Chapter 1116 - Wavering and Steadfast
That night, inside Pak Deokhwan's residence, he sat alone drinking, his mood at its lowest ebb.
Ever since the stone figures had bled, things had not gone well for him. Several times he'd gone to the office to seek audience with Official Feng, but each time he'd been told the Official was "busy"—something that had never happened before. Official Feng's trusted servants had also become cold and distant toward him, without their former warmth.
First came the issue of the gold coins the merchants had "lent" him. He'd been waiting for his fiancée to marry in, and for her dowry to repay the "loan"—but now there was no news about the marriage at all. Worse, he'd heard through the grapevine that Lord Kim's household had received new "orders" and was in no hurry to proceed with the wedding. Pak Deokhwan understood what this meant: Lord Kim probably didn't see him as the prized catch he'd been before.
What worried him even more was that rumors about the bleeding stone figures and portents were everywhere. Many of the local Labor Service workers and collaborators were visibly unsettled—some had even quietly turned in their armbands and stopped coming to work.
Cho Myeong-gwi had placed his "capable agent" Jang Seong-seol at Pak Deokhwan's side—ostensibly to cultivate him, covertly to monitor him. Beyond that, there was a second purpose: to turn him when the time came.
According to Lord Kim's calculations, first the "bleeding stone figures" would unsettle the populace. Then, over the coming days, arson attacks in and around the city would heighten the atmosphere of terror. Finally, they would welcome the Court's army while the whole island rose in militia rebellion.
When that time came, someone like Pak Deokhwan would make the perfect inside man.
However, this person's courage was limited. Counting on him to hack down the city gates or assassinate Dwarf-Crop-Head generals and officials was out of the question. But using him to turn other Koreans who'd sided with the Dwarf-Crop-Heads was still possible.
Seeing his low spirits lately, Jang Seong-seol had been probing indirectly and had roughly determined that he was deeply troubled by the "bleeding stone figures" incident. Moreover, the Dwarf-Crop-Heads had recently shown signs of distrust toward him. There were also rumors that Official Feng, who had always valued him highly, was preparing a full audit of his accounts during his tenure as "Archery Clerk."
Jang Seong-seol judged that all these things combined had begun to shake him—the time for "turning" had arrived. As she poured wine for him, she calculated.
"Master, why are you drinking alone in gloom?" she asked coquettishly, leaning against him.
Pak Deokhwan said listlessly: "What else is there to do but drink in gloom?"
"Why hasn't the master been to the pleasure house lately to enjoy himself?" Jang Seong-seol said. "The young ladies have all been missing you."
"What—you want me to go to the pleasure house?" Pak Deokhwan asked, somewhat blearily.
"This servant wouldn't dare speak of the master's affairs. This servant knows the master goes to the pleasure house not for women, but to discuss business with the other gentlemen."
"I need to lay low these days. I've been associating too much with Master Huang, Master Cho, and the others... The Officials don't seem to like it..." Pak Deokhwan said, hiccupping. "Being a person is truly difficult! I go to the pleasure house to network with them for the Officials' business—"
"Indeed. Without the master's efforts, could this island's bows, arrows, and specialties even be sold?" Jang Seong-seol began her first subtle manipulation. "And the grain purchased—how many people on this island have been fed because of it... All this is the master's achievement."
Hearing this, Pak Deokhwan felt even more aggrieved—people always exaggerate their own contributions and abilities while ignoring others' efforts, especially when somewhat drunk. With her prodding, he was suddenly full of grievances. He sighed:
"I've thought about it too. This master of mine has too much power—those people are all jealous. One after another, who knows what they're saying to the Officials! That lowborn bastard Kim Yongjoo!"
Jang Seong-seol knew he'd been unhappy lately about Kim Yongjoo and his daughter's rising status. She deliberately feigned alarm: "Master, lower your voice! Battalion Commander Kim is now a favorite before the Officials. Even his daughter and son are quite influential..."
"Bullshit!" Pak Deokhwan grew even more disgruntled—Feng Zongze and the others had indeed been summoning Kim Yongjoo and his daughter privately with increasing frequency. "A whole family of lowborns!" Unable to vent his frustration, he threw back another cup in one gulp.
"The Kim Yongjoo family doesn't matter—what can a family of baekjeong stir up? It's the Officials I'm worried about..." She trailed off with an expression of feigned anxiety, deliberately baiting Pak Deokhwan.
Sure enough, Pak Deokhwan asked: "What about the Officials?"
"This servant means the matter of the bleeding stone figures lately..."
Pak Deokhwan waved his hand: "Don't be afraid. It's just enemies making mischief. Don't believe the rumors." But his words lacked conviction.
