I Became a Fallen Noble of Goguryeo

Chapter 44: Three Will Come (3)

Time passed, and it was early winter.

“I was thinking that in just one month we’d have a bunch of fresh new recruits coming in…!” I said.

Before I knew it, a year had already passed since I enrolled.

In just one month we would shed our Yellow-cloaks status and, as second-year Blue-cloaks, become the real power in Taehak.

And at that time, he asked, “…Are you Ondal?”

“I am, but… what brings you here?” I answered.

“Oh. You already know who I am, huh? Still, introductions are in order. I’m Seungbu-Widu-Daehyeong Go San.”

Go San had come to find me.

He was the son of the Northern Division Leader and a heavyweight of the Domestic Fortress Faction.

Among my friends there was Maeng Sap, the son of the Western Division Leader, but within the Domestic Fortress Faction the north was overwhelmingly dominant compared to the west.

The western parts of Liaodong had only come under Goguryeo during King Gwanggaeto’s time, and the region had never been densely populated.

But the north, even if it could not match Pyeongyang, had reasonably good farmland, held symbolic meaning as Goguryeo’s origin, and—more importantly—unlike the west it still had hereditary village allotments, the so-called tax villages.

“When the west was annexed, they had pretty much stopped granting tax villages anyway.”

You could tell from the fact that Maeng Sap, the eldest son of the Western Division Leader, had come to Taehak; eldest sons from the north typically remained at their family homes to inherit the tax-village households and did not bother coming all the way to Taehak.

But Maeng Sap from the west had no tax-village household to inherit, so he had to come to Taehak to make his fortune, which showed how enormous the right to a tax village really was—literally like inheriting a small country.

And Go San, who had come to see me now, was the head of those northern nobles, the Northern Division Leader and the chair of the Domestic Fortress Faction, roughly the opposition party leader in twenty-first-century terms.

“Even though he was Northern Division Leader, he had turned his back on his hometown to work for the Domestic Fortress Faction in Pyeongyang.”

Despite that massive background, the man I met in person, Go San, was surprisingly unpretentious.

“How long did you wait?” I asked.

“Long enough for two or three cups of tea, roughly.” he said.

My head was already throbbing.

We moved to a private reception room.

“First, there’s a matter between us to settle, right? About the princess.” he began.

“That’s right.” I replied.

“To be blunt, I have no particular feelings about it.” he said.

That part was a relief; Go San had originally been Boknyeo’s fiancé.

I had worried that Go San might resent me for taking Boknyeo from him.

But that was my needless anxiety; surprisingly, Go San did not mind much.

“Thanks to your marriage I could press down Wang Godeok quite hard… and you’re from the Domestic Fortress Faction too, right? Of course it’s a bit awkward that you became the most famous tea-drinker in Pyeongyang, but that’s about it.” he smiled.

That was unquestionably good news.

Go San smiled and then asked, “By the way, Ondal, I heard you were close with kids from the West and South. Is that true?”

“Yes, they were good friends.” I answered.

“I like that, I really do.” he said.

This was somewhat odd.

“I heard that you dislike the Pyeongyang Faction, Lord Go San. If you’re of the Domestic Fortress Faction I could understand disliking the Westerners, but wouldn’t it be uncomfortable that I’m friends with the South’s heir, who is of the Pyeongyang Faction?” I asked.

“Well, if we’re asking whether I like them, then no, I didn’t like them.” he admitted. “But I don’t think they should be killed; remember that our Domestic Fortress was nearly destroyed by the last civil war?”

Go San leaned back in his chair.

“If someone here were hoping for another civil war, they’d be unfit to have a head on their shoulders. The problem was that my uncles—who had clashed blades with the Pyeongyang Faction in the past—harbored very strong feelings against them, unlike me.”

By “uncles,” he meant the hardliners in the north who supported him.

“And I also had to show the uncles, as Northern Division Leader, that I could be the kind of leader they wanted; I had to give them reasons to follow me.”

I roughly understood what he meant; Go San did not desire another civil war either.

However, because Go San’s support base consisted of uncles who held grudges against the Pyeongyang Faction, he had to display a politically tough demeanor.

That was the subtlety of politics; the followers inevitably influenced the leader, and the leader influenced the followers.

