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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Great King Namsaeng
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The temple was ridiculously huge. And the wooden pagoda inside it towered to an insane height.
"First floor, second, third, fourth... nine stories."
It was as tall as the restored nine-story wooden pagoda of Hwangnyong Temple.
"Dizzyingly high."
"This way."
Geom Mojam pointed toward the main gate. In front stood a flagpole banner with a banner fluttering from it. Having heard the news, the head monk and a group of monks were waiting. As I approached, the elderly head monk pressed his palms together and spoke.
"Please, come in."
"Sorry for dropping by unannounced. I heard National Academy Scholar Lee Mun-jin is staying here."
"He's residing in the lecture hall, working on his writing."
"I'll just pay my respects briefly and be on my way."
"By all means."
At the head monk's gesture, the other monks parted like waves. A bald novice monk bowed in greeting and beckoned me to follow. Geom Mojam and a few escort warriors came along, while the rest waited outside.
We stepped on the stones laid like stepping stones across the dirt floor and entered. After passing through several gates, a golden hall even longer than the corridors of Gyeongbok Palace came into view. Devotees were bowing before the pagoda. Beyond that lay a small garden enclosed by walls on all sides. At the end of the garden, with its pond, stood a modest pavilion.
"That's the place."
The novice pointed it out, bowed, and vanished. I turned to Geom Mojam, who was about to follow.
"I'll go alone."
He hesitated but nodded. I crossed the flower-filled garden toward the pavilion. Instead of a door, bamboo blinds strung with small beads hung there. Someone sat inside. Sensing my presence, a voice called out.
"Come in."
Inside, an old man in flowing robes and a ceremonial hat came into view. He was slowly fanning himself with a fan made of feathers.
"I've heard that a colt from the Yeon family has grown wings."
He fixed me with a piercing gaze and added,
"And that must be you."
"Things changed after I recovered from my injury."
"Is that why you've come to see me?"
Of course, the real reason was to learn how Goguryeo had been run all this time. Lee Mun-jin, who had compiled the historical annals New Annals, was the perfect person to ask. But this cranky old man didn't seem like an easy mark.
"Do you know who I am?"
Lee Mun-jin's hand paused mid-fan.
"You're Yeon Namsaeng, the eldest son of Eastern Division Leader Yeon Gaesomun."
"Then you must also know how many lives I could end or save with a flick of my finger."
"If you've inherited your father's ruthlessness, you could indeed."
"That's exactly what I want to avoid."
I was confident if it came down to a battle of Zen koans. I'd memorized plenty of profound quotes while writing novels.
"How, exactly?"
"By studying the past and using it to predict the future. That way, I can dodge dangers in advance, right?"
I held back the urge to say that in the modern world, they'd call it big data. Lee Mun-jin resumed fanning, his demeanor calming.
"The dangers facing the Eastern house are already plain as day. Do we really need to dig into the past?"
"I'm not talking about the East—I'm talking about Goguryeo. Without Goguryeo, there'd be no East."
Lee Mun-jin looked genuinely surprised this time. It was obvious, really. If Goguryeo fell, the East and all its pretensions would vanish in a puff of smoke.
"Are you saying you're worried about Goguryeo's future?"
"Is there any reason I shouldn't be?"
"No, quite the opposite—it's a good thing. Lately, we've been splitting into East, West, Upper, and Lower factions, quarreling endlessly."
It felt like the factional strife of the Joseon era. At first, there were reasons and justifications. But in the end, it boiled down to nothing but a naked power grab. The problem was, unlike Joseon, Goguryeo could muster private armies for the fight. Yeon Gaesomun himself was plotting a coup with his private troops, after all.
"It's quiet for now, but Tang will move soon."
Lee Mun-jin's eyes widened a bit more.
"Tang, you say?"
"Precisely, the current emperor, Li Shimin. The man who slaughtered his own brothers at Xuanwu Gate. They say he has the bearing of Liu Bang and Cao Cao combined."
"I've heard the rumors."
"Scholar, he's far more dangerous and ruthless than you might think. He's holding back for now because of the Tujue issue. But once that's settled..."
I paused for dramatic effect before continuing.
"We'll be their target. Their goal."
"True, a few years back, when civil war broke out in Eastern Tujue, they swept in like the wind."
"Hillig Khan and his men were dragged to Chang'an as prisoners. Why spare them instead of killing them on the spot?"
Lee Mun-jin wore a grim expression at my question.
"To use them against us when the time comes."
"He's Emperor Taizong now. When Tang armies invade, Eastern Tujue cavalry will lead the charge."
"That would be a grave threat to us."
