CH 433

Squeeze...!

Saito Genryu's hand polishing the katana's surface suddenly gripped tighter, causing the blade to tremble ominously.

Saito Genryu growled quietly, “So... They have no thoughts of cooperating with us?”

“Unfortunately... No, sir.”

“And their reason is?”

“Sir, that is...” Oizumi Shunsuke ignored the streams of cold sweat on his forehead and focused solely on providing his answer, even as his voice trembled and cracked. “Although they agreed that the changes taking place in the Peninsula should not be ignored, they also stated that burying our ages-old grudges and joining hands is... utterly unthinkable, sir.”

“Unthinkable, is it?”

“The Peninsula as a territory can be conquered easily if they get serious about it, so it makes more sense to settle the division within the Great Nihon Empire first... In my humble opinion, that is what they are trying to imply, sir.”

“Is everyone in agreement with that sentiment?”

“The majority, yes. Although, about two gumis agreed with us...”

“A gathering of morons, then...!” Saito Genryu grunted before angrily throwing the white cloth meant to polish the katana. “Do they still not realize that a keen blade has been thrust right under their chins! Why are they so blind to the unmissable fact that the situation in the Korean peninsula should not be taken lightly!”

“My sincerest apologies, sir.” Oizumi Shunsuke bowed deeply in his prostrating position even though he didn't do anything that required him to apologize so profusely.

“Dammit...!” Saito Genryu tightly clenched his fists.

'Why can't any of them admit that their excessive disdain of Joseon stems from our wariness and discomfort!'

The one country that disdainfully looked down on South Korea the most would undoubtedly be Japan. Not even China, which had leapfrogged Japan in practically all measurements, would underestimate Korea to the extent of its island neighbor.

However, the foundation of that disdain was generously peppered with the wariness over Korea's absurd rate of development that allowed it to catch up to Japan in only a few decades. Japan had been stuck in a rut during the same period, so perhaps the wariness was justified in some sense.

'Disdain' usually indicated that one thought of their opponent as not worthy of their attention or time. However, what Japan was doing to Korea was akin to a social media stalker at this point.

The situation in the martial world was different. The difference between the two nations on the surface world had rapidly closed up, but that wasn't the story in the world existing in the shadows. Japan's martial arts society had never once been threatened by its Korean counterpart.

The fall of Goryeo started the period of Japanese martial artists dominating and suppressing their Korean counterparts. And they have never lost the upper hand until now. [1]

The gap in strength between the two nations was such that Japan had never felt much threat from its neighbor... until now.

“Just how long those fools think this status quo will remain!” Saito Genryu growled angrily.

A gap like that obviously wouldn't last forever. Everything in the world was bound to change sooner or later.

In the distant past, Japan accepted and assimilated all the new culture and advancement from the Korean peninsula, then grew strong enough to suppress their neighbor in return. But things were bound to change. The Korean martial society was a barren and fractured wilderness right now, but that 'status quo' would obviously not last forever.

And the seed of the change had started to bud recently. The name of that seed was... Kang Jin-Ho!

“Once the seed buds and becomes a tree, we will be forced to expend much more effort to cut it down. Eliminating the threat now would take much less effort and time, so why...! Because of some old grudges, they are all willing to ignore the clear threat to our future?!”

“But, sir…” Oizumi Shunsuke remained kowtowing as he rubbed the corner of his eyes. He was also having a hard time understanding why Saito Genryu was reacting this way. “Sir, I do get why you're concerned about the Chosenjin uniting under one banner. However, I still do not understand why the chivalrous warriors of the Nihon Empire need to unite to counter such a minor threat.”

“You fool!” Saito Genryu frowned in displeasure.

“Sir, the grudges between gumis are too deep to unite against such a minor threat."

“And that is precisely why we need to unite!”

“Sir?”

“Tell me, do you trust other gumis to the point of dispatching most of our forces to South Korea?”

“...!” Oizumi Shunsuke couldn't immediately answer that.

The idea of every clan in Japan cooperating to eliminate a lone individual named Kang Jin-Ho sounded inconceivable. Unacceptable, even. If that man posed such a threat, then he shouldn't have been labeled a burgeoning seed in the first place.

'I see. This is... indeed difficult.'

One gumi's elites should be more than enough to utterly devastate South Korea's martial society in less than one month. However, even a moron should be able to guess that other gumis would never let this opportunity slip by and do something to Nanahoshi-gumi's territory.

The years of distrust and grudges were tying the Japanese clans up, stopping them from taking the necessary steps.

