Chapter 23: [The Monk's Rebellion] – Part 2
Although the local lords had already seen Da-Inseon's Eight Banner Army when they first defected, witnessing the army now surrounding Songak and moving siege engines made them swallow hard.
Silla's soldiers, long spoiled by peace, were incompetent, and since they had never faced neighboring Balhae, seeing siege weapons was a first.
Moreover, these siege engines were Da-Inseon's own invention. Modeled after medieval European trebuchets, they differed markedly from the typical Eastern catapults.
The preparations for the assault were complete.
Standing at the forefront of the army encircling Songak, Da-Inseon projected his voice toward the city.
"People of Songak, hear me! Hundreds of years have passed since the Goryeo of the Go clan lost this land. Now, under our Dae clan, Goryeo has reclaimed it from Silla! Why, then, do you dare raise your hand against me, your rightful ruler? You are nothing but thieves rising within my land! If you truly wish to surrender, even now, strike down the old fox Wang Ryung and hang his head on the city walls!"
"How dare the Malgal claim to be Goryeo! You thieves calling yourselves Goryeo and claiming dominion over the Three Han must be the real usurpers!"
The man confronting Da-Inseon from the battlements was none other than Wang Ryung, lord of Songak. He wore a Chinese-style official robe that seemed ill-fitting. His soldiers donned a mix of different armor or ordinary clothing, and their morale was already at rock bottom.
'They must be so poor they had to dig through everything they owned just to clothe themselves.'
Da-Inseon clicked his tongue at the sight.
"You fool, Wang Ryung! Senile and deluded! You trust only a fragment of walls and the hapless Gungye. Do you truly think that's enough to defy us? Our founder, Go Dae-Joyoung, rooted in the Sogmalbu, was unquestionably Goryeo. We have publicly declared that we inherit the Goryeo of the Go clan, claiming divine right across the world. How can you deny that we are the rightful master of the Three Han? And yet you, playing at Maitreya, dare call yourself the ruler of this land?"
"Silence! The Malgal chief talks too much!"
"What a lamentable sight. Eight Banner Army, breach that city! All of Wang Ryung's wealth and the holdings of his lords shall be yours!"
Da-Inseon, never intending to accept a surrender, commanded the Eight Banner Army to take Songak by force.
At his order, the soldiers tightened their encirclement.
""Waaaaaah!""
The battle for Songak began with the fierce assault of the Eight Banner Army.
Da-Inseon's self-invented trebuchets relentlessly battered the city walls. Armored cavalry rained arrows down on the defenders atop the ramparts.
Within Songak, only Wang Ryung's personal guards and some remaining townspeople remained to oppose Da-Inseon, leaving their fighting power pitiful.
Though they fired arrows back at the Eight Banner Army with determination, most carried outdated Silla weapons. Importing proper arms from the Central Plains during this era was impossible, and their arrows could not pierce the brigandine armor of Da-Inseon's troops.
Training, too, made the difference. Private forces under a minor lord could not match the elite soldiers of the Taewang.
Each arrow fired by the Eight Banner cavalry felled Wang Ryung's men, while his own shots failed to harm the climbing attackers.
Within an hour, the relentless bombardment had reduced the city to rubble and the walls to ruin.
Crashing sounds echoed across Songak.
Da-Inseon, who had once learned about Wang Ryung in the annals of history, had not expected him to be such a pitiful man. Reality was cruel: Wang Ryung was stubborn, blind to opportunity, and hopelessly foolish.
History, of course, is always glorified by the victor. At this moment, Wang Ryung embodied that harsh truth—an incompetent fool unable to comprehend the situation.
Da-Inseon felt a pang of disappointment. If Wang Ryung was this inept, perhaps Wang Geon was not all that remarkable either.
It was only moments before the city gates were breached. Cavalry dodged arrows with ease, set fire to the gates, and smashed them with battering rams.
The waiting Eight Banner troops poured into Songak, rendering the walls useless.
"P-please spare us! We surrender!"
"You refused to surrender when asked! Now that you face death, you choose surrender? You asked for this! Kill every one who surrenders!"
Da-Inseon and his soldiers, insulted as if they were mere barbarians, struck the Songak lords down thoroughly to prevent any future rebellion.
"Execute Wang Ryung and all those who mocked the Taewang of Goryeo as the Malgal emperor!"
"Those who capture Wang Ryung and the lords will receive silver and silk! Any who conceal them will face punishment!"
Initially, the townspeople had followed Wang Ryung and the lords, but as the Eight Banner Army only targeted resisting lords and spared civilians, resentment toward their former masters grew.
Even the promise of rewards for reporting the lords stirred the populace. Having already been drained by Gungye's previous support campaigns, the people were eager to act.
Seeing that the Eight Banner Army cared only for lords and spared the common folk, the townspeople began hunting the lords themselves.
"Here! This one followed Wang Ryung!"
"P-please! Spare me!"
"Well done! Come to our camp once everything is sorted!"
