The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 308

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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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The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 308

Chapter 308. Seeds of Rebellion (2)

Regardless, that’s not what matters right now.
Well, actually it does matter.
Because that young man was someone who led a massive Rebel Bandit Group in my past life.
His name was Gyeong In-juk.
Born as the son of a tenant farmer, he became a vagrant when his parents fell out of favor with the land steward.
Eventually he joined the Rebel Bandit Group, and through a series of brilliant tactics that repeatedly caught the Government Forces off guard, he rose to prominence.
But his reign lasted no more than three years.
The Emperor, enraged by news of successive defeats, dispatched an exceptional general and an army of fifty thousand soldiers, and he was completely suppressed.
Gyeong In-juk, the leader himself, could not survive, and his corpse was displayed in Beijing, becoming food for crows.
Though he was a rebel ringleader, I genuinely regretted the waste of his talents. Had someone else noticed him early and given him the opportunity to display his abilities, he would not have met such a tragic end.
And someone capable of leading such a massive group could have lived a respected life, displaying his talents elsewhere.
Yet… that someone turned out to be me.
In any case, if he exists, I cannot afford to let my guard down in this negotiation.
“Welcome, welcome. I am Soon Dae-seok, master of this mountain stronghold.”
We had sent word ahead by arrow, informing them that we would come for negotiations.
So they came out to greet us like this.
Though they certainly brought quite a lot of people to receive us.
Likely their intention was to create an intimidating atmosphere by surrounding us.
But that’s the thinking of ordinary people.
A single master of the highest realm can handle over a hundred third-rate to second-rate warriors with ease.
“I am Gwak Myung-hyun of the Changin Escort Agency.”
“I am Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
We introduced ourselves in turn.
“You are the ones who said you were coming for negotiations?”
“That is correct.”
“This way, please.”
The negotiation site they had prepared was not inside the mountain stronghold, but rather a makeshift table and chairs set up outside.
Not inviting us inside meant they wouldn’t reveal their circumstances.
Whoever they are, they’re thinking strategically.
It’s likely Gyeong In-juk’s doing.
The furniture was crudely fashioned from cut wood, and as I gazed upon it, the Stronghold Master Soon Dae-seok spoke.
“Please, sit. Ah, I suppose the chairs look shabby to such distinguished guests?”
And looking at my silk robes, he continued.
“You seem worried that your silk garments might get damaged?”
“No, of course not.”
A childish display of authority.
I collapsed onto the wooden chair and spoke.
“I was merely moved by the sincerity you showed in crafting even this table and chair. It must have taken considerable effort.”
“Well, that’s… true enough. Ahem.”
“And please don’t concern yourself with my clothes. I have plenty of garments like these.”
At my words, Sun Chaejoo found himself at a loss for words.
Master took a seat in one of the chairs as well.
“Do sit.”
“Ahem, yes, quite right.”
Sun Chaejoo sat alone without calling for the others. Now that I thought about it, hadn’t someone mentioned that Sun Chaejoo’s nature was rather autocratic?
That was why Gyeong In-juk hadn’t been able to distinguish himself, and only after Sun Chaejoo’s death did Gyeong In-juk come to the fore, finally revealing his true capabilities.
I glanced at Gyeong In-juk standing behind us.
He had been fidgeting restlessly since earlier.
Master spoke first.
“Our Changin Escort Agency sought to offer a reward for the goods you took from us and recover them. However, I suspect all those items have already been consumed.”
“That’s right. Every last bit went into our bellies. We ate well thanks to you.”
I was the one who responded to that.
“Since you’ve eaten well, you must pay the price.”
“Price?”
“Since you’re not true Green Forest Bandits, you may not understand, but when escort goods cannot be returned or the situation makes return impossible, there is only one course of action for the escort agency and the merchant guild.”
I met Sun Chaejoo’s gaze directly.
“Total war. Complete annihilation of the mountain stronghold.”
Crash!
He slammed his fist on the table and shouted.
