Dark and Light Martial Emperor

Episode 968

In the Swamp (1)

“Whoa.”

Mo Yong-woo was breathing lightly and looking around, with deep fatigue on his face.

Namgungpyo was polishing his sword, leaning against a tree at some distance away. Although he looked relaxed, his pale face and blood-soaked clothes proved that he had fought an unimaginably fierce battle.

Wu Gu-mun stuck his large sword in the ground and looked out at the wide world below the cliff, while Peng Dae-ho perilously perched on the edge of the cliff and looked up at the sky.

Each person seemed to be resting, but in reality, this was not rest but preparation for battle.

A battle with the Xiaoleiyin Temple forces that took place in Shanxi.

In that battle, many enemies were killed and many warriors were lost. Among the six dragons belonging to the Murim Alliance, the warriors of the Changryongdan and Daeryongdan were strong, but they had no choice but to suffer considerable damage in the inevitable melee with the enemy.

Soreoeumsa was strong. Although it is said that they came to patrol the area to be occupied in advance or to spread missionary work, the troops they brought were greater than the combined forces of Changryong and Daeryong.

Fortunately, after several close encounters, both sides retreated and were able to keep each other in check. In addition, since the friendly side was expected to have a slight advantage, they achieved results that exceeded expectations for those who led late-exponential generals who did not have much experience.

“It’s the last time.”

Mo Yong-woo looked to the side.

Jegaljun suddenly came next to me. The deep and strong prayer had been refined several times more fiercely due to this battle.

“Is that what you think?”

Zhuge Jun pointed to the plain beyond the cliff with his hand.

Red clothes and flags fill the field of vision. It was a place where about 500 troops were gathered.

“Until now, we have fought in every direction to prevent them from moving to the center of Shanxi. “Their offensive was more intense than expected, but fortunately not a single enemy was able to break through this defense line.”

“It did.”

“Their preparations were thorough. “The fact that we blocked all the places they could attack means, on the other hand, that they also knew most of the places they could attack in the center of Shanxi.”

Mo Yong-woo’s eyes deepened.

“In other words, you realized there was no more room to break through?”

“Otherwise, there would be no way we would have gathered the remaining troops together.”

“hmm.”

“Either retreat or engage in all-out war. “I will choose one or the other.”

“What do you think?”

Zhuge Jun’s eyes became as deep and cautious as Mo Yongyu’s.

“It looks like there will be a high probability of a fight.”

“Why? “Is it because they resemble fanatics?”

“Because the tail of the great horse has been caught. “There are people over there who know the art of war, so they won’t know that if they retreat boldly and are caught, they will be defeated without even being able to fight properly.”

There are few ways to achieve victory as easily as pursuing and attacking a retreating army.

That is why many armies conducted intensive retreat training. In some cases, you can attack troops at any time or even lure them into traps.

From a distance, an army that pursues a retreating enemy only to be caught in a trap and annihilated may seem foolish.

However, actually digging a trap and luring them was not an easy task, and there were many cases in which they were killed before reaching the trap.

In other words, even if you wanted to retreat, a situation would inevitably arise in which you could not easily retreat.

“The forces of Xiaoleiyin Temple should have sought a retreat three days ago, at least yesterday. Nevertheless, last night, troops were deployed again to move to the center of Shanxi.”

It is no exaggeration to say that with that one fight, the odds of victory were tilted in favor of the Murim Alliance.

What’s even more serious for Soreoeumsa’s side is that if they escape from here, they may lose most of their troops.

“As you say, if there is someone over there who knows the art of war, isn’t there a possibility that they could have predicted a situation like this?”

“Of course it could have been so. However, looking at the movements of their offensive army, it seems that although they know the art of war, they lack caution.”

Not all smart people can produce good results.

What is important is quick judgment and the ability to execute depending on the situation. Even though they knew they shouldn’t attack, there were so many soldiers who couldn’t overcome their anger and were killed while advancing with their troops that it was impossible to count them.

In Zhuge Jun’s opinion, they were exactly that type of case.

“Anyway, there is no need for us to force ourselves forward and provoke a fight. “If they come in, we can fight, and if they retreat, we can chase them and kill them.”

Mo Yong-woo nodded.

“He is the owner of the small family of the Zhuge family. “I learned a lot from you during this battle.”

Zhuge Jun smiled sheepishly.

“It’s no big deal. “In fact, it was my first time experiencing such a large-scale battle, so I made a lot of mistakes.”

He looked back.

In the distance, the surviving warriors of the Changryongdan and Daeryongdan were huddled together and taking a rest.

A look of regret appeared on Zhuge Jun’s face.

“If I had had a sharper perspective, this was a force I would not have lost.”

“I’m talking about Yeonje.”

A title that appears out of nowhere.

Zhugejun’s eyes sparkled as he knew that Yeonje meant Yeonhojeong.

That wasn’t all. Even though they were resting at a considerable distance away, Namgungpyo, Ogumun, and Paeng Daeho, who were keeping their ears open towards this direction, all turned their heads to look at Mo Yong-woo.

“Was it during Operation Guangdong? “I don’t remember when, but he once said something quite impressive to me.”

“What did you mean?”

“It is said that it is better for a warrior to maximize his strengths than to reduce his weaknesses, and for a strategist, it is ideal to make up for his shortcomings rather than highlight his strengths.”

