It Wasn’t a Martial Arts World, but the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 6: The Mad Dog of Bing Province, and Unryong (3)

A cold silence hung in the air.

It was no longer a moment to laugh and revel in the joy of victory.

“Dozens! Dozens of them! Damn it, they’re leading a huge army over here!”

“Are you sure?”

“That’s what I’m saying! I saw it clearly with my own two eyes!”

The guy said this as he pointed to the east.

“They’re slowly coming this way from the eastern mountain range!”

Are there regular troops in Bing Province? No, there’s no way regular troops would come to a backwater village like this in the first place.

While I was lost in thought, even Haryeong came running breathlessly to deliver the news.

“Brother, it’s true! You only need to climb a bit higher to see that a massive army is approaching with your own eyes!”

The fact that a military flag existed had a simple meaning.

Unlike the bandits we had dealt with up until now, this likely meant we were dealing with a systematically trained army.

“For now, we need to monitor the situation a bit more. So, I’ll go and check it myself…”

“Black Mountain Bandits.”

Yeo, who had been yawning, opened her mouth.

“What are you staring at so intently? Isn’t it obvious? The only ones who’d march around here waving a military flag would be those guys.”

“You, how dare you speak like that to my brother, even in this situation!”

“Hold on, Baekrang.”

As Baekrang, who had been quietly listening, looked like he was about to spring out at any moment, I gently pressed down on his shoulder.

“The flag was black, right? Was it?”

“…Yes.”

Haryeong reluctantly answered with a sullen expression.

“If it’s the Black Mountain Bandits around here… let’s see… it’s probably Qing Niujiao’s forces.”

Information about them started spilling effortlessly from Yeo’s mouth.

I didn’t know how she knew such detailed information, but now wasn’t the time to care about that.

“I don’t usually bother with weaker folks, but recently they’ve been crossing the line. The counties around here have been wrecked because of them.”

“Then their next target is…”

“It’s here, Manbo County. It’s not really surprising.”

As she finished her sentence, she let out a sigh and looked at me.

“You’re not planning to just charge recklessly, are you? If it’s the main force of Qing Niujiao, they’ll have over two thousand soldiers.”

“…”

At best, we had around two hundred people.

No matter how much I contributed, it was hard to overcome an overwhelming difference in numbers.

Even on a simple level, the difference in strength was more than tenfold, and whether through straightforward strategies or cunning tactics, it was nearly impossible to overcome that strategic gap.

Yeo continued speaking.

“The situation is different from before. If you charge in headfirst, every last one of these fools will die.”

“…You’re right.”

No matter how I looked at it, it was a force we couldn’t fight.

Even though I had learned martial arts, there was no guarantee of victory.

Besides, there was no way I would ever lead my brothers and sisters to their deaths by my own hand.

“What should we do?”

Haryeong asked.

She was looking up at me with anxious eyes.

If this small county were to be attacked by such a large army, the damage would be unimaginable.

It was a scene too dreadful to imagine.

Still, as the leader, I had to take responsibility.

Whether it was my will or not, these people had decided to follow me.

“We’re retreating from here.”

“…Yes.”

Haryeong, Baekrang, and Unsam bowed their heads respectfully and nodded.

Yes, this was the right decision.

Sometimes, making a rational judgment was necessary to protect what was precious.

“Finally, you’re speaking like a person. I’m moved, it’s like watching a beast learn human language.”

Clap, clap. Yeo clapped her hands.

“No matter how fast they are, it’s still an army of thousands. It won’t be easy for a force of two thousand to march quickly. And they’re bandits, not regular troops. They don’t have cavalry, right? You’ve got plenty of time. Congratulations.”

At Yeo’s words, Haryeong also chimed in.

“Yes, according to the scouts, they don’t have cavalry. Just as she said, we have enough time.”

Finally, we consolidated all the information and reached a conclusion.

I began organizing the tasks we needed to prioritize.

“Then, notify the people in the county. Evacuate as many as you can within the time we have.”

“Even with enough time, it’s not going to be easy. Once they cross that mountain range, they’ll be right at Manbo County. It’s already too late to evacuate everyone. And what about the distance from here to the village?”

Yeo clicked her tongue and countered.

She was right.

The extra time we had only applied to us.

We had realized the danger far too late.

This mountain range was quite far from the village. We couldn’t even deliver the message to them in time.

If there had at least been proper guards posted in the county, the people might have been evacuated safely.

But the current Han Dynasty was a kingdom where even such common sense had crumbled.

