Chapter 378
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Chapter 378. Why did the Northern Offensive fail?
Henan Province.
Guokuang Temple.
The White Tiger Wang Muyang, of the Golden Guard, crossed the lake garden towards the Conduction Pavilion without hesitation.
Yeon Jeokha and Shim Tong, the Old Dao of the Nine Heavens, followed him.
Wang Muyang turned and looked at Yeon Jeokha and Shim Tong with a confused expression on his face.
Seeing the search for explanations on their faces, Yeon Jeokha took the initiative.
“He’s like my shadow, don’t worry.”
“…….”
For a moment, an expression of discomfort crossed Wang Muyang’s face.
He was disconcerted by the presence of uninvited guests on a secret mission of the Golden Guard.
However, he did not insist on the fact that Yeon Jeokha was accompanied by an unknown old man.
The lives of many people depended on this mission.
Yeon Jeokha was one of them.
Therefore, he had to respect his decision.
“Please wait a moment.”
Wang Muyang bowed to Yeon Jeokha before disappearing inside the corridor.
A moment later (about 15 minutes), Wang Muyang returned with Dong Yuso, of the Golden Guard, and about thirty warriors.
Yeon Jeokha’s gaze swept over the newcomers.
‘Thirty warriors dressed in black and three sorcerers/mystics…’
Despite the disguise, the warriors’ weapons, the embroidered spring swords (绣春刀), revealed their identity as members of the Golden Guard.
However, the sorcerers seemed to have been recruited from different places, as their attire lacked uniformity.
Dong Yuso, recognizing Shim Tong, smiled and patted Wang Muyang on the shoulder.
Finally, Wang Muyang’s rigid expression relaxed.
When Dong Yuso stepped forward, everyone held their breath and paid attention to his words.
“This is the young master Yeon Namcheon. He is exceptional in martial arts and sorcery, and I invited him. The old man at his side is in the service of young master Yeon, so there is no need to be on guard.”
Following Dong Yuso’s introduction, the three sorcerers looked at Yeon Jeokha out of the corner of their eyes.
They seemed intrigued by his mastery of martial arts and mystical techniques.
“The operation will be tomorrow, on the Yuanxiao Festival (元宵節, the 15th day of the first lunar month). Until then, all of you must remain in the Conduction Pavilion. I repeat, the task of the sorcerers is one: to support the warriors from the rear. You only have to stop the magic of the Yoomyung Sect. If the warriors give the signal, don’t worry about the outcome and flee. The warriors will ensure your retreat.”
The three sorcerers nodded.
It seemed that they already knew the details of the plan, as no one asked any questions about the mission.
Dong Yuso gave some more instructions and left.
Twenty-five of the thirty warriors naturally dispersed.
Jin Useong was among the remaining warriors, but Yeon Jeokha did not seek him out to greet him.
The three sorcerers approached Yeon Jeokha and Shim Tong.
An old man with gray hair, who seemed to be the eldest, was the first to introduce himself.
“My name is Baek Useon, of the Quanzhen Sect.”
Yeon Jeokha, surprised, opened his eyes wide.
The Quanzhen Sect, one of the Seven Great Sects, is a Taoist sect founded by Wang Chongyang.
The involvement of the Quanzhen Sect in the assassination of the sorcerers of the Yoomyung Cult was not a trivial matter.
That meant they had a lot of confidence in this mission or that the Seven Great Sects were not afraid of the Yoomyung Cult.
“I am Yeon Namcheon, an external disciple of the Wudang Sect.”
Yeon Jeokha also revealed his affiliation with the Wudang Sect.
As he was a lay disciple and was not on his main mountain, there was no reason to hide it. Baek Useon naturally looked at Shim Tong, but he avoided his gaze.
“Young master Yeon, could you tell me who your companion is?”
As the old man did not volunteer, Baek Useon addressed Yeon Namcheon.
“He is my servant. Don’t worry about him.”
Faced with Yeon Jeokha’s concise response, Baek Useon asked no more.
If he was a servant, he was a subordinate or a servant, so there was no point in continuing the conversation.
Two sorcerers joined the conversation later.
“My name is Go Jeongwon, of the Moshan Sect.”
“I am Wol Hongjang, of the Cheonsun Sect.”
