Rediscovered Sword Control - 3
After enduring a meal that felt more hellish than charging into battle with a sword, Gukwang was more concerned about the half-raw meat and mare's milk wine he had shoved down his throat staging a rebellion in his stomach than anything else. Whether or not Habur (TL note: name changed to Habur) sensed his discomfort, she chattered away about the horses they hadn't seen in a long time, words flowing from her lips regardless of Gukwang's understanding.
As Gukwang struggled to comprehend more than half of what she was saying, his patience wore thin, yet this oblivious girl didn't seem to notice. Unable to bear it any longer, he stood up to leave, but hesitated, picked up the sword resting in the corner, and returned to sit next to Habur. He began to carefully polish the Qingcheng Sword and his dagger, half-heartedly responding to her endless chatter.
Habur flinched a bit when Gukwang pulled out the sword, but since he immediately began to clean it, she resumed her incessant talking. Once Gukwang finished with the sword, he spread out his bedding and prepared to rest. Habur, seizing the moment, snatched the leather from his hands, carefully laid it down, and then lay down next to him. Gukwang was astounded, but he couldn't convince the girl, who seemed to view him as her husband or a substitute for one.
Ah, whatever will be, will be.
Gukwang stretched out his right arm to create a pillow for Habur, listening to her whispers as he drifted off to sleep. He hadn't had much rest due to the long journey, so it was inevitable. Habur, still whispering beside him, soon noticed his calm breathing. When she got no response from him, she poked him gently.
"Hey…"
Receiving no reaction, she smiled softly and snuggled into his side to sleep. Despite the circumstances forcing them to be together, she found herself quite fond of this mysterious man who seemed to care for her.
The next morning, Mawa came to wake Gukwang again, barging into the tent.
"Captain."
Half-awake, Gukwang looked up at Mawa from his position on the ground.
"What's going on?"
Mawa glared down at him, speaking curtly.
"What are you doing just sleeping? There's a lot to do…"
"A lot to do?"
"Yes."
"What kind of things?"
"Well…"
"I don't know what it is, but deal with it with Imchung. I'm tired from not sleeping for a long time."
"Are you not getting up?"
"Hey, let me sleep. What time is it even...?"
"It's already dawn."
"Already? It hasn't even been a full hour since the sun came up. Let's talk later."
Unwilling to get up, Gukwang pulled the leather blanket a little higher, and as he did, Mawa approached and yanked the blanket away. Gukwang was still wearing the clothes he had on from the night before. Next to him, Habur, also dressed, clung to Gukwang while peeking at Mawa with frightened eyes. Mawa, surprised by the scene, looked dumbfounded.
"..."
In the meantime, Gukwang skillfully used his inner energy to reclaim the leather Mawa had taken and draped it back over himself. In a sleepy voice, he said coldly, "Let's talk later. Get out before I kick you out."
"Alright."
As Gukwang wrapped his arms around Habur again, Mawa stepped back and headed to Imchung's tent. She entered without hesitation into the tent where Imchung was sound asleep.
Mawa kicked Imchung lightly to wake him.
"Hey, get up!"
"Huh...? What's going on?"
"What do you mean what's going on? Get up quickly."
"Ugh…"
Seeing Imchung groan and pull the blanket back over himself again, Mawa swiftly snatched the blanket away. Unlike the indifferent Gukwang, Imchung turned red, embarrassed by his morning state becoming apparent in front of Mawa.
"Hey, hurry up and get out."
"Tch, acting like a man…"
Mawa kicked the hand covering his face and said, "I'll be waiting outside, so hurry up if you don't want to die."
"Are you really a woman? You're driving me crazy this early in the morning…"
As Imchung grumbled and carefully made his way out without exposing himself, Mawa questioned him, "Hey, why is the captain living with a Mongolian girl?"
"Are you seriously asking that? Why would you wake someone from their sleep just to ask nonsense? If he's living with a smelly Mongolian girl, the reason is pretty obvious."
"What? You mean…?"
