Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 298

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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 298
The Moyong Family had descended into a frenzy of euphoria.
“The greatest martial family under heaven is nothing special after all!”
“The day we seize hegemony is not far off!”
“Tighten the encirclement! Starve them to death!”
The Dokgo Household, monstrous as they were, gradually began adapting to the Jeongheol Sect’s methods.
Yet they had already sustained considerable losses. The situation had shifted from the past when defeat seemed inevitable.
‘Could the main family have been stronger than we thought?’
‘Perhaps the advantage was always in the main family’s hands from the beginning?’
It was enough to intoxicate them with the taste of victory.
Since the Dokgo Family had risen to dominance, what force had ever pushed such formidable warriors back to this degree?
Of course, not everyone lost their composure.
“Isn’t this all thanks to those fanatics’ help? How is this even a martial artist’s battle…”
“Fanatics? You wretch! You must be a Dokgo spy!”
But the moment someone dared insult their Jeongheol allies, their origins came under suspicion.
And indeed, the Jeongheol disciples that the Moyong warriors faced were remarkably courteous and humble, contrary to the vicious rumors. Even their doctrines seemed indistinguishable from ordinary Buddhism at first glance, so this atmosphere only intensified with each passing day.
Regardless, they had achieved victory, and this mood had taken root. Perhaps the title of greatest under heaven would truly fall into Moyong’s hands.
But then…
“No messenger has arrived from the Thunder Sword Brigade that was in standoff all day!”
At some point, the front lines began to creak and groan.
“None of the scouts dispatched from Dark Castle have returned.”
At first, their eyes and ears were severed one by one.
“The Jeongheol Sect’s casualties are mounting!”
“Is it the Dokgo assassins? The Black Dragon Brigade? Is Geom-jon moving personally?”
“No. Something, something is different. No matter what, information shouldn’t be cut off like this…”
“Urgent report! Elder Baek of the Twelve Ranks has fallen in battle!”
“What, what?! What of the troops! What happened to the troops!”
Gradually, an unknown force began strangling Moyong’s lifeline.
“What troops are we even talking about!”
“The Cheonma Sect! General Dokgo Myeong’s unit, they say!”
By the time they realized who the culprit was, the front line containing Dokgo’s right flank had already been severely shaken.
“Dokgo Myeong? Wasn’t his force said to be less than a hundred strong!”
How was this possible?
How could such a small force strike only at the vital points and shake the entire front line like this?
And now, Muyong Cheol, the Elder Council Leader of the Moyong Family who had been dragged to the front and forced to assume command of the main force, felt his eyes tremble.
“…What did you say?”
“The enemy’s right flank has revived and begun regrouping their formation.”
“The entire situation is collapsing because of just one man, Dokgo Myeong? How is such a thing even possible?”
“That is…”
The Moyong leadership feared making their reports.
One misstep in speech could cost him his life, given the half-crazed atmosphere of those on the verge of rampage.
“In the first place, we were able to establish the encirclement because our allies, the Jeongheol disciples, drove the Dokgo Family’s forces forward….”
“The Cheonma Sect is dismantling the Jeongheol forces far too easily.”
Muyong Cheol’s complexion turned ashen.
“Then, what of the main family’s forces?”
“The main family’s forces can still hold them back to some degree, but at this rate….”
“Uuuugh!”
Muyong Cheol trembled, his legs quaking as he groaned.
He felt as though his mind was slipping away.
He was a scholar, not a strategist. He could dissect the blood meridians and flesh of men with his eyes closed, but he knew absolutely nothing of battlefield tactics.
In the end, Muyong Cheol pressed the Black Bloodfiend, the representative of the Jeongheol Sect, for answers.
“Shin Heum! Say something! You claimed to have confidence, did you not! What is the meaning of this?!”
“That one is using the sect’s own methods against us. I never imagined he would go this far.”
The Black Bloodfiend spoke with genuine admiration.
The Jeongheol Sect had a weakness—the assumption that martial artists of the jianghu could never match their techniques.
But Dokgo Myeong simply executed his strategy without hesitation, exploiting that very weakness and gap that the sect prided itself on.
“In any case, our sect disciples are already deployed to the battlefield in overwhelming numbers. No further reinforcements are possible.”
“I know that already! But you’re hiding your main forces, aren’t you?! I heard only a handful of your elite have actually engaged!”
At those words, the Black Bloodfiend smiled broadly.
Simultaneously, his eyes gleamed with an eerie light.