“You want to try now? Fine! Let’s try!”
It was an attempt to intimidate, but neither Master nor I so much as blinked.
“My, you’re quite hot-tempered, aren’t you? Sit down. We haven’t finished what we have to say.”
“Why should I listen to you? Do you know what happens when I say the word? You people will….”
Sigh. This is why he died young in his previous life.
I sent a transmission to Seo-woo Warrior.
– Silence him, would you.
At my transmission, Seo-woo Warrior drew his blade and swung it toward the nearby trees.
Whoosh.
With just one light swing, thirteen or fourteen trees were cleanly severed and toppled.
“….”
“What happens when you say the word?”
“Ah, nothing at all, sir.”
Sun Chaejoo quieted down, faltering.
Then Gyeong In-juk, who had been standing behind, cried out.
“But if this is supposed to be a negotiation, why did you arrive so late? Weren’t you waiting for us to consume all that rice and medicine?”
Sun Chaejoo quickly chimed in at those words.
“Now that you mention it, that does seem suspicious! Just as he says, this can only be seen as intentional.”
“That’s not the case.”
I maintained my smile.
“To be honest, we never expected you would devour those goods the moment you seized them. Because ordinary Green Forest Bandits would patiently wait for us to show our sincerity.”
I lifted my gaze toward those behind me as I spoke.
“And they wouldn’t chase down those fleeing to injure them. Because they understand all too well that once someone dies, it can no longer be resolved by mere exchange of money.”
At my words, several of them lowered their heads in shame.
“Something seemed amiss, so I made inquiries about you. You’re not ordinary Green Forest Bandits at all—you’re vagrants masquerading as bandits.”
“….”
“In fact, many voices urged that we mobilize warriors to suppress this place immediately.”
I deliberately let my words trail off before continuing while looking at Sun Chaejoo.
“But our Merchant Guild Leader of the Eunhae Trading Company is remarkably compassionate and benevolent. Upon learning of your unfortunate circumstances, he proposed one thing.”
“What proposal is that?”
“The Eunhae Trading Company has recently purchased new farmland. We will entrust that farmland to you as tenant farmers.”
“…!”
Their eyes widened.
Even I could see it was an extraordinary offer, and they wore expressions of utter astonishment.
“Of course, since you have committed the crime of stealing our company’s goods and injuring one of our people, you must serve without compensation for five years.”
At my words, Gyeong In-juk cried out.
“Then what are we supposed to eat and live on during those five years?”
“A fair question. So during those five years, the Eunhae Trading Company will provide you with provisions on loan.”
“On loan?”
Sun Chaejoo bristled.
“Damn it! How did we end up like this? That cursed landlord charging usurious rates….”
“Ah, I understand your concern. But we are not such disreputable people. We will not charge interest on the provisions for those five years.”
The fact that we wouldn’t charge interest was already more than they could ask for.
“And after five years, you can begin repaying us gradually from that point onward.”
Sun Chaejoo asked in response to my proposal.
“What if we refuse to accept this proposal?”
“Is there any other option? To ensure that our Eunhae Trading Company and the Changin Escort Agency don’t appear vulnerable to other bandits….”
I smiled faintly.
“I believe you understand without my saying more.”
“….”
I stopped there and looked toward my Master.
My Master quietly shook his head.
It meant he had nothing more to say.
We rose from our seats.
I extended three fingers as I spoke.
“I’ll give you four days to think it over. If you decide to accept our proposal, hang a white flag at the mountain stronghold. If there’s no white flag after four days, I’ll take that as your refusal.”
After taking a few steps, I turned back and left one final word.
“Think carefully about it. Life as a Green Forest Bandit isn’t easy, is it?”
With that, we departed from that place.
“I wonder how they’ll decide?”
To my Master’s question, I answered with conviction.
“They’ll have no choice but to accept our proposal. Because they aren’t truly Green Forest Bandits yet.”
They’d fallen into banditry due to famine and desperation, but it wasn’t a choice they’d made willingly.
So if given a proper opportunity, returning to being ordinary citizens or farmers wouldn’t be difficult.
At least Gyeong In-juk didn’t step forward directly—that was fortunate.
If he had, we would’ve needed to sweeten the offer considerably.

