Moon-Shadow Sword Emperor - Chapter 455
Episode 455:
To briefly summarize Zhuge Hui’s words, it was as follows.
< It won't be long before the Demonic Cult will suffer from measles due to internal problems. >
< The time has finally come for the right faction, the martial arts faction, to launch a counterattack. >
I sighed and leaned against the backrest.
It seemed like I knew what Zhuge Huan was thinking when he placed Zhuge Hye in the position of Vice Commander at this point.
I thought he had done something unreasonable to make her his successor, but that wasn’t the case.
Quite the opposite.
It seemed as if the meeting had been arranged earlier than scheduled to give strength to her remarks.
A remark by a member of the Dark Nights and a remark by a deputy military officer who assists the general military.
There was no need to say which side would be given more weight.
‘It seems that the military department has decided that now is the turning point that will determine victory or defeat in the war.’
Still, some people may react pessimistically, wondering if this has gone too far.
It is true that Maseon is a person of great status within the Demonic Cult, but isn’t he ultimately an individual?
Common sense suggests that a person of his stature would not have left behind a successor to take over his role in times of emergency.
However, I knew that I was a demonic cultist in my past life.
The size of the ripple effect that Ma Seon’s death will cause.
I could definitely say it.
There is no talent on campus who can replace him.
Even the name of the organization he belongs to is Maseondang (魔仙堂).
Just by looking at the fact that the name of the organization originated from an individual’s nickname, it was possible to guess the influence and status of the organization.
The religious leader of the time was a person who defeated the eight great demon armies with powerful force and ascended to the position of supreme leader.
His coercive ruling method was effective against the self-centered demons, but it also came with corresponding side effects.
Just like I did in my past life, all magicians live with the anxiety of not knowing when they will die.
Your status on campus and the achievements you have accumulated so far.
It was nothing more than a mirage that would collapse into vain with one whim of the Demon Cultist.
Even if it was the Eight Demon Lords, it was no different.
It was famous among the demon cultists that the Heavenly Moon Demon Emperor, one of the eight great demon armies of the previous era, died with his limbs torn to pieces at the hands of the cult leader.
That’s what some demon cultists, including Maseon, thought.
There is a need to take out insurance to prevent the cult leader from harming himself.
For that reason, Maseon made Maseondang completely revolve around him.
By ensuring that no one could replace him, he prevented the cult leader from getting rid of him.
‘The military department’s judgment is correct. Without Maseon, Maseondang will soon become paralyzed and unable to fulfill its role.’
From the Demonic Cult’s perspective, there was no situation more troublesome than this.
Even if the vast area of Hebei is acquired, it is meaningless if the work of education is not carried out smoothly.
It was clear that problems would arise not only in Hebei but also in the management of the previously occupied areas.
In just a few months, internal problems will fester and believers from all over will raise their voices of dissatisfaction.
‘If you think about it calmly, it would be better to give up the occupied territory and retreat and focus on internal reorganization.’
No matter how much he was the religious leader, he would not be able to give an order to abandon Hebeuk.
It is obvious what will happen next if the cultists simply give up the area they acquired through their hard work.
‘In the worst case scenario, there might be a riot.’
Of course, even if there was a group that rebelled, the Demon Cult leader would quickly suppress it, but in the end, it was only a temporary measure.
It was not possible to solve everything through force alone.
When trust in the cult leader collapsed, the demonic cult’s organizational system collapsed in an instant.
A situation that cannot be like this or that.
The reality of Danggeum Magyo was that one had to choose the lesser evil to avoid the worst.
‘The battle was lost, but from a national perspective, an advantageous structure was formed. ‘I’m impressed.’
At the point when they fell for Zhuge Hui’s trick and took over Hebei, Ma Jiao could be said to have crossed an irreversible river.
[She is an outstanding talent. Due to circumstances, her existence is hidden, but among the later disciples of the Zhuge Dynasty, there is no one who can compare to her in terms of quality and ability.] Is it true that she is
a talent recognized by Sima Yun?
I was once again reminded of how dangerous a person she is.
‘but.’
There was one contradiction in her remarks.
It was probably not just me but many other people who felt uncomfortable.
She used Ma Seon’s death as material to persuade the Allied Forces leadership.
However, when Ma Xian was subjugated, it was just before Ma Qiao collapsed the front line in Hebei, that is, after the Allied Forces began retreating.
‘The timing is not right.’
The reason why the Allied Forces were able to retreat to Shandong without any significant damage was because they had completed preparations in advance and deployed their troops step by step.
The preparation would not have been a simple task that could be completed in a day or two.
If what Zhuge Hye said was true, it meant that she had predicted Ma Seon’s death in advance.
‘The stakes were too high for gambling.’
What on earth gave her the confidence to insist on retreat?
Did he really expect that I would head to Guizhou myself?
‘No, you probably didn’t have me in mind.’
The person she trusted was probably not me, but Sima Yun.
She must have been convinced as soon as she heard the news that Ma Seon was trapped in the Heavenly Earth Network created under the leadership of Sima Yun.
