Chapter 454

Chapter 454:

After opening the letter and examining its contents, I narrowed my eyes.

As Sima Yun said, it was written that the battle line in Hebei had collapsed.

It is said that the martial powers in the region, including the Paeng family, swallowed their anger and retreated to Shandong.

‘What about you, Master?’

Hebei was the area where the torpedo squad led by Master was dispatched.

Rather than the extent of the damage or the situation on the battlefield, I was more concerned about Master’s safety.

Even though I thought it would be okay, I couldn’t help but be worried.

‘...Luckily you’re safe.’

This is how the front line collapsed.

The White-Faced Death God has been appearing in Hebei steadily since last year.

In order to subdue him, the teacher was away for a while, and it seemed that the demonic army took advantage of that gap and rushed in.

‘It is truly an unfortunate incident.’

How did the Demonic Cult know that Master was absent?

It’s unlikely that Master made a noticeable move on purpose.

It’s hard to say it was just a coincidence, but the sequence of events came together as if they were following a script written by someone.

There is only one possibility that comes to mind.

I wondered if a traitor inside had sold the information to the Demonic Cult.

From the beginning, the White Faced Reaper must have been bait to attract the teacher.

‘I guess the Demon Cultist hasn’t been idle all this time either. Maybe they prepared a replacement for Akga and used it this time.’

In this martial arts world, there were many individuals and groups with unfair circumstances other than the evil ones.

The religious leader was a person who sought out such people like ghosts and extended his hand.

Wasn’t the reason why the Empty School collapsed and the Demonic Cult easily swallowed up Ganshu because the internal enemy was active?

It would not be surprising if there was a third white door.

‘In the end, just like the history of my previous life, the Demonic Cult ate up the entire northern part of the Central Plains.’

Although Liaoning (遼寧) remained, it was virtually isolated due to its location, so it would not be able to hold out for long.

In the end, the martial arts forces of Liaoning, including the Mo Yong family, will be given two options.

Either surrender to the Demonic Cult or close the gate.

‘I don’t know if the Demonic Cult will really leave the clans and families that have been buried alive.’

Still, I was relieved that it wasn’t the worst.

The Sword King and the Thunder King were safe, and the number of casualties was relatively small.

King Gwon, who led the rescue army to confront the Demon Cult leader, was seriously injured, but it did not seem to be life-threatening.

‘by the way.’

A phrase written near the middle of the letter caught my attention.

『The soldiers who retreated are now...』

Retreat, not defeat.

It felt strange to think that it was simply a purification of expression.

Especially considering that it is an official document to convey battlefield news to the branch of the League.

‘To understand the details, I’ll have to return to the headquarters first.’

Did you read this person’s thoughts?

Sima Yun said, gesturing in the direction of the main gate.

“I have instructed my servant to prepare a carriage on the way.”

I nodded with a faint smile on my face.

This is why it was good to have smart subordinates.

“It’s a shame. “I wanted to stay in Sima Sega for a while and watch the power structure of Guizhou change, but I can’t afford to do that.”

“Please leave the rest to me. “I will wait with all preparations in place.”

“I will trust the small cooperative.”

* * *

I never thought she would show up at an official meeting.

After briefly exchanging glances with Zhuge Huan, the first words she uttered were enough to shock the middle class.

“This is Zhuge Hye, who has recently become deputy military commander. “I will explain in detail.”

The disturbance spread.

Meng’s executives who attended the meeting looked at each other in confusion and murmured.

‘Vice-gun?’

Even I couldn’t help but be surprised by this.

I knew that Commander-in-Chief Zhuge Huan had selected Zhuge Hui as his successor.

However, I thought it would be a little later for her to go up to the bright stage.

That was inevitable because the war was still in full swing.

The sudden change in the power structure within the military department was bound to cause confusion.

‘I think we’re pushing things forward too hastily.’

It was an issue that could raise the dissatisfaction of other members to the surface.

Zhuge Hye was the leader of the Black Night Army.

It was a blind island with no official records of activity.

To put it bluntly, she did not have any achievements to be recognized as vice-military.

‘What on earth are you thinking?’

Of course, there were quite a few people in the military department who had no past history of activity for similar reasons.

However, none of them were given that level of status upon entering the military department.

“For your information, I was the one who suggested to the leadership commanding the Allied Forces in Hebei that they retreat to Shandong.”

The conference room was turned upside down.

It was natural since he was admitting that he was the reason why the front line was pushed back.

Some people were indignant, asking why he did such a thing, while others pointed fingers at him, asking if he was sane.

“First, please listen to my story to the end.”

Zhuge Hye was not intimidated by the pouring gaze and continued speaking calmly.

Joo Hwabaek and Zhuge Huan took turns shouting to calm down the middle school officials.

“I’m afraid you may misunderstand, but I did not have the authority to command the Allied Forces. “If the suggestion I made was unreasonable, the head of the Hebei Peng family would never have accepted it.”

I nodded in agreement with her remarks.

The Hebei Peng family could not have made the decision to abandon their family home easily.

The great clans and large corporations that dominated the region placed great importance on the history built up in their hometowns.

It wasn’t simply a matter of pride.

The reason why the Old Daemun Sect and the Odaesega were revered and supported by local residents was because they took on the role of guardians who protected the general public.

The trust they instilled in local residents over a long period of time was also closely related to practical benefits.

A representative example was the independent faction.

Even in an urgent situation where demonic cultists were flocking in, what was the reason why they could not easily abandon the monks and, feeling anxious, headed to Yangyang (襄阳) belatedly?

It was not difficult to repair and hang the fallen signboard and rebuild the collapsed building.

However, it was very difficult to restore trust once it was broken.

The damage caused by the demon cultists to the residents of Hebei would continue to act as an obstacle to the revival of the Peng family.

‘Nevertheless, the Hebei Paeng family accepted Zhuge Hui’s suggestion.’

This meant that a valid reason or a clear counter-benefit was presented.

Everyone held their breath and waited for the next words to come out of Zhuge Hui’s mouth.

“I think everyone knows that the Demon Ship has been subdued.”

“.......”

“His death will cause a major setback in the production of Demonic Cults in the future.”

Sohyeongeom’s expression showed surprise.

He and some others seemed to have figured out what Zhuge Hye was trying to say even before hearing what he said.

“And the way the Demonic Cult stabilizes its occupied territories is through indoctrination.”

“...!”

“The key material for enlightenment is madan. As it happens, now that Ma Xian has died, a huge area called Hebei has fallen into the hands of Ma Cult. “You can easily guess what happens next.”