Chapter 606:
"Hmm...."
Wei Yan-ho stretched his neck out.
The vanguard that had been fleeing joined up with the main force. In that case, they should be looking for a chance to counterattack now. But his senses hadn't picked up anything for a while now.
While a small number of masters might be able to deceive Wei Yan-ho's senses and scheme something, it would be impossible for that many people to fool Wei Yan-ho's senses.
In other words....
"They ran away?"
Wei Yan-ho chuckled.
It seemed Baek Hoe-myeong had been properly frightened. Otherwise, there was no way he would flee without even looking back despite joining up with such a large army.
If not that, then he had gone to take responsibility for this defeat.
Either way, it wasn't bad news for Wei Yan-ho. It would be good to take down even one more to reduce their military strength, but....
'How bothersome.'
His motivation was gradually declining now.
Honestly speaking, had Wei Yan-ho ever moved this diligently in his life?
And this wasn't even fleeing—it was pursuing.
If Baek Mu-han saw his current state, his jaw would drop and stay that way. This was the same Wei Yan-ho who wouldn't even pick up a sword in the morning unless he was forced to. Yet that same Wei Yan-ho was sweating profusely while tracking people.
'I overdid it.'
People have certain behavioral tendencies. When those behavioral tendencies are exceeded, side effects inevitably appear.
Wei Yan-ho was experiencing that now.
His motivation disappeared and his shoulders drooped.
If he could, he wanted to just lie down flat on the ground.
'When was the last time I slept?'
It was hazy.
He hadn't properly rested since leaving the Righteous Martial Alliance. How many days had it been already?
Slide.
The sword in his hand went into its sheath.
He had tried his best.
There might be people who would say this wasn't enough, but Wei Yan-ho had truly given his all by his own standards. Anything more wasn't his role.
Besides....
"Tsk."
Wei Yan-ho shook his head.
This wasn't the time to be saying weak things like not wanting to see blood.
The world was filled with countless people, and what each person wanted was different. But when situations became urgent, one's own choices became meaningless.
When you're about to starve to death, who would release a caught rabbit saying they didn't want to kill a life with their own hands?
It couldn't be helped.
Wei Jeong-han approached him and asked.
"How is it?"
"It seems they all ran away?"
"Hmm, really?"
Wei Jeong-han also nodded.
Wei Jeong-han was the one who had insisted they needed to perfectly grasp their movements.
Having seen so many cases, Wei Jeong-han never let things slide ambiguously.
"Then they won't be able to attack again for a while?"
"That's right. But I can't say for certain. War is war because anything can happen."
"Hmm."
Wei Yan-ho nodded as if he agreed.
Those words resonated deeply in his bones. In truth, who could have imagined they would face such a situation until recently?
They never knew the Demonic Cult would rise to power, nor imagined that Hundred Sword Castle would align with them. They couldn't even guess that the Righteous Martial Alliance would suffer such a great defeat to Hundred Sword Castle.
But it would be the same for them.
They probably never expected Wei Yan-ho's group to storm into the Demonic Cult and turn everything upside down, never imagined Wei Yan-ho would be able to block Hundred Sword Castle.
Scenes of each side striking each other's weak points and surprising each other continued.
'War....'
Perhaps those called great generals in later generations were people who could smoothly handle such unexpected situations.
'That's not my role.'
Others would have to handle that. For example....
"Ink-stain!"
"Yes, my lord."
Zhuge Mun-in quickly approached Wei Yan-ho's side.
His eyes were sparkling brightly.
"...Stay back a bit."
"Ah, was I being burdensome?"
Zhuge Mun-in subtly stepped back a couple of paces.
Even though Wei Yan-ho had pushed him away, Zhuge Mun-in's mood wasn't bad at all.
'I'm a good judge of character.'
Believing his father's words and following Wei Yan-ho would become the best choice of his life.
'Ignorant, hopeless, and invincible.'
Where in the world could you find such a perfect lord?
His skills were certain... no, tremendous, and he didn't use you troublesomely. Moreover, if you just left him alone, he wouldn't go anywhere and cause trouble.
He was the best lord to serve.
"Assess the situation."
"I'll organize it."
The first qualification for serving such a master was one thing.
Understanding perfectly even when spoken to like crap.
This was someone who found it bothersome to say even one word, so he skipped all the context and explanations. If you kept asking questions every time, you'd lose his trust easily.
No matter how strangely Wei Yan-ho spoke, you had to spin your brain hard to guess the context and provide the best answer.
"If Hundred Sword Castle has withdrawn, there are two possible reasons. The first case is a temporary retreat for reorganization. In this case, they'll come rushing back immediately."
"Mm."
"And the second is... if orders to retreat were given. In this case, the commander will be replaced. Young Master Baek Hoe-myeong will fall from grace and someone else will come to the forefront. This case could take quite some time. Organization needs to suit one's taste to be efficient. Depending on the nature of the newly arrived person, it will take longer than the first case, though the exact time will vary."
"Which do you think it is?"
"The first."
"Reason?"
"Because of his position as Young Master. No matter how much Hundred Sword Castle prioritizes practical merit, the existence of the Ten Thousand Sword Hundred Families cannot be ignored. If he retreats now, Baek Hoe-myeong's position will suffer fatal damage. He's someone who has maintained the Young Master position for decades. It's not easy to push back such a person for a single mistake."
