TKTCJ 06

Chapter 6. Northern Route Commandant (2)

At sunset, a long crimson glow stretched across the grassland.

Jeong Gyeom loosened the reins as he spotted a group of horsemen coming over the hill.

He already knew who the commander at the front was, so there was no need for any particular vigilance.

Before long, the two groups stopped at a reasonable distance from each other.

Jeong Gyeom urged his horse forward, unable to hide his delight.

“Brother Dap. How long has it been? Have you been well?”

Dapdon burst into hearty laughter.

“Of course I have. You look like you’ve been doing quite well yourself since we last met.”

Before he had even finished speaking, a leather wineskin came flying through the air.

It was filled with cloudy grain liquor.

Its sour smell stung Jeong Gyeom’s nose.

Gulp. Gulp.

Without a word, they began passing the liquor back and forth.

Once the wineskin was empty, Dapdon looked to Jeong Gyeom’s left and right before asking,

“Where did you leave your shadow behind? Why did you come alone?”

“Gukyang, I mean Jeon Ye, went back to his hometown for a while.”

Dapdon immediately nodded in understanding.

“He was always talking about his mother. Looks like he finally went back.”

A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“You rose from a rebel to a commander, so I suppose he went home in glory?”

Jeong Gyeom chuckled.

“Where would Gukyang go? He’ll be back within a month and a half at the latest.”

Dapdon gave a low snort.

His expression seemed to say, Of course. That makes more sense.

But his face soon turned red, and he suddenly shouted like thunder.

“You bastard! I nearly died because of you. When that Gongsun Zan bastard was coming to attack, you should at least have given me a warning!”

Grind.

“You slipped away by yourself and sent that wretched Wang fellow to me? And you still call yourself this Dapdon’s brother?”

Faced with Dapdon’s furious glare, Jeong Gyeom scratched his head.

“Now, now, why are you acting like this? Didn’t this younger brother repeatedly warn you back then? I told you Gongsun Zan’s attack was imminent, so you should cut back on the drinking and prepare your military equipment in advance. And besides… I couldn’t help it either. The White Horse is incredibly fast and frightening. How was I supposed to know exactly when they would advance? Just sending Wang to warn you was already taking a huge risk.”

At times like this, one had to have a thick skin.

Dapdon looked utterly speechless at Jeong Gyeom’s shameless excuses.

But soon, he gave a faint chuckle and shot him a look that clearly said he would wait and see.

“You sure know how to talk, you bastard.”

Then he added briefly,

“Just wait. I will repay this debt someday. Every last bit of it.”

Jeong Gyeom smiled back and waved the empty leather wineskin in front of him.

“Of course you should repay it. Surely the price of a life is worth more than this cheap grain liquor.”

Dapdon shook his head.

He clearly meant that he could not possibly win against Jeong Gyeom in a battle of words.

“A few days ago, I ran into Gongsun Gi at Seokmun. He was building one hell of an earthen fortress. That was your doing too, wasn’t it?”

“Well, let’s say it was.”

Jeong Gyeom calmly nodded in acknowledgment.

Dapdon shot him a sidelong glance.

“I knew it. But don’t make the mistake of thinking the Wuhuan won’t be able to cross the Great Wall. There isn’t only one road.”

As if he didn’t know that?

The earthen fortress had never been intended to stop a Wuhuan invasion in the first place.

Its purpose had merely been to cut off any possible pursuit by Gongsun Zan.

Now that Jeong Gyeom had become Northern Route Commandant, he was no longer under that particular threat, but he had no intention of stopping construction of the fortress.

Once it was completed, he intended to turn it into a trading hub with the Wuhuan.

In fact, trade with the Wuhuan had been an issue Jeong Gyeom had been considering ever since he took up his post in Yeongji County.

He had to stop the raids somehow.

If he went to war, his relationship with Dapdon made things difficult.

But if he simply tolerated the raids, he would be neglecting his duties.

In the end, he had chosen another path.

After consulting with Jeon Ju, whom he had recently recruited, he decided to reveal not all of the troops hidden in Seokmun County, but at least some of them, along with the earthen fortress.

Jeon Ju’s courtesy name was Jatae.

He was the recluse whom Jeong Gyeom and Jeon Ye had visited before.

Although he had initially refused to get involved, Jeong Gyeom had persistently persuaded him until he finally joined his service.

Jeong Gyeom had secretly celebrated to himself.

At last, I’ve gotten my hands on a talent worth using.

The fortress was bound to be exposed anyway, since Gongsun Gi had been building it on a much larger scale than expected.

Setting that aside, Jeong Gyeom shook his head at Dapdon’s taunting.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Everyone under Heaven knows that the Wuhuan’s strength lies in cavalry. There’s no way mounted warriors would try to cross that narrow mountain in the first place, so why are you going on about the earthen fortress?”

At Jeong Gyeom’s retort, Dapdon immediately clicked his tongue and began mumbling incoherently.

“Well, that’s what I mean. An earthen fortress suddenly appeared in Seokmun, and I wondered why that Gongsun fellow would go and do something so strange… Ah, I was just curious, that’s all.”

Jeong Gyeom straightened his expression.

“Enough with the pointless talk. Let’s get to the real matter. As you already know, Brother Dap, I have settled in Yeongji County under the orders of my Governor. So, I want to establish proper trade with the Wuhuan. I need your help.”

“Trade? You want to trade with us?”

“That’s right. The Wuhuan can’t continue living off raids forever. In the end, who suffers from hunger? The powerless old men and women, and children who don’t even understand what’s going on. I’ll open a market with the merchants of You Province. Let’s trade.”

