144
As the banquet drew toward its end, Toghto summoned Yi In-jung.
"You came," Toghto said."Allow me once again to commend your achievements. Thanks to you, we have secured Gaoyu."
Yi In-jung stepped back half a pace and bowed.
"I have already received more than enough praise.The war continues—there is no need for excess."
For a moment, Toghto found himself thinking of Beiping—the capital, Dadu, what later ages would call Beijing.Men like this were rare there.
Confident, yet humble.Blunt, yet impeccably courteous.A man who did not measure decisions by profit or calculation, but by promises and standards.
Why, Toghto wondered, was there not a single man like this in Dadu—only wolves and jackals?
A faint, bitter smile crossed his lips.
Yi In-jung continued.
"One matter still troubles me. The enemy escaped.They can no longer sustain their former strength, but judgment should be reserved."
He added calmly,
"The battle was urgent. We could not pursue them to the end.Concerned about our numerical disadvantage, the warriors pursued only as far as the hidden routes before returning to support the main force.Had we pressed further, we could have taken him."
Toghto accepted the explanation with a gentle smile.
"It is enough. Once again, my thanks to the Goryeo forces."
As he spoke, he spread a map across the table.
"However, Zhang Shicheng remains. Look here."
He indicated the land south of the city, far toward Nanjing.
"Liuhe. Reports say he fled in that direction."
Yi In-jung studied the map.
"I am not deeply familiar with the geography of the Central Plains."
Toghto traced the routes with his finger.
"The outskirts of present-day Nanjing.It is likely he has reached out to Guo Zixing."
"Another leader of rebellion."
"Indeed. And beyond him lies Chen Youliang."
"Three fronts."
"In broad terms, yes."
Toghto tapped the map lightly.
"Zhang Shicheng in the south, Guo Zixing in the west, and Chen Youliang behind them.These three are the sparks sickening the Empire."
After a brief silence, Yi In-jung asked,
"Then… will you pursue?"
"I intend to," Toghto replied, his voice lowering."Before he enters Guo Zixing's protection."
He continued slowly.
"Form a detachment bound for Liuhe by tomorrow noon."
"We will depart as soon as the ranks are reorganized."
"My thanks."
As Yi In-jung turned to leave, Toghto called him again.
"The reason I summoned Goryeo and the western states was to tend to the hearts of the realm."
"Of course. I understand."
"And yet that justification is now being used to strike at me."
Toghto smiled faintly.
"They say this victory belongs to Goryeo, not to Toghto."
He looked directly at Yi In-jung.
"I never intended to diminish your merit.I merely wished to distance myself from being used in such a manner."
Yi In-jung did not hesitate.
"I understand. I hold no grievance."
In that reply lived both a soldier's restraint and the silence of one who understood the shadow of politics.
The tent soon stood empty.
Even after Yi In-jung departed, Toghto remained.He gazed for a long while at Gaoyu's nightscape, then murmured,
"Zhang Shicheng is a minor illness.The Empire already carries a greater disease."
He closed the incense casket slowly.
"Zhang Shicheng will vanish.But rebellion will remain, living on in the hearts of the people.A blade cuts men. Hearts choose their own direction."
Rising quietly, he moved toward the main hall.
Outside the gate, the banners of Goryeo fluttered in the wind.
Watching them, a subtle smile touched his lips.
"Truly… a fine army."
After a pause, he added,
"Within the Empire's order, the direction and height of light are predetermined."
In his eyes lay both the weight befitting a Grand Councillor—and the composure of one who bore that weight alone.
Music swelled again as he entered the hall.The night of victory continued, but his gaze was already fixed on the next battlefield.
Liuhe.
Gaoyu Lake
To the west of Gaoyu lay a great lake—Gaoyu Lake.
The city still reeked of blood, yet the surface of the water was impossibly calm.Mist settled thinly across it overnight, and crimson dawn light slowly seeped through.
Park Seong-jin walked along the lakeshore.
He had not yet removed his armor; his body felt heavy.Still, the urge to wash the stench of the battlefield from his senses was stronger.
Silence held its place.A silence that preserved the feeling that the fighting was not yet truly over.
Gravel crunched beneath his feet.
When he turned, Song I-sul was ambling after him.
"Why are you following me?" Park asked.
"To see what you're doing."
"And why do you need to know that?"
"Good question. Why did I come here again?"
Park let a faint smile lift one corner of his mouth.
The old warrior's rough manner was strangely comforting.Since the last battle, Song I-sul had sought him out often—a man once distant now oddly companionable, trailing him as naturally as sharing a meal.
They stopped and looked across the lake.
On the far shore, the shadows of burned and collapsed walls stretched long.
Park spoke quietly.
"I still don't understand how he escaped."
Song I-sul clasped his hands behind his back.
"He prepared for escape in advance.Multiple routes, a drawn-out pursuit—then a fast vessel."
"A fast vessel?"
"Only rumors. They say it moves like the wind. Gone in a blink."
Park looked again at the water.
The lake, smooth as a mirror, reflected the sky.
Silver light shattered across its surface, so dazzling one could hardly keep their eyes open.
After a pause, Park murmured,
"Then there should have been some trace."
Song I-sul chuckled.
"Water leaves no tracks."
The words drifted away like the wind.
The mist thinned. Light spread. The surface rippled faintly.
Park nodded.
"I see.The traces of those who flee, the shadows of the dead—in the end, they vanish like this."
A horn sounded in the distance.
The fog lifted once more, revealing the ruined walls in sharper relief.
Dawn was breaking over Gaoyu.
In the camp beyond the gate, drums began to beat again.
Prisoners were being sorted. Messengers ran.
A sealed document, stamped in red, reached Toghto's tent.
"Pursue toward Liuhe.Advance before Zhang Shicheng can unite with Guo Zixing.Destroy them."
A single line—yet it moved thousands of lives.
Yi In-jung accepted the order.
"Prepare to march."
His voice was quiet. The entire camp stirred instantly.
"Reform the spear ranks! Cavalry, prepare!Supply units, depart within the hour!"
Through the broken gates, soldiers poured out.
Goryeo and Yuan troops intermingled in a storm of motion.
Park Seong-jin checked weapons with Song I-sul.
The lake came into view again.
Water leaves no tracks.
But the wind had changed.
The surface now seemed ready to accept blood once more.
At dawn, the southern gate of Gaoyu opened.
Dust rose. The column stretched endlessly.
Spear units at the fore, cavalry and siege engines behind.
Yi In-jung raised his hand.
"We march!"
The drums thundered.
Park turned his horse and looked once more at the lake.
The mist was gone. Crimson light spread across the water.
Song I-sul grinned beside him.
"Well then. Another round."
They rode out.
Behind them, Gaoyu's walls receded—ashes, blood, and the memory of victory scattering into the wind.
Another battle awaited.
Liuhe.
There, the next fire would be lit.