292.
Return to Yangzhou — When a Strategist Enters the Army
As the sun tilted westward, the banners of the Goryeo army fluttered along the riverbank of Yangzhou.
A southern wind blew, heavy with dust and the lingering scent of blood.
Park Seong-jin's unit had returned from Huai'an.
At the front rode Park Seong-jin and Song I-sul.
Behind them, mounted on horseback, was Yun Dam, clad in a white robe.
When his figure appeared by the river, a murmur rippled through the camp.
The soldiers whispered among themselves.
"A Daoist."
"From Huai'an, they say."
"The general himself brought him."
Their gazes held a tangled mix of unease and reverence.
Into a world made only of killing, commands, discipline, and blood, a different air had suddenly entered.
He was called a Daoist.
Moreover, he was Han Chinese, not Goryeo.
The Goryeo army was composed almost entirely of a single people.
Unlike the Mongol forces, it was an army drawn wholly from Goryeo itself—
a natural result of conscription from its own land, yet uncommon by the standards of the age.
And now a Han Chinese Daoist had entered as a strategist.
Attention gathered thickly around him.
Many came out to the camp gate to witness Yun Dam's arrival.
Yi In-jung rode out to meet him at the entrance of the encampment.
"You have endured a long journey," he said.
His voice was firm, yet his eyes carried courtesy.
This was respect beyond that usually shown by a warrior to a civilian—
the highest form of deference accorded to one held socially precious.
"Park Jungnangjang, you were right," Yi In-jung continued.
"With a man like this, the war will not lose its way."
Park Seong-jin answered briefly.
"This man has abandoned the world."
"But the world has not let go of him."
Yun Dam smiled lightly.
"When the world calls, it is difficult to refuse."
A few officers shifted at the words.
In their world, resolve and obedience came first.
Such gentle, ambiguous speech sounded like drifting clouds.
That evening, a small welcoming gathering was held.
It was not lavish.
Yet rare for a military camp, wine and warm soup were shared.
Under the firelight, Yun Dam sat quietly, speaking with a soldier.
His manner was unassuming.
The soldier, stroking the arm he had lost in battle, asked,
"Why does fighting never end?"
Yun Dam smiled faintly before answering.
"Because people fail to gather their hearts."
"When hearts scatter, blades rise."
"When blades rise, states collapse."
The soldier could not fully grasp the meaning.
That night, the air of the camp was quieter than usual.
Military Council — The Birth of a Small Court
The next morning, beneath the main command tent, Yi In-jung, Park Seong-jin, and Yun Dam sat side by side.
Maps and military registers lay spread before them, brushes and ink set nearby.
"From now on," Park Seong-jin said,
"we will need not only swords, but brushes."
"Contact with other armies will increase."
"Administration and supply within the army will grow more complex."
"I propose forming a small support group for these tasks."
Yi In-jung stroked his chin.
"Are there men for it?"
"There are two civil officials sent down from the court," Park Seong-jin replied.
"Three interpreters skilled in languages and documents."
"Four local clerks from the provinces."
"They are few in number."
"But their abilities are reliable."
"They are men who work well."
Yun Dam added quietly,
"Without wen (文), wu (武) cannot stand."
"Without a brush to record the road, the road is soon forgotten."
Yi In-jung laughed.
"Words befitting a Daoist."
Thus, an administrative and clerical support unit was formed within the army.
The civil official Yi Han-gyeom took responsibility.
Interpreters Kang Min and Kim Do-yeon handled negotiations with foreign envoys.
Yun Dam held no formal post.
He was summoned as an advisor whenever needed.
At times, a single quiet remark from him saved dozens of lives.
That night, lights spread throughout the camp.
Standing outside the tents, feeling the wind, Yun Dam murmured,
"In a world ruled by the sword, the brush has returned."
"So long as writing lives at the heart of war, the world still holds together."
From afar came the sound of drums.
It was not a signal for battle, but the rhythm that opened the dawn of a military camp.
One man had been added.
Only one.
Yet with him entered the weight of an entire life.
遠交近攻 — Distant Alliances, Near Assaults
"Befriend the distant; strike the near."
From early morning, the Yangzhou camp bustled with activity.
Smoke rose above the tents.
Footprints tangled across frost-covered grass.
The marks of the last battle still lingered.
The texture of the air had shifted—
from combat to diplomatic tension.
Inside the command tent, Yi In-jung, Park Seong-jin, and Yun Dam sat facing one another.
On the map, three forces of Jiangnan—Zhang Shicheng, Chen Youliang, and Zhu Yuanzhang—were marked as three points.
Yun Dam drew lines between them with his finger.
"The flow of the world is like water," he said softly.
"Water nearby is shallow and turbid; water far away is deep and still."
"Thus, to confront the near and befriend the distant is the law of water."
Park Seong-jin asked,
"By the distant… do you mean Chen Youliang?"
"Yes," Yun Dam replied.
"From where we stand now, we must take Chen Youliang's hand."
"His strength is weak, but his terrain is strong, and he holds the people's loyalty."
"He has long been at odds with Zhang Shicheng."
"If you move against Zhang, his blade will soon turn toward Chen."
"Then, when you ally with him, the three will restrain one another, and you will hold the center."
Yi In-jung frowned.
"Is it always right to seek the distant while the near enemy remains?"
Yun Dam smiled.
"The one who holds a sword sees only the enemy before his eyes."
"One who understands the Way sees the shadow before the blade is raised."
Park Seong-jin nodded.
"To befriend the distant and strike the near—
a common method, yet it gives us a clear path."
Yi In-jung struck his palm decisively against the table.
"Very well. We will send an envoy to Chen Youliang."
Thus, Goryeo's first diplomatic mission was formed.
One of Yun Dam's disciples handled documents and ritual.
Interpreter Kim Han took charge of practical affairs.
Song I-sul accompanied them as the military representative.
Park Seong-jin bore overall command.
Before they departed, Yun Dam left them with brief words.
"The longer the road, the fewer the words."
"When words are many, the heart leaks."
"When the heart leaks, the road scatters."
That night, the camp fell into an unusual silence.
Instead of drums of war, the sounds of ink and paper filled the hours.
Brush tips whispered across parchment as lamplight swayed softly.
Low discussions, clarifications of issues, and long-term direction were set down in writing.
Yun Dam read through the documents in silence.
Within the sentences lay a logic sharper than any blade.
「The Goryeo Army seeks harmony (和), not vassalage.
If each guards its own river, the realm will endure.」
This single line became the mission's declaration.
It marked the moment they ceased to be a vassal army of Yuan.