Chapter 1168: Chapter 1168

Wiggins restarted the meeting.

“I believe everyone here already is up to date on the current situation. The first wave of the enemy has broken through from the west coast. Unfortunately, we do not know the potential landing zone for the next wave of enemy reinforcement.”

Bang Jin-Hun, who had been overwhelmed by the grave atmosphere, finally voiced his thoughts. “Our people are currently focused on the East Sea, aren’t they?”

“Yes, that’s correct. We’re urgently redirecting the combat units deployed in the east to the west coast. However, in case of an unexpected situation, the Demon Flames will remain in the east for the time being.”

“Really? Shouldn’t the strongest combatants...”

“Only the Demon Flames are capable of responding to unforeseen circumstances with a few combatants.”

“Mm... Yes, that’s true,” said Bang Jin-Hun while nodding in agreement.

Wiggins explained in an orderly manner.

“The enemy’s advance party entering the country is bad news for us. No matter how rationally we respond, our forces will still end up spreading thinly over a wider area.

“Without a doubt, the enemy’s main forces will use that opening to attempt the landing. This incident has unequivocally demonstrated that we don’t have any realistic way to stop the enemy when they jump into the water and swim toward the shore.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded while listening.

The ocean was not the ‘territory’ of martial artists. If the enemy traveled on ships, the Assembly would have no choice but to sail out on ships as well. However, what could a non-military boat even do to stop another boat in the middle of the ocean?

Bang Jin-Hun curiously asked, “Hang on? Can’t we respond like the last time when the Japs showed up? You know, go wild on their ship and stuff?”

Wiggins ruefully shook his head. “No, that’s not going to work this time. The Japanese aren’t idiots and have prepared a countermeasure already. They previously used a large cruise ship to ferry their combatants, but not this time.

“They divided their forces and had them travel in several fishing boats. Even if we stop one boat, the rest will just ignore us and continue on. That will make chasing them down so much harder.”

“...Goddamn bastards! Why the f*ck did they have to travel on fishing boats?! Where is their damn pride?!” Bang Jin-Hun grumbled, his expression crumpling.

“Also, there is a diplomatic problem to consider here. Those fishing vessels being Chinese presents a serious problem.”

Everyone groaned loudly when Wiggins brought up China.

Lee Hyeon-Su chimed in. “I’m sure you already know that the Korean government isn’t allowing the illegal fishing activity alone because it doesn’t have the power. If it wants to, it can easily sink every one of those ships and arrest all the fishermen on board. However, doing that will trigger the internationally recognized hooligans in Beijing.

“You know they will undoubtedly throw a hissy fit like there’s no tomorrow. That’s why the Korean government’s hands are tied on this one.”

“If the enemy continues to rely on the Chinese fishing vessels, there isn’t a whole lot we can do other than pray that the Coast Guard does its job. Unfortunately, the Coast Guard does not carry firearms and the best it can do is block the path with their boats.

“But the enemy has already anticipated that and brought in large fishing vessels, which means... Realistically speaking, it’ll be difficult to stop them.”

“I see...” Bang Jin-Hun muttered with a lengthy groan.

To summarize, no simple responses were available as long as the Japanese traveled in Chinese fishing boats. They could just get somewhere close enough to the shore and swim the rest of the way.

What could the Coast Guard, or anyone else for that matter, do to stop the martial artists swimming toward their destination? It wasn’t as if the Coast Guard members could start spraying the water with machine guns or cast a fishing net to capture the Japanese.

There was not a damn thing anyone could do.

“Those goddamn Chinese bastards...!” Bang Jin-Hun loudly gritted his teeth.

Lee Hyeon-Su grimly asked, “It must be the Crimson King’s faction pulling the strings, isn’t it?”

“Obviously,” Wiggins gruffly replied, then tutted loudly.

Only that man was capable of hitting the Koreans where it hurt the most.

Once you get over the anger of being the victim of this scheme, it was impossible not to be impressed by what Cai Kechang had managed to cook up.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Wiggins and rhetorically asked, “In other words, there is no realistic way to stop the additional enemy forces from entering the country?”

“Unfortunately, no, my lord.”

Kang Jin-Ho weightily nodded before asking another question, “Are there any other responses we can make?”

