Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign Chapter 475

#475

Taejonbirok Volume 19, Episode 25

Chapter 107: The Lazy Man Suggests (5)

“……Hmm.”

Zhuge Yan quietly put down his glass.

Alcohol is taboo when you're using your brain, but I didn't really want to dwell on that right now.

Moreover, this is not something that requires a vivid mind.

'It's something I don't want to do.'

Ultimately, he knows the decision is his to make. Everyone has been watching him closely since this story came out.

That's what the military is like.

When things go well, it's taken for granted, and when problems arise, you get the cold shoulder.

When it's not there, you feel the need for it, but when it's there, you don't really feel a reason for its existence.

Just think about how many people throughout history have left their names with the title of 'military'.

'It's a losing business.'

Perhaps all military men are just those who waste their lives chasing after the few who have overcome the limitations of military life and made a name for themselves in the world.

Recently, Zhuge Yan had been having strong thoughts like that.

“It looks complicated.”

Zhuge Liang poured wine into his cup. Zhuge Yan nodded with a serious expression.

“It’s complicated…….”

Zhuge Yan lifted the glass filled with wine and slowly shook it. The wine inside the glass sloshed.

“Look, Munin.”

“Yes, Father.”

"A battlefield isn't all that different from a chessboard. After all, wasn't chess just a game of war between Cho and Han on a board?"

“Yes, that’s right.”

"The military decides everything on the board. After all, we play chess with people's lives as collateral. We don't even hesitate to take personal risks on the board. What do you think? If you could take the field in exchange for pushing a car, would you do it?"

“Of course.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s the way to reduce sacrifices.”

Zhuge Yan looked at Zhuge Liang quietly.

“What if it’s not a thousand, but ten thousand?”

“It’s the same.”

“What if it’s not ten thousand, but ten thousand?”

"It's the same. The result remains the same: saving more lives."

“Yes, that’s right.”

Zhuge Yan nodded and continued speaking.

“Then let me ask you this: If you could kill one person you know to save ten others, who would you choose?”

"……yes?"

"Didn't you say that if the sacrifice of a few could save the many, then that's the path you should naturally choose? Even if the death of your own loved ones could save others, you would naturally choose that path. So who would you kill?"

“…….”

Zhuge Liang closed his mouth.

“Why is there no answer?”

“The boy…….”

Zhuge Liang bit his lips tightly.

“I dare not choose.”

“Why?”

Zhuge Liang kept his mouth shut.

Why? Why is that?

I could vaguely understand the answer, but it was difficult to put it into words.

Zhuge Yan smiled broadly as if he understood Zhuge Liang's discipleship.

"That's how people are. It's easy to make decisions when you see a thousand or ten thousand things from above, but it's impossible to make decisions when you see one or ten things right in front of you."

"……yes."

“If you think that the people you have to sacrifice are the ones who talked with you and laughed with you, then you can’t calculate the value of that sacrifice.”

“I realized it again.”

"Yes. Still, there are times when choices must be made. That's why this position is not easy."

Zhuge Yan lifted the wine glass and brought it to his lips.

The sensation of the hot liquor flowing down his throat felt like it was waking up every nerve in his body.

“And the problem isn’t me.”

"yes?"

"That's the way it is in the military. Making decisions is painful, but I can make one excuse: that I wasn't the one making the decision."

Zhuge Liang's eyes were filled with doubt.

Excuse me, what do you mean?

"The military proposes and persuades. But if the people who have to make decisions don't make them, it's meaningless. That's one of the limitations of the military, but it's also a way to avoid responsibility."

Zhuge Yan said bitterly.

"Ultimately, someone else has to make the final decision. For those who must make the choice, there's no excuse. They must shoulder all the responsibility."

“So you’re a monarch.”

"Yes. That's what it means to be at the top. It's a place of great light, but also a place where all responsibility rests. It's a place where someone's fate is turned upside down by your own choices, and it's a position that's equally weighty and terrifying."

Zhuge Liang still could not fully understand Zhuge Yan's words.

I knew what my father meant, but I'd never truly felt the weight of that position. But I knew one thing.

Those who have achieved greatness throughout history have not hesitated in their choices.

Only those who did not hesitate to throw their children from a moving carriage and confine their own mothers achieved great things and left their names in history.

That is why Zhuge Liang also thought that those who had to lead others should naturally do so.

one…….

How can you force that?

People have different tendencies. What may be insignificant to one person can be terribly painful to another.

In the end, those who will lead the world were decided from the beginning.

“What are you thinking about?”

“……I was wondering if something was wrong.”

“In what way?”

