There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 110

“Prepare to fire!”

“Prepare to fire!”

“Number one cannon ready!”

“Number two cannon ready!”

“Number three cannon ready!”

“Fire!”

– Thoom!

Upon the firing command, the cannons erupted in unison, spewing flames and smoke.

The fuses of the launched Bigyeokjincheonleis [large, powerful, rocket-propelled arrow bombs] burned quickly, leading to explosions.

Iron fragments scattered in all directions.

The Ouchi delegation applauded at the spectacle.

“Amazing!”

Ouchi Mitsuyo watched, mesmerized, and exclaimed in admiration.

“Even the Shogun of the Bakufu [the Shogun’s government] would not have seen such a sight. I never knew Joseon’s weaponry was so advanced.”

It hasn’t been long since gunpowder was developed on the Korean Peninsula through Choe Mu-seon’s painstaking efforts.

‘Japan must be in an even worse situation than us right now.’

Watching this, Ouchi Mitsuyo inadvertently revealed his true feelings.

“With weapons like that, we could crush the Shoni clan in an instant!”

‘Hmm, it seems they are definitely at war with them.’

Could that be why they brought up the dangers of Yeojin-gu and the unconfirmed Shoni clan’s backing?

When asked, Ouchi Mitsuyo surprisingly admitted it readily.

“In fact, our lord has ordered us to cooperate with Joseon in surveying the situation and suppressing pirates.”

“Is that so?”

I don’t know if he’s talking about simple Wokou pirates [Japanese pirates] or the Shoni clan itself.

However, we have nothing to gain from forming an alliance with the Ouchi, and it’s not befitting our status.

When I pointed that out, Ouchi Mitsuyo nodded as if he knew that much.

“However, if Joseon bestows upon us the grace of kinship by granting us weaponry, we can surely defeat the Shoni clan on our own and bring peace to the coasts of the Shang Country [China].”

“So, you’re saying you want to buy weapons?”

Though he says ‘bestow,’ he ultimately means trade.

I stroked my chin and hesitated.

I didn’t bother bringing up concerns like, ‘Would your government stand by and watch?’ here.

That was something to discuss as the conversation progressed.

More importantly, did this young man before me have the authority to make such critical decisions?

“Hmm… it won’t be cheap… I wonder if the Daenei clan [another name for the Ouchi clan] can afford it…”

As I trailed off, Ouchi Mitsuyo eagerly stepped forward.

“Just leave us with a chance. I will somehow persuade our lord and bring back conditions that will satisfy you.”

“Then I will also speak to His Majesty about it.”

I said to Ouchi Mitsuyo.

‘They want to win the war, and they need our weapons to do it. We might even be able to strip them bare.’

Since there were signs that an export route was opening up, it was time to showcase my secret weapon.

“Take a look at this.”

I picked up a Seungja Chongtong [a type of Joseon-era handgun].

“What is this thing?”

The Ouchi delegation thought it looked like a cannon, but its small size made them disregard it.

I calmly explained.

“It’s called a Jochong [another name for Seungja Chongtong], and it can shoot down even flying birds. It’s even presented as tribute to the Ming Dynasty [China].”

In return for presenting this Seungja Chongtong, the Ming Dynasty bestowed many gifts and generously postponed the tribute of palace women and eunuchs for several years.

In fact, these bastards tried to disarm us but were outsmarted.

‘This postponement will lose its effect in two or three years…’

I should go to Ming and try to sell other goods then.

I have to make an official visit anyway.

In any case, I ordered the soldiers to demonstrate the firing of the Seungja Chongtong.

– Bang!

The soldiers holding the bronze body and wooden handle aimed forward, and as the fuse burned, shrapnel poured out.

Even a hand cannon of this level would be gratefully received by the Ouchi clan.

“Incredible!”

Seeing the target torn apart by the shrapnel, Ouchi Mitsuyo asked like a child if he could try shooting it himself.

