The Empire I Create Chapter 12

Chapter 12. The Collapsed Wall, and the Road That Followed

Inside the truck hurtling across the rough plains, Hamin felt a peculiar pounding in his chest. In the distance, the roof of the government office came into faint view, and Thanos announced in a low voice,

“We’re barely a kilometer away from the government office. It’ll be in sight soon.”

Hamin looked out the window and pressed the accelerator a bit harder. The alien engine roar was already reverberating across the land. The people of 13th-century Jeju, who had never heard such a mechanical sound, were no doubt in a stir over at the government office.

“Launch all the drones. Let’s conduct a full 360-degree reconnaissance around the office.”

From the truck’s cargo bed, over twenty medium and small drones took off at once. Their propellers buzzed as they scattered in all directions, hovering above the office walls, the rooftops, and circling through the air.

From a distance, it looked like a swarm of bees approaching.

The propeller noise was so loud that the people inside the government office were perplexed, staring at the sky. Meanwhile, Thanos transmitted real-time video from the drone cameras. What appeared on the screen was horrifying. A few people were tied up, being flogged with sticks, while around fifty soldiers in government uniforms stood guard. Horses neighed anxiously, pawing the ground, and the soldiers seemed confused and panicked at the sight of these strange “flying objects.”

Suddenly, one soldier grabbed a bow and aimed at a drone. Swoosh— an arrow flew, but the drone easily evaded it with a light maneuver.

“Great. They can’t shoot them down with arrows. If we leave things as they are, more people could get hurt... Thanos, let’s break through the office wall.”

Hamin slammed on the accelerator instead of the brakes, and the truck thundered toward the wall.

Boom— Crash!
The old stone wall crumbled in an instant. Dust and debris flew everywhere, and people recoiled in shock. The roaring engine and the blazing headlights froze both the soldiers and the prisoners bound in ropes.

No one had ever seen such a large hunk of metal (the truck) burst through a wall.

The headlights on the front shone like a small sun,

so it must have looked like a “monster breathing fire.”

“Optimus units, prepare to disembark.”

The rear door of the truck opened with a metallic clank. Hyeong-jun (a male-type robot) and ten Optimus units jumped out all at once, each equipped with modules that could convert into firearms.

“Bring the head official of this office in front of the truck.”

In a booming voice, Hyeong-jun surveyed the people around him.

“Who’s in charge here? Come out!”

But the people inside the office were too shocked by the situation to respond; they trembled in fear. Some soldiers dropped their weapons and crawled on the ground, while the bound townspeople stared in disbelief, arms shaking in their ropes.

Before long, a man in his mid-forties, sporting a round belly, poked his head out. Likely the head of this office. Yet he, too, was trembling so badly his lips had turned pale. Hyeong-jun approached him, raising a machine gun.

Clack—
With a brief sound of the weapon being readied, Hyeong-jun fired a warning shot at the legs of the chair the official was sitting on.

Ratatatat!
The thunderous gunfire tore through the air, and the official tumbled off his chair. The chair’s legs shattered to pieces, and the man fell to the floor like a piece of straw, crying, “Please spare me! I—I was wrong…!”

He dropped to his knees, bowing his head in supplication.

All around him, the soldiers had already thrown down their weapons and were lying flat on the ground or whimpering in terror.

The freed townspeople were in a similar state of shock. Though for them, the horror was mixed with relief.

Hamin climbed out of the driver’s seat of the truck to survey the situation. Indeed, to these people of a time unaccustomed to the sound of gunfire, it must have felt like facing down a thunderous catastrophe.

In the corner of the office, men and women and the elderly were all tied up, heads bowed. Hyeong-jun shouted again,

“Taxes? Forced labor? For what reason are you beating these people so harshly?”

The official and soldiers, still trembling, just mumbled, “Orders… Please…” The official managed to swallow hard and stammer out a reply,

“Th-they couldn’t pay the labor and taxes on time. The law says we must flog them if they disobey the nation’s orders… Ugh… I’m sorry!”

Among the bound townspeople, some choked back tears in protest,

“Where are we supposed to get grain from? We don’t even have enough to feed our children!”

“You might as well beat us to death—there’s nothing left to give!”

Hamin glanced around. On one side, a middle-aged woman (possibly Jeongsun’s mother) was slumped in exhaustion, also tied up. Hamin wondered if there were other villagers among them.

Hamin (to Hyeong-jun via Bluetooth earpiece):

“Tie up that official and the soldiers, and release the rest of the civilians. Quickly.”

The robots moved with swift efficiency.

They subdued the head official, his subordinates, and the soldiers with rope, while cutting the ropes of the townspeople who’d been beaten, setting them free.

Finally liberated, the residents still couldn’t grasp the situation—whether Hamin’s group were “demons” or “envoys sent from heaven.” But they knew for sure they had been rescued, and they wept with gratitude.

