80
Morning in the Barracks
Dohyeon came limping at a run, shouting,"I've never seen this much before!"
Oh Jin-cheol hoisted a sack high and laughed."With this much, we won't have to worry for months. Let's finally eat our fill and live like people."
Park Seong-jin walked over to them."You're back."
"Your face is half-burnt," someone said."The snow reflects too much light," he replied.
Brushing dust from his hands, Oh Jin-cheol said,"The granaries are packed. From now on, three meals a day—rice, rice, rice."
Dohyeon laughed loudly and shook his head."They say there'll be meat, too. Not just for officers.Jungnangjang Lee In-jung said it himself—'People who endure are the fortress.'"
Park Seong-jin nodded slowly."A good saying. I didn't realize how precious endurance was… until now."
"That's why being alive is a good thing," Dohyeon said with a grin.Laughter spread through the barracks.It was laughter worn thin by exhaustion, but warmth had returned to it—for the first time in a while.
Just then, Hwang Hyun-pil came walking up late and asked,"Park Seong-jin, why don't you ever rest? I saw you training again."
Park Seong-jin answered awkwardly,"Yes. I just… my body moved on its own."
"I see."Hwang Hyun-pil nodded."Well done. No matter how good the bow is, it's the sword in the end.At the last moment, it's always the sword. You chose well."
"Yes."
Smiling, Hwang Hyun-pil lightly tapped Park Seong-jin's shoulder."Good with the bow, and now the sword too… hm.You'll be a general soon enough."
Park Seong-jin hesitated, then offered an explanation that sounded like an excuse."In close combat, I was truly lost.There was a stretch where nothing worked, no matter what I tried.So—"
"Right."Hwang Hyun-pil cut him off gently, smiling."If there's a reason, it becomes study. Keep going."
Oh Jin-cheol added jokingly,"Better to die moving than freeze to death without moving at all."
Laughter broke out again.
Park Seong-jin looked at their faces for a moment.They were all worn down, yet for the first time in a long while, ease sat at their mouths—as though they had suddenly grown rich.
Sunlight spread faintly across the snow.Steam rose from the roofs of the barracks.
Then, from afar, an adjutant driving a supply wagon shouted,"Dinner soon! Once the supplies are sorted, gukbap!"
"Gukbap!"Dohyeon clenched his fist."Now we can really live."
Hearing that, Park Seong-jin smiled quietly.To live.He hadn't known those words could be so simple—or so powerful.
He set his sword aside and brushed off his hands.For now, it seemed all right to let his body rest.
Reconnaissance Support
At dawn the next day, horses and wagons once again lined up before Liaoyang's eastern gate.The laughter that had filled the barracks the day before was gone without a trace.Only a hard chill remained on the soldiers' faces.The snow had stopped, but the air still carried the smell of ice.
As he checked his bow and sword, Park Seong-jin glanced up at the sky.A faint light was spreading through the ash-colored clouds, but it carried no warmth.
"Reconnaissance," Hwang Hyun-pil said shortly."The vanguard goes first, but this time they want archer support."
"Where?""Across the river, toward Simju—Shenyang."Hwang Hyun-pil pointed north with his chin."They say lights have been seen there often lately."
The soldiers began gathering their gear.Three days' rations were loaded onto the wagons, and dry provisions were packed tightly into kits—boiled beans, dried meat, pressed slices of pork, a solid piece of rice cake.All done with practiced hands.
"Three days should be enough, right?" Oh Jin-cheol asked."In three days we could come back several times over," Hwang Hyun-pil replied, tightening a saddle."If it drags on… then that's another story."
A brief chuckle passed between them, then vanished.
"Departure ready!"At the commander's call, some forty men moved at once.Small flags were planted on each wagon—Second Unit, Sungui Army.
Hoofbeats struck the snow-covered land at even intervals.Their rhythm built into a small wind.The horses' breath bloomed white.
Hwang Hyun-pil moved forward alongside the vanguard captain.Their exchange was short and low.
"Is the river frozen?""The surface is, but it flows beneath. Crossing won't be a problem.""We go straight through.""Yes."
Park Seong-jin followed at some distance in the rear.All were cavalry, so the pace was fast.Even so, the fact that archer support had been requested weighed on him.
A situation that called for heavy crossbows—not saying it aloud meant they had already seen something.They carried bows as well.Yet to ask specifically for archers meant their lighter bows might not suffice.
Too far away.Or protected by strong shields.
Too much thinking wasn't helpful.
He adjusted his bowstring and lightly plucked it with his fingertips.The thin string sang tight and clear.
Snowflakes scattered again in the wind.Far off, riverside trees stood as though bound in ice.The sky was gray; the sun, pressed flat by clouds.
The column advanced in silence.Only the crunch of snow and the creak of wagon wheels remained on the road.
Before long, the river came into view.Beneath the snow, silver currents lay sealed.Wind skimmed the frozen surface, scattering white powder.
Park Seong-jin dismounted and studied the snow.
"Simju…"The murmur slipped from his lips.
A land colder and quieter than even Geumseong's northern wall.The air that day was thick with a scent that said—at any moment, fighting could erupt.