Doctor Goes Back to Joseon - Chapter 50: Short-Term Military Surgeon [3]

*Clatter, clatter.*

The sound of armor plates clashing and weapons scraping echoed in all directions.

“So, they say there’s chaos in Oetanmyeon.”

“Damn Wae pirates, those wretched scoundrels.”

People nearby turned their heads to look.

Most cursed the Wae pirates, while a few offered food in support.

Praise for Magistrate Kim Yoon-gil was not forgotten either.

“Magistrate, sir! Show those Wae scoundrels their place!”

Here and there, Shin Rip’s name was also shouted as if his reputation had spread.

“With General Shin Rip leading, those Wae are nothing.”

“General Shin Rip!”

Truly, his fame as a mighty general resonated throughout the land.

Once his name was called, every citizen on the streets began to join in, chanting his name.

The cheers were so loud it felt like the entire city of Suwon was roaring.

The soldiers’ steps unconsciously quickened.

Even Kang-hyuk could sense the palpable change.

It felt as if all the support stemmed from the anticipation of war before it even began.

‘It does feel a bit different, indeed.’

Kang-hyuk, who had been slouching on his horse, straightened his back.

‘Well, what’s the worst that could happen?’

It wasn’t like a full-scale war had erupted.

At least between the Eulmyo Wae Invasion and the Imjin War, there were no records of major invasions.

‘Was there?’

He wasn’t entirely sure.

Still, seeing Yeon and Makbong walking beside him, he felt reassured.

Their sword-bearing appearances were not far off from Shin Rip’s adjutants at the front.

It was clear they had wielded their swords more than a few times.

“You think everything will be fine?”

In contrast, Dolseok was a sight to behold.

Clinging closely behind Yeoju, his demeanor screamed cowardice.

At this rate, he was certain to die without even drawing his sword.

“They all say it’ll be fine, so we’ll have to trust that.”

“Those Wae bastards… they’re terrifying.”

Dolseok muttered with a grim face, as if recalling some dark memory.

From what Kang-hyuk knew, Dolseok had been born and raised in Suwon, but it seemed there was a story there.

“Have you seen them before?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Then why are you speaking like you have?”

“Everyone says they’re terrifying.”

“For someone so timid…”

Shaking his head, Kang-hyuk caught sight of Yeoju’s determined face.

Her fair and delicate face was furrowed in a frown.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine. Thank you so much for coming with us.”

“It’s nothing. It’s a matter concerning Chang-gwon, after all.”

“Yes. Of all things, Wae pirates.”

Not mere mountain bandits.

Not robbers.

Wae pirates.

‘Wae pirates.’

Kang-hyuk recalled a photo he’d once seen on the internet.

It showed kids the size of chestnuts posing with swords, and he’d initially thought it was from a school play.

‘So those guys are supposed to be terrifying?’

He couldn’t quite picture it.

Unless they were armed with arquebuses, they seemed more like children playing with toy swords.

The journey to Oetanmyeon was still relatively long.

Kang-hyuk turned to Yeon, who was walking beside him.

“Have you ever seen Wae pirates before?”

“Yes, I have.”

“You have? Oh, what were they like?”

“I only saw them from a distance, so I’m not sure. The village was burning, and the people were dead.”

“I see…”

Hearing her answer, he regretted asking.

A burning village and corpses.

Just imagining it sent shivers down his spine.

Dolseok, who was walking behind, looked even worse.

His face was pale as if he might throw up at any moment.

“Oh no.”

“Hey, are you okay?”

Eventually, Makbong had to pat Dolseok on the back.

Despite his large build, his courage seemed smaller than a grain of rice.

‘Our group is oddly more reliant on the women.’

Yeon, at least, had lived a rough life, so it made sense.

But Yeoju?

Even though she came from a noble family, she carried herself with the poise of a great leader.

Even now, she was walking steadily, carrying a sword as large as her body on her back.

