256.
Epilogue
They gathered the scattered soldiers once more.
Troops conscripted from each prefecture and county were absorbed and the formations reorganized.
The White Dragon Unit was restructured around cavalry.
Anticipating horses captured from the enemy, they prioritized reinforcing men capable of riding.
Thus their numbers increased.
The roughly one hundred fifty members of Namsan Sect requested assignment to the White Dragon Unit.
The request was denied.
The White Dragon Unit's method of warfare centered on long weapons—bows, spears, and crescent blades.
It differed in nature from Namsan's short-weapon combat.
At General 진무광's suggestion, a new formation was established.
It was named the Namsan Unit.
They were organized as a special detachment to penetrate deep into enemy ranks and engage in close combat.
The White Dragon Unit retained its former role.
Shielded infantry would anchor the front, while the Namsan Unit would plunge into enemy lines and disrupt formation.
Commands such as "Form ranks" or "Loose arrows now" did not suit the Namsan Unit.
Their temperament was known.
In sheer individual prowess, they were near unmatched.
Yet their difficulty lay in adapting to coordinated mass combat.
Thus they were paired with the White Dragon Unit.
Operational methods do not change easily.
Some aspects resist alteration.
It was rare for masters of the martial world to take part in campaigns against barbarians.
Troubles arose.
Senior figures from their respective main mountains visited the military camp daily to dissuade the young from departing.
They were the future of their sects.
At times, protests formed outside the camp gates.
These were heirs of each branch, entrusted with their lineage's future.
Most often, Lee Hee stepped out to respond sternly.
There were limits to contending against the imperial army.
Visitors left stamping their feet in frustration.
It became customary for Namsan members not to appear when family came.
Face-to-face persuasion could shake resolve.
There were too many stories difficult to refuse.
Hearts grew heavy enough.
Muk'eoja's visit was unexpected.
The moment he saw Sowoon, he resumed a fragment of an earlier conversation without preamble.
"I thought it wrong to seek a place solely for study.
I clung to quiet, to a space where I could devote myself entirely to learning.
That attachment may have concealed my own limits.
I realized it only now. I have grown too old."
"Great Completion is not the only road.
Your vigor remains strong—"
"Should I follow as well, to the expedition?"
It sounded like he was asking himself.
"It is cold, thirsty, and hungry there.
It may be harsh for you."
"I was only speaking idly, boy.
And this is a gift."
He divided the Compendium, neatly written in his own hand, into more than ten volumes.
He distributed them evenly between the Namsan Unit and the White Dragon Unit.
Grumbling as he turned away, he wrote his name carefully in each volume.
Jeong Hyeon-ho.
From his hand had come the foundational text of imperial martial arts.
Surim Manor withdrew deeper into obscurity.
The Dowager Empress issued an edict declaring the grievances of the previous generation set aside, publicly announcing twice that the purges among royal kin and in-laws would be embraced as resolved.
Surim Manor did not surface.
Aware that the White Dragon Unit knew its location, it abandoned the estate and vanished elsewhere.
On the day of departure, outside the western gate of the imperial capital, the new emperor and the Dowager Empress emerged in solemn procession to witness the expedition.
Opposite them stood venerable figures of the martial world, silently seeing them off.
Lee Sogun bid farewell to the General in tears.
To Sowoon, she presented a sword.
Its blue sheen was deep and refined.
"For a master such as you, what use is a mere weapon?
Yet this is a treasured blade of our house.
It bears no famed name like Gan Jiang or Mo Ye.
Legend says it was forged by Ou Yezi, the smith of Zhulou.
Records cannot confirm it with certainty.
Still, to you who set down the brush and took up the sword, it seemed the most fitting gift.
I requested it of our family.
Let this stand in place of the immeasurable gratitude and the virtue you have shown.
In time, this record will remain.
To the bearer of this sword, our house's gratitude shall endure.
A similar record shall pass to the descendants of the Jin family of Henan.
With this blade, symbol of our two houses, repel the barbarians and establish the ultimate meaning of martial virtue.
For all this time—thank you…"
Her voice failed.
Tears blurred her sight; she could not look fully at Sowoon upon his horse.
Sowoon dismounted and knelt on one knee.
He clasped the hands of Lee Sogun, whom he regarded as a mother.
"Mother… I will return.
Do not worry for the General.
I will stand beside him always."
It was the first time he had called her Mother.
Within a year, the boy had grown into a martial man and once more turned toward the distant desert.
He returned to the place of his first departure, yet with a different body and heart.
Perhaps the martial path is to temper oneself while walking forward.
The sorrow of those seeing them off stretched for miles.
Many were men of little learning and fewer possessions, conscripted from prefectures and counties.
With the addition of one hundred fifty from Namsan, hundreds of martial artists filled the ranks.
The martial world joining the army became a new custom etched into history.
Song of the Young Warrior — Wang Wei
一身能擘兩彫弧
With one body he draws two carved bows,
虜騎千重只似無
Encircled by a thousand barbarian riders, he stands unshaken,
偏坐金鞍調白羽
Leaning upon a golden saddle, he steadies white-feathered arrows,
紛紛射殺五單于
Swiftly felling five chieftains in succession.
Thank you sincerely for your interest in this imperfect work.
— Song of the Young Warrior —
----- The End , thanks a lot