novelraw Chapter 175 : Taking the First Strike (1)
Chapter 175 : Taking the First Strike (1)
Chapter 175: Taking the First Strike (1)
Guizhou’s Three High Offices.
It referred to the three highest authorities who each oversaw one domain of Guizhou: civil administration, judicial affairs, and military power.
Within Guizhou, they were officials who wielded absolute authority that no one dared to offend.
Yet today, for some reason, the faces of those three officials had turned deathly pale.
“What… what in the world is going on? Without any prior word, suddenly this—??”
The Provincial Administration Commissioner of the Senior Second Rank wiped the sweat from his forehead as he spoke anxiously.
The Surveillance Commissioner of the Junior Second Rank quickly bent his waist and replied in haste.
“W-we are endlessly ashamed as well, Your Excellency…! Surely the main palace must have sent some sort of….”
At the Surveillance Commissioner’s words, the Military Commander of the same Junior Second Rank frowned.
“Ha, ‘we’, you say? You overlooked something beforehand, so why drag me into it! The management of letters from the palace is your responsibility!”
The Surveillance Commissioner shook his head, wronged.
“Do not speak recklessly, Commander! If it had been an ordinary matter, how could I possibly have missed something this grave? Besides, you also…!”
“Both of you, quiet! Is this the time to argue among ourselves? It is His Highness the Crown Prince, His Highness! He suddenly arrived in Guizhou!”
At that, the Provincial Administration Commissioner, who had been listening silently beside them, barked sharply.
Startled by his harsh rebuke, the two men closed their mouths.
Indeed—what had thrown them into such panic was the sudden appearance of Crown Prince Juyudo, heir to the Great Ming Empire, here in Guizhou.
The Provincial Administration Commissioner then added in a low, sigh-ridden voice.
“…Hoo… no doubt the old monster of the Eastern Depot must have found some pretext in our conduct and reported it.”
“Oh Gonggong…!”
“Surely… the matter from before His Highness ascended as Crown Prince…?”
“Shh! Hold your tongue!”
“Huup!”
At the Commissioner’s words, the Military Commander shut his mouth.
Worried that the many officials and soldiers following behind might have overheard, the Commissioner furtively glanced back.
The truth was that the three of them had secretly aligned themselves with another imperial prince before Juyudo became Crown Prince.
Because they acted so discreetly, that fact had never surfaced, yet their guilty conscience now made their legs tremble.
“Hoo… nothing has been proven yet. What matters most right now is that we conduct ourselves well so that His Highness does not grow displeased. A single misstep, and the heads of all three of us could fall—never forget that!”
“…Y-yes, Your Excellency! We shall keep it in mind!”
The Surveillance Commissioner and the Military Commander hurriedly bowed with proper etiquette at the Commissioner’s warning.
Even after that, the three men walked on, unable to dispel their anxiety and unease.
“T-there, he is coming!”
“What are you all doing!! Present yourselves properly!!”
At last, before the gates of Guiyang—the capital of Guizhou—a golden royal palanquin came into view.
Behind the Three High Offices standing at the forefront, all officials and soldiers stood in formation, and beside them the summoned citizens gathered.
The people of Guiyang, however, still had not grasped the situation and merely looked dazed.
Creak!
Boom!
Then the massive gates of Guizhou Fortress swung open, and the palanquin—guarded by golden flags bearing imperial dignity and masked imperial guards—began to enter.
“We pay our respects to His Highness, the Crown Prince of the Great Ming Empire!!”
“Crown Prince, ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten-thousand times ten thousand years!”
All three officials lowered themselves as much as possible, sweating as if under pouring rain from tension and fear while receiving Juyudo’s procession.
Only then did the citizens realize the situation was real, and they shouted ten thousand years until their voices nearly tore.
Amid everyone’s welcome, the Crown Prince’s entourage entered the heart of Guiyang far too easily.
At that moment, the eyes of one masked imperial guard gleamed with an unusual light.
‘Never imagined I would enter Guiyang—where the Six Pillars have firmly rooted themselves—without shedding a single drop of blood.’
Sewoon, disguised as an imperial guard, rejoiced inwardly.
All of this had begun with a series of plans Juyudo devised.
—Hehe, if one wishes to hide, the best way is to reveal oneself openly.
—Hmm? What does that mean?
To help Sewoon, Juyudo altered his travel route slightly.
He should have gone straight to the Imperial Palace, but instead he changed course to make a brief stop in Guizhou, where Sewoon planned to fight.
‘Under normal circumstances, we would have had to battle fiercely starting from Chishu County, the border of Sichuan and Guizhou.’
The Six Pillars dividing Guizhou among themselves—
The Killing Tower, the Rakshasa Sect, the Wind Spirit Group, the Tiger-Pacifying Stronghold, the Guiyeom Society, and the Martial Exalt Union.
He did not fear them at all.
But avoiding pointless bloodshed—and being able to infiltrate Guiyang, the heartland where the Six Pillars’ headquarters sat—this delighted him beyond measure.
He had always known the Crown Prince’s authority was powerful, but seeing its effects firsthand exceeded all imagination.
‘Tsk, I can practically hear their eyeballs rattling from here.’
Watching the bewildered faces of the Three High Offices who governed Guizhou Fortress was rather entertaining.
Step.
At that moment, Juyudo stepped down from the palanquin and looked at the three officials.
His gaze was nothing like the one he used when looking at Sewoon—cold to the extreme.
“Why are your reactions like that?”
“Ye, yes?”
“Y-Your Highness. W-What do you mean by that?”
At Crown Prince Juyudo’s single remark, cold sweat streamed down the backs of the three men.