“…Do what you can. Everyone, move.”

Thus, we, and I, had no choice but to turn our eyes away from the brutal reality.

***

Before I knew it, the light had faded, and darkness began to fall.

The brightness of the world shifted from white to black.

People, trying to push away the cold darkness, lit lanterns here and there, preparing to hide their bodies from the impending storm.

In a land like Bing Province, when night fell, no one knew when or where a bloody massacre would occur, so this had become a routine part of life for the people.

Before long.

A horde of hundreds approached.

As the citizens, huddled inside their homes, held their breath and trembled in fear, a voice rang out.

“The Black Mountain Bandits! The Black Mountain Bandits are coming!”

The loud voice caused an uproar throughout Manbo County.

The voice spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred.

As the tension grew, the shouts grew louder and louder.

Originating from the northern mountain ranges, this massive force was led by numerous leaders and had turned the surrounding areas into wastelands—a force of terror.

That was exactly what the Black Mountain Bandits were.

In the minds of the people of Bing Province, the Black Mountain Bandits had become a source of overwhelming fear, something they could not escape.

As the stench of death rapidly filled the air, everyone began to pour out of their homes, running in terror.

“The Black Mountain Bandits…! The Black Mountain Bandits are here…!”

“Run! The Black Mountain Bandits are coming!”

They had only one thing to do.

Run as fast as they could to save their lives.

Even if their families fell into the hands of the Black Mountain Bandits during the escape, they could only keep running forward.

People wept bitterly as they gathered their belongings.

A child, watching the scene, burst into tears.

The fleeing people pushed the child aside, pulling others ahead of them.

Unryong and his subordinates, watching the scene, hastened to prepare for their own escape.

“Very well. I’ll watch the situation a bit longer, so you all start evacuating.”

At Unryong’s words, his subordinates responded with a loud shout and hurriedly moved their feet.

Unryong also climbed the wall to check the movement of the Black Mountain Bandits, and they had already reached a close distance.

There were still many who hadn’t yet heard the news.

The guards at the gate had long since disappeared, and at this rate, the entire county would be destroyed in an instant.

Finally, the Black Mountain Bandits began to push through the gates.

Unryong urged the people to flee as quickly as possible.

But in the end, he was just one person. He was merely a helpless human being who could not protect what slipped through his fingers.

Screams echoed.

The cries and wails of despair assaulted his ears.

The lanterns, which had been faintly flickering, grew into full flames, engulfing the village, ironically making the surroundings even brighter.

And with that, the figures of the people became visible.

Unryong paused for a moment.

Even he couldn’t understand why.

However, one thing was certain.

“Choryeon… Where are you, my child…?”

There, in front of him, were parents who had lost their children.

The wailing never ceased.

Unryong moved instinctively.

“What happened?”

“Ah, ah… our, our Choryeon…”

It was a familiar face.

It was the mother of the child he had seen before at the tavern.

She was crawling on the ground, her face covered in tears and snot.

In the chaos of wartime, it was all too common for children to get lost.

Smaller children were easily swept away by the larger, stronger adults.

However, there was also the possibility that the child had already fallen victim to the Black Mountain Bandits.

“Get out of here,” Unryong said.

It was a pitiful situation, but if she stayed here, she was likely to die or suffer a fate even worse.

But the woman didn’t seem inclined to leave.

Suddenly, Yeo’s words flashed through his mind.

That silly thing called sentiment.

What was it about sentiment that made people distinguish between life and death?

“Where did the child go missing?”

Unryong asked.

The woman crawled on the ground and finally grabbed the hem of Unryong’s trousers.

She couldn’t speak and could only point with her finger.

“Then go.”

“…How can I leave my child behind? That child is my treasure… If only I can save my child, my life doesn’t matter…”

Unryong sighed and then smiled.

“So, go.”

“Wh-what…?”

“I’ll make you a promise.”

A chivalrous person has responsibilities they must uphold.

There are debts they must repay.

There are enemies they must defeat.

And there are promises they must keep.

“I’ll bring your child back.”

I promise you.

I’ll save that child.

Even if the child is no longer alive, I’ll avenge the child for you.

“So stop your crying and go.”

“B-but…”

“Come on, there’s no time.”

Unryong said this in a light tone.

The woman, after hesitating for a moment, realized there was no other way and hurriedly left.

In the end, this is how it would always be.

I was, after all, a hopeless martial arts fan.

Unryong drew his sword.

And then, he kicked off the ground.