“Hmm. Trade, you say. Trade…”

Dapdon stroked his beard, repeating the word.

Then he let out a quiet sigh.

“Trade sounds good. It’s not as if we chose raiding as our livelihood from the beginning. Even just a dozen years ago, there was some small-scale trade throughout the grasslands. But…”

Dapdon’s voice gradually sank.

“The scales were rigged. You know which way they tipped without me having to say it, don’t you?”

Jeong Gyeom nodded.

“Once we’d been cheated, the next part was simple. We took as much as we’d been cheated out of.”

Dapdon raised his gaze and looked directly at Jeong Gyeom.

“And that’s how trade came to an end. But if you say you’re going to restart trade now, who would actually be willing to raise their hand and trust you?”

After Dapdon finished speaking, Jeong Gyeom slowly opened his mouth.

“Brother Dap, I don’t know who will raise their hand. But don’t worry about the scales.”

Dapdon narrowed his eyes.

“That Seokmun earthen fortress you saw, Brother Dap.”

Jeong Gyeom’s voice grew firmer.

“That place is now in the palm of this younger brother’s hand.”

Dapdon’s gaze wavered slightly.

“Let’s start there.”

Strength entered Jeong Gyeom’s voice.

“Not only I, but Brother Gongsun as well, will respect the Wuhuan and strictly supervise the market.”

His voice remained resolute.

“I swear to you.”

The very air seemed to grow heavier.

“As long as I am there, no one will cheat you, and no one will take anything from you by force.”

Dapdon slowly stroked his beard.

Jeong Gyeom drove home his final point.

“Let’s be more honest with each other. Whatever else you may need, you do need salt.”

Salt?

Dapdon’s pupils trembled violently.

“Just open the trade route. I will make absolutely certain there is never a shortage of salt.”

After parting ways with Dapdon and returning to the fortress, Jeong Gyeom immediately went looking for Jeon Ju.

Having been worked without a moment’s rest ever since arriving in Yeongji County, dark circles had formed beneath Jeon Ju’s eyes.

Jeong Gyeom felt a little guilty about it.

But this man had a habit of finding fault with everything the moment he opened his mouth.

So, for the time being, Jeong Gyeom decided to leave him as he was.

“As soon as the Seokmun earthen fortress is completed, we will open the trade route. Tell Commandant Gongsun and find out when it is expected to be finished.”

Jeon Ju, who had been buried in documents, raised his head.

There was a faintly disgruntled look in his eyes as he stared at Jeong Gyeom.

“The messenger has already arrived. I looked into it myself first. Apparently, it should be completed in approximately three months. So the trade route can be opened at that time. As for the preparations…”

Jeon Ju narrowed his brows before continuing.

“Ahem. I will take care of them.”

Ahem.

Jeong Gyeom found himself clearing his throat.

“Let’s do that. I’m a military commander, after all, so I’m not particularly accustomed to handling paperwork. And there’s one more thing.”

His gaze lowered.

“We need to send someone into the grasslands. It’s only a suspicion for now, but… just in case.”

Jeong Gyeom paused briefly to choose his words before adding,

“There’s something the chieftain said that concerns me. We need to verify it.”

Jeon Ju’s expression became even more sour.

“Tell me the circumstances. I will act accordingly.”

He was right.

Jeong Gyeom lowered his head.

“Do you know who Guryukgeo, the Wuhuan chief’s eldest son, is?”

“Isn’t it Nuban?”

Jeon Ju began answering, then suddenly stopped.

“Could it be…”

His eyes widened.

“Did Nuban die inside the Great Wall?”

Jeon Ju’s expression stiffened.

It seemed the word war had flashed through his mind.

Seeing Jeon Ju’s face grow rigid, Jeong Gyeom nearly laughed to himself.

His thoughts were painfully obvious.

“Fortunately, it’s not that.”

For a moment, Jeong Gyeom considered teasing him.

But he quickly shook his head.

If he joked about something like this, Jeon Ju would undoubtedly jump up in outrage.

“It seems Nuban, carried away by the recklessness of youth, ventured into Xiongnu territory and came back. I haven’t heard the details. But judging from the concern written all over the chieftain’s face, it seems he came back after causing quite a serious incident.”

There was concern and apprehension in Jeong Gyeom’s voice.

“That’s why I want to find out what happened.”

A small look of relief crossed Jeon Ju’s face.

As long as it wasn’t war, things were fine.

But that relief lasted only a moment.

Irritation soon spread around his eyes.

They had only just decided to open the trade route.

This was not merely a matter of commerce.

The peace of You Province itself was at stake.

And if everything fell apart because of a single incident—

“The timing is terrible.”

Jeon Ju’s gaze sharpened.

“This… is not something we can simply overlook. Leave it to me. I will investigate it immediately.”

Jeong Gyeom spoke in a heavy tone.

“Good. I will trust my Chief Clerk, Jeon Ju.”

Meanwhile.

Jeon Ye was riding back toward Jeong Gyeom.

He had tried everything he could to bring his mother with him, but in the end, he had failed.

Part of the reason was that he had not yet properly settled into his new position, but more than anything, his mother simply did not want to leave her hometown.

Believing that the time was not yet right, he had no choice but to promise that he would return for her in the future.

During the few days he stayed there, the village had been bustling with activity.

It had only been a few years since he left his hometown.

Yet Jeon Ye’s return at the head of dozens of horsemen was a spectacle in itself.

The small village quickly became lively, and a feast was held.

Wine flowed, and laughter continued late into the night.

After several days passed like that, Jeong Gyeom’s words suddenly came back to him.