Chapter 195: Eunuch Jo (1)
Chapter 195: Eunuch Jo (1)
“We will soon be in Beijing.”
As Woon-seong said so, King Jinseong’s expression stiffened.
Just as Woon-seong observed, since Henan Province had essentially fallen, they would be able to reach Beijing after advancing just a little more.
And in Beijing….
“The emperor, or the leader of the Inverted Sky.”
Jegal Sung and King Jinseong nodded.
The Buddhist and Twin Stars had cold expressions on their faces.
Now that the Martial Alliance had collapsed, it was safe to assume that no force could stop the Justice-Demon Alliance from advancing towards Beijing.
And thanks to the extraordinary brains of Sang Gwan-chuk, the road there would not be difficult.
But Beijing?
Beijing was the exception.
It was fair to say that Beijing, where the Inverted Sky Lord sat on the throne of the emperor, was the epicenter of the Inverted Sky.
The defenses of that place would not be weak.
“They might move the Beijing Defense forces.”
Jegal Sung and Sang Gwan-chuk nodded at King Jinseong’s words.
However, unlike Sang Gwan-chuk or Jegal Sung who were military leaders, the Sword Star was not terribly strategic. He tilted his head, not understanding immediately. “Even if the Inverted Sky has taken over, there will still be those who are doubtful, so wouldn’t there be some gaps in the Beijing defense?”
The Buddhist Star shook his head and said, “Amitabha.”
That only made the Sword Star more confused.
Jegal Sung answered, “You have already forgotten. What did the Martial Alliance do when they insisted against the Cult of the Heavenly Demon…?”
The Sword Star had a sudden enlightenment. “Ah!”
Hadn’t Jwa Do-gyul manipulated those executives in the Martial Alliance using some sort of brainwashing incense?
The evidence of this had also been written down by Jwa Do-gyul.
And this incense had been obtained from the Cult of the Inverted Sky.
It was likely that the Inverted Sky would do the same thing.
No, they definitely would.
But then again, there was a question.
“But there are many more soldiers in Beijing than there are executives in the Martial Alliance. It would be hard for the Inverted Sky to use hibiscus incense on all of them…”
“Probably,” agreed Sang Gwan-chuk.
“But then how…”
“You do not have to use the incense on all of them to move the entire Beijing Defence Force. You only have to manipulate the commanders. ”
After this explanation, the Sword Star understood and his expression hardened.
Then it really was a big problem.
The Beijing Defense Force was a well-trained and veteran force.
Even if you searched the entire world, it would be hard to find such a large elite force.
Obviously, there were the other parts of the Imperial Army, like the Northern Army and the Qiantang River Army.
Even the Justice-Demon Alliance would suffer greatly if they fought against the army within the imperial metropolis.
And unlike other cities, the battle couldn’t be avoided by cutting off the commander’s head.
There was no single commanding officer overseeing Beijing, there was only the emperor sitting on the throne of the imperial palace, the Inverted Sky Lord.
Even if they cut off the head of the commander in charge of the Beijing Defense Force, there would be another leader to take his place.
Obviously, that new leader would be another member of the Inverted Sky.
Beijing was like that.
The Inverted Sky had placed itself in the easiest place to use the Imperial Army, as well as a place where they could get reinforcement any time and anywhere.
From now on, the Justice-Demon Alliance would have to prepare to fight in such a place.
“It’s good that we’ve tied up the Qiantang and Northern Armies then.”
The others shuddered at Woon-seong’s words.
It was as he said.
If the Inverted Sky Lord used the Emperor’s skin to summon the Northern Army as reinforcement, the Justice-Demon Alliance might be wiped out. Even just the troops in the Northern Army numbered a few tens of thousands of men.
That was not a situation where the Twin Stars and One Demon could make a huge difference. Even if they were mighty warriors who were a match for thousands, they were still human beings that would eventually tire.
Fortunately, neither the Qiantang or Northern Armies moved.
There were, of course, reasons for that.
First, the Qiantang.
Most of the commanders in the Qiantang Army were followers of King Jinseong. Since King Jinseong had made his declaration of intent, they would not be moving.
What about the Northern Army?
The Northern Army was unable to move its forces because they were stuck in a scuffle against invaders from the north.
As winter approached, looting from northern bandits worsened. If the Northern Army neglected the border and turned to Beijing, invaders would pour in.
Even the Inverted Sky had no way to deal with both the Justice-Demon Alliance and the northern invaders, so the Northern Army could not move.
“Even so, the situation is dire.”
One problem did not disappear.
“Beijing Defense Force,” Jegal Sung said with a hard expression.
As its name suggested, the Beijing Defense Force was trained to defend Beijing. They were skilled in both land and aquatic warfare.
“All out war should be avoided, as it may cause significant damage to the allied forces. Even if we win against the Beijing Defense Force, the damage will be severe…”
“It is a little difficult to find another way to avoid all-out war without making a siege…”
Jegal Sung and Sang Gwan-chuk put their heads together to fulfill their military responsibilities. Nevertheless, it was not easy.
The situation was that complicated.
In the midst of brainstorming, Jegal Sung lamented, “If there was a way to rush into the Imperial Palace directly, it would be possible to work with a small group of people without causing an all-out fight”
I wish I could do that, but there’s no way.
At that moment, a guard hurried into the tent and shouted, “A nobleman who came with King Jinseong is making a fuss, saying he is looking for a friend!”
As a comrade of Jo Woo-sang, Oh Sam was originally under the supervision of the Eastern Depot.
Just like how Oh Neung had been sent to the Cult of the Heavenly Demon, Oh Sam had been sent to King Jinseong.
Until now, he had been with King Jinseong. When King Jinseong’s forces joined the Justice-Demon Alliance, he had come along.
It has been a long time since I have seen him, was what Oh Sam thought while joining the Justice-Demon Alliance.
Oh Neung was supposed to be with the Cult of the Heavenly Demon, but what was this?
Even after joining the Justice-Demon Alliance for several days, Oh Sam had not been able to find his comrade.
He had randomly searched the camp, but found nothing.
Even so, Oh Neung had a distinct appearance. His skin color was significantly different from those in Zhongyuan and he was taller than average.
Although the man’s physical characteristics should have made him easy to spot, there were no signs of him.
After a few days of wandering, Oh Sam finally gave up on searching by himself.
He wandered through the camp and asked the allied soldiers.
“I haven’t seen anyone like that.”
“Are you not talking about yourself?”
“Huh, was there someone like that in our Cult?”
There were a few clues from that.
Not only were the Orthodox warriors ignorant of Oh Neung’s existence, even the Demonic soldiers had no clue.
This was because Oh Neung had shot a letter at Woon-seong’s tent and immediately been captured by Gwan Tae-ryang. Those who knew about this incident were few and far between.
Meanwhile, Oh Sam was finally able to obtain some information.
“I heard from a friend of mine who is a guard, he said that there was someone similar to your description in the Charred Dragon’s barracks.”
So Oh Neung was in the Cult of the Heavenly Demon’s side. As soon as he heard that, Oh Sam went to visit the Charred Dragons.
However, the Charred Dragon Unit was one of the top combat units within the Cult of the Heavenly Demon.
The Charred Dragons were one of the Twelve Supporting Units — Oh Sam could not just randomly enter their barracks.
“Please, I have to find someone.”
“Hmph, this isn’t a place where anyone can enter.”
“Let me see my friend’s face, just my friend’s face.”
“The man is being watched by the order of the Leader. I can’t let him meet you just because you want to!”
“No, what did my friend do wrong for him to be locked up like that?!”
And that was how the commotion happened.
“Oh, I forgot about that.”
Woon-seong closed his eyes and rubbed at his temples.
It turned out to be because of a man named Oh Neung.
Oh Neung had not revealed who was behind the intel, but the hidden master must have handed out information to other people.
When Woon-seong looked tired, Sang Gwan-chuk showed slight worry. With the poison from the Inverted Sky eating at his insides, it’s obvious that he’s tired.
Woon-seong shook his head lightly to calm the Senior Strategist. He then spoke to King Jinseong.
“I never thought the man would have a comrade. Was he not an assassin from the Inverted Sky?”
King Jinseong shook his head.
“The one inside the palace is merely imitating Jo Woo-sang’s behavior, while the real chief is blocking the Inverted Sky’s movements elsewhere.”
So it was a mistake.
Woon-seong closed his eyes.
I’m a bit dizzy.
He told Sang Gwan-chuk that he was okay, but Woon-seong actually realized that the poison had gotten stronger.
Perhaps it was because he had been using a lot of energy lately. The poison gradually eroded his body, but he still had no idea how long it would take to achieve a second body modification.
If I don’t achieve a modification, I must endure until I have gotten my revenge at the least.
Woon-seong looked down at his body. You could tell the toughness on the outside, but his insides were shaken by poison.
Woon-seong clenched his fists. It was as if he was telling his body to hold on. His arms trembled. He pressed down on the swelling poison.
He then opened his eyes and asked Oh Neung, “You are fending off the Inverted Sky?”
“That is correct.”
“Then what the hell have you even been doing?”
It was at that moment.
Oh Sam opened his mouth from his place next to Oh Neung.
A stranger’s voice came from his mouth.
“You wanted to see me?”
It was not the accented voice of a foreigner, but closer to someone from Zhongyuan.
“Do you want to know what I am doing?”
But it was also the voice of someone who had lived longer than Oh Sam looked.
King Jinseong responded, “Eunuch, is that Eunuch Jo?”
The owner of the voice did not betray King Jinseong’s question.
“Long time no see, Your Highness.”