Chapter 96 – Dispersal
Meanwhile, the 5th unit had entered Gaegyeong on leave.
It had been a sudden decision by Aguda, who had previously hesitated.
The need to ensure that Goryeo would not enter the war had weighed heavily on him.
That concern shaped the decision.
As discussions continued over dividing them into two groups or three,
he made a final call—leave for all, and return home.
Even Yeongu, who had thought he would never be allowed to go, joined the column.
They argued over who should leave first, each yielding to the other.
Seeing this, Aguda summoned Yeongu on the spot.
"There is no need for this. Let them all go."
"All of them?"
"Some have not returned for a year. Some for three."
Yeongu lowered his head.
The words applied to him as well.
There were reasons he had not returned,
but returning would not have changed much.
His home was a place where misfortune layered upon misfortune.
Someone had died. Someone had been injured.
What was needed was money, and more money.
When one lacks the means to change such a situation, one can only watch.
So even when given leave, he did not return home.
He lingered near the camp, then went back to the barracks to sleep.
Because of that, he came to know the region thoroughly.
But the mind of one who cannot return does not easily settle.
They had entered Gaegyeong hidden among the leave column,
with Wanyan Zonghan's party mixed in.
Their mission completed, they now sat within a corner of Kim Busik's residence.
One hopes for things to begin,
yet once begun, one waits for them to end.
Time moves in that way.
The pressure of being in a place unsettles the mind.
It wears down patience and heightens unease.
The thought that things may not return to how they were
creates a quiet anxiety.
"Why are we here."
So Cheolun asked Cheollyong.
"You thought we would go straight to the court?"
"Not that, but why this place?"
Cheollyong shook his head.
"You call this an ordinary house?
There are halls upon halls, long corridors, even a pond.
There is a separate stable.
To build a place like this, thirty houses would have to be cleared."
Gyeongtaek added,
"This is nothing. Larger estates are several times this size.
They buy surrounding homes and expand.
There are many such houses in Gaegyeong.
Most are tiled."
Cheolun spoke again.
"It felt as if we had entered in secret.
As if we were doing something wrong."
Cheollyong replied,
"Nothing happened. There is nothing to worry about."
Gyeongtaek changed the subject.
"Where do we report."
Cheollyong answered,
"Those dispatched to distant posts report to the Two Armies and Six Guards.
In wartime, the central, left, and right armies are formed.
With the addition of vanguard and rear units, it becomes a five-army structure.
After the war, it dissolves and returns to its original form.
Among the Six Guards, the Left and Right Guards, the Divine Tiger Guard, and the Rising Power Guard are the main forces.
Together they form thirty-two commands—about thirty-two thousand men.
We were originally part of the Divine Tiger Guard.
We return there."
Cheolun muttered,
"That could have been said simply."
Cheollyong replied,
"There is time to fill."
Cheolun asked again,
"What will you do once you return."
"Eat stew and drink in the market."
"You might run into the Geumowei."
"That will not be a problem."
Listening to them, Yeongu exhaled quietly.
They wanted this to end.
He wanted it to continue.
If this stillness could last,
perhaps misfortune would pause as well.
Before long, Wanyan Zonghan returned.
"It is done. I will remain here for now.
You will disperse as planned and return in fifteen days."
The tension eased.
Yeongu straightened his posture.
All eyes turned to him.
He was a soldier.
Twenty-five men formed up at once.
"Attention."
Cheollyong saluted.
Yeongu acknowledged it.
"Do not cause trouble. Return home.
Assemble at Botongwon in fifteen days."
"Understood."
"Dismissed."
The twenty-five men moved out together.