The moon had a low gleam in the sky, and over the village square, where the air was thick with anticipation. The village chief elbowed Captain Gi playfully, mischief dancing in his eyes as he gestured toward the prince and his court maiden. "Any idea what's brewing between those two lovebirds?"
Captain Gi chuckled, his gaze flicking between Young-Sik and Jin-Ri. "Well, according to the soldiers, there is something there. The tension is practically sizzling!"
As the last note of the village's joyful song faded into silence, Young-Sik and Jin-Ri found themselves frozen, their eyes locked in a magnetic gaze. Jin-Ri's heart raced as determination bubbled up inside her. "No more waiting, I'm going to tell him!" she thought, her breath catching in her throat.
Just as her courage surged, the villagers erupted into applause, shattering the intimate moment. Awkwardness enveloped them like a shroud, and they both released their grip, fidgeting as if caught in a secret.
"Did we just get caught?" Jin-Ri blurted, and they both burst into laughter, the tension melting away momentarily. They took a playful bow to the applauding crowd, hand in hand, sharing giggles under the warm evening sky.
But their joy was abruptly interrupted by a guard's booming voice: "A RIDER, A RIDER IS COMING!"
Exchanging anxious glances, curiosity piqued, Young-Sik and Jin-Ri dashed toward the gate, their fingers intertwined and hearts racing. What could be so urgent that the palace dispatched a rider?
As they reached the gates, the scene before them was a flurry of activity. Villagers surrounded a young rider, no older than thirteen, who was being gently lifted and carried toward a nearby hut. The boy's face was pale, and his eyes were wide with fear. "I must speak to Prince Young-Sik," he murmured repeatedly, lost in his fevered thoughts.
Young-Sik's heart sank as he recognized the boy. "One of the royal stable wards. Is anybody with him?" he asked, rushing to the boy's side, concern etching his features.
"No, but he was asking for you, your Highness," one of the villagers replied, urgency in their voice.
Taking a moment to evaluate the boy's health, Young-Sik gently pried open the boy's eyelids, revealing eyes that were red and hollow. The boy's lips were dry and cracked, sweat dripped from his brow, and his limbs quivered. Checking his pulse, Young-Sik realized it was racing.
"The boy appears completely drained, likely without food, water, or sleep for an entire day," he exclaimed, his voice steady despite the rising panic. "Get him some water and something to eat," he instructed the village elder, who quickly directed a villager to fulfill the prince's request.
"Prince Young-Sik," the boy whispered, his voice barely audible and trembling.
"I'm right here, what do you need to say?" Young-Sik replied, urgency lacing his tone, his heart racing for more than one reason. In that moment, the weight of unspoken feelings hung thick in the air, a missed opportunity for both him and Jin-Ri, overshadowed by the urgency of the unfolding crisis.
As soon as the boy spotted the prince, he sprang to his feet, gripping Young-Sik's arm tightly. "The King! He needs you back... Aranese, the Aranese have invaded Chiongsun!" The urgency in his voice was palpable, each word trembling with fear.
Young-Sik's heart pounded in response, concern etched deeply on his face. "What did you say?" he inquired, his mind racing to comprehend the enormity of the situation.
The boy, breathless and pale, collapsed onto the bed, his shoulders shaking as he recounted the harrowing events. "The King received reports that two nights ago, dozens of Aranese vessels arrived in Kaegye province. Thousands of soldiers disembarked and took over the fishing villages of the western coasts. In a few days, they will be out of the corridors."
The prince felt the weight of the boy's words crash over him like a tidal wave. "The invasion force is heading straight for the capital!" he exclaimed, dread pooling in his stomach.
"There is no time, Your Highness, you must go back to the capital," the boy urged, his eyes fluttering as he lost consciousness.
"Captain Gi, we ride back to the palace!" Young-Sik commanded, urgency igniting his every action.
He burst out of the hut, racing toward his horse, heart racing with adrenaline. Jin-Ri hurried after him, worry etched across her brow. Just as he swung himself onto the saddle, she called out, "I'm coming with you!"
"You can't! We'll be riding through the night, and I have no idea what's happening in the capital. I can't put you in danger," Young-Sik argued, desperation lacing his words.
"That's exactly why you need me by your side," Jin-Ri countered, determination shining in her eyes as she climbed onto her horse.
"I have no time for this!" Young-Sik snapped, whipping the reins. His horse reared and galloped away, Jin-Ri and the soldiers following close behind, their hooves pounding like war drums on the road ahead. Adventure beckoned, but so did the horrors of inevitable war.
The early morning sun cast a pallid light over the capital as Young-Sik and his party reined in their horses at the palace gates. The night's ride had been long and filled with trepidation, but nothing could prepare him for the chaos unfolding within the palace walls. As soon as he arrived, a eunuch rushed to his side, breathless and wide-eyed.
"Your Highness! You are urgently needed in the courtroom. Aranese forces have seized control of most of the western corridors!" The eunuch's voice trembled, each word a harbinger of the calamity that had befallen their land.
Young-Sik's heart raced, disbelief coursing through him like wildfire. "What?!" he exclaimed, snapping the reins of his horse and galloping towards the courtroom, urgency propelling him forward.
Upon entering, the assembly's somber faces met his with a mixture of fear and intensity. "Is it true... have Aranese forces invaded the western coast?" he demanded, his voice cutting through the murmurs like a blade.
The assembly gathered around a large table, a diorama map of Chiongsun spread before them. Minister Gi, his face flushed with misplaced bravado, roared at the prince. "Where have you been? Aren't you the general of the royal forces? You should be punished for this!"
Young-Sik sneered, his composure unshaken. "You want me to be punished? Then by all means, go to war in my stead," he shot back, watching as Minister Gi shrank away, cowardice written across his features.