“I wasn't expecting full-on cooperation from them. At the very least, a ceasefire would have sufficed, yet none of these morons were willing to do that?!” Saito Genryu deeply furrowed his brow. “That man, Kang Jin-Ho... He was excessively heavy-handed back then. And also swift about it... as if he couldn't care any less about how we'd respond. I thought he was an ignorant brat who didn't know how the current era operated and didn't fear the consequences of his actions... Could it be that he actually expected this outcome?”

“But, sir! Surely, that man doesn't deserve such high praise from you.”

“No, that's not true,” Saito Genryu weightily shook his head. “You're mistaken, Oizumi. The Korean martial society might lack strength, but that does not mean they also lack resourcefulness. If a conflict between two outwardly-equal sides resulted in the overwhelming defeat of one, it could only mean that one of the sides possessed a powerful variable. That variable could be combat strength, but it could also be intellect and resourcefulness. It might be that we've been underestimating this Kang Jin-Ho. If we look back at his actions, it should be abundantly clear that Kang Jin-Ho is a dangerous individual. Even if it had been me doing the same thing in Korea... I would've never been able to acquire Korea's everything with so little effort like Kang Jin-Ho!”

“But, sir...”

“Failing to acknowledge your opponent's prowess is a shortcut to failure, Oizumi!”

Oizumi Shunsuke swallowed back what he wanted to say. With Saito Genryu coming out so strongly like this, Oizumi Shunsuke knew he shouldn't say unnecessary things and further sour the mood. Of course, he still couldn't understand his master's stance. However, the way of the warrior dictated that he must follow his superior's commands even if he couldn't understand the basis of said commands.

Saito Genryu grunted in lamentation. “Every single one of them... How frustrating! Do they not realize how vast the Korean peninsula is! While dozens of gumis are competing relentlessly over our cramped little homeland, the situation in Korea is...”

That was when Saito Genryu suddenly clamped his mouth shut. He rubbed his chin in deep contemplation before slowly nodding to himself.

“I see. So, this is how terrifying one's entrenched thinking can get... Even though I was committing the exact same mistakes as everybody else, I kept criticizing others,” Saito Genryu muttered quietly as a look of realization washed over his face. He shot up to his feet and cried out to Oizumi. “Oizumi Shunsuke!”

Oizumi Shunsuke bowed his head deeply. “Yes, soke!” [2]

“Convene an urgent meeting!”

“Sir?”

“Our gumi... will attack Joseon by ourselves!”

“P-please wait, soke! Sir!” Oizumi Shunsuke freaked out and hurriedly addressed the leader of his clan. “Sir! Sending more of our forces to Joseon will leave our territory unguarded! Thanks to the conference, other gumis have begun monitoring our movements, to see if and when we will attack the peninsula! In that case, dispatching more of our men will be akin to throwing a lamb in the midst of hungry wolves, sir! Our home will be ripped apart in no time! I urge you to reconsider…”

“It doesn't matter, Oizumi.” Saito Genryu abruptly cut Oizumi Shunsuke off mid-sentence.

“Sir?” Oizumi Shunsuke looked up in nervousness at Saito Genryu, unable to understand the intentions of his master.

Saito Genryu always remained clear-cut and logical with his decisions, so why was he suddenly declaring something as nonsensical as this?

“Whether it's you or me... We've all been acting blind until now. In that case, we shouldn't point fingers at others. Indeed, we have been blind. We were the fools.”

“Sir, I don't follow...?”

“The Chinese are too busy keeping each other in check to do anything. We can act but are too cognizant of the eyes staring at us from behind. And... If we vacate our territory, it'd inevitably lead to a bloody war to occupy our land. This knowledge has tied down all of our hands, preventing us from doing anything.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Which means...” Saito Genryu slowly licked his lips. “The land of Joseon will escape the attention or invasion of everyone in the meantime. A land without a master will actually be the most peaceful of them all!”

Oizumi Shunsuke's eyes gradually opened wider as he listened.

“There was no reason for us to obsess over this cramped piece of land we call home. Just across the ocean lies a fertile land, does it not? The timing is good. No, it's perfect. If we cross the ocean with the members of our clan in tow...! We can conquer the fertile land called South Korea and turn it into our new territory! A land that belongs to only Nanahoshi-gumi!”

Oizumi Shunsuke sucked in a deep breath, unable to say anything else. What Saito Genryu said was far too much of a bombshell for his mind to process.

'No, wait. What my master said isn't entirely unreasonable, now is it?'

In practical terms, it made more sense to target the vast, unoccupied land of Korea instead of being satisfied with a small territory that didn't even span a single prefecture.

