Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 629

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 629
As we moved south along the Fujian border, the traces of bandits and heterodox sects were disappearing even more rapidly.
“We need to capture one and make an example of them so they’ll come to their senses.”
While Jin Cheon-hee slept like he’d been knocked unconscious, Sama Hyeon deliberately let a few escape to spread word.
Jin Cheon-hee had no idea how Sama Hyeon had toyed with those men.
However, it seemed clear that it had been terrifying enough to serve as a sufficient warning to other heterodox sects.
When we finally arrived in Fuzhou, Namgung Un, Gongseon Yeong, and the Abbot—who had traveled by boat—were already there waiting.
With Jin Cheon-hee, the five of us gathered to share information.
From what I heard, they had only dealt with a few heterodox sects while traveling the sea route.
The rest had abandoned their strongholds and fled.
Gongseon Yeong spoke.
“I didn’t expect them to scatter so quickly. If they’re not on the water or on land, where in the world are they hiding?”
Just then, a messenger from the Hao Wen Sect came running and handed a secret letter to Sama Hyeon.
Sama Hyeon opened the letter and immediately burned it.
“According to the latest intelligence from the Hao Wen Sect, they’re gathering in one location.”
Jin Cheon-hee spoke.
“So they’re planning a full-scale battle.”
“Right. You’re quick to catch on, as always. My brother—the estimated number gathering is around ten thousand. Once they all assemble, the authorities will have to intervene, so they’re splitting into groups of about two thousand and dispersing.”
Gongseon Yeong spoke.
“This is… essentially a private army.”
“But it’s not in a state where suppression is actually possible, Swordmaster Gongseon. The moment word spreads that the garrison soldiers are moving, they scatter and flee immediately. Even though they’re not completely untrained in martial arts, they run through the mountains faster than the garrison soldiers, so there’s no solution.”
Jin Cheon-hee spoke.
“Still, the authorities must be aware of this level of gathering, right?”
At those words, Sama Hyeon replied.
“Right. The garrison soldiers are preparing at the level of defending against civilian plundering or urban attacks. Once that happens, the authorities have no choice but to intervene.”
The Rebellion of the Yellow Turbans from long ago came to mind.
‘Governing the Gangho realm means constantly being on guard against things like this.’
Who knew whether these men would fight the righteous factions or advance on the fortress?
Sama Hyeon spoke.
“Well, that’s why once they step outside the bounds of official non-interference, the authorities won’t overlook it either. At that point, it becomes suppression of rebellion rather than bandit extermination. They organize large-scale suppression forces, and no matter how scattered the bandits flee, it becomes extremely difficult and painful for them.”
Jin Cheon-hee spoke.
“But there’s a reason why it rarely reaches that point, isn’t there?”
The younger brother nodded at his brother’s words.
“Correct observation. If it reaches the point of suppressing rebellion, it must be reported to the Emperor, and naturally the Governor bears that responsibility.”
Bureaucracy.
The ills of bureaucracy in a world without telephones, televisions, or the internet.
Sama Hyeon continued.
“If a report is made, our Emperor will surely ask this: ‘A rebellion of this scale occurred, and what have you been doing all this time?'”
For some reason, Jin Cheon-hee recalled ‘that sign’ he’d seen in the military long ago.
-Days Without Incident: 1202
That thing no one believes in.
That thing where if you don’t report it, the incident never happened.
Jin Cheon-hee spoke.
“So essentially, the garrison soldiers are just constantly sending the signal that if you cross the line, you die and I die.”
“Exactly. They won’t suppress us until the very last moment. If we’re unlucky, it could block our path to advancement.”
The Hwa Empire runs smoothly. Very smoothly.
Well, some even call it the golden age of the Hwa Empire.
I understand that the Previous Emperor left such a massive mess that even the Gold and Silver Kings are dying trying to clean it up.
But this is such a fundamental problem that I don’t know how to solve it.
‘Is this just how human affairs are? Earth’s history wasn’t different during this period either.’
