Warlord Han Yegum

Makjeong and Deokheung, two men of the same age, had been looking at Officer Pyeong for quite some time. Or, more precisely, they were staring at his armor.

While they wore ragged armor covered in the blood of fallen warriors, the officer's armor was entirely dark, sleek, and sophisticated. It looked both impressive and practical, with many parts intricately layered and parts of it hidden away.

Additionally, the black, high-quality leather boots and the sword sheath that was only issued to officers made everything look even more magnificent in Deokheung’s eyes, a former slave.

However, Makjeong’s thoughts were entirely different.

"I never used to think this officer’s uniform was anything special..."

That’s right. Back when he was Han Yegum, he had seen officers as pitiable figures who couldn’t even lift their heads.

The mansion of the kingdom's grand general. High-ranking ministers and various generals frequently came and went. Even the most seasoned officers had to live in constant tension under the roof of General Han Jin’s estate.

In such a place, an officer was no different than a mere soldier guarding the gates of Myeon Fortress. It was no surprise that the young Han Yegum thought officers were just soldiers doing errands.

"I never expected this. Now, if this officer orders me to run to my death, I’d have no choice but to obey... Ah, should I have deserted last night?"

Makjeong, regretting not fleeing, suddenly became curious. He wondered how these officers were even appointed. It was pure curiosity.

"Excuse me, Officer."

"Hm? What is it?"

Makjeong spoke up first, and Officer Pyeong turned his head toward him.

"How does one become an officer?"

"What? Ha! Ha ha!"

Officer Pyeong chuckled slightly at Makjeong’s question.

In the midst of all the soldiers who looked like cattle being led to slaughter, this young boy seemed to want to distinguish himself and become an officer.

"An officer? Why, do you want to become one?"

"Excuse me?"

Makjeong quickly realized there had been a misunderstanding, but it was already too late.

"Hahaha!"

Officer Pyeong laughed loudly. Despite his young age, the boy seemed confident, and that made him look more promising than the other soldiers.

"What's your name? How old are you?"

Then the answer came not from Makjeong, but from Nam Pae and the other members of the squad.

"Wow! You were aiming for an officer’s position? Madal here wouldn’t even take the position of squad leader if it were offered to him! Hey, Madal! Don’t you feel anything after seeing Makjeong?"

"Oh- why are you always dragging me into this? This is something you should be saying to Tteokkeong! Hey, Tteokkeong! Even though we’re both seventeen, some are crying ‘I feel like I’m going to die,’ while others are fighting hard to become officers. Don’t you feel anything? Huh?"

"Ayong, you know who you should be learning from, right?"

"Hahaha! Makjeong? Seventeen?"

Officer Pyeong laughed loudly again, and then, after thinking for a moment, he looked back at Makjeong.

"Hm..."

Officer Pyeong seemed to be considering how to explain things.

Normally, soldiers with good martial skills and leadership abilities would be selected as officers, but it was faster and more certain to be appointed through family connections or money.

Children of powerful families, high-ranking officials, or wealthy households easily became officers.

Originally, those with superior skills and strength were supposed to become officers, but the reason so many officers were still lacking in skill during the war was precisely because of such factors.

However, unable to tell the truth, Officer Pyeong started to explain with a smile on his face.

"When officers are selected, they choose soldiers with good martial skills and leadership. But right now, since we’re at war, if you kill a lot of enemies, especially an officer or a general, you’ll have a high chance of becoming an officer. Of course, even if you don’t, you’ll still be rewarded. Hahaha. So, Makjeong, when we arrive at White Plains, fight hard. I’ll keep an eye on you and report your achievements in detail. Hahaha."

"No, I just..."

But before Makjeong could finish, Nam Pae interrupted.

"Hey, everyone! Let’s train up Makjeong and make him an officer! Let’s make an officer out of our squad!"

"Hah- Yeah. I’ll be the big brother to the officer."

"Officer! Don’t forget that I saved your life last time!"

"It’s about time to change the squad leader, right?"

The squad members were having fun, and they didn’t seem like they were going to stop anytime soon.

"Hahaha! Alright. Everyone, stand up! We’re leaving! Line up by squad!"

Officer Pyeong was satisfied with the revived mood and started the support team on their march. The pace of the support team seemed to pick up, possibly because of their lighter steps compared to before.

Makjeong tried to ignore his squadmates’ jokes as he thought about Officer Pyeong’s words.

If his father hadn’t been falsely accused of treason and executed, Makjeong, trained in martial arts, would have likely started his military career as an officer. He would have become a general in no time, fighting under his father or another general, gaining more experience as a leader.

"I thought it was a given that I would become a general, like my father... But now, even becoming an officer means surviving multiple near-death experiences and proving myself…"

Suddenly lamenting his life that had fallen into ruin, Makjeong snapped back to reality.

"No, what am I thinking? How can I even think about becoming an officer in a country that killed my father, mother, and brothers?! I need to escape. I need to go to the Shang Kingdom and live well. Let this damn country fall apart; I don’t care about it anymore..."

Makjeong shook his head and looked at his squadmates, who continued to joke around.

"Hey, the future officer is upset. Everyone, stop it already."

****

Even though the sun had set, the support team continued their march, using torches to light the way. By nightfall, they arrived at White Plains.

White Plains.

This was Makjeong’s first time here, and just as he had heard, it was a vast plain. As they descended from the mountain path, he could already see that the armies of the Shang Kingdom and the U Kingdom had set up camp. It was truly a sea of torches.