Young-Sik strode to the table, joining the King and Minister Shin. The King, his face lined with worry, pointed at the markers scattered across the map. "Our scouts report a fleet of a hundred ships has made landfall, with more on the way." He moved a long pointer to nudge several wooden disks adorned with the Aranese flag, illustrating their grim advance. "Last night, they took several villages along the coast. We can assume they've pushed further inland."
"Did they make any declaration as to why they invaded us?" Young-Sik asked, his brow furrowing.
Man-Ju nodded to a eunuch, who quickly approached with a rolled parchment. "Expansion? They are invading us for the sole reason they want their territories expanded?"
"It appears that this was the only justification they needed to start a war," Man-Ju replied, his voice steady despite the tremors of the impending conflict. "For now, we must be clear with our tactics. How do you think we should proceed?"
Young-Sik studied the two mountain ranges flanking the western coastline, realization dawning upon him. "The Aranese have strategically selected this constricted area for their invasion," he remarked, his voice steady despite the storm brewing within. "I suspect they aim to exploit the tight corridor through these villages to hinder our attempts to reclaim the coast."
The air in the war room was thick with tension, the flickering torches casting long shadows against the stone walls as the King leaned forward, his brow furrowed in thought. "A reasonable observation, Young-Sik," he said, his voice steady yet laced with urgency. "What are your plans?"
Young-Sik, the young prince with an air of determination, shifted his gaze to Minister Shin. "Master, what's the maximum number of ships we can assemble to establish a maritime barrier just outside these mountain ranges? How soon can we expect this to be operational?"
Minister Shin, an older man with a weathered face that told tales of countless strategies, pointed at the designated areas on the large, worn map spread across the table. "We can have ten ships on each flank ready in two days, Your Highness. In a week, we could increase that to thirty on both sides. What's the tactical approach you have in mind for this setup?"
Taking a deep breath, Young-Sik gazed at the intricate lines of the map. "These mountain ranges are approximately a hundred, maybe a hundred fifty kilometers apart at the coastline, but they taper inward to maybe twenty to twenty-five kilometers," he explained, his voice steady. "Evacuate as many people as we can within the corridors."
He leaned closer to the map, his finger tracing the bottleneck that could become their salvation—or their doom. "I want the invading forces to all land within this bottleneck area that they chose. We may have difficulty entering because of the narrow corridor, but if it goes both ways, they will also have trouble getting out."
Turning to the gathered generals, he continued, "These ships will ensure that they do exactly that. Should any Aranese ship attempt to land outside the mountain ranges, it will meet resistance from our navy."
A murmur of approval rippled through the room, the tension momentarily easing as they absorbed the prince's plans. The King, a man of caution, added, "Maybe it would be prudent to increase the number of ships stationed on both sides… say fifty?" His protective instinct for the realm shone through, wanting to maximize their chances of success.
"My sentiments exactly, Your Highness," Young-Sik replied, his resolve strengthening. He turned his attention to the ground forces, the weight of the impending conflict settling heavily on his shoulders. "If the reports are accurate, the Aranese troops should be somewhere around this area inland, as we speak." He pushed the disks further inside the map, marking their potential path. "By my estimate, they will pass the corridor within three days uncontested if we don't get there first."
Once more, he faced Minister Shin. "How many troops do we currently have in the capital?"
Minister Shin stroked his beard, his eyes narrowing as he calculated. "We have three thousand infantry, probably nine hundred cavalry, and two thousand archers. Waiting for deployment."
"And the troops stationed outside the capital? Are there any stationed near the western corridor?" Young-Sik's tone was firm, commanding.
Minister Shin studied the map intently, pointing at two locations outside the western corridor. "We have a thousand troops stationed two days away and another two thousand stationed a day away from the corridor."
"Send messengers now to those contingents and instruct them to march to the western corridors as soon as they get the message," Young-Sik ordered, his voice slicing through the air like a blade. "Evacuate the villagers, and then stand guard just within the passage and the overhanging cliffs."
A sense of purpose ignited in the room as he concluded, "Now return to your stations and strategize based on the assignments given to you. Tomorrow we will move out at first light!"
The weight of war loomed large, but in the determined faces of the prince and his advisors, a flicker of hope ignited amidst the gathering storm.
The King dismissed the assembly and after everyone had left, he approached Young-Sik, "I leave the defense of Chiongsun to you, brother," The prince nodded and the two brothers embraced. The King watched his younger brother exit the courtroom, "Minister Shin, a word if you may," The minister bowed and approached the King.
Perched on the stairs, Jin-Ri waited anxiously for her master to exit the courtroom. The moment she caught sight of the prince; she jumped up to greet him. "Your Highness, is it true? Have the Aranese invaded us?" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with fear.
Young-Sik's heart sank at her words. "Yes, it's true. The most troubling part is that they are already a day ahead of us in their march," he replied, his tone grave, as he felt the gravity of his responsibility press down on him like a heavy cloak.
Jin-Ri's eyes widened in shock, her hands flying to cover her mouth as the reality of the situation set in. "When do we depart?" she asked, summoning every ounce of courage she had.
His expression pained, Young-Sik took a step closer, his voice lowering to a whisper. "I'm sorry, but you need to stay here in the palace, where it's safe."
"No!" Jin-Ri protested, determination igniting in her eyes. "I cannot stay here while you go to face the Aranese alone. I must be beside you!"
"Jin-Ri," he replied, his heart aching as he grasped her shoulders, "it's for your protection. You don't understand the dangers ahead."
"But I do understand!" she insisted, her voice rising with passion. "I will not be left behind while you fight alone."
Young-Sik looked into her fierce eyes, torn between his duty and his desire to keep her safe. The weight of their impending separation hung heavily between them, a silent battlefield of their own