From the old martial arts novels to the 2000s, Korean web novels had quite a few stories entangled with garrison soldiers.
In those stories too, the reason the Heterodox Faction exists so openly is because the government is corrupt.
And back then, a great bandit named Im Kkeok-jeong was even popular as dramas and movies in Korea.
Reading such novels,
there was ultimately a message from the authors: ‘Isn’t the proliferation of Black Dao gangs due to government corruption?’
‘There really were a lot of organized crime groups back in the day. Now that I think about it.’
These days, the methods of operation have changed, so instead of dividing territories and gang members fighting each other and meeting in emergency rooms like before, it’s become less common.
But back in the day, there were truly many organized crime groups.
‘I wonder if such things were reflected in martial arts novels too….’
As times changed, from vertical writing to horizontal writing, and finally from paper to web novels, the messages conveyed changed too, but ultimately the truth remained the same.
‘If the government had been clean and honest, there wouldn’t be so many bandits.’
And.
“Amitabha. I understand. It would be better if the Gangho resolved Gangho’s affairs. Do you have any information about which region they’re gathered in?”
The Abbot smiled benevolently and took the lead.
Seeing this, Jin Cheon-hee nodded.
‘Right. The Gangho resolves the Gangho’s affairs. This is the way of those in the Gangho.’
Even if the government abandoned this matter, there were righteous wandering heroes willing to fight together.
Jin Cheon-hee quietly hid the Geumui Guard’s inspector’s token again.
‘Right. Let me suppress my K-citizen consciousness a bit. This time, let’s resolve it within the Gangho. I can deal with the Governor later.’
This time, I decided to follow the ways of the Gangho.
Namgung Un spoke.
“Well then, let’s discuss this. How should we best annihilate these Heterodox Faction members?”
Each person began to offer their opinions one by one.
“….”
Jin Cheon-hee listened to their discussion without offering any answer.
However, they all kept glancing at him, clearly expecting him to offer an answer.
It seemed they thought that as the last disciple of the Jegallim Family, something good would come from him.
‘As a strategist, I did learn from Master, but… I’m a doctor.’
Soon, Jin Cheon-hee opened his mouth.
“Hyeon-a, assuming the information is reliable, do you have any additional intelligence?”
“Based on the intelligence we’ve gathered so far, these scoundrels are….”
Sama Hyeon swiftly drew symbols across the map with his brush.
“…scattered across this position. But if we move, there’s no telling how they’ll respond.”
‘Certainly easier than when we warred against the Suksin Tribe….’
Jin Cheon-hee exhaled a small sigh of relief.
According to the information Sama Hyeon had drawn, they were divided into five groups of two thousand each, separated by half-day intervals from one another.
“Our total forces amount to roughly three thousand men.”
Namgung Un spoke.
“Even with more than a threefold difference in numbers, if we defeat them piecemeal, it should be manageable.”
“However, we cannot ignore the accumulation of fatigue. Once we deal with one group, the others stationed a half-day’s distance away will come rushing in.”
“Tsk.”
Gongseon Yeong spoke.
“I agree with my brother Jin’s assessment. If enemies attack immediately after we’ve finished one battle, the situation becomes perilous.”
Namgung Un spoke.
“Tsk, but we can’t play cat-and-mouse games with these bastards either.”
That was true.
For bandits, they’d shown considerable tactical cunning.
Using their mobility, they’d made themselves and their enemies interchangeable bait.
Namgung Un asked.
“So, brother Jin. Do you have something in mind?”
Jin Cheon-hee smiled faintly.
“Yes. Let’s give it a try.”
* * *
Ten days had passed.
A temporary shelter established within the forest.
In Yeon Won-wang’s quarters, Yeon Won-wang’s face flushed crimson as he shouted.
“Argh! You bastards, you come to suppress us and then do this?! How much longer will you make us wait?!”
Three subordinates sat beside the enraged Yeon Won-wang.
“Chongchaeju. Our provisions are running dangerously low! At this rate, we’ll need to resort to plunder to resupply!”
The leader of Dragon Tiger Stronghold, one of the Eighteen Greenwood Strongholds, spoke with a troubled expression.
A man with a rat-like, shabby countenance.
Despite bearing the name Dragon and Tiger, his actual appearance was distinctly rat-like in character.
“Damn it! If we plunder with our current numbers, the garrison soldiers will mobilize! The Emperor himself will throw a fit!”
“Would the men below understand such things if they did?”
A bald, muscular bandit spoke.
The leader of Hoxue Stronghold.
Though the word Hoxue meant “fond of learning,” his burly, bald appearance told a different story.
He was completely illiterate.
“Ugh!”
Yeon Won-wang twisted irritably before finally opening his mouth.
“There’s no helping it… We’ll have to make the first move. We’re heading to Zhejiang Province.”
“To Zhejiang Province?”
“Yes. We’ll go there and smash everything belonging to those Wulun Society bastards as we move through. If we do that, the young ones won’t scatter and will come running out…”
Just then, an urgent shout echoed from afar.
“Great Leader! Great Leader!”
A man came sprinting out, shouting loudly.
“They’ve appeared!”
At those words, Yeon Won-wang’s face flushed with excitement.
“Excellent! Sound the advance! Where did they go?”
“To Mount Kaling, sir!”
* * *
Indeed. This was Mount Kaling.
A fairly massive rocky mountain composed of bizarre and grotesque stone formations.
Its structure resembled a narrow-necked bottle.
While there was a spacious basin within, the entrance leading to it was narrow—making it a natural fortress depending on how it was used.
In terms of troop capacity, only about three hundred men could pass through at once!
And here, Jin Cheon-hee was…
Crash! Boom! Boom!
“Now then, move the stones we just excavated over to the yellow flag section. Once you’re done, the site supervisor will give you further instructions.”
That’s right.
I was doing construction work.
And I’d mobilized every martial artist who’d come here to kill people.
The rocks I’d shattered were being used to create obstacles beyond the entrance, deeper within the basin.
And furthermore…
“Hey, do we need to cut more wood?”
Crash! Boom! Boom!
At Gongseon Yeong’s shout, I replied.
“I think that should be enough, Sister!”
That’s right.
We were even constructing wooden palisades to turn it into a proper fortress.
On yellow hard hats procured from who-knows-where, we’d even written “Safety First.”
Namgung Un asked in exasperation.
“Jin, we didn’t come here to do construction work, did we?”
“What are you talking about! If we stab each other in the belly on flat ground, people die. But if we set up fortifications beforehand, that’s construction work? If we do this, those bastards will definitely come rushing here! To stop them and minimize casualties, this is the best approach!”
“No, well… that’s true, but… the martial artists of Gangho…”
“It’s saving lives, Great Hero Namgung. Saving the lives of both enemy and ally—that is true salvation! But to save the lives of both enemy and ally, we must achieve overwhelming victory. Over. Whelm. Ing. Vic. Tory!”
At this sight, Namgung Un felt his skin crawl.
‘Those eyes. Though they seem somewhat dazed, he doesn’t appear to be in his right mind.’
At this point, only one person could stop Jin Cheon-hee.
“Abbot. Please say something. We came to suppress bandits, yet we’re doing construction work!”
At those words, the Abbot spoke with the serenity of Buddha.
“Amitabha Buddha. As expected of Jin Sogakju. I learn something new each day.”
Behind her, the Botatun Swordmasters were chiseling and moving rocks.
“Sister! Me too, me too!”
Crash! Boom! Boom!
The Abbot spoke.
“Thanks to you, we cough… mad dogs… cough… like us… young ones can release their vigor.”
Crash! Boom! Crash! Boom! Boom!
‘Did she just call them mad dogs?’
Hidden subtly between coughs, but Namgung Un sensed her true feelings.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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