Chapter 48
National Humiliatiom
“How dare they bring such shame upon me, Cheon Taesu!”
Cheon Taesu’s face, seated on his horse, was fierce. The commanders and soldiers following him fell silent, nervously watching his eyes.
At the moment, Grand General Cheon Taesu was escorting the supply train while taking a route that skirted the forest.
“Your Majesty! How could you give such a cruel order to me?”
“Do you mean to disobey the imperial command?”
“My words do not mean that…!”
“Then do you think transporting supplies crucial to the lives of Hwangseon’s army is a trivial matter?”
“Grand General Cheon Taesu… I will carry out His Majesty’s orders without fail.”
In front of everyone, Taesu had no choice but to obey I-gyeom’s command.
If he continued to be obstinate, it would look like outright disobedience of the imperial order; in a lesser sense, it would be taken as admitting that transporting the supplies was beneath the dignity of a grand general.
So, swallowing his pride, Taesu took his soldiers and assumed responsibility for escorting the supplies.
‘For someone acclaimed as the second most powerful man in Hwangseon to stand guarding a supply route in the rear rather than leading at the front — there’s no greater humiliation than this.’
No one said it outright, but that’s what they were thinking.
They believed the grand general had fallen out of favor with the emperor and been demoted.
‘I think this is meant to prevent me from gaining further merit.’
I-gyeom’s move was likely less about hatred for Taesu than about checking his power. Taesu’s influence already stretched across Hwangseon; if it grew further he could become a threat to the throne. But the method was unbearably humiliating.
‘He insulted the Empress with that low woman, and now he publicly shames me…’
Even if the man was his son–in–law, I-gyeom’s conduct had crossed the line. Taesu had endured quietly when Dansol was brought onto the battlefield and lounged about; he had kept silent. But now he had reached his limit.
“Once we get past this pass, we’ll reach the plains,” a soldier reported. Taesu raised his hand and ordered the march halted.
“We’ll camp somewhere near here and rest for a day.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Tomorrow we’ll assemble the cavalry and attack the enemy.”
Everyone was taken aback by Taesu’s orders.
“B-but Your Majesty—”
“You told me to transport supplies, not to refrain from attacking the enemy.”
Everyone fell silent at Taesu’s reply. His logic was sound, yet it felt flawed in tone.
If the supplies were seized by the enemy, the rest of Hwangseon’s forces could be imperiled. Those escorting the convoy were supposed to focus on defense, not be in a position to launch offensives.
“Is there anyone who opposes me, Cheon Taesu, who says he’ll slaughter Yuldo and ease the burden on His Majesty?” Taesu’s tone and look were almost threatening; no one dared object.
“Your Majesty, the scouts have returned.”
“Let them rest for a moment.”
At the adjutant’s report, I-gyeom commanded a pause and moved to a place out of sight of the others. There stood the scout the adjutant had mentioned.
“Report.”
The scout removed the hood on his head at the emperor’s order. He was Jeonghyul, a chief officer who led I-gyeom’s elite troops — acting secretly as the emperor’s eyes and ears. It had been his work to arrive first, assess the damage and its extent, and investigate the corruption committed by those responsible.
“Grand General Cheon Taesu has set camp just before the plain and is forming his ranks.”
“Any other developments?”
“I’ve selected the best warhorses from the mounts, fed them thoroughly, and ordered the soldiers to prepare their weapons.”
Jeonghyul’s report made the emperor’s lips curl slightly.
“He must be planning to strike Yuldo.”
The preparation seemed too elaborate to be merely for defending supplies.
“It seems Your Majesty’s assumption was right.”
“As expected. You don’t disappoint.”
I-gyeom appeared pleased at the news that Grand General Cheon Taesu was acting against orders and making a bold move. If anything, he welcomed Taesu’s rashness.
“Your Majesty, I will go and try to stop the grand general,” Jeonghyul begged.
If Taesu attacked and the supplies were seized in the process, that would be disastrous. Jeonghyul pleaded to lead his elite troops to prevent such a calamity.
“Leave him be,” the emperor said, stopping Jeonghyul.
“Let him run wild for a bit.” I-gyeom was willing to let Taesu head toward ruin — he intended to set the stage.
Once Cheon Taesu’s cavalry formed up, the convoy of supplies began moving again. The slow procession crossed the open plains. Taesu watched the retreating column but neither escorted the convoy nor chased after it.
“We’ll hide and, when the enemy attacks the convoy, we’ll ambush them.”
