Bi Yeong Pal Mu

**Bi Yeong Pal Mu** (비영팔무) was the royal guard of the Royal Family of Ga Guk during the reign of King Jin Won. It was preceded by Bi Yeong Ship Mu.

## Overview

Bi Yeong Pal Mu was an organization dedicated to the security and safety of the members of the Royal Family, especially its monarch, King Jin Won. It succeeded the previous royal guard Bi Yeong Ship Mu during the reign of the late king Jin Hyul. It was headed by its captain Heuk Rang until its eventual dissolution due to the rebellion by the rebel army.

Those assigned to the Jin Hee Palace were usually seen at the training grounds or inside the palace premises guarding the Royal Family or their guests. In contrast, those assigned to guard a certain member followed wherever he/she went. Bi Yeong Pal Mu members were usually hidden out of sight, but they could appear almost in a split second when needed or called, or when they sensed a hostile or unfamiliar person coming towards the person they monitored.

### Other Branches

Throughout the series, Bi Yeong Pal Mu was generally associated with the branch that
acted closely and more personally with the king. However, it can be implied that the organization had extended its scope to several other branches differentiated by function. Such branches mentioned or shown include:

* Royal army: soldiers who were trained specially for combat, usually for wartime or for raid-like assignments; also assigned for outside-palace purposes
* Palace guards: situated within the palace grounds; usually took rounds or monitored movement within the palace; also aided during interrogations
* Special royal interrogators: specialized in the extraction of intel from prisoners typically through torturous interrogation

## Mission

Though its primary objective was to ensure the security and safety of the Royal Family, Bi Yeong Pal Mu members were also equipped for operational purposes such as participation in war, battle, and pursuit missions. Their fighting style varied within the capabilities of the members, ranging from swordsmanship and archery among others. They also served as spies when tasked to do so by their superiors. Moreover, during the king's excursions, it is shown that they were to obey their master's orders. Appearing only when told to do so, the Bi Yeong Pal Mu were known to be the "king's shadow".

### Rebel Army Suppression

Sometime during the reign of King Jin Won, he ordered the eradication of the rebel army. This resulted in a simultaneous ambush on Bi Hwa Rim (the rebel army headquarters) and Yu Hyang Ru (their center of finance and contact) by Bi Yeong Pal Mu. The royal guard split into two: one to destroy Bi Hwa Rim and another to raze Yu Hyang Ru. In general, both units utilized a pincer strategy that employed tactics to minimize Bi Yeong Pal Mu's casualties while maximizing the rebel forces' losses.

After their successful attacks, 189 rebels were killed, including Yu Hyang Ru's owner Wol Young Hwa. Five hundred surrendered or were arrested, including the rebel army's palace insider, Left Minister Seo In Seon Woo, who was captured as a spy by Chief State Councilor Yoo Ja Gyeom and tortured to acquire intel about the whereabouts of Crown Prince Jin Yeon.

## Uniform

Bi Yeong Pal Mu members wore variations of uniform that differed mainly by color. The king's guard wore their uniform with no particular style, though each member patterned its design to the color scheme akin to the Jin Hee Palace. Moreover, other branches of the organization had different color schemes befitting their functional roles (usually showcased in a cloth worn on their forehead):

## Known Members

Heuk Rang†
(*Black Wolf*)Baek Ah†Baek Ju
(*White Pearl*)Baek Lin
(*White Poison*)Baek Ryung†
(*White Phantom*)Baek Sa
(*White Snake*)
## Trivia

* Bi Yeong Pal Mu members, especially the king's guard, are implied to have used aliases instead of their real names. An example of which is Baek Yoo Shin, who was given or used the alias *Heuk Rang* (*lit.* "Black Wolf").
	+ Notably, members used an adjectival color (e.g. *baek* for "white") and an identifier (e.g. *ju* for "pearl", *lin* for "poison", *sa* for "snake", etc.) to form their alias.
	+ It is unknown whether this tradition was a takeaway from Bi Yeong Ship Mu, given that Gil Mu Jin knew of Yoo Shin's alias, Heuk Rang. If this were the case, Baek Ho, a former member of Bi Yeong Ship Mu, might be an alias instead of his real name as per the organization's naming pattern, though this was never confirmed.

## References

1. ↑ *Twelve Nights* webtoon, chapter 44
2. ↑ *Twelve Nights* webtoon, chapter 43