Chapter 3

◈ The Sambyeolcho Fleet in South America

In the early part of the eighth month of Gyeongwu (1270), the sea was very strange.

The Sambyeolcho fleet, which had been sailing south along the west coast after numerous battles with the Mongols and the defectors from Kaesong, finally reached the Bokpanaru area near Jin Island after a seventy-day journey.

Some of the more impulsive soldiers were preparing to disembark.

It was clearly a clear day.

The morning sun was bright, and the sea was calm.

But suddenly, a thick fog rose, and in an instant, everything became blurry.

The fog was so dense that they could barely see, and fearing collisions with reefs and each other, they slowed down the speed of the warships. Suddenly, a large wave hit.

A few small ships sank, but with no visibility, they couldn't even rescue the people who had fallen into the sea.

After wandering for a while, they emerged from the fog to find the sunset in the west.

The unrealistic scene left all the commanders visibly shaken.

They had set sail in the early morning, with the sun just rising over the horizon, but now the sunset was already visible. How could this be explained?

The surrounding islands had suddenly disappeared, and the surging waves and the suddenly cold wind cooled their bodies, which were drenched in sweat from the heat.

It seemed the sun was about to set, so Bae Jongsun, the commander of the Sambyeolcho, quickly called the other commanders.

The senior generals, including Yu Jonyeok and Yi Shinseon, who were on the command ship with him, were urgently summoned.

"Something strange has happened."

The Sambyeolcho leadership, who had planned to establish a base at Yongjangsa in Jin Island, were stunned by the bizarre situation.

During their long journey, they had seen the many islands along the west coast as they traveled from Ganghwa to Jin Island.

But the vast land they saw in the distance was clearly not an island.

It was a vast mainland.

There were no islands around at all.

Could this be the eastern coast?

"The sky is getting darker. Commander, please give your orders."

Jongsun, rubbing his temples, said, "Moving the fleet at night is almost suicidal. The small ships should anchor on the beach, and the large ships should build simple docking facilities."

"Yes, Commander."

The sailors, who had been confused by the change in wind direction, regained their composure at the generals' commands and adjusted the sails to head toward the distant land.

They confirmed that the surrounding islands were not visible, but the rough waves made them uneasy.

By the time the Sambyeolcho fleet reached the beach, it was already dark.

The small ships anchored on the sand, and the soldiers disembarked first.

The soldiers cut nearby trees to make torches and began building a temporary camp while the Sambyeolcho leadership held a meeting on the large command ship.

"We don't know how close the pursuit forces are. We need to build a strong camp and maintain strict vigilance."

General Yu Jonyeok, the Left Chief Commander, spoke with some urgency.

They had defeated several pursuit forces from the Mongols and Goryeo while moving south, but their vigilance was at its peak.

Even if they had been defeated, they had only been pushed back, not annihilated, and could attack at any time.

If they had established a base on Jin Island, which was separated from the mainland, the Sambyeolcho's naval superiority would have prevented such an incident. But this place was clearly a vast mainland.

"But the soldiers are very tired from the voyage and battles. It would be better to let them rest after setting up the camp."

General Yi Shinseon, the Right Chief Commander, suggested.

Jongsun nodded and gave orders to the commanders.

"Given the distance we've covered, it will take at least two days, or even one day if they ride horses, for them to catch up. Maintain vigilance, but let the exhausted soldiers rest and prepare to send scouts."

"Yes, General."

As the commanders left the tent, a junior officer brought in an elderly official, An Bangyeol.

"General, this man says he has something to say."

"Speak."

It was An Bangyeol, the Chief of the Astronomical Bureau, a high-ranking official of the third rank. Although he was cooperative, he seemed like a typical opportunist, which made Jongsun somewhat wary.

Jongsun glanced at the official and then shifted his gaze to the map of Goryeo's terrain, speaking again.

This is definitely strange.

There are no similar terrains nearby.

How much distance could we have covered in such a short time?

Jin Island should be nearby.

An Bangyeol, clearly intimidated by the menacing atmosphere of Jongsun and the armed men around him, kept swallowing and fidgeting.

"Speak up, we don't have much time."

"…It is."

Jongsun, who had been distracted, was startled by An Bangyeol's words and rushed out of the tent.

The armed men behind him were also surprised and followed him outside.

As the soldiers were busy, the commanders came out one by one and looked up at the sky, and some of the sentries also looked up in confusion.

