Warlord Han Yegum

"General! Everyone is ready!"

The voice of his father’s aide rang out energetically.

Familiar generals and dozens of soldiers stood lined up, fully armored. Behind them, even more attendants and baggage carriers were stationed with their carts.

Makjeong’s older brothers had also finished preparing to join his father in battle, while only young Yegeum remained at home with his mother. Along with his mother, Yegeum, the butler, and the guards tasked with protecting the estate, as well as countless slaves, all came out to send the father off to war.

• Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop

Before mounting his horse, his father walked closer to his mother, speaking to her quietly. Then, he looked at Yegeum. Without saying much, he raised his thick hand and gently patted Yegeum’s head.

"Yegeum, make sure to protect the house well."

Yegeum didn’t fully understand the meaning of his father’s words.

After all, the guards assigned to protect the estate were separate, and while his father was away, all the household matters were handled by his mother and the butler, the bearded man. All Yegeum had to do was enjoy a little more freedom when his father wasn’t around.

Yegeum never understood why his father said these words each time he left for battle, but as always, he responded dutifully.

"Yes, Father."

Watching his father’s back as he walked away, Yegeum thought to himself that he would one day do the same. He imagined himself wearing thick armor, mounting a horse, and hearing the clinking of the metal as he led an army.

It would happen, he was certain of it.

****

• Rustle rustle

Makjeong woke to the sound of movement near his ears. As usual, everyone else was already up, leaving him the last to rise.

"Really, you sure can sleep well," Gaesang said, rubbing his spear.

It was morning. The other soldiers seemed to have gotten up too, as they walked around outside, stretching their stiff bodies. Makjeong glanced around the tent and noticed that only Madal was missing.

"Madal-hyung, where is he?"

"He went to take a shit."

"Ah... What a regular guy," Makjeong replied with a chuckle.

If Madal wasn’t visible in the morning, he was likely off taking care of personal business. However, if he hadn’t returned by now, it was more likely that he was off asking around, gathering information about the situation.

Whether Madal was back or not, Nam Pae, the squad leader, looked irritated as he had yet to receive any orders for breakfast.

"Do they usually serve breakfast this late here? Why hasn’t anyone told us to eat yet?"

Looking outside, the soldiers seemed to be scanning around, likely wondering if others were already eating somewhere else.

"I guess with so many people, it takes time," Yeopchi said, stretching and heading out of the tent.

Makjeong followed after Yeopchi. Since he was near the door, he couldn’t help but feel the constant discomfort as people passed by, so he decided to join Yeopchi outside. Despite this discomfort, he was still amazed at how Yeopchi managed to sleep so soundly through it all.

When they had arrived the previous evening, it was already sunset, so they hadn’t had much time to inspect the camp. But now, in the morning light, Makjeong could clearly see the scale of the army.

He had heard there were around three thousand soldiers gathered at White Plains, and it was indeed packed with soldiers, tents, piles of supplies, carts, and animals—cattle, horses, and the like.

There was a haze of smoke everywhere from the wood being chopped, either for cooking or for forging metal in the forges, and soldiers were hustling about amid the smoke.

The soldiers’ faces were devoid of vitality, all of them worn out by constant battles. Their expressions were hardened, the kind that didn’t show a trace of joy, as though they all knew they might not survive the day.

Groups of soldiers gathered together to chat or prepare their armor, but one soldier stood out among them, walking toward Makjeong and Yeopchi with an unusually lively step.

"Heh! Heh! Heh!"

The sound was the unmistakable sign of someone who had just relieved himself of a full stomach, clearly feeling better after doing so.

Makjeong immediately recognized the person making the noise.

It was Madal.

"Hyung, feeling better?" Makjeong asked.@@novelbin@@

"Ha, Makjeong! They say they’ve been fighting here non-stop. Hundreds have died every day! Ugh…" Madal immediately launched into the information he had gathered from his rounds. Then, without waiting for a response, he headed straight into the tent, leaving Makjeong and Yeopchi to follow if they wanted to know more.

As they entered the tent, Madal immediately began unraveling the stories he had picked up.

"Apparently, this place isn’t a joke! There are these monster-like guys over there, and every time they show up, soldiers die left and right! Even the officers have been killed by them!" Madal’s eyes were wide with the seriousness of the information he had uncovered.

Hearing about two terrifying figures in the enemy camp, Makjeong couldn’t help but be curious. He needed to know more about these individuals, so he would know what to expect in battle.

"What? Two monster-like guys? Are they generals?"

"They seem to be officers. But they’ve already killed so many of our men, they could’ve become generals by now."

In battle, it was common for those with the most achievements to be promoted quickly. Soldiers could be promoted to officers, and officers could rise to generals based on their deeds.

Of course, there were different ranks within the officer and general positions, so it was impossible for one person to leap all the way to general with just one major achievement.

But if these two had managed to achieve that after arriving here, just how many of the U Kingdom’s soldiers had they killed to earn such promotions?

Nam Pae, listening to the conversation, asked with a tense expression.

"What do they look like?"

"Well, their names are Hoh Sang and Byeok Tae. They’re both big guys, and one wears a round helmet—no plume. The other has wild, unkempt hair, like a madman. Doesn’t even tie it up."

"A madman with wild hair?"

Nam Pae thought for a moment, picturing their appearances, and then fixed his gaze on Madal, his voice serious.

"Hey, Madal! You better be careful! If you’re not careful, they might mistake you for one of them and you’ll get stabbed from behind."

