- Sosam’s Grief
The first thing Jeongjin discovered at the place where the Fourth Unit had been stationed was the bodies of the White Dragon Corps.
Five corpses lay there, brutally mutilated.
Among them was the small body of a youth who appeared to be Sosam’s younger brother.
There were no enemies left.
It seemed those who had rushed out earlier had been the last of them.
If the attackers had numbered only a little more than ten and had struck the Fourth Unit from hiding, it would not have been difficult to wipe them out.
When Sosam heard Park Cheongyun’s report, he ran forward, seized one of the bodies, and broke down in sobs.
It was his brother.
Sosam’s brother lay there.
He wept without sound, and even those who watched felt their chests tighten.
It was unbearable to continue looking at him.
The group gathered the bodies, recovered weapons and horses, and began their return.
Dawn was approaching.
They recovered not only the fallen White Dragon Corps soldiers but also the enemy horses, and the column grew in size.
Sosam said nothing.
He placed his brother’s body across his own saddle and stared helplessly at the distant horizon.
Time is required to swallow grief and forget.
Hours, days, months—perhaps even years might pass without it fading.
He obtained a handful of incense and went somewhere alone to bury him.
The faint scent of burning incense mixed with the wind.
The burial place could not have been far.
At daybreak, Park Cheongyun shot a yellow-fletched arrow high into the sky.
Those responsible for supply and retrieval saw the signal and arrived.
They gathered the Fourth Unit’s belongings and the captured enemy horses and equipment.
Each man received a quiver holding more than twenty arrows and over a dozen frozen rice balls wrapped in jerky.
“There was an order that if we are outnumbered upon encountering the enemy, we are to lure them toward the heavy infantry’s position.”
“Understood.”
Sosam answered absently, drenched in grief.
His gaze remained fixed ahead.
The First Unit’s engagement was quickly reported to Gyeongpil and Yi Hui.
When the method of battle was explained in detail, Yi Hui became convinced of victory.
It was no longer a matter of winning or losing, but of how many enemies could be slain.
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The Grand General placed heavy infantry in ambush on both sides of the Haran mountain range and stationed small strike units at intervals.
Five hundred White Dragon riders alone could not defeat thousands or tens of thousands.
The plan was to eliminate smaller enemy forces, regroup, lure larger ones through cavalry maneuver, and draw them into the heavy infantry armed with shields and strong bows.
Sowoon closed his eyes for a moment and drifted fully into sleep.
Park Cheongyun stood watch, while Sosam stared at the ground.
Lying where the sunlight was warm, the tension and fatigue of the night descended all at once.
Gyeongpil arrived while Sowoon was asleep.
After receiving Sosam’s report, he inspected each member of the First Unit.
“You annihilated them with bows alone?”
“Yes.”
“Was that possible?”
“We formed a semicircle around the entrance and waited until they had fully entered before firing in unison. The enemy had neither armor nor shields.”
Sosam’s report was unusually brief.
Normally he would elaborate.
Now he spoke only what was necessary.
Gyeongpil wondered whether such brevity meant he no longer wished to speak at all.
“Is something wrong?”
Sosam did not answer.
Park Cheongyun spoke instead.
“His younger brother died. He was with the Fourth Unit when it was wiped out.”
“…I see.”
Gyeongpil placed a hand on Sosam’s shoulder, and tears streamed from his eyes like rain.
He maintained the posture of a soldier, but the tears would not stop.
They slid silently down cheeks chilled by wind.
Words of comfort did not come easily.
“So that was your brother. If I had known… I should have stopped him when he insisted. Why at such a young age… I am sorry. I failed to protect him.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
“If I had known he was your brother… such a young lad…”
Silence followed.
After a long sigh, Gyeongpil asked carefully,
“The body?”
“I buried him nearby.”
“This must be hard to endure.”
“No. Dying on the battlefield is natural.”
He answered clearly, but the meaning rang hollow.
Time was needed.
The living require time to forget the dead.
He could not send the body home, so he buried him instead, sparing him from becoming food for wild beasts.
Gyeongpil clicked his tongue.
He was the commander.
After a brief pause, he had to move again.
Seeing Sosam’s condition, he turned to Park Cheongyun.
“And that one? What of Sowoon?”
“He is sleeping.”
“No trouble?”
“No. This strategy came from his head.”
“Strategy?”
Interest sparked in Gyeongpil’s eyes.
“He said it was difficult to attack enemies in hiding, so we should draw them out. Once they came, we surrounded them and finished them with arrows.”
“Is that so? And how did you draw them out?”
“…We cursed at them.”
“Cursed?”
“The foulest curses I know.”
“Did they understand?”
“If they didn’t, why would they have rushed out?”
A faint, absurd smile appeared on both their faces.
After a moment’s thought, Gyeongpil gripped Park Cheongyun’s shoulder.
“The squad leader is like this right now. You hold things together.”
“Yes.”
“From here on, it’s a hunt. If fire-arrows go up, we assemble. If three sets of three go up, that’s the sign. Stay hidden until the signal. Then gather as fast as possible. No—at full speed. The direction is wherever the fire-arrows fall. We must secure numerical superiority at the point of engagement. If I catch you sleeping on watch, I will not be lenient.”
“Yes!”
“Do not loosen your gear. Even when resting, remain fully armed.”
“Yes.”
After glancing at Sowoon sleeping against a shield propped on a rock, Gyeongpil departed with fifty men.
- Zhan Zhuang (站樁)
“Standing like a post.” A foundational practice in traditional Eastern martial arts and health cultivation, aimed at correcting bodily structure, stabilizing the mind, and promoting circulation of qi and blood.
The legs are placed shoulder-width apart or slightly outward.
The knees are bent slightly.
The spine remains upright while the body relaxes into stillness.
Posture:
The knees are slightly bent, weight distributed evenly across the soles.
The head is maintained as though gently suspended from above.
Relaxation and intention:
The pelvis and waist loosen.
The shoulders release tension.
The hands form a rounded arch, as if holding a sphere.
The sensation is like immersing the hands in warm water.
Breathing:
Breath remains natural.
After practice, one regulates breathing and gently rubs the abdomen to reduce strain on the heart.
Duration:
Begin briefly, gradually extend.
Ten minutes a day restores balance and stillness.
Once the ambush began, time passed without purpose.
The distant mountains heavy with white snow seemed strangely close.
As the cold retreated, the wind weakened.
Some days passed without even a single gust.
The word “peace” crossed the mind unexpectedly.
Sowoon, who had been sleeping curled where the sun was warmest, woke and looked around.
Two men stood watch below and above, staring fiercely into the distance.
The other two slept.
They kept watch in pairs, and Sowoon seemed outside that rotation.
No one gave him orders.
Though in ambush, they were relatively free so long as they did not move much or make noise.
He yawned lightly and rose in silence.