Chapter 20 – The Wolf’s Fangs (1)

Chapter 20 – The Wolf's Fangs (1)

The pursuit of Hui's soldiers ended after half an hour had passed. They could have killed more enemies, but they didn't have much time. This was because another enemy army was attacking through Seokcheonhyeon. Therefore, Zhang Yang's corps had to quickly return to Hanzhong Castle.

You can get from Jeonggunsan Mountain to Hanjung in one day. The expressions on everyone's faces as they headed there were very reminiscent. As if the thrill had not yet subsided, the procession was very hot.

I couldn't help but be happy because 5,000 new soldiers had inflicted crushing damage on 20,000 troops. In contrast, our troops suffered only about 500 casualties. In addition, they secured about 2,000 prisoners, which was truly a miraculous achievement.

After a while, the strong walls of Hanzhong Castle appeared in the sight of the marching soldiers. On top of the castle wall, about a hundred soldiers stood guard with tense faces. Even under the scorching sun, it looked undisturbed.

They jumped up and down with excitement when they saw the Legion banner.

“Our legion is back!”

“We won!”

“Wow!!!”

Someone shouted, looking down from the ruins of the castle wall.

“Hey dude! Open the gate right now!”

A wave of madness was unfolding within the castle.

The people had already been out on the streets since morning, eagerly waiting. Just like children waiting for their parents.

After a while, when General Zhang Yang and his soldiers appeared at the gate, the people cheered and shed tears. People lined the streets left and right, shouting for national independence, and there were also many people who approached the soldiers and handed them all kinds of utensils, including food. The soldiers' hearts were growing warm without realizing it as the people treated them with such hospitality.

So-mu, who was in the middle of the procession, glanced to the right. Before I knew it, Il-gwang was seen sniffling while clutching a dumpling. He grew up as an orphan and lived in the back alleys since he was young. I was overcome with emotion at the welcome I received for the first time in my life.

So-mu couldn't help but laugh at the sight of him slurping like a bull.

“Haha! Il-gwang, are you crying now?”

It's been a long time since So-mu, whose expression rarely changes, smiled like this.

“Who cries? It’s just because something got into me.”

Cheong-hae giggled and helped from next to me.

“Hey, I saw it too. Brother Il-gwang, you just cried.”

“This rat-sized bastard. He’s bragging about what he knows!”

Il-gwang pretended to hit Cheong-hae with a fist the size of a child's head. Then the members of the Sixteen Group who were watching from behind burst into laughter at the same time.

“Giggle giggle. I saw that too.”

“Tsk. Me too.”

“No, these guys!”

While Il-gwang was arguing with his team members. So-mu looked back and said.

“Cheoldu. Your grandmother is over there.”

Everyone's eyes focused on the place So-mu spoke. A white-haired old man with a bent back was desperately looking for someone.

“Why is grandma here?”

The grandmother, who found Cheoldu, was delighted and approached with limping steps.

“Cheoldu!”

“Ugh! I told you not to come out! It’s really embarrassing.”

The grandmother began scanning Cheoldu's face to see if he was injured.

“Oh my baby, you’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

“Look, no one in our group here was hurt.”

The grandmother looked at the sunlight and repeatedly bowed her head. They probably think that the person with the largest body was the leader.

“Please take good care of Cheoldu. He’s still young…”

Il-gwang seemed quite awkward and cleared his throat as he spoke.

“Hmm! Well… don’t worry. I’m taking good care of you.”

Cheoldu did not like the sight of his grandmother bowing to her colleagues.

“Ugh! Anyway, stay home. Don’t come out to places like this again.”

Cheoldu watched the grandmother walking away and repeatedly motioned for her to come in. So-mu, who was watching this, smiled at Cheoldu and said.

“Hehe. I envy you, Cheoldu. You have a family to complain about.”

“I’m sorry. My grandmother always likes to step forward….”

“You're not being honest with your own feelings. We all don't know when we'll die in a war, right? Think about what your most regretful moment will be when you die later.”

Cheoldu closed his mouth and seemed lost in thought for a moment. And his eyes suddenly opened. Because the moment So-mu spoke of was now.

Cheoldu called out to his grandmother who was walking away.

“Grandma! I will definitely return safely, so stay healthy in the meantime!”

A bright smile appeared on the grandmother's face as she saw Cheoldu waving his hand.

After passing through the streets of Hanjungseong, the place where the Jang-yang Corps' procession headed was the parade ground. Zhang Yang, who stood on the stage, looked at the soldiers and asked the administrator.

“How many deaths are there?”

“Four hundred and eighty-seven people.”

Although 20,000 enemy troops were nearly destroyed, our troops' losses were minimal. It was easy to like it, but Zhang Yang's expression was very dark. My heart was heavy as I thought about the soldiers and their families who had died.

‘We should collect the body and send it back to our hometown, but it was regrettable that we cannot do so with the enemy right in front of us… … .’

Zhang Yang sighed and shouted loudly so that all the soldiers could hear.

“We achieved an unprecedented victory, but many of our comrades died in the process! I offer my condolences to them, and I, Zhang Yang, will pay two years’ worth of wages and grain to the families of those who died for their country!”