I readily ordered the soldiers to hand over the Seungja Chongtong.

Ouchi Mitsuyo, who was examining it from every angle, said.

“I have seen gunpowder in Japan before, but it was not as powerful as Joseon’s.”

“Joseon has clear water and clean air, so the ingredients are pure.”

In reality, it was because I had improved the ratio of black powder, but there was no need to reveal such secrets.

Rather, it would be advantageous to instill the idea that Joseon’s products are unconditionally the best.

Unlike my explanation, we obtained saltpeter through the Chodan process [a method of extracting saltpeter from soil], so there were many impurities in the raw materials, but the technique was more advanced than any gunpowder of this era.

‘From the perspective of a mere feudal lord like Ouchi, he wouldn’t have been able to obtain much gunpowder, and its quality couldn’t compare to ours.’

“Would you like to take a sample? I can give you one Seungja Chongtong… no, a Jochong.”

“Really?”

“Yes, but discuss it well with your lord and come back. Joseon wants to strengthen our ‘friendship’ with you in the future.”

I said that.

“Aren’t we family?”

===

The Ouchi delegation returned home gleefully.

They gained prestige by obtaining the Baekje genealogy [a claim to ancient Korean ancestry] and secured practical benefits by establishing friendship with Joseon.

Although they failed to achieve the goal of jointly containing the Shoni clan, that was too much to ask for anyway.

They seemed greatly satisfied with just this much.

In any case, as soon as the delegation returned, I had to get back to work in Hanseongbu [the capital administration office].

“Ughhh.”

Those who had been glued to the documents stretched their stiff backs and exclaimed with strange groans.

“We’ve finished everything.”

“Good work.”

I rubbed my tired eyes and encouraged my subordinates.

‘Damn it, what on earth did Choi Yu-gyeong do?’

Of course, managing this metropolis of Hanyang [modern-day Seoul] is no easy task, but still, there are so many things we need to normalize.

‘But at least we’ve finished most of the pending tasks.’

It was hard work readjusting the administrative districts and division of tasks, but from now on, there won’t be any more difficult tasks.

“We need to conduct a census again soon, and we also need to address the issue of the poor in the capital.”

No, scratch that.

There are still plenty of things to worry about.

“Hmm, we can just visit each household for the census, and shouldn’t we just gather all the poor people and send them to the Bupyeong salt fields?”

That’s what I thought.

Salt field work is hard, but they provide food, shelter, and clothing.

They also give a small wage, so it provides a stepping stone for them to get back on their feet.

‘There are strange rumors circulating that they are being exploited because of the gulag [forced labor camp].’

“Anyway, try to push it in that direction.”

I said, looking at the officials.

“What’s the next item on the agenda?”

When I asked, Lee Suk-beon, who was next to me, picked up a piece of paper and examined it.

“A report has been filed.”

“A report?”

Hanseongbu also serves as a police station in modern terms, so I thought it was a report about a robbery.

However, Lee Suk-beon’s words were different.

“A person who has newly moved to Hanyang, received land, built a house, and is living there, has deceived the authorities by using the name of a relative to receive another plot of land, and is building a garden on it for his enjoyment.”

“No way, someone’s doing that?”

Hanyang land is already scarce, and there’s someone doing this kind of thing?

“How dare he receive national land and do this? Select someone to investigate the truth!”

I jumped up and gave the order.

As soon as my order was given, everyone’s eyes turned to Lee Cheon, who was standing to one side.

“Yes? Are you talking about me?”

“Aren’t you from a military background?”

“Yes. The only person who can handle this is Commander Lee.”

Lee Cheon looked as if the sky had fallen, muttered something, and left the room.

‘He wasn’t originally this kind of character.’

I thought, looking at Lee Cheon.

‘But the problem will be handled appropriately with this.’

However, a short while later, Lee Cheon returned, looking flustered.

“These people are shamelessly claiming it’s the land of a noble family and blocking the entry of officials. They don’t seem to want to move at all, so what should we do?”

