Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1530. Now it's my turn (5)
Editor: Hoamz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
Dismantle Tang Family.
Words that came from the mouth of none other than Tang Family's daughter.
Not just the sect leaders of other sects and Five Swords, but even Chung Myung’s jaw dropped.
“Si- Siju… Have you lost your mind?"
If even Hye Yeon was saying this, what more needed to be said?
Tang Gun-ak’s eyes swirled with disbelief, anger, and sorrow. As that gaze turned to Hyun Jong and Un Am, the two quickly shook their heads.
"Yo- You misunderstand!"
“Soso! What on earth are you saying!"
As if afraid of catching any stray sparks, Hyun Jong and Un Am jumped.
Even if Tang Soso was a disciple of Mount Hua, how could they have ordered her to say such a thing? If they really had, they would have nothing to say even if a large needle was stuck in their philtrum while sleeping. (H: The area between the lips and the nose)
“Huh....”
Tang Gun-ak sighed, unable to find the words to say. No matter how much she was a daughter he had sent away, she was still a daughter he had carried and raised like gold and jade, yet from her mouth came words about dismantling the family.
Just as his always-stern eyes were about to well up with moisture, Tang Soso added.
“I might have exaggerated it, but to be precise, I mean we need to change the system of Tang Family.”
"Change the system?"
Tang Gun-ak looked at Tang Soso again, as if he was interested in these words. His daughter's eyes were straight and clear. They proved this was neither a joke nor words just thrown out casually.
“Are you saying this because Tang Family’s strength has weakened?”
"No."
Tang Soso shook her head firmly.
“Even if Sichuan Tang Family’s full strength were intact… no, even if we were more prosperous, this still needs to be done.”
“Be more precise.”
“Tang Family isn’t much help in battle.”
Tang Gun-ak's eyes twitched.
This was a statement that couldn't be forgiven even from a daughter. To devalue the power of Tang Family, which shows a performance superior to anyone else on the battlefield.
But just as he was about to scold her, Tang Soso’s next words made him hold his tongue.
“To be precise, the current system does not allow Tang Family to ‘properly’ exert its power.”
Hyun Jong opened his mouth with a worried face.
“...Soso, that’s....”
"Maengju-nim. Please wait a moment."
Tang Gun-ak stopped Hyun Jong and said.
“My daughter would not be saying this for no reason. I would like to hear her out.”
“Hmm.”
Hyun Jong let out a faint hum and stepped back.
Tang Gun-ak looked anew at Tang Soso. Come to think of it, no one could know the inside and outside of Tang Family like Tang Soso. Since she was the only one free from Tang Family's closed nature, he thought she might have something valuable to say.
“Continue.”
“Yes.”
Tang Soso nodded and continued.
“Of course, Tang Family is equipped with the ability to sweep across battlefields. But the biggest problem with Tang Family is that two or three people do what one person can do.”
“....”
“Just because two people sprinkle the poison that one person used to, its power doesn't double. Likewise, even if two people throw hidden weapons instead of one, it doesn’t mean they fly twice as far.”
“Hmm.”
Tang Gun-ak narrowed his eyes.
“That’s not entirely true. Even if the power doesn’t increase, the area can be expanded, and even if it doesn’t increase the distance, it can fill the space more densely.”
“Yes, that’s true. But is that really efficient?”
“What do you mean?”
“Even if that’s all true, the problem still remains. To cover a wider range, you need to throw more poison, and to embed hidden weapons more densely, you have to throw a lot more of them.”
Tang Soso's face was full of confidence and determination.
"That ultimately only accelerates the consumption of poison and hidden weapons. It may be fine in a short battle, but if the clash drags on, we’ll eventually run out of both. What can Tang Family do then? Nothing but watch from the sidelines."
“That’s....”
“I agree with Soso.”
Tang Gun-ak’s gaze turned to Tang Pae.
He nodded with a firm expression.
“I realized it clearly while escaping from Hainan as well. If a battle is decided quickly, Tang Family can display a power stronger than any other sect in the world. This is especially true in battles where many fight together. But if it lasts even a little longer, there’s nothing we can do."
Tang Gun-ak's eyes turned ice cold.
Tang Pae was sogaju of Tang Family. The sogaju was now stepping forward and disparaging the Sichuan Tang Family.
“Be careful what you say, Sogaju. Tang Family is not that sloppy. Do you think the ancestors of ang Family were truly unaware of such problems?”
“Yes. I believe we could have prepared for it. If we hadn’t lost all our forges and the poison warehouse.”
Tang Gun-ak was instantly left speechless. His son's words hit a sore spot.
"There isn't enough time to restore both. No matter how hard we try, once the war continues, there will come a point when the production of poison and hidden weapons won’t be able to keep up with the consumption. What can Tang Family do then?”
A fundamental limit and a situational limit.
The two siblings were properly pointing out Tang Family’s weak spots. From Tang Gun-ak’s standpoint, it was deeply uncomfortable and unsettling.
Nevertheless, there were two reasons why Tang Gun-ak could refrain from getting angry.
One was that he was not a person who got angry rashly, and the other was that those siblings were the parties who had directly experienced the most desperate battles in the current Tang family.
And if he were to add one more reason.
“It seems you two have already shared your thoughts.”
"Yes."
“Yes.”
