* * *
On the day Pajinchan's watch was lifted, I called the soldiers over and asked them about routes to Japan.
"Do any of you know ships that go to Japan?"
"To reach Japan, you'd have to go around through the Silla side, Your Highness. To find a ship to Japan from around here, you'd need permission from the Goryeo navy."
That was a dead end then.
And since Goryeo was currently helping Silla, crossing into Silla to reach Japan was also not a good option right now.
"Hmm. Is that the answer? Silla, huh. Silla."
Getting caught by the Goryeo navy would just tie me down.
"The most dramatic staging possible would be best."
Even though I planned to disappear, I intended to at least put on a grand performance of seeming to die. So perhaps I should stand on the battlefield after all. If I pretended to take an arrow, that would be quite convincing. People go missing in battle all the time, and even if they searched for me — being a prince and all — they'd never find me.
I had already set aside valuables to sell, and I'd prepared a disguise as a clan soldier in advance.
"All right. Let's prepare."
When the battle started, I would secretly dress as a clan soldier and slip away. Then, with the money I'd slipped to the converted clan soldiers, I'd quietly sneak into Silla territory.
That would be a good hiding place.
"Your Highness. With great effort, we've managed to win over some soldiers from among the clan forces — but it's still not enough to seize Naju Castle."
"Pajinchan. Having served His Majesty all your life and having witnessed so many battles, it's strange you don't know this — war is not won by numbers alone."
At my words, Pajinchan's expression tightened slightly.
Don't lecture your elders. That seemed to be what that expression was saying.
"Your Highness. If this were a simple field engagement, we might prevail given the quality of our troops. But assaulting a castle is a different matter."
"Hmm."
"Even so, we cannot simply sit still. I've heard Daeya Fortress has now fallen. That means we must make a decision too."
Both Pajinchan's words and Sang-ae's had merit.
If Daeya Fortress was falling, this side couldn't drag its feet either.
Shin-geom needed to be shut out of Naju affairs before he could involve himself.
Pajinchan wanted that too. After all, Gyeon Hwon had placed him at my side for a reason — Pajinchan was just as eager to swallow Naju as I was.
"Sang-ae, you're right. Let's move."
"You're seriously going to attack the castle?"
"Trust me."
I'd be working for Goryeo's victory, of course.
"It's going to be a fierce battle. Will you be all right?"
"Trust me, and stay close, General Sang-ae."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Time for acting that would put a professional to shame.
* * *
Naju Castle (Geumseong)
Something was wrong here.
Why were those men outside the castle walls instead of defending them? Did they think so little of us?
"Fortunately, they've come out of Naju Castle! Your Highness, I shall go and smash them myself."
"Isn't it because they have Goryeo troops with them and feel they have the numbers? They're confident."
"That must be it. Heaven has favored us — now we only need to win the field engagement."
Pajinchan Choi Seung-woo seemed to think a field engagement would be a walk in the park.
"Has Pajinchan already declared victory?"
"You are Prince Geumgang, renowned for your military prowess. And General Sang-ae is here as well. Is it not more than possible?"
Whether that confidence was genuine, I couldn't say.
"I understand that all of Goryeo's capable commanders have been sent to the front lines against Silla and Baekje. Our general here will lead the charge and destroy them."
"Ha ha, General Sang-ae. Leave that to me."
If you go, I can't make my escape.
So I grabbed a horse and moved to take the vanguard myself.
That is, if the horse hadn't chosen that exact moment to lose its mind.
"Neigh!"
"W-Your Highness?"
"Y-you damned crazy horse!"
The horse suddenly began to bolt.
"What's wrong with its hooves?"
"Your Highness!"
What kind of madman had been managing this horse's shoes so carelessly?
No, it wasn't the horseshoes that were the problem right now. This damned horse was charging forward on its own.
"Aaaaugh!"
"What are you all doing?! Guard the Prince!"
"Your Highness!"
"Prince Geumgang!"
The whole world spun.
* * *
The pro-Goryeo clan forces and the Goryeo naval troops were left with their jaws hanging open.
A Baekje prince named Geumgang — clearly with nerve to spare — had come up with a handful of soldiers and was now charging toward them with terrifying ferocity.
"Wh-what is that? These madmen — they're fewer in number and yet they want a frontal engagement? And what the hell is that? That man at the front—"
The Goryeo naval commander felt his courage falter at the sight of Geumgang riding hard toward them with overwhelming presence.
Is there actually a warrior like this in Baekje?
He'd only known the name Geumgang until a moment ago, but no matter how he looked at it, no ordinary prince would be doing this.
"Th-that's Baekje's Prince Geumgang."
"What? Baekje's Geumgang! Does that man think he's Xiang Yu, the Conqueror of Chu? Forget it — fire arrows! Fire!"
The Goryeo troops and pro-Goryeo clan soldiers rained down a storm of arrows, but Geumgang moved with an almost supernatural agility — dodging every shot as he drove straight into them.
The soldiers following behind were charging just as hard, and every last one of them had their legs frozen in fear.
"Wh-what kind of demon is this! Oh no, no! Run!"
CRASH!
The year 920. The Battle of Naju Castle. Historians would later record it thus:
In the land of Mahan, the Conqueror returned.
* * *
What would happen if a diamond, moving at a horse's full gallop, collided with human bodies?
More precisely — what would happen if the buffed-up Geumgang, blessed by that damned god's little gambling game, slammed into human beings at full speed?
The answer was obvious.
I was like a bowling ball tearing through the enemy lines.
CRUNCH!