"If a monarch must make a choice, those who take that path must be decisive and cool-headed. However… Wei Yanhao seems unsuited to such a position."

Zhuge Yan also nodded slightly and agreed with Zhuge Liang's words.

“Yes. He’s a mismatched person.”

Zhuge Yan's gaze turned to the shaking wine glass.

"I don't believe that someone is born destined for that role. Anyone can do it if they want to. But there are those who are good at it and those who aren't. Even those who lack natural talent can overcome it with passion and effort…"

Zhuge Yan poured the wine into his mouth.

'What should we do with people who didn't want it in the first place?'

The one who must bear the weight of the position is the one who wanted to take it. But if someone who didn't want to take it is forced to take it, who can hold them accountable?

The fame and wealth he will enjoy in return are probably not what he wanted.

Zhuge Yan looked outside with a heavy face.

Recent events have taught me something: Wei Yanho appears determined on the outside, but he's not so strong on the inside. In fact, he's more vulnerable than most people.

Wi Yeon-ho was a person who should not be placed above others.

But the world was forcing him to lead the way.

'What a sad thing.'

The alcohol that goes down my throat tastes bitter.

It was deeply unpalatable to burden a young man who hadn't even lived half his life with this heavy burden. But if not him, who else could shoulder it?

“It’s a shame. What have we been doing all this time?”

I felt relieved.

They believed that since the Demonic Cult had suffered as much as they had, at least there would not be another war in this generation.

So it was a recurrence.

Since no one came to take what was theirs, they showed their teeth and decided to take what was theirs.

The world was divided into four parts, each eyeing the other's neck.

This is the result.

It wasn't easy for those with deep emotional rifts to join forces and fight together. So, a buffer zone was needed. A strongman who was equal to the previous powers, yet held no grudges against either.

'But isn't that also an excuse?'

The best way would be for those who were blushing to resolve their feelings and reunite. Even a three-year-old would understand this. But Zhuge Yan didn't try that method.

Because I know it's impossible.

Pride is a useless emotion that, the more you hold onto it, the more trouble it causes. However, humans are not easily willing to let go of pride.

Even if Zhuge Yan were to throw away his pride and insist on an alliance with the Zhengwu Alliance right now, who would listen to him?

'It's the same in practical terms.'

Will the political alliance accept them without any hesitation just because they bow their heads?

It was obvious they were going to use them as pawns in the fight against the Demonic Cult, using the excuse of bowing their heads and surrendering. This wasn't the decision of the new investigator. No matter how powerful a military man he was, he couldn't make all decisions on his own.

If those who have supported the political alliance so far start complaining, then there is nothing they can do.

'He must have seen this far ahead.'

In Zhuge Yan's view, Wei Yanhu was a trump card given by the Divine Investigation Commander.

For Cheon Il-ryeon to join forces with Jeongmu-maeng, a mediator was needed. A mediator with no significant ties to Jeongmu-maeng, yet someone who would be worthy of working with Cheon Il-ryeon, breaking free from its current status.

The new investigator he knew couldn't have failed to consider this. He meant to use Wi Yeon-ho appropriately to overcome the current situation and join hands with Jeongmu-maeng.

Because the Jeongmu Alliance also needs the power of Cheon Il-ryeon.

They need each other, yet they can't reach out to each other. To change that relationship, they need to change their positions.

As unpleasant as it was to follow his lead, I couldn't deny that it was the best option.

'one…….'

Is that really the best option?

“Munin-ah.”

“Yes, Father.”

“We must prepare.”

“What are you talking about?”

"Heaven does not give people enough time. Whenever something is accomplished, disaster is bound to strike."

Zhuge Yan quietly closed his eyes.

'If the fortunes of the world depend on Wei Yanhu, then heaven will surely test him.'

That's the way of the world.

Heroes inevitably face trials. If Wei Yanhu can overcome the trials that await him, he will go down in history as a hero. But if he cannot endure them…

'It won't be recorded.'

Because history itself will disappear.

The world will be reorganized by the Demonic Cult, and the martial arts history they have built will be torn apart. As time passes, even their existence will be forgotten.

'That must be stopped.'

"Don't take your eyes off Wei Yanhu. Something will definitely, definitely come. Do you understand?"

"yes."

Even as he listened to Zhuge Liang's response, Zhuge Yan couldn't rest easy. He knew full well how cruel fate could sometimes be.

'I guess we'll have to hurry a little.'

If shock could not be avoided, it was the military's job to mitigate it as much as possible.

'But will Wi Yeon-ho be able to withstand the trials that await him?'

The greater the task he has to do, the greater the burden he must bear.

A dark shadow fell over Zhuge Yan's face.