There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 159

Yi Bang-won stroked his beard.

The most important duty of a king is to choose and support a good successor.

Looking back at history, the kings of the late Goryeo Dynasty killed and fought each other, and there were plenty of humans who behaved disgracefully because they didn’t want to be deprived of their power by their sons.

Also, there were many who ruined the country because they failed to establish a proper succession.

Having seen those who failed to do so properly, wasn’t it inevitable that he had to draw his sword in the end?

As the thought occurred to him, Yi Bang-won slightly frowned.

‘I will not become such a father.’

That was what he had firmly resolved from the moment he ascended the throne.

He would make sure that Yi Bang-won’s greatest achievement would be to arrange everything for his successor.

So, when his son, especially his eldest son, showed promise, he pushed him hard.

Especially since he was the perfect successor to brilliantly make up for his own shortcomings of not being the eldest son.

But perhaps he, too, was an inevitable power-holder.

“Why is there no instruction regarding His Highness’s actions?”

When Ha Ryun asked, Yi Bang-won looked at the ceiling and laughed heartily.

“My head and heart are speaking different words.”

“Pardon?”

“My heart tells me to trust my son, but my head tells me to suppress him now. To retract what the Crown Prince has decided, and show who the king of this country is.”

Shouldn’t it be the opposite usually?

‘I did consider the possibility of this happening when I ordered the regency, but.’

What he had assumed was only the case where he would lose his reason and try to keep his successor in check because he was mad with lust for power.

Yi Bang-won had ordered the regency for a brief moment to confirm this.

‘Can I remain calm even after seeing the Crown Prince’s actions?’

But the current situation was the opposite.

The reason of a ruthless monarch whispered that there could not be two suns in one sky, but his heart still wanted to support his son.

“I didn’t expect this to happen.”

Yi Bang-won was pleased.

‘Was killing my half-brothers due to my lust for power, or was it really for the sake of the dynasty?’

Since ascending the throne, there were days when he gradually began to doubt himself.

But now, he felt like something heavy that had been lodged in a corner of his heart had disappeared.

He was not a monster driven mad by power.

“If I had been in charge of the regency, I would have been anxious that I might be caught in my father’s suspicion. Goodness.”

Was it because of his son, who was so foolishly obedient?

Rather than anger or suspicion, Yi Bang-won couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Then do you intend to leave the decisions made during the regency as they are?”

“Of course, I must hold the reins. The revision of the History of the Eastern Country will proceed as the Crown Prince decided, but I will select the personnel.”

Yi Bang-won instantly returned to his original iron-fisted monