The people stared in shock.
Some soldiers were so stunned they dropped their weapons. Some sank where they stood. Some even fled.
The upper leadership was no less aghast at the tremendous sight.
“What... what is that?”
“That man must be one of those martial-world people we’ve only heard about!”
“That is a martial-world man? Is the Central Plains crawling with monsters like that?”
The commander and the upper leadership all knew how to use martial arts, at least in a basic sense.
But even if they gave everything they had, they could not display the overwhelming divine might Jeok Wigang had just shown.
Meanwhile, the Fortress Commander of Dark Dragon Fortress and the soldiers of the foremost line, who had been watching anxiously from far away, turned in shock at the sudden thunderous roar.
The sight of the earthwork fortification collapsing and the low mountain behind it disappearing felt unreal.
“What is that? What happened?”
“S-something must have happened to Sir Jeok! We must send soldiers at once and rescue him.”
When the Fortress Commander began making a fuss, Ye Yahyeon sighed and calmed him down.
“Settle yourself and listen to me.”
“What? Commander, do you know what is happening?”
“I know very well. Everything you just saw was caused by Sir Jeok’s martial arts.”
“What? Sir Jeok has learned martial arts?”
“He has. And he is the strongest.”
“The strongest? No... then why would someone like that be a Compiler of the Hanlin Academy?”
That made even less sense.
“I do not understand that part either, but in any case, what just happened was due to Sir Jeok’s martial arts.”
In truth, it was not martial arts either.
He had probably just thrown out a punch.
But explaining that to these people would make the story longer, so Ye Yahyeon conveniently passed it off as martial arts.
Did these people know?
Did they know that what had just happened was nothing more than a fist thrust out “slightly”?
“Hah. With strength like that, it is no wonder His Majesty gave him the Imperial Command Tablet.”
Even after learning that Jeok Wigang’s official rank was far below his own, the Fortress Commander still spoke of him with extreme respect.
While both camps were still reeling in shock, Jeok Wigang approached the Fury Horse and said,
“There. Now you’re free.”
He spoke with a grin, but the Fury Horse looked stunned.
Its gaze was fixed on the place Jeok Wigang’s fist had struck.
It looked back and forth between Jeok Wigang and the gaping path, then Prrrrrrr—ed, lowered its head, and slowly approached.
Then it rubbed its face against Jeok Wigang’s body, pushed its nose against him, and sniffed him.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you leaving?”
At Jeok Wigang’s words, the Fury Horse gave a soft neigh and flopped down.
The Tatars were shocked all over again at the sight.
For a horse to behave like that meant it had acknowledged that person as its master.
“H-how can this be...? Heaven-Conquering Tiger Night... has chosen a master?”
Heaven-Conquering Tiger Night.
It was a divine horse passed down only as a legend of the grasslands.
Because it was a spirit creature, it would attack people, but it would not harm them.
That was why they had brought it out for Jeok Wigang, only for it to acknowledge him as its master.
The commander looked between the wide-open ruin of the earthwork fortification and Jeok Wigang, then let out a deep sigh.
There was no fighting this.
The hand Jeok Wigang had extended truly was a hand seeking peace.
If it had not been, their camp would have been smashed apart by that tremendous fist.
He envied the Emperor.
To think he had the loyalty of someone so extraordinary.
And he trusted him.
If a man like that served Jeok Wigang’s Emperor, then that Emperor would surely keep his promise.
The commander revealed his identity to Jeok Wigang.
“I am Turhan, Great Khagan of the Tatars and master of the grasslands.”
Great Khagan Turhan.
He was the master of the grasslands and chief of every tribe that existed upon them.
“Ah! You were the Great Khagan. Forgive me for failing to recognize you.”
“No. I was hiding my identity, so of course you could not have known. I will follow the will of the Emperor you serve. From this day forward, we will withdraw our army, and as long as the peace agreement remains in place, we will never attack again.”
“You have made a wise decision. I will also do my utmost to help the Great Khagan and the tribes of the great grasslands.”
“Thank you. May I ask one favor?”
“What is it?”
“I acknowledge you as a true warrior. Will you become a friend of our Tatar people?”
“It would be an honor.”
“You... truly will become our friend?”
“Yes. Would you like me to swear it?”
“No. I trust you.”
Jeok Wigang grinned.
“If something difficult happens, I will help you anytime. Here. A gift to mark our friendship.”
What Jeok Wigang held out was a ring set with a greenish jewel.
“When you truly need help, pour qi into that ring and call my name. Then it will connect to me.”
“Hah. Is it truly all right to give me such a precious object?”
“We’re friends now, aren’t we?”
At Jeok Wigang’s wink, the Great Khagan laughed.
“Hahaha! That is right! We are friends! Now, let me see. It would be discourteous to receive such a great gift and send you away empty-handed.”
The Great Khagan took something out and offered it to him.
“It is the Heavenly Wolf Divine Tablet. A token proving you are a friend of me, the Great Khagan.”
“Thank you.”
“Hahahaha!”
Jeok Wigang accepted it readily, without even the customary polite refusal, and that made the Great Khagan feel even better.
Jeok Wigang did not know.
He did not know the meaning of the Heavenly Wolf Divine Tablet Great Khagan Turhan had given him.
Like the Imperial Command Tablet, the Heavenly Wolf Divine Tablet represented the Great Khagan himself.
With the Heavenly Wolf Divine Tablet in hand, anyone on the great grasslands would treat Jeok Wigang as they would the Great Khagan.
“Then we will trust you and withdraw.”
“Yes. I will convey the Great Khagan’s will to His Majesty, and I will make sure the salt trade route is opened again.”
At Jeok Wigang’s words, the Great Khagan nodded in satisfaction.
