Chapter 43: The Flaw in Discipline (3)

Kang Yun's eyes sparkled.

A third-rate thug? This was clearly a remark directed at him.

"Are you talking to me?"

"Where did you sell your manners?"

"Excuse me?"

"I am the eldest son of the Byaksan Yeon family. Surely you didn't know that, did you, someone who's even a squad leader? Or did you forget? You don't have dementia already, do you?"

Kang Yun, who had been quietly watching Yeon Hojeong, bowed gracefully.

"I was caught off guard and committed a rudeness. Squad Leader Kang Yun greets the Eldest Son."

"Is that it?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do you think that just because you're caught off guard, you can get away with killing someone?"

Kang Yun's eyebrows slightly distorted.

"You are being too harsh."

"Are you talking back?"

"How is this talking back? Absolutely not."

"Then what about that look in your eyes? Is it defiance?"

"Eldest Son."

"Why?"

"I am neither talking back to you nor defying you. Please stop here."

"Stop here?"

"Yes."

"Are you giving me an order? This won't do, Squad Leader Kang."

Kang Yun's expression became more distorted.

"Even if you are the Eldest Son, don't you think you are being too harsh?"

"You are even arguing about it. Do your seniors know you act like this?"

"Eldest Son!"

His voice involuntarily gained strength.

Yeon Hojeong rubbed his ear.

"No greetings, talking back, nitpicking, and even giving orders?"

"……!"

"Wouldn't you have no excuse if you were kicked out of the main house for this?"

Kang Yun's eyes trembled.

"How can you say such things? I have never been disrespectful to you."

"Reflect on yourself, then?"

"Of course, not greeting you was my fault. However, I also think your words were too harsh."

"About the 'third-rate thug' comment?"

"Yes."

"Then, do you think your actions are different from what a gang does?"

Kang Yun's eyes became bloodshot.

"Calling me a gang? That's a hard statement to bear."

"Is it? I was too harsh, then?"

"Yes."

"Then what about those kids?"

"Excuse me?"

Yeon Hojeong pointed at Yu Jihwa with his chin.

Yu Jihwa's body was drenched in sweat, and it seemed he had already been through a rough time. Mud was smeared all over his martial uniform.

It wasn't just Yu Jihwa. The entire Third Squad of the Byeongeung Corps was in the same state.

"Why are you making them train without meals or rest? And even making them use ironwood swords?"

"They did not follow my orders. It's a violation of orders and discipline. As a squad leader, it is appropriate to punish them……"

"If they violated orders and discipline, you should have executed them on the spot. Why give such a dirty punishment?"

It was a terrifying statement.

The faces of the entire Third Squad of the Byeongeung Corps turned pale. They never thought that such a situation would lead to a death sentence.

Kang Yun was equally flustered by the sudden bombshell.

"Execution? That's an excessive punishment!"

"It seems better than what you are doing. If you are going to kill them, why not just behead them with one strike instead of torturing them?"

"How can you call it torture? This is a just punishment!"

"Punishment?"

Yeon Hojeong's eyes glinted fiercely.

His gaze was so sharp that even Kang Yun, known for his boldness, felt a chill down his spine.

"You, you said your name is Yu Jihwa?"

Yu Jihwa was surprised that the Eldest Son remembered his name and lifted his head.

"Yes, yes!"

"Step forward."

Yu Jihwa took a step forward.

Among the Third Squad of the Byeongeung Corps, his face and hands were particularly bruised, indicating he had been treated the worst.

"Why are you being punished by the squad leader?"

"Excuse me?"

"……"

"Ah! That, it……"

Yu Jihwa glanced at Kang Yun.

Kang Yun spoke.

"Eldest Son, I am the squad leader. As a squad leader, I have the authority to enforce strict discipline on the squad members. Even if you are the Eldest Son, this can be seen as overstepping your bounds."

"So, you should shut up?"

"Eldest Son!"

Yeon Hojeong's voice turned cold.

"If you interrupt me again, I will summon you to the Beopin-gak (Law Blade Hall)."

Kang Yun's eyes wavered.

The Beopin-gak was an organization that handled the family's laws and internal investigations. In special cases, it could even make judgments in place of the family head.

Because of its nature, the family's martial artists feared the Beopin-gak the most. If they violated the family laws or engaged in corruption, they would be dragged to the Beopin-gak and receive severe punishment.

Yeon Hojeong was threatening to summon the squad leader to such an organization.

Kang Yun's breathing became rough, but he dared not step forward.

Yeon Hojeong spoke to Yu Jihwa.

"You are the same. If you don't answer my questions immediately, you will go to the Beopin-gak with the squad leader."

Yu Jihwa's posture immediately straightened.

"I will correct it! I was punished for conducting personal training for one hour during the evening curfew last night! I am sorry!"

Yeon Hojeong frowned.

"You were punished for personal training?"

"Yes!"

"Is it a crime for a martial artist to reduce their sleep to train?"

"That is……"

"Surely, you didn't cause a negative impact on the squad's training with excessive personal training?"

Yu Jihwa couldn't answer. It was entirely up to the squad leader to judge.

However, Yeon Hojeong could tell from Yu Jihwa's expression that he had performed well in the squad's training.

Yeon Hojeong turned his gaze to Kang Yun.

"Why is this a crime?"

Kang Yun spoke.