The Moshan Sect and the Cheonsun Sect were world-renowned sects for their mystical techniques, famous for their invocation magic.
Although their martial arts were weak, they were more famous than the Seven Great Sects in the field of invocation magic.
Yeon Jeokha exchanged greetings with them one by one.
Even after the introduction, the three sorcerers did not leave Yeon Jeokha’s side.
As they could not mingle with the warriors, the sorcerers gathered together.
Suddenly, Wol Hongjang asked:
“How much do you know about the mission, young master Yeon?”
“Why?”
Faced with Yeon Jeokha’s question, Wol Hongjang looked at Baek Useon.
Baek Useon gave him a nod of approval.
They had come this far, they were in the same boat.
“Our mission is to assassinate the evil sorcerers of the Yoomyung Cult who enter and leave the imperial palace. It is an impossible mission without the right skill and courage. I wanted to know if young master Yeon is prepared for this.”
Wol Hongjang stared at Yeon Namcheon.
In reality, he was not interested in his determination, but in his abilities, but he could not say it openly.
However, unexpectedly, his opponent was not intimidated by the mention of the sorcerers of the Yoomyung Cult.
“Yes, I am prepared. Is that okay?”
Shim Tong, who was listening from the side, shrugged and chuckled.
The sorcerers’ gaze turned to Shim Tong and the willow-leaf sword hanging from his waist.
If it were not for the sword, insults would have rained down.
But the sword stifled the sorcerers’ anger.
Wol Hongjang decided to stop worrying about Yeon Namcheon, the rookie, and his rude servant.
He had no choice but to trust Dong Yuso’s judgment.
———
That night.
After dinner, Neung Gyeong, the commander-in-chief of the Golden Guard, gathered the people.
“We will divide the warriors into three groups. Jongsamyeong will follow me, Pohwamyeong will follow Wang Muyang, and Jeonggokcheon will follow Danyeoncheong.”
“Yes!”
Jongsamyeong, Pohwamyeong and Jeonggokcheon responded in unison.
With this, the composition of the attack team was complete.
As each commander led ten deputy commanders, there was nothing more to add.
Next, Neung Gyeong’s gaze turned to the sorcerers.
“Master Baek will go with me. Master Go will go with Wang Muyang, and Master Wol will go with Danyeoncheong.”
Baek Useon, Go Jeongwon and Wol Hongjang nodded silently.
Suddenly, Baek Useon asked:
“It seems that the place of young master Yeon, who has recently joined, is undecided. With whom will he be moving?”
“Young master Yeon will go with Master Dong.”
At that moment, Baek Useon’s eyebrows furrowed.
Dong Yuso was the best expert and in charge of the operation.
Why would Yeon Namcheon, and not him, help Dong Yuso?
Baek Useon felt a little hurt pride, but he did not ask for the reason.
‘Hmph! Anyway, the truth will be revealed in battle.’
It was not too late to show off then.
At that moment, Wang Muyang took out a map of the Guokuang Temple and hung it on a wall.
Neung Gyeong pointed to the map and explained the plan.
Yeon Jeokha listened to Neung Gyeong reluctantly and turned his head to the side.
Jin Useong, a deputy commander, listened attentively with a gleam in his eyes.
Seeing Jin Useong working hard in the Golden Guard, Yeon Jeokha felt like laughing.
Seeing this, Shim Tong whispered in Yeon Jeokha’s ear.
“Why are you laughing so much?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
As Yeon Jeokha didn’t seem to want to answer, Shim Tong changed the subject.
“Seeing that the Golden Guard is taking the sorcerers, it seems that they have suffered a lot from mystical techniques, right?”
“It seems so.”
Every time Shim Tong said something at his side, Yeon Jeokha nodded indifferently.
“…If Danyeoncheong attracts the guards and retreats, Wang Muyang will attack the rear. At that moment….
Neung Gyeong frowned as he spoke.
The two people murmuring in the back were bothering him.
Young master Yeon and his servant.
He couldn’t understand where Master Dong had gotten those people from.
As they didn’t have a specific task, it was understandable that they were distracted.
But they shouldn’t show such a relaxed attitude.
“Eh, young master Yeon. If it’s not something related to the mission, please be quiet.”
