Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 153

Zzanggeura

Hello, Bomb.

153. Cause of Anxiety (2)

As soon as the ‘Law Concerning the Treatment of Successful Candidates Who Do Not Take Office,’ which became known as the ‘Nobleman Law’ among the people, was promulgated, a massive storm swept through the local noble families throughout Joseon.

“We must submit a memorial immediately! This is the worst of all evil laws!”

“That’s right! That’s right!”

With the benefits they had taken for granted until now disappearing, it was only natural that many local nobles protested.

It was obvious that memorials would once again flood into Gyeongbok Palace in droves.

As these memorials poured in, Sejong publicly criticized their opposition.

-What is the civil service examination! It is to select talented individuals from those who wish to serve the country and its people!

-The reason why we distributed red and white certificates to the successful candidates and gave them various benefits was because we wanted those who were insufficiently prepared to prepare properly and then take office to make this Joseon even more prosperous!

-However, there are many who take advantage of the country’s goodwill and focus only on their own interests!

-Therefore, the country will no longer show any favor. Only those who truly intend to work for the country and those who have worked will be treated well.

The local nobles were furious at Sejong’s public statement that ‘no benefits without taking office!’

“Is this even a country anymore?”

“What are the councilors and ministers doing! If the king is going down the wrong path, they should stop him, even at the cost of their lives!”

“After Lord Ryu Jeong-hyeon, only petty men remain in the court!”

The local nobles, gathered at the Hyanggyo [local Confucian school] under the pretext of ‘ancestral rites for the sages,’ criticized Sejong and his ministers without exception.

In the meantime, those who praised Ryu Jeong-hyeon and those who supported him began to emerge above the surface.

However, there were no open protests. They were well aware that they had lost their justification.

Therefore, ominous rumors began to circulate in secluded places.

“A monarch committing tyranny is a sign of a failing nation! If this Joseon is to survive, we must change the heavens!”

“We must reinstate the deposed eldest son of the late king!”

“Come to think of it, it is not clear why the late king’s eldest son was deposed! This is definitely a conspiracy!”

Such slander began to circulate little by little among the local nobles.

Of course, if this were caught by the local officials or reported, it would be a disaster.

Therefore, the speed at which this slander spread was extremely slow.

Not all local nobles were moving in such an ominous way.

“Of course! This is how it should be! This is a proper law!”

Surprisingly, there were also local nobles who actively supported the bill promulgated by Sejong.

Those who expressed their support in this way were local nobles who were retired officials.

Regardless of whether they were military or civil officials, they were actively expressing their support for Sejong’s bill.

The reason why they supported Sejong’s decision was that the local nobles were an eyesore to them.

“While some are suffering in the court, others are just filling their own bellies….”

“And acting all high and mighty….”

“What’s wrong with being a military officer!”

As I said before, those who had worked as officials and returned were receiving considerable ostracism in the local noble society.

Those who were ostracized in this way actively welcomed Sejong’s bill.

“Now we know who the real nobles are!”

* * *

Sejong’s thoughts on the local nobles were simple.

‘Enemies of the monarchy.’

Therefore, Sejong aggressively announced reform policies and drove the local nobles into a corner.

The momentum was so fierce that even Hyang, who had a negative view of the local nobles due to his memories of the 21st century, felt a sense of crisis.

“This is dangerous.”

Eventually, Hyang went to see Sejong.

“Have the scribes leave for a moment.”

After sending the scribes out, Hyang ordered the eunuchs.

“The scribes will probably be sticking to the door. Chase them away.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“And you guys wait outside the door.”

At Hyang’s command, the head eunuch immediately looked at Sejong. Sejong answered the unspoken question the head eunuch posed.

“Do as the Crown Prince commands.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

With only Sejong and Hyang in Gangnyeong Hall, Hyang asked Sejong with a worried voice.

“Father, aren’t you being too radical?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about the policies regarding the local nobles.”