“Alliance Leader, I believe you are under a misunderstanding.”
“What do you mean by that, suddenly?”
“Just because you represent the Moyong Family does not mean you can command the faithful disciples of this sect.”
“…!”
“Do not forget your position. I am not a patient man.”
Muyong Cheol’s expression hardened into stone.
The Black Bloodfiend clicked his tongue once before continuing.
“It won’t be long before the Pacheonggun arrives. We need only maintain the current situation until then.”
“Do, do you have some stratagem?”
“The front lines are being shaken by fewer than a hundred men, but they are still just a handful, are they not? Difficult to hunt, perhaps, but easy enough to make them flee.”
Neither the Moyong Family nor the Jeongheol Sect remained idle.
* * *
Commotion erupted at the main camp.
“The forces we thought had fallen are returning alive!”
“The fragmented front lines that were encircled are reconnecting!”
Dokgo Un-hak nodded calmly.
‘Yes, I knew they could manage this much.’
The Cheonma Sect, being a small force, could not destroy all enemies or push back the entire front line.
However, they could punch holes through the encirclement one after another, creating escape routes.
Those routes became the new lines where the martial artists could reestablish their connections, and served as the catalyst for our dying allies to be reborn.
“Send a messenger at once to our main forces and have them quickly restore those who have returned. The enemy’s masters are drawing near.”
“Yes!”
“Instruct them not to attempt any sorties. They are to hold their positions firmly. Doing so will lighten the burden on the Cheonma Sect.”
Dokgo Un-hak issued rapid orders to his soldiers.
Then he turned his gaze immediately toward the commanding general.
“Have we gathered intelligence on the movements of the Pacheonggun that departed from the Moyong Family?”
“According to Gae-bang’s assessment, they should arrive within four days.”
“The timeline is too tight. If I could buy just a bit more time, I might be able to rescue more of our forces trapped at the main house….”
Dokgo Un-hak stared intently at the map with his arms crossed.
Shin Heum, standing beside him, also gazed at the map.
“…?”
Suddenly, Shin Heum froze.
The moment Dokgo Un-hak looked at him with a puzzled expression, Shin Heum’s urgent voice rang out to his subordinates.
“The latest reports on enemy troop movements! Bring them now!”
“Sir?”
“Bring them! Hurry!”
“Ah, understood!”
The soldiers from the military office rushed back, carrying bamboo tablets and documents stacked high. Dokgo Un-hak narrowed his eyes and asked.
“Commanding General. What is the matter?”
“Please examine these. At first, I thought it was merely a repositioning of troops….”
Shin Heum began moving the markers on the map with rapid taps.
The officers in the tent wore expressions of confusion, but Dokgo Un-hak, who had been watching carefully, suddenly widened his eyes.
“Surely not?”
“We must dispatch a messenger to the Cheonma Sect.”
Shin Heum spoke with conviction.
“If they advance further, it will be total annihilation. Issue a retreat order before that happens.”
* * *
The Cheonma Sect had brought change to the battlefield.
But they were ultimately just a small force of martial artists. No matter how much they trained and prepared, there were limits.
“The number of wounded is increasing.”
“….”
Moryong Sohgyo, who delivered the report, also appeared worn and exhausted from prolonged field operations.
“It has been a miracle that we have not suffered severe casualties. Without the black-scaled armor, we would have had fatal injuries by now.”
There was another problem.
No, this was the real issue.
“The enemy’s movements have changed. It seems they anticipated our arrival, laid traps, and are waiting for us.”
“Have we been followed?”
At Dokgo Myeong’s question, Ye-hwa shook her head firmly.
“We eliminated everyone who tried to follow us. They have stopped sending anyone.”
“Then they have simply changed their objective. Now they are targeting us.”
“Yes.”
The enemies who had thought they were merely enduring began to show awareness of the Cheonma Sect.
“Even if the encirclement loosened slightly, they revealed their determination to capture us.”
“Are they threatening that if we advance further, they’ll surround us like they did the other units?”
“Yes.”
“Just fight and win. That’s all.”
Cheolmu-baek exhaled sharply through his nose and opened his mouth.
Dokgo Ak chuckled and spoke.
“I appreciate the enthusiasm, but perhaps hide those bandages wrapped around those thick forearms before you speak?”
“Is that something a man who took an arrow to the ribs should say?”
“That’s exactly why I’ve been keeping my mouth shut.”
“….”
Finally, Dokgo Ak had rendered Cheolmu-baek speechless. His recent record was quite impressive, as if he’d gained some steel.