"Of course. From the Yalu to the Liao, our fortresses are densely packed. Sui couldn't breach that line. But with cavalry out front, it's a different story."
"How so?"
"They'll cut communications between forts, block reinforcements and supplies. Isolate them one by one, then take them down."
That's exactly how the 645 war played out. Goguryeo's strongholds like Liaodong, Gaemo, and Bisa forts, which had held firm against Sui, fell like dominoes. Divided and conquered.
"I wonder if the court has any countermeasures."
"Even if they do, they're probably not thinking it through concretely."
"What makes you so sure?"
"They're too busy clinging to their own power and family interests."
Lee Mun-jin burst into hearty laughter at my blunt words.
"You've got it right. We need to unite like we did against Sui, but there's no sign of that."
"That's why I'm out here searching for answers myself."
"And that's why you came to me?"
"Yes. We have to find them."
I kept quiet about my desire to etch my name in history by finding those answers. Saving Goguryeo would bring that naturally enough.
"What kind of answers do you seek?"
"Can you even give me the ones I want?"
"That depends on how open your ears are."
Impressive, I thought. He was dodging and weaving while keeping his distance.
"If the Great King decides on peace with Tang, how should we prepare for war anyway?"
Lee Mun-jin looked shocked at my question. And rightly so—I'd openly dismissed the Great King's views.
"That's no easy question. Why ask it?"
"Because the Great King is already showing signs of seeking peace with Tang."
"Is that wrong? The Great King crushed Sui's massive army at Chang'an Castle twenty years ago. If he chooses peace now, there must be a reason."
"Of course. But it takes two hands to clap."
I clapped once, in case he missed it. The sudden awkwardness even made Lee Mun-jin chuckle.
"What I mean is, Tang has no intention of making peace with us."
"What makes you so certain?"
"We've never taken an inch of Sui or Tang land. We pay tribute on time, accept their investitures. Yet Emperor Yang dug canals just to invade us. Our very existence irks them."
"Because we're here?"
"Right on their border. And we're Goguryeo."
"So we get invaded for being Goguryeo?"
"Because we're different. Different language, customs, gods. If they see themselves as the one true pinnacle, we're thorns in their side."
I resisted poking my eye for emphasis.
"Whenever they unify and gain breathing room, they come for us. Emperor Wu hit Joseon; Sui invaded. Yan and the northern states attacked to secure their rear."
I unpacked what I'd studied for my historical novels. Lee Mun-jin let out a heavy sigh.
"You're right. The Central Plains have always feared us. But Sui fell to us just twenty years ago."
World War I killed millions and ended; twenty years later, World War II erupted. But I held my tongue and pressed on.
"Tang thinks they're different from Sui. They'll analyze why Sui failed. So the next invasion won't be like the last. Now, will you answer my question?"
As I stared him down, Lee Mun-jin cleared his throat lightly.
"A ruler is like a small boat floating on the sea of the people."
"Does that mean the sea can capsize the boat?"
"It means you can't rely on the boat alone."
He'd sidestepped carefully, but I got the point.
"Next question: How do you prepare when your aims differ from the ruler's?"
That was the real issue. I was the eldest son of the Eastern Division Leader, poised against the royal house. My moves would be seen as rebellion. Honestly, I was even considering toppling the royals. To change history, it might come to that. Lee Mun-jin, lost in thought, replied.
"Carefully, reading the people's will, gathering those who share your vision."
"Isn't that straight-up treason?"
He chuckled at my smirk, and the old man joined in.
"If that changes things, then it's fate. Do you know why General Eulji Mundeok led our army?"
"Well..."
I didn't know the exact reason for his appointment, but I had clues.
"Because he wasn't a threat to the royal house?"
"Exactly. Even so, after the war, General Eulji Mundeok had to vanish."
There was barely any record of him in the Goguryeo annals or biographies, except for the 612 Sui invasion. Lee Mun-jin sighed.
"At least back then, when the nation faced crisis, the Great King and nobles set aside their conflicts and joined hands. But now? Impossible."
I shot him a look asking why. He returned one implying I should know. I got the gist.
"They didn't keep their promises."
"Once the war ended and Sui collapsed, the beast was gone."
His bitter, regretful expression told the story. Things were worse than I'd thought. Maybe I couldn't change history after all.
'But I can't just live like this either.'
I had no desire to relive the original Yeon Namsaeng's fate. From the current state of affairs, I might not even survive that long. As I pondered, Lee Mun-jin spoke.
"Let me give you a gift."
Lee Mun-jin rang a small bell on the floor.
'Golden bell?'