Sejong smiled at Hyang’s criticism. However, there was no warmth in that smile.

“Crown Prince, I know you usually read a lot of military strategy books.”

“I am interested in them, so I often read them.”

Hyang had been studying military strategy books in order to make the military officers understand the tactics for using the artillery and the artilleries more efficiently – in other words, in a 21st-century way.

Sejong continued his question in response to Hyang’s answer.

“Then, what did the military strategy books say to do when maneuvering the enemy? No, what did Sun Tzu say in the chapter on military struggle (軍爭)?”

At Sejong’s question, Hyang paused for a moment to recall and immediately answered.

“When moving the military, be as swift as the wind; when not advancing, be as still as the forest; when striking and plundering the enemy, be as fierce as a fire; and when defending against the enemy’s attack, be as immovable as a mountain. When hiding, hide as if the stars cannot be seen due to the black clouds, but once you move the military, move as quickly as lightning.”

“You know it well. Then, what period do you think it is now?”

At Sejong’s question, Hyang began to analyze the current situation. Hyang, who was analyzing the situation, sighed.

“Hoo~. In terms of war, it is a situation where the military has been moved.”

Sejong nodded with a satisfied face at Hyang’s words.

“That’s right. Looking at the current situation, the enemy is in a situation where they have not prepared their posture, and we have properly inflicted a fatal blow. Can we stop here? If we stop here, the enemies will gather their strength and launch a counterattack.”

“But they also have considerable power.”

Sejong rebutted Hyang’s rebuttal.

“So, we must not miss the opportunity. In the current situation, do you think they will be reformed?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“You saw it right away. If we stop here, saying that we will reform them, we will only be committing the folly of Duke Xiang of Song (宋襄公) [referring to a historical figure known for his misguided benevolence in war].”

As Sejong mentioned ‘Songyangjiin’ and answered firmly, Hyang had no choice but to bow his head.

“I will follow Father’s will. I was just worried that those who are cornered might do something outrageous.”

“That’s a good thing too. Then we can clean up the troubles.”

“Yes.”

Sejong opened his mouth at Hyang’s expression, which could not hide his worries even though he was answering.

“Crown Prince, if our Joseon royal family is to last for a thousand years, what do you think the king should do?”

“…”

Hyang could not answer immediately at Sejong’s question.

This was because too many theories came to mind in an instant.

Sejong smiled at Hyang’s appearance, unable to answer properly and hesitating.

“You… are you unable to answer because you don’t know?”

“No, it’s because too many thoughts are coming to mind….”

“Sometimes when I see you like that, I realize that ‘too much is as bad as too little’ is not wrong.”

“I am sorry.”

“What are you sorry for… In my opinion, there are two ways. One is for the king to do everything, and the other is for the king to do nothing.”

‘Is it an absolute monarchy and a constitutional monarchy?’

Hyang answered immediately at Sejong’s words.

“There is also a way to share it appropriately with the officials.”

Sejong shook his head and denied Hyang’s words.

“The republic (共和) sounds good, but it is the worst of the worst policies. The more power and wealth you have, the more you want to have.

If a republic is implemented rashly, the king and his officials will fight, the officials and the officials will fight, the king and the people will fight, and the officials and the people will fight. Then the result will only be the ruin of the country.”

“But the two measures that Father mentioned are also difficult to implement.”

Sejong nodded at Hyang’s point.

“That’s right. The first plan leads directly to the ruin of the country if the king is incompetent or a tyrant like Jie and Zhou [infamous tyrannical rulers from Chinese history]. The second can be seen in the countries that have collapsed due to the machinations of eunuchs or officials. There is only one way to prevent this.”

As Sejong stopped speaking, Hyang immediately asked.

“What is that way?”

Sejong answered firmly at Hyang’s question.

“The people must be enlightened. The enlightened people must be wary of the king and his officials going down the wrong path.”