The moment Zhang Yang finished speaking, cheers from soldiers erupted from everywhere. This was because those who have families can now engage in battle with peace of mind.

At that time, the administrator hurriedly approached and whispered to Zhang Yang.

“General, if we continue to pay compensation every time a soldier dies like this, the corps’ finances will quickly run out.”

Zhang Yang’s eyebrows suddenly narrowed.

“Submit a victory report to the imperial family and request the cost of repairing the castle walls and manufacturing siege weapons. Is that still not enough? Then sell all of the enemy’s supplies to other generals.”

The supply and demand of the enemy army was honor, major, and money. Supply and demand were openly traded between legions in various regions at very high prices. It was common for officers and generals to be paid much more expensively than the same weight of gold. It was not that difficult to secure military funds in exchange for giving up honors and majors.

“However, if the imperial family finds out the truth, they will not just ignore it.”

“Didn’t I already say I gave up my life?”

The administrator kept his mouth shut. It was not because I was afraid of the yelling General Zhang Yang. It was because I was worried about his future.

No matter how great his major was, it was difficult to survive as long as he distributed martial arts that only generals could learn to ordinary soldiers.

The emperor was surrounded by only eunuch-turned-officials who were good at flattering. We could not expect mercy from their rulings as they had no interest in political affairs. There were already countless loyalists who had already died unjustly due to the tongues of traitors.

Zhang Yang turned his gaze away from the administrator and stared at the front again.

“You are no longer trainees! From now on, you are the regular soldiers of the Song Dynasty who defeated the strong army of the Hui Dynasty! You are the elite soldiers of this Zhangyang Legion!”

“Wow!”

“Waaaaaa-!”

The morale of the soldiers soared sky high. From the moment you become a regular soldier, you were paid a salary and can receive various other benefits. As the cheering died down, the administrator came forward and began naming several people.

“From now on, those whose names are being called will go forward!”

Everyone guessed that he was trying to peddle rice balls. The number of people named reached over twenty, and among them were Il-gwang and Cheong-hae, who had killed a deputy general. However, So-mu was not included among them. The members of the Sixteen Team looked at the leader in confusion, but he nodded that he was okay.

“The bravery they showed on the battlefield has become a role model for their comrades, and as a reward, they will be given the title of commander in chief! Those who fight courageously will always be rewarded!”

A commander was a person who has the ability to command ten soldiers. Although it was a meaningless position in the current corps organization system, it was paid a higher salary along with honor. Similar ranks exist in the army of the State of Hui, from Ten Commanders to Ten Thousand Commanders.

After Zhang Yang finished speaking, the administrative soldiers placed black badges on their shoulders. It was worth shouting, but most of the soldiers looked confused. This was because their hero, who was their support in the abyss of despair, was not pointed out.

But there was no way Zhang Yang could just ignore it.

“The leader of the Sixteenth Sword Corps, please come forward!”

Everyone looked for the hero's face with their eyes. Because his armor and helmet were damaged, he was only wearing a red military uniform, unlike them. Jang Yang's expression as he looked at So-mu was smiling more satisfied than ever.

“This soldier defeated the enemy general and made the greatest contribution in this battle! His contribution is indescribable, so he will be given the title of centurion!”

As soon as General Zhang Yang finished speaking, the soldiers erupted in simultaneous cheers. It was the loudest and most resonant of all the shouted I have ever heard.

“Waaah!!!”

“Wow!!!”

Leaving behind the cheers of the soldiers, Zhang Yang patted Su Mu on the shoulder and said,

“You’ve worked hard. I would like to appoint you as manager right away, but my authority goes only so far. Anything more than that would require me to file an appeal and go through the formal process. But I think you can do it in the near future.”

Those who have made great contributions in battle can be specially promoted up to the rank of centurion at the discretion of the general. And the number of appointees was limited depending on the size of the corps.

“That’s too much praise.”

“Hehe. There’s no need to be humble. Commander Wi Jin-cheol said he recognized your qualities and put a lot of effort into nurturing you, and you’re better than I thought. Still, how did you think of standing up to Mukha?”

So-mu tilted his head slightly. This was because he had never received special training from Wi Jin-cheol. However, there was no need to tell the truth.

“I was lucky because I caught him off guard. If I had tried my best, I would have been hit.”

“It’s a stroke of luck. I saw that the opponent was a soldier, so I took it easy and was caught off guard. But isn’t it true that I defeated the enemy commander? So, I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Tell me. Anything.”

“This battle has clearly proven the need for special forces. In order to maximize the effectiveness of this unit, I plan to separate the Sixteenth Army from the sword corps and operate it as a separate unit.”

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea.”

“And you take charge of this unit.”

“Commander Wi Jin-cheol will be sad when he wakes up, right?”

“Hehe. Rather, you will be happy. I will tell you well. What should the name of the new unit be? Since you are the leader of this special unit, I will give up the name.”

So-mu thought for a moment and quietly let out two words.

“Ranga .”

“Rang? Wolf fangs. Very good. You will need new military uniforms to carry out special operations in the future. I will even prepare these as a gift for you.”

So-mu silently nodded and answered.

"thank you."

“And now I was going to go see Commander Wi Jin-cheol. Would you like to go with him? He favored you the most, so just showing his face will help you.”