"I gave orders to the squad members. They must eat at the designated time and sleep at the designated time. To make a hundred members act as one, such control is essential."

"Control?"

"Yes. This training has been ongoing for years. No one has violated this military discipline until yesterday."

Kang Yun's expression was not good. He felt it was unnecessary to explain this in front of the squad members.

Yeon Hojeong turned to Yu Jihwa.

"Your squad leader says that?"

"……"

"Your squad leader may not be tough, but what he said seems to make sense."

"But……"

"But?"

Yu Jihwa bit his lip.

He must have felt wronged. No matter how important military discipline was, how could reading books or training in martial arts be a crime?

Perhaps due to his sense of injustice, Yu Jihwa spoke in a suppressed voice.

"I joined the Byeongeung Corps last year."

"Then?"

"I worked hard to join the Byeongeung Corps. But over the past year, personal training has been strictly prohibited. It was only squad training."

"So?"

"Once in the squad, I should follow the squad's discipline. That's natural. But I wanted to be more than that. However, over the past year, not only my skills but also those of other squad members have not improved at all."

Yeon Hojeong's eyes deepened.

"Instead, the overall strength of the Byeongeung Corps has improved. Everyone has become a cohesive unit."

"Yes."

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"At eighteen, you should know everything, right? You are a member of the Byeongeung Corps. To be in the Byeongeung Corps, you need to follow its discipline. This is also called responsibility."

"……"

"I understand your frustration. However, every organization has its own rules. Since you chose to join this organization, you must also bear the corresponding responsibility."

"That's why I decided to quit."

"What?"

Yu Jihwa said, sounding wronged.

"Ultimately, I couldn't adapt to the organization. So, I followed the proper procedures to request a discharge. But it was not accepted."

"Followed the proper procedures? Then why couldn't you quit?"

Yu Jihwa spoke as if venting his frustration.

"They said once you join the Byeongeung Corps, you are always a member. The only way to leave is to die."

Yeon Hojeong's eyes turned cold.

Now I understand why Yu Jihwa tried to find personal time. Violating the squad leader's orders was clearly a violation of discipline, but for someone who wanted to get stronger, there was no other way.

Kang Yun quickly interjected.

"Nonsense! That was just a statement to foster a sense of community in the squad. It's not actually true!"

"But that's how it turned out."

Yeon Hojeong's voice grew colder over time.

"Since it's not actually true, why couldn't this guy leave? He said he followed the proper procedures."

"Procedures need flexibility. At the time, the family was announcing the strength of its internal units. If a squad member left, it would cause a significant problem."

"A reasonable measure?"

"Yes."

"That flexibility in the procedure was for the benefit of the Byeongeung Corps."

"Of course. Strengthening the Byeongeung Corps means strengthening the Yeon family."

Kang Yun spoke confidently.

And to such a Kang Yun, Yeon Hojeong threw a long-suppressed remark.

"Incompetent fool!"

"What, what did you say?"

"As you said, strengthening the Byeongeung Corps means strengthening the Yeon family. Then, who needs to get stronger for the Byeongeung Corps to become stronger?"

"……!"

"Why can't you answer? I'm not asking about getting a good evaluation in the family's strength announcement. I'm asking about the minimum requirement for the Byeongeung Corps to truly become stronger."

"That is……"

"Is it just you getting stronger?"

"……"

"The squad members need to get stronger for the squad's strength to increase. But you, under the guise of benefiting the organization, forcibly detained a squad member who wanted to leave."

Kang Yun's face crumpled.

"Detention is a misleading term. At the time, it was unavoidable."

"Then what about after that? Why is this guy still in the Byeongeung Corps?"

Kang Yun couldn't easily answer.

In fact, he had long forgotten about this part. He thought that if he trained them properly, they would adapt on their own.

That's how everyone grows. So, he thought Yu Jihwa's request was worthless.

"Is this also discipline? Not letting someone leave even after following the proper procedures?"

"……"

"Answer me."

"No, it is all for the benefit of the Yeon family……"

"Ah, is that so? All of this is based on your personal judgment for the benefit of the main house?"

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

"Ultimately, this is it. You stake your life on laws and discipline, but you talk about flexibility in what you consider important, and you are ruthless only in what you consider unimportant."

"That's not true!"

"What's not true, you incompetent brat?"

Kang Yun's face turned fierce.

"Even if you are the Eldest Son, I cannot tolerate any more insults. Besides, this is entirely a matter of the Byeongeung Corps. Do not meddle any further."

Kang Yun never liked Yeon Hojeong.

No, he hated him. The moment he realized that Yeon Hojeong, the head of the great Byaksan Yeon family, was a pitiful guy who just hung around in taverns, he stopped seeing him as a person.

Even after Yeon Hojeong changed, it was the same. There were many rumors about the Eldest Son's transformation, but he never believed them.

Such an Eldest Son was meddling in the affairs of the Byeongeung Corps. Kang Yun had already endured enough.

Yeon Hojeong's smile faded.

"Do not meddle?"

"Yes."

Yeon Hojeong spoke to Yu Jihwa.

"Go and bring the head of the Beopin-gak."

The atmosphere in the large training hall suddenly turned tense.

Yeon Hojeong looked at Kang Yun and said,

"Since you have been handling the Byeongeung Corps as you see fit for the benefit of the Yeon family, I will also expel you from the squad leader position for the benefit of the main house."

"……!"

"Be prepared to strip off your uniform."