Chapter 335. The Battle of Liaoyang 4
"Let's eat first."
The squad leader remained where he was, one hand still gripping his spear shaft.
The four men under him crowded forward as though they had been waiting for those words, grabbing rice cakes and slices of grilled meat from the basket with their hands and stuffing them into their mouths.
Grease smeared their fingers, and warm breath drifted from their lips.
"Eat slowly. If you choke, you'll blame us."
One of the courtesans laughed and lifted a wine cup.
Before pouring for the soldiers, she took a sip herself.
It was a deliberate gesture meant to leave them no time to suspect poison.
"Ahh."
She exhaled loudly on purpose.
"Nothing beats wine on a cold night. Oh, that warms you right through."
One soldier laughed despite himself.
Another licked his lips while staring at the wine jar.
The squad leader still wore the expression of a man who was technically on duty, but even his eyes had already flicked toward the cup once before returning.
The firelight cast deep shadows across the courtesan's heavily made-up face.
Her painted red lips and powdered eyes gleamed in the flickering light.
Whenever she smiled, her bright expression stood out sharply in the darkness, and the hearts of the soldiers, dulled by tedious night watch, tilted a little further.
"Would you like a cup? No, of course not. You're on duty."
She held the cup out toward the squad leader.
Her words seemed to retreat, but her hand had already reached him.
The squad leader stared at the cup for a moment.
Then, in the end, he took it.
The courtesan poured.
The wine trembled near the brim.
With her fingertips, she gently nudged the bottom of the cup toward him.
For the briefest instant, the backs of their hands brushed.
She smiled as though she had noticed nothing.
The squad leader quietly propped his spear beside him.
With the hand holding the cup, he maintained what dignity he could.
With the other, he slipped an arm around the courtesan's shoulder.
She gave her shoulder a playful shake and slipped away, then filled his emptied cup again and offered it to one of the other soldiers.
"There. The captain drank first, so now it's safe, isn't it?"
The others burst into laughter.
The cup began making its way around.
Hands moved more quickly toward the rice cakes and grilled meat, while spear shafts drifted farther and farther from their owners.
That was when Oyeon Jik casually approached.
He hunched his shoulders, rubbed his hands together, and stepped into the firelight.
"If you don't mind, give me a cup too. I'm freezing to death."
The squad leader's eyes swept over him.
A worn outer robe.
Dusty shoes.
A short blade at his waist.
Shabby, perhaps, but nothing unusual for a common soldier inside the city.
One of the courtesans tilted her head.
"Who are you?"
Oyeon Jik snorted.
"Would it mean anything if I told you? Just another soldier running around wherever they send me. I've been walking all night and my hands and feet are about to freeze off."
His tone was natural.
Not overly submissive.
Not needlessly defensive.
He looked exactly like a tired soldier who had smelled wine and decided to join in.
The courtesan filled a cup for him.
Oyeon Jik took it and immediately tilted his head back, draining it in one swallow.
He set the empty cup down and dropped heavily beside the fire.
"Ugh. It's cold. Feels worse than usual this year."
He stretched both hands toward the flames, bending and straightening his fingers.
At the easy, shameless performance, even the squad leader's expression relaxed a little.
It was exactly the kind of complaint any soldier in the city might make.
One courtesan sat down close beside Oyeon Jik.
She picked up a slice of grilled meat with her chopsticks and held it to his lips.
Oyeon Jik smiled awkwardly, pretending to be embarrassed, and ate it.
The other courtesans dispersed among the soldiers.
One poured wine.
One handed out food.
Another wrapped her arms around a soldier and murmured that he must be suffering terribly in the cold night.
The soldiers' laughter gradually grew louder.
The vigilance around the hidden gate slowly dissolved into the smell of wine and roasted meat.
Oyeon Jik waited until the wine had gone around several times and the soldiers' drunkenness began to rise.
Still seated beside the fire, he rubbed his hands and muttered,
"Damn, it's cold. Having to stay out like this all night... I hope it ends soon."
The squad leader nodded.
"Agreed. The sooner the better."
With eyes already hazy from drink, he looked Oyeon Jik over.
"By the way, what unit are you with?"
Oyeon Jik breathed a long cloud of steam into the air.
"Balhae troops."
"Balhae?"
The squad leader's eyebrow moved slightly.
For a moment, the words reminded him of the Balhae army camped outside the city.
But this was inside the walls.
There were plenty of Balhae soldiers inside as well.
Oyeon Jik did not miss that brief hesitation.
He began complaining immediately.
"Because we're Balhae, they dump all the rough and miserable work on us.
"Look at me now. Running all over the place on a night this cold."
He did not explain further.
Instead, he hunched his shoulders and pressed his lips into a crooked line like a man worn down by long abuse.
The tired face was more convincing than any detailed story.
The squad leader raised his cup and asked,
"And you?"
Then he tapped his own chest with one finger.
"Xi. We're Xi."
Oyeon Jik tilted his head.
"Why? I heard your people rise pretty high."
The squad leader snorted.
"The ones who rise are one sort. The ones crawling underneath are another."
Oyeon Jik gave a light laugh and set down his cup.
His gaze naturally drifted toward the soldiers across from him.
They were soothing bodies worn down by the cold with food and alcohol.
Rice cakes disappeared into their mouths as quickly as they could grab them.
The slices of grilled meat seemed to go down before they were even properly chewed.
These were soldiers standing night watch in freezing weather.
When food appeared in front of them, the first thing they did was fill their stomachs.
They never knew when they would get another chance to eat.