Chapter 313: Prelude to the Great Battle 2
A body of troops was advancing toward the Jin encampment.
According to the report, they numbered two thousand Balhae soldiers.
Judging by the direction they were coming from, they appeared to be troops from Liaoyang.
If they had been heading for Changchun Circuit, they would have had to make a wide detour around the main Jin position.
Had they been on their way to join the main Liao army, that was naturally the route they should have taken.
Yet they made no attempt to change course.
They were coming straight toward the Jin headquarters.
Youngwoo tilted his head as he listened to the report.
"What could this be?"
Zonghan narrowed his eyes.
"Balhae troops... Why are they coming this way?"
Wanyan Zonghan turned to the man who had delivered the report.
"Send out scouts. Confirm their exact number, their banners, and the name of their commander."
"Loyalty."
The messenger bowed and withdrew.
Zonghan looked at Youngwoo.
"If they are troops who have simply taken the wrong road, we could deal with them while we have the chance."
Youngwoo slowly shook his head.
"It is not yet time to show our teeth. Let us wait."
"They are heading directly for our camp."
At that, the commanders inside the tent exchanged glances.
By now, the flow of new troops defecting to the Jin had almost completely dried up.
Most forces that had begun moving recently were joining the Liao instead.
That tendency had only grown stronger after word spread that the Liao emperor was gathering a great army.
The tribes moved according to the scent of victory and defeat, and thus far, many had begun leaning toward the Liao.
At the far end of the southern plain, dust rose first.
The Liaodong fields were already slipping into early winter. The green had vanished from the grass, leaving only pale, dry stalks flattened close to the earth like yellow fur.
Moisture along the riverbanks froze every morning, and even after daylight came, the chill lingered deep in the ground.
Across that frozen plain, a column of men and horses was slowly advancing north.
At first, they looked like nothing more than a herd of horses.
But as the dust drew nearer, spearheads emerged from within it.
Then came lowered banners.
Then sunlight glinting across armor.
They were Balhae troops from the direction of Liaoyang.
They marched in ordered ranks, like soldiers who had spent many years serving under the military system of the Liao.
Cavalry rode at the front.
Behind them came infantry carrying spears and soldiers with bow cases slung across their backs.
Several carts carried baggage, arrows, horse fodder, and bundles of hides for protection against the cold.
Their appearance differed from that of the Jin troops.
Wind-darkened faces showed beneath fur-lined caps, while well-maintained lamellar armor rested across their shoulders and chests.
The iron plates did not shine like newly forged metal. Instead, they carried the dark bluish sheen of armor polished and cared for over many years.
Leather cords showed signs of having been replaced again and again, and their sword scabbards and bow cases bore the scratches of long travel.
Outwardly, they were soldiers of the Liao.
Yet their voices, their posture, and the way they carried themselves belonged to the eastern frontier.
At the head of the column rode a commander.
It was Go Hoewon.
He still wore a Liao officer's uniform, but the sword cord at his waist had been freshly retied, and he held his spear upright.
The military banner behind him was not raised high.
It had been lowered and folded halfway.
Beneath that banner were both the bearing of troops ready to fight and the restraint of men coming to offer allegiance.
Jin scouts began shadowing them from a distance.
Arrows rested on bowstrings, and their horses were angled so they could break into a charge at any moment.
Yet the Balhae column did not hurry.
They continued along the road at a steady pace.
The route to the main Liao army lay elsewhere.
Still, they marched directly toward the Jin camp.
As they came closer, individual faces became visible.
There was tension in the eyes of the younger soldiers.
On the faces of the older men sat the hardened resolve of those who had endured too long.
Some rested a hand on their saddles and stared toward the Jin banners.
Others pressed their fingertips against small talismans hidden inside their clothes.
The long years they had endured before daring to speak the name Balhae aloud seemed written across every face.
At the Jin outpost, Go Hoewon raised one hand.
The column halted.
The sound of hooves faded.
Dust slowly settled.
The spearmen raised their shafts upright in unison, while the archers let their hands fall away from their weapons.
Go Hoewon dismounted and stepped forward.
He unfastened the sword at his waist and held it out with both hands.
"I am Go Hoewon of Balhae. I have come with two thousand men under my command. I wish to meet Commander Lee Youngwoo."
His voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly across the open field.
The Jin scouts looked at one another.
One of their officers immediately turned his horse and galloped back toward the main camp.
The Balhae troops remained where they were and waited.
The wind was cold.
White breath streamed from the horses' nostrils.
Behind them stretched the long road back toward Liaoyang.
Before them stood the banners of the Jin army.
After a time, movement stirred within the camp.
A red banner emerged and opened a path through the lines.
Only then did Go Hoewon slowly raise his head.
The Balhae soldiers behind him steadied their breathing as well.
They had come wearing the uniforms of the Liao.
But standing before the banners of the Jin, they saw the same resolve reflected in one another's faces.
From this day onward, they would no longer fight as soldiers obeying the commands of the Liao.
They would fight in the name of Balhae.
Then another messenger arrived.
A scout hurried into the command tent and dropped to one knee.
"He says his name is Go Hoewon of Balhae. He has brought more than two thousand men with him and requests an audience with Commander Lee."
"Go Hoewon?"
Youngwoo shot to his feet.
For a moment he simply stood there, stunned.
Then a broad smile spread across his face.
"They are ours."
He turned toward Zonghan and burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! So reinforcements are coming to us after all."