Chapter 5

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I don’t want to be a mere figurehead.

"I wonder if you are not assigning too important a task to someone whose background and abilities are not clearly known."

With these meaningful words from Jeong Seong-gong, the meeting with Johann ended awkwardly.

In fact, when Jeong Seong-gong heard the report that remnants of Li Zicheng's forces had appeared in Daejeon County, he had the thought of sending Johann into battle.

But it was just a thought.

Jeong Seong-gong did not have the authority to issue a deployment order to Johann, who commanded the private army of Jeong Jiryong.

"Is it not appropriate to use this opportunity to clearly distinguish between the real and the fake?"

"There might be unnecessary harm."

"Do not worry. He will not disappoint me. Gamhwi, don't you know my discernment?"

Johann had yet to show his true worth as a general.

Nevertheless, Jeong Seong-gong recognized Johann's extraordinary qualities.

When the emperor of the Southern Ming, Emperor Rongwu, first met Jeong Seong-gong, he saw something extraordinary in him.

Jeong Seong-gong was granted the surname Jeong because his extraordinary qualities were recognized.

And when Jeong Seong-gong saw Johann, he felt the same emotion that Emperor Rongwu felt when he first met him.

'His words about winning a hundred battles in the Western Regions must not be a lie. His eyes did not lie.'

In fact, Johann's appearance played a significant role in Jeong Seong-gong's evaluation.

In this era, appearance played a considerable role in assessing a person's abilities.

This was especially true for military leaders; even if someone was exceptionally capable, they would not be recognized if they were short.

In this sense, Johann was extraordinary from the start.

He was 185 cm tall and had a charismatic appearance.

"However, I doubt that Nam Anhou will send the Wubing to suppress Li Zicheng's remnants."

No matter how highly Jeong Seong-gong evaluated Johann, it was meaningless.

Johann, strictly speaking, was not Jeong Seong-gong's man but Jeong Jiryong's.

And Jeong Jiryong would not send Johann, let alone the Wubing, to suppress the peasant army.

It was only natural.

Even now, as the highest power holder in the Southern Ming, Jeong Jiryong was still essentially a merchant.

Such a person would not use his precious private army to protect the country.

"Wouldn't your father think it better to send him into battle rather than me?"

"Only you, General, can threaten Nam Anhou."

"Threaten? It's just persuasion. And I believe your father is also curious about his true abilities."

If the opponent is Li Zicheng's remnants, his true abilities can be clearly assessed.

'He said that the best way to deal with the rebels is to have strong firepower. If increasing firepower is the answer, as he said, then the northern expedition might be possible.'

If only the chronic corruption could be resolved, the economic power of the Southern Ming would surpass that of the Southern Song.

And strong firepower could be produced with sufficient economic power.

Unlike horse riding or archery, which take time to learn, shooting a gun could be learned in less than a week.

***

A few hours after the meeting with Jeong Seong-gong, Jeong Jiryong called Johann.

"Are you and Jeong Sam in some kind of feud?"

"What do you mean?"

Johann tilted his head.

Jeong Sam, mentioned by Jeong Jiryong, was Jeong Seong-gong's original name.

"If you don't like being sent to the battlefield, he said to send himself instead."

"Oh..."

"There are bandits in Daejeon County, and you are to lead the Wubing to suppress them."

At this command, Johann inwardly smiled bitterly.

'Really sending me. How many talents does this country lack?'

When Jeong Seong-gong first made his meaningful remarks, Johann thought, 'Surely not.'

But in the end, Jeong Jiryong himself gave Johann the order to deploy.

'Well, if the opponent is a bandit gang, it might be a good thing.'

If the opponent was the Qing army, he might have considered fleeing.

No matter how much he loved the battlefield, he wouldn't go out of his way to seek a battle he was sure to lose.

Most importantly, he had no reason to risk his life for the Southern Ming.

He wasn't willing to risk his life for Joseon, so why would he do it for the Southern Ming?

Therefore, the fact that the opponent was a bandit gang made him feel relieved.

He thought he could gain combat experience without risking his life.

"I will take care of it. I will eliminate all the bandits."

"You sound very confident. Do you know how many bandits there are?"

Bandits, no matter how many, were not scary.

But Johann did not voice his thoughts.

He did not want to give Jeong Jiryong the impression of being rash.

He did not want to be treated as an ignorant general.

"I am used to facing ten times the enemy. Moreover, the Wubing are elite, so there is nothing to fear."

Johann spoke confidently.

But whether his abilities were real or fake, Jeong Jiryong did not want to gamble with the private army he had painstakingly raised.

"Soon, the court will appoint Feng Xianxin as the commander of the suppression army. Of course, he is also my man."

"But what does that have to do with me?"

"When the court's army moves, you should move with them. This will reduce the damage."

Hearing this, Johann frowned.

To deal with just a bandit gang, he had to move with another army.

It was not an unreasonable request, but it hurt his pride.

"Shouldn't I have command?"

"Of course. Who else can command the Wubing?"

Johann nodded and gave Jeong Jiryong the answer he wanted.

"I will do as you say."

He didn't like it, but what could he do?

Jeong Jiryong was his superior.

"But you must outperform the court's army."

"The commander of the court's army is also Nam Anhou's man, isn't he?"

"True, but the court's army is not my private army."

Johann's eyes lit up at Jeong Jiryong's words.

If he played his cards right, he might find a way to get rid of the obstruction.