Just then, Jeongsun came running from a distance. Having heard her parents were taken, she’d been beside herself, and now she finally arrived at the office. Seeing her parents released, she rushed over, crying, “Mother! Father!” She embraced them, while her mother stared in shock and muttered something about “a god sent from the heavens,” seeing this huge steel monster (the truck) and mechanical beings (the robots) emitting strange lights, which looked to her like goblins.

“They’re not demons. I told you, right? They taught us writing and gave us candy!”

But in all the confusion, it was still impossible for her parents to understand whether these figures were human or ghost. All they knew was the vague description: “Someone in black clothing.” From a distance, the truck’s lights dazzled so brightly that Hamin was silhouetted in a blinding glow, stirring a flurry of emotions.

Meanwhile, Hamin turned to the official and asked, “Who’s giving such extreme tax and forced labor orders?”

The official (sobbing) replied,

“I have no choice! The central government of Tamna demanded we gather more taxes and conscript more people… I was only following orders!”

Hamin clenched his lips.
‘So the higher authority—the central administration of 13th-century Jeju—is forcing severe taxation...’

With the forces at hand (the truck, robots, drones, and the Saetbyeol satellite), they could probably subdue every government office in Jeju City. Rather than liberating one village at a time, taking out the central authority might be far more effective.

“Thanos, check the location and scale of Tamna’s central government.”

Thanos was already analyzing data from the Saetbyeol satellite and drone intel.

“In the 13th century, Jeju was called ‘Tamna,’ and the central office is ‘Tamna-mok.’ In 2030 terms, that would be around the Samdo 2-dong area. The Tamna magistrate oversees all administration, including taxes, justice, the military, and education.”

Essentially, it was the 13th-century equivalent of the modern Jeju Provincial Government. The highest authority in Tamna was the magistrate there, and that’s probably where most of the officials and soldiers were concentrated.

Thanos:

“It’s about 30 kilometers from our current position.”

Hamin smiled slightly.

“Thirty kilometers… At 50 kilometers per hour, we’ll be there in around half an hour.”

Hamin gave the order:

“Tie up all the officials and soldiers here, and free the rest of the townspeople.

Let Jeongsun and her parents and all the other victims go back to their village.”

The newly freed people were still too stunned to do much. A rumor was sure to spread that “a stranger in black destroyed the office with a giant monster,” but Hamin had no reason to hesitate. On the contrary, he intended to seize the momentum to shake up all of Tamna.

He started the truck again, kicking up dust as he headed for the central government office.
Jeongsun called out, “Thank you so much…” but couldn’t find the words to continue, while Hamin waved through the window and said simply, “I’ll be back.”

During the 30-kilometer drive, Hamin and Thanos discussed battle strategy.

“When we arrive, deploy all the drones again. They might have a larger force, so get the grenade launcher ready.”
“Understood. I’ll have one of the Optimus units switch from a machine gun to a grenade launcher.”

With no real roads, the truck tore across barren ground at 50 to 60 km/h. Anyone from the 13th century would likely faint at the sight of a hunk of metal moving faster than a horse.

Finally, the central office known by its Chinese characters as “Tamna-mok” came into view. It was surrounded by a wider moat and walls than expected, with various government buildings, warehouses, and traditional-style buildings packed inside.

“Let’s ram straight in.”

Boom— Boom—
The truck smashed into the walls covered in moss, and they crumbled easily. Screams and shouts arose within, and the guard soldiers rushed out in confusion—but only briefly.

Vrrrmm—
Drones swarmed from the sky, the truck’s front headlights flashed like lightning, and the soldiers backed away in terror. Meanwhile, an Optimus unit armed with a grenade launcher hopped off the truck, taking aim at the main building’s roof.

“Blow the roof. We need to break their spirit.”

K-BOOM!
A deafening explosion tore through the air, blowing off part of the building’s roof. Wooden beams and roof tiles shot skyward, then crashed down. Officials and soldiers poured out of the building in complete shock. Some held bows or spears, but realizing they stood no chance against such power, they dropped to the ground, surrendering.

Still, one soldier refused to yield, desperately drawing a bow to shoot at Hyeong-jun, who looked to be the leader.

Swoosh—
The arrow flew, but Hyeong-jun sidestepped and easily dodged it. He fired a single shot in return. The bullet pierced both the soldier’s bow and arm, and the soldier collapsed with a wail. Blood dripped from his arm as he rolled down by the wall, groaning.

Only then did a group of spear-wielding soldiers attempt to charge, but seeing the building’s roof blown apart and their comrade taken out with a single bullet, they hesitated. Just then, a shout rang out from inside:

“Fall back!”