In truth, Cheolmu-baek and his unit members, who faced the enemies first before anyone else, inevitably had many wounded. They had managed to hold out this long only because they had selected such formidable warriors.
That was when it happened.
“Krrrgh!”
Hoa, who had been lying down, suddenly looked up at the sky and cried out.
A carrier pigeon flew in.
Moryong Sohgyo retrieved the message tube and read it, then smiled bitterly.
“We’ve received orders from the main force.”
“What does it say?”
“They’ve ordered our return. It seems the main force has also read the signs of the enemy’s movements, just as we have.”
“…What about the ones we haven’t captured yet?”
“There was no mention of that in the message.”
Dokgo Myeong’s expression twisted slightly.
‘You’ve done enough, so abandon the rest?’
The blank space was saying exactly that.
Though those men still lived, they had become like blank space—lives that no longer existed.
Dokgo Myeong spoke in a subdued voice.
“Moyong’s strategist.”
“Yes.”
“Do you think the main household forces under siege can hold out?”
“At least they won’t be overwhelmed by force.”
“Even after Pacheonggun arrives?”
Moryong Sohgyo’s words caught in her throat.
Dokgo Myeong nodded.
‘By then, they’ll be helpless, confined behind screens, breathing in nothing but incense.’
No, if they were lucky enough to even smell incense. If those Jeongheol Sect bastards were involved, they’d bring the corpses of martial artists and use them for all manner of purposes.
“Is there no possibility of requesting reinforcements?”
“Our allies have no capacity. And if the main force from the center moves, the enemy in Namchang could launch a counterattack. The left flank is too far away.”
While the main force preserved its strength and the left flank under Dokgo Gun held its own reasonably well, the right flank suffered the heaviest casualties.
And the frontline I had managed to stabilize and the soldiers I had rescued amounted to barely half of what we’d started with.
“….”
I fell silent.
A heavy quiet settled over us.
‘Yes, this is what a real battlefield looks like.’
I let out a quiet laugh.
If things had gone smoothly as planned, I would have crushed the Twin Horse Alliance long ago.
“Captain.”
“…What are your orders?”
My managers and Moryong Sohgyo pressed me for a decision.
The Cheonma Sect disciples resting in the corner glanced over, watching us.
I closed my eyes briefly, then opened them.
“If we manage to rescue everyone, the battle situation would….”
“The right flank’s strength would return, but we’ve just received orders for the main force to withdraw.”
“Then we should retreat now. That’s right. Both enemy and ally are supposed to pull back, right? But….”
My eyes gleamed.
“Why do I hate leaving so much?”
“….”
“Is it just me? If no one had said anything, I would have simply withdrawn. But the more they keep telling me to pull back and threatening me, the more I feel like doing the exact opposite.”
My managers shook their heads at my words.
Where would this stubborn nature of mine lead?
Soon I made my decision.
“Fine. We’ll pull back from here.”
“Pardon? Ah… Yes, a sound judgment, sir.”
Moryong Sohgyo nodded with a bitter expression.
But my words didn’t end there.
“However, we’ll make a wide detour around the enemy lines as we retreat.”
“…Pardon?”
How was that retreating? That was just a charge.
“Before that, we need to send word to our surrounded allies. Whether it’s the child’s unit, Seok-du’s unit, Gae-bang, or Cheon I-gak—just get the message through however you can.”
“With Jeon Seo-gu’s forces already cut off, how are we supposed to reach our surrounded allies?”
And even if we somehow managed to send word, what message were we supposed to deliver?
That because of his grand strategic judgment, you’re all going to die soon?
I answered.
“What message? Since all that’s left is death anyway, fight one last battle before you starve to death.”
“…!”
“But we’ll be making a wide detour around the enemy lines as we pull back, right? If we happen to encounter them by luck, we can’t just ignore them. We’ll rescue them while we move. That way our numbers will keep growing.”
In other words, a clever deception.
As if the main force wouldn’t see through this.
“Once we grow that large, our enemies will think, ‘Ah, this is scorching hot,’ and they’ll have to move. Then our own forces will have no choice but to scramble after them.”
“…!”
“Let’s simply turn the entire battlefield into chaos.”
Moryong Sohgyo stared at Dokgo Myeong with a vacant expression before letting out a hollow laugh.
“Yes. I’ll find a way to deliver the message.”
Thus, the Cheonma Sect’s objective was set.
The following night, messengers began moving ceaselessly between both encampments.

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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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