There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 75

< A Hamgyeong Rhapsody (2) >

The soldiers of the Training Command moved with remarkable order.

Even though they were clearly drawn from various units and mixed together, they moved as one body after only a few months of training together in Hanyang [modern-day Seoul].

‘Is this also the effect of Yi Seong-gye’s rigorous training?’

‘Well, even in modern times, just completing basic training makes you look like a soldier.’

I nodded.

However, Yi Seong-gye clicked his tongue as he watched them.

“It’s still not enough.”

“Yes?”

‘You said that last time, but what’s the problem this time?’

“Aren’t they good enough?”

“To be at the level of Gabyeolcho [elite soldiers known for their bravery and resilience], they must be able to open their eyes wide and advance even when spears and swords are flying and arrows are raining down.

They fight without being shaken even if their comrades next to them die. That’s the Gabyeolcho spirit.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

‘Are you exaggerating because I didn’t see it?’

Isn’t it typical for veterans to say that their unit is the toughest?

‘In this era where bloody close combat is the mainstream, that might be a common mindset, though.’

The royal procession moved at a fairly fast pace.

This was because Yi Seong-gye didn’t particularly need a palanquin, and he didn’t bring a lot of people with him before departing.

I could now ride a small horse on my own, so it couldn’t be better.

‘At this rate, we’ll get to Hamgyeong-do [a province in present-day North Korea] in no time, right?’

We can go up quickly and come down quickly.

That’s what I thought, but my expectations were wrong.

“Your Majesty!”

It was because of the people who kept interrupting the procession from time to time.

Even now, a commoner suddenly jumped out in front of the royal carriage.

“Hey!”

Since the horses weren’t running, the commoner was able to avoid being crushed under the hooves, but the entire procession had to stop.

“You scoundrel, how dare you block His Majesty’s path?”

The soldier shouted, and the commoner shrank back.

The soldier drew his sword and scolded him, but this was merely a formality.

Soon, Yi Seong-gye raised his hand from behind and said,

“Ah, stop it. Let’s hear why he blocked the royal carriage.”

“Your Majesty, but…”

“He wouldn’t do such a thing with a normal mind. He must have a reason for doing so.”

As Yi Seong-gye spoke kindly, the soldier had no choice but to put away his sword and step back.

‘What’s the story this time?’

I sighed and thought.

The longer the travel schedule, the more suffering there would be, so I wanted to arrive quickly, but Yi Seong-gye didn’t pass by the commoners who pleaded on the way like this.

He’s doing good deeds, so I can’t say anything.

‘Honestly, it’s surprising.’

Yi Seong-gye was famous as a virtuous general even during his days as a military commander, so perhaps it’s only natural.

Even now that he’s become a stubborn old man, is that part of his heart still there?

When Yi Seong-gye told him to speak, the commoner burst into tears and said,

“I am Park Ga-i, living in a nearby village, and I was unfairly deprived of my land by the local magistrate! But even when I appealed to the magistrate, he wouldn’t listen and instead beat me, so how can I not be upset!”

“Is that really so?”

Yi Seong-gye said with a glare.

“Go and bring the magistrate of this village here!”

“Yes!”

Upon receiving Yi Seong-gye’s order, the soldier immediately ran to the government office in Park Ga-i’s village.

I glanced at Yi Seong-gye and said,

“Is it okay to handle things so arbitrarily? The schedule keeps getting delayed anyway…”

“Even Bang-won [King Taejong, Yi Seong-gye’s son] will turn a blind eye to this much. And what’s the rush? Since we’ve already set out, we might as well enjoy the scenery.”

That’s what Yi Seong-gye said.

In the first place, local magistrates, not the gentry of Gaeseong [the capital of Goryeo], couldn’t arbitrarily defy the name of the King Emeritus.

“When else would I get to listen to the stories of the people like this?”

It was a year or two ago that he had already installed the Sinmun Drum [a drum used for citizens to petition the king directly] to listen to the voices of the people, but it wasn’t particularly practical.

It was just a symbol of listening to public sentiment.

Rather, what worked well was coming forward in front of the king’s procession and directly stating one’s circumstances.

You can think of it as something similar to the Gyeokjaeng [a system where commoners could directly appeal to the king] system of later generations.

‘Gyeokjaeng and Sang’eon [another system for public appeals] system, damn it.’

I remember missing a question because I got the two confused.

Anyway, it seemed that similar acts existed in this era as well.

