Chapter 535

“What a brilliant tactic, Your Majesty! Today, I have truly expanded the realm!”

Oh, “brilliant tactic” is just a fancy way of saying “a false surrender scheme.”

You raise the white flag to entice the Japanese invaders; that’s the genius of the tactic at play here!

“A great general doesn’t run to the enemy; he lures them in,” someone might say. Truly, you should be called a master of military strategy!

“No, don’t go that far…”

“No way! According to the Thirty-Six Stratagems, this is the ‘Empty City Strategy,’ tricking the enemy with a desperate bluff! You reduced their commander to dust with a brilliant move! Plus, hiding the Great General’s artillery behind the city walls was a genius attack they never saw coming! You blended three different strategies and skillfully commanded the flow of battle! I, Wang Sang-ryong, truly congratulate you on this great victory!”

“Oh come on, it’s not that great…”

Qing humbly waved it off, a sly grin creeping across her face.

Am I really that impressive?

I mean, recognizing a cannon seems like something anyone could do!

Well, they say the hardest part is thinking first.

It’s like I cracked an egg to set it upright or something, right?

But no way, Qing is a master strategist.

For the commanders of the Central Plain, the ‘Empty City Strategy’ really means they just lost if they even think of using it.

Even if it’s a false surrender, the mere fact of surrendering is like a bomb waiting to explode in the future with no idea of when!

False surrender is still surrender.

If the higher-ups make up their minds, it could be a reason for long-lasting consequences, according to national law, because a general who surrenders without fighting gets wiped out according to the law of retribution.

It’s a looming political and physical sword of threat for the future.

So, generals prefer to sacrifice a large portion of their troops in exchange for a win.

There’s absolutely no point in false surrendering just to minimize losses.

This is why a sound and fair political environment is crucial.

Of course, giving the order to do the ‘Empty City Strategy’ is a pleasure of its own.

My soldiers are precious to me after all.

For someone like Mama, using a questionable tactic is no big deal, so Wang Sang-ryong’s shining praise isn’t exactly wrong either.

“Now, this one here.”

“Hmm.”

Qing gazed at the captured barbarian.

Perhaps realizing the situation too late, his fierce gaze mixed with anger shot toward us, as if to say, “What are you gonna do about it?”

Qing smirked wickedly and asked,

“Should I spare you?”

The barbarian was taken aback.

Wang Sang-ryong was also shocked.

“Wait, what!? You can speak their language, Mama!? Goodness, a legendary martial artist and the most beautiful in the world! The strategies as sharp as Sun Tzu himself! My word, Mama, are you truly a divine being?”

Wang Sang-ryong gasped, his breath coming in heavy bursts.

“Uh, Big General? That… is sweet and all, but could you save it for later?”

“Ah, yes.”

Wang Sang-ryong, still panting, straightened up as if regaining his composure.

Is he really a great general?

He seems a bit too lighthearted for a master tactician, doesn’t he?

“Are you really going to spare me?”

“I can give you a chance. I’m a bit curious about your martial arts.”

At this, the barbarian scoffed and replied in a deep voice,

“Dear lady, what part are you curious about?”

For reference, when the barbarian says “lady,” he’s referring to the most respected among them, not just any noble lady.

Whether from the Central Plain or the barbarians, these bandit types have no loyalty when it comes to martial arts.

“Can you barbarians do this kind of thing too?”

Qing’s gaze sparkled, illuminating the dark dungeon like shining starlight.

The barbarian’s expression reflected shock.

“Sword Pressure! A reasoned technique of Sword Pressure, no less!”

Ah, at least there’s something to it.

“Are you a master swordswoman, Lady? My goodness, a female swordswoman exists!”

“Hmm. I don’t get what you’re saying.”

However, the blurred eyes of the barbarian sparkled like how Pang Dae-san’s followers gaze at Oki-rin in admiration.

But why is the sword pressure shining?

“If the very air pressure is visible during a fight, then obviously it proves you’ve proven your martial prowess!”

Hearing that, all weapons with blades are called swords, and honestly, the barbarians using swords is just silly.

A sword has two blades; just because it has a blade doesn’t mean that a razor qualifies as a sword, right?

What funny folks!

Anyway, I ended up asking about their sword styles and other martial arts.

And suddenly, the Martial Arts Inventory shines.

Looking at the list, Qing was taken aback.

“Unrefined style (Japanese sword). Blue border.”

What’s this? Those uncivilized barbarians—err, those barbarous Japanese pirates—look at me, living in the Central Plain, and the slurs just roll off my tongue.

Either way, do they treat foreign martial arts as real martial arts?

But blue means they’re the worst of the worst!

Anything with a white border is just barely acceptable trash.

As for what the barbarian hears, it might just hit deep.