That Ma Seon will fail to escape and face death.
Just as Sima Yun praised Zhuge Hui’s qualities, it is clear that Zhuge Hui believed in Sima Yun’s abilities and pushed ahead with the work.
‘If you think about it.’
Even if I hadn’t been there, Maseon would have been subdued in the end.
Of course, the scale of damage would have been greater.
‘Has everything turned out as Zhuge Hye predicted?’
Silence fell in the conference room.
Meng’s executives gathered their thoughts and waited for the next words to come out of Zhuge Hui’s mouth.
After looking around at the middle class, Zhuge Hye spoke as if making a declaration.
“Soon, the order of the Lord will be delivered throughout the central plains. From now on, we must prepare for all-out war.”
“…!”
* * *
After leaving the conference room, I fell asleep and looked up at the red-stained sky.
I knew this day would come someday, but it came sooner than I thought.
‘It’s an all-out war.’
The time has finally come to put an end to the long fight.
To be honest, it didn’t really feel realistic.
‘Still, it’s not a bad trend.’
It’s just a shame that I wasn’t fully prepared.
Although he became stronger than before, he was not able to reach the level where he could stand up to the Demon Cult Lord alone.
I have not yet been able to make the 25th Chosik, which I learned a clue about in Haenam Island, my own.
‘There is a grace period of a few months. In the meantime, I’ll try everything I can.’
I’ve been busy so far, but I thought it would get even busier in the future.
I walked for a while, thinking of various thoughts.
As I was leaving Maengjubu and heading toward Cheonan Gambu, a man spoke to me in a friendly voice.
-Take it.
The man who passed by and handed me a small note turned around the corner and disappeared as if nothing had happened.
I stuffed the note into my sleeve and opened it to check the contents only after I arrived in a place out of sight.
‘That’s right.’
A laugh came naturally.
As soon as I returned to the headquarters, they tried to contact me right away.
It seemed like he was quite fit.
‘I should go and have a drink for a while.’
* * *
A night when the son-in-law was immersed in darkness.
As I entered the haunted house that seemed ready to collapse at any moment, I let out a quiet exclamation.
Unlike the exterior, the interior was clean and comfortable.
Indeed, it was a place used by Meng elders when they had secret meetings.
“Welcome.”
Two Taoists were sitting at the table waiting for me.
Ho Jeong-gwon (豪正拳), an elder from the Kunlun faction.
Taeyeongeom (太延劍), an elder from the Shaman faction.
[How about making other elders as allies besides me?]
[I’m saying this because there’s a suitable person. If you want, I will build the bridge for you.]
Before leaving for Haenam Island, Ho Jeong-kwon gave me a recommendation.
How about bringing in Taeyeon Sword as an ally?
I felt uncomfortable at first, so I expressed resistance, but after his continued persuasion, I had no choice but to nod in the end.
“It’s been a while.”
As I looked at Taeyeon Geom greeting me with an awkward expression, I had mixed emotions.
There were dozens of times when I had conflicts with the leader at meetings hosted by him.
I never thought the day would come when we would have private drinks like this.
“Sit down first. “I have a lot of things I want to say to you.”
Ho Jeong-kwon said, tapping the chair with his hand.
Looking at his smiling face, he seemed to be in a good mood because things were going well.
“The fact that you are here means that you have heard the whole story from senior Ho Jeong-kwon.”
“I see.”
Taeyeon Geom nods and answers.
After hearing the party’s confirmation, I realized that there was no turning back now.
“We all know that you and Hojeong-gwon are in the same boat and that you want to become a senator in the future.”
The anxiety was still there.
Even though there is a guarantee from the Gojeongkwon, there are many things that make it difficult to simply trust that alone.
“To be honest, I can’t help but feel skeptical.”
“I understand. “Because there is something I have shown so far.”
I couldn’t help but feel so awkward and uncomfortable with Taeyeon, who sympathized with what I was saying as if it were obvious.
From his point of view, after being persuaded by a close friend, he was treated poorly.
‘Well, if he showed an overbearing attitude and got angry, that would have been just as unpleasant.’
I pray for the awkward silence to pass.
Hojeong-kwon, who could not bear the frustration, continued to pay attention to me.
I cleared my throat once and then opened my mouth.
“Are you going to be okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“You may end up having trouble with other elders.”
“I’m prepared.”
It must have been true that Taeyeon was grateful to me.
However, emotions and practical benefits had to be viewed separately.
To put it bluntly, how can you be the benefactor of a monk or something when your own food is at stake?
If things in the world were so warm and beautiful, both Sohyeongeom and Manjunggeom would have been on my side.
“It looks like you’ve already made up your mind.”
“If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have appeared in front of you like this.”
“I would like to ask you one last question.”
“Tell me.”
“Are you changing your mind just because I led reinforcements to Hubei and helped the shaman faction?”
It was a question I had all along.
Taeyeon had a smile on her face as if this was an expected question.
He said, pouring a drink into an empty glass and handing it to me.
“Recently, the Taesang family head of the Hwangbo family visited the shaman faction.”
“……?”