No matter how much Kang-hyuk told her to leave the sword behind, she wouldn’t listen.

“She doesn’t even listen to her father, so why would she listen to you?”

That was a perfect answer, leaving Kang-hyuk with no retort.

‘If she insists on going through this, what can I do?’

Having walked so much already, she didn’t even stagger.

Kang-hyuk decided to let go of his needless worries and looked ahead.

“Ah.”

Someone pointed ahead of him.

Everyone fell silent.

In the distance, black smoke was rising.

It was directly in their path, undoubtedly coming from Oetanmyeon.

Feeling a sense of urgency, Kang-hyuk pushed ahead to reach the magistrate.

Just as he arrived, the magistrate and Shin Rip were discussing the situation.

“They appear to be burning the village,” the magistrate said, anger evident in his tone.

Shin Rip replied confidently, “See, it was the right choice to come early, wasn’t it?”

“You’re right. But it still seems quite far.”

As the magistrate noted, the smoke was coming from a considerable distance.

Even if they walked without rest, it would take hours to reach.

“We should set up camp a bit further ahead.”

“Camp? Why not attack them directly?”

“Battles fought at night are disadvantageous for both sides. Besides, the soldiers are tired.”

Looking back, many soldiers indeed looked fatigued.

However, in the magistrate’s eyes, they didn’t seem too exhausted to fight.

“Wouldn’t the night give us an advantage?”

“And why do you think that?”

“My soldiers are all from Suwon. They know the terrain well and can fight as if it were daytime.”

“Hmm.”

Listening nearby, Kang-hyuk found himself nodding instinctively.

Although he knew nothing of military strategy, it sounded plausible even to a layman like him.

He vaguely recalled reading similar strategies in the *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* or *Chronicles of the Chu-Han Contention.*

Though, in his case, they were all from Go U-young’s comic adaptations.

Shin Rip, however, did not back down.

“No. Look ahead.”

“I’m looking.”

“Do you see? The burning villages are not just one or two. This means their numbers are substantial. If we launch a night raid, we could face disaster.”

This reasoning, too, sounded plausible.

In the end, the magistrate deferred to the renowned general.

“Alright, let’s proceed with your plan. But tomorrow, we move at the break of dawn.”

“Of course. Everyone’s already eager to act.”

Shin Rip let out a hearty laugh as he looked at the adjutants flanking him. His laughter was so loud it seemed as though it could reach the burning villages.

“Then, let’s march a little farther. There’s a village nearby.”

“Let’s go.”

The magistrate, despite being corrupt, was an effective administrator in other respects. He managed to exploit resources without completely disrupting the lives of the common people. His frequent inspections of the region made him highly knowledgeable about the local geography.

Not long after, as he had said, a village appeared.

Though calling it a village might have been generous.

“This is…”

Kang-hyuk covered his nose with his sleeve.

The stench of burning was overpowering even before they reached the village entrance.

A familiar smell lingered in the air, and Kang-hyuk quickly identified it.

‘The smell of burning flesh…’

In surgery, blood was inevitable. In the past, hemostasis had been achieved through compression or ligation, but modern techniques relied on cauterization with electricity. The smell was exactly the same.

Sure enough, in an open space, a pile of half-burnt corpses lay.

“Those damned bastards.”

Makbong, who had caught up with him, cursed under his breath.

It seemed the invaders had slaughtered indiscriminately and left.

Judging by the bodies of children and adults alike scattered around.

“Check for identification tags and bury those without any separately.”

“Yes, sir.”

The magistrate issued his orders with a grim expression.

The soldiers carrying out the commands shared the same somber look. Some were sorrowful, others furious.

A few showed fear, but it didn’t last long.

“Th-there!”

The most frightened of them all, Dolseok, screamed.

From a house with a partially crumbled stone wall, three Wae pirates emerged.

Inside, a woman lay bleeding.

It was clear what they had been doing before they were interrupted.

