My ultimate goal is nothing but escaping Baekje.
Now that the stage is set, whether this nation of Baekje collapses through its own actions or not is none of my concern. I'll just pretend to fight in Naju until the whole thing wraps up.
"Then I will personally lead the campaign to Daeya Fortress. And you, Shin-geom?"
"I shall go to Naju with Geumgang."
Shin-geom suddenly flaunted his brotherly bond.
No, is this fool brainless?
The Naju campaign and the Battle of Daeya Fortress — which is more important? Once Daeya Fortress falls, the road to Silla's capital opens wide.
But what about Naju?
Looking at Baekje as a whole, the Naju region is really just a backwater.
Ah, not that it should be disrespected. Those local clans built powerful forces dating back to the Mahan era before Baekje.
But they were still merely local clans.
Unless Goryeo directly stations a large army there, the local clans can be handled. But it just so happens this is also a perfect time for me to disappear.
— Prince Geumgang, in his youthful zeal, tried to seize Naju and was cut down by the local clans.
If I simply vanish, rumors like that will spread to Wansanju in no time.
"Brother, you must go to Daeya Fortress. Did not Father say he would personally lead the campaign? Honestly, Naju is merely a matter of managing the local clans — the merit to be earned there is small. You must earn merit under Father's command at Daeya Fortress."
"Hmm. If that is your wish, so be it. Your Majesty, I shall stand at your vanguard and bring Daeya Fortress to its knees."
Shin-geom heads for Daeya Fortress. I go to Naju.
This suits my political standing and my various escape options perfectly.
Going to Daeya Fortress under Gyeon Hwon would put me on thin ice and make escape much harder — but Naju is just right.
"Your Majesty, I, Geumgang, will march to Naju, subdue the treacherous clans, and return them to Baekje's embrace."
"Will it be easy?"
No, it won't.
"I may sound arrogant in saying so, but Naju amounts to a gathering of remnant local clans. Daeya Fortress is another matter entirely. What kind of fortress is Daeya? Since the era of the Three Kingdoms, it has been a region of fierce clashes between all three. Even today, is it not a gateway that Silla must hold — one that Baekje must take to unify the Three Han?"
"Hmm, Prince Geumgang's plan is excellent, but then we would have no troops left to send to Naju." Neunghwan. I knew you'd say that.
This man is Shin-geom's man.
"Are you saying it's impossible, Neunghwan?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. The troops stationed along the border with Naju are defensive forces and cannot be withdrawn."
"So there are no troops to send, then."
"If Your Majesty insists, you must lead the clan armies from the regions near Naju."
That alone is enough to be grateful for. I could practically prostrate myself in thanks.
The weaker our forces look, the fewer eyes will be watching, and the easier my escape becomes.
Besides, Neunghwan clearly wants me to do exactly this. He probably doesn't think I'll win — whether I take the clan forces to Naju and get crushed, or just stall for time.
"Geumgang. Can you do it?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I shall surely reclaim Baekje's territories."
"Then Pajinchan and General Sang-ae must guard Geumgang's side."
"Yes, Your Majesty. We shall obey your command."
And so I set out for Naju with Pajinchan Choi Seung-woo and General Sang-ae.
* * *
Numerous noble clans now held Naju.
Naturally, a small Goryeo naval presence was there too. In the original history, Naju was only finally recaptured by Later Baekje in 929.
Naju's secession from Baekje had not been solely due to Wang Geon's military occupation. Gyeon Hwon's repeated tax increases had played a major role, as had the deep sense of neglect the Naju nobles felt after Gyeon Hwon moved the center of power to Wansanju.
"Your Highness, you seem to be in excellent spirits."
"Haha, isn't this the first outing I've had in a while?"
"Prince Geumgang. You must not underestimate the enemy simply because they are local nobles. Are you not aware that the bulk of the military strength of all three kingdoms consists of private clan armies?"
Sang-ae mocked me with a sneer.
Let him. I have a method.
"Why wouldn't I know that?"
"Then do you have a plan?"
"Do we not also have clan soldiers in our own forces? A few hundred of them will be enough."
A few hundred is more than enough for the kind of staged disappearance I'm planning.
"For now, let's send someone ahead to demand surrender."
"They will not listen."
"If they won't listen, shouldn't we be capturing them?"
That's how these things work — first you offer surrender, then you deal with whatever comes next.