But for Qing, it’s naturally accepted.

Why, even when playing video games, lower grades are often just materials, and even those are treated as useless trash considering the cost of other resources.

Yet, if the Martial Arts Inventory pops up, it means this barbarian was honest and didn’t lie about his skills.

The fact is, the barbarian’s nature is to bow before the strong, and he dares not speak of lies against a true, great swordswoman who has mastered the art.

However, Qing’s eyes caught sight of the barbarian’s grotesque trophies still adorning him.

I felt it before, but each of them appears to have a different piece they collected, probably taking from people they’ve harmed so that none of them are whole anymore.

Still, a promise is a promise.

“Well then, a deal’s a deal; I’ll spare you.”

Then, Qing’s smile grew brighter, stretching wide as if she were wearing a mask of evil glee.

“I’m going to be kind enough to spare you, so you should live a long life!”

In the city of Zhongyuan, ordinarily, there would be at least one ancient tree somewhere.

In Yeogohyeon, there stood an old and grand khaya tree right in the middle of the town square, boasting a massive trunk.

Underneath its eight-foot tall branches, I tied a thick rope around its thick trunk as a collar for a strange creature.

These creatures are bizarrely shaped.

At first glance, they seem human, but their hair is strangely managed, and their limbs appear to be a mass of joints.

When they howl in a strange wail, opening their mouths reveals they have no teeth at all! What kind of unique creature is this?

And there it was, a large poster hung up.

“Please refrain from the following actions.

Kicking or punching.

Throwing anything hard or heavy.

Only soft foods like scraps or rotten food may be thrown.

If you wish to fulfill a personal grudge, please only throw a cup of boiling water.

My grudge, as well as my neighbor’s, is precious.

Let’s all diligently ensure they can live long and suffer instead.

– Cheonhwa-geom Seomun Qing”

This is a truly dismal sign for one who has their limbs broken and teeth pulled before being tied there.

And yet she has the audacity to proudly put her name on it.

In fact, even my friends and Wang Sang-ryong had tried to dissuade her from doing something so cruel and savage.

Was it really necessary to sign their name for such atrocious acts?

But Qing was firm.

What’s the point in compromise? Just because it’s fancy writing, doesn’t mean someone won’t tear it down!

Because if someone might seek revenge one day, it’s bound to come back to her.

In essence, it’s a safe shield, but who asked for military aid? It was her.

Who urged the cannon fire to scare off the enemy? It was Qing as well.

And hey, the more the rumors spread, the Japanese pirates might want revenge, but of course small-time bandits have their limits when it comes to loyalty.

If that were to happen and those Japanese pirates went on a rampage, at least they’ll know where their enemy is, minimizing their attacks.

After all, once this ordeal wraps up, I’m planning to return to my sweet home west of Hubei, deep inland.

What can those Japanese invaders do after all?

Yet not many frowned upon this, probably just outsiders or still-grieving sorcerers.

Because let’s face it: no one living near the East Sea has escaped losing family to those raiding Japanese pirates!

If it’s not them, it’s their family or friends—you can bet one or more has lost someone to those pirates.

“These Japanese scum, they truly are worse than bugs! It’s a sorrowful tragedy I can’t even end them myself. Bring me a cup of boiling water!”

“Yes! Here you go!”

There was a vendor nearby boiling water, looking like a merchant exploiting personal vendettas.

But as a merchant, his impression was fairly cruel.

Surprisingly enough, when a person loses their nose, their appearance tends to worsen.

Everyone in Yeogohyeon knew the man was a survivor of a village that was annihilated by the Japanese invaders.

So it was no surprise he would sacrifice his own resources to boil water in his quest for revenge.

“That dude’s definitely got his reasons,” they would murmur.

Then a passerby spit on the ground before grabbing the cup and pouring it over the creature’s back.

In Zhongyuan, cups are hefty, meant for hard liquor, and even though it’s a poor man’s wooden version for someone without a nose, it still holds a similar amount.

It’s about the size of a large spoon’s worth, and though the amount is indeed low, pouring boiling water hurts.

It hurts a lot.

Even if the man pours slowly to control it, boiling water burns regardless.

“AAHHHHHH!!! #$%! @#%&*!@!”

The creature howled, but no one understood its screams.

If Qing were there, she might’ve translated the unbearable agony into begging for a quick death.

As it writhed in pain, the broken limbs just multiplied the suffering a hundredfold.

Seeing the sight of that creature squirming made the man with no nose beam with joy.

Every one of those howls being added brought a rush of satisfaction coursing through him.

So the man looked up at the poster plastered against the tree.

Cheonhwa-geom Seomun Qing.

He took a moment to engrave that name into his memory.

Originally a man who knew few characters beyond numbers.

But now at least he could beautifully write those six letters down neatly.

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