“We can try to monitor the entire west coast, my lord. However, if the Japanese recklessly made landfall, the situation could instantly turn into a few versus many, with our people being the few in this equation. It’ll be basically divide and conquer for the Japanese. And that will clearly hand them the advantage.”

Kang Jin-Ho stared at the map before mouthing a fresh cigarette.

He wasn’t at all surprised to hear all these reports and opinions.

One could spread one’s defensive forces to cover the entire border and stop the foreign marauders. However, the enemy could simply find the weakest link and break through there instead.

The best way to deal with such foreign marauders was to build an impregnable fortress and completely block off any invasion attempts or lure the invaders into a death trap and kill them all in one go.

As for Kang Jin-Ho and Co., the choice should be obvious. And that was the option number two.

“We’ll give up on stopping them from landing on our shores.”

Wiggins looked into Kang Jin-Ho’s determined face, then weightily nodded. “Understood.”

“It sounds like the Japanese’s plan is to send in an advanced party to distract us, making it easier for the rest of the army to enter the country. However...”

Kang Jin-Ho raised his hand before pressing down on the area around Gunsan on the map.

“That kind of strategy only works when your advanced party has not been annihilated.”

Everyone in the room instantly figured out what Kang Jin-Ho meant.

Dividing your forces and making them enter the enemy territory separately could be an excellent way to achieve your initial goal. However, every plan and strategy had their pros and cons.

Entering the enemy territory might be easier, but your forces getting fragmented was definitely a disadvantage, a weakness ripe for exploitation.

The invaders were already dealing with inferior numbers, yet they had to divide themselves even more? If discovered, the only fate waiting for the divided invaders would be total annihilation!

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes and addressed his subordinates. “Create a comprehensive dragnet. Tighten the noose around the enemy. A thousand of them, you say? We can easily deal with them as long as we find them.”

“Understood!” Wiggins replied stiffly like a disciplined soldier.

“Vator, it’s your turn,” said Kang Jin-Ho next.

“I’m waiting, master!”

“You’ll join up with our men on the field and take over their command.”

Vator heroically roared, “Of course! Leave it to me. I’ll utterly crush the bastards!”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded in satisfaction.

Those who saw Vator’s hulking frame for the first time usually fell into the trap of thinking he was a bit slow. Dull-witted. Unfortunately, that was a mistake. Anyone who knew the big man would scoff derisively at such a notion.

Vator was definitely not a muscle-brained idiot. On the contrary. He was undoubtedly a capable general. A wise warrior who could be trusted with the command of the army!

“Our mages. What can they do now?”

Wiggins’ eyes narrowed as he ran a few quick mental simulations. He then resolutely replied, “All the prepared magic circles and formations have become useless after the enemy changed their route from the west coast to the east, my lord!”

“That’s not good news.”

“However, there should be no problem with redeploying the mage division elsewhere. Please grant me the authority to command the mages and the Chevaliers, my lord. Under my command, they can function as one cohesive combat unit.”

“Got it. The authority is yours. However, Vator will still have the final say.”

“Thank you, my lord!”

Kang Jin-Hun finally turned his head to Bang Jin-Hun next.

“Yes, sir! I’ll lead the rank-and-file members. We should be more than enough to handle the communication and sharing of information, and adjusting the size of our dragnet. And even act as assistants to various units on the field.”

“Very good. Do that.”

Before Kang Jin-Ho could even nod in satisfaction, Chang Min suddenly stood up and cried out passionately. “My liege! The cult is ready! We swear to you that those insidious bastards will not leave this land alive! Over a thousand demonic cultivators who have received the cult’s blessing will completely and utterly destroy your enemies!”

“Got it. However...” Kang Jin-Ho stared at Chang Min and quietly said, “This is not China. Remember that.”

“Go wild as much as you can. But you must stay vigilant and avoid being seen by the public. If any cult member loses themselves to their demonic nature and starts harming ordinary people, you’ll be the first one I tear apart. Understand?”

“I swear to you, my liege! That won’t happen!” Chang Min cried out again while slamming his forehead on the floor.

Kang Jin-Ho studied the prostrating Chang Min with withdrawn eyes.

Mobilizing the demon cult in this war was a gamble. Since time immemorial, the cult never handled its business discreetly or without incidents. The start might be quiet and stealthy, but once the cult members smelled blood...! Their ensuing rampage would even put starving wolves to shame.