Since it wasn’t legalized, they could be kicked out for being rude in the royal presence, but.

Yi Seong-gye, like a magnanimous military commander, seemed to welcome such things.

“Listening to Park Ga-i, the local magistrate used a wicked scheme to forcibly take away the land that had been passed down in his family for generations.

I have already issued an order to reform the land system and give land to each household, so how can such a thing happen!

The magistrate should carefully examine these circumstances and report the progress!”

In words, he entrusted the disposition to the magistrate, but since the King Emeritus had examined the matter, it was impossible to handle it in a way that contradicted his intentions, so he had effectively granted Park Ga-i’s request.

Then, Park Ga-i prostrated himself and bowed repeatedly.

“Oh, King Emeritus! Thanks to the virtue of the King, I have finally resolved my grievances!”

Seeing him cry and say such things, it seemed that he had suffered a lot of mental anguish.

In addition, there were various petitions, such as those who couldn’t get married because they were too old and didn’t have money, or wives who were divorced for no reason, but Yi Seong-gye didn’t show any displeasure and resolved them.

He would give rice to the old bachelors and spinsters to get them married, or he would call the husbands of the divorced wives and scold them to get them to remarry.

Honestly, this was the first time I had seen this side of my grandfather, so I was quite taken aback.

Yi Seong-gye looked at me and smiled.

“How is it? Cool, right?”

I readily nodded.

“Yes, it’s amazing. It might be remembered as a folk tale later on.”

In fact, examining each situation like this is a great thing that even later kings would find difficult to do.

Yi Seong-gye said proudly.

“Each of these small things is helpful. Gaining the hearts of the people is the great strategy for taking over a country. Do you think I would have founded a nation just by sitting still?”

Well, overthrowing the 500-year-old Goryeo and establishing a new country is not something anyone can do.

“It’s easy for me to resolve their grievances, but they will remember today for the rest of their lives. Even those who haven’t directly received the favor will spread the story by word of mouth, so how can it not be a profitable business?”

I stared at Yi Seong-gye with a dumbfounded expression.

To say such things to his grandson.

“Were you making such calculations in your heart?”

I still believed that Yi Seong-gye had a warm heart.

At my rebuke, Yi Seong-gye cleared his throat.

“You rascal. Of course, I did it with a benevolent heart. This is only a secondary effect…”

“Still.”

I opened my mouth.

“I will keep that in mind.”

If Yi Bang-won was a delicate coordinator of political power, Yi Seong-gye seemed to be a type of politician who captured people’s hearts with his straightforward actions.

There would be many things to learn from both of them.

“Instead, I’ll do it this time.”

“You?”

“Wouldn’t it be better for me to do it than for you, Grandfather?”

After all, even if Yi Seong-gye gains popularity, there’s no place to use it anymore.

When I said that, Yi Seong-gye became serious.

“Hey, it’s ugly to be greedy so late. I’ll let you do it when we come back, so I’ll do it until we go.”

He said it was a grand plan to win the hearts of the people, but it seems like he’s just immersed in playing Judge Bao [a symbol of justice and integrity in Chinese culture].

“If you solve everything on the way back and forth, Grandfather, will there be any remaining petitions?”

“Well, really…?”

Yi Seong-gye gave an ominous smile.

===

I brought Yi Cheon as my escort.

Since I was trying to bring as few people as possible, he was chosen because he could handle both escort and development duties.

“Hoo-eup~ ha. Hoo-eup~ ha.”

Yi Cheon was making strange breathing sounds while looking around the mountains and rivers.

“Why is that?”

Annoyed by the repeated breathing sounds, I asked, and Yi Cheon hurriedly turned his head towards me.

“I, I apologize.”

“Apologies are unnecessary, what’s the reason?”

Then, Yi Cheon looked at the sun with his sunken eyes and said,

“I must be excited to see the light after so long. It’s been so long since I’ve been outside…”

“No, why is that?”

It makes it seem like I’ve imprisoned someone.

I only intended to develop Yi Cheon’s talents.

“Hehehe… The Training Command must be suffering from overwork right now, right? Fortunately, I survived by escorting you, Your Highness…”

‘Was this guy always like this?’

I thought he was a more taciturn engineer.

Did life in the Training Command change his personality?

However, I had no choice but to shatter Yi Cheon’s hopes.

“Well, if you’re talking about work, there’s more here than there.”

“Yes?”

Yi Cheon asked blankly.

