Chapter 76 – Strike First – The March
They had to attack before the enemy gathered further.
War was a contest of time.
Some called it a struggle against oneself, but that too was a matter of time.
Aguda hurried, almost painfully so to watch.
Given time, their numbers would grow, and their equipment would be perfected.
Yet he refused to miss the moment.
Young-woo understood this fully.
Still, he judged that securing heavy cavalry for the charge must come first.
Only after that, he said, should they advance.
Aguda, who respected Young-woo's judgment, agreed.
To force Wanyan Zongwang, who led the vanguard, to assemble 1,200 heavy cavalry was nothing short of a miracle.
They barely reached that number by adding newly gathered troops to the Cheolbudo already prepared.
Some wore armor taken from the Liao.
Others wore pieces brought from Western Xia.
The Liao armor, called Tieyaozi, looked thick and heavy.
The arms and shoulders were articulated, yet the movement remained sluggish.
Still, if it could protect the charging troops from arrows and spears, it had to be used.
Chulhajeom had been occupied since October of the previous year.
The enemy was well prepared.
Better prepared than they were.
In the end, this battle too had to be fought through the narrow gap of time.
Before departure, the tent stood in silence.
The firelight flickered low, and outside, the horses breathed slowly.
The cold made the air feel as if it might shatter.
When Wanyan Zonghan entered, the others quietly stepped aside.
Inside, a shaman was already seated.
Animal skins were spread across the ground.
On them lay bones, small bells, and charred branches.
An old scent of incense hung heavily, catching in the throat.
The shaman raised his head.
His clouded eyes trembled faintly.
"There is something to ask."
Zonghan spoke briefly.
The shaman did not answer.
He grasped the bones in his hand.
His fingertips trembled slightly.
Words were unnecessary.
He already understood.
After a moment, he cast the bones onto the ground.
Tak. Tak.
Dry sounds echoed within the tent.
Everyone held their breath.
The shaman leaned forward.
He studied the shape of the bones for a long time.
"The path splits."
His voice was low.
"If you depart under the sun, you will scatter."
His hand slowly picked up another bone.
"When darkness falls, you will gather."
He shook the bell.
A small sound seeped into the depths of the tent.
"Choose the night."
Short. Certain.
Wanyan Zongwang listened without a word.
The commanders exchanged glances.
Heavy looks passed between them.
Someone swallowed.
The shaman spoke again.
"The wind blows from the east, and blood flows to the north."
"If you delay the blade, you will scatter.
If you hasten, you will gather."
When his words ended, the tent grew even quieter.
Zonghan turned.
"We move at night."
He gave the conclusion in a single line.
The commanders bowed together.
When they stepped outside, the wind struck cold.
The sun had already tilted low.
Darkness was descending.
When all had gathered, Aguda entered.
Inside the tent, the firelight flickered low.
The commanders sat in silence, holding their breath.
Wanyan Aguda rose.
His gaze moved slowly across them.
"There are two reasons we strike Liao."
The air in the tent hardened.
"Haedongcheong."
He cut the word short.
"Liao demands without end.
We searched the mountains, climbed cliffs, captured them and offered them.
Still, they demand more."
His eyes darkened.
"They take our lives from us."
He paused.
"The second—Aso."
As the name fell, the air grew heavier.
"He is a traitor to us.
A man who abandoned his tribe and fled."
Aguda's voice dropped.
"Liao has hidden him.
They refused to hand over our political criminal."
He stepped forward.
"They intend to raise him against us.
To divide us."
The commanders' eyes flashed.
"They harbor a traitor and demand courtesy from us."
A brief silence followed.
Young-woo did not fully grasp the weight of it.
Was one man worth a war?
He understood only that the enemy was fostering someone to divide them from within.
In the past, he might have raised his hand and asked, breaking the flow.
Now, he remained silent.
Aguda concluded.
"This is the reason."
His hand rose slowly.
"We will offer no more Haedongcheong.
We demanded Aso be returned, and Liao refused."
He lifted his head.
"So we strike."
The air in the tent trembled.
"This war is not to expand land.
Nor to raise our name."
He cut the words clean.
"It is to defend ourselves."
The shoulders of the commanders stiffened as one.
Aguda spoke one last time.
"The reason is sufficient."
A moment of silence passed.
"March."
At that single word, the breath within the tent moved as one.
Outside, the soldiers were already armed.
The night was deepening.
No other tribes had yet rallied to him.
Only the 2,500 cavalry of his core force would face the Liao army.
Even Wanyan Salgae, a close relative of the Wanyan clan and the father of the famed Zhanhan, did not join Aguda.
Even after the victory at Ningjiangzhou,
the rebel force had grown only to 3,700 armored warriors.
Many still watched from the sidelines.
"March."
Dudung. Dudung. Dududung.
The drums thundered.
Three thousand seven hundred Jurchen soldiers
set out toward Ningjiangzhou.