"What if Feng Xianxin tries to exclude me?"

"You are not a court official. You are my man. Do you understand what I mean?"

Hearing this, Johann inwardly rejoiced.

'If I just time the deployment right, it should work.'

If things went as Johann planned, he could follow Jeong Jiryong's orders and take all the credit.

***

After the conversation with Jeong Jiryong, Johann immediately went to find Feng Xianxin.

Normally, it would be difficult for someone of Johann's status to meet a court general, but Johann had the backing of Nam Anhou and Jeong Jiryong.

"What is it?"

"When do you plan to deploy?"

Johann asked bluntly upon meeting Feng Xianxin.

"I don't see why I should tell you."

It was understandable, but Feng Xianxin's attitude towards Johann was extremely prickly.

In fact, this was a normal reaction.

Johann, after all, was like a parachuted official.

But Johann did not care about Feng Xianxin's reaction.

"I plan to deploy today."

"Are you daring to deploy without my permission?"

"Since when have you been my superior, General, that you need my permission?"

As Feng Xianxin's face turned red and blue, Johann continued.

"Isn't it ridiculous to waste time dealing with just a bandit gang?"

"You Southern barbarian! Do you want to die?"

"Why am I a Southern barbarian? Call me an Eastern barbarian instead."

"Yoo-noo-oom!"

It seemed he didn't like being called an Eastern barbarian either.

Johann smiled and left with one last remark.

"General, take your time. I will take care of the bandits."

A roar came from behind Johann.

He seemed to have the bold personality he had heard about.

***

'Has the provocation worked?'

Johann stroked his chin.

He deliberately provoked Feng Xianxin, accepting the risk of a hostile relationship.

The goal was to make Feng Xianxin deploy quickly.

But Johann did not have the ability to read people's minds, so he could not be sure how Feng Xianxin would act.

He could only guess that someone with Feng Xianxin's personality would not sit still after being provoked.

"Deployment preparations are complete."

At that moment, Matuz reported.

Matuz was the de facto leader of the black soldiers before Johann took command of the Wubing.

He was the strongest and smartest among the black soldiers, and Johann appointed him as his second-in-command and a kind of intelligence officer.

He treated him well because he was talented, but also to avoid doing the tedious work himself.

"How many matchlock guns do we have?"

"Each soldier has one, and we have 20 extra."

"Then we need to increase the number of soldiers with matchlock guns."

It was a bit disappointing not to have flintlock guns, but it didn't matter much.

After all, the opponent was a bandit gang.

Moreover, the Wubing had been trained with matchlock guns, so suddenly changing weapons would not be ideal.

"But are we really deploying alone?"

Matuz asked with a blank face.

Johann raised his fist.

Even Matuz, who usually had little emotional fluctuation, flinched at this action.

His body remembered what happened when he was hit by Johann's fist.

'This guy is my second-in-command, so I should at least treat him minimally.'

If another soldier had asked such a question, Johann would not have stopped his fist.

When the commander gives an order, soldiers should follow without question, not raise objections.

But Matuz was the only person in his unit who could be called an officer.

As a non-regular soldier, this was the limit of what he could tolerate.

"Then what? Follow the orders of that ugly Feng Xianxin? It will take days just to prepare for deployment?"

"But if we deploy alone, we will be severely reprimanded."

"Win, and win overwhelmingly."

Johann responded indifferently to Matuz's concerns.

'I don't want to be a figurehead. The credit for suppressing the bandits should be mine alone.'

The same went for the spoils of war.

Money was essential to build his true army.

***

The Wubing were indeed elite.

Despite the sudden forced march, not a single soldier fell behind.

'I have to find a way to bring these guys to Taiwan.'

Johann still harbored the dream of becoming the king of Taiwan.

This might have been foreseen when he started the game with the pirate king concept.

To become the king of Taiwan, he needed his own army.

A loyal and strong army that would obey only him.

But as a Korean, it was not easy for him to get a loyal army in China.

The same would apply to Taiwan.

Therefore, the Wubing, composed of black soldiers, were perfect as his subordinates.

They were in a similar situation to him.

"Sure enough, my provocation worked."

At that moment, a group of people was seen moving along the path he had taken.

It was clearly Feng Xianxin's army, coming from the direction of Fuzhou.

'Since we deployed on the same day, it's safe to say we deployed together.'

This relieved him.

If Feng Xianxin had not deployed today, he would have been severely reprimanded even if the suppression was successful.

Thanks to Feng Xianxin's predictable actions, he had an excuse.

Now, if he won, Jeong Jiryong would not scold him.

"I will increase the marching speed."

"…But they are not the enemy. Why increase the speed?"

"We are in a competitive relationship for the same prey. If they are not the enemy, what are they?"

Matuz shook his head at Johann's words.

***

After a day, Feng Xianxin's army was no longer in sight.

Instead, something else was visible.

"I can see the enemy's scouts."

"Enemy? I don't see anything."

Matuz looked around.

But he wouldn't see anything.

The enemy scouts Johann spotted were so far away that they looked smaller than ants.

'If Matuz couldn't spot them, the enemy probably hasn't spotted us either.'

It was only natural.

His eyesight was better than that of the Mongols.

Since telescopes were not common in this era, the enemy was unlikely to spot him before he did.

'With this advantage in vision, there are quite a few useful tactics I can use.'

Johann smiled, finding it interesting.

He was already using his game body effectively, and he thought he could use it even more effectively.

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