Chapter 315. Prelude to the Great Battle— Youngwoo's Command Tent
The senior officers of the Balhae force gathered in Youngwoo's command tent.
When Go Hoewon, Go Youngchang, and Okjeong stepped inside, they were momentarily lost for words.
They had heard that Youngwoo was merely a Goryeo guest commander assisting the Jin, but what lay before them was no guest commander's post.
A vast battlefield map covered the center of the tent. Around it stood markers for the Jin and Liao armies, routes taken by the various tribal forces, and wooden tablets crowded with reports from scouts.
On one side were stacks of ledgers recording the quantities of armor and iron plates. On the other hung allocation sheets for arrow shafts, horses, provisions, and fodder.
Reports continued to arrive even as Youngwoo led the three of them and their men inside.
The tent flap opened, and a soldier rushed in and dropped to one knee.
"Loyalty! It has been confirmed that the Goryeo army has crossed the Green River."
Youngwoo answered at once.
"Good. Report it to Lord Wanyan Zonghan immediately."
"Loyalty!"
Before the soldier had even withdrawn, another messenger entered.
"Loyalty! Ten wagons of finished iron plates have arrived."
"Where from?"
"Huanren."
"That is a long haul. Inspect them immediately and distribute them to the vanguard. Check the spacing of the holes and the thickness first. Mark those intended for the vanguard separately, and if you are short on ties, take what you need from the leather stores."
"Loyalty!"
Even as Youngwoo led the seven or so Balhae commanders toward the inner part of the tent, the reports kept coming.
This time Kim Yungyeong hurried over and drew close to Youngwoo's side.
He spoke almost in a whisper, but the words came as rapidly as bolts pouring from a repeating crossbow.
"It seems Song is demanding Yanjing and the surrounding territories. Yanjing is a strategic stronghold. We must control it if we are to put pressure on the Central Plains in the future. If we hand Yanjing over, our road into the Central Plains will be blocked. We must keep it."
Youngwoo slowed his steps.
"Song has committed troops as well. Should we not consider what share they expect in return?"
Kim Yungyeong immediately shook his head.
"Give them something else, if necessary, but Yanjing must never be surrendered. It is an indispensable strategic position."
Youngwoo stopped walking.
This was no small matter.
He glanced toward the battlefield map, then lowered his voice.
"Do not raise that issue with the higher command yet. Absolutely not. Leave it alone for now."
Kim Yungyeong reluctantly bowed.
"Loyalty. But please remember what I have said. If we surrender Yanjing, we will regret it for years to come. It is a military stronghold inside the Great Wall. Without it, every time we cross into the Central Plains, countless lives will have to be spent on that barren ground."
"I understand. Do not mention it anywhere else. An envoy from Song will arrive soon enough. Until then, we keep this matter covered."
"Loyalty."
Youngwoo looked at him and added,
"And when the Song envoy arrives, abandon any thought of shoving your face in front of him before anyone else."
Kim Yungyeong's eyes widened.
"That is too much, sir."
"I'm busy."
Kim Yungyeong opened his mouth as though he had more to say, then finally bowed.
"Loyalty."
And that still was not the end of it.
More than a dozen men were waiting outside the entrance with reports.
Youngwoo called them in one at a time and listened in rapid succession.
The instant he heard each report, he issued his orders.
Important matters were marked on wooden tablets. Anything requiring immediate action was assigned to an officer on the spot.
Only after some time did Youngwoo finally offer seats to the Balhae commanders.
"My apologies. The fools under me are usually useless, but somehow they always choose the exact moment guests arrive to become busy."
Go Hoewon blinked at him in surprise before quickly answering,
"We are not guests. We are comrades now."
Youngwoo immediately smiled.
"Yes. Comrades. I like that better. I am short of hands. Please help me."
Go Hoewon looked toward Okjeong.
"Okjeong is good at this sort of work. Listening to reports, analyzing them, sorting them. She is especially skilled with documents."
Youngwoo turned to look at her.
Clad in armor, the woman stood with quiet composure, almost like a figure from a painting.
