Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1282. Who came to Gangnam (2)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
"We’ve arrived."
“Yes, almost there now."
Hainan Sect's disciples gathered on the deck staring intently at the approaching shore.
Gangnam.
Their faces hardened beyond measure.
Of course, this wasn’t their first time setting foot in Gangnam. Before Gangnam Non-Aggresion Pact took effect, they used to visit the mainland from time to time.
Besides, didn’t they also pass through Gangnam on their way to Seongsan for Murim Competition?
But comparing Gangnam from that time to Gangnam from now would be like comparing night and day.
'In the end....'
Gwak Hwanso bit his lip hard.
From here, they would have to traverse some two thousand five hundred li to the Yangtze River, breaking through the hordes of Evil Sects who are gnashing their teeth to capture and kill them.
'Is this really possible?'
He felt his back dampen with cold sweat.
Thinking with the head and executing with the body are entirely different matters. He thought he was prepared, but now that he was actually facing the land of Gangnam, his whole body stiffened with tension.
Gwak Hwanso looked back. As expected, the other disciples of Hainan Sect wore equally stiffened expressions. The situation probably wasn't much different for the disciples on other ships.
'Don't try to relax.'
Gwak Hwanso clenched and unclenched his fists a few times. If he didn’t move even a bit, he felt he might suffocate in the stiff atmosphere.
'It's natural to be nervous. Forcing yourself to relax would be stranger.’
Just as Gwak Hwanso was about to let out a deep breath.
"Seems we're about there."
Im Sobyeong strolled toward the deck, lazily waving his fan in front of his face. Namgung Dowi asked casually.
"Have we arrived at the expected time?"
“Hrm.”
Im Sobyeong let out a small groan and folded his fan with a snap. A long sigh escaped him.
"We’re quite a bit later than expected."
“...Is that so?”
Im Sobyeong nodded weakly.
“If everything went according to our plan, we had to arrive at least three hours earlier. … That way we could move as planned.”
“....”
"Why did the headwind have to blow? Ha… This is driving me crazy. Man proposes, Heaven disposes ( 진인사대천명(盡人事待天命) ). Even for a strategist of my soaring talents, predicting headwinds is beyond my abilities."
“I heard that Zhuge Liang could even make the wind blow…”
Im Sobyeong's cheeks twitched at Namgung Dowi's thoughtless words.
“If I were Zhuge Liang, would I be standing around here like this?”
“N- No, I didn’t mean you lack ability. I was just…”
"And why Namgung Sogaju doing better yourself? If the previous gaju had come instead of Sogaju, those Myriad Man Manor bastards would have all burst and died from sword energy right there on the shore!"
“Ah....”
“What?”
"I didn’t realize Nokrim King held my late father in such high regard. I am deeply grateful.”
“...This rascal?”
"Yes?"
“Ahem!”
Im Sobyeong cleared his throat disapprovingly and sharply turned his head. Why was this man becoming harder to deal with by the day?
His gaze once more fixed on the land of Gangnam. His face hardened slightly.
Though it seemed like a vast expanse of land, it was really a peninsula jutting straight out into the sea. If someone was considering a landing, this was the type of terrain they should avoid the most.
First, the landing points are too obviously exposed, and to reach deep inland, one must break through a basin extending three hundred li in a straight path. It was a single route with no detours.
Any strategist would break out in cold sweats at such terrain, the kind that would haunt their nightmares.
“Are we really landing there?”
A cautious voice came from the side, and Im Sobyeong responded curtly.
"Why? Is there a problem? We swam from there before, didn't we?"
“I don’t know much, but isn’t the situation a bit different now? They didn’t know of our presence back then… and the direction of their army….”
“Hooo?”
Im Sobyeong looked at Namgung Dowi with an exaggeratedly surprised expression.
“Aaah, you know something about strategy?”
“....”
“My, how impressive. You even know strategy. Ah, come to think of it, I’ve heard about this. Apparently, Namgung Family’s education for successors includes lessons in strategy and tactics. Along with refined artistic like poetry, calligraphy, and painting, no less!"
"It's nothing so impressive, just some basic knowledge..."
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
Im Sobyeong’s fan-waving became violently hurried.
"This is why! This is why superficial knowledge is more problematic!"
“....”
"People who know nothing would just keep their mouth shut like yangban behind me and say, ‘Oh, I guess we’re landing there’. But no, those who’ve skimmed the surface of knowledge think the watermelon rind tastes like the flesh and start meddling this way and that!”
“...N- No, I wasn’t.”
"Exactly why rulers and their like ruin countries! Everything is 'I studied this so I know!' 'The military tactics I learned were different!'"
“I, I was just expressing my opinion....”
“Huh? Let’s put it bluntly! If knowing strategy makes you such an expert, why did your family previous gaju charge headlong into the Yangtze? What, did he skip the lesson on military strategy?"
(H: I think Im Sobyeong have a grudge against Dowi, this is just too much haha.)
"D- Don't bring up my late father! That wasn't done with the head but with the heart! The heart!"
“Heart? Don’t give me that heart nonsense!”
"Don't insult my late father!"
The focus in Gwak Hwanso's eyes as he watched the scene grew hazy.
'They're still like this even in this situation.'
He had assumed anyone with a shred of common sense would naturally feel tense under these circumstances. But looking now, that doesn't seem to always be the case. Either that, or these guys aren't people with brainless heads.
“Tsk.”
Im Sobyeong clicked his tongue and fanned himself irritably.
"Well, thinking roughly, you’re not entirely wrong.”
“Right. So....”
"That's when thinking ROUGHLY, when thinking roughly!"
“....”
"What’s the reason for avoiding landing where the enemy expects? Because the enemy could prepare and dig traps or build defensive lines, right?"