“Yes, Grand General!”
Taesu’s plan was simple.
Send the supply unit ahead to lure out the enemy. Yuldo would be furious after losing a vanguard and suffering a crushing defeat at Hwangseon — they would want revenge. Seeing a Hwangseon supply convoy in front of them, they would try to sever the supply line. Then Taesu, lying in ambush with his cavalry, would strike and annihilate Yuldo.
‘I’m not less capable than that brat at all.’
Taesu recalled how I-gyeom had previously launched a sudden assault and trampled Yuldo. He was confident that the thing the young man had managed, he could do even better.
“Grand General! The supply convoy is being attacked by Yuldo!” The report made Taesu smile triumphantly.
“All troops, advance!”
Now his time had come.
“Ah! An ambush! There are hidden forces!”
“Everyone retreat! Fall back!”
“Ha! So much for those rumors of bravery!”
Taesu cut down the panicked Yuldo soldiers fleeing in all directions.
What a thrill — this intoxicating rush! No, such a lively battlefield suited him far more than guarding supplies in the rear. Yet they dared tell him to watch grain stores.
“I won’t stand for this!”
Taesu’s fury at Emperor I-gyeom was unleashed upon the Yuldo soldiers. He swung his blade crazily and massacred them. Covered in enemy blood, baring his white teeth, he looked terrifying. The Yuldo men, unnerved by his madness, fled rather than fight.
“In this battle I will claim the greatest merit!” Taesu declared.
As he cut down a fleeing soldier, a foreboding drumbeat rang out. Then:
“It’s a trap! The earlier attack was a trap!”
“Do not pursue the fleeing enemy!”
“Enemies have appeared in the rear!”
“Ambush! Defend to the east!”
“Grand General! We are surrounded on all sides!”
Urgent reports poured in. Looking about, Taesu saw that the Yuldo troops who had been fleeing were gone, and enemies now surrounded them everywhere.
The assault on the supply unit had been a Yuldo trap intended to draw out Hwangseon’s forces — and Taesu had fallen neatly into it.
“Break through the encirclement by any means and join the supply convoy!” It was imperative; otherwise they would lose the supplies and the bulk of their forces. Their best chance was to link up and flee into the dense, hard-to-pursue forest. But it proved far harder than expected.
“Arrows! Take cover!”
When arrows rained down like rain, it became utter chaos. Soldiers threw away weapons and fled; Yuldo cut down the Hwangseon men who tried to escape with little trouble. Taesu’s command had already unspooled; the army had slipped from the leaders’ control.
“Grand General! Evacuate! If you stay, we will be annihilated!” The captain’s desperate cry was followed by the clear blast of a trumpet, and the momentum of the Yuldo forces faltered.
“It’s His Majesty’s banner! The Emperor himself has come to rescue us!”
A red banner bearing a golden dragon appeared far off. I-gyeom had arrived with his elite troops. At the sight of the emperor’s standard, the officers and soldiers cheered. The mere appearance of I-gyeom restored order; men who had fled returned for their weapons. Nobody rushed to check on Taesu.
It was a crushing defeat. Taesu could only stand by and watch as I-gyeom and his elite forces crushed Yuldo.
“Is the Emperor truly the Emperor…?” A long-said saying claimed Hwangseon’s ruler was chosen by heaven. Taesu had never believed it — he thought it mere pomp to exalt the royal authority. But now he realized it was not empty boast.
“Grand General!” a sharp voice called as a spear hurled by a Yuldo commander flew toward him. Taesu reared his horse in alarm, but the spear pierced the horse’s throat; Taesu toppled to the ground with the horse.
“I will at least kill you today, to wash away the shame we’ve suffered…!” The Yuldo commander who had thrown the spear drew his sword to strike Taesu, but a streak of steel severed his head from his body.
“Your Majesty…!” The one who saved Taesu by killing that Yuldo commander was none other than Emperor I-gyeom.
“I am grateful that Your Majesty came personally to save me…” Taesu breathed in relief and began to express his thanks. At that moment, however, the cold blade that had just beheaded the commander now hovered at Taesu’s throat. The man’s face, smeared with enemy blood, was as cold as the sword he pointed.
Taesu’s face drained of color.
“Seize the offender who, by acting on his own, endangered Hwangseon,” I-gyeom ordered the nearby soldiers.
Not only had Taesu almost been killed by the enemy general, but now, in front of everyone, he was bound in chains. There was no greater disgrace for a family than this.