"Aaaargh!"
"Someone help!"
The clan soldiers toppled like bowling pins.
Of course, the Geumgang-shaped bowling ball crashing into them at the speed of a charging horse was breaking bones and mangling bodies, and the panic and confusion spreading through the clan forces was tilting the battle in a very strange direction.
Right now I am absolutely mortified.
What kind of situation is this? My dignity has been thoroughly demolished. I was thrashing around on the horse's back like a madwoman on a seesaw.
And behind me, Baekje soldiers and private clan troops rushing to "save" me — completely humiliating.
"Prince Geumgang has charged into the enemy ranks alone! Go protect His Highness and kill the enemies!"
"Raaaaah!"
What is with these idiots?
More to the point — what happened to the Goryeo troops? Even in all this chaos, they should be able to regroup and hold their own against Baekje's forces.
That's what I thought — but they were already a bloody mess. The panicked pro-Goryeo clan soldiers had been completely annihilated by our troops.
"S-someone save me!"
"We only followed our lord!"
Those who managed to cry surrender survived; those too slow to shout it were cut down by Baekje's spears and blades.
"What is even happening here?"
Somehow, I survived.
I imagine those idiots had one spectacular misunderstanding.
I had simply been swept along by this brainless horse and went careening through the enemy — that was the whole of it.
A battle that had seemed like it might drag on for ages ended in a Baekje victory.
* * *
I had fallen from my horse and was standing there, sword in hand, looking around in confusion, when I was finally escorted back to the main camp by Sang-ae's men.
"A great victory. In all my years on the battlefield, I've never seen a fight like this. Pajinchan."
"Truly a war god."
Are these people out of their minds? Praise doesn't put anything in my pocket.
"When exactly did you train in such martial arts?"
"I had no idea you possessed skills like this. How could you have said you were putting down the sword?"
"In any case, since the castle garrison has been eliminated, we must now enter the castle and settle the hearts of the people."
The misunderstanding was deepening at an alarming rate.
"S-so we should, yes."
I had absolutely no idea what was going on, but Naju had fallen into Baekje's hands — which meant disappearing was now much harder.
"It seems many people here still harbor resentment toward us, does it not?"
"Indeed. Prince Geumgang won over some of them, but the majority were subdued by force, were they not?"
The exchange between Sang-ae and Pajinchan stabbed at my conscience.
Who could have anticipated things going this way?
This hard body of mine had swept through the clan forces like autumn leaves.
"Ahem."
"I do not blame you. If the Naju conquest had dragged on, Goryeo would eventually have moved. With our navy weakened since Naju passed to Goryeo, stopping them at sea would have been impossible. You struck Naju at the ideal time."
That's exactly what I'd like to say.
If we hadn't moved now, Naju would have grown only more brazen. At least we took it at the right moment.
Of course, that's from Baekje's perspective.
From Goryeo's perspective, this is a nightmare. Even more so since Later Baekje reportedly had twice Goryeo's army — this would send their crisis alarm ringing.
"Furthermore, Daeya Fortress has also fallen. Retaking Naju will be awkward business for them now."
Gyeon Hwon truly is a big man.
Naju retaken far earlier than in the original history. Gyeon Hwon might even be able to sack Silla's capital sooner than before.
Wait — isn't this entirely my fault?
I'd thrown out a string of plausible-sounding strategies, and now Naju was actually taken — which could push Goryeo's unification of the Three Kingdoms much further into the future, and this small peninsula might endure yet another long era of division.
And then the Liao-Goryeo War would not end with Goryeo's victory. A divided Three Han's Goryeo, fighting alone, could never stop the Liao.
"What about this approach?"
"Do you have a plan?"
"Naju will surely become Baekje's greatest granary. So giving them some preferential treatment would not be wrong."
To quiet their resentment immediately, some degree of benefit had to be offered.
"Hmm, that is not a bad idea. But how exactly would you give preferential treatment?"
"A tax exemption for a few years — what do you think?"
"A tax exemption! That is simply out of the question."
"If we had not moved when we did, who knows when Naju would have been reclaimed. Our Baekje's rear would have remained permanently threatened."
Honestly, we had gotten lucky.
The stupid nobles and the Goryeo troops already stationed here had not appealed for reinforcements from their capital. Why? Because they had looked down on us. And rightfully so — a prince comes to conquer Naju with only a few hundred soldiers, then sits around stalling for ages.
"Hmm. That is fair."
"For a few years, we treat Naju as though it doesn't exist and focus on winning their hearts. In exchange, they provide grain stores for wartime use, and in return, I will use what influence I have to let them expand toward Wansanju."
The nobles would welcome that offer.
They had originally allied with Goryeo out of mutual interest. They were people who had chosen sides based on who benefited them more. Now that Baekje had made a reasonable offer — and demonstrated the power differential clearly — there was no particular reason for them to die proving their loyalty to Wang Geon.
"Your Highness. What will you do with the Naju noble O Da-ryeon?"
"Is he here?"
"Yes."
"Shouldn't you execute him, Your Highness? He must be dealt with."
If I'm remembering correctly, O Da-ryeon is the father of Wang Geon's wife, Lady O.
What do I do with him? I could hold him as a hostage. After all, he's the king of Goryeo's father-in-law in name.
"Even so, he is Wang Geon's father-in-law, Pajinchan. This is not a matter I should decide alone."
"Very well then."
Of all the unexpected prizes to catch. Who knew I'd end up capturing a man of this caliber? Who knows what the brash Gyeon Hwon will do with O Da-ryeon.