“Good! Then we will withdraw and await favorable news. And please take good care of Heaven-Conquering Tiger Night. It is a horse called a legend on the grasslands.”
“Yes. I will treat it with care.”
Jeok Wigang thought,
From now on, I’ll ride in a cart pulled by a horse instead of an ox.
It would look better that way.
Jeok Wigang was in a fine mood.
Did the people know?
Did they know that the horse pulling his cart would be a legend of the grasslands?
And did Heaven-Conquering Tiger Night know?
Did it know that its fate was to pull a cart?
The Great Khagan placed his left hand over his chest and said,
“Then may the blue sky and black earth always be with you.”
Jeok Wigang answered with a Central Plains fist salute.
“I hope boundless glory dwells in the Great Khagan’s future.”
“Haha! Thank you, my friend! Let us meet again!”
“Yes!”
*****
“They... they really are withdrawing.”
“Hah.”
The people were astonished to see the Tatar army pulling back.
To think Jeok Wigang had truly persuaded them through conversation and sent them away.
Conversation?
In that instant, everyone’s gaze turned to one place.
As they stared at the trench stretching straight ahead in a single line, they wondered whether that, too, should be called conversation.
Somehow, they had the feeling that the greatest reason the Tatars had resolved matters through dialogue with Jeok Wigang might have been that.
When Jeok Wigang crossed back over on his new horse, the people cheered.
The Fortress Commander quickly went down to receive him.
“You have truly worked hard.”
“Not at all. This is all thanks to His Majesty’s grace.”
“Hahaha! Indeed. On such a joyous day, should we not hold a feast? What do you say to slaughtering those cattle over there and opening a celebration?”
Jeok Wigang shook his head.
“It is still too early. The true enemy has not been dealt with yet.”
“The true enemy?”
“Cloud-Sea Fortress.”
“What? H-how are they the enemy?”
“Embezzling the budget His Majesty bestowed is a crime equivalent to treason. Meaning it would not be strange to behead them immediately.”
“But that place has more troops than we do, and its fortress is so sturdy it is practically impregnable.”
“No matter how sturdy it is, it will collapse with one punch.”
Everyone understood at once.
No matter how strong a fortress was, could it withstand that fist?
It was a god’s fist that had blown away even a mountain.
“I see.”
“Still, today is a good day, so let us eat our fill. Tell the soldiers that the war is over now, so they may lay down their weapons and eat as much as they like. I will buy the wine.”
“Wh-what are you saying? We will pay for it.”
“You were all able to endure until now because everyone here spared no expense from your own property, were you not? So I will buy it.”
“You... knew even that?”
“Of course. Information is the foundation of an audit.”
“I see.”
Of course he would investigate the people he was auditing.
“Now, bring every drop of wine from the surrounding area. Starting today, we feast for several days.”
“Yes!”
*****
After the feast that continued for several days ended, Jeok Wigang set out for Cloud-Sea Fortress.
A line of ox carts and horse carts loaded with the rotten military grain Cloud-Sea Fortress had sent followed behind him.
“Wind-Heaven. Are you all right pulling the cart?”
NEEEIGH—
Wind-Heaven was the name of Heaven-Conquering Tiger Night.
Wind-Heaven seemed to laugh as if to say it was fine.
“You would be happiest running across the grasslands, but I’m making you pull a cart. I feel a little bad.”
NEEEEIGH—
It gave a long cry and made a motion like it was rubbing its head against his knee, as though it was even happier this way.
What mattered to Wind-Heaven was not the open field, but being beside Jeok Wigang.
On the grasslands, it had grown exhausted avoiding the humans who constantly bothered it, but now that it was beside the strongest human, there was no such nuisance.
Reading from Wind-Heaven’s movements that it liked this, Jeok Wigang grinned.
“All right. When we reach the fortress, let’s eat some tasty meat.”
NEEEEIGH—!
Wind-Heaven grew even happier at the word meat.
Wind-Heaven liked meat, not fodder.
Everyone who saw a horse eating meat was horrified, but Jeok Wigang liked Wind-Heaven all the more for it.
Before long, Jeok Wigang’s party arrived at Cloud-Sea Fortress.
Unlike Dark Dragon Fortress, its walls were neatly maintained, and the guards wore armor that looked new.
In front of it stretched a long line.
It was a line of people waiting for the guards’ inspection before entering the fortress.
The inspection was mainly being conducted on wagons and carts.
Frustrated, Ye Yahyeon said to Jeok Wigang,
“Shall I go reveal our identities and have them let us through first?”
“No, that’s fine. There’s no hurry, so let’s go in slowly.”
“Big Brother, does this not feel suffocating to you?”
“More importantly, the people’s faces do not look very bright.”
“They do not. They all look full of worry.”
“Hmm.”
Jeok Wigang listened to the conversations around him.
“Have you prepared this month’s tax?”
“Whew. Not yet.”
“A household-registration tax for each child... What kind of nonsense is that? I have five children.”
“I have four myself. Haa.”
“Do you know what happens if you cannot pay?”
“I do. You get dragged off to the labor camp, do you not? I hear some men offer up their own children because they hate forced labor so much.”
“They’re madmen. How could anyone offer up his own child?”
“They must want to avoid the labor that badly. You know it too, do you not? They call it labor, but anyone who comes back from that place returns half-crippled.”
“I know. Did old Zhang next door not waste away and die after returning?”
“That is why everyone is desperate not to go.”
“What in the world is His Majesty doing? Leaving a bastard who deserves death alone like that.”
“Would His Majesty care about people like us? I am trying to sell even this to gather the money.”
“Is that not your family treasure?”
“It is a treasure. Because thanks to this, I can protect my family’s peace.”
“Hah.”
“You worry about yourself. Do not worry about me.”
“True... I am in no position to worry about anyone else.”