“So in the end I need someone like you, Ondal—someone a bit soft. Speaking of which, son-in-law, when you graduate, are you planning to come to the Domestic Fortress?” he asked.

“Not to the Domestic Fortress specifically, but I was thinking about the Western Division, which is also part of the Domestic Fortress Faction.” I replied.

“The West? Because of the war?” he asked, tilting his head with interest.

“I heard you were talking about war with Seoto; that you planned to march straight to Seoto and set Yanqing (Beijing) ablaze?” he said.

What? When had I said that?

I quickly waved my hand.

“That was a severe misrepresentation. I only said that if the Northern Zhou destroyed the Northern Qi, Northern Zhou might invade Goryeo.” I explained.

“Hmm, Northern Zhou rather than a southern advance—well, I’ll give you one piece of advice: talk lightly about wars at your peril.” Go San said.

“War is ultimately a human affair. If enough people think a war will happen, then even a war that wouldn’t have occurred can come about.”

From the Domestic Fortress Faction’s perspective there was no reason to desire war.

If war broke out with Seoto, the front would inevitably be in the West and North, the territories of the Domestic Fortress Faction.

Unlike the Pyeongyang Faction, which lived based on hereditary villages called Nok-eup, the Domestic Fortress Faction lived based on tax villages inherited over generations, which gave them a strong attachment to their hometowns.

They surely would not want to see their own tax villages turned into wastelands because of war.

But was that all? In war, heroes inevitably emerged.

It would be good if such a hero belonged to the Domestic Fortress Faction, but what if he were from the Pyeongyang Faction?

That would tarnish the most valuable identity of the Domestic Fortress Faction—the title of “descendants of war heroes.”

This was why the Northern Division trembled at the thought of war.

‘As expected… I cannot go under Go San.’

This was probably the general thought of the Domestic Fortress Faction’s central sect that followed Go San.

Whether they won or lost, they had nothing to gain, which led them to develop an extreme tendency to avoid war.

It was quite ironic, considering their status as descendants of war heroes.

And this stood in direct opposition to my own thoughts.

It was not because I was some war maniac, but because I knew the future.

When Go Geonmu bowed his head to Tang, what did Tang do?

They destroyed war monuments and landscapes to break Goguryeo’s will, sent spies to draw maps of Goguryeo, and collected military secrets.

And then did they simply stay still afterward? Well, I did not think so.

—“Now that I have seen Goguryeo, if we attack by both land and sea simultaneously, it will be easily conquered. Once the disturbances in Shandong are settled, we shall carry this out.”

That was what Emperor Taizong of Tang had said when Goguryeo had bowed deeply.

Regardless of Goguryeo’s response, his will to strike was already overflowing.

In other words… the future war was something we had to prepare for as a certainty, not something that could ever be avoided.

I spoke to Go San.

“For now, I am nothing more than a lowly student of the National Academy. How could I possibly set the tone of Goryeo? Moreover, I too do not wish for war. I simply believe it will happen.”

“Truly, will you persist in saying that to the end?”

Such talk of predicting the future could grow endlessly long if dragged out.

Both sides had reasons and convictions.

It was an area where persuasion was impossible from the start.

Thus, I did not bother trying to persuade him.

What was needed in such a time was not persuasion, but negotiation.

“Since war is inevitable anyway, minimizing the damage is also our duty. That is why I requested to go to the Western Division. I have talent in farming. If I spread it there and secure provisions in advance, will that not be of great help in the coming war?”

I subtly brought up the subject of provisions.

At those words, Go San’s gaze shifted.

‘The reason Go San tried to win me over was not only because I was the Princess’s Royal Son-in-law… but also because of farming methods.’

My agricultural methods must have already spread northward through letters from my Domestic Fortress Faction friends.

Naturally, they would want to spread them quickly to their own tax villages.

‘On top of that, word about ginseng must have been slipping in as well.’

The Domestic Fortress Faction must have been thirsty for new agricultural methods, so to spread them into their own territories, they sought to win me over, the founder of the Agricultural Light Law.

At that, Go San’s expression stiffened somewhat.

“Hmm, wouldn’t Domestic Fortress be better than the Western Division? Domestic Fortress is closer to the West, and the land is far better.”

Even within the Domestic Fortress Faction, the Western and Northern Divisions had a delicate relationship.

Especially now that Madam Maeng of the West had married the Grand King, it was even more so.