“No, did you think you were going on a sightseeing trip when you came out for state affairs? Of course, I brought you along because there’s work to be done.”

Rather, I’m embarrassed by Yi Cheon’s reaction.

“First of all, we need to check the Dancheon silver mine.”

The most representative of the silver deposits in the Korean Peninsula is the Dancheon silver mine.

I ordered its development, but it’s been sluggish, so I have no choice but to manage it myself.

Of course, Yi Cheon is in charge of the practical work.

Fortunately, we have accumulated enough know-how from mining Geumju and Bupyeong silver mines.

There should be no difficulty in applying wooden troughs and the Park Yeon method [mining techniques].

I rubbed my palms together, thinking about the vast amount of silver to be mined from Dancheon.

‘The problem is that we have to arrive quickly first, though.’

The closer we got to Hamgyeong-do, the rougher the road became.

Naturally, the speed of the procession had to slow down.

“We need to do something about this damn road first.”

I clicked my tongue at the rough road.

I had become accustomed to the cross-shaped main road that ran through Hanyang, so such roads only made me feel irritated.

Despite my complaints, the royal carriage steadily advanced towards the Northeast.

The further up we went, the louder the voices welcoming Yi Seong-gye became.

When we reached a place that would be Yodok in North Korea in terms of current place names, the cheers grew even louder.

“Waaaah!”

“It’s the General! The General has come!”

‘What is this?’

As soon as they heard the news that the King Emeritus had come, people popped out from everywhere and greeted him enthusiastically.

“The respected General has arrived!”

“Your Majesty, please look at me!”

“I’m dying for the General’s warm love…”

‘This is North Korea.’

No, geographically, it’s North Korea, but.

Why does it feel like the timeline has been twisted about 600 years into the future?

The title is not King Emeritus, but simply ‘General’.

“The people of the Northeast are more familiar with me as a general than as a king.”

Yi Seong-gye laughed and waved his hand.

It wasn’t just ordinary people who welcomed us.

The influential clans of the Northeast gathered here one after another without being called.

The number reached hundreds.

“Your Majesty, it’s been a long time. Have you been well?”

“Ah, you’ve come too!”

“Your Majesty, do you recognize me?”

“Of course, I remember. Why didn’t your father come?”

“He passed away shortly after the end of Jo Sa-ui’s rebellion.”

Yi Seong-gye greeted each of the many people who came to see him.

Then, he put me on his lap and introduced me to them.

“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince looks a lot like the King Emeritus.”

“Hey, disgusting!”

Yi Seong-gye laughed and introduced the clans of the Northeast to me.

He introduced many names, saying, ‘This is so-and-so, this is so-and-so.’

They bowed their heads, feeling so honored that it was burdensome for me.

The clans’ gazes were surprisingly friendly towards me.

“We are truly moved that Your Highness has not forgotten your roots and has visited the Northeast!”

“The people of our Northeast have felt as if our connection with the central government has been severed, but seeing the face of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has washed away our worries.”

I had no choice but to receive a dazed shower of praise for a long time.

I just came here with my grandfather, but the reaction is this great.

Good.

Now that it’s come to this, let’s go and unpack a proper gift package.

===

While the Crown Prince Je-i was surrounded by people who welcomed him, Yi Seong-gye quietly moved away.

Some people who were watching this followed him as if they had been waiting for it.

They were all influential figures from the Northeast.

“Well, has everyone been doing well?”

“Thanks to Your Majesty’s grace.”

That’s what they said, but in reality, they hadn’t been doing well.

Many of their relatives were involved in Jo Sa-ui’s rebellion, and Taejong had been weakening the power of this region since he took power.

The number of local officials in Yeongheung-bu, which once exceeded 500, has been greatly reduced and now numbers less than 200.

Even though their official positions had fallen, their influence remained.

“I have many things to be sorry for to you all.”

Yi Seong-gye said.

“Your Majesty, please refrain from such excessive words. None of the people of the Northeast resent Your Majesty. It’s just that the times have changed.”

“Excessive… Stop it. I’m getting goosebumps hearing the words I used to hear in the deep palaces of Gaeseong again here.”

Yi Seong-gye sighed.

“Even if you don’t resent me, I owe you all a lot.”

I regret it, but what can I do?

It’s already spilled water.

All Yi Seong-gye can do is wipe up the spilled water.

Yi Seong-gye looked around at the people and said,

“I have come to give you a final gift.”

< A Hamgyeong Rhapsody (2) > End