Chetamja: The King’s Eyes — Chapter 29

PLEASE!

PLEASE, SIR... I BEG YOU...!

WE MUST CROSS THE RIVER AND SAVE THEM!

PLEASE...!!

YOU'RE A CHATTY ONE, AREN'T YOU?

MY COMRADES RISKED THEIR LIVES...

...FOR JOSEON.

WE CAN'T JUST STAND HERE AND WAIT WHILE THEIR LIVES ARE ON THE LINE!

WHY ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT SUCH THINGS...

...WHEN YOUR CAPTAIN IS STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO YOU?

I FIND THIS RATHER ODD. DON'T YOU?

SIR... I-I...

WE... THE CHETAMJA...

FAILED.

AN UTTER FAILURE TOO, I MIGHT ADD.

SIR, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT! CAPTAIN KIM NOTICED THE ENEMY'S SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY AND GAVE THE APPROPRIATE ADVICE!

IT WAS THE MAGISTRATE WHO DIDN'T LISTEN--

SHUT YOUR MOUTH, DAM!!

NOT ONLY DID I FAIL AT MY JOB...

...BUT I ALSO SENT MY MEN TO THEIR DEATHS LIKE A SHAMELESS FOOL.

I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FAILED MISSION.

I WILL ACCEPT ANY PUNISHMENT I DESERVE...

...BE IT MY EXECUTION OR OTHERWISE...

YOU’RE A FUNNY GUY, AREN’T YA?

BY YOUR LOGIC, I’M TO BLAME FOR LETTING THEM ALL SLIP AWAY.

S-SIR, I-I WASN’T IMPLYING ANYTHING OF THE SORT...!

GOOD. AFTER FAILURE COMES FRUSTRATION AND REGRET.

THAT’S WHERE YOU’RE AT.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

SUBMISSION? PUNISHMENT?

OR AS YOU MENTIONED, AN EXECUTION?

NO...

COMMITMENT AND PREPARATION SHOULD COME NEXT...

...SO YOU DON’T REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKE.

D※※※ IT. FORGET WHAT I SAID.

WHAT WOULD I KNOW ABOUT REDEMPTION? I’VE NEVER FAILED BEFORE.

IT SURE ISN’T EASY TO SOUND CONVINCING WITH PHRASES I’VE PICKED UP HERE AND THERE.

SIR... WHAT ABOUT DAMAGE CONTROL?

?

YOU ARE THE BEST SWORDSMAN IN JOSEON.

IF ANYONE CAN CONTAIN...

...THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY OUR FAILURE, IT'S YOU.

WELL... SURE. I PROBABLY COULD.

I CAN MAKE IT BACK ALIVE AFTER CROSSING THE RIVER AND STRIKING THEM AT THEIR HIDEOUT.

YES! THEN WE HAVE NO TIME TO WASTE--

AS I SAID, I CAN.

UNFORTUNATELY, MY MEN ARE NOT ME.

I BET MORE THAN HALF OF THEM WON'T MAKE IT BACK.

B-BUT...

DON'T YOU GET IT? THIS IS NO SKIRMISH.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A FULL-BLOWN WAR.

WHEN A STRONG INDIVIDUAL LEADS TROOPS TO WAR WITHOUT A PLAN...

...THE SOLDIERS PAY THE PRICE WITH THEIR LIVES.

I KNOW PEOPLE CALL ME A RECKLESS TROUBLEMAKER.

BUT NOT EVEN I DARE TO MAKE LIGHT OR HASTY DECISIONS IN WAR.

B-BUT MY COMRADES--

YOU HEARD ME!!

IF YOU GOT THE MESSAGE, SHUT YOUR MOUTH.

I DO NOT ENJOY STANDING HERE IN WAIT EITHER.

GENERAL!

G-GENERAL LEE!

WHAT IS IT?

YOU FOUND ME, SO SPIT IT OUT.

A-ALL THE PRISONERS WHO WERE TAKEN NORTH OF THE RIVER...

...ARE SAID TO BE ON THEIR WAY BACK TO JOSEON.

WH-WHAT? BUT HOW? WHEN DID OUR TROOPS CROSS THE RIVER?

NO... IT WASN'T US.