Nam Pae’s provocation was met with a sharp retort, but Madal wasn’t one to take it lying down.

"Hah, the squad leader isn’t so simple either. Don’t even come near me. If I think you’re that guy, I might just chop you with my axe."

"Pfft!"

Makjeong couldn’t help but burst into laughter. It was strange to him how these men could remain so relaxed even in such a place.

"Heh heh heh."

"Madal, you better keep your eyes open in battle. If that guy appears in front of you, don’t greet him thinking it’s me. Imagine, ‘Oh! Squad Leader, why are you over there?’ And then you’re dead already. Got it? Heh heh heh."

"Ugh—this is tough. Do I fight the enemy, or figure out if it’s the squad leader or an enemy general? How am I supposed to focus on fighting? Maybe the squad leader should just strip down and fight, so we can tell who he is, huh?"

"Hey, I think you're crazier than me. As soon as you pick up your axe, you lose your mind! Ha ha ha!"

"Heh heh heh!"

"Makal, isn’t that true?"

Makjeong, listening to the back-and-forth, laughed uncontrollably and couldn’t respond.

"Hey, Makjeong, you better answer me properly!"

Madal, casually brushing his axe, was teasing Makjeong, and Nam Pae pointed at the axe, chuckling.

"Look at this. The future officer Makjeong has dared to grab an axe. Now that’s what I call a madman, huh, Makjeong?"

"That’s not going to work. Squad Leader, when the fighting starts, you should just run over to the other side and stand with them."

"Huh? If they think I’m the officer, won’t they all listen to me then? Hehehe."

"Ugh..."

Makjeong was honestly curious about how Madal and Nam Pae could remain so relaxed despite the dangerous battle ahead. These were the same two who had been in the worst spirits when they had been sent here just yesterday.

‘Have they become so used to battle that they’re this calm? Or is it just in their nature? Or maybe... are they trying to ease their fear by acting like this?’

While Makjeong pondered these thoughts, the voice of an officer could be heard shouting in the distance.

"Yeolgu Mountain support team! It’s time to eat! Get out here now!"

"Alright, guys, let’s go—eat first, then we’ll die if we have to."

At the mention of food, Nam Pae made sure to get everyone in his tent and the others out to join the line.

But when Makjeong stepped outside, he saw the faces of the soldiers emerging from other tents, and none of them looked too pleased.

Chobak and Mukjin, still unaware that they’d be separated to serve as archers, wore worried expressions. Deokheung, Obyeok, and even young Ayong looked like they were near death.

‘Guess the brothers who slept with me were special after all.’

Makjeong thought to himself as he went over to check on his friend, Deokheung.

"Deokheung, did you get some sleep?"

When Makjeong lightly tapped his shoulder, Deokheung didn’t even look up. The exhaustion from Yeolgu Mountain’s difficult trials was still fresh, and the fear of battle still weighed heavily on him. That wasn’t surprising, though.

"Sigh... Do you think there’s going to be a fight today?"

Deokheung asked in a weary voice.

"Hey, don’t talk like you’re already dead. We haven’t even started fighting, so let’s eat and get some strength."

Makjeong gave Deokheung’s shoulder a firm pat and joined the line for food.

But Ayong and Obyeok, both new and inexperienced in battle, looked even worse than Deokheung. Ayong especially seemed like he could collapse with just a light touch.

"Hey, are you alright, kid?"

Makjeong asked Ayong, pulling him to the front, but Ayong just sighed, his face rigid. He didn’t respond.

"Relax."

Makjeong squeezed Ayong’s shoulder from behind.

"Ow!"

"Haha, you’re not going to die—don’t worry!"

"Ah! It hurts, hyung!"

While Makjeong focused on trying to calm Ayong, other soldiers gathered around them, but the atmosphere only grew heavier the more soldiers gathered.

At Yeolgu Mountain, they had fought from high ground and behind fortifications. But here, in the open plains, they would face an enemy with greater numbers. The fear was palpable.

Only Nam Pae, Madal, Gaesang, Yeopchi, and Makjeong remained relatively calm, standing in contrast to the rest of the soldiers.

"Hey! Why do you all look like death warmed over this morning? Straighten your backs! Look alive!" Officer Pyeong shouted at the low-spirited soldiers.

"Straighten up! Smile a bit! Don’t you want to have a decent meal before heading into battle?"

• Thud! Thud!

As Officer Pyeong pounded his fists on the soldiers’ shoulders, trying to raise their spirits, he saw Makjeong and smiled.

"Makjeong! You up already?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good boy."

Perhaps because he had bonded with Makjeong the previous day, Officer Pyeong’s gaze toward him was softer than it was with the other soldiers. He patted Makjeong’s head with a kind smile.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I’m fine."

"Haha, that’s good!"

Pleased with Makjeong’s response, Officer Pyeong gave his shoulder a quick pat and walked on.

"Once breakfast is finished, get your gear ready and assemble! Got it, everyone?"

"Yes..."

"Say it louder! Got it?!"

"Yes..."

"Good..."

Officer Pyeong, concerned about the soldiers' morale, walked over to where the other officers were gathered.

The low morale wasn’t just an issue for the Yeolgu Mountain support team—it was affecting all the U Kingdom soldiers stationed on the White Plains.

While they had been holding their ground against the Shang forces, the increasing casualties and the growing threat from the terrifying figures of Hoh Sang and Byeok Tae were steadily draining the morale of the U Kingdom soldiers.

"Still, it’s nice to get more food here," Gaesang muttered, even in the middle of all this gloom.