Her gaze was clear and her hands steady. Her eyes moved quickly over the complicated markers and ledgers filling the command tent.
"Thank you. If you can begin helping us immediately, it would be a great relief."
Okjeong gave a brief military salute.
"Entrust it to me. I will do my utmost."
At last, when everyone had settled into place, So Cheolun entered carrying drinks.
Steam rose from the wooden cups.
It was a northern drink made from sheep's milk and ground tea leaves.
A thin sheen of fat floated on its pale yellow surface, and the salty scent of milk mingled with the bitter fragrance of tea.
So Cheolun offered the cups around.
"Have some. It will warm you after the long journey."
The moment Youngwoo saw the cup, he grimaced.
"Ugh. I've had enough of this. No matter how hard I try to see the good in it, this is one thing I will never grow close to."
So Cheolun answered without the slightest concern.
"Didn't I tell you not to be picky about food?"
At his subordinate's words, Youngwoo reluctantly took a sip and grimaced even harder.
He pushed the cup away.
So Cheolun calmly said,
"Keep drinking it and you'll grow fond of it."
Youngwoo pushed the cup even farther away.
"I've had enough. Give it to our guests."
The tension inside the tent eased a little.
Go Hoewon carefully accepted his cup, while Go Youngchang sniffed at his before taking a sip.
Okjeong, however, looked past her drink toward the piles of documents stacked along one side of the tent.
Youngwoo caught the glance and immediately picked up a ledger and held it out to her.
"Then let us begin at once. Record the condition of the horses, bows, spears, and armor belonging to the two thousand Balhae troops.
"We need them divided into three groups: horses fit to be ridden, men ready to fight immediately, and men who need a day for repairs and preparation."
Okjeong accepted the ledger and opened it.
Go Hoewon and Go Youngchang straightened as well.
Until moments ago they had been visitors.
Now, in an instant, they had become part of the command tent.
Even after putting them to work, Youngwoo turned a reproachful look on Go Hoewon.
"I told you to remain quiet and stay where you were. Why have you come all the way here?"
Go Hoewon answered calmly.
"The whirlpool of war drew us in as well. I know that when you told us to remain quiet until the fighting ended, you meant to protect us. But then an order came to muster two thousand men in Liaoyang, and once we had gathered them, another order told us to march to Changchun Road. What else could we do? We changed direction on the way. They are throwing every man they can gather into the battlefield now, without distinction."
Youngwoo swallowed a sigh.
"Even so, this is a battlefield."
A faint smile touched Go Hoewon's face.
"I spent my youth on battlefields. As the man responsible for my clan, I cannot always remain behind the others. And if we did not come here, we would have ended up on the other side. One way or another, we had to choose a side on this battlefield."
Go Youngchang turned toward Youngwoo.
He was a man with clear eyes.
"I serve as an aide-de-camp to Xiao Baoxian, the Eastern Capital's Military Governor.
"I was ordered to gather troops and march to Changchun Road.
"The elder persuaded me.
"He told me we should come to the Jin camp instead."
Youngwoo studied him.
"Your original plan was to strike Xiao Baoxian, was it not?"
Go Youngchang nodded.
"It was.
"But I was told that you had advised us to refrain from making the first move until this battle was over.
"I believed you said so because you were concerned for us.
"Yet the troops had already been assembled, and if we marched to Changchun Road, we would have had to join the Liao army.
"I judged this road to be the better one."
Youngwoo let out a long breath.
"The enemy numbers seven hundred thousand. We have barely twenty thousand. This place is far more dangerous."
Go Youngchang gave a light shrug.
It seemed to be a habit of his.
"Then we simply have to win, don't we?"
Youngwoo's eyes narrowed.
That was true.
They simply had to win.
Why burden himself with so many worries?
Off to one side, Go Hoewon and Okjeong were already reorganizing the two thousand Balhae troops.
They divided cavalry from infantry, separated those skilled with bows from those who would carry spears, and rapidly recorded the condition of the horses, damage to armor, and the number of arrows available.
The two thousand soldiers who had only just arrived were already preparing to take their place in the Jin battle line.