353 – Wolves and Dogs – 1
The corps belonging to the Central District Army and the Central District Army took a short breath in the Duchy of Hablem. Isn’t it too harsh to send non-stop soldiers to the north who have to fight dog-like nomads? You need to take a break before crossing the border in earnest.
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Of course, the northern and western forces have already left the Hablem Duchy and are stationed near the border, so they won’t be able to rest for long.
“Everyone has gathered.”
While the soldiers took what seemed to be their last rest, the high-ranking commanders and staff gathered at the barracks of Jeon Seung-gong after being called by Jeon Seung-gong.
‘Why am I?’
But I don’t know why I’m in the middle of the place where the leaders are gathered. I was called to come, but can I stay here?
“The Inspector General is in a position to follow His Majesty’s orders and look at the situation of the expeditionary force. That’s why I called the Inspector General as well.”
Perhaps he noticed such a question, Jeon Seung-gong opened his mouth first. No matter how nominally the emperor handed it over, an inspector is an inspector, so he said to sit with him.
“Thank you for your consideration, sir.”
He bowed his head and expressed his gratitude for his undeserved consideration. To be honest, I am a swordsman wielding a sword on the front line, far from being a commander or staff member. Non-professionals who attend meetings but cannot come up with good ideas.
Still, the reason why he called me was probably because of his title as an inspector, but he probably wanted to share information in real time with me, who has a tough relationship with Dorgon. I am so grateful.
“A report from the commander of the Northern District Army just came up. They say that nomads have not been seen near the border to this day. It must be to give up the attack on the allies and lead them deep into the grasslands.”
Anyway, Jeon Seung-gong, who summoned the leadership, went straight to the main point.
The news that the expeditionary force must go up to the north and catch and kill the nomads. Of course, to subdue the nomads, we have to enter the north, so I would like to do that, but—
“Unexpectedly. Right now, the forces of the north and west are united, so it might be difficult to touch them, but weren’t there many opportunities to attack before then?”
The 2nd corps commander opened his mouth on behalf of the people gathered here.
It is constant that allies must go to the north. Even the nomads are wild in their behavior and not stupid, so they may be bracing themselves for knowing that the Empire is coming to their front yard on its own.
However, just as the empire regards the nomads’ cavalry power as a threat, the nomads are wary of the empire’s stock. As the 2nd corps commander said, if they had rampaged at the border before a large-scale military unite, they would have eaten away even a little bit of that quantity, but until now?
‘Last time there wasn’t a f*cking dog.’
I’d rather be quiet the other day, ‘Ah, these bastards are special.’ You would have thought But how much they suffered from their hit and run in the last war.
Even the north of the Hablem Duchy is a plain area that pioneered the north. It is a perfect area for nomads to play. If you shoot a few arrows from a distance with your stupid words and they bounce off, the empire will be unilaterally beaten and will have no choice but to vomit their anger.
But they say they are quiet. Although the body is comfortable, it is news that makes the head complicated.
‘Is the inside more sh*t than I thought?’
At that moment, even that thought came to my mind. From the Empire’s point of view, it’s a hit and run that raises blood pressure, but from the point of view of the nomads who try that hit and run, it’s a gamble that goes to the goal after being caught. It’s very dangerous to play against hundreds or thousands of soldiers if you don’t know if you just plunder villages near the border.
So, during the last war, Kagan was holding tight to the inside, so there were a lot of people who would self-destruct according to Kagan’s order, and if you think that Dorgon hasn’t reached that stage yet, you can forcefully understand it.
No, but you called yourself that bastard Khan. Isn’t that bastard so vain that he’s talking about Khan and what, even though internal crackdowns have failed?
‘What is it really?’
No matter how much I think about it, I don’t know. Again, I am far from strategy or tactics.
“I don’t even see the nomads to be interrogated, so I can only speculate at this point. Either there is still confusion within the nomads, or they want a clear fight without unreasonable provocations as their power has weakened compared to before.”
In the end, I made a standard judgment, perhaps the same goes for Jeon Seung-gong.
Unfortunately, there is really no way. Well, you have to have information to make a guess or not, but what if you don’t even have a prisoner to squeeze the information out. If you guess without information, it’s just a matter of luck.
“Five years ago, we had to enter the northern region in a situation where the fatigue of the soldiers accumulated due to raids by nomads. I don’t know the details, but at least the fact that the burden on the soldiers has been reduced is encouraging.”
Amidst such a heavy atmosphere, the former Count Horfeld opened his mouth.
It sounds a bit irresponsible, but it’s not exactly wrong. It is true that the burden on the soldiers who have to fight directly, apart from the leadership who has to figure out the enemy’s intentions, has drastically decreased.
