The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 125

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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 Emperor Chapter 125

Chapter 125 — The Woman Who Came to the Northern Military Unit Camp

Northern Military Unit Camp.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The dinner bell rang out loudly. Yi Hwan sat eating with his closest subordinates in the barracks.
The food was lavish for a military camp, but Yi Hwan paid it no mind.
Go-mi spoke carefully.
“It might not be a bad idea to at least show the soldiers that you dine alongside them.”
“I’m sick of this performative nonsense.”
“Even so, wouldn’t it be necessary? Especially now, when war is about to begin—for morale’s sake, if nothing else…….”
Yi Hwan set down his chopsticks and poured wine into his cup as he spoke.
Glug.
“Do you want to upset the men’s stomachs?”
“…….”
When I’m there, can the soldiers eat properly? If anything, letting them eat in peace is what helps them. And morale falls to the General-in-Chief, not me.”
Go-mi’s expression shifted. A moment later, understanding dawned on her, and she bowed her head.
“I was short-sighted, sir.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. Honestly, I hate eating in noisy places anyway.”
Go-mi understood—the real reason was one Yi Hwan had offered intentionally, to spare her embarrassment.
‘I still have much to learn.’
Go-mi was reaching for her chopsticks when a soldier entered.
A warrior stepped inside.
“Great General, someone has come to see you.”
“Me?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Great General!”
Someone bolted into the barracks behind the soldier. Song Cheon-mu was the first to stand.
“What—?”
The newcomer was Cha Jung-gyeong.
Yi Hwan was taken aback as well.
“What brings you here?”
“I’ve rushed to attend to you, sir, as fast as my legs could carry me!”
“Did the Commandant give you leave?”
“Yes! He even gave me this fur coat!”
Cheol Mu-ok and Ju-tae laughed. Cha Jung-gyeong’s face was frozen red from the cold, his two round eyes bulging wide, making him look utterly ridiculous.
“Please, sir, I need to eat! I dropped my dried rations in the snow on the way here and haven’t eaten anything for three days!”
“…….”

* * *

“I saw some strange people on the way up.”
“Strange people?”
“More precisely—strange women.”
Cha Jung-gyeong continued describing those he had happened to see while coming up the mountain.
Yi Hwan’s eyes sharpened at the very last detail, though he had seemed indifferent until then.
“A stunningly beautiful woman seemed to lead the group, and unusually, she had blue eyes. And her chest was just—extraordinarily full…….”
Cha Jung-gyeong made a gesture with his hands to indicate a generous bosom, then scratched his head. He had belatedly remembered Go-mi’s presence.
“You’re certain about the blue eyes?”
“Yes, absolutely certain.”
Yi Hwan recalled the woman he had seen at the Empress’s Manhua Palace. She too had blue eyes and bore the full, voluptuous figure rarely seen among women of the Central Plains.
“Was there perhaps a mole beside her lip?”
“The distance was too great for me to see that much.”
Cheol Mu-ok asked.
“Do you know this woman?”
“I saw a woman like that at Manhua Palace. Blue eyes, a full figure, and a single mole beside her lip.”
“It could well be the same woman, then.”
Yi Hwan nodded silently and leaned back in his chair.
“If the Empress sent them, what’s her purpose? The first thing that comes to mind is killing me, of course…….”
“Wouldn’t it be simpler to just capture and execute them?”
“The target might not be me but Zhao Guang. Assign a couple of bodyguards to him.”
“Understood.”
“Wait—is the Crown Prince of Zhao Kingdom here?”
Cha Jung-gyeong’s eyes widened as he asked.
“It happened to turn out that way. But what’s with that expression?”
“It’s awkward, isn’t it? Do you have any spare face-changing masks? Obviously I don’t know who I am anyway, but it still feels uncomfortable, if you know what I mean.”
“Ask Go-mi for one.”
“Yes.”
Yi Hwan asked about something else.
“Is the Commandant and the Dragon-Tiger Army doing well?”
“Yes. Ever since the Great General departed, they’ve been training so intensely it looks like they’re about to collapse—and I’m suffering for it too.”
Yi Hwan recalled Commandant Song Hoe.
Thinking of him filled him with regret.
“How many martial artists did the Third Prince bring?”
“Around a hundred, I’d estimate.”
“Fewer than expected. Well, when there are too many masters, a smaller force often works better anyway.”
Tap!
Yi Hwan rose from his seat.
“In any case, they’re welcome. Have them use the barracks that Bi-wol’s organization occupies.”
“Yes.”