Tang Gun-ak, his lips firm, spoke shortly..
“Continue.”
“If Tang Family wishes to gain fame, there is an easy way. Prepare enough poison and hidden weapons, use them all in one battle, then retreat. Other sects won't bother trying to hold onto a Tang Family that has run out of poison and hidden weapons, so there will be sufficient justification as well.”
Tang Gun-ak's eyebrows twitched.
What those words meant was to secure justification and profit while minimizing sacrifice.
From Tang Family’s perspective, it might be tempting, but at the same time, it was bound to be an awkward thing for people from other sects to hear. It was not something that could be said in a place like this.
However, Tang Gun-ak paid no mind to such issues. Since it wasn't a path Sichuan Tang Family could choose in the first place.
“If not that?”
“We must find a way.”
Tang Pae said firmly.
“A path where the Sichuan Tang Family walks together with everyone not by flaunting strength, nor relying on tools.”
Tang Gun-ak's expression grew heavy.
“...Are you saying it’s not a problem that can be solved by fighting alongside Mount Hua?”
He still remembers clearly how strong the Sichuan Tang Family was on the Yangtze River. How threatening Tang Family was when fighting in coordination with Mount Hua.
But Tang Pae shook his head firmly and asked.
“Is Tang Family a sect meant to support Mount Hua?”
“....”
"As Gaju-nim says, if we follow behind Mount Hua, we could reduce weaknesses and increase power. But that would ultimately mean the great sect called Sichuan Tang Family must move solely as Mount Hua's support."
“Hmm.”
“How great a burden would that be on Heavenly Comrade Alliance?”
Tang Gun-ak stared intently at Tang Pae. It was because of a renewed feeling.
Tang Pae had considered elevating the Sichuan Tang Family's prestige more important than anything else. When that feeling went too far, hadn't he been unable to watch Tang Gun-ak’s defeat and even launched a sneak attack on Chung Myung?
And yet now, he was saying that the Sichuan Tang Family should not become a burden to others.
Even though there was clearly a way to secure benefits while minimizing losses.
He could neither rejoice fully nor feel regret at that change. Tang Gun-ak exhaled long and opened his mouth.
“I have heard enough. Then the important thing must be the move you have prepared. What do you think should be done?”
Instead of answering, Tang Pae threw a glance at Tang Soso.
From now on, this was her domain.
"Gaju-nim, you seem to consider Tang Family a sect that exerts its true power when united. Of course, I’m not saying that’s wrong. But from what I’ve seen, the true strength of Tang Family is its versatility.”
“Versatility?”
“Yes. Tang Family can do everything. We’re sensitive to changes around us, so we can act as scouts. We can support dozens alone with hidden weapons. And above all… we can save the wounded. Just having one Tang Family member present could change the survival rate entirely.”
Those who greatly agreed with these words were precisely Five Swords and the small sect leaders.
They felt the importance of the presence of the physician on this trip to Hainan. To exaggerate just a bit, had Tang Pae and Tang Soso not been there, more than half the group would’ve been buried in the lands of Gangnam during the escape from Hainan.
No, considering that they wouldn’t have been able to preserve their combat strength, it’s possible that aside from a few, no one would’ve made it back alive at all.
“Which means?”
"We must split Tang Family’s forces. Instead of clustering in one place and moving as a sect unit like now, we should divide into groups of four to five. That way, we must be able to support those who take to the battlefield."
Tang Gun-ak's eyebrows twitched.
"For what purpose?"
“For mobile medical support that can keep pace with the mobility of elite martial artists.”
Tang Gun-ak's eyes sank deeply.
“That’s....”
As if there was much to consider, he fell silent again. After a long moment of contemplation, Tang Gun-ak raised his head.
"Splitting Tang Family means I cannot convey my commands to all those people."
"Yes."
“That, in other words, means that the members of Tang Family will have to listen to the orders of others and not Tang Family.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The voice of the Tang Army became a little sharper.
"Those who give those commands will be none other than the sect leader of other sects, the elders, and also the unit leaders. It means that Tang Family members would have to follow the orders of someone who isn't even the young sect leader, but just a unit leader. Do you understand what that implies?"
“Yes.”
It was Tang Pae who answered this time. Anger surged and overflowed from Tang Gun-ak’s eyes.
Depending on how one heard it, this was a statement worse than dismantling Tang Family.
This means that Tang Family, which has thoroughly excluded anyone who does not have the surname Tang (당(當)), must endure the humiliation of following the orders of another sect. If the one giving the orders was Heavenly Comrade Alliance, it might be different, but this was an impossible thing.
“You understand, you say…”
His anger soon turned into cold, piercing killing intent.
Killing intent directed at his own child. This meant that Tang Gun-ak was no longer speaking as a father, but solely as the patriarch of Tang Family.
"Give me a reason worth all that sacrifice. If you cannot answer properly, I will make you pay the price for insulting the family."
For Tang Gun-ak, it was a question asked with a certain resolve.
But the answer came out so easily that it was almost disappointing, because it had already been prepared.
"Because I am certain."
"Of what?"
Tang Soso calmly faced Tang Gun-ak's killing intent and spoke. Her unwavering voice was delivered to Tang Gun-ak with perfect clarity.
"This movement of Tang Family will change the tide of the battlefield. Perhaps forever, even in the future."
|Note
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