The Shang army's camp was too far away to see clearly, but perhaps because their numbers were greater than those of the U Kingdom, it seemed like their torches stretched farther into the night.

• Kang! Klang!! Klang!!

As they entered the rear of the camp through a narrow mountain path, dragging carts along, the loud clanging of hammers from a makeshift forge could be heard. Even at this late hour, the workers were busy, likely because many weapons and armor were in need of repair.

"Wow... this place has things like this," Makjeong muttered, seeing the forges.

Madal, with a disappointed look, fiddled with his own axe, noticing the piles of broken spearheads and blades around the forge. When he saw the workers laboring away even at this hour, he realized he couldn't leave his axe with them for repair.

While Madal was concerned about his axe, Gaesang was worried about something else.

"I hope they give us some food. They wouldn’t skip it just because it’s late, right? We’ve been walking all day from Yeolgu Mountain."

Gaesang mumbled, a look of irritation on his face. In the brutal reality of the battlefield, food was essential to a soldier’s survival, and every soldier knew how crucial it was.

Moreover, food wasn’t something soldiers carried themselves; they were always dependent on supplies, which made them more sensitive to hunger.

When the support team arrived, the soldiers at White Plains didn’t seem too welcoming. They looked exhausted, with faces that showed nothing but fatigue. It made sense though, as the newcomers had been treated the same way when they first arrived at Yeolgu Mountain.

After a while, Officer Pyeong returned after completing his report, accompanied by several soldiers.

"Everyone, come this way! Eat here and then go to your assigned spots!"

"Ugh—food..." Gaesang's face immediately relaxed upon hearing that food would be served.

The food at White Plains was a little better than at Yeolgu Mountain.

The portions were larger, and whereas at Yeolgu Mountain they only had rice balls, boiled vegetables, and some hot water, here, even the water had bits of food floating in it.

"Wow—these guys are really living it up here," Nam Pae said, sniffing and munching on his rice ball.

The rice was almost nonexistent, with mostly grains and barley, but the quantity was more satisfying. Plus, the little bits added to the broth made it flavorful, so it was easy to call it a stew.

"Would be nice if this was all meat. Slurp."

"Yeah, it’s been so long since I’ve seen meat."

Makjeong listened to his squadmates, and thoughts of the meat dishes he had eaten as a child came to mind. Before his family’s fall from grace, they had eaten meat almost every day.

His father’s estate was always filled with warriors who accompanied him on his campaigns. His father had never spared food for them, so the smell of boiling meat was constant in their house.

As a result, Makjeong had grown up eating meat often. The fact that he was more muscular and healthier than Deokheung, who was the same age, was likely due to that upbringing.

The support soldiers quickly finished their meals and moved to where they would be resting. Surprisingly, dozens of small tents were set up neatly in rows at the rear of the camp.

"Wow! They even have these?"

It wasn’t just Madal who was amazed. Back at Yeolgu Mountain, they had lived on mats and used blankets as bedding. While each squad had built crude shelters with wooden roofs to protect from rain and morning dew, they still couldn’t escape the cold winds and dampness.@@novelbin@@

But now, they would sleep inside cozy tents that protected them from both wind and moisture. Naturally, the soldiers were overjoyed.

"Five men to a tent! Five men per tent! The rest will have to use the tents for other squads!"

At Officer Pyeong's command, the soldiers began picking tents and settling in.

Inside, there were a few mats laid out, but the soldiers brought their own blankets and mats, spreading them out thicker to keep the cold and dampness from the ground at bay. If they didn’t take care of that, their bodies would suffer.

"This is pretty nice," one soldier commented as they stretched out on the mats.

"Well, if we’re going to sleep like this, it’s not so bad, right? Food’s good too," Gaesang added.

"I’d rather just die and be buried in the ground there. I'll wrap you in a blanket and bury you properly," Madal joked.

"Let’s wait until the weather warms up. We’ll think about it later," Gaesang replied with a chuckle.

The group had become so comfortable with each other that their jokes came more naturally now.

The tent was dark, but the torches for the camp’s watch flickered in the distance. Makjeong peeked out of the tent and saw soldiers on guard or patrolling the area.

He could faintly hear the sounds of footsteps and voices from far off.

Though they had just arrived today, Makjeong felt like they had been here for days. It was an odd feeling, like a sense of familiarity had already settled in.

‘Anyway, it’s too late to escape now... Ugh, I don’t care anymore. It’ll work out somehow. I’ll just sleep.’

Arriving at White Plains, a battlefield with so many soldiers, made it impossible to desert.

Makjeong felt like he had been swept into this place, helpless, caught in the vast tide of war.

On this massive battlefield where nations fought, an individual could do nothing but survive. The only option was to desperately kill the enemy and stay alive.

Makjeong had decided to surrender to this overwhelming tide.

Instead of panicking and dying, he would remain calm, hold his breath, and find a way to survive.

His path would come later, after he had escaped this chaotic current.

‘For now, I’ll just fight my hardest as a soldier of the U Kingdom and survive.’

Behind him, the sound of Gaesang snoring could be heard. The sour smells of feet and sweat from the soldiers who had walked all day filled the tent.

If Gaesang, Madal, or Nam Pae all took their turns passing gas, Makjeong thought he might have to open the door slightly for some ventilation.

• Scratch scratch

• Scrape scrape scrape

The squadmates hadn’t bathed in days, so even while sleeping, they were scratching at their bodies. Their clothes and blankets were full of lice, fleas, and bedbugs, so it was inevitable they would be itching.

• Pffft!

Makjeong heard Madal’s loud fart, a familiar sound, and closed his eyes to try and sleep.