“But, sir... To abandon our homeland…”

“You fool! Since when did we become obsessed with this cramped land! Didn't our ancestors wish to conquer the vast Zhongyuan? And the Korean peninsula is a land we must absolutely occupy if we are to take over Zhongyuan in the future! Have you already forgotten our grand ambition of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere?”

“No, sir. I have not.”

Saito Genryu smirked insidiously. “We, the martial artists, always have been responsible for changing eras throughout history. And it will be no different this time! Convene the meeting immediately. We shall invade Joseon!”

“Understood, sir!” Oizumi Shunsuke bowed before rushing outside the room.

Saito Genryu smirked even more while licking his lips.

'Yes. I can finally see the path forward.'

The initial stages might be difficult, but...! When viewed at this decision long-term, the Nanahoshi-gumi should be able to expand and strengthen its combat force in no time after successfully taking over South Korea's martial society. While other gumis in the homeland would be engaged in bitter conflicts with each other and weakening themselves in the process, Saito's Nanahoshi-gumi would grow and strengthen its ranks without anything or anyone trying to get in its way.

“Hahaha... We've all been trying to be too clever,” Saito Genryu chuckled and muttered to himself.

Kang Jin-Ho must've thought that China and Japan would never hit him back as both nations were too mired in chaos and disputes. However, he unfortunately miscalculated this time. He made the mistake of not knowing the existence of Saito Genryu.

“Soon, very soon...! We shall meet each other, Kang Jin-Ho. And I shall make you learn the consequences of your mistake...!”

Saito Genryu leisurely picked up the white cloth and sat down before resuming the polishing of his katana.

“I can't wait to see you...!”

To see your expression distorting and cramping from horror!

***

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “You want to talk about Japan?”

“Yes,” Bang Jin-Hun nodded, his expression stiff. “After all, you've created serious bad blood with the Jap bastards while dealing with the matter involving Director Lee Jung-Geol.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded disinterestedly. He simply killed those ninjas since they got in his way, but doing so did create an irreparable grudge. Even Kang Jin-Ho had to admit that.

'Grudge' didn't take into consideration before & after, anyway. Something as minor as 'not feeling happy' was enough to create grudges, after all.

Of course, if he were asked to assign the blame to someone in this situation, Kang Jin-Ho would always point the finger at the Japanese for interfering in the internal conflict of a Korean organization.

Bang Jin-Hun gravely muttered, “And you really went all out the last time, too.”

“Really? Did I?”

“Yes. You went out and slaughtered basically everyone.”

“Mm...” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. Bang Jin-Hun's tone clearly indicated that he thought Kang Jin-Ho had been too extreme while dealing with the Japanese. However...

Well, Kang Jin-Ho didn't see the need to correct Bang Jin-Hun here, so he didn't.

“Mister Jin-Ho, those bastards won't take this lying down.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. I'm 100% sure about this.”

Kang Jin-Ho pursed his lips while nodding silently.

“So... Can you tell me now?” Bang Jin-Hun cautiously raised his voice.

“Mm? Tell you what?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

“You have a plan, don't you?”

Kang Jin-Ho's wide-open confused eyes stared back at Bang Jin-Hun.

Bang Jin-Hun frowned a little but continued, “Considering everything you've done so far... Mister Jin-Ho, even though you look like a compulsive person who acts on a whim, I can tell you are always thinking about the next move. So, I'm assuming it was the same story while dealing with those Japanese. You didn't need to go that far, yet you still slaughtered the Japanese in the most graphic way imaginable. Which means you were deliberately trying to provoke the Japanese. Am I wrong?”

Bang Jin-Hun leaned forward in his seat.

“Mister Jin-Ho, it's about time the Japanese finally show their hands. No, let me revise that statement a bit. They should've retaliated already. That is why I'm asking you to let me in on your plan. That will make the preparation to counter the Japanese much easier.”

Kang Jin-Ho's brows rose up slightly after listening to Bang Jin-Hun's confident persuasion. “Mm... But I don't have a plan.”

“...I'm sorry?”

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“I never planned for anything.”

“...” Bang Jin-Hun's jaw began trembling, his teeth clattering noisily. “I-i-in that case, why were you so... graphic back then?”

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. “I was in a bad mood.”

“...!”

“Is that all?”

“...Yes. That is all.” Bang Jin-Hun suddenly smiled brightly.

'This guy, he... He really is a wacko...!'

And Bang Jin-Hun was also a wackjob for believing in someone like Kang Jin-Ho!

1. Goryeo was a Korean state founded in 918, and it ruled the peninsula until its fall in 1392. ☜

2. ”Soke” (pronounced as ‘soh-keh’) is a grandmaster/leader of a martial arts organization... Like a ninja clan. ☜