“execution.”
“Shh.”
Geol Jo, who was just listening in a corner as if he had somehow entered the meeting without qualification, asked Yoonjong in a whisper.
“No, I know I have to be quiet… … What does that mean now? “You’re taking back command?”
“that is… … .”
Yunjong looked around for a moment, hesitated, and then opened his mouth. To be honest, he’s not very organized either… … .
“It is said that we are now receiving orders from the Meng, but aren’t we actually receiving orders from each clan?”
“… … “So, what does that mean?”
Yunjong’s face was slightly distorted.
“If Jang Mun-in and Lord Maeng give different orders, whose order should you follow?”
“Of course you are the leader, right?”
“uh… … ?”
That’s right… … . Oh, that’s true.
“I guess I heard the example a little wrong. So, if the vice-lord and the leader give different orders at the same time, whose order do you think the party members will follow?”
“Yeah… … .”
Of course, it has to be Hyeonjong.
But in reality, it will be a party evil. He had no choice but to become like that. From the perspective of the people of Hwasan, Hyeonjong is the leader and the general of the Taesang, but to put it bluntly, from the point of view of the Tang family, he is a complete stranger.
“It seems like we want to change that.”
“Oh, that… … that… … .”
Jogeol, who creaked for a moment as if something had broken down, tilted her head.
“How do you change that? “Can that change?”
“So, the command… … !”
Yunjong, who was frustrated because he couldn’t communicate, was about to gradually grow louder, when Hyunjong’s sharp gaze caught his attention. Yoonjong and Jogeol’s heads bowed like a thunderbolt. Before we knew it, everyone was paying attention to the two people’s chatter.
“Hmm.”
Tang Gunak slightly cleared his throat and looked at Cheongmyeong.
At the last meeting, Baekcheon also threw a bomb. However, compared to what Cheongmyeong has just thrown, even calling it a bomb is meaningless.
The right to command… … . Do you understand what you are saying now?
“Musketeer. I understand your intention. but… … .”
“Realistically speaking, it’s not easy?”
Tang Gunak nodded.
“I see. This… … .”
He couldn’t finish speaking. As the conference room fell into silence again, Jo Geol could not hold back and opened his mouth again.
“execution.”
“Stop it… … .”
“Why is this so serious? “Is this such a big deal?”
“under… … .”
Yoonjong sighed until the ground disappeared and answered in a whisper.
“Then can you fight under orders from someone other than Hwasan Jangmun?”
“That’s natural. “Aren’t we the Cheonwoo Alliance?”
“Even if the person giving that order is a member of the Jongnam faction?”
“… … yes?”
For a moment, Jo Geol’s eyes wavered.
“No, what if it’s not Jongnam Jang Munin, but Jingeumryong Sohyeop? Do you have the confidence to risk your life and rush towards the enemy under that man’s orders?”
I closed my mouth like a clam. Of course I was preparing to say yes, but after hearing it with my own ears, I couldn’t answer quickly.
“That’s what it means to take back command. The entire system you knew until now will disappear. And it means having to adapt to the new system.”
“Is it really that extreme? “That guy must have an idea too.”
“We can say that because we are volcano people. “For other factions, even more extreme situations may arise.”
The same goes for Lim So-byeong, without going far. Until now, he had been in a military position, and his opinions had been expressed indirectly through King Hyeonjong.
However, if the command authority is unified, a situation will come where those who were walking along the path under the orders of someone who until recently heard the sound of bandits will have to risk their lives. Can everyone really accept that?
The silence this time was quite long, as if everyone was thinking the same thing. After seeing the reaction, Cheongmyeong finally opened his mouth.
“It’s realistically difficult, it’s just speculation, it’s better to do what is possible first… … . “Are you still saying those words after going through this much?”
Cheongmyeong looked straight at Tanggunak. Tang Gunak’s face hardened slightly.
“The reason why the old faction lost is simple. Even with the centuries-old system of old file, single room, they could not overcome their limits. “The sweet name of unity cannot ultimately break down the distinction between ‘me and others.’”
“Of course it is, but… … .”
“If we fight under such a clumsy system, even if we can win, it is obvious that we will be left with enormous damage and terrible conflict. “After you defeat that guy, you’re not planning on splitting sides and fighting among us again, are you?”
Everyone’s faces hardened. Only Cheongmyeong, who continued speaking, was calm.
“Then there is only one way. “The only way to do this is to no longer divide factions and join forces.”
Instead of waiting for Tang Gunak’s answer, Cheongmyeong turned his gaze towards his executioners.
“Those who adhered to the existing system were undoubtedly defeated. However, those who broke the boundary, however clumsily, returned with the unexpected beheading of the Black Dragon King. “Is there a single sect here that has achieved greater success than ours?”
does not exist. Surprisingly, there wasn’t any.
In the midst of the heavy atmosphere, Cheongmyeong’s eyes shone coldly.
“Let’s face reality. Since we became enemies with that damn SPA, we haven’t achieved a single record against them. I never won, and I never profited. Losing streak. “Every time I got caught, I just lost, hit the ground, and regretted it.”
Some people bit their lips.
“But if you come to your senses and stick with it, you can win? Without changing anything?”
Cheongmyeong let out a faint sneer. That laugh made everyone flinch.
“People should learn from history, right? But why does it seem to me that we are a slowly sinking ship?”
“Musketeer. “It’s too much to say.”
“If you’re going to argue that this is excessive, you need to change something now. The way we believed was right, everything we thought was right. and… … .”
Cheongmyeong bit his lip and pointed at himself.
