Warlord Han Yegum

Chapter 14

"General! Everyone is ready!"

The voice of his father’s aide rang out energetically.

Familiar generals and dozens of soldiers stood lined up, fully armored. Behind them, even more attendants and baggage carriers were stationed with their carts.

Makjeong’s older brothers had also finished preparing to join his father in battle, while only young Yegeum remained at home with his mother. Along with his mother, Yegeum, the butler, and the guards tasked with protecting the estate, as well as countless slaves, all came out to send the father off to war.

Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop

Before mounting his horse, his father walked closer to his mother, speaking to her quietly. Then, he looked at Yegeum. Without saying much, he raised his thick hand and gently patted Yegeum’s head.

"Yegeum, make sure to protect the house well."

Yegeum didn’t fully understand the meaning of his father’s words.

After all, the guards assigned to protect the estate were separate, and while his father was away, all the household matters were handled by his mother and the butler, the bearded man. All Yegeum had to do was enjoy a little more freedom when his father wasn’t around.

Yegeum never understood why his father said these words each time he left for battle, but as always, he responded dutifully.

"Yes, Father."

Watching his father’s back as he walked away, Yegeum thought to himself that he would one day do the same. He imagined himself wearing thick armor, mounting a horse, and hearing the clinking of the metal as he led an army.

It would happen, he was certain of it.

****

Rustle rustle

Makjeong woke to the sound of movement near his ears. As usual, everyone else was already up, leaving him the last to rise.

"Really, you sure can sleep well," Gaesang said, rubbing his spear.

It was morning. The other soldiers seemed to have gotten up too, as they walked around outside, stretching their stiff bodies. Makjeong glanced around the tent and noticed that only Madal was missing.

"Madal-hyung, where is he?"

"He went to take a shit."

"Ah... What a regular guy," Makjeong replied with a chuckle.

If Madal wasn’t visible in the morning, he was likely off taking care of personal business. However, if he hadn’t returned by now, it was more likely that he was off asking around, gathering information about the situation.

Whether Madal was back or not, Nam Pae, the squad leader, looked irritated as he had yet to receive any orders for breakfast.

"Do they usually serve breakfast this late here? Why hasn’t anyone told us to eat yet?"

Looking outside, the soldiers seemed to be scanning around, likely wondering if others were already eating somewhere else.

"I guess with so many people, it takes time," Yeopchi said, stretching and heading out of the tent.

Makjeong followed after Yeopchi. Since he was near the door, he couldn’t help but feel the constant discomfort as people passed by, so he decided to join Yeopchi outside. Despite this discomfort, he was still amazed at how Yeopchi managed to sleep so soundly through it all.

When they had arrived the previous evening, it was already sunset, so they hadn’t had much time to inspect the camp. But now, in the morning light, Makjeong could clearly see the scale of the army.

He had heard there were around three thousand soldiers gathered at White Plains, and it was indeed packed with soldiers, tents, piles of supplies, carts, and animals—cattle, horses, and the like.

There was a haze of smoke everywhere from the wood being chopped, either for cooking or for forging metal in the forges, and soldiers were hustling about amid the smoke.

The soldiers’ faces were devoid of vitality, all of them worn out by constant battles. Their expressions were hardened, the kind that didn’t show a trace of joy, as though they all knew they might not survive the day.

Groups of soldiers gathered together to chat or prepare their armor, but one soldier stood out among them, walking toward Makjeong and Yeopchi with an unusually lively step.

"Heh! Heh! Heh!"

The sound was the unmistakable sign of someone who had just relieved himself of a full stomach, clearly feeling better after doing so.

Makjeong immediately recognized the person making the noise.

It was Madal.

"Hyung, feeling better?" Makjeong asked.

"Ha, Makjeong! They say they’ve been fighting here non-stop. Hundreds have died every day! Ugh..." Madal immediately launched into the information he had gathered from his rounds. Then, without waiting for a response, he headed straight into the tent, leaving Makjeong and Yeopchi to follow if they wanted to know more.@@@@

As they entered the tent, Madal immediately began unraveling the stories he had picked up.

"Apparently, this place isn’t a joke! There are these monster-like guys over there, and every time they show up, soldiers die left and right! Even the officers have been killed by them!" Madal’s eyes were wide with the seriousness of the information he had uncovered.

Makjeong thought to himself as he went over to check on his friend, Deokheung.

"Deokheung, did you get some sleep?"

When Makjeong lightly tapped his shoulder, Deokheung didn’t even look up. The exhaustion from Yeolgu Mountain’s difficult trials was still fresh, and the fear of battle still weighed heavily on him. That wasn’t surprising, though.

"Sigh... Do you think there’s going to be a fight today?"

Deokheung asked in a weary voice.

"Hey, don’t talk like you’re already dead. We haven’t even started fighting, so let’s eat and get some strength."

Makjeong gave Deokheung’s shoulder a firm pat and joined the line for food.

But Ayong and Obyeok, both new and inexperienced in battle, looked even worse than Deokheung. Ayong especially seemed like he could collapse with just a light touch.

"Hey, are you alright, kid?"

Makjeong asked Ayong, pulling him to the front, but Ayong just sighed, his face rigid. He didn’t respond.

"Relax."

Makjeong squeezed Ayong’s shoulder from behind.

"Ow!"

"Haha, you’re not going to die—don’t worry!"

"Ah! It hurts, hyung!"

While Makjeong focused on trying to calm Ayong, other soldiers gathered around them, but the atmosphere only grew heavier the more soldiers gathered.

At Yeolgu Mountain, they had fought from high ground and behind fortifications. But here, in the open plains, they would face an enemy with greater numbers. The fear was palpable.

Only Nam Pae, Madal, Gaesang, Yeopchi, and Makjeong remained relatively calm, standing in contrast to the rest of the soldiers.

"Hey! Why do you all look like death warmed over this morning? Straighten your backs! Look alive!" Officer Pyeong shouted at the low-spirited soldiers.

"Straighten up! Smile a bit! Don’t you want to have a decent meal before heading into battle?"

Thud! Thud!

As Officer Pyeong pounded his fists on the soldiers’ shoulders, trying to raise their spirits, he saw Makjeong and smiled.

"Makjeong! You up already?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good boy."

Perhaps because he had bonded with Makjeong the previous day, Officer Pyeong’s gaze toward him was softer than it was with the other soldiers. He patted Makjeong’s head with a kind smile.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I’m fine."

"Haha, that’s good!"

Pleased with Makjeong’s response, Officer Pyeong gave his shoulder a quick pat and walked on.

"Once breakfast is finished, get your gear ready and assemble! Got it, everyone?"

"Yes..."

"Say it louder! Got it?!"

"Yes..."

"Good..."

Officer Pyeong, concerned about the soldiers' morale, walked over to where the other officers were gathered.

The low morale wasn’t just an issue for the Yeolgu Mountain support team—it was affecting all the U Kingdom soldiers stationed on the White Plains.

While they had been holding their ground against the Shang forces, the increasing casualties and the growing threat from the terrifying figures of Hoh Sang and Byeok Tae were steadily draining the morale of the U Kingdom soldiers.

"Still, it’s nice to get more food here," Gaesang muttered, even in the middle of all this gloom.