“That’s right. Regardless of their intentions, armed conflict is unavoidable in the end. Then the morale of our soldiers is so important, and we need to think of ways to dampen the enemy’s momentum based on that morale.”
After the former Count Horfeld, the commander of the 5th corps spoke, and Jeon Seung-gong also nodded softly.
If you don’t know the nomads’ hand, it’s right to at least maximize the hand we have. If they don’t touch us, we should be prepared to hit them in the best condition. No matter what trap they prepare, you just have to break through it head-on.
…Of course, you shouldn’t completely forget your opponent’s hand.
***
The home of the Gaar tribe in the past.
A place where neither the laughter of children nor the cry of sheep can be heard now, or the place where the tribe that once stood in the center of the north stayed. There is no shortage of writing as a garrison.
“Imperial troops are gathering near the border. As the Khan ordered, we are scouting as far apart as possible, so please don’t know the details—”
“If an army of that size prepares to advance, it can be detected even if there is a distance. Keep the current distance.”
“Yes, Khan.”
I looked at Kesik leaving the barracks with my head down, then I threw my head back.
My heart is surprisingly calm. There is no tension or excitement. Rather, it seems that the heart was more thrilled when he declared himself Khan and declared the resurrection of the Gaar tribe.
‘It’s been three years.’
He let out a small sigh. Three years have passed since the war ended, and three years have passed since the northern consensus was broken.
And then, after 3 years, they collided with the Empire again. With my will, not with the hero who led the north, but with my decision to follow in the footsteps of that hero.
‘Dear Kagan.’
The north has never been united in its long history. The leader of the nomads who united the north and threatened the empire.
A hero who made known to the world that nomads were not unilaterally wiped out by the empire, nor were they just weak beings trampled on.
Today is the day I miss him even more. This is the day I want to see a truly great warrior, not a fake like me.
“We’ve lived as dogs. We’ve lived as dogs that are swayed by the beckoning of the Empire and have to lay down if they get caught on a leash no matter how much they bark.”
Five years ago, I remembered what he said right before raising his army. He himself poured wine into my cup and said,
“To them, we are like talking dogs. We feed them, take care of them, and deal with them when they become large. If we dare to break off the leash and bite a person, we must kill them.”
I still can’t forget the shock of when he calmly called us dogs.
No, he was aware of the fact, but he might not have wanted to admit that those words came out of his always confident and strong mouth. If he, and no one else, calls us dogs, who can deny that he isn’t?
“But dogs have wolf blood.”
He looked at me, who couldn’t bear to say anything, and he continued talking casually.
“The past, when there was no concept of settled people, when nomads ran across the continent. We ran like brave wolves under the eternal blue sky. We started with wolves.”
“However, time has made the grasslands for wolves disappear, and eventually we put a leash around the wolf’s neck. With that, we became dogs.”
After saying that, he looked up at the sky. A cloudless, blue sky.
“Born as a wolf, he became a dog. So, isn’t there a law to live as a dog and die as a dog?”
“Our ancestors, our history, and our pride flow through this blood and soul. Even if the body is persecuted, the blood and soul will not yield.”
At those words, I looked up at the sky without realizing it.
“We will take off the leash and become wolves again. Not dogs lying down at our feet, but wolves that no one can do anything about.”
My heart was pounding. If it were him, he would indeed turn us into wolves.
“And the day we become wolves, the sky we will look up to will be forever blue.”
I wonder if many warriors didn’t run dreaming of that day. To become a wolf, not a dog, to look up at the sky by his side.
In the end, it failed——but it seems that there was some success.
‘At least a mad dog.’
Pick laughed. You know we’re weaker than before, but the Empire quickly mobilized a large army. It would have been impossible if they had regarded us as weak and funny dogs.
We didn’t reach our dreams, but we showed potential. The possibility of becoming a wolf and biting the Empire’s neck, the future that the Empire can no longer control unilaterally.
It’s disastrous when you think about the time when you were close to your dream, but it’s still a pretty good achievement.
‘…A mad dog.’
I quietly closed my eyes. A mad dog, worse than a wolf, but a mad dog that cannot be treated carelessly.
“I will run to become a wolf. I will carry the will of the north, and I will run until my heart bursts to death. But if I die carrying the will of the north, I will leave the rest to you. E.”
At least he lived as a wolf and died as a wolf. However, I am just a bastard who is ashamed to be called a wolf. Just a bastard barking at his excessive faith and will.
And bastards have bastard ways.
“Go ahead in your own way, different from me who died in failure.”
I will advance in my own way for my compatriots and our north.
lol our inspector has sword with wolf buff