Warlord Han Yegum

After finishing their breakfast, the soldiers waited for a while. Officer Pyeong, along with the other officers and commanders, had all gone to the command tent. Meanwhile, the soldiers gathered in uneasy groups, lamenting their situation.

“Everyone, assemble—!”
The loud voices of military officers began ringing from all directions. It seemed the strategy meeting had finally concluded.
With this, the fate of the U Kingdom soldiers for today was sealed—one way or another. The soldiers moved back into their respective units and lined up in formation.

“Hey! Who’s dragging their spear on the ground?! Hold your spears up!”
The officers roared at the dispirited soldiers. Since they were about to enter battle, discipline needed to be reinforced. The reinforcements from Blaze Ridge were also aligning themselves in ranks when a new officer approached and announced:
“Archers, step forward! If you have a bow, follow me! You will be reassigned to the archer unit!”

It seemed that those wielding bows were being separated for specialized deployment.
“Huh?”
Chobak and Mukjin, caught off guard, exchanged glances with their squadmates. Being reassigned to the archers meant a significantly safer position. Personally, it was a relief, but looking at the others who would be charging into the battlefield filled them with guilt.

“Squad leader…”
“Ah—those damn bastards, looking out for themselves. Hey, hurry up and go.”
Nam Pae waved his right hand dismissively, urging Chobak and Mukjin to follow the officer. As envious as they were, there was no choice but to send them off with a good face.

“We’re sorry, squad leader…”
“What are you sorry for? You think arrows are just going to avoid you? Tsk! Just go already.”
“Aah, I’m good with a bow too, you know. You just pull and release, right?”

“Sorry, Madal hyung.”
“If you’re sorry, just make sure you don’t hit my ass later.”
“Yes, hyung, take care of yourself. Don’t get hurt.”

“We’ll be off now. Makjeong, Deokheung, Ayong—stay safe! And you too, Obyeok ajusshi!”
“Yeah, you guys be careful too. See you later.”
“Alright…!”
Chobak and Mukjin left with deeply apologetic faces, following the unfamiliar officer.

“Damn… they’re so lucky…!”
Deokheung, unable to hide his envy, stared after them longingly. In total, ten soldiers from the Blaze Ridge reinforcements were reassigned to the archers.
Archers

Bows were not just a critical asset to the U Kingdom but also to any army. However, producing a sufficient number of skilled archers was no easy feat.
Crafting a bow fit for battle required significant funds, and even if the money was available to mass-produce bows, training soldiers to a competent level took considerable time and effort.
Because of this, soldiers who carried bows were often separated and placed into dedicated archer units. Of course, this also meant they had to scavenge arrows from the battlefield, pulling them from the bodies of the fallen when supplies ran low.

“Hey, Madal. You should be extra careful today.”
“What now?”
Madal had a general idea of what Nam Pae was about to say but still listened.

“You remember last time, when Chobak kicked you in his sleep? Hahaha! That bastard was cursing you out afterward.”
“Then you should be careful too, squad leader. You know Mukjin can’t see distant targets well, right? When he’s positioned behind us, and that wild-haired Shang bastard is also standing far off… you think he’ll be able to tell you two apart? Kekeke.”
“Huh? Thinking about it that way, doesn’t that mean arrows will be drawn straight to Madal instead? Hey, Makjeong, Deokheung—stay away from Madal. You’ll get hit. And not from the front—arrows from behind.”

“Pfft…!”
“Kekeke.”
“Agh… seriously.”

Even Makjeong couldn’t help but smile at their banter.
The other soldiers all looked like they were about to march to their deaths, yet these two managed to joke around. Makjeong genuinely admired Nam Pae and Madal for it—he wanted to be like them.
‘Come to think of it, I wonder… If my father were here, how would he have handled the fear in the soldiers before battle? He must have had a way, being a great general, but I never got to learn anything from him…’

Makjeong suddenly found himself wondering how his father, General Han Jin, had maintained morale among his troops. A man who rose to the rank of general must have had some excellent methods, but Makjeong knew none of them.
“Makjeong, you don’t seem scared.”
“Huh?”

Makjeong turned to see Yeopchi smiling slightly. Unlike Deokheung, Ayong, or Obyeok, Yeopchi regarded Makjeong’s calm demeanor with a look of approval.
Thinking about it, Makjeong found it odd as well.
In a short while, they might all be slaughtered. They might be impaled on spears, slashed by swords, screaming in agony as they bled out. And yet, unlike the others, Makjeong didn’t feel particularly afraid.

It was either the mentality of “whatever happens, happens,” or a faint belief that somehow, he would survive.
Gaesang also looked at Makjeong and grinned.
“See? I told you this kid wasn’t ordinary. Hahaha.”

“I’m not really sure myself… Maybe I lost it after almost dying at Blaze Ridge…”
“Oh? Listen to this guy. Hahaha.”
Gaesang and Yeopchi were about to say something else when Officer Pyeong returned from the command tent. His voice rang out.

“Blaze Ridge reinforcements! We are the reserve unit! From now on, follow me!”
“A reserve unit? Oh hell yeah!”
Madal cheered, relieved. If they were reserves, they wouldn’t be sent into the first wave of combat. The rest of the soldiers let out sighs of relief upon hearing the news.

“Hurry and follow me!”
Officer Pyeong led the relieved soldiers to their designated standby position.
The battle on White Plains was a large-scale engagement, requiring both sides time to prepare. Since the Shang forces were on the offensive and the U Kingdom was on defense, the U Kingdom forces wouldn’t move until the enemy had formed their battle lines.

