The covenant between the king of Goryeo and the Great Khan was to be held at Seonchunryeong Fortress, which had previously been returned.
Once the location was decided, the date was moved forward as well.
Allowing for the time required for the king of Goryeo to travel north, they arranged the schedule so that the covenant could be concluded as soon as he reached Seonchunryeong Fortress.
The war allowed little delay.
Jin had little room to remain idle for long.
More than anything else, the very fact that the king of Goryeo would personally travel as far north as Seonchunryeong Fortress was a powerful warning to Liao.
The fortress would serve as more than a meeting place.
It would become the stage upon which Goryeo and Jin displayed their new relationship before the world.
Long ago, Liao had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Goryeo.
More than one hundred thousand soldiers had perished at Gwiju, and for some time afterward Liao had struggled to restore its military strength.
It was around then that the momentum with which Liao had pressured Song also began to weaken.
Song had purchased peace through enormous annual payments, but Liao likewise needed time before it could recover enough strength to begin another major war.
Now that same Goryeo was moving again.
And this time it was not merely a frontier commander.
The king himself was heading north.
Liao could not ignore the meaning of such a gesture, and Song would have no choice but to watch the outcome closely.
A single step taken by the king of Goryeo was, in itself, almost equal to a declaration of war.
The substance of the covenant was discussed in advance.
Yet the negotiations stalled over the question of uniting the two realms.
O Geolmae proposed that they even discuss Jin offering its entire state to Goryeo.
The king of Goryeo did not accept the suggestion at once.
For Goryeo to absorb Jin in its entirety was difficult to justify and even more difficult to carry out.
Even if Goryeo accepted such an offer, it could not immediately govern the lands and peoples involved.
The moment it took upon itself a burden beyond its capacity, the cooperation built thus far might begin to collapse.
Rather than confront the matter directly, the king suggested that they first compare it with the failures of the past.
They spoke of how Balhae and Silla had failed to stand together two hundred years earlier.
They also revisited the time when Balhae had appealed for aid, yet Goryeo had ultimately failed to send an army.
The present covenant was therefore more than an agreement between two states.
It was a test of whether they could finally overcome the memory of those old failures.
They avoided the matter once, and then again, only to encounter another obstacle in the question of spoils.
Once Liao fell, how were the cities and people, horses and provisions, prisoners and storehouses to be divided?
How far should the rewards of participation be acknowledged?
After shedding blood, Goryeo could not simply exchange words of friendship and walk away.
Jin, for its part, could not easily surrender the fruits of a war won at the risk of its own survival.
In the end, they decided to record only the titles of matters that could not yet be settled.
The unification of the two realms.
The status of the covenant.
The postwar order in Liaodong.
Relations after the Nine Fortresses.
The treatment of spoils and occupied territory.
Forcing decisions on all of them now might close the path to cooperation altogether.
They would record the issues and leave the greater decisions to the covenant itself.
They were matters that could only be resolved when the king of Goryeo and the Great Khan sat face to face.
Because the principal points had already been discussed in advance, the remaining decisions came quickly.
Now that Goryeo had begun aiding Jin, the path was already open.
In the past, the distribution of iron had been strictly restricted.
There had always been concern that iron might be turned into weapons of war.
Liao had also demanded on several occasions that Goryeo refrain from supplying iron.
Now, however, Goryeo was providing Jin with iron, weapons-manufacturing techniques, and even trained craftsmen.
A road once deliberately closed had opened of its own accord.
Goryeo had long suffered from a shortage of horses.
O Geolmae now promised to provide several thousand mounts.
Once the horses arrived, converting armored infantry into armored cavalry would become only a matter of time.
And the horses did not solve merely the question of mounted troops.
They also eased the problems of supply and military transport.
Goryeo had never lacked all necessary materials.
What it lacked were roads and animals capable of carrying them over long distances.
They also agreed that sending troops did not necessarily mean rushing straight into battle.
A declaration of war against Liao, followed by news that Goryeo's army had begun moving north, could produce sufficient effect on its own.
Once the proposal was understood in those terms, the decision became much easier.
It could almost be regarded as a long military procession rather than an immediate plunge into full-scale war.
The interpretation was difficult to believe, yet once the request for deployment was framed that way, many things began moving quickly.