“Even the things I believed were right.”
These were very meaningful words.
* * *
Jo Geol, who was almost the last one to leave the conference room, scratched his bushy head and sighed.
“… … Would it be okay? “I heard the owners’ faces are no joke.”
“Why wouldn’t it be like that? “How sensitive is this?”
“Then wouldn’t it be okay not to do it? Why did I go this far… … .”
“Still, you probably thought you had to do it.”
“Is Cheongmyeong that guy?”
“okay.”
Jo Geol looked at Yoon Jong with slightly strange eyes and pouted.
“It’s strange to see the death penalty every once in a while.”
“what?”
“Recently, you’ve been so venomous that you’ve been acting like you’re criticizing everything Cheongmyeong does, so why are you secretly approving this time?”
This guy too. Yunjong sighed heavily.
“If only people in the world were as simple as you, the world would be so peaceful.”
“… … “It’s a compliment, right?”
“yes. maybe.”
Yoonjong shook his head as if he couldn’t stop him and spoke quietly.
“We may have different opinions from him, but we agree on one thing. “If we keep going the way we are now, even if we eventually overcome the Sapae-ryeon, a serious conflict will arise between us.”
“… … “Why?”
“Because of those who hesitated at the end, someone else will die.”
Jo Geol also nodded as if he roughly understood these words.
In this battle, they combined all their different strengths to overcome the Black Dragon King.
But what if there were people who secretly pulled out their butts to conserve power at that critical moment? And what if someone on the volcano died because of them?
Jo Geul will never forgive them in her life. Perhaps he will show even more extreme hostility than when dealing with Sapa.
“Even if we win the war, it’s all meaningless if we leave behind regrets that can’t be washed away.”
“Is it for that?”
“… … “Maybe they think they can’t win otherwise.”
Jo Geol also nodded as if he vaguely understood now.
“Something, um… … . “I think it’s really strange, but I also think it’s natural.”
“What does that mean?”
“For Cheongmyeong in the past, this was very natural. He’s always been changing things, right? “When he came to Hwasan, he changed martial arts, training methods, and even the system.”
“… … .”
“After that, I changed the way I treated other factions, and even blurred the boundaries between allies and enemies.”
Yunjong nodded slowly, remembering the past.
“But at some point, he started to say something… … . I felt like I respected others. In the past, you would have beaten everyone until they listened to you, but at some point, you start listening to others whenever possible?”
“… … It did.”
Yoonjong also felt the same thing. And I thought it was just because Cheongmyeong had grown into an adult and matured.
But Jo Geol’s thoughts seemed a little different.
“Maybe he can’t take it anymore?”
“… … “You couldn’t stand it?”
“yes. I wanted to do this from the beginning. Think about it. Basically, if that guy thinks this is right, he doesn’t even think about other people’s circumstances, turns everything upside down, and just shouts for people to follow him, right?”
It reminds me of the many hardships I have experienced so far. It feels like my whole body is aching for some reason.
“… … “I see.”
“Then it will happen this time too.”
Yunjong sighed briefly.
“It’s not that simple this time, girl. The reason we were able to entrust everything to him was because we had nothing to lose anyway. “Other Moon Lords won’t think as easily as we do.”
But Jo Geol smiled and responded.
“That’s not what’s important. Having nothing to lose or having nothing to lose is a mindset of people who are like capital punishment. The important thing is to win if you do as he says. Isn’t that it? and… … .”
Jo Geul said firmly.
“That’s right.”
Yoonjong closed his mouth.
“If it’s right, you have to do it. of course.”
“That’s true, but… … .”
Jo Geol abruptly interrupted what Yoon Jong was trying to say.
“Ah, honestly, I don’t know.”
There was a bit of annoyance on his face.
“At some point, the death penalty, Taesangjangmunin, Cheongmyeong, and even Sasuk all become complicated. Well, I guess there’s a lot to think about. “It wasn’t like that before.”
A laugh escaped from Yoonjong’s mouth.
“That’s what we used to…” … .”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You said you had nothing to think about before? There was so much to think about in the past. Rather, there was more to think about when Cheongmyeong first came. “There were so many considerations to revive the ruined sect.”
Yoonjong pauses for a moment. After listening to it, I realized that it was true.
“The only thing that has changed. The guy back then didn’t even think about our feelings or position. It’s like that just today. In the past, when Jang Moon-in took his time and had another meeting, he would have been foaming at the mouth and causing an uproar. “Why are you talking so carefree when you say you don’t have time right now?”
It was very easy to picture Cheongmyeong lying down and acting viciously. I know it well even without seeing it.
“I guess so.”
“I’m still holding on to it.”
“But isn’t that right?”
“That’s right?”
Jo Geol quietly looked at Yoon Jong and said.
“well. In the past, I thought he was an interesting person even if the death penalty was a bit old-fashioned, but these days, I feel a bit different.”
“How is it?”
“I think I’m starting to resemble other writers I’ve seen in the past. “We weigh this and that, consider it, and ultimately choose only the safest method.”
“… … .”
“It’s not fun.”
Jo Geol turned around.
“Walk.”
“I’m going to go see Cheongmyeong. “It’s been a while since he’s done something interesting, so this time we should tell him to turn things around properly instead of pulling out his ass in the middle.”
Jo Geol glanced back and said.
“I will stop the execution anyway, so just stay here. then.”
Yunjong just watched blankly as he walked away.
“… … Things have changed? I?”
My eyes trembled slightly. It was something I couldn’t easily ignore because I heard it from Jo Geol’s mouth and not from anyone else.