* * *

Yi Hwan climbed the watchtower with Gwan Ji-baek and Cheol Mu-ok.
From the watchtower, built dangerously high, one could see all the way to the edge of the mountain territory in a single glance.
The Zhao Military Encampment sat directly at the far end of that mountain terrain.
Gwan Ji-baek spoke.
“Because of the snow, the enemy hasn’t shown any movements worth calling unusual yet.”
“The enemy sent troops southward in two waves, so the forces on both sides are now roughly equal. Given that, it’s possible the enemy won’t launch an attack even after the snow melts.”
“The commanders have discussed this possibility.”
“If a full-scale war begins elsewhere and the enemy remains still, what does the General-in-Chief intend to do?”
“Wouldn’t we naturally have to push forward if either the Western or Southern Military Unit comes under attack first? If we don’t move either, the enemy could feel secure supporting their other fronts.”
It was exactly what Yi Hwan wanted to hear.
He was relieved. Gwan Ji-baek thought the same way he did.
“What is the Great General’s thinking?”
“Similar.”
“Similar, meaning…….”
Yi Hwan, who had been gazing westward, turned to face Gwan Ji-baek and continued with a tone that was somewhat firm.
“The enemy’s primary target is the Western Military Unit where the Crown Prince is stationed. If—in the worst case—the Western Military Unit finds itself in crisis, we must be prepared to send at least minimal reinforcements.”
“Isn’t the Central Military Unit already handling supply and troop support? That’s why I stationed the greatest number of troops and supplies there.”
“But the General-in-Chief doesn’t know who’s actually there, do you?”
“Do you believe the Second Prince won’t support His Highness the Crown Prince?”
“The Empress’s will would ensure that.”
Gwan Ji-baek’s expression showed disbelief.
“Even during palace politics, to go that far in a war against a foreign power seems like excessive speculation. If something were to happen to His Highness the Crown Prince because of that, the people would never forgive it.”
“If she were that kind of person, she never would have sent the Crown Prince to the front lines in the first place. And the Empress thinks she can change public opinion whenever she pleases.”
“……!”
Gwan Ji-baek couldn’t hide his shock.
“Remember what I’ve just said. Don’t forget it. I’ll head down first.”
Yi Hwan and Cheol Mu-ok descended from the watchtower first.
Gwan Ji-baek let out a hollow laugh.
“Huh…….”
“General-in-Chief, do you truly believe the Central Military Unit won’t support the Western Military Unit?”
“The Great General’s being overly cautious. Even so, how could such a thing happen? The officers are watching with eyes wide open.”
“But couldn’t it really happen? If His Highness the Crown Prince was meant to be protected, he shouldn’t have been sent to the front in the first place. What kingdom in the world sends the Crown Prince to the front lines before a war? The Founder surely never established such a law!”
As he spoke, growing animated, the Commandant’s mood grew slightly heated, so Gwan Ji-baek placed a hand on his shoulder.
“There you go getting worked up again.”
“……My apologies.”
“Keep it in mind for now, but let’s focus on the enemies standing before us at this moment.”
“Yes, General-in-Chief.”

* * *

“That appears to be the place. That barracks looks the largest and most imposing.”
Baek Po-in and his men had climbed to the mountain summit overlooking the Northern Military Unit Camp in its entirety.
Their eyes fixed on the largest barracks in the encampment.
It was the barracks Gwan Ji-baek had originally kept vacant out of consideration for Yi Hwan. Of course, it was now occupied by Bi-wol and the warriors of the former Crown Prince’s entourage.
“Once we slip inside, we’ll confirm it readily enough.”
The blue-eyed woman who spoke with a cold smile was the one the Empress had sent.
“Have you not said you’ve seen the Great General before?”
“What’s the problem?”
“If we enter the encampment, he’ll recognize your face at once. Wouldn’t he grow suspicious immediately?”
“On a freezing day like this, we can’t lurk outside forever watching. Just say the Empress sent you to help—that should suffice. Now, hurry down.”
The woman threw herself forward first.
The other four exchanged glances, then launched themselves after her in pursuit.