When Mawa asked so directly, Imchung's face turned crimson, and he stammered.
"Uh, yeah… I guess so."
"But I don't think that's it."
"Why not?"
"Ever since Habur moved in, I've been waking her up every dawn…"
Imchung shouted in surprise, "Are you crazy?"
Regardless of Imchung's shock, Mawa shook her head and continued, "No, I'm perfectly sane. But... every time, they were both fully dressed. That means they haven't had sex. Is that even possible for a man? Last I saw, he didn't seem to have any issues down there…"
As the conversation took a strange turn, Imchung's face turned even redder as he glanced around. He couldn't understand Mawa at all, nor did he want to.
Damn it, if anyone hears this conversation, what a ridiculous embarrassment to start the morning with...
"Stop talking nonsense and just get some more sleep. You might have returned a long time ago and rested well, but I'm on the verge of death here. Do you think wandering around the plains for thirty days is easy? The captain hasn't had a good night's sleep, and neither have I. So please, let's just sleep…"
Mawa grabbed Imchung by the back of his neck as he tried to enter the tent and dragged him to a makeshift water basin where he could get a drink. She dunked his face into the water, pulled him out, and continued talking.
"Are you feeling a bit more awake now? That's why I don't understand. It's not about fulfilling desires, and it's not like the Mongolians have a different diet to be able to treat her as a servant…"
Despite his clothes getting soaked, Imchung wiped his eyes with his sleeve and looked at Mawa with a bewildered expression.
"Damn, the more I hear, the more ridiculous it gets. So what's the point of what you're trying to say?"
"What I mean is, why a Mongolian girl? If the captain wanted someone, there are plenty of women here…"
With a dazed expression, Imchung pointed at Mawa.
"Plenty of women?"
"What are you talking about? I'm not…"
As Mawa got defensive, Imchung teased her with a grin.
"Hmph, no matter how much you fret, you're not on the same level as him. Drink some cold water and clear your head. Whether the captain sleeps with a Mongolian girl or a girl from the Khitan, it's none of your business. Now I'm going to get some more sleep. You handle any work that comes up."
As Imchung turned away, Mawa shouted after him, "Hey, don't just think about it—listen to what I have to say!"
Imchung shook his head as he entered the tent.
"Stop talking nonsense and get some more sleep. You're not thinking straight because you're lacking sleep, and it's making you say ridiculous things."
Frustrated, Mawa murmured to herself as she watched the flapping tent flap after Imchung went in.
"Hmph! I shouldn't have said anything."
As Gukgwang finally got up, Habur, who had been waiting, brought some food. "Here you go." This time, it was a whole roasted leg, but the situation hadn't changed much. The outside was cooked, but the inside was still dripping with blood. Gukgwang forced himself to chew and swallow the meat, downing a cup of Mayuju, then got up.
"Eat a bit more." Gukgwang smiled awkwardly and said to Habur, "Ah... so, this is really delicious, but I don't usually eat much. And I have lunch planned with my subordinates, so there's no need to prepare anything. It might be boring, but you should eat alone, okay?" Hearing that it was delicious, Habur smiled brightly.
"It's good to get close with your subordinates."
"Oh, I just remembered, I have plans for dinner with my subordinates. We're going to drink together, so you should eat first, alright?"
"We'll eat together tomorrow night, right?"
"Of course…"
Gukgwang hurriedly strapped on the Cheongseong Sword, which had been given to him by General Ok Yeongjin, leaving his Mookhon Sword deeply stored away. He preferred this sword because it was more convenient to use a longer blade in mounted combat. Gukgwang rushed over to Imchung's tent. As he approached, he saw Imchung and his subordinates gathered around a meal, and everyone stood up to greet him. Gukgwang barely acknowledged the greeting and squeezed in to sit down.
"Hey, do I have anything to eat?"
With a knowing smirk, Imchung sarcastically replied, "No, do we have anything for the captain to eat? We don't even have enough for ourselves... Besides, I'm sure you had a hearty breakfast prepared by the lovely Habur…"
"If that's what a human can eat, then sure. Enough with the nonsense—just hand it over quickly." One of the subordinates scooped a bowl of rice and handed it to Gukgwang.
