After-Action Report
Once the defensive formation was set, the plan to strike from the rear collapsed.
Ga Gyeong-pil, who had been harrying the enemy from behind, had no choice but to pause and catch his breath.
They formed a circular formation across the field and placed the very target Ga Gyeong-pil had been aiming for inside it, making it impossible for a small force to do anything.
He did not have the resolve to break through a wall of men.
As he rested at a vantage point overlooking the enemy lines, Yang Johwi came running with a report.
"We have taken the enemy commander's head."
"Really? That fellow—whatever his name was… You killed him?"
"Yes, sir."
The subject was unclear.
Ga Gyeong-pil asked again.
"Good work. Well done. But did you do it?"
Yang Johwi hesitated, then gave a sheepish grin.
Ga Gyeong-pil understood at once what that meant.
The question was whether he himself had killed the man.
And whether he even possessed the skill to do so.
"We did it together."
"Who took his head, I'm asking! Damn it! Can't you report properly?!"
"It was Scholar Yu. While I was firing countless arrows to distract and confuse them, he ran in like the wind and cut the commander down. The enemy general had stepped out of the formation… and so on."
Yang went on at length, but Ga Gyeong-pil listened only for the essential point.
A talkative subordinate required extra attention even in the midst of battle.
It took time to sift through unclear explanations and hear the reasoning behind them.
"Figures. Anyway, well done. Where is Scholar Yu now?"
"He's observing from behind the enemy formation."
"What for?"
"It seems they're holding a council. He says that if they appoint a temporary commander, he intends to kill that one as well."
"…Understood. Stay on standby. Join him."
"Yes, sir."
Ga Gyeong-pil sent an urgent dispatch to Lee Hui reporting Jang Sigi's death.
He let out a quiet breath of relief that the first objective had been accomplished.
Now all that remained was to destroy the supply train, but the enemy would not give them an opening.
Even while advancing, they had placed the supply unit between the central force—where Jang Sigi had been—and the rear guard, choosing protection over speed.
It was a cunning move.
All that Jang Sigi required was within the supply unit, so it had been positioned directly behind the main body.
It was sound tactical judgment.
Supply was not everything.
Even if the supply train were annihilated, they could plunder nearby villages and replenish their needs with ease.
They curled inward and formed a tight circular defense.
The strategy of trailing behind and harassing them would no longer be effective.