The map provided by the system was still running through my mind. The location of every granary and the direction of every supply route were clear. Even the location of the Inukami Jusaburo's central army tent was clearly marked behind which pine forest.
Gu Moran didn't rush to move.
The person in his arms was breathing steadily, their cheek pressed against his chest, their nose brushing against the lingering scent of medicine on his clothes, occasionally furrowing their brow slightly, as if they were struggling with someone even in their dreams.
He placed his fingertips on her back, tracing down her spine vertebra by vertebra, his mind already calculating the time.
The three-barreled gun takes at least ten days to forge and complete. The stockpile of two thousand Subduing Fire Thunder is enough for a naval battle. The depth of Incheon Port and the distribution of reefs have not yet been obtained. The warship modification on Zhen Meili's side has been completed, but the calibration of the shipborne repeating crossbow is still missing one last round of test firing.
The faint sound of changing of the guard could be heard outside the tent; the soles of boots pounded on the frozen mud, one sound after another receding into the distance.
Yin hour (3-5 AM).
Gu Moran lowered his head, his lips brushing against the top of Kim Seon-a's hair, his voice low and menacing. "Time to get up."
Kim Seon-a didn't move.
Instead, she tucked her fingers inside his shirt, her ten fingers gripping the fabric of his undershirt like a child clutching a candy wrapper.
"Wait a little longer."
Her voice was muffled, hoarse from not having woken up properly, and she was curled up in his arms, her knees pressed against the side of his thighs, her toes curled together.
Gu Moran remained silent.
His hand moved from her back to the back of her neck, his five fingers cupping that slender, white neck, and he gave it a light pinch.
Kim Seon-a- ah shrank back, raised her head, her eyes not fully open, a thin layer of mist clinging to her eyelashes.
Gu Moran looked at her. "You have to go back before dawn. There are too many people in the camp, and Tuoba Mang's night patrol changes shifts every half hour. If you dawdle any longer, you'll run into the changing of the guard when you leave this tent."
Kim Seon-a's lips moved slightly.
So what?
Gu Moran ran his thumb over a small red mark on the back of her neck from sleeping with her head on his arm, his voice flat. "So? You're the Princess of Goryeo, your father is still waiting for you to lead your troops back to save him on Ganghwa Island. If word gets back to the capital that you stayed overnight in the tent of the Prince Yi Great Yan, what do you think your ministers will say?"
Kim Seon-a's fingers loosened.
She loosened them one by one, her fingertips sliding down his undergarment, tracing the fabric's texture, and finally resting on the couch.
She didn't say anything.
She bit her lower lip and sat up, turning her back to him, to reach for the cloak draped over the foot of the tatami mat.
Gu Moran leaned against the headboard without moving, watching her pull the cloak over and put it on. Her fingers were still trembling when she tied the sash, and she couldn't tie it tightly even after two tries. The knot hung crookedly below her collarbone.
He reached out, untied the knot, and retied it for her.
Kim Seon-a froze for a moment.
He didn't look back.
Only the tips of his ears were so red they looked like they were about to bleed.
Gu Moran tied the knot and pressed his hand on her shoulder. "Take the side door, go around to the east. The night patrol just passed that road, there'll be enough time for you to reach the side tent."
Kim Seon-a stood up.
The hem of the cloak trailed over the edge of the couch, making a rustling sound.
She stopped in front of the tent curtain and glanced back at him.
The candles had long since gone out, and only a sliver of light shone through the curtains, outlining half of her profile.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, her throat bobbed, but in the end she said nothing, lifted the curtain, and went out.
The curtains fell, and a gust of cold wind blew in.
Gu Moran leaned against the headboard and closed his eyes briefly.
When I opened my eyes again, the warmth in them had vanished, replaced by nothing but calculation.
He got off the bed, walked to the desk, and took out a piece of charcoal pencil from his pocket.
With the map unfolding in his mind, he took a charcoal pencil and began to draw stroke by stroke on the laid-out white silk.
Inukami Jusaburo's central army was stationed in the pine forest on the northern outskirts of Hanseong. Three thousand men on the left wing guarded the official road leading to Gaegyeong, while five thousand men on the right wing were deployed along the river. The granaries were divided into three locations, the largest of which was hidden in an abandoned fishing village north of Busanpo.
He circled each of the three granaries, and then emphasized the location of Incheon Port.
This port is the eye of the whole game.
Outside the tent.
Kim Seon-a, wrapped in a cloak, slipped out through the side door, her footsteps light. She walked around two rows of military tents and was about to turn into the passageway to the east.
A dark figure emerged from around the corner.
Tuoba Mang, carrying his ghost-headed saber, had just finished checking the sentry posts on the east side when he bumped into her head-on.
The two stared at each other for a moment.
Kim Seon-a stopped breathing.
Tuoba Mang looked down at her cloaked appearance, then glanced at the direction of the main tent behind her.
They didn't say anything.
He shifted the direction of the ghost-head knife over his shoulder, turned and walked away, taking even faster steps than he had come, turning into another passageway in two strides, without looking back.
Kim Seon-a stood still.
My face burned from my ears to my neck.
She gripped the collar of her cloak tightly, lowered her head, and hurried toward the side tent.
5:00 AM (卯时).
The main tent has been changed.
The bedding on the couch was rolled up to one side, the table was covered with maps and documents, and the candlesticks had been replaced with new wax, illuminating the room brightly.
Pu Yunshan stood on the left, still in his armor, having led a patrol of the river defenses all night.
Lin Qingdai leaned against the tent pillar, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword, her eyelids half-closed.
Murong Xue stood with her hands on her hips on the right, her spear planted at her feet with the tip pointing upwards.
Mei Boqian huddled at the very back, his back ramrod straight, his face pale.
Gu Moran spread the white silk on the table and weighed down the four corners with a paperweight.
"Take a look at this."
Pu Yunshan leaned closer, glanced at it, and pointed to the circle north of Busanpo: "This is... a granary?"
Gu Moran hummed in agreement. "Three locations. The largest one is here. It can feed the 30,000 men under Inukami Jusaburo for at least two months."
Mei Boqian peeked out from behind and his expression grew increasingly grim.
He held back for a long time, but finally couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, this map... it's incredibly detailed. It even shows which mountain path the grain transport route takes, and where to rest and change horses along the way. Even the border defense maps of Great Yan are not this detailed. Where did it come from?"
There was a moment of silence inside the tent.
Gu Moran drew a circle around the location of Incheon Port with a charcoal pencil, without looking up. "The spy is stubborn, we pried him open several times."
Mei Boqian opened his mouth, then swallowed his words back.
Gu Moran turned to Park Roejang, who was standing at the tent entrance. " Incheon Port, how deep is it? What are the reefs like? Which berths can accommodate the Great Yan warships? Give me a clear answer."
Park Roejang rubbed his fingers together, sweat beading on his forehead. " Your Prince Yi, these... involve the defense secrets of Goryeo, it's inconvenient—"
He hadn't finished speaking.
Gu Moran slammed his hand on the table, and the paperweight jumped.
"You're asking for 'hands over' without revealing the port's contents? You're letting Great Yan's ships sail in and crash into the reefs?" He stared at Park Roejang. "Have you even calculated how much silver my soldiers' lives are worth? Your Goryeo elite Goryeo troops couldn't stop those starving, scattered Japanese soldiers, and now you're expecting Great Yan to clean up your mess, but you won't even tell us the depth of the water in the port?"