Beginning's End

October 927

King Kyon of Later Baekjae had taken down the weak Silla empire, and now he threatened Wang’s Goryeo. Determined to stop Kyon’s advance and to possibly unite the peninsula under Goryeo, Wang and his cavalrymen rode warily into the Silla mountain range. Dark, billowing smoke drifted from the burning forts and loomed ominously above the forces. As the men continued forward, the air thickened with heat, and the lush greens took on charred edges. Until at last, at the foot of Mount Gongsan, the enemy came into view. The Later Baekjae forces stood uniform on the mountainside. The dark smoke rolling over them dimmed the burning shine of thousands of flaming arrows. 

Wang signalled to his men; the air chimed and clanged with a chorale of five thousand lances drawn. At a wave of his hand, Wang’s frontline thundered across the field and up the mountain; Kyon’s forces rained down a storm of fire, and the battlefield quickly degraded into a red pandemonium of fire and blood. Before Wang could assess the situation and issue another attack, from the smoking foliage emerged Kyon’s cavalry, cutting down Wang’s best men and quickly approaching him. The forces had hidden at the start of the battle, and in the fiery mayhem, found the perfect opportunity for an ambush. 

Wang’s heart sank as he faced his own death and the death of his empire. Kyon’s forces were closing in from both sides, his men being slaughtered—

“SIR!” A familiar, beloved voice from behind pierced through the manic screams and cries of agony around him. Quickly spinning his horse, he bolted out from the scene, dodging incoming arrows and spears. At last, General Sin came into view, his face smeared with blood, dirt, and smoke, but his eyes glowed intensely with determination. As soon as Wang came into arms reach, Sin took off and held his helmet out to Wang with his right hand as he grabbed Wang’s helmet and placed it on himself with his left. 

“We have been ambushed by a much greater force that has also secured the high ground. This battle is nigh unwinnable. Swap armor with me so that they may run after me, and you may escape. Goryeo will surely fall without you; you must survive to unify this broken land. Of course, I will do my utmost to survive and return. But the country needs your counsel more than it needs any of our manpower.” Wang was speechless. Sin’s display of loyalty was incredible, but more than that, he realized he had to accept. The chances of his survival and a unified country would crumble if he stayed and fought. 

“Thank you,” was all he could muster. As his eyesight glossed with welling tears, Wang took off any armor he could easily slide off and exchanged with Sin. He reached toward Sin’s ashy face and smeared his cheeks likewise with smoke. Sin nodded. And with a ferocious battle cry, he charged into the savage fray.

Wang wasted no time fleeing, cutting through the dense, smoky forest and making his way out to the base of the mountain. He drove his horse through the charred fields and did not look back. Just as he was leaving the clearing, he heard a victorious rally ring out from the battlefield. The enemy chanted that Wang Geon was dead.

A few weeks later

“This was what we could recover, sir.” Wang stood above Sin’s mutilated body; Wang’s armor was scratched and bent. His head was missing, as it was taken by the enemy forces for proof of Wang’s death. 

“I want his head cast with gold and buried in the royal tomb,” Wang ordered. For many days, Wang wept for his lost general and friend. And he vowed that his sacrifice would not be in vain, that Wang would unify the whole of the peninsula. And he would, nine years later.

Beginnings

July 24, 918

The four generals and Commander Wang gathered gloomily under candlelight. 

“King Kung Ye must be overthrown,” General Sin spoke. “The man not only claims he is the Buddha, but he has slaughtered his family as well. We four have decided that you, Commander, shall be our new King. We have already gathered our forces.” The other generals nodded. Wang raised his eyes and struck a cold gaze into each of the generals, lingering on Sin, who stared back with a blazing intensity. Wang lowered his eyes and walked out of the gathering; the humid air surrounded him, and he stared up to the heavens, and countless stars reflected in his eyes. He turned, the humid air let go of him, and the stars were covered by the dark shadows of monsoon clouds as Commander Wang walked back to the generals who awaited him.

The palace was overtaken by rolling thunder from both the heavens and soldiers; the sky crackled with lightning and wept downpours while hundreds of horses shook the ground and pierced the air with shrieking whinnies. The forces that remained loyal to Kung Ye were quickly overwhelmed by the combined might of the four generals under Wang. Kung Ye, his robe stained with blood and mud, sprinted across the palace, lurching for the gate. General Sin quickly took notice and aimed, piercing an iron arrowhead through Kung Ye’s calf. Kung Ye collapsed forward into the gate. The gate creaked open, and the king looked up, but not into the dark sky. Instead, a drenched, angry, wriggling wave of his subjects crashed down upon him. They unleashed their stored fury upon him, fueled by the religious persecution and corruption that characterized the last few years. As the storm clouds shied away and the sun announced a new dawn, the giant crowd cheered on the new King Wang, and the brutalized corpse of Kung Ye sank in the blood-clouded mud. 

