The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 12

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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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Red Dragon Martial Emperor, Episode 12

Chapter 12 — A New Operation in Motion

Yi Hwan and Hwang Ho sat across from each other.
“I’m grateful you sent those warriors.”
“You’re kind to say so. Had you not refused, I should have done it long ago.”
“There’s one more thing I need to ask of you.”
“Please, speak freely.”
“From now on, I intend to take part in every operation.”
……!
Hwang Ho’s eyes widened.
Not so long ago, when Yi Hwan had vanished from the battlefield, the entire Military Camp had been thrown into turmoil.
They’d been fortunate that time, but there was no guarantee it would end well next time.
“Your Highness, that is…….”
“It’s shameful to admit, but I’ve finally grown up. Without your help, I’ll spend the rest of my life as a useless shell. Is that what you’d wish for me, General?”
“How could I ever wish such a thing? It’s only that the commander…….”
Yi Hwan met Hwang Ho’s conflicted gaze directly and added one more thing.
“You’ve likely already guessed, but I’ve been hiding my abilities all this time. Whether it’s the Black Tiger Corps or something worse, I have the skill to preserve my own life. So don’t worry yourself. Now, please enjoy your evening meal.”
……!
With that, Yi Hwan left Hwang Ho’s quarters.
Hwang Ho watched his departing figure and shook his head slowly.
‘Was that a request… or a declaration?’
A bitter smile played at the corners of Hwang Ho’s mouth.
Meanwhile, Yi Hwan stepped outside and rubbed his stomach. Speaking words he’d never spoken before had left him queasy. Still, he was satisfied—he’d avoided Hwang Ho’s refusal.
As Yi Hwan made his way back to his quarters, his thoughts turned to Song Cheon Mu.
‘With that much skill, he won’t have to worry about dying anywhere. Should I give him the opportunity he’s been seeking?’
Song Cheon Mu’s talent was considerable. If he continued to develop at this pace, he could become a master without peer among his generation.
‘For now, I’ll watch a bit longer.’

* * *

“You mean to say you’ll be joining every operation from now on?”
Song Hoe’s eyes went wide.
“Pick out a hundred capable men. Make sure all the captains are included.”
“Understood.”
Cha Joong Gyeong cut in.
“Naturally, I should accompany you?”
“Of course. But wear a mask until we acquire a Human Skin Mask.”
“Yes.”
Song Cheon Mu’s eyes gleamed.
“I should go as well.”
Yi Hwan fixed Song Cheon Mu with a steady gaze.
Song Cheon Mu’s eyes burned with resolute determination.
“You two go on outside. You, stay here for a moment.”
Song Hoe and Cha Joong Gyeong bowed and filed out. Only then did Yi Hwan speak.
“Are you unafraid of death?”
“I am afraid. But…….”
“But what?”
Song Cheon Mu couldn’t find the words to continue.
In that moment, Yi Hwan sensed he was hiding something.
“If you have something to say, say it.”
Crunch.
Song Cheon Mu bit his lip and pressed on.
“My family’s circumstances are not good. That’s why I must earn Military Merit by any means necessary. There’s nothing else I can do for my house.”
“Has some trouble befallen your clan?”
“When I came here, two of our branches had already closed. If the situation has worsened since…….”
Yi Hwan was inwardly startled.
Though the princess and Song Cheon Ho were lovers now, their union had begun as a political marriage. Any family worthy of allying with the Imperial Household naturally possessed standing to match.
Yet a house that had bound itself to the Imperial Household had not risen in status—if anything, their circumstances had grown worse?
Song Cheon Mu exhaled heavily and continued.
“Several years ago, the merchants we had traded with for a long time suddenly severed their contracts with us. Father and my brother did everything in their power to find new partners, but we haven’t been able to move all the goods piling up in our warehouses.”
Building new trading relationships was extraordinarily difficult.
More precisely, it was the pursuit of trustworthy partners that proved so arduous.
A single failure in commerce could bring catastrophic losses, so evaluating potential trading partners across multiple dimensions was a matter of grave importance.
One might say that finding new trading partners was not merely the most critical aspect of commerce, but also the most grueling.
Yet all at once, their trading partners had broken contract?
It was impossible to find replacements for them within such a brief window.
Should the vast quantities of goods they kept in reserve perish unsold, the damage would be beyond reckoning.
Yi Hwan found his thoughts turning to Song Cheon Ho.
‘And yet he gave no sign of it.’
Though their conversation had been brief, Yi Hwan’s read of Song Cheon Ho’s character made it clear the man had wished to spare him worry.
“Hmm.”
As a frown creased Yi Hwan’s brow, Song Cheon Mu spoke with earnest intensity.
“Please allow me to take part in this operation! I swear I shall not burden you in pursuit of military merit! Should such a thing occur, I ask only that you never summon me again!”
Yi Hwan, having resolved the matter, nodded.
“From tomorrow, you need not serve as my guard for a time.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“We cannot know when we shall take the field, so from tomorrow you are to train relentlessly. If you wish to avoid becoming a liability, you must work all the harder.”
“!”
Understanding at last, Song Cheon Mu bowed deeply and cried out.
“Yes, understood!”