THE ONE WHO FREED THE PRISONERS...

...WAS MANZHU LI OF THE JIANZHOU JURCHENS.

GOOD. THIS TIME...

...I WILL REKINDLE YOUR FLAME.

BUT I NEVER EXPECTED THINGS TO TURN OUT LIKE THIS...

WH-WHO...?

WHO'S THAT...?

L-LI...!

HAVE YOU LOST IT?!

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!

WAS THIS YOUR PLAN ALL ALONG?

GOOD QUESTION...

THAT'S WHAT I'M WONDERING MYSELF.

HAD THIS BEEN THE PLAN ALL ALONG?

WH-WHAT...?

THOSE BASTARDS...!

THEY ARE GUILTY OF PLUNDERING AND RAIDING THE PEOPLE OF JOSEON.

ELIMINATE THEM...

...IN THE NAME OF JIANZHOU JURCHENS.

WH-WHAT'S GOING ON...?

WHY ARE THE BARBARIANS KILLING EACH OTHER...?

WIPE THEM OUT!

KILL THEM ALL!!

WH-WHAT...?

I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING...

THE THREE OF THEM ARE HEAVILY INJURED.

YOU'D BE WISE TO GET THEM TREATED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

LI... WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?

WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?

LET'S CALL IT A SMALL REWARD...

...FOR SAVING ME THE TROUBLE.

I'M PRETTY IMPRESSED.

WHO'D HAVE THOUGHT HE'D BRING YOU DOWN?

DON'T YOU AGREE...

...HADAR?

COUGH

COUGH... MANZHU... LI...

YOU... SLY... BASTARD...

Y-YOU WILL NEVER... GET AWAY... WITH THIS...!

DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT THE OTHER TIME?

"WHEN 10,000 JURCHENS GATHER UNDER ONE BANNER, THE WORLD WILL TREMBLE AT THEIR FEET."

IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO GETS THE JOB DONE.

EVENTUALLY, THE JURCHENS MUST BECOME ONE.

THAT'S THE ONLY WAY FOR US TO SURVIVE.

THAT IDEALISTIC... NONSENSE...

I DIDN'T THINK... YOU WERE SERIOUS... HAHA...

AND THAT IS WHY YOU COULD NEVER DO IT.

TO ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING, YOU MUST FIRST BELIEVE IN IT.

BUT DON'T BE SAD.

YOUR DEATH WILL BECOME THE CORNERSTONE OF JURCHEN UNIFICATION.

NOW I SEE...

...WHAT YOU'VE BEEN PLANNING...

BUT YOU... HAVE... NO IDEA...

YOU CAN'T HANDLE...

...THE KING OF JOSEON...

HMM...

IT'S SMALL.

VERY SMALL.

ARE YOU SURE IT FUNCTIONS PROPERLY?

SEJONG DO YI THE FOURTH KING OF JOSEON

I KNOW I TOLD YOU TO MAKE IT COMPACT AND PORTABLE, BUT THIS...

DO YOU NOT TRUST ME, SIRE?

COME NOW... YOU KNOW THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT.

WELL, YOU SLOT THIS IN LIKE SO...

THEN HOLD IT LIKE THIS...

YOUR MAJESTY.

WE RECEIVED A REPORT FROM CHIEF COMMANDER YUNDEOK CHOI FROM THE NORTH...

I'M AFRAID IT REQUIRES YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION, SIRE.

I'M AFRAID THERE WAS SOME TROUBLE...

...IN YEOYEON.

NOW, WHAT HAPPENED IN YEOYEON?

I WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING.

LAST NIGHT, HAIXI JURCHENS INVADED YEOYEON WITH ABOUT 400 MOUNTED RAIDERS...

...BURNING AND PILLAGING THE TOWN.

48 SOLDIERS AND SUBJECTS OF JOSEON WERE KILLED...

...AND 75 PEOPLE WERE TAKEN AS PRISONERS, MOSTLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

H-HOWEVER...

MANZHU LI, THE CHIEF OF THE JIANZHOU JURCHENS,

RESCUED THE CAPTIVES AND IS KEEPING THEM UNDER HIS PROTECTION.

...?

