At that moment, an envoy of Naghachu arrived.The northern warlord, the sinister butcher."I am the envoy of Grand Commander Naghachu."
When the man finished speaking, the sounds inside the fortress stopped a beat late.Hammering ceased, horses' breathing lengthened for a moment.There was no laughter.The mouths that had just been saying "we won" said nothing at all.
Hwang Hyun-pil moved first.He stepped half a pace toward the gate and met the envoy's eyes.He neither avoided the gaze nor pressed it too hard.It was the distance at which each measured the other's rank.Hwang Hyun-pil's voice was calm."Liaoyang Fortress has been recovered by the Goryeo army. State the purpose of your visit."
The man tilted his head slightly.There was neither courtesy nor rudeness in the motion.It was arrogance.An arrogance worn smooth by familiarity.The bearing of someone who had spoken the same words before countless commanders in countless fortresses.
"The Grand Commander Naghachu asks,"he said, running his hand once along his horse's reins."Who guards Liaoyang Fortress."
The question was strange.Was it an error of translation—
Hwang Hyun-pil answered."General Baekin-gun."The envoy's eyebrow moved just a little.It was neither joy nor surprise, only the look of searching his memory."Baekin-gun… so that man is still alive."He murmured it low, as if speaking of someone he knew.
Still alive.Those words meant that he had not expected him to be.
The envoy nodded and continued."The Grand Commander asks.""Is holding this fortress a recovery, or a newly taken possession."When the words ended, even breathing stopped this time.It was not a military question, but a political one.The question of who recognizes land taken by the sword.
Hwang Hyun-pil did not answer at once.He looked once around the interior of the fortress.Scorched walls, rebuilt barricades, sacks of grain piled before the warehouses—and soldiers standing among them.Faces still young, faces that still believed they had won.Only after looking at them did he speak."It is a recovery. It was a Goryeo fortress."
The envoy did not smile.Instead, he shook his head."Liaoyang is land of the Great Yuan. And the Yuan is not yet dead."The words were not a threat, but a statement of fact.A confirmation that an empire not yet dead was still breathing.
At that moment, a horse cried out from inside the gate.It was startled by an unfamiliar smell.
The envoy turned his head at the sound.He looked into the horse's eyes for a moment, then looked back at Hwang Hyun-pil."The Grand Commander does not desire battle. He merely wishes the boundaries to be made clear."He pressed once on the metal ring of his belt.The metal rang briefly."Liaoyang Fortress is now being guarded by you. But whether it belongs to you has not yet been decided."
The words remained strange.A language that could not directly state what it wanted.
When he finished speaking, snow began to fall again.Heavier than before.Listening, Seong-jin realized something.What they believed they had won was only a single battle.What this man spoke of was the old order laid over the land beyond the battle.
Hwang Hyun-pil nodded."I will relay your words. The General will respond in person."Only then did the envoy bow, seemingly satisfied.Very shallowly.It was not respect, but procedure."Three days. I will hear the answer within three days."
He said no more.Mounting his horse, he swept his gaze once more across the interior of the fortress.Firelight, warehouses, soldiers—and for a brief moment, his eyes rested on Seong-jin's face.There was nothing of enemy or ally in that gaze.Only this was contained within it:"This place is not yours."It was not reproach, but surprise at the bleakness of it.
After the envoy departed, the air inside the fortress grew colder still.Snow continued to fall, and the fires gradually weakened.Someone spoke low."So… the war wasn't over."No one answered.
Uneasy imaginings followed.If Naghachu comes and claims it as his land, we may have to hand it over.What have we been doing all this time—unable to fight the White Lotus, yet finding Goryeo easy prey.
Seong-jin clenched his hand.It was the hand that had believed, just moments ago, that it had won.
Snow fell quietly,once again covering the ash and blood of Liaoyang Fortress.