* * *

Cha Jung-gyeong entered Yi Hwan’s quarters.
“Great General, a blue-eyed woman with a generous bosom entered the encampment just now.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. She’s currently in the General-in-Chief’s barracks.”
“How many of them?”
“Five in total, including the woman.”
Yi Hwan’s brow narrowed.
‘Surely she’s not foolish enough to come openly while living alongside me. Has she come after Zhao Guang instead?’
Yi Hwan recalled the warning he had given to the blue-eyed woman who had blocked his path at Manhua Palace.

Cross me once more, and I’ll tear out your eyes and hang them as a necklace.

‘If she’s come despite that warning, then I must mean nothing to her.’
Yi Hwan was prepared to follow through on his threat if necessary.
Ju-tae spoke up.
“What should we do?”
“Leave her be for now. There are too many eyes watching. I can’t just seize her outright.”
“Then I’ll go have a look for myself.”
“So your heart quickens at the mention of generous curves?”
“I……no. Nothing like that.”
“She’ll seek me out of her own accord. Wait.”
“……Yes.”
“I’ll be back shortly.”
Yi Hwan went to find Zhao Guang. Zhao Guang was reading a book in the barracks.
“Isn’t the Face-Changing Mask growing uncomfortable?”
“I’ve adapted to it somewhat by now. It’s manageable.”
Yi Hwan took a seat across from Zhao Guang and broached the matter directly.
“The Empress has sent people. Either to kill me, or to find the Crown Prince, or possibly both.”
“I’ve been bracing for it……but they’ve truly come.”
Yi Hwan turned to regard Zhao Guang, his brow tightening.
“The Crown Prince could pass by altering his voice somewhat, but your build makes you recognizable at a glance…….”
“Does the Empress know my face?”
“We must assume she does and plan accordingly. The Empress is no ordinary woman.”
“Then perhaps we might do this instead.”
Crack-pop!
A sound of shattering bone erupted from Zhao Guang’s frame, and his physique began to shift and deform.
Yi Hwan let out a hollow laugh.
“You’ve mastered the Bone Reconstruction Technique?”
“Yes. Though I haven’t perfected it yet—I can only maintain it for half a day.”
“Well, that should suffice. They won’t be watching you all day, after all. Before they do, you should show them your changed appearance so the others don’t grow suspicious.”
“Understood.”
Zhao Guang asked.
“What of their movements?”
“They’re not stirring because of the snow. And since there’s been no report of attacks beginning on other fronts yet, it seems they intend to wait until the snow melts.”
“Do you have any intelligence on that man?”
“The King of the Southwest, you mean?”
Zhao Guang nodded.
Yi Hwan leaned back in his chair and continued.
“The soon-to-be emperor wouldn’t have reason to appear on the battlefield himself, would he?”
“That man’s confidence in his own martial prowess reaches toward the heavens. Moreover, he has masters gathered about him, and is the sort who would venture onto the battlefield readily enough just for the pleasure of fighting. If word reaches him that I am here……”
“I’ll deal with anyone sent from the Imperial Palace, so don’t concern yourself. Though there is something I’ve overlooked……”
Yi Hwan spoke, calling to mind Ghost Valley.
“When we fought before — there were demonic cultivators from Ghost Valley present, weren’t there?”
“There were.”
“Do you know much about them?”
“All I knew was that they were formidable. I’ve never paid them particular attention. But why do you ask?”
Yi Hwan turned to look at Zhao Guang instead of answering.
Zhao Guang spoke.
“I know little beyond the fact that they practice demonic cultivation and have maintained their power since ancient times, Great General.”
‘I was hoping to salvage something useful from this.’
Yi Hwan set aside his regret and rose to his feet.
“When those sent by the Empress arrive, we must be careful to alter our usual manner of speech and bearing as much as possible.”
“Understood.”
Stepping outside, Yi Hwan headed toward his quarters but paused mid-stride. A group of Baek Po-in’s men were emerging from Gwan Ji-baek’s barracks, and among them was the blue-eyed woman.
The woman’s gaze met his at that moment.
Their eyes clashed and tangled in the empty space between them.
Yi Hwan smiled faintly.
“I hope you haven’t forgotten the warning I gave you.”

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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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