Namgung Dowi nodded vigorously in agreement. Im Sobyeong burst out.
“They have no army there to build that defensive line right now! Those armies are all just stomping around in Hainan Island right now!”
“Ah....”
"If we hesitate and waste time debating the landing, the defenses that don't exist now will be built! The most important thing in strategy isn’t logic but timing! Strategy is about what works now being wrong later, that's what I'm saying. Understand?"
Namgung Dowi nodded as if he finally understood. But there was still one unresolved question in his heart.
"...Th- Then why did you say it’s driving you crazy earlier?"
"Because it's a bummer, a bummer!"
"Huh?"
Im Sobyeong twisted his face in irritation and turned his gaze sharply toward Gangnam.
"If we had arrived even three hours earlier, we could’ve rushed to Guangdong and burned down those damned Myriad Man Manor bastards' headquarters!"
“....”
"Then that Jang Ilso's face would have been quite something to see! Aigo, how heartless Heaven is. Why send headwinds at a time like this......"
“...Is this really the time for that?"
“Why not? Am I not human just because I’m a strategist? When that Jang Ilso bastard deliberately set up long-term battle lines with Nokrim and kept jabbing at us, do you know how much my stomach twisted in response! Half my poor health is thanks to that bastard!”
"And the other half?"
“It’s because of Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword, what else."
…It seemed nonsensical, yet somehow oddly believable…
“Ugh, what a bummer.”
Im Sobyeong complained with a deep sigh of regret.
Truthfully, despite his words, his intention to burn down Myriad Man Manor’s headquarters wasn’t simply to appease his feelings. Regardless of righteous or evil, having their headquarters burned carries immense significance.
No need to look far—just look at Mount Hua.
Even after losing all their senior disciples at the peak of Ten Thousand Mountains, there was no talk of Mount Hua being ruined. The official perception of Mount Hua's downfall only solidified when the remnants of Magyo invaded Shaanxi and set their halls ablaze.
It was not something to be treated as mere buildings. The main halls of the main temple have symbolic meaning. If we could burn down the main temple of Maninbang while we were here, it would have definitely dealt a blow to Jang Il-so’s firm control....
“Tsk. Can’t be helped.”
There was no feasible way to attempt it now. Making a half-hearted attempt to burn the headquarters would likely result in everyone here being roasted alive instead. As regretful as it was, they had to give up cleanly.
"Listen well!"
When Im Sobyeong raised his voice, everyone focused their attention on him.
Gwak Hwanso swallowed hard. Truthfully, he didn’t fully trust Im Sobyeong, given his Evil Sects origins. He has never felt the effectiveness of the strategies Im Sobyeong has come up with.
But the reason Gwak Hwanso still listens was quite simple. It was because all the notable figures of Heavenly Comrade Alliance, including Chung Myung, Baek Cheon, and Namgung Dowi were all paying attention to Im Sobyeong’s words.
The fact that they were willing to listen to him spoke volumes about his credibility.
‘So he must have some great strategy.’
Even though he came from Evil Sects, the fact that leaders from Righteous Sects were taking his words seriously must mean his plans were extraordinary, elusive even….
"Once we land, forget about strategy or whatnot."
“Uh....”
No... It was supposed to be extraordinary...
"Stop trying to be clever with your heads and run until your feet sweat. Move as far as you can before those damned Evil Sects finish building a proper Heaven and Earth Encompassing Net (천라지망(天羅地網)) to trap us!"
Gwak Hwanso shouted in shock.
"W- Wait! Won't that let them track all our movements?"
“It doesn’t matter.”
"Yes?"
“I said it doesn’t matter. They’ll find out eventually, so it’s better to just get going a step faster!”
Gwak Hwanso’s jaw dropped open.
'Is he crazy?'
No matter how he thought about it, it wasn’t something a sane person would say. But when he turned his head seeking agreement, deep despair greeted Gwak Hwanso.
“You’re speaking some sense for once.”
The world-renowned Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword Chung Myung grinned.
"I like how straightforward it is."
Mount Hua's Acting Sect Leader Baek Cheon nodded in agreement.
"It's rational, at least."
Even his last hope Namgung Dowi expressed his agreement as if there were no other options.
Watching this process, Gwak Hwanso felt his mind starting to go strange.
'They're really going to do this?'
This crazy plan?
“W- Wait just a moment!”
"Oh, what now?"
Gwak Hwanso racked his brain desperately. He had to say something that made sense.
“I- If we rush deep into enemy territory and end up surrounded, what then? It’ll be irretrievable if that happens!”
"What nonsense."
The answer came not from Im Sobyeong but from Chung Myung.
“You think Evil Tyrant Alliance is easy to deal with? So if we hide around with our tails tucked, we won't get surrounded?"
"That's..."
“If you’re barging into someone else’s house to cause trouble, getting surrounded is just something you should expect."
“N- No. It’s one thing to be prepared, but what do we do if we actually get surrounded?"
"What do you mean what will we do?"
Chung Myung puffed out his chest proudly.
"We'll figure that out when we get there!"
Despair sank into Gwak Hwanso's face. Yet, once again, the others didn’t seem to share his thoughts.
"That's certainly make sense."
"Good plan."
“No room for doubt.”
People of Heavenly Comrade Alliance nodded repeatedly. . Tears welled up in Gwak Hwanso’s eyes. Maybe it would be better to turn back now…
"Then shall we start with the landing?"
"Of course. However..."
Im Sobyeong looked out at the shore with a grin.
“They may not have armies, but they’ll have eyes. We should at least give them a little present.”
"Hm? Present?"
A wicked gleam passed over Im Sobyeong’s face for a moment.
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