* * *

After Gwak Myung-hyun and Eun Seo-ho’s group departed, silence settled over the mountain stronghold.
But soon, opinions among them began to diverge sharply.
“What should we do?”
“I don’t know either.”
“But they said they’d give us land.”
“They’re just going to work us for free for five years.”
“Still, at least we won’t starve to death.”
“But can we trust their words? What if they’re just saying that and actually plan to enslave us?”
“….”
As the group debated back and forth, Gyeong In-juk stepped forward with a suggestion.
“We still have about four days. Why don’t we investigate the Eunhae Trading Company?”
His position within the group had risen due to his earlier expression of doubt about Eun Seo-ho’s strategy.
Thus his opinion was immediately accepted. Besides, what he said made sense.
Soon they selected ten men and sent them to Chongyang County, where the Eunhae Trading Company was based, to conduct their investigation.
.
.
.
Those who arrived in Chongyang County with orders to investigate the Eunhae Trading Company began their inquiry immediately.
“Excuse me, what kind of place is the Eunhae Trading Company?”
“The Eunhae Trading Company? Why do you ask?”
“I’m thinking of becoming a tenant farmer on their land, but I heard they exploit their tenant farmers, so I wanted to ask.”
The face of the person being questioned darkened.
“What kind of bastard would say such nonsense? Who is it? I should have them torn to pieces!”
The investigators were taken aback by this fierce reaction.
“P-please calm yourself. I’ll make sure to have a word with whoever said such things.”
And they asked in a more subtle tone.
“But are you truly certain?”
“I can say with absolute confidence that there is no landlord as fair as the Eunhae Trading Company. Ordinary landlords take half of the harvest, and on top of that, they demand the tenant farmers pay taxes as well, do they not?”
Technically, taxes should have been the landlord’s responsibility, but the world was not filled with such virtuous people.
And good landlords were exceedingly rare.
“And that is not even the worst of it—some landlords charge separate fees for seeds and water.”
“Indeed.”
At those words, their teeth ground together involuntarily. They had become wanderers precisely because of such tyranny from landlords.
“The Eunhae Trading Company is different. They take only four-tenths of the harvest, and they pay the taxes themselves.”
“What about seed costs?”
“Of course the Eunhae Trading Company covers those as well.”
“….”
“That is not all. If a tenant farmer’s household faces a celebration or funeral, the Eunhae Trading Company sends people to assist with the arrangements. And if the family lacks funds to properly conduct such ceremonies, the company loans them money without charging interest.”
“….”
“Furthermore, if a tenant farmer suffers injustice, a senior member of the company immediately meets with the county magistrate. Thanks to this, countless people have had their grievances resolved.”
“….”
Thus the praise for the Eunhae Trading Company continued unabated.
“But what if an overseer acts tyrannically, no matter how good the Eunhae Trading Company is?”
“The company’s senior officials conduct surprise inspections. What overseer would dare deceive his master? He would not even leave bones to be buried.”
“….”
If what they said was true, there was no landlord under heaven as virtuous as this.
Hoping to verify, I sought out several more people and questioned them, but every single one sang the same praises of the Eunhae Trading Company.
“The Eunhae Trading Company? Now that you mention it, Eun Seo-ho, the Third Sub-unit Leader of the Eunhae Trading Company, distributed food throughout all of Chongyang County on his birthday.”
“You mean food?”
“Thanks to that, our son was snatched back from death’s door. So even now, we continue to offer prayers for the prosperity of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“Honestly, with such a severe famine, the fact that no one in Chongyang County has starved to death is entirely due to the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“Absolutely, you speak the truth.”
The more they investigated, the more resentment toward the landlords of their former villages began to surface anew.
And they began to see hope—that under the Eunhae Trading Company, they too could live with dignity.
Soon they returned to the mountain stronghold and reported everything they had witnessed and heard.

* * *

Four days had passed since the Eunhae Trading Company and the Changin Escort Agency gave the Rebel Bandit Group their deadline.
My Master and I set out directly for their mountain stronghold.
We needed to confirm their intentions with our own eyes.
Logically, they would certainly accept our proposal. But nothing in this world is absolute.
If by some chance they rejected our offer, there would be no other recourse.
Hoping such a regrettable outcome would not occur, as we headed toward the stronghold, my Master spoke.
“Look there.”

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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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