Hyang’s eyes widened at Sejong’s words.

‘Oh my! Are you suddenly changing from an absolute monarch to an enlightened monarch?’

Sejong smiled at Hyang’s expression and continued.

“And this was also mentioned in the views you mentioned before, right?”

“Yes.”

“The things I am doing now are removing the obstacles that are blocking the relationship between the king and the people.”

“What do you mean by obstacles?”

“If you are a noble who learns the ways of the sages, it is your duty to enlighten the people. However, instead of enlightening the people, they are exploiting them. These people are chaff and obstacles. I will remove these chaffs and enlighten the people.”

Sejong, who was explaining what he was trying to do, looked at Hyang.

“In order to enlighten more people, we will have to create letters. The current Chinese characters will only bring about the monopoly of knowledge.”

“That’s right.”

Hyang nodded strongly at Sejong’s point.

“Well, it’s late at night. Let’s get some rest today.”

“Yes. Please have a good sleep.”

* * *

Hyang, who came out of Gangnyeong Hall, looked back at Gangnyeong Hall and muttered softly.

“Listening to Father’s words, it seems like he has made up his mind… I hope things don’t get too big.”

Hyang, who could not hide his worries about Sejong’s firm stance on the local nobles, sighed deeply.

“Hoo~. I just have to hope that it goes well.”

Hyang went back to Donggung Hall and continued to sort out his thoughts.

“But one thing that can be seen positively is that Father continues to have the will to create letters. Considering the data I have been purchasing on his behalf, he must have made considerable progress… After this is resolved, I can slowly give him some advice.”

At the same time, Sejong, who had changed into his sleeping clothes (寢衣, pajamas), muttered while looking in the direction of Donggung Hall.

“Looking at his reaction when I brought it up earlier, it seems like he has been thinking about creating letters to some extent. After this is resolved and I have some time for the research institute and Area 51, I should bring him in and make him work. If I give him a little help when he gets stuck, it will be over soon.”

It was a father and son who were perfectly suited to the saying ‘same bed, different dreams (同床異夢) [idiom for having different thoughts].’

* * *

While the local nobles were stirring, an undercurrent was flowing in Hanseong [the capital city of Joseon].

“Um… Chief.”

“Why?”

The chief of the Geomgye [a type of secret police or vigilante group] in Dadong turned his head as his subordinate came in and spoke to him.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

At the chief’s question, the Geomgye member carefully opened his mouth.

“It seems like strange guys are coming into Hanseong these days.”

“Strange guys?”

“Yes, no matter how I look at them, they seem to be guys who ‘eat the same food’ as us… But it doesn’t seem like they belong to Bukchon or Unjongga.”

“Huh?”

The chief’s face became serious at the Geomgye member’s words.

If the Geomgye member said ‘same food,’ it meant that they were either private soldiers or Geomgye like them.

The problem was that his subordinate did not know their faces.

The chief of the Geomgye was well aware that the atmosphere outside Hanseong was unusual.

“This is making the back of my head itch….”

The chief, who was thinking hard, got up from his seat.

“I’m going to go to Bukchon and Unjongga for a while, so you gather the kids and look for more guys like that.”

“Yes. And find out where they are moving if you find them.”

“Yes.”

* * *

A gisaeng house [traditional Korean courtesan house] in Bukchon. The chiefs of the Geomgye, who shake the night of Hanseong, gathered in one place.

“…So, I told the kids to find them and follow them.”

The chief of Unjongga acknowledged the words of the chief of Dadong.

“Our kids are saying similar things. They say that there are one or two suspicious guys in the inns of Unjongga.”

“Hmm….”

The chief of Bukchon stroked his chin with a serious face at the words of the chiefs of Dadong and Unjongga.

“To be sure, the current situation is a bit of a problem.”

The chief of Bukchon, who felt the seriousness of the situation, looked around at the other chiefs.

“Let’s report to the superior.”