Jang Seong-seol had long seen through his inner fear. She said: "This servant thinks: maybe there really is someone behind this mischief. But in this world, where there's smoke, there's fire. The Officials are very capable, but after all, they're outsiders. They're certainly not the legitimate court of heaven's mandate. Remember the two Japanese invasions—the Japanese raiders were overwhelming in power. They even occupied Pyongyang. In the end, they still lost..."
Pak Deokhwan started in alarm: "Don't talk nonsense! What do you, a mere woman, understand!"
"Yes, this servant spoke out of turn." Jang Seong-seol quickly lowered her gaze, pouring him more wine. "Master, don't think about these troubling things. Just enjoy yourself." She pressed her body tightly against his, knowing her words had already had a great effect. In a few days, after a few more fires were set in and around the city, he'd become a startled bird, like a rat on a sinking ship, scrambling for any straw to save his life...
Just then, a gunshot rang out in the distance, followed by several more. Pak Deokhwan's entire body tensed. He shoved Jang Seong-seol aside and stood up, listening anxiously to the sounds outside.
"Alert! Something's happening!" Kim O-sun jumped to her feet and shouted loudly.
The words had barely left her mouth when several figures appeared in the doorway. Kim O-sun immediately challenged: "Who goes there?!"
Several men in local dress, white cloths wrapped around their heads, brandishing knives and clubs.
A woman's sharp challenge from inside the building surprised them; they all froze for a moment. Kim O-sun saw they were all armed with clubs, some with knives. Knowing they meant trouble, she yelled: "Bandits!" and drew the machete at her side, rushing at them. Kim Yuk-sun also drew his machete and charged, slashing at the leader. Another attacker darted in from the side and shoved him hard, knocking him down and sending his blade skittering away. He immediately jumped up, grabbed a bench, and began fighting.
Kim O-sun cut down the first bandit with a single slash. Just as she was about to leap forward and finish off the man writhing in pain on the ground, another bandit rushed in, knocked her machete flying with a club, and knocked her to the floor. She lunged forward and clamped her teeth onto his calf with all her might. The bandit screamed. A companion quickly drew a small knife and stabbed her arm. Just then, Kim Yuk-sun, having battered down his opponent, rushed over and swung the bench with all his strength at the bandit's head. The man died instantly. But then a blade found Kim Yuk-sun—he collapsed in a pool of blood.
Seeing her brother stabbed and fallen, Kim O-sun went nearly mad, snatching up a machete and charging. By now the gunfire outside was intensifying. The lead bandit shouted urgently: "Light the fire! Light the fire!" At his cry, one bandit climbed in through the window, wrapping oil-soaked rags and rope around the iron handwheel and screw mechanism.
"They're starting a fire!" Kim O-sun screamed. She'd heard her brother say the sluice was vital to the horse ranch. Ignoring the bandits, she rushed to tear away the rags. Just then, someone slashed her viciously from behind. Kim O-sun collapsed, bleeding profusely.
The gunfire outside grew more intense, punctuated by the screams and cries of the "righteous militiamen." The group attacking the sluice had expected dealing with a half-grown boy and starting a fire would be easy. They hadn't anticipated casualties. Seeing the situation outside turning unfavorable, the leader hastily threw his firestarter onto the rags, tossed several more torches into the building, and fled.
Kim O-sun, having been stabbed several times, had lost consciousness. The thick smoke woke her. Looking toward the source, she saw flames already rising from the sluice mechanism. Gritting her teeth, she rolled desperately toward the sluice, frantically tearing away the burning rags and rope and throwing them into the channel.
In their haste, they hadn't wrapped much cloth around the handwheel and screw. Kim O-sun didn't relax until the last strip of rag was thrown into the water—and then she blacked out again...
Outside the city, all three horse corrals had been attacked simultaneously by "righteous militiamen." Gunfire was intense. Fire arrows flew toward the corrals—but due to the Minié rifles' firepower, the militiamen couldn't get within effective range and began firing wildly. Though the display was spectacular, only some grass and a few outer wooden sheds were ignited. The flames looked fierce but caused little actual damage.
The garrison then launched a countercharge. The Japanese Public Security cavalry swept around on the flank while the Transport Cadre trainees fixed bayonets and charged. Because Number One Ranch had been established earliest and had the most complete defenses, Kim Dae-hae had committed only forty to fifty men there. The moment the Public Security cavalry appeared, his force collapsed and fled in all directions. The cavalry, wielding their tachi, cut them down relentlessly. The fires from the fire arrows that had ignited the grass and sheds actually exposed the "militiamen," making them perfect targets.
In the end, only those with the fastest legs managed to escape into the darkness with their lives.
(End of Chapter)