A few days later, the man returned.The gate guards rushed forward.The man dismounted and spoke without hesitation."I am the envoy of Grand Commander Naghachu."
In an instant, the air froze.On the surface of the sealed letter he presented, there was only a single line written.< Liaoyang is the land of the Great Khan. Surrender the fortress and all will be spared. >The envoy's voice did not tremble.Rather, it was calm.He believed he would return alive.The words were harsh, but he trusted the power behind him.
The General said nothing.The hand holding the letter trembled faintly.This was surely an unexpected variable.For a man who had risen to be General not to have anticipated even this—
An ominous silence flowed.Park Seong-jin watched the scene from afar.Murmurs spread, and nameless unease seeped into the fortress like falling snow.Oh Jin-cheol muttered low."You thought it was over? This is war. The winner only gets to breathe for a while. Victory is just another name for securing the right to rest briefly. Then someone else comes rushing in, saying they want a turn."
Seong-jin looked up at the sky.Wasn't it over…The snow showed no sign of stopping.The flames were out, but the embers of a new war were already burning beneath the snow.After fighting so hard to seize the fortress, some unrelated bastard now claimed it as his land.He could not have taken it by his own strength, yet after the remnants were barely driven off, he now demanded the fortress be handed over.Anyone could see it was an outrage.
"Who is Naghachu?"As a newly enlisted soldier, Seong-jin asked.It was a face that only appeared once the fighting had ended.Oh Jin-cheol answered."He's of the Naps lineage.""And who is that?""A descendant of Muqali.""Muqali?"The more he heard, the harder it became to understand.Oh Jin-cheol clicked his tongue."Good grief. Talking to people who don't even know the yeok in history—makes me feel old."He spat toward the wall."He was Genghis Khan's right-hand man. One of the Sajun Sagu—the eight commanders Genghis trusted most, and counted among the very best.""So he was a great man.""Brilliant strategist, and his archery was said to be ghostlike. In his time, his stature was even higher than Subutai's.""Subutai too—""Yeah, that one's a great general as well. The greatest."If everyone is the greatest, then who truly is?After a pause, Oh Jin-cheol added,"But Muqali was different. When Genghis Khan went west, he gave a direct order—'Destroy the Jin dynasty in my stead.' That's how much he trusted him."
Seong-jin nodded slowly."Then the current Naghachu is—""One of his bloodline. Muqali's descendants seized military power in the eastern steppe and Liaodong, holding this land generation after generation."Seong-jin said,"Then that wasn't a threat… it was a claim of legitimacy."Oh Jin-cheol gave a dry smile."Exactly. 'Liaoyang was originally our land.' That line's been used like a spell for centuries."He shook the dirt from his hands with a sharp flick."This fight isn't a simple battle. Power, bloodline, justification—everything's tangled together."
Seong-jin looked toward the wall.The fire was gone; only snow was falling."Now I get it. What we're fighting isn't the enemy in front of us… but the shadows of a long-past age."Oh Jin-cheol nodded."Right. In war, the dead fight more than the living."
Seong-jin asked,"Then whose land was Liaoyang originally?""Whose? Ours, of course. Goguryeo land. Land where Great King Gwanggaeto once ranged.""So it was taken.""Right. A very long time ago. And not so long ago, a Goryeo king even held the title King of Liaoyang."Seong-jin nodded quietly.The snowfall grew heavier.
As the snow struck his face, Seong-jin thought:the fighting was not over—only its form had changed.He would have to accept the truth that they must fight again.The winter sky over Liaoyang Fortress hung low.Smoke left inside the fortress tangled with falling snow, turning even people's breath white.
The General designated the large building once used as the Liaoyang provincial headquarters as the council hall.Cold seeped through the thick stone walls, and even without speaking, breath scattered white.All generals and staff filled the seats.Hwang Hyun-pil was there as well.And at the center, the envoy of Naghachu sat neatly.There was no shrinking back, no tension—only the posture of someone who believed himself superior.
The General read the letter in a low voice."Liaoyang is the land of the Great Khan. Surrender the fortress and all will be spared. Refuse, and you will all be treated as enemies."After a brief silence, someone scoffed."The same old trick. If they can't have it, they won't let anyone else have it."Another general countered immediately."He's a descendant of Muqali. That name alone can gather tens of thousands of troops. If he invokes the Northern Yuan as well, all of Liaodong could be shaken again."
The General lifted his head.Fatigue and vigilance were both in his eyes."We took this fortress with blood. If we withdraw now, the reason we fought disappears. We cannot do that."
The envoy slowly raised his head."Grand Commander Naghachu has said this. Liaoyang is originally the Khan's land. Leave peacefully and all will be spared."When he finished, Hwang Hyun-pil rose from his seat."How dare you speak of heaven on this land!"His hand went to his sword hilt, as if he might draw it at any moment.Yet the envoy did not flinch.Instead, the corner of his mouth rose coldly."Heaven has long been in the north."The air froze.The heaven he spoke of could be Tengri, or the Mandate of Heaven spoken of by the Central Plains.That lord may be busy and have no time to care, yet there are those who persist endlessly in making the claim.
The General raised his hand."Enough."He looked straight at the envoy."Go back. We have already seen our own heaven on this land."The envoy snorted."We shall see how long that heaven remains."He turned and walked out.As he crossed the threshold, a spear point touched his back—one of General Baek's retainers.Only then did the envoy flinch.No matter whose envoy he was, the blade before one's eyes is always more frightening.The General shook his head."Let him go."
The hall stirred."If you let him go, you invite war.""If we kill him, we begin the war."The General closed his eyes briefly, then spoke."The war has already begun. And we will not decline it. If it is war—then war again."His words echoed through the hall.
Park Seong-jin was standing guard outside.He heard the words clearly.It occurred to him that being a general was no easy calling.
The war had already—and once again—begun.Outside, snow was falling again.The envoy's words and the General's words mingled within the white snowfall.
The envoy mounted his horse and passed through the gate.Behind him, the gate of Liaoyang Fortress closed.It was the dull sound of wood and iron interlocking.Not a send-off, not a threat.It sounded simply like a sign that something had ended.As he moved farther away, the firelight vanished quickly.Liaoyang Fortress became a single mass of darkness once more, with snow falling over it.
Three days later, he arrived at Naghachu's main camp, the Golden City.The envoy dismounted and immediately prostrated himself."They refuse to surrender Liaoyang Fortress."After a brief silence, a shadow rose inside the tent."Do they raise the banner of Goryeo?"The envoy lowered his head further."Yes."Naghachu's hand gripped his sword hilt."Those who insult heaven are unfit to tread the earth. This is our heaven."The order fell at once."We will reclaim Liaoyang. Inform the entire army."The commanders outside the tent all prostrated themselves."Loyalty!"
At that moment, the Northern Yuan camp began to move.Cavalry set their saddles, and carts were loaded with bows and iron arrowheads.Naghachu mounted his horse."Burn Liaoyang. Let them know that the heaven they saw will never again stand above them."The drums thundered, and thousands of shouts shook the snow-white land.