongcheon asked gravely,
“Will this be alright?”
“What choice do we have? He’s not one to be dissuaded.”
This sudden change in Ihwan—
It was already seared deeply into Hwangho’s mind, enough to eclipse even the Crown Prince’s orders.
* * *
Crash!
Clang!
“Hold the line! Don’t let them through!”
“Cut them down!”
“Gahhh!”
“Uwaagh!”
At the southern gorge defenses, the battle had descended into brutal hand-to-hand combat.
It was the shortest route from the enemy camp, so the most troops had been stationed there. Zhao’s forces knew this, but chose to attack head-on regardless.
That meant only one thing: they were confident.
And standing at their head were the Blood Fiends.
Their leader and his warriors were already drenched in blood as they tore into Yan’s defenses with savage ferocity.
The Yan soldiers resisted desperately, but the sheer difference in power was too great. The line was already on the verge of collapse.
The Blood Fiend leader sneered.
“To think you gave up your stronghold to this rabble.”
“At this pace, we’ll take it back faster than expected!”
“Don’t get carried away. Your task is to face the Peng giants. When they appear, you move at once!”
“Yes, Leader!”
He hadn’t even finished speaking—
“The Peng Clan has arrived!”
* * *
Peng Muwi stepped onto the defensive line, eyes sharply scanning the battlefield. Soon he spotted the Blood Fiends watching them, and his gaze hardened.
So those are the ones who slaughtered our scouts days ago.
The aura they exuded was indeed unusual.
Peng called out to Youngho Chung.
“They’re ours to handle!”
“Understood.”
Youngho silently nodded and drew his sword.
Shiiing!
The warriors of the Youngho Clan unsheathed their blades in unison, their combined aura bursting forth like a storm.
Peng added one more word.
“We must prove that none but us could have stood against them. So give it everything.”
“Of course.”
Boom!
Youngho Chung leapt forward, his warriors rushing after. Peng Muwi and the Peng Clan’s fighters followed suit.
At the vanguard, Youngho Chung scanned the field. Then he spotted Ihwan emerging at the southern defenses.
Watch closely. You’ll see I didn’t yield out of fear of you.