THEREFORE, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT WE SEND AN ENVOY...

TO RETRIEVE THE PRISONERS.

DO YOU MEAN TO SAY LI RESCUED PRISONERS... PEOPLE OF JOSEON?

WHY WOULD THE JIANZHOU JURCHENS DO ANYTHING OF THE SORT?

THE JIANZHOU TRIBE HAS ALWAYS TRIED TO GET ON OUR GOOD SIDE.

THEY MUST HAVE DECIDED TO DECLARE THEIR ALLEGIANCE ONCE AND FOR ALL.

YOUR MAJESTY, THIS IS GREAT NEWS.

THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE RELATIONS WITH THE JURCHENS!

I SEE...

SO MANZHU LI SAVED JOSEON PRISONERS...

...AND DECIDED TO SHOW HOW FRIENDLY HE IS.

HERE IS WHAT I WILL DO WITH MANZHU LI AND HIS JIANZHOU JURCHENS.

MAUL THEM DOWN.

HELLO.

I'M SGT, THE AUTHOR OF CHETAMJA.

THAT WAS PRETTY QUICK, RIGHT?

ACTUALLY, THERE WERE MANY CHALLENGES INVOLVED IN ITS MAKING.

CHETAMJA IS MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT HISTORICAL FICTION.

AS YOU ALL KNOW, MAKING HISTORICAL FICTION IS QUITE CHALLENGING IN MANY WAYS.

THE NEED TO DRAW HORSES

LATE PERIOD LENGTH

EARLY PERIOD LENGTH

NATURE IN THE BACKGROUND

HISTORICAL RESEARCH

THERE ARE MANY HURDLES COMPARED TO A SERIES BASED IN MODERN SETTINGS BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO HISTORICAL ACCURACY, NOT TO MENTION THE NUMBER OF THINGS YOU HAVE TO DRAW.

DESPITE THE CHALLENGES, WHAT MADE ME WANT TO WORK ON CHETAMJA WAS THE TREMENDOUS SUPPORT FROM PTJ COMICS...

...AND MY LOVE FOR HISTORICAL FICTIONS.

I ALWAYS TRY MY BEST TO MAKE SURE I DO AMPLE RESEARCH AND THAT THE SERIES IS FREE OF INACCURACIES.

COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE... IS UNBEATABLE...

AND YET, I CONSTANTLY GET FEEDBACK ABOUT THEM. I WANT YOU TO KNOW I TAKE NOTE OF ALL YOUR FEEDBACK, AND I PROMISE TO WORK ON THEM.

NOW, LET'S GET BACK TO CHAPTER ONE.

I HAD TO DIVIDE THE CHAPTERS MUCH EARLIER THAN I HAD PLANNED DUE TO AN UNAVOIDABLE CIRCUMSTANCE.

HAESOUNG, WHO HAS BEEN IN CHARGE OF THE LINE ART FOR THE SERIES, EXPERIENCED A SERIOUS DECLINE IN HEALTH SHORTLY AFTER THE SERIES BEGAN.

HE TRIED EVERYTHING IN HIS POWER TO CONTINUE WORKING ON THE SERIES, BUT IT REACHED A POINT WHERE IT BECAME IMPOSSIBLE.

HAESOUNG REALIZED IT WOULD TAKE A LONG TIME TO FULLY RECOVER...

...AND HAD TO MAKE THE DIFFICULT DECISION OF STEPPING AWAY FROM THE PROJECT.

WHAT MATTERS IS THE FACT THAT WE NOW HAVE JUSTIFICATION.

MANZHU LI...

GLINT OF MADNESS IN HIS EYES

RODE IN...

THE JUSTIFICATION TO MAUL LI DOWN.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE EXPRESSION ON HIS FACE

...AND CUT OFF HADAR'S HEAD WHILE HE WAS STILL CHOKING IN HIS BLOOD.

AHH, THE TWO BEST SWORDSMEN IN JOSEON ARE HERE. HAHA!

HE'S GNAWING ON FOXTAIL

YOUR MAJESTY. I AM FLATTERED...

GWIYEONG IS CONFUSED

WE WILL BE SEEING YOU IN THE SECOND CHAPTER OF CHETAMJA, IN EPISODE 30.