From behind the destroyed building, a relatively young official emerged into the light. He looked more solemn than a typical “corrupt official” from a historical drama. Though his face betrayed some fear, he did not appear shameless or groveling. Hyeong-jun turned to him.

“Who’s the magistrate? Show yourself!”
“I am… Magistrate Lee Jigwang.”

Lee Jigwang repeatedly commanded his soldiers, “Stand down!” After seeing the roof bombarded and the soldier nearly lose his arm, they had no choice but to obey. They all retreated a step.

Hamin hopped out of the truck and approached Lee Jigwang with Hyeong-jun and the Optimus units. Tension hung in the air, and Lee Jigwang was sweating, though his eyes showed a sharp intellect.

Hamin spoke via Bluetooth to Hyeong-jun, who then relayed it in Goryeo-era speech to the magistrate:

“Why are you levying such extreme taxes and tormenting the people?”

Lee Jigwang answered, his voice tinged with frustration.

“I myself… I don’t want to exploit them at will. But the mainland (the Goryeo mainland) keeps demanding troops and funds to defend against the Mongol army. If we fail to meet the quota, the mainland forces threaten to trample Jeju. Ah, I’ve been torn about it. The cost of war against the Mongols and the need to secure royal finances have led the central court to force Tamna to gather more tributes, and the burden is cruelly passed down to the common people. But now that a ‘great power’ has appeared… after witnessing your overwhelming might, I’m starting to think that if you protect this land, perhaps we can free ourselves from the mainland’s oppression.”

Hamin noted that the magistrate wasn’t quite the stereotypical “corrupt official,” but a relatively young administrator willing to ask Hamin for help after seeing his technology.

‘He’s folded faster than the wind. Is he quick to read the situation, or is he a born opportunist? Either way, this could let me take control of Tamna sooner than I expected...’

Sensing Hamin’s hesitation, Lee Jigwang doubled down to clarify his stance:

“If you free us from forcibly complying with the mainland’s demands and open a new path for Tamna, I, Lee Jigwang, will follow you. I want to relieve the people’s burden of heavy taxes.”

Hamin fell silent in thought.

The chaos at the scene continued. The truck and the Optimus units had battered the walls, injuring several resisting soldiers, some severely. The drones still buzzed overhead, scanning the buildings. Other officials and staff lay flat on the ground, repeatedly begging for their lives.

Hamin gave Hyeong-jun a look.

“Treat the wounded. There’s no need to take lives unnecessarily.”

Several Optimus units ran over to the truck carrying medical supplies. They quickly compressed the bleeding wounds of the injured soldiers and used a 2030-era first-aid kit to staunch the bleeding and provide basic care. It was a spectacle beyond imagination for the Tamna soldiers: these “goblins” using strange technology to treat bullet wounds.

Amid the pandemonium, Lee Jigwang moved closer to Hamin and Hyeong-jun.

“In a sense, I’m just a subordinate of greedy superiors. But… my conscience troubled me. If you truly can bring stability to Tamna, perhaps we can resist the mainland’s oppression together.”

Hamin pondered. This was the 13th century; the Mongols had overrun Goryeo, and the royal court plus powerful aristocrats had compromised with them, only piling taxes onto the provinces. Could Tamna alone go independent and survive?

“Maybe I could modernize this place and turn it into a kind of independent kingdom…”

He turned to Lee Jigwang.

“If you really intend to follow me, you must be prepared to uproot the entire power structure here.”

Lee Jigwang’s eyes flickered with doubt, but he soon steadied himself and nodded.

“Yes. I will give everything I have… Please, use your great power to protect Tamna.”

“Good. Then let’s reorganize Tamna’s government with your help, so the people can live better. After that, we’ll be ready for whatever pressure comes from the mainland.”

Lee Jigwang bowed his head deeply.

The soldiers and officials were still reeling in terror, but the immediate violent clash had subsided. Hamin, through Thanos in the truck, coordinated the Optimus units:

“Drones, maintain perimeter security.”

“Hyeong-jun and the ten robots: gather the officials in one place and detain them if necessary.”

“Provide first aid and humanitarian support to any wounded soldiers or civilians.”

Looking up, Hamin saw the midday sun peeking through puffy clouds. Within just one morning, they had subdued a local government office and pushed straight on to seize Tamna-mok, effectively shaking the core of 13th-century Tamna society in a single day.

He surveyed the scene, thinking to himself:

‘Now the real work begins—stepping into politics, rebuilding military and administrative systems. Teaching Hangul, revolutionizing agriculture, using GPS to explore sea routes… And then there’s the looming threat from Mongols and the mainland court. I have a lot to prepare.’

“All right. Let’s start by changing Tamna. Then, we can take that momentum to all of Goryeo… or even the entire world.”

He felt an inner fire surging with renewed ambition.