Chapter 19 – The Cunning of Lee Hui-song
On another day, Lee Hui-songsummoned the unit commanders.
The meeting took place on the second floor of Gwangpunggak, the building used as headquarters.
From that high vantage point the straight avenue stretched far away toward the South Gate.
Both the eastern and western gates could be seen at a glance.
Lieutenants had been summoned.
Staff officers gathered as well.
Lee Hui-song spoke casually.
"I hear there was some commotion at the South Gate again."
He tried to hide it,
but it was obvious he had already received information through other channels.
Like a snake,
he pretended ignorance.
As if he were not particularly interested.
Park Geun-su answered quickly.
"There was a small incident while senior officers were educating a newly appointed commander."
He avoided names.
By using the words seniorand junior, he softened what had truly been a hostile confrontation.
Lee Hui-song asked simply,
"They fought?"
Since the question had been asked,
there was no room for lies.
Those who received the state's pay had certain obligations.
"Yes, sir.
Several men beat the new commander.
While being beaten, he grabbed one of them and refused to let go.
He held on fiercely.
The injuries became… considerable."
"Injuries?"
"He clawed the man's face,
dislocated an arm,
and broke several fingers."
Lee Hui-song opened his mouth wide.
It seemed the report he had secretly received had said something else.
He turned his head slowly toward the officers behind him.
"I heard several men ganged up on him…"
"The boy himself was badly beaten.
Several ribs may be broken."
"Ribs?"
"Yes, sir.
He likely cannot work for some time.
His arm was twisted.
The bone-setter barely managed to set it back."
"And?"
"Three teeth are missing.
And one ear was torn."
Lee Hui-song's round face swelled with anger.
"This is outrageous.
Is the army a playground for thugs?"
"Gather them all."
His voice was quiet.
But impossible to disobey.
Park Geun-su tried to explain.
"General, about this matter—"
"Gather all the South Gate commanders!"
"To think men would gang up on one another in times like this!"
"But sir—"
Park Geun-su almost mentioned Yeong-woo's lack of respect.
But stopped himself.
Soon every commander of the South Gate was assembled before Gwangpunggak.
Everyone except Yeong-woo,
who could not move from his injuries.
Seo Ui-taek muttered softly,
"Senior officers disciplining a newcomer.
Perhaps we should overlook it."
Lee Hui-song replied sharply.
"They fought badly enough to cripple our fighting strength."
"Two commanders injured means fifty men out of action."
"You call that discipline?"
Seo Ui-taek bowed slightly.
"You are correct."
Lee Hui-song turned to one of his most loyal subordinates,
Kwon Hyuk-se.
"For the next hour,
train them until foam comes from their mouths."
"Yes, sir!"
"If I see no foam,
you will suffer the same."
"Yes, sir!"
Kwon Hyuk-se ran down the stairs.
Moments later the South Gate commanders were assembled below.
"Attention!"
"Attention!"
"Form three ranks!"
"Arm's length spacing!"
They moved quickly,
but not quickly enough.
Many believed they had done nothing wrong.
Kwon Hyuk-se kicked one man's shin.
A cracking sound followed.
"Aagh!"
He muttered coldly,
"Attention."
Now they responded loudly.
Inside the army,
a Daejeongcommanded twenty-five men.
A Chonggicommanded fifty.
But here,
they were treated worse than dogs.
"Attention!"
"Spread arms!"
They moved faster.
Then the punishment began.
Roll left.
Roll right.
Push-ups.
Turn.
Run to the South Gate and back.
Every form of military discipline possible
was administered.
Again.
And again.
Whenever they failed,
the punishment restarted.
From above,
Lee Hui-song watched.
Then he spoke sharply.
"We are soldiers defending the nation.
Not street thugs."
The officers answered together.
"Yes, sir."
"Who ordered you to beat the new commander half to death?"
Park Geun-su lowered his head deeply.
"You told him to fetch water?"
"Yes, sir."
"Is the new commander your servant?"
"No, sir."
Lee Hui-song suddenly shouted.
"Try giving such an order to me!"
"Would you like to see what happens?"
"My apologies, sir.
I was not present at the time."
"You created the situation and slipped away."
"No, sir.
You had given me another task."
Lee Hui-song continued coldly.
"The army runs on command and obedience."
"But commanders must never give orders that cannot be accepted."
"Men who cannot raise their voices at home become tyrants in the army."
"That destroys morale."
Park Geun-su bowed so deeply his head nearly touched the table.
Then Lee Hui-song turned his anger toward him.
"You should promote men who can live with others."
"Why promote such a vicious man?"
It was absurd.
The promotion had been Lee Hui-song's own order.
Perhaps anticipating this,
he continued immediately.
"Yes.
I ordered it."
"I wished to raise morale by promoting a man with merit."
"The army is also a society."
"If a man cannot live within that society,
that is also a problem."
"Men without social sense always create trouble."
"What can we do?"
He had likely been waiting for this moment.
To corner Park Geun-su
and strike freely.
Park Geun-su suddenly regretted having ignored Yeong-woo earlier.
If he must become the plaything of these men,
it would have been better
to be respected by his soldiers at least.
"What should we do now?"
Park Geun-su asked.
Lee Hui-song snorted.
"You ask me after things have already gone this far?"
"Have you no ideas?"
He seemed simply irritated.
"Forgive me.
I did not expect matters to escalate."
Lee Hui-song continued lecturing.
"Commanders must cooperate."
"In battle,
men only fight truly when their comrades die beside them."
"That requires brotherhood."
"Without that,
who would risk their lives?"
That was Lee Hui-song's weakness.
He loved to lecture.
Perhaps nothing was more irritating than being taught.
Because he had risen high
and his subordinates obeyed,
he believed it proved his wisdom and virtue.
If words failed,
he used power.
Yet later he spoke as though persuasion alone had worked.
Park Geun-su answered carefully.
"I will persuade them."
"If persuasion fails,
I will plead."
"If that fails,
I will beat them into obedience."
Lee Hui-song laughed.
"Good."
Then he changed the subject.
"And Yeong-woo?"
Park Geun-su spoke honestly.
"He is an excellent soldier."
"He sees situations clearly."
"He has never studied command,
yet he understands it instinctively."
"More importantly,
he brought his comrades back alive."
"He deserves praise."
"If others treat him like a criminal for that promotion,
I would have attacked them myself."
"However…"
"However what?"
"He is relentless."
"When beaten by many men,
he chose one and clung to him."
"That man will likely never serve again."
Lee Hui-song listened carefully.
"So no one will bully him again."
Park Geun-su nodded.
"In the brief moment of being beaten,
he already chose his strategy."
"He decided to break one man completely."
"In that sense,
he won."
Lee Hui-song nodded slowly.
"Continue watching him."
"Yes, sir."
At that moment Seo Ui-taek spoke again.
"If this reckless promotion fails,
you must be ready to remove your uniform."
Park Geun-su bit his lip.
Seo Ui-taek interfered everywhere.
Shielded by the General's favor,
he spoke as though he were the General himself.
Still,
he stood closer to power.
Park Geun-su replied stubbornly,
"If you wish,
I will remove it today."
"I will remember those words."
"Yes, sir."
Lee Hui-song smiled faintly.
Below Gwangpunggak,
the South Gate commanders were still rolling across the ground,
sweat and blood mixing in the dust.