“Ah, yes.”
Yeon Jeokha poked Shim Tong’s side.
Shim Tong flinched, but his face remained untense.
The next morning.
The warriors and sorcerers left the Conduction Pavilion in groups of eleven.
***
Henan Province.
Kaifeng.
Guokuang Temple.
Around noon.
A monk with a long white beard walked towards the Main Hall of the Buddha with hundreds of followers carrying colorful flags.
The abbot and elders of the Guokuang Temple were lined up in front of the Main Hall of the Buddha, as if to receive them.
When the monk’s group reached the entrance of the Main Hall of the Buddha, the abbot of the Guokuang Temple, Grand Master Mangong, rushed forward.
“Welcome. We have been waiting for the monk since this morning.”
Monk Xianzhang replied with a calm smile.
“Grand Master Mangong. Thank you for your warm welcome. Meeting the Grand Master after so long…”
Before Monk Xianzhang finished speaking.
More than ten men dressed in black with bows suddenly appeared on the roof of the Main Hall of the Buddha.
Immediately afterwards, the arrows flew towards Monk Xianzhang.
Fshhh-.
“Ambush!”
Monk Xianzhang’s guards rushed forward like the wind, wielding their swords.
Swish-.
The arrows did not reach Monk Xianzhang and broke in the middle.
Faced with the sudden attack, the monks of the Guokuang Temple shouted and fled.
Monk Xianzhang’s followers, who did not know martial arts, also scattered in all directions like a plague of locusts.
But not everyone fled.
Monk Xianzhang’s guards gathered orderly in front of the Main Hall of the Buddha.
There were about fifty of them.
Tian Zilin, the captain of the guard, drew his sword and blocked Monk Xianzhang’s path.
“Master, the ruthless ones might have attacked the building! Let’s go back!”
Monk Xianzhang examined his surroundings without saying anything.
As they took a breath, about twenty guards ran towards the back of the Main Hall of the Buddha.
There were about thirty guards remaining.
Seeing the coordinated action of the attackers, they were not a disorderly crowd.
Monk Xianzhang turned around with a disgusted expression.
When Monk Xianzhang and his guards were returning.
This time, about ten men dressed in black ran quickly from the Hall of the Heavenly Emperor.
The rear of the guard was caught in a battle.
Although the guard outnumbered them, the situation was not good.
This was because the martial arts skills of the men dressed in black, who launched themselves like wolves, surpassed those of Monk Xianzhang’s guard.
The men dressed in black attacked and then quickly fled towards the Hall of the Arhats.
It was truly like lightning.
Some furious guards ran towards the Hall of the Arhats.
Now there were only ten guards left.
When Monk Xianzhang and his guards were about to enter the courtyard between the bell tower and the drum tower.
Neung Gyeong, the commander-in-chief, blocked the way with Jongsamyeong, the general commander, and ten deputy commanders.
Tian Zilin, the captain of the guard, stepped forward and shouted:
“Who are you to block Monk Xianzhang’s path? Don’t you fear the Imperial Palace and the Yoomyung Cult?”
Neung Gyeong, instead of answering, drew his embroidered spring sword and ran forward.
Jongsamyeong, the general commander, and ten deputy commanders followed him.
Jin Useong, a deputy commander, followed Jongsamyeong with bright eyes.
‘I can win! No, I will win!’
Monk Xianzhang’s guard only had many men, but their skills were mediocre.
Although he was a private soldier in this place, he was a military officer recognized for his competence in the Golden Guard. He had ten experts who had passed the military exam under his command.
In other words, they were elite soldiers.
That’s why Monk Xianzhang’s guard was cut down like autumn leaves in the wind.
It seemed that one team could easily defeat thirty or forty guards.
In fact, the team of Baek Ho Wang Muyang and Danyeoncheong did exactly that.
And their team had Neung Gyeong, the commander-in-chief, who was much better than Baek Ho.
Not only that.
Dong Yuso who was even better than Neung Gyeong, would also be waiting for his opportunity.
‘If the guard is of this level, why did the Northern Offensive fail?’
The other deputy commanders who were running alongside Jin Useong also seemed to be thinking the same thing, with a confident expression on their faces.