It was as if someone who had been beneath them suddenly surged upward.

Go San seemed to want to keep me not in the West, but in Domestic Fortress, his own turf, to handle at will.

But I had no such intention.

“Sunzi said: The farther the provisions travel, the more soldiers starve. If the Western Land invades, the battlefield will surely be in the West. So would it not be best to spread the farming method in the Western Division to prepare against the invasion?”

“And if you are not allowed to go to the West?”

“Then I plan to remain in Pyeongyang and join the Royal Army.”

“Hmm…”

I struck a deal: “If you don’t send me West, you get no farming method.”

Would they keep me in Pyeongyang Fortress, or send me to the Western Division, even if it was still within Domestic Fortress Faction’s sphere?

The answer was practically predetermined.

“Very well. If the opportunity arises, I shall recommend you to the Grand King for the West.”

“With the recommendation of you, the leader of the Domestic Fortress Faction, none would oppose it.”

“Good, then…”

At that point, Go San tapped lightly on the table.

“That game you call Goryeo Myosan, I want to try it. Could you show me?”

“I shall fetch the soldiers.”

At first glance, it seemed as though Go San had given in to me very easily.

This was odd.

For before being a Domestic Fortress Faction man, I was a Royal Son-in-law.

To Go San, I was a fellow Domestic Fortress man, but also a rival contender for leadership within the faction.

Moreover, while I was in the National Academy, I was close with Pyeongyang Faction men like Yeon Taejo and Go Jaemu, and also with Maeng Sap of the Western Division, Go San’s rival.

No matter how one looked at it, my actions could only be called political.

Yet Go San knew all this, and still let himself be led along by my words.

Was it because Go San was stupid?

By no means.

It was no different than me starting the conversation after already having been stabbed once.

The proof was Go Jaemu, who was approaching with a stern expression from afar.

“Ondal. May I ask what you were discussing with Senior Elder Go San for so long?”

Damn, I knew this would happen.

No one in the National Academy was unaware that I was part of the Domestic Fortress Faction.

Yet despite that, I had gotten along quite well with the Pyeongyang Faction, including Go Jaemu.

I had tried not to reveal any partisan leanings, thanks in part to the unique environment of the National Academy.

But what about now?

I had just spent a long time in conversation with Go San, the head of the Domestic Fortress Faction.

For someone like Go Jaemu of the Pyeongyang Faction, this must have suddenly brought reality crashing down.

He could not help but wonder: “We’ve been friendly until now, but can I still stay close with him in the future?”

‘This is troublesome.’

Originally, what I had aimed for was to use my ambiguous position as both Royal Son-in-law and Domestic Fortress Faction member to gain leverage on both sides, Pyeongyang and Domestic Fortress alike.

To achieve this, I had recruited minor figures from the Western and Southern Divisions.

The Western Division belonged to the Domestic Fortress Faction, but since they had no tax villages and lacked merit, they were somewhat easier to talk to… and the Southern Division also shared a certain common ground with them as Goguryeo’s front line.

On top of that, students from the Northern Division in the National Academy were also recruitment targets.

Most of them were second sons or younger who had no inheritance rights to tax villages, so they harbored quite an ambition for success.

Thus, by gathering the Western Division, the Southern Division, and even the second sons and younger from the Northern Division, I aimed to create a middle-ground pro-royal big tent that looked like the Domestic Fortress Faction yet not quite, declaring myself “the young leader Ondal,” and thereby forming my own faction.

For that purpose, the time at the National Academy, where future officials clustered together but it was not yet true politics, could truly be called a golden time.

But Go San noticed this and threw a check pitch.

With just one meeting, he had pressed down hard on my greatest weapon, which was expansion.

‘So he acknowledges my usefulness, but does not want me to grow too large…?’

It was a simple yet effective stratagem.

Go San had not taken the head seat of the Domestic Fortress Faction merely on bloodline.

I said to Go Jaemu.

“…He asked if I wanted something, so I said to send me to the Western Division. Then he asked me to teach him Goryeo Myosan, so I brought the foot soldiers. That’s all.”

“I see, I understand.”

Go Jaemu looked at me and said.

“You’re quite good at lying when it comes to Goryeo Myosan.”

“Well, that’s…”

So he didn’t believe me after all?

Just as I thought that, Go Jaemu grinned.