After a while, Jongsun, looking up at the dark night sky, sighed softly.

"…It's true!"

—

Dawn was breaking.

The sun was about to rise over the endless horizon of the sea.

Now that it was light, they had the leisure to look around, but the sense of strangeness only increased.

The large warships had docked, and the smaller ships and civilian vessels were roughly anchored on the sandy beach. Before the makeshift camp was fully set up, they gathered to discuss the situation.

After a long silence, Jongsun spoke with a hoarse voice.

"This place is not where we know."

It's not the small islands of Tamra or the even more distant Ryukyu.

This is clearly a vast mainland.

The constellations of Chiseunggwang and the Northern Dipper are not visible.

The same goes for other stars.

Not all of them were invisible, though.

According to the elderly official An Bangyeol, the stars that were rarely visible were now clear, while the stars that were always visible could not be found.

Although he was in a poor state and had no real power, he was still a high-ranking official and the head of the Astronomical Bureau. There was no reason not to believe him.

The fact that the sun was rising provided a way to determine directions, which was fortunate, but a more fundamental problem had arisen.

Determining directions was difficult, and the moon was not bright, so the order to send scouts at night was withdrawn.

As dawn broke, the scouts set out.

The scouts who had gone out in all directions reported back:

The scouts on the left and right sides of the camp saw endless sandy beaches.

The scout who went north saw vast plains, forests, and small hills.

None of them had encountered the forces of Kaesong or the Mongols.

In fact, there was no sign of human habitation.

Goryeo's territory was mountainous and rugged, so even on the plains, mountains could be seen on the horizon. But they had never seen such vast, endless plains, and it was difficult to adapt.

Kim Tongjeong, the Commander of the Divine Righteous Army, thought for a moment and said,

"Isn't this a good thing?"

He calmly met the gazes of the others and continued.

"If this place is far from Goryeo, it's a golden opportunity to establish a government and build up our forces to resist the Mongols."

They didn't know if the Mongols were here, but they couldn't assume they weren't.

Given their swift and terrifying cavalry, if this was the mainland, they might eventually find them.

But what if this place was not Goryeo?

What if the strange fog yesterday had separated the fleet from Goryeo and brought them to a vast continent?

Yi Shinseon also nodded and said,

"We can't jump to conclusions, but we should increase the number of scouts to gather accurate information."

The other armed men also chimed in.

"We should send ships to explore the coastline and find large rivers and fertile land suitable for farming."

"We need to build strong wooden fortifications at the edges of the camp to ensure thorough defense."

Once the discussion started, numerous opinions flooded in, and Jongsun frowned.

"Quiet!"

He struck the ground with the end of his staff, drawing everyone's attention.

"We can't handle too many tasks at once. We won't be able to control the people properly, and we won't be able to respond to any battles. How many people are available after assigning enough sentries?"

Not all of the thousand ships were manned by the Sambyeolcho.

More than half were ordinary people and women.

The families of some generals and soldiers, the commoners kidnapped from Ganghwa and other Goryeo counties, and the women and children of the civil and military officials who had come to meet them.

The families of the Sambyeolcho would follow orders, but the kidnapped officials and the people who had left their homes and land would be full of resentment.

They had to remember the incident at Yeongheung Island, where a thousand commoners had fled during a small battle on the way to Jin Island.

Jongsun called his confidants.

"Information is most important. Commander Jo, select agile soldiers to gather information about nearby villages or settlements. Bringing back people who can be interrogated is also part of your task."

"Yes, General."

Commander Jo quickly left the tent.

"Kim Nangjang."

Kim Yunseo, who was in the corner, saluted.

"Your orders, sir."

"You know the sea well. Take a few fast small ships to explore the coastline. Your main task is to find the main rivers. If you encounter Goryeo warships, retreat immediately and report."

"Yes, General."

"The rest of the tasks will be done after they gather information. But keep the tension high, so we can leave at any time."

"Understood, General."

They had been able to seize many grain ships while sailing south along the west coast, but the speed at which the vast number of people, numbering around 40,000, consumed food was terrifying.

If this place was indeed a different continent from Goryeo, they needed to plant crops quickly.

'The weather is getting cold.'

Jongsun, somewhat relieved by the initial report that there were no Mongols nearby, felt the temperature drop around him.

He fell into deep thought.