"Why?"
"Because it was the current Family Head who appointed Baek Hoe-myeong as Young Master. If Baek Hoe-myeong makes a mistake, it reflects directly on the Family Head."
"Hmm, so he can't just retreat?"
"You don't carelessly replace major commanders. If they replace someone who was in charge of Hundred Sword Castle's main offensive for a single mistake, that would also be problematic."
Wei Jeong-han objected.
"But this can't be called a simple mistake, can it?"
"Of course. But if we exclude the matter of justification, Hundred Sword Castle's damage isn't that great. Though my lord inflicted damage, considering the mighty power of Hundred Sword Castle, it's only a small portion."
"Hmm."
Wei Jeong-han looked displeased but eventually nodded.
Looking at it coldly, Zhuge Mun-in was right. And Hundred Sword Castle's true power hadn't emerged yet.
"So Hundred Sword Castle will come rushing in again soon?"
"No."
"Isn't that contradictory?"
"We need to consider one more thing. As I mentioned before, the main reason they withdrew is that they don't want to face my lord directly and suffer losses in their military strength."
"Mm, that's right."
"As long as my lord remains here, they won't move. They'll wait for my lord to move to face the Demonic Cult."
Zhuge Mun-in chuckled as he spoke.
'This is absurd.'
His prediction was rational. At the same time, it was reasonable.
If he were in Baek Hoe-myeong's position, he would move the same way. But saying it was absurd wasn't wrong either.
'Hundred Sword Castle can't move because of one person.'
Avoiding the enemy's mighty military strength is also a strategy. Didn't Emperor Gaozu of Han use the same strategy when unifying the Central Plains? They didn't want to clash head-on with the Overlord of Chu's forces.
They somehow blocked the Overlord of Chu's offensive while targeting his rear, breaking down other forces one by one and isolating Emperor Gaozu of Han.
The reason Emperor Gaozu of Han could seize the world was because he abandoned his pride and acknowledged his opponent.
But wasn't Wei Yan-ho alone?
Even if there were a few others here, it wouldn't change anything. They wouldn't count Wei Jeong-han and the others as real military strength. Hundred Sword Castle was holding its breath solely because of Wei Yan-ho alone.
Such an absurd thing was actually happening.
'The military strategy of Jianghu is different from military strategy.'
This was something he had heard countless times from his father. Zhuge Mun-in had understood it intellectually but not felt it in his heart—now he finally understood those words.
This would never happen in the military.
Jianghu warfare cannot distinguish strength and weakness simply by numbers. Sometimes, a single peak master can handle one thousand, ten thousand troops—that's Jianghu.
So those who discuss Jianghu military strategy must work their brains several times harder than those who discuss regular military strategy.
"Then what should we do now?"
At Wei Jeong-han's question, Zhuge Mun-in turned his head. His gaze fell on Wei Yan-ho, who was half-sprawled.
"Isn't it my lord's will?"
"Mm?"
"We can go to face the Demonic Cult, or we can continue pursuing Hundred Sword Castle."
"Hmm...."
"Since a person's body isn't two, we can't face both sides simultaneously. If this side ties down one place, it's right for the Righteous Martial Alliance to face the other side. The military advisor probably has the same thought."
"Then which side do you believe would be right to choose?"
"As I said, that's my lord's choice."
"You could give advice."
When Wei Jeong-han asked again, Zhuge Mun-in slightly frowned.
Someone serving a person like Wei Yan-ho shouldn't carelessly offer opinions. Because Wei Yan-ho was someone who didn't try to move on his own.
His opinion would become Wei Yan-ho's opinion. That meant when things went wrong, the responsibility would also become Zhuge Mun-in's.
Bluntly speaking, if he presented an opinion and it failed, no one would blame Wei Yan-ho. Wei Yan-ho was already doing more than what one person could do.
They could only blame the one who failed to move him properly.
"If you insist on asking...."
But keeping his mouth shut at times like this wasn't good either. Be cautious and careful, but find the best path. That was a strategist's role.
"I think it would be better to face Hundred Sword Castle."
"The reason?"
"Because the Righteous Martial Alliance cannot properly handle Hundred Sword Castle. No matter how much stronger the Demonic Cult is than Hundred Sword Castle, from the Righteous Martial Alliance's standpoint, facing the Demonic Cult is easier. Because...."
Zhuge Mun-in swallowed dry saliva and continued.
"A method to deal with the strange disease that erupts through demonic arts hasn't been established yet. If the Righteous Martial Alliance faces them, it will only be a repeat of Hapbi."
"Indeed, that's right."
Wei Jeong-han nodded and looked back at Wei Yan-ho.
"Did you hear?"
"Yes."
"Then you must face Hundred Sword Castle. Can you do it?"
Wei Jeong-han's heart wasn't comfortable asking.
But here, Wei Yan-ho had to....
"The strange disease is the problem, right?"
"For now, yes."
"Then we just need to solve that, don't we?"
"Huh?"
Wei Jeong-han's eyes widened.
What kind of mischief was he planning to pull now?