As he eagerly stuffed his mouth with rice and side dishes, Gukgwang pondered how to navigate this difficult situation. Sure, if he kept eating heartily, he would eventually get used to it, but the problem was now. Plus, he didn't intend to keep Habur with him for life, so he didn't see the need to adjust or put in the effort to do so.
Prelude to the Great Battle of Tenryeong Plains - 1
Several women and children, their hands bound, passed by in long lines multiple times a day in the main camp. The raiding units nearby used the relatively safe supply route from the main camp to Jinryeong Valley to transport their plunder back to their homeland. As a result, Gukgwang was forced to witness the despairing gazes of countless people being dragged away, even if he didn't want to.
After five days, the three Cheon-in units that had gone on the pursuit returned. They took longer on their way back as they looted all the nearby Mongolian villages. They brought back numerous prisoners and carts full of captured supplies. General Ok Yeong-jin sent all these supplies on their way back to the homeland and then summoned only the Cheon-in unit leaders and above to hold an extended operational meeting.
Gukgwang also gathered information from the forty Baek-in units engaged in plundering. Although Cheoljincheon's injuries were severe, he learned that he was retreating to a location to reorganize his forces.
As Gukgwang gazed at the distant clouds, lost in thought, Makhwa approached him slowly. Perhaps due to the long rest or the relief after annihilating the nearby enemy forces, she wasn't wearing armor, which was unusual for her. Although not an exceptional beauty, she had a sharp nose and a stubborn-looking gaze. Makhwa brushed her hair aside, annoyed by the wind, and spoke to Gukgwang.
"What are you thinking about?"
Startled by her sudden voice, Gukgwang blinked in confusion. "Huh? What did you say?"
"What are you zoning out about?"
"Oh... I was just wondering when this damn war will end."
"Isn't it up to whether Cheoljincheon or Dongjincheon dies?"
"If we have to kill him, we should charge in quickly and finish it. Why are we doing this ugly business here?"
"That's because this area is inhabited by Cheoljincheon's tribes. If we eliminate them, it will weaken his position."
"Is that really the case? If we continue like this, it seems we'll only earn the resentment of the tribes in this area..."
"That's too much of a Central Plains perspective."
"A Central Plains perspective?"
Makhwa began to explain, as if to chide someone who didn't understand the ways of the world. "These people follow the strict law of the survival of the fittest, being strong against the weak and weak against the strong. If we show them our strength, something will result from it. I've heard that already five tribes have sent messengers saying they'll support us. So, it seems the next operation will be with the Mongolian tribes."
"With the Mongolian tribes…?"
"Yes, they have never formed a single nation. Therefore, the concept of kinship doesn't exist for them. As long as their own tribe doesn't suffer, they'll do anything. They would even help eliminate other tribes if it means that they won't face any harm. The commander is currently waiting for reinforcements from those five tribes. From what I've heard, we can expect about 80,000 reinforcements."
"Is that certain?" Makhwa playfully tugged at her ears. "Yes, I have very large ears." Gukgwang smiled brightly. "If your ears are too big, you won't be able to live by your name. It's been said for ages that ignorance is bliss."
Makhwa, taking it further, clicked her tongue as if looking down on him. "Tsk tsk, that's not it. Even if you have big ears, if your mouth is heavy, it can be beneficial. You don't understand, do you? There's a saying that knowledge is power."
"Hmm, that could be true. So do you know when we'll start advancing?"
"It seems we'll set out in about three days. I heard we'll join the Mongolian tribes on the Turlai Plains."
"On the plains?"
"Yes, since we can't clearly know their intentions, the commander thinks it would be best to avoid surprise attacks. On the plains, surprise attacks are impossible, and if it's not a surprise attack, our Black Wind Brigade wouldn't be able to deal a fatal blow to the Mongolian tribes anyway."
"That makes sense."