“Heh.”

I’ve heard stories on the news about companies blocking the door and resisting when they’re raided, but they’re doing that in this era too.

If they come out like this, there’s only one way.

“Select a few strong soldiers from Hanseongbu to follow me! I’ll have to go there myself!”

Upon my command, the soldiers on duty were immediately summoned.

“Let’s go.”

The reported land was in the Bukchon area [a traditional Korean neighborhood in Seoul].

Sure enough, as we headed there, there was a large mansion with high walls.

It was twice the size of the land usually given for building a house.

It was obvious at a glance that they were using someone else’s land as their own garden instead of building a house.

“Wow, they used a lot of land.”

I clicked my tongue and said.

Royal Attendant No-bun, who was following me closely, stepped forward and shouted.

“Open the gate!”

Then, someone peeked out from between the gates and asked, looking at us.

“Who is it?”

“We’re from Hanseongbu! Open the gate, we have something to investigate!”

This time, Lee Cheon stepped forward.

“You’re the same people from earlier. As I said before, our master is out and not here.”

“Then we’ll take a look inside, so open the gate.”

“How can we let strangers in when the owner isn’t here? Quietly go back.”

The servant is a servant, but his tone is very impudent because he’s a servant of a noble family.

However, Royal Attendant No-bun, who is the best in this field, scoffed and stepped forward.

“You really want to die!”

No-bun is second to none when it comes to throwing his weight around.

He shouted fiercely.

“What are the Hanseongbu soldiers doing? Why don’t you break down the gate and charge in!”

I smacked No-bun on the head.

“Why are you stealing my lines?”

But I was about to order that anyway.

The Hanseongbu soldiers rushed to the gate, beat down the servant, and entered.

“Ouch, these guys are killing people!”

The servant fell to the ground.

“Hey, what are you guys doing?”

So much for the owner not being here, several young men were gathered on the main floor, having a feast.

One of them, who seemed to be the owner, jumped up and shouted.

His face was already flushed, so he seemed drunk.

“We’re from Hanseongbu. We heard there’s someone who’s falsely receiving land to build a house.”

After coming inside and looking around, it was indeed true.

A large and beautiful garden greeted us.

‘Wow, they even made a pond over there.’

I’ve been racking my brains to solve the housing crisis, and someone’s doing something so unscrupulous.

“Order their arrest.”

I whispered from behind Lee Cheon, and Lee Cheon shouted.

“Arrest them!”

The Hanseongbu soldiers jumped onto the main floor.

Then, the young man slapped their hands away.

“Where do you think you’re putting your hands, you bastards? What, Hanseongbu? Where’s my father-in-law? Bring my father-in-law here!

Do you know who I am?”

The young man shouted without losing any composure.

‘Father-in-law?’

He seemed to have a great backer behind him.

I was dumbfounded and asked.

“Who is the owner of this house?”

“He is the 13th generation descendant of Jangwi Gong (章威公) [a posthumous title] Seo Hui (徐熙) [a famous Goryeo general] and the son of Hyeongjo Uirang [a position in the Ministry of Justice] Seo Seon Gong.”

‘Oh my.’

Seo Hui is the Seo Hui of ‘Gwiju Victory Gang Gam-chan Seo Hui Khitan [referencing Seo Hui’s role in defending against the Khitan invasion],’ so he is indeed from a prestigious family.

Hyeongjo Uirang is also a mid-level official.

But that alone wouldn’t be enough to receive these benefits.

‘How many people in Hanyang want to get a house and land?’

I was suspicious.

But soon, the whole story came out of the perpetrator’s mouth.

“This house was built with my father-in-law’s permission when Hanyang was built! You bastards…!

My father-in-law is currently the Vice Mayor of Hanseongbu, you bastards! If you touch me, you’re all dead!”

At those words, I couldn’t help but shout.

“Hwang Hui, you son of a bitch!”

End

ⓒ Pitkong