“…!”

“You also said that there are actions necessary to know your own strengths and weaknesses. “That is restoration.”

Replay is one of the terms of Baduk and refers to playing the game from the beginning again in order to review the progress of the game that has already been played.

“Recovery is completely different from regret, so it is said that a clean recovery is essential for my own development. Yeon-je herself said that although she is not always transparent in her recovery, she always tries to clearly recognize her own strengths and weaknesses.”

“Good words. But…”

Zhuge Jun’s face showed a hint of bitterness.

“That is not an easy thing to say. Especially for strategists.”

“I guess so. “A single word from a soldier can kill someone.”

“It is not easy to ignore their deaths and make a transparent recovery for my own development.”

“It’s not easy, but I have to do it. “If that’s impossible, you shouldn’t engage in actual combat anymore.”

“….”

“In the end, the priority would be to consider how much responsibility I place on the soldiers who died due to my choice and what I can do for them. Furthermore, if you really want to become a great strategist, the key is to develop yourself and strive to achieve the best results with fewer sacrifices.”

It is inevitable that people die on the battlefield.

No matter how good a soldier is, he cannot lead a battle to victory without killing anyone. Either a little or a lot of people will die. That’s war.

“If you can’t endure that, I’ll raise another strategist who can take on your role.”

Zhuge Jun bowed his head.

Mo Yong-wu knew that Zhuge Jun’s condition was worse than it seemed on the outside. So we continued to talk about strategy and tactics every time. Avoid having useless thoughts.

In the process, he learned a lot, but his first goal was to prevent Zhuge Jun from collapsing.

Fortunately, his condition seemed to be better than a few days ago.

That’s why I say such bitter things. If you can’t endure it, don’t go to battle in the future.

“I think he’s a really great person.”

Mo Yong-woo looked at Ogu-mun.

Oh Gu-moon, with both hands on the hilt of his sword, looked much more stable than other late-day exponents.

“My teacher said that since there is no perfect martial art in this world, and a warrior cannot be perfect either, he must become a master in the field he is good at rather than the field he is bad at. Only when he reaches that point can he be said to have pioneered his own martial art. “You said there was.”

“I guess so.”

“Get rid of your shortcomings and take advantage of them to create your own study. This is what I have been doing so far. “I lived according to my teacher’s words.”

In fact, the people who played the most active role in this battle were Mo Yong-woo and Oh Gu-moon.

The two men’s martial arts skills were the most outstanding among them, and especially when considering individual bravery, even Mo Yong-wu had a hard time following Wu Gu-mun.

Mo Yong-woo was cautious but bold when he had to be bold, and Oh Gu-moon showed a venom that lasted until he died once bitten.

“But Yeon Sobuju learned the same principles at a younger age than us, so I guess geniuses are born with it.”

Pang Dae-ho chuckled.

“I thought there were many geniuses in the world. But after seeing Yeon Sobuju, I changed my mind. “I thought this is what a true genius is.”

Namgoongpyo was speechless. Just cleaning his sword.

However, there was no sign of jealousy or defeat toward Yeon Ho-jeong on his face. This was partly because of the teachings he received from his grandfather, but also because he experienced Yeon Ho-jeong’s talent right before his eyes.

I just felt bitter in silence.

“You’re having an interesting conversation.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to the west.

There, Dang Sang-ah, who had just climbed up the cliff, was walking cheerfully shaking off her clothes.

Zhuge Jun asked with a stiff face.

“How are you?”

Tang Sang-ah shook his head.

“I don’t know. But no matter how much I looked, I didn’t get the feeling that the fighting spirit was boiling over.”

Among these, the person most famous for divine law was Tang Sang-Ah. His stealth skills were as great as his memorization skills.

So, he secretly went to check on the enemy’s movements, but he said that there was no sign of the will to fight.

Zhugejun rested his chin and fell into thought.

Dang Sang-ah came to Mo Yong-woo’s side.

“Have you all been resting well?”

“exactly.”

She glanced at Mo Yong-woo.

Mo Yong-wu’s figure, standing upright while holding the Tang Demon God Sword in his arms, was like that of a Yan Wei. It reminds me of a noble bamboo tree.

Tang Sang-ah cleared his throat and said.

“Their behavior is really strange, isn’t it? “To be honest, I thought I would grit my teeth and start preparing my posture.”

“I assumed that the Zhuge brothers would not retreat and were preparing for the final fight. “I also agree.”

“The look in their eyes when we fought in person was truly cruel. “I guess it could be said that I felt fanatical belief rather than skill.”

“They are fanatics who follow a distorted Buddhist path.”

“But even so, it looked so relaxed… Is there something there?”

“Couldn’t you go deeper?”

“I couldn’t infiltrate inside because there was a supreme expert. “I was worried that if I got caught, the number of cases would increase too much.”

It was then.

“If you have no intention of retreating or fighting, there is only one answer.”

Everyone was surprised and looked towards Changryong and Daeryong.

A young man was walking there.

Mo Yong-woo’s mouth dropped open.

It was an incredible moment. As expected, there was a shining relationship there that I never thought I would see in a place like this.

A man trotting along carrying a huge ax on his shoulder.

“Yeonje?!”

Yeon Ho-jeong said with a smile.

“You’ve come a long way.”