“But aside from that, you’re not very good at lying. It shows plainly all over your face.”

“…Huh?”

“Before, didn’t I promise to block at least one arrow flying your way? That still stands. Just remember that. And also…”

Go Jaemu spoke somewhat awkwardly.

“I can’t solve a math problem… could you help me?”

At those words, I felt an odd sting in the bridge of my nose.

It seemed the year I had spent with them had built stronger ties than I had thought.

“What’s the problem?”

“In Hanseong of the Southern Division, each farmer produces 15 mal of harvest, but in Gomchon of Pyeongyang, each farmer produces 30 mal. So, how could we raise Hanseong’s yield to 30 mal? I think sending three people well-versed in the Agricultural Light Law to Hanseong might work.”

Ah.

Give me back my touching moment, you bastard.

When I arrived with the foot soldiers, there was already a guest.

“Senior Elder, roll the dice. If two sixes don’t come out in a row, you don’t get an attack opportunity.”

The one speaking was Yeon Taejo.

So, the son of Yeon Jayu, the head of the Pyeongyang Faction, Yeon Taejo, was playing Goryeo Myosan with Go San, the head of the Domestic Fortress Faction, using the game I had created.

‘What on earth is this situation?’

I asked Maeng Sap, who was watching the game.

“…Senior, when did you arrive?”

“Just now. The moment you left, he ran right in. Said if you want Goryeo Myosan, play it with him.”

Ah, I roughly understood the situation.

Yeon Taejo must have caught on to what Go San was trying to do by meeting with me.

So he dragged in all the nearby fellows, sat down with Go San, and played Goryeo Myosan one-on-one, subtly shifting the atmosphere.

As if to say, “If I can play Myosan with Go San, does that make me Domestic Fortress too?” to reinforce my ambiguity.

Yeon Taejo studied the board and said proudly.

“Am I completely cornered?”

“Of course, since you’ve stepped into where you shouldn’t have.”

“You’re talking about Myosan, right?”

Go San clicked his tongue and tapped the miniatures on the table.

At this, Yeon Taejo’s eyes lit up.

“Please! Don’t treat the foot soldiers I lent you like that. Do you not understand we should play Myosan joyfully while keeping rules and etiquette?”

“…Is that something to get so angry about?”

“Of course it is.”

I agreed with that statement.

Even the sound of clicking miniatures was annoying enough, but to think they were borrowed miniatures?

In my neighborhood, that would’ve gotten you beaten and silenced.

“…I’ll be careful. Anyway, is there even a way for me to win here?”

“Roll two sixes in a row. But that won’t happen…”

“Two sixes just came out.”

“Another crazy stroke of luck…!”

And so, with beginner’s luck, Go San won by the grace of the dice god.

“Ha, one more game…!”

Yeon Taejo, who had been confident in Myosan, cried out with the face of a man who had lost his country, but Go San shook his head.

“It’s too late now.”

“Then make an appointment. Let’s play again next time.”

“Next time?”

Without realizing it, Yeon Taejo had asked to meet and play Myosan with Go San again.

Only then did he realize his slip, and coughed awkwardly.

“…Uh? Ah, no… well, hm.”

Watching Yeon Taejo flustered, Go San grinned.

“It was fun. I never thought I’d do something like this with you. Sure, if there’s a chance, let’s do it again.”

As soon as Go San left, Maeng Sap fussed and ran up to me.

“Ondal, you! You said you’d come to my hometown after graduation, right? That’s a great idea. I always wanted to show you my hometown someday.”

Maeng Sap seemed to have no thoughts about today’s events.

That was just the kind of thoughtless guy he was.

He was simply excited that his friend would be coming to his hometown.

“To be honest, Pyeongyang is nice, but it lacks masculinity.”

“Masculinity?”

“Fighting the Khitans and the Malgal who invade daily, gaining skill and rising in rank through constant clashes. Cutting the Khitans’ heads, seizing their horses, and quenching your throat with the kumis they drink… that kind of thing.”

Maeng Sap chuckled.

“So cheer up. Besides, don’t we have something fun coming up soon?”

“Something fun? What’s that?”

“What else? The Yellow-cloaks coming in soon. I can’t even sleep, just thinking about putting those juniors to work.”

Oh-ho.

That was certainly something to look forward to.