* * *
We gathered all the nobles of Naju for a direct negotiation.
Surprisingly, they seemed to trust the Goryeo army, because they faced me with brazen confidence.
"You expect us to accept this?"
"You show up with a mere few hundred soldiers and expect us to be frightened?"
Oh, so that's how they want to play it?
"Descendants of Mahan, and yet you've betrayed Baekje and latched onto Goryeo. Aren't you ashamed?"
At my words, the nobles glanced at each other and cleared their throats awkwardly.
No backbone whatsoever.
"Shameful, you say? It was Gyeon Hwon who laid his hands on us first!"
"Just because he raised taxes a little and moved the capital to Wansanju, that's what this is about?"
"It wasn't just that! He treated us with contempt!"
This is why, from ancient times, the entrenched powerful always needed to be knocked around a bit.
"And Wang Geon — has he been treating you well?"
"!"
"Wang Geon may be looking after Naju well enough for now, but why do you think that is? Because Naju's position can be used to strike Baekje from the rear. But once Baekje is destroyed — what then? You may be pro-Goryeo, but you were still Baekje's nobles. Will Goryeo treat you kindly? No. They'll tighten their grip on you thoroughly. My Father may have raised taxes and established his capital at Wansanju because of the war, but as people of the same Baekje blood, he would look after you. Goryeo will not."
At my words, the former Baekje nobles blinked at me as if they'd swallowed something bitter.
Do they have no heads? Are their minds not working?
Common sense says that Goryeo, with its capital in Gaeju, could never just leave powerful Naju nobles alone.
"Give us time to think."
There's no telling yet how many of them will actually surrender to us. I've cast some bait before the nobles — now I need to gauge the mood of the common people.
I secretly sent people out to seek out the more sociable, easygoing soldiers among the clan armies and invited them to share drinks.
"Oh, is that so? Go on."
"That's how it is, Your Highness. If you give the order, I'll find some fine ladies to arrange for you."
"Ha ha, good."
There's nothing much else to do here anyway but socialize.
With no phone and no PC, the best way to learn the escape routes is to get to know the people.
The problem, though—
"Your Highness, how long do you intend to stay here? I hear that His Majesty and Prince Shin-geom have already pushed Daeya Fortress to the verge of falling."
Pajinchan was constantly watching me. Well, of course. This man could see that instead of campaigning for Naju, I was sitting here enjoying myself.
But I was already two steps ahead.
Daeya Fortress was obviously the place to earn real glory. If I were to clear out the Goryeo forces in Naju first with my inferior army and end up drawing more attention than the king and his eldest son, Shin-geom would have his eye on me again.
I still planned to disappear in Naju, but things in this world are unpredictable. If that failed, I had to deliberately stall the Naju conquest to keep my stock low.
Pajinchan would probably report everything he saw.
I needed to show just enough incompetence — without crossing any real lines.
That way, even if escape was impossible, I could still deflate my own reputation.
"Pajinchan."
"Speak, Your Highness."
"At present, Naju is filled with pro-Goryeo nobles. You know that, don't you."
Everywhere I look, it's pro-Goryeo.
The Naju territory we've entered has no fighting at the moment, but if we draw our swords, the pro-Goryeo Naju forces will rise up against us. The Goryeo troops here probably already know the situation. That's why they look so restless.
But what does that matter to me? I couldn't care less what happens.
Even if Pajinchan Choi Seung-woo or Sang-ae were to die here unexpectedly, it's none of my business.
"That is true. Every one of them is closer to Goryeo. In that case, should we not strike quickly before they can signal Goryeo?"
"Suppressing them by force will only suppress the resentment temporarily, not extinguish it. We need to win their hearts."
Force alone makes them bow their heads for now but never truly loyal.
"You can't mean—"
"Yes. I intend to win even a little of Naju's popular support and increase our allies."
It was all empty words, of course — in the end, I was doing it for my own benefit.
But from that point on, Pajinchan watched everything I did with an oddly benevolent expression, hardly complaining.
Thanks to that, my only amusement in this world — playing around with the nearby clan soldiers — was essentially taken from me.
This man was Gyeon Hwon's close aide. He would obviously report everything back to the court.
So I couldn't spend my days purely enjoying myself.
In the end, I decided to walk the middle road: let my stock drop a little, but still come across as a prince with some capability. Just enough to preserve Geumgang's dignity.