A few years later

The rolling hills became dashes of warm colors as General Sin and King Wang rode their horses under the autumnal sun. The two were out on a hunting trip and admiring the beauty of the Pyongsan countryside. King Wang abruptly stopped as he spotted a flock of geese flying nearby, the tip of the arrow formation pointing directly at them. He faced General Sin.

“I know that you are a skilled archer, Sin. Entertain me and strike down the third goose on the right.” Sin gave a slight nod and drew his bow. 

“Wait! That may be too easy for you. I want you to hit the left wing of the third goose on the right.” Sin gave Wang a grunt as he adjusted his aim, not letting his line of sight wander off the goose. He drew his bow tighter, and as his target moved in, he promptly let go of the string and the arrow soared through the cloudless sky. The iron point met the goose in a cloud of feathers, and the rest of the formation honked and flapped as the target dropped to the ground in a feathered spiral. It met the ground a couple of meters left of where the commander and general were standing, and when Wang went to inspect the goose, his lips curled in a slight smirk. There was an arrow piercing its left wing. Sin walked up to inspect his work.

Wang beamed at his general, thoroughly impressed. He turned his gaze towards the countryside; grand pine trees stood among the warm foliage with sun-speckled leaves, the morning chirps of songbirds and crickets melodized in the clean, crisp air, and a round of mist-shrouded mountains stood stoic, encircling the scene. He turned back to Sin.

“This land is beautiful, and I have been blessed with ruling its people. I would not have had this pleasure without you.” 

“Thank you, sir.” Wang nodded. 

“And in return for your loyalty, as well as your adeptness with the bow, I have decided to gift you this land we stand on at this moment. Stand where the goose has fallen, and look around. As far as the eye can see, including the mighty mountains, all of this fertile land will be under your name.” 

“Sir, I—”

“No need for any comment. My royal word is final and absolute. Your name shall forever be enshrined in this land, and all your descendants, the Pyongsan Sin Clan, shall be blessed.”

Dire Decisions 2

As the group approached a short hill, Shin saw a small figure in the distance approaching rapidly. He wiped away the sweat that hung on his brow and narrowed his eyes. He gave the signal to stop. Dismounting, Shin reached for his scabbard and tightened his— 

“Stop!” The figure yelled out. “I am Commander Yi.” Shin loosened his grip for a moment before tightening his grip again, tighter than before. This was the commander he was to meet at Choryeong Pass. Why was he here?

“Halt! What is your business here?” Shin shouted. 

“The Japanese have ambushed our forces. Choryeong has fallen. But hope is not lost! Let me join your counteroffensive!” Shin took a step forward. His blade seemed to pulse under the sun as he swiftly unsheathed it. The fine edge now faced Yi.

“You left your troops to die to the Japanese and fled alone, cowardly?!” Shin roared. “You should have faced defeat honorably and fought to the end with your troops! I should kill you here and now!”

Governor Kim rushed to Shin’s side. 

“Please, spare the man. He is a famed general. We need all the help we can get to defeat the enemy forces.” Shin reluctantly unsheathed his sword and got back on his horse. 

“Follow if you will. We will face the enemy at Tangeumdae.” Yi walked silently behind.

Choryeong Pass could now be seen. The yellow dirt swirled up in flame-like waves as the metallic shine of Japanese helmets, swords, and something resembling hand cannons. Shin’s forces got in formation, the cavalry placing itself wide to cover as much area of the arena-like Tangeumdae as possible. The uniform marching of the enemy could now be heard. Shin stood stoutly and observed. The forces were mostly infantry. He had a chance. If his cavalry—  

Suddenly, lightning seemed to rage among the men as crackling bursts rang in Shin’s ears, accompanied by men falling around him and despair-filled horses whinnying. The thunderous judgment didn’t stop. From nearly double the distance that hand cannons could fire, the Japanese fired volley after volley from smoking arquebuses. Shin was stunned for a moment, but quickly regained his composure and ordered his cavalry to charge. Governor Kim and General Yi were nowhere to be seen on the hazy battlefield. Shin and the cavalry that had survived the initial attack charged ahead. Every couple of meters, a man was shot down. The few men Shin had left managed to reach the frontline and cut into the defense, but the blood-soaked vegetation of the arena jutted out disruptively, heavily slowing down the offense. Defeat was imminent. Shin ordered a retreat. Men in his periphery were shot down. A bullet nicked his shoulder. The humid blanket of the land was infused with a bloody mist, and all Shin could see was red.

Shin stopped in front of the sparkling water of the Namhan River. The screams of despair and cries for mercy could barely be heard here. Shin took a step into the water. His dark, twinkling armor braced him against the current. A red thread of blood entered the stream from his shoulder. Shin used the last of his strength to dive forward. The roaring current grew louder as he sank deeper, and the cries of his army were completely drowned out. His armor continued to brace him as he slowly and stoutly descended. But under the river, the dark armor shined no longer.