“You beasts!”

At Shin Rip’s thunderous rebuke, his adjutants spurred their horses forward.

In one swift motion, they decapitated two of the retreating pirates.

The one in the lead took a gash to his shoulder, blood pouring out, but he didn’t stop running.

*Whoosh*

An adjutant fired an arrow, striking the fleeing pirate’s opposite shoulder.

The pirate stumbled briefly but continued to flee.

The dimming light of dusk and the dense forest made it difficult to pursue on horseback.

The adjutant who had shot the arrow returned and asked, “Shall we pursue him?”

Shin Rip hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.

“No, leave it. He won’t make it far before dying.”

“Yes, General.”

To Shin Rip, the pirate’s injuries seemed severe enough to be fatal.

‘Will he really die?’

Kang-hyuk, on the other hand, was skeptical.

The way the pirate sprinted like lightning made it hard to believe he would succumb so easily. However, Kang-hyuk chose not to voice his doubts.

If Shin Rip wouldn’t listen to the magistrate, why would he heed the words of a mere doctor like Kang-hyuk?

‘Besides, I don’t know anything about warfare.’

If it was about tactics, Shin Rip clearly had the expertise.

The accounts Kang-hyuk had heard on the way painted the general as truly formidable.

He was said to be especially skilled in the use of cavalry.

The adjutants’ martial skills were also remarkable.

Decapitating a person with a single stroke was no easy feat.

As a doctor, Kang-hyuk knew better than anyone how tough human bones could be.

‘They’ve got serious technique to cut through like that.’

Upon closer inspection, the cut was so clean it looked as though it had been sawed through.

Shin Rip, noticing Kang-hyuk’s expression, approached him.

“You don’t seem scared.”

“Oh, no. Your men are incredibly skilled.”

“Of course they are. These are the men who’ve fought alongside me in the northern territories. Each of them is worth ten Wae pirates.”

“I believe it.”

“Get some rest. Tomorrow will be busy.”

“Yes, General.”

By now, the soldiers were fortifying their position, using nearby houses to establish a camp.

It was certainly easier than setting up on bare ground.

Before long, a sturdy-looking camp was complete.

“This way, young master.”

“Oh, alright.”

“Yes. We’ve been assigned a room.”

“That’s great.”

The idea of sleeping in a room felt unsettling, given the deaths that had occurred nearby. But to lie down on a heated floor in a war zone was a rare luxury.

Kang-hyuk entered without protest.

“Wait, where’s Makbong?”

“Dolseok was struggling, so Makbong took him out for some air.”

“I see. And Yeoju?”

“She went with them. She’s likely feeling troubled as well.”

“Is it safe for them to wander around?”

“We’re not soldiers, so the magistrate allowed it. They’re probably just walking along the wall.”

“I see. I wonder if Yeoju’s father is alright.”

Kang-hyuk gazed out at the open area where the corpses had been gathered.

If every village they passed through was in this state, it seemed unlikely that Chang-gwon would have survived unscathed.

Yeon, apparently sharing the same thoughts, remained silent.

There was no need to voice such grim speculations.

“Let’s rest for now.”

“Yes. I’ll stay outside.”

Under normal circumstances, they would have been given two rooms—one for Yeon and Yeoju. But in the midst of war, receiving even one room was a privilege.

Kang-hyuk stopped Yeon as she prepared to leave.

“Why make things harder for yourself? Stay inside.”

“Pardon? But—”

“What, worried I’ll try something? I’m not Makbong.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Everyone will come in soon enough. Just rest for now.”

With that, Kang-hyuk flopped down on the mat.

From Chiljang Temple to the magistrate’s office and now to Oetanmyeon—it had been an exhausting journey.

*Snore.*

Overwhelmed by fatigue, he quickly fell asleep.

Yeon lay down in a corner, restless and unable to sleep. Gazing outside, she noticed something strange.

‘The torches are out?’