There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 141

The standoff in the Palcham region continued.

With the strong justification that the Crown Prince had been attacked, even Liaodong could not properly prevent the Joseon army from rampaging. Conversely, Joseon could not prevent Liaodong from moving south under the pretext of helping with the suppression.

Amidst these issues, the Joseon court had to deliberate on the handling of Mansan-gun and the Jurchen people who had defected to Joseon.

“There is plenty of empty land in the east, so send them there first.”

Among the defectors, those identified as Han Chinese based on their origins were repatriated to Liaodong. The remaining individuals had to relocate their base to the south of the Mudan River, within Joseon territory.

“I fear that we might provoke the great Ming Dynasty by taking their people….”

“Then they should have managed the border well in the first place.”

Despite the concerns of various officials, they could not easily quell Yi Bang-won’s anger at almost losing his successor.

Moreover, it wasn’t merely taking people from Palcham without justification, but rather framing it as exiling captured criminals to the barren lands of Joseon territory, leaving them with even less room to object.

“However, can we maintain this state of tension in the north? There is a request for dispatching troops from the great Ming Dynasty, and the news coming from the south is also unsettling.”

“Hmm.”

Yi Bang-won closed his eyes.

For a while, the southern coast of Joseon had been quiet.

The Wokou pirates [Japanese pirates], who had relentlessly harassed Joseon, were mainly based in Tsushima Island.

However, after the Joseon army beheaded Soda Saemontaro and the lord of Tsushima had his territory confiscated, their momentum waned. Furthermore, the activities of the Kyushu Wokou, who used Tsushima as a transit point, also noticeably decreased.

However, things couldn’t always go so smoothly.

News arrived that the So clan of Kyushu, nominally the overlords of Tsushima, were preparing for war, using the excuse that they had arbitrarily seized Soda Saemontaro’s territory.

“The Ouchi clan, as neighbors of the So clan, are well-informed of the news. The So clan has been planning to punish Tsushima for years and will soon raise an army.”

As Pyongdojeon had previously worried, the Shoni clan had finally made a decision.

To punish Tsushima, which was taking an independent path, before it was too late.

“The fight between Tsushima and the So clan is merely someone else’s affair, but if the So clan sweeps through Tsushima and then invades our southern coast again in the future, it will become a great concern. What should we do?”

A battle was about to break out right in front of them, and they couldn’t afford not to be prepared.

There was no guarantee that either Tsushima or the Shoni clan would not be pushed this way and start plundering.

Then Ha Ryun said,

“Just in case, send a force to defend the South Sea. That would be helpful in managing the people’s sentiment.”

“I suppose we should.”

Yi Bang-won nodded.

He had anticipated that something like this would happen in Tsushima.

That was why he had been paying attention, but he did not expect such news to arrive so soon.

“Which army shall we send?”

“It is the time to harvest spring barley and sow seeds, so mobilizing the forces of the three southern provinces would disrupt farming and cause significant hardship to the people.

However, the Training Command has absorbed all ten companies and has grown in size, and its soldiers are all elite. Divide a portion of them and send them down.”

This was a good opportunity to assess the strength of the Training Command.

“Also, the Emperor will soon send another envoy, and it is obvious that he will request the dispatch of troops to Annam [present-day Vietnam] again. At that time, let us use the excuse that we sent the central army down to suppress the Wokou.”

This would not only conceal the strength of the Training Command but also deflect the troop dispatch request, killing two birds with one stone.

Yi Bang-won clicked his tongue as he recalled the demands made by Emperor Yongle.

‘They’re always trying to fleece us at every turn.’

However, this was a temporary measure.

The Emperor would raise an army when the time came, regardless of whether Joseon dragged its feet, but he still couldn’t rest assured.

There was no knowing how many years the war with Annam would drag on.

Neither the dispatch of troops to Annam nor the royal marriage could be delayed for long.

“Wouldn’t it be better to hasten the royal wedding? If that happens, the Ming Dynasty will have no justification to demand a royal marriage.”

It was the words of Kim Han-ro, who had been promoted to Minister of Rites.

He was a former colleague of Yi Bang-won, and his family’s influence was not so great as to threaten the royal authority.

That was why he had once been considered as a potential in-law, but in this situation, he did not particularly appeal to Yi Bang-won.

“Is there really a need to do that?”

“However, if we were to welcome a Hwaban princess [a princess from a tributary state of Ming], there would certainly be….”

“Who would marry off their daughter to a mere Jongwang (宗王) [a prince of the second rank]?”

“Then….”

Kim Han-ro tilted his head with a puzzled expression.

“I will push for a royal marriage with Hwangmae.”

Yi Bang-won declared.

‘This will leave the Emperor with nothing to say.’

He would accept the royal marriage.

However, the target would be limited to Hwangmae alone, not anyone else.

Emperor Yongle would have to choose between accepting or rejecting it.

If the Emperor rejected it, Joseon would easily gain a justification for avoiding it.

‘It is the Emperor, not us, who rejected the royal marriage.’

According to the envoys, Emperor Yongle cherished his younger sister quite a bit, so the possibility was not low.

They could escape the choice between dispatching troops to Annam or a royal marriage.

What if the Emperor accepted it?

‘Then we have nothing to lose.’

Their share in the Ming Dynasty imperial family would increase, they could secure considerable prestige, and they might even get help with the Dongpalcham issue.

Although the Ming Dynasty was a bully, small countries had their own strategies.

Yi Bang-won nodded, self-praising himself for devising a clever plan.

There was a minor problem on this side, but it was not very important.

