The battle. 1430. Hanseong.

"Father, we'll take care of this battlefield." Yeonwoo called out. "Leave now, to the western sanctuaries." 

"Are you sure you can handle this?" Sejong asked.

"Of course!" Yeonwoo said. "Go!"

"I trust you." Sejong replied. "Please, daughter, come back safely."

"Don't worry, Father." Yeonwoo nodded. "This shan't be the last of me. And please come back safely too. Dad."

Sejong looked back one more time. Then he climbed into a chariot and, with two guards, speeded out of the castle.

In the distance, restless soldiers kicked up plumes of dust.

Jungkook surveyed the battlefield. It was time for battle.

"Charge!!!" The general of Goryeo called out. It was the final march between the two armies, stationed on a plain in front of Hanseong. 

In an extract by a future poet, the battle was recorded as in the following stanza:

'Red meets steel

The demise of soldiers

Hath not a price for the general as,

He stares at the holy grail in front.

Desperation runs in their veins.'

"Now, class, can someone interpret this poem?" The scholar faced the class. The class looked dumbfounded.

"Nayun, stand up, please try to answer the question." The scholar sighed. The girl blinked, and tried to think about the poem instead of her phone.

"Um... this poem is about the war which isn't in the textbook." She tried. "Red stands for the blood of the soldiers, while steel means weapons."

"Very good. Can you explain further?" The scholar's eyes sparkled. "To give you one of the answers, 'demise' means death."

"Okay." Nayun nodded, though her tiny head felt like it was about to explode from too much thinking. "So the second line means that the soldiers are dying. But...... the commander of that army felt nothing towards their death. Because he only cares about the result, when he wins this battle."

"Indeed." The scholar muttered.

"So, because they know their boss doesn't care about them, they feel desperation. Is this right?" The girl tilted her head.

"Yes." The scholar nodded. "Though we can use another word for 'desperation'. Desperation is too kind for describing their situation. Instead, we can use 'dread'. Class, say it with me once. Dread."

"Dread." The class chanted. They all felt that doom and blackness lay behind that word.

"Indeed, this was what they felt." The scholar nodded. 

Dread.

As the soldiers fought on, more and more of them began to question their loyalty. 

Why were they fighting? To help their Master to found Goryeo. They'd be rewarded for their bravery, and courage.

But now, as they fought and fought, they began to think. If he didn't care for their lives what guaranteed that they'd be rewarded? Their lives were on the balance, and they'd risked everything to help him take the throne. What guaranteed that he would be a fair and just ruler?

He killed his own master, Jin, who was kind to the soldiers. If he could betray Jin, he certainly could betray them.

A human's doubt is a funny thing. Try as you might, you can't shake off doubt once it sinks into your stomach. It clings to you like a parasite, and it would affect you, from your behaviour, strength, to your willpower, your goodwill, your loyalty. 

Aside from dread, doubt and questioning, these Goryeo soldiers were also demoralised from the Joseon soldiers' behaviour. 

The Joseon soldiers were a feisty bunch, because they knew they were fighting for justice, for their nation, for King and Country. Their military size were smaller, but their shouts were louder. Their momentum was, in fact, unstoppable.

And that's why, in spite of their army ratio being 1:24, the Joseon army pushed back the Goryeo army. This was a near-impossible victory, and this battle even downsized the Goryeo army by thousands.

Now, the roles were reversed, since the Goryeo army was demoralised, and the Joseon army was currently attacking the hill on which the Goryeo military headquarters was stationed.

"It's like chess, then." Nayun piped up.

"Why?" The scholar asked, intrigued.

"Because when I play chess with Taeha here, she leaves the pawns to die, and she loses to me every time we play." Nayun replied. "So pawns have their own purposes."

"You can put it that way, yes." The scholar's mouth twitched at the mention of chess.

The Japanese forces began to swarm Ganghwa Island.

They had a fleet of six thousand men, each trained with the 'ninja' martial arts. Within moments, every person on the garrison was held prisoner by the Japanese.

The leader, a stealthy, lithe man with a pair of sais around his belt. His ebony eyes glanced over to the far side, where smoke could be seen rising.

He shook his head. Better to let the two Korean armies to fight it out first, then he, Namekawa Yasuo, would sweep in and destroy what was left of the armies.

He smiled. All was going as planned.

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