* * *

Crack!
Thump-thump-thump!
Dull sounds echoed from the back yard day after day. It had been like this for several days now.
Once Yi Hwan had granted permission, Song Cheon Mu threw himself into training without pause. Yi Hwan himself occasionally came to oversee his progress.
Song Hoe too had scarcely a moment to rest, having taken sole charge of training the hundred or so men destined for the operation.
He had stood at Yi Hwan’s side and endured countless rebukes, but as a disciple of the Huashan School—a sect of renowned orthodoxy—his Martial Skill was more than sufficient to lead an entire contingent.
The morale of the Yong Ho Army was extraordinarily high.
Once it was decided they would take to the field again, they did not hesitate to train late into the night.
Yi Hwan watched their training from time to time, though he did not openly intervene.
‘Perhaps I should have done this sooner.’
This operation existed solely for his own purpose, yet watching the Yong Ho Army delight in it gave him an odd feeling.
‘What was that man thinking, living the way he has?’
“Hah!”
“Tighten your core!”
“Release the tension and swing lightly!”
The shouts of the soldiers rang through the Military Camp.
Soldiers from other contingents watched the Yong Ho Army with undisguised disdain. Some mocked them openly.
“All that effort and they’ll still tuck tail and run the moment real combat comes.”
“If they face the Black Tiger Corps, they’ll be pissing themselves in fear. I just pray they don’t end up attached to any operation I’m part of.”
Everyone still rejected the Yong Ho Army. In operations where life and death hung in the balance, being paired with such inexperienced fighters would put one’s own life in jeopardy.
But time, as ever, flowed like water.
Time, as ever, flowed like water.
A fortnight passed with no decision on the operation. It was tedious waiting for Yi Hwan, for the Yong Ho Army, and for yet another.

* * *

“I’m beginning to lose my mind from boredom.”
Cheong Po In spoke with a listless expression, arms folded, eyes closed and utterly still.
“How much longer must we wait?”
“In seeking the heir of the Sword King, one might wait a lifetime.”
“…”
“Don’t whine like a child. Learn to wait with patience.”
“Sigh…”
It had been twenty days since arriving here.
Throughout that time, Yi Hwan had scarcely left the Military Camp. At most, he had visited Hwang Ho’s quarters and the Training Ground a handful of times.
Actually, there had been one more occasion—when he’d dealt with the Black Tiger Corps that came hunting for Cha Joong Gyeong.
But then, Yi Hwan had moved in the opposite direction, and there was nothing to be done about it.
Rumble!
Thunder rolled overhead, and rain began to pour down.
“Rain’s coming. Shall we head into the forest?”
The man opened his eyes at last and rose to his feet. He twisted his body thoroughly.
Crack!
“At this rate, my body will produce more sarira than any high monk’s.”
“Stop grumbling.”
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“I’m fine.”
The man entered the forest. Cheong Po In glanced back at Yi Hwan’s quarters before following.
Rumble!
Whoosh!
The rain grew fierce and wild.
“Commander.”
“What is it?”
“When do you think we’ll escape this darkness? Can we even do it in our lifetime?”
“We do what we can.”
“Sigh! Though I suppose our enemies are in the same predicament as we are?”
“We focus on ourselves.”
Yelp.
A fox poked its head out.
Cheong Po In drew something from his sleeve and fed it to the fox—finely shredded meat.
“Poor thing’s having a rough time of it too.”
Yelp.
“You tired?”
Yelp.
“I’m sorry.”
As he spoke, he glanced back at the man, but his eyes remained closed.
Then it happened.
Yip!
The fox suddenly barked sharply.
Cheong Po In’s eyes flashed bright.
“They’re finally moving!”
The man’s eyes snapped open. He quickly scaled the Rock Face and looked down at the Military Camp.
Cheong Po In climbed up beside him. A considerable force of Yeon’s army was moving westward.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, sir!”

* * *

Whoosh!
The rain fell savagely.
Yi Hwan moved at the rear with the Yong Ho Army.
“Of all times, an operation has to be now.”
Some of the Yong Ho Army grumbled.
Song Hoe rebuked them.
“In weather like this, the enemy’s guard grows thin.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
Song Cheon Mu was brimming with excitement. At last, the operation he’d been waiting for had begun.
Yi Hwan spoke to Song Cheon Mu as he watched him.
“Are we going on an outing?”
……
“Fix your expression first.”
“Yes, sir.”
Rumble!
Whoosh!
Yi Hwan looked up at the sky. The darkness that stained it felt far from ordinary.
He turned his gaze forward.
Peng Wu Wei and the warriors of the Hebei Peng Family had also been enlisted for this operation. As before, Jeong Cheon commanded the assault.
“Did it have to be weather like this?”
Peng Wu Wei pressed the question to Jeong Cheon as though challenging him.
Jeong Cheon answered with composure.
“During an operation, casual remarks are forbidden.”
……
Yi Hwan smiled faintly at Jeong Cheon’s rigid bearing. Since gaining this new life, the man had been the one he watched most closely.
When Yi Hwan saw him, his subordinates came to mind.
His manner of speech, his expressions, and so many of his ways when dealing with Hwang Ho—they all resembled the Three Kings. In those moments, emotions he had suppressed would sometimes stir.
“Tch.”
Cha Joong Gyeong grumbled beside him, the face mask obscuring his features clinging damply from the rain in an annoyingly uncomfortable way.
“Captain.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Keep a sharp watch that you don’t stray from my side.”
“Fear nothing, my lord. I shall guard you well.”
Yi Hwan surveyed his surroundings slowly.
‘They must be coming from somewhere.’
Yi Hwan still had half a portion of Tracking Incense remaining.
He could use it to divert attention elsewhere, but Yi Hwan had no intention of doing so. If the one pursuing him was truly a descendant of his subordinates, deliberately squandering this chance would be folly.
‘Everything will be resolved once I reclaim my strength. Until then, we will have no reason to meet.’
Whoooosh!

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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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