"Thank you!"
After the battle, the Eight Banner Army had completely eradicated Songak's lords. Their blood stained the streets as the army executed every family found.
The local lords of Pyeongju, witnessing the carnage, exhaled in relief. Had they continued to follow Gungye or Wang Ryung, their own heads might have fallen before their eyes.
Watching the Pyeongju lords trembling and the townspeople gleefully hunting the lords, Da-Inseon smirked.
The fight between Gungye's forces and the Eight Banner Army was brief.
Gungye rushed to strike Da-Inseon's camp but encountered 4,500 cavalry under Jeong Hwang-Gi waiting in ambush. For Gungye's army, which had expected Da-Inseon to remain in Songak, this was disastrous.
In every aspect—strength, equipment, morale—Gungye's forces could not match the Eight Banner Army. Formations collapsed instantly, and a single thrust from the enemy's spear could impale two to three soldiers.
Yu Geum-Pil and Park Sul-Hee had penetrated the enemy ranks alone, wreaking havoc, leaving Wang Geon powerless to intervene. Even Shin Sung-Gyeom and Bok Ji-Gyeom could not reverse the tide.
Wang Geon did what he could, signaling the Eight Banner Army that there was no enmity, helping end the fight quickly.
Only five soldiers fell when they were unhorsed, while roughly half of Gungye's 5,128-strong army were killed, with the rest fleeing or surrendering.
With the lords dealt with, several Eight Banner captains brought a scruffy, older man to Da-Inseon.
Though older and dirtier, it was unmistakably Wang Ryung—the same man who had insulted Da-Inseon from the battlements. His disheveled appearance suggested he had tried to disguise himself to escape.
"Ah, just hours ago you dared mock me, and now you wish to live?"
"…Ugh!"
"Now that I, whom you so contemptuously called the Malgal emperor, stand before you, how does it feel? Huh?"
Da-Inseon, abandoning the decorum of a king, grinned at Wang Ryung, enjoying himself.
The old man could hardly be upset. Once kneeling, he realized he was just an old fool.
"No mercy for the defeated! These savage northern barbarians!"
"Exactly our Wang Ryung! Hahaha! Defeated? A thief calling himself defeated! Truly insane! Hahaha! I treat you as a bandit, not an enemy general. You still think Gungye was remarkable? Want to know something fun? Gungye struggled against Yang Gil only because I supported him from behind—horses, weapons, and even bribing lords were all my doing. I am kind to those who oppose me."
Da-Inseon laughed heartily.
Wang Ryung, considering the situation, realized the sudden resurgence of Yang Gil's forces was due to Da-Inseon's support.
"…What will you do with me?"
"Oh, several things. Execute you before Wang Geon, or execute Wang Geon before you, then send you to Yang Gil. If I had two lives, I'd try both! Hahaha!"
Da-Inseon expressed his joy and anger freely, though he did not intend to be cruel. Wang Ryung, though a bandit, was a historically notable figure—the father of Wang Geon, founder of Goryeo. Some courtesy was warranted.
At that moment, an aide from Jeong Hwang-Gi's unit rushed in with news.
"Your Majesty! Gungye's army attacked the surrender envoy but engaged our unit led by Yu Geum-Pil and Park Sul-Hee!"
"Were they the ones? How did they fare?"
"Of course we won! Yu Geum-Pil and Park Sul-Hee caused chaos, scattering Gungye's forces. Our troops merely watched."
Da-Inseon's eyes widened in astonishment. He had expected action but not such extraordinary success.
Wang Ryung was also shocked—his once-thriving forces had been defeated by Malgal soldiers.
"And Wang Geon? What of him?"
"Before annihilating Gungye's forces, he captured Gungye and his key commanders, including Bae Hyun-Ryung and Kim Soon-Sik, forcing their surrender."
"Even though he is a thief himself, he captured them all? Bring him before me, kneeling!"
'Wang Geon resembles history closely—he overthrew his master. Unbelievable.'
Da-Inseon thought this but did not scold Wang Geon. Historically, Wang Geon had also killed needlessly during the move to Cheorwon. Here, Wang Geon acting against Gungye was unsurprising.
"You are Gungye? I hear your face is better suited to a gambling den. Well, that ends today."
"The Malgal king dares mock me!"
"Malgal? Hahaha, good. You, a self-proclaimed Maitreya, insult me, calling me a mere Malgal king. Do you think your delusions impress anyone? I am king of Goryeo, not some passing madman."
"What a foolish wretch! Do you not understand my intent?"
"Your Majesty! The generals cannot endure this fool's tongue! Cut out his tongue!"
"Why? Let him continue. Losers always bark like dogs. But you've seen it—those people you tried to lead ultimately follow me. Do you know why? To the people, Maitreya or Malgal doesn't matter. They follow whoever provides food, safety, and peace, even a petty thug like me."
Da-Inseon casually lifted Gungye's chin with the tip of his blade as he spoke.