The hundred-or-so Demon Flames sometimes lost their minds to demonic qi and started rampaging around. Now imagine what it would be like with the cult’s demonic cultivators who numbered one thousand! Keeping them in line would never be an easy feat. Even so, their participation was necessary this time.

The world had changed. Which meant the demonic cultivators must learn to play nice with the rest of the world.

When they lacked strength, the demonic cultivators couldn’t even rampage around. So, their presence didn’t cause many issues in society. But now, they possessed enough strength to create serious problems.

If they failed to control themselves and started rampaging around in the current era... That’d lead to the destruction of the demon cult.

Kang Jin-Ho didn’t choose to do this in consideration of the Martial Assembly’s position. For the sake of the demon cult’s continued existence, its members must find a way to overcome their demonic nature.

Chang Min sneakily gauged Kang Jin-Ho’s mood before raising his voice. “My liege! Elders have been in charge of keeping the cult believers in line since ancient times. We shall unhesitantly behead any bastards daring to inconvenience you and set an unforgettable example for all! Please do not worry!”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. If it’s Chang Min, there shouldn’t be many problems to worry about.

“Yes, Assembly Master!”

“You accompany Vator.”

“Your job is to assist Vator while keeping a close eye on the developing situation.”

“Understood!” Lee Hyeon-Su heroically replied. But then, he suddenly realized something and hurriedly stared at Kang Jin-Ho. “Sir? What about you?”

“I have something I must take care of.”

“Oh...” Lee Hyeon-Su weightily nodded.

Generally speaking, not including a powerful combatant like Kang Jin-Ho while building your army was unimaginably foolish. If the Assembly’s overall combat strength was a hundred points, Kang Jin-Ho alone counted as much as fifty, maybe even more!

Creating strategies that didn’t include Kang Jin-Ho was like a boxer entering a ring after severing both of their arms.

‘I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.’

However, the commander’s orders during the wartime were absolute. That was why Lee Hyeon-Su unquestioningly accepted Kang Jin-Ho’s orders.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at everyone. “Any problems we haven’t discussed yet?”

“There isn’t any, sir!”

Although a few sundry issues remained, those were for the directors to deal with on-site. Since they now knew what to do, the rest was up to them.

Kang Jin-Ho coolly nodded. “Alright. Go!”

The directors stood up to leave, their expression stiff from determination. The steps taking them outside the conference room were just as determined and urgent.

After everyone had rushed outside, Kang Jin-Ho removed the cigarette from his lips and stubbed it in a nearby ashtray.

It felt like a subtly boiling air was blowing into his face. However, he always felt this sensation whenever the prospect of war swiftly approached him.

Kang Jin-Ho quietly clenched his fist before unfurling it.

‘This feels different, doesn’t it?’

In the past, Kang Jin-Ho always led the attack. Him staying back and watching others fight didn’t happen often. Those moments only happened when the battles didn’t require his presence or he was merely a distant spectator to localized skirmishes.

Not rushing out to spearhead the attack in a large-scale war was a brand-new experience for him.

He was a bit anxious, sure, but knew he must be patient this time.

The Martial Assembly wasn’t merely a convenient place to affiliate himself with, like how he did so with the demon cult back in Zhongyuan. No, his life was here now. This place had become a part of his family.

That was why he must teach himself to be a little harsher and more draconian with the Assembly.

The members of the Assembly would finally experience what it was like to live while constantly wielding weapons to protect themselves. If they managed to learn important lessons from that experience and ultimately survive... The Martial Assembly would undoubtedly become even stronger.

Kang Jin-Ho accessed his subspace and extracted Crimson Destiny and Azuremourne.

“And now, I should do what I’m good at,” Kang Jin-Ho muttered to no one in particular, the corners of his lips subtly curling up.

This was his first-ever defensive war. That might be true, but a war was a war, regardless.

...And something like Kang Jin-Ho losing a war was unthinkable!

While carrying his two favorite weapons, Kang Jin-Ho leisurely walked in the empty corridors of the Assembly. Such was its emptiness that even a hint of eeriness had crept in. His dark shadow silently stretched behind him.

A devil that had sniffed out the scent of blood was slowly extending his deadly claws.