Thus, the U Kingdom soldiers waited in the standby area, ready to move the moment the Shang forces advanced.
As they relocated, Deokheung spoke to Makjeong, his face filled with relief.
“Makjeong, since we’re reserves, we’ll be fighting last, right?”

“…Probably?”
Ayong, walking behind them, still looked visibly tense.
“Hyung, does this mean it’s definitely less dangerous?”

“Well… I can’t guarantee that.”
This was Makjeong’s first time witnessing such a massive battle in the open field. And since their movements depended entirely on the commander’s orders, he had no idea what would happen next.
The only thing he could predict was that, even if they were to die, they might at least die a little later than the frontline troops. But there was no need to voice that thought and further frighten Deokheung and Ayong.

The Blaze Ridge reinforcements took their position toward the rear of the U Kingdom’s forces.
Standby didn’t mean they could simply sit and relax. Soldiers huddled in groups, receiving briefings from their commanders and officers so they could be deployed at a moment’s notice.
Not long after, a new officer arrived and stood beside Pyeong.

“Greetings! I am Na Jeong, and I will be co-commanding the Blaze Ridge reinforcements alongside Officer Pyeong!”
The officer named Na Jeong had a thick black beard covering his chin and a broad, imposing figure. It seemed he outranked Pyeong, as the latter stood slightly behind him in a subordinate role. The struggles of being part of a reinforcement unit were apparent at that moment.
“Listen up, all of you! The enemy may launch an attack today! As the reserve unit, you won’t be the first to engage, but you will be the ones rushing in to reinforce any collapsing formations!”

Na Jeong’s voice boomed across the ranks—if commanding presence alone made a general, he would have been one already.
“There are only two things you must remember! First—! If anyone hesitates or falters in obeying an attack order, I will personally behead them!”
He gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist with deliberate force.

“If I can’t cut you down on the spot, I will find you after the battle and execute you then! Never hesitate when an order to attack is given!”
His fierce, piercing eyes looked as though he viewed the soldiers as enemies themselves.
But instead of rallying them, Na Jeong’s harsh intimidation only served to dampen the morale of the Blaze Ridge reinforcements.

“Second! Maintain the formation at all costs! If the formation collapses, we are finished! That must never happen!”
In large-scale battles, formation discipline was just as crucial as morale. Each formation moved like a single entity, operating in tight coordination. With a proper formation, even an overwhelmingly strong opponent could be held at bay.
But if fear or confusion disrupted the structure, the entire army would weaken and fall apart.

Most casualties in battle didn’t happen when soldiers clashed head-on—it was when one side’s formation broke and the soldiers were routed, leaving them to be slaughtered.
“Etch these two rules into your bones and never forget them! Understood?!”
“Yes.”

“This is your idea of a battle cry?! Is this how you plan to face the enemy?!”
Na Jeong, clearly unsatisfied with their lackluster response, continued shouting in frustration. Meanwhile, Nam Pae muttered with a deeply uneasy expression.
“…That bastard is bad news.”

His squadmates all silently agreed.
“If he wants to be so high and mighty, he should’ve joined the vanguard.”
“What if his reckless shouting gets us all killed?”

The way he immediately tried to establish dominance over unfamiliar soldiers didn’t sit well with them at all.
“Now, I will explain the battle formation! All squad leaders, step forward!”
Following Na Jeong’s orders, Pyeong, now relegated to a subordinate role, started barking commands.

“Squad leaders, move up! Quickly!”
“Damn it—what kind of deranged mountain boar did they send us this time…?”
Cursing under his breath, Nam Pae trudged forward.

 
****
U Kingdom Command Watchtower

The highest watchtower in the U Kingdom’s defensive line stood before the command center. From this vantage point, a handful of U Kingdom commanders surveyed the battlefield, their eyes fixed on the Shang army.
At the center of the group stood Gam Heum—the supreme commander of the U Kingdom forces defending White Plains.
Dispatched in haste to lead the defense of this crucial battlefield, Gam Heum had managed to hold the line so far, albeit at great cost.

If White Plains fell, the surrounding strongholds would be at risk. Even if some garrisons could hold out, the villages and farmlands beyond the fortifications would inevitably be lost to the enemy. The scale of destruction would be incalculable.
And Gam Heum himself would bear the full brunt of responsibility for the defeat.
That meant, no matter what, the Shang army had to be stopped here at White Plains.

His exhaustion was evident—endless strategizing and sleepless nights had worn him down.
“If we can just hold them off two more times… they’ll have no choice but to retreat. Their forces and supplies will be stretched too thin to continue.”
As if reassuring himself, Gam Heum spoke aloud.

His lieutenant, standing behind him, hesitated before speaking.
“Commander Gam Heum. We’ve held them back so far, but if that Hoh Sang and Byeok Tae keep rampaging unchecked, our situation will worsen.”
From the U Kingdom’s perspective, those two were ‘rampaging.’ But from the Shang army’s side, they were heroes.

Hoh Sang and Byeok Tae had already claimed the heads of multiple U Kingdom officers and commanders.
Each of them led about two to three hundred men, executing devastating hit-and-run attacks before withdrawing. They had inflicted significant losses every time they struck.
If the Shang army launched an all-out offensive to decide the battle, those two would undoubtedly be at the forefront, breaking through the U Kingdom’s defenses.

And with the U Kingdom already outnumbered—three thousand against four thousand—the presence of those two warriors was a terrifying threat.
“…Make an announcement to the troops.”
Gam Heum’s voice hardened.

“Anyone who brings me the heads of Hoh Sang or Byeok Tae will be rewarded one hundred silver coins.”
“Yes, sir.”