‘T-This is completely different from how he looked in the Imperial Palace.’
‘No, how can he have this kind of pressure…….’
Was it because he had now been formally confirmed as the next emperor?
Unlike a year ago, when he somehow seemed frail, an overwhelming pressure and imposing aura were emanating from him.
“Judging by those sour looks on your faces, it seems I have come somewhere I should not have?”
“N-Not at all! Such words are utterly unfitting, Your Highness.”
“H-How could we possibly—”
“Hmm.”
The Three High Offices hurriedly panicked as they tried to excuse themselves before Juyudo.
Juyudo scattered his characteristic cold gaze.
As if a small amount of Sewoon’s energy had seeped into him during his Body Reformation, the transformation he showed was now strikingly similar to that of his friend Sewoon.
“Tsk, I will be watching. To see whether it is true or not.”
“……!!”
“W-What are you doing! Sound the music at once!!”
The Provincial Administration Commissioner, whose heart had plunged in terror, shouted loudly toward the rear.
Seeing the three men—who had likely lived their lives boasting wherever they went—now shriveled up like that, Sewoon unknowingly let out a small laugh.
Right then, a familiar voice reached his ears.
[How is it, friend? You didn’t expect the power of the Imperial Palace to be this convenient, did you?]
It was Crown Prince Juyudo’s telepathy.
[Indeed, thanks to you I came in far too comfortably. Had I known the Crown Prince’s authority was this overwhelming, I would have used it much sooner.]
[Hahaha, good. Go ahead and use it to your heart’s content.]
Laughing and chatting, the two moved toward the governmental office.
Before long, the moment of parting arrived.
[Once everything ends, come to the Imperial Palace and share a drink with me. I will be waiting.]
[Alright. I will make sure to bring you a proper gift.]
[Hoho, I look forward to it.]
Though the exchange was filled with jokes, Sewoon conveyed genuine gratitude to Juyudo.
Juyudo, as if receiving that sincerity, ended the telepathy with a light smile.
The moment they arrived at the governmental office, which had been nothing but chaos and confusion—
Sseuseuk!
Sewoon and a group of Royal Guards quietly concealed themselves.
‘Well then, shall we begin the war?’
Sewoon’s eyes glinted brutally as he stepped forward.
If one were to ask the commoners of Guiyang which pleasure house was the most splendid, they would all unanimously name Muhakru.
It could not be compared to Hunan or Guangxi, of course, but it was still quite renowned for its splendor.
Yet today, Muhakru stood desolate without a single guest.
Into that empty Muhakru, a man appeared.
With a skinny body and skin burnt dark under the scorching sun, he looked unmistakably like a field laborer. But his clothing and outward appearance were far too extravagant for that.
Moreover, the uniquely icy gaze and the long scar carved across his right cheek clearly announced that he was a martial artist.
‘Damn it. What kind of dogshit situation is this.’
The man—no, Ho Daewon, the Chairman of the Guiyeom Society, one of the Six Pillars that controlled Guizhou—silently spat curses in his mind.
Salt smuggling. As the one who held the largest amount of financial power among the leaders of the Six Pillars, he had two reasons for his foul mood.
Originally, today’s plan had been to hold a grand meeting among the heads of the Six Pillars right here in Muhakru.
Naturally, this was for finalizing the plan to raid the Sichuan Tang Clan.
‘Who would’ve thought the Crown Prince would suddenly come.’
With the arrival of Crown Prince Juyudo, all organizational meetings were cancelled on the spot.
This was due to pressure from the Three High Offices, who declared that Murim forces must never gather recklessly.
Of course, the Law of Non-Interference was clear, but in such a situation, they had no choice.
The Crown Prince held far more weight than any of their connections.
However—
It was actually the second reason created by this situation that made Ho Daewon even more irritated.
‘……Damn it, now I have to persuade that bastard by myself.’
Among the Six Pillars, he now had to meet privately with the one man who opposed going to war with the Sichuan Tang Clan.
At that moment, a courtesan descended from the upper floor and greeted Ho Daewon.
“Oh my. Ho Daein, you’re here.”
“Yes. Has that guy arrived?”
“Yes, he came half a shichen ago and is waiting for you upstairs, Daein.”
“……I see? Well, is he drunk at least?”
Ho Daewon sent her a hopeful look, but the courtesan shook her head.
“No, he doesn’t seem to get drunk at all.”
“Tsk, that wooden block of a man. I see.”
Ho Daewon clicked his tongue as he looked up toward the highest floor of Muhakru and began to ascend.
Deureureuk!
Soon the door opened, revealing the most lavishly decorated room.
Without even a single courtesan pouring drinks, a man exuding a vicious aura sat inside.
Ho Daewon, forcing a smile contrary to his true feelings, greeted him.
“Aigo, Gong Ryonju. I heard you’ve been waiting for quite some time.”
“You came.”
Gong Taemun, the head of the Martial Exalt Union—another branch of the Six Pillars like the Guiyeom Society—spoke in a short, clipped tone.
Unlike the Guiyeom Society, which pursued profit through blades and blood, the Martial Exalt Union was a sect far closer to the tyrannical path.
A sect of madmen obsessed with martial arts.
‘……Haah, how am I supposed to persuade this thick-headed lunatic?’
A sect of maniacs who increased their martial prowess by betting their lives in Do-mu, duels where participants personally wagered their true lives and techniques.
Because their methods were far too brutal, they naturally could not belong to the Orthodox Path or the White Path Union.
“I will make myself clear. We will not participate in the war against the Sichuan Tang Clan.”
“……!!”
At that moment, Gong Taemun opened his mouth and declared firmly.