“However, Your Majesty. Have you asked the Crown Prince for his opinion?”

At that moment, Ha Ryun finally pointed out that issue.

“That… The Crown Prince is not someone who would obediently do as he is told to marry, is he?”

At least they should know what the Crown Prince thinks.

However, Yi Bang-won shook his head vigorously.

“I haven’t brought it up yet.”

Then, with a still angry expression, he said,

“Let that son of mine cool his head in the East Palace until everything is over.”

===

“Hwang Hee as the Mayor of Hanseong?”

I sighed while confined in the East Palace.

Hwang Hee, who had been serving as the Deputy Mayor, was promoted and now officially in charge of the affairs of Hanseong [the capital city].

He was already familiar with the practical matters of Hanseong, and the abnormal situation of the Crown Prince taking charge of Hanseong’s affairs could not be sustained for long, so it was a natural development.

‘Still, it’s a bit disappointing.’

After returning home and being confined in the East Palace, I had been pushed out of all the tasks I had been in charge of.

Choi Hae-san was also appointed as the Supervisor of the Military Supplies Office and began to run the office according to his own wishes.

‘Could this be a purge?’

My father, who had been eager to exploit me, was now completely removing me from state affairs, which made me feel uneasy.

Figures like Hwang Hee and Choi Hae-san, who had been my right-hand men, had risen to those positions and were in charge of the work, but I was excluded from it.

I summoned my close aides to the East Palace, but they were all so busy that they only sent apologies, and not a single one of them came to visit.

“Haa… They’re all scared.”

Even if Yi Bang-won was scary, this was too much.

If it was a power demonstration to show that ‘no matter how many achievements you have made, you are still no match for your father,’ it was truly excellent.

‘Well, it’s probably not a real purge.’

I wondered when this confinement would be lifted.

I hoped it wouldn’t last a month.

“Seeing this, the saying ‘power doesn’t last ten years’ naturally comes to mind.”

“It’s ‘flowers don’t bloom for ten days,’ you idiot.”

I replied as No-boon muttered beside me.

I was dissatisfied, but I couldn’t help it.

The only people I could talk to were the Retired King, my family, and eunuchs like No-boon.

I couldn’t drive away the few companions I had.

‘Ah, there are those guys too.’

I also had to include the Goblins working in the palace and Jang Yeong-sil, who had been working with them.

Since I was excluded from all official duties, the only thing I had to take care of was the work of Han Sang.

“Come to think of it, how is the mutual market (互市) [a border market for trade] doing?”

I hadn’t received any reports while I was in Ming China.

I immediately summoned Baek Dal-won to the East Palace.

“How is the mutual trade doing these days?”

“It’s doing well. Ironware, in particular, is very profitable. With the rumors that the Jurchen people who defected this time will be moved to the northeast, the prices of various necessities have risen sharply.”

Baek Dal-won answered with a sigh.

“Isn’t that a good thing? The number of people participating in the mutual market will also increase, so why are you sighing?”

I asked, seeing Baek Dal-won’s worries.

“Even if the population of the north increases, they must have food to support themselves, mustn’t they? I am worried that if we do not provide them with proper means of livelihood, it will become a concern for the north.”

Of course, we couldn’t feed them ourselves.

We had to take measures to ensure that they could provide for themselves.

“Has the court not established any measures?”

“They simply say that there is plenty of land in the north, so they can give it to them, but how easy would that be? It is difficult to live in unfamiliar and barren land, so there is a risk of fighting breaking out.

The Jurchen people who originally lived in the northeast are also worried about that.”

“Hmm….”

The existing Jurchen people were already accustomed to living here, farming, and obtaining supplies through the mutual market.

However, those who had resided in Dongpalcham would now have to establish new settlements, which would require a great deal of effort.

“Then I should suggest that we support them with farming tools and oxen.”

“Even if they settle down properly, there is a problem. The Jurchen people are agile and fierce, and if they become stable with successful farming, it could become a major concern in the future.”

Baek Dal-won’s point was valid.

What if the number of Jurchen people, who were already difficult to govern, increased even further?

Wouldn’t they try to grow stronger and devour Joseon?

But I shook my head.

“But isn’t the reason why it is difficult to suppress the Jurchen people because they empty their villages and run away when things go wrong?”

However, if they settled completely in one land, could they escape Joseon’s pursuit as they had done before?

Paradoxically, they would have something to lose, so they would have no choice but to follow our control.

Joseon had already incorporated the Mudan River basin into its territory.

Although most of it was nominal, they would gradually have to identify the residents and collect taxes.

The reason why this was not easy was because the Jurchen people had strong independence and their residences were not fixed, but….

‘We have the army and the Buddhist figures who were exiled in advance.’

With their help, we would gradually incorporate them into the Joseon people.

“The problem is whether they can properly start farming in that cold and barren land.”

Could they grow rice in Manchuria?

I tilted my head.

It would probably be impossible without modern rice varieties.

However, it might be possible to rotate other grains instead of rice.

‘Or….’

There was no need to only focus on agriculture.

The Jurchen people were quite familiar with the sea, as seen in the case of Yeojin-gu.

‘Surely the old name of Vladivostok was Haesamwi (海參崴) [meaning Sea Cucumber Bay in Korean]?’

Sea cucumber, sea cucumber.

If we had the newly sent people catch sea cucumbers and trade them, wouldn’t that make some money?

However, before I could suggest this issue to Yi Bang-won, the situation in the court began to turn rapidly.

It was because of the news that Tsushima had finally been invaded.

End

ⓒ Pitkong