When both sides hid their true intentions and tried to protect every advantage, even minor matters became obstacles.
But once one side stepped forward and openly declared its willingness to help, the way often opened more easily than expected.
This time, Jin offered horses and supplies first.
Goryeo, in turn, accepted both the expedition and the covenant.
Once each side clearly stated what it needed, the negotiations moved far more quickly.
Sending O Geolmae as envoy had been a masterstroke.
The Goryeo court treated him almost as though he were the heir-apparent younger brother of the emperor.
He possessed authority, and he also had the courage to make necessary decisions on the spot.
Had the envoy been nothing more than a messenger carrying another man's words, such swift conclusions would have been impossible.
O Geolmae conveyed Jin's will.
At the same time, he was a man capable of taking responsibility for that will.
The conference continued without end.
Civil officials from both realms exchanged documents at great speed.
They confirmed what had been written, added omitted phrases, and in some cases signed documents on the spot.
As the night deepened, the king's shoulders slowly sagged.
"Ah, this is exhausting."
He sank back into the throne.
O Geolmae bowed deeply once more.
"My apologies, Your Majesty."
The king merely lowered his head and waved one hand.
It was a signal to continue.
At that moment, Park Geun-su stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, if we attempt to conclude every matter tonight, the discussion may never end. It may be more urgent to begin carrying out what has already been decided. I humbly suggest that we end today's meeting here and devote ourselves from tomorrow onward to execution."
The king looked toward him.
Park Geun-su continued at once.
"We should appoint the officials responsible for each matter, divide the expenses, and establish a means to oversee both execution and progress. Matters already decided should be put into motion immediately, while those requiring further royal approval should be listed separately and submitted."
The king nodded.
"Proceed in that manner. Those assigned to each matter shall report their plans by tomorrow morning."
Strength returned to his voice.
"Leave nothing out. Give priority to what is most important and urgent. Matters requiring further decisions shall be reported separately. Concentrate on carrying out the orders already given, and coordinate closely with the relevant offices."
Late that night, the officials finally scattered in different directions.
They were tired and sore, but each carried a gift home in his hands.
Park Geun-su muttered,
"You are truly remarkable. How did you think to offer bribes while standing directly before His Majesty?"
O Geolmae laughed without making a sound.
His body ached, and his lower back felt ready to split, yet he was in excellent spirits.
"I had to do something. There are many people here to whom we owe gratitude."
"I shall escort you."
"Thank you."
After leaving the palace, Park Geun-su once more offered a formal bow.
"I shall carry out His Majesty's orders."
They passed through Seonui Gate of the royal city and traveled roughly three li due north to the Office of the Capital Market.
From there, they continued another five li north to Gwanghwa Gate.
Then they turned west for two li, crossed a high and rugged ridge, and traveled one more li north before reaching Suncheon Guesthouse.
Suncheon Guesthouse did not stand beside the busiest market streets of Gaegyeong.
Even after entering the royal city, one had to continue a considerable distance.
Beyond Gwanghwa Gate, the road turned west, climbed over a steep ridge, and only then descended north toward the guesthouse.
It was neither so far from the palace that foreign envoys seemed abandoned, nor so close that the king's presence could be felt at every moment.
It stood apart upon high ground, yet remained near enough for an envoy to be summoned to the palace without delay.
Park Geun-su escorted O Geolmae to the entrance of Suncheon Guesthouse and bowed.
"You have endured much today."
O Geolmae saw him off without losing his gentle smile.
"Thank you. Thanks to your guidance, I completed the great audience without incident."
Park Geun-su bowed again.
"You traveled a long distance and then remained in conference until late into the night. Please rest comfortably tonight."
At that moment, a group of mounted soldiers approached and stopped before Suncheon Guesthouse.
They remained in their saddles as they waited for Park Geun-su.
One of them rode forward and handed him the reins of his horse.
Park Geun-su accepted them and stroked the horse's neck once.
In the cold night air, the animal's breath scattered white before him.
Before mounting, he turned toward O Geolmae and offered one final brief bow.
"I shall return tomorrow morning."
O Geolmae nodded.
"I shall await you."
Park Geun-su mounted, and the riders quietly formed their ranks around him.
For a moment, hoofbeats echoed beneath the lamps of Suncheon Guesthouse.
Then they disappeared into the darkness in the direction of Manwoldae