Chapter 581:
“You said it was a crushing defeat?”
“That’s right.”
“But the records say…”
“Yes, that’s right. It wasn’t a crushing defeat.”
The Historian nodded his head.
“There are definitely records that Gwon Geuk’s death occurred in Anhui. Thanks to that, it’s said that the Righteous Martial Alliance’s morale plummeted and they retreated.”
“Right. That’s correct.”
“But a crushing defeat?”
The Historian looked at Divine Beggar with an expression that said he couldn’t understand.
This was a different matter from everything before.
Issues regarding Wei Yan-ho’s personal background or personality could be misrecorded in history. That would be even more so if it were intentional misrecording.
But arbitrarily describing the victory or defeat of a war was impossible. History belongs to the victors, but it also belongs to those who watch, and it also belongs to those who were defeated.
It was impossible for all those people to speak with one voice in unison.
“No, how could that…”
The Historian blinked his eyes as if he couldn’t get his bearings.
‘Is this possible?’
Impossible. Absolutely impossible. History doesn’t change so easily.
Wei Yan-ho’s Battle of Luoyang was the same.
The Battle of Luoyang was recorded in historical texts like this:
The wicked Demonic Cult’s bishops, Sima and Poison Demon, targeted the main base of the Righteous Martial Alliance and launched a surprise attack. They swept through the main base like an empty land and tried to poison the people of Luoyang. The people of Luoyang had no choice but to cover their eyes and ears and flee in panic. At the end of that outrage, Radiant Martial Sovereign Wei Yan-ho resolutely drew his sword and cut off the heads of the two demons, and the people of Luoyang praised him.
‘It’s a bit different, but…’
Historical texts don’t perfectly convey the situation at the time.
There are limits to conveying situations through writing. Writing is the most perfect means for transmitting knowledge to future generations, but it doesn’t perfectly convey everything.
But that doesn’t mean the situation would be distorted to that degree.
The Battle of Luoyang might differ in its detailed parts, but it clearly conveyed the fact that the two bishops attacked the main base and threw Luoyang into crisis, and the fact that Wei Yan-ho saved Luoyang from that crisis.
But according to what Divine Beggar was saying now, history had been completely wrongly transmitted. How could such a thing happen?
“I don’t understand. How…”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
Divine Beggar let out a sigh.
“That’s only natural. The words ‘crushing defeat’ contain the meaning that countless people died. As long as the absence of those many people cannot be filled again, history would never be corrected, would it?”
“That’s obvious.”
“But what if that absence were filled?”
“…Excuse me?”
Divine Beggar wore a subtle smile.
“If nine thousand out of ten thousand died, would it be a crushing defeat?”
“It would depend on how many enemies survived, but generally speaking, you could say so.”
“What if five thousand out of ten thousand died?”
“It wouldn’t be different.”
“Then what if one thousand out of ten thousand died?”
“…That would be…”
The Historian frowned.
Of course, that couldn’t be called a crushing defeat. If you had to discuss crushing defeat with the loss of one-tenth of your forces, it would be difficult to find anyone among all the military commanders in history who hadn’t suffered a crushing defeat.
But that wasn’t what was important right now.
The Historian didn’t understand why Divine Beggar was asking such things. What did this have to do with what they were talking about now?
As if to resolve such doubts, Divine Beggar began to speak.
“A crushing defeat. Yes, it was a crushing defeat. Because no one returned properly. But it was history that could have been reversed.”
“…History that could have been reversed?”
Did such a thing even make sense?
If someone other than Divine Beggar had said these words, The Historian would have spat on the ground and gotten up from his seat. Those words were insulting to those who record history.
But the person in front of him right now was none other than Divine Beggar.
Although he had become somewhat more relaxed after talking for a long time, when you think about it, this person was one of the heroes who saved the martial world, and the former Beggar Sect Leader known to be closest to that Radiant Martial Sovereign Wei Yan-ho.
He wasn’t someone The Historian could treat carelessly.
And he wasn’t someone who would spout nonsense either.
“You wouldn’t understand.”
Divine Beggar nodded as if understanding The Historian’s reaction.
“You couldn’t help but not understand. But after you hear what I’m saying, you’ll know what I mean. What happened in Anhui is something you could never understand with the common sense you know.”
The Historian swallowed his dry saliva.
He could feel it.
Divine Beggar was speaking casually, but the atmosphere flowing from him was different from before.
As if the real beginning of all stories was starting now, Divine Beggar was raising his voice.
“Now, at that time in Anhui, a match between the Righteous Martial Alliance and Hundred Sword Castle was taking place.”
Divine Beggar shrugged his shoulders.
“In terms of objective military strength, the Righteous Martial Alliance was superior.”
“That’s correct.”
This was only too natural.
After all, the Righteous Martial Alliance was a coalition.
No matter how strong a single sect was, it couldn’t face a coalition alone. This was true even if not all of the Righteous Martial Alliance’s strength was mobilized there.
Think about it.
Could a single sect withstand the combined attack of Shaolin, Wudang, Namgung, and Beggar’s Sect? Historically, there was only one place that could do such a thing.
The Demonic Cult.
That’s why the Demonic Cult was an object of fear. No sect other than the Demonic Cult could decide victory or defeat against the Righteous Martial Alliance alone.
“Even if there were casualties, they thought the Righteous Martial Alliance would ultimately win. Divine Strategist and Gwon Geuk both thought so. Those two people don’t fight battles without a chance of winning. They were people who knew better than anyone how important military strength is in war, and how important it is to win before fighting.”
The Historian nodded quietly.
That’s why it was shocking.
The fact that Gwon Geuk, who fought against Hundred Sword Castle in Anhui, died in battle, and Hundred Sword Castle sounded a one-sided victory cry. No matter how many times he dug into history, it was something he couldn’t understand.
Hundred Sword Castle could be strong.
They might have hidden their strength.
But even that had limits.
If a dragon hides its body in a lake, you might mistake it for a lesser dragon at first glance. But hiding its form doesn’t mean you can see a dragon as a snake.
No matter how much Hundred Sword Castle hid its strength, it was impossible to completely hide themselves. And Divine Strategist would have organized the expedition forces considering even the possibility that Hundred Sword Castle had hidden their strength.
Since the Demonic Cult was approaching from the opposite side, they would have obviously tried to uproot Hundred Sword Castle to avoid leaving future troubles.
A crushing defeat in such a situation?
It was impossible.
“But predictions and expectations are based on common sense. When something beyond common sense happens, you can only be helpless.”
“Beyond common sense?”
“You already know. The fact that something beyond common sense happened.”
The Historian, who had been slightly puzzled, opened his eyes wide.
“Su-surely not?”
Divine Beggar closed his eyes as if he had expected The Historian’s reaction.
“The price of turning away from an obvious fact was utterly tragic. Yes. That ‘surely not.’”
Divine Beggar’s bitter voice followed.
“Everyone was foolish.”
***
It rises.
In an instant, his breath rises to his throat and his heart pounds like crazy.
This sensation.
The sensation where every hair on his body was under his control. The sensation where every speck of dust brushing past his face reached him. This sensation where every nerve stood on edge like a sharply honed blade.
In the middle of that sensation, Gwon Geuk realized that he had returned to the battlefield.
You could never feel such a sensation anywhere but on a battlefield. It wasn’t a matter of being sensitive or not. When standing on a battlefield where life and death are decided in an instant, humans face their essence.
Perhaps it was the sensation he had longed for but never wanted to feel. Throwing his body into that sensation, Gwon Geuk clenched his fists.
The iron rule of the battlefield.
Don’t waver.
Don’t hesitate.
The battlefield is where a single moment’s hesitation can take your life. Even if there’s wavering in your heart, once you enter battle, you must forget everything.
Gwon Geuk opened his eyes wide.
“Haaaaaaat!”
A great lion’s roar burst forth. Gwon Geuk began to run, spewing momentum.
‘Amazing.’
Song Hyeon was thrilled watching that retreating figure.
There were no particular orders. No detailed discussions. It was nothing more than shouting to follow him and rushing out.
There was no strategy or tactics. For the actions of Gwon Geuk, who had led the war against that Demonic Cult, it was too disappointing.
But what was this exhilaration?
‘It’s like being drawn in.’
Just running ahead, yet it felt like fire was rising in his chest. He felt like he understood what it meant when they say a man speaks with his back. Just looking at the back of Sima Cheon-se at the front filled his whole body with an exhilaration that made him feel like he could do anything.
‘This is Gwon Geuk, Sima Cheon-se.’
He could understand why the name Sima Cheon-se shook the world. Why those outstanding masters yielded the head seat to Sima Cheon-se.
Even he, the sect leader of Wudang, was following behind Sima Cheon-se without complaint right now, wasn’t he?
The others were the same.
He could guarantee it.
There are countless masters under Heaven. Among them, there would definitely be those who surpass Sima Cheon-se.
He didn’t need to go far.
Even Wudang’s Sword Immortal was by no means inferior to Sima Cheon-se’s reputation.
Skill?
Even if Song Hyeon looked objectively, not because he was Wudang’s sect leader, Sword Immortal probably wouldn’t fall behind Sima Cheon-se. Rather, if you looked at martial prowess alone, many would say Sword Immortal was ahead.
But could Sword Immortal lead them like this?
Absolutely impossible.
The ability to lead people.
The ability most needed by one who must lead a great coalition and lead wars. Gwon Geuk possessed that ability.
Song Hyeon glanced back.
‘They’re making no joke of faces.’
Seeing the faces of disciples filled with determination made even Song Hyeon feel his blood boiling. It was a scene not easily seen, with Wudang disciples, who based themselves on composure, having faces like soldiers heading into battle.
Originally, he should calm them down.
But Song Hyeon didn’t do so. In battle, Gwon Geuk was several times ahead of him. Gwon Geuk wouldn’t be thoughtlessly pulling them along.
He entrusted everything.
Song Hyeon looked ahead with determined eyes. The Righteous Martial Alliance forces, with Gwon Geuk at the head, were charging into Hundred Sword Castle’s formation in an instant.
‘Are they panicking? Or not?’
Such a fierce charge.
It was a charge so violent and merciless that even those experienced in battlefields would momentarily lose their spirit. He couldn’t help but be curious about the expressions of those standing on the other side.
“Let’s gooooooo!”
Before other thoughts could enter, Gwon Geuk raised his voice! That enormous shout instantly blew away the stray thoughts from Song Hyeon’s head. Feeling the hot blood boiling in his stomach, Song Hyeon also drew his sword and raised it above his head.
“Attack!”
Gwon Geuk penetrated right into the middle of Hundred Sword Castle’s formation.
Kwaaaaaaaang!
With an explosive sound, people scattered.
