The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 381

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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 381

Chapter 381. A Letter from the Northern Sea Ice Palace (5)

Seo Hyang spoke to me.
“Is there perhaps a way to take a detour?”
A detour? Why would she ask such a thing?
I asked with a serious expression.
“Young Lady, I need a more detailed explanation.”
“Many people are lying in ambush along the path we must take. And their surprise attack will cause severe casualties.”
Watching Seo Hyang’s eyes tremble slightly, I understood that the damage would indeed be grave.
“How many are lying in wait?”
“Over five hundred.”
Quite a number. But if they’re waiting for us, someone must have learned of this beforehand and informed them.
Thinking it through, the full picture became clear.
Even though we didn’t stop at an inn, unloading grain at the ferry terminal couldn’t have gone unnoticed.
Some mountain stronghold must have learned of it.
And the chief of that stronghold made his plan—to form an alliance with nearby Green Forest Bandits.
The Green Forest Bandits in the Shandong region aren’t particularly large in scale.
The government’s influence is strong there, so if the bandits grew too large, they’d face suppression.
Operating on such a small scale, they couldn’t target a massive group like ours.
But the fact that we’re transporting grain must have stirred their greed.
Grain—something that usually kept them scattered—had united them.
“Do you happen to know where that location is?”
“I’m not entirely sure. However, I saw a large Cornelian Cherry Tree.”
Ah… if that’s the case, I think I know where it is.
There’s only one place along our route with a large Cornelian Cherry Tree.
Right before we cross from Shandong into Hebei.
The terrain is treacherous, and five hundred men is certainly a burden.
Of course, we won’t lose, but we can’t avoid taking significant casualties.
If it were a hundred or two hundred, it would be good experience for Jin-ho.
Just from the report I read earlier, it seems Jin-ho has grasped the situation well.
I rose from my seat.
I prefer to act and resolve matters rather than spend time deliberating.
If we need to reduce their numbers, then we reduce them.
“Jin Yu Warrior, let’s step out for a moment.”
“Yes, I shall follow.”
“And Seo-woo Warrior, I ask that you look after things here in my absence.”
“Please set your mind at ease.”
“And please tell Elder Brother and Ha Pyo-doo that we’ll depart around lunch tomorrow.”
“Understood.”
I had to move alone on this matter. If I told Jin-ho, he would surely insist on coming with me.
But when dealing with the Green Forest Bandits, I needed to be as cold and sharp as ice.
Even though I had changed my combat methods considerably, Jin-ho still had a tendency to act on impulse.
That could ruin everything.
“Then, I’ll be back shortly.”
With that, Jin Yu Warrior and I quietly slipped away into the shadows.

A short while later.
I stood before a Mountain Stronghold. To gather over five hundred men in such a short time, all the strongholds in this region would have no choice but to unite.
As I approached the stronghold, a Green Forest Bandit holding a torch came forward from the palisade gate.
“Who are you?”
His tone was overbearing.
But I paid it little mind.
All the Green Forest Bandits were like that.
And this one was just pretending to be tough.
“Ah, my apologies for the late greeting, Mountain Hero. I am So-sang of the Eunhae Trading Company. I wish to see the Fortress Master.”
He paused to think, then spoke.
“I’ll inform him inside. Wait a moment.”
He went in, and after a brief moment, came back out and said.
“Go on in.”
“Much obliged, thank you.”
Jin Yu Warrior and I entered where the Fortress Master dwelt.
The Fortress Master sat upon a chair covered with beast hide.
“What brings you here?”
At his ostentatious display, I smirked inwardly.
He looked rather pathetic, truth be told.
“Ah, I am So-sang of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“The Eunhae Trading Company?”
“Surely you’ve heard of us. We rank among the top thirty trading companies. And the goods you’ve resolved to plunder this time—they belong to our Eunhae Trading Company.”
“…!”
He flinched.
“H-how did you know that?”
“We have our ways of knowing. So tell me—who was it that persuaded you to join in this scheme?”
“P-persuaded?”
“Our trading company employs many warriors of exceptional skill. The stronghold that leads the vanguard will surely suffer near-total annihilation….”
I let out a soft laugh.
“No matter how I think about it, those who persuaded you to join don’t seem like they’ll be standing at the vanguard.”
“….”
The Stronghold Master’s expression darkened sharply at my words.
“With public sentiment so turbulent, you’d venture out on a journey with such vast quantities of grain without adequate escort forces? Do you think the Eunhae Trading Company is foolish? Moreover, the Mountain Stronghold, which learned of this fact first, couldn’t possibly be ignorant of it….”
I casually interjected.
“You didn’t tell them, did you?”
“….”
“Judging by your expression, Stronghold Master, did you agree to lead the vanguard?”
“Ahem!”
They must have enticed you by offering a larger share of the plundered goods.”
“….”
“But are you planning to take that share with you to the afterlife? No matter how much you might wish it, you can’t. That share will surely belong to the few surviving Mountain Strongholds.”
Finally unable to contain himself, the Stronghold Master erupted.
“Damn it! You deceived us!”
Now that I thought about it, he realized he’d fallen for a proposition that made no sense.
Those who are deceived are usually those who pride themselves on being clever.
Because they trust their own abilities, they never doubt the decisions they’ve made.
The Stronghold Master before me was precisely that type.
When such men realize they were wrong, their rage is absolutely tremendous.
Manipulating them in that state is remarkably easy.
“They deceived you first, Stronghold Master. So why continue this alliance?”
“There’s no reason!”
“But the problem is reality, isn’t it? Food is scarce, and now it’s the lean season.”
“….”
I tossed him a pouch.
Thud!
“What is this?”
“Open it and see.”
He opened the pouch, and his eyes widened.
“This is…?”
“Silver to compensate for the losses you’d suffer by withdrawing from the alliance. So, what will you do? Will you take this money and leave the alliance? Or will you remain part of it?”
He let out a scoffing laugh at my words.
“You speak strangely. This money has already come into my hands. But if I choose the latter, it sounds like you could take this money back from me whenever you please.”
“Ah, you understood perfectly.”
“What kind of… Ugh!”
He swallowed hard.
A cold blade had already pressed against his throat.
This is why I brought Jin Yu Warrior with me.
Merchants inevitably come to understand the nature of the Green Forest Bandits well.
They move with ruthless pursuit of profit.
In some ways, they do resemble merchants.
However, the decisive reason our merchants differ from them is that we possess merchant’s integrity.
I too am providing this Fortress Master before me with appropriate compensation for the sake of that integrity.
Of course, greed blinds a person’s eyes.
Even if he received compensation, if I quietly departed, he would join the alliance and aim for even greater rewards.
That is why I am warning him like this.
I smiled wickedly.
“What will you do?”
At my question, he trembled and spoke.
“N-no, it was merely a jest. Haha. One must keep their promises. Yes! Absolutely.”
“What will you do?”
“I will withdraw from the alliance!”
“You have chosen wisely.”
At my gesture, Jin Yu Warrior removed his sword from the man’s neck.
“You must be thinking right now: with this level of skill, why not simply kill all those who agreed to join the alliance? Why go through such troublesome measures?”
His pupils dilated as if struck by the truth.
“From my perspective, this is more profitable. As I mentioned, we are merchants. Since you, Fortress Master, keep this region clean and maintain order, why would we interfere?”
Paying tolls to the Green Forest Bandits leaves a bitter taste, but it is more advantageous to do so.
By maintaining such amicable relations, our merchant company’s caravans suffer no harm from them.
We cannot station overwhelming escort forces in every region.
They too prefer receiving stable tolls to recklessly attacking caravans and suffering losses.
“Hmm, that is true.”
“Of course, if you touch us, blood will be spilled.”
“Do not worry. From now on, I shall simply collect tolls peacefully.”
“Yes, that is precisely the appropriate measure.”
Thus this matter concluded,
“So then, where is this Mountain Stronghold that tempted you to participate in this scheme?”
“If you cross one mountain to the east of here, you will find it—the place operated by Manggu Bandit Chief.”

* * *

Man-gu, the Bandit Chief operating the Green Forest Bandits’ Mountain Stronghold in Shandong, scratched the boat with satisfaction etched across his face.
The enormous quantity of grain he would soon obtain danced before his eyes.
An informant he had dispatched to Jinan not long ago had brought back invaluable intelligence.
Specifically, that the Eun Hae Trading Company was transporting a massive quantity of grain.
The Eun Hae Trading Company.
A place that had grown rapidly in recent times and now ranked among the top thirty merchant guilds.
Moreover, in these troubled times, to be transporting grain meant their escort forces would be formidable indeed.
Yet the prospect was far too appetizing to abandon for such reasons.
With proper execution, it was enough grain to keep him scratching his belly contentedly for an entire year.
As he deliberated, a brilliant idea struck him.
Draw in the nearby Mountain Strongholds.
His own share would diminish, certainly, but that was preferable to gaining nothing.
If he distributed the shares generously, these perpetually starving brigands would surely accept—there was no doubt of it.
He moved swiftly, dispatching messengers to every Mountain Stronghold in the vicinity. The ambush had to occur before the Eun Hae Trading Company’s party left Shandong.
As anticipated, they all accepted his proposal, and they gathered in one place to devise concrete plans.
Man-gu promised greater shares to those who would lead the vanguard, and several fortress masters pledged to take the front.
‘Foolish wretches, how easily they fall for it.’
He smirked inwardly.
Generous shares were nothing but empty promises.
Considering the enemy’s strength, their annihilation was as certain as fire.
His plan was to join the battle as late as possible and secure his own portion.
Though the scale was large enough that the Government Authority or Sects might intervene, his forces would scatter quickly enough.
Being small-scale had its advantages in such matters.
The thought brought satisfaction once more.
Just then, a Green Forest Bandit came rushing over frantically.
“Stronghold Master! Stronghold Master!”
“What is it?”
“Our prey approaches. It should arrive within half a day.”
“Then shall we prepare to move out?”
He commanded his Mountain Stronghold subordinates to ready themselves for battle, then hefted his prized weapon—a pair of twin axes.

They headed straight toward the location designated for the ambush.
A considerable number of Green Forest Bandits had already gathered there.
Yet Man-gu sensed something was amiss.
The numbers were smaller than expected, and several fortress masters were nowhere to be seen.
“Wait, where are Gong Fortress Master, Yeon Fortress Master, and So Fortress Master? Why haven’t they arrived yet?”
“I’m not certain myself.”
“This is troublesome… weren’t they supposed to lead the vanguard at Mountain Stronghold?”
By cruel coincidence, all those who had yet to arrive were the very ones pledged to spearhead the assault.
“Fortress Master! Our prey draws near!”
Their continued absence made one thing abundantly clear—they intended to withdraw from this operation.
….
“We have no choice. We’ll proceed with those of us here!”
“Then who will lead the vanguard….”
They exchanged wary glances with one another.
Those gathered here were precisely the ones who had avoided the vanguard, knowing full well that leading the charge would inflict the heaviest casualties.
Man-gu Bandit Chief stepped forward with reluctance.
“Bah! Let’s just attack all together at once!”
“That would be preferable.”
And so the Green Forest Bandits resolved to launch their assault in unison.
Yet their numbers amounted to barely two hundred men—less than half of what they had originally anticipated.

* * *

Riding in the carriage, I let out a quiet chuckle.
The killing intent emanating from ahead was unmistakably that of the Green Forest Bandits. However, their numbers fell far short of five hundred—barely reaching two hundred.
A perfect number for gaining practical combat experience.
“Are you… truly certain this is safe?”
At Seo Hyang’s question, I nodded.
“Yes. The more than five hundred you witnessed before no longer exist. As I mentioned, through a combination of persuasion and intimidation, I’ve convinced more than half of them to abandon their assault.”
The Mountain Stronghold Master I first visited had readily revealed the names of those leading the charge, including the orchestrators of this entire scheme.
I had visited each of the strongholds committed to spearheading the attack in turn, extracting oaths from them to withdraw from the coalition.
As I recalled this and chuckled softly, Palgap spoke up.
“Young Master, when you laugh like that, it’s rather frightening.”
“What’s so frightening about me…?”
I gently stroked Geumryeong on my sleeve as if to express my wounded feelings.
Shiver.
Geumryeong, why are you trembling?
I’m truly hurt.
At that moment, the carriage came to a halt.
Now it was time to begin the battle.
I ordered Palgap to protect Seo Hyang before stepping down from the carriage.
Those standing densely packed on both sides of the road ahead.
They were here for Jin-ho’s practical combat experience.
Speaking of which, how many battles have I fought up to now? I’ll be sure to extract a hefty compensation from the Palace Master of Northern Sea Ice Palace for this.
Though I am the Lesser Palace Mistress of Seolpung Palace, the provisions and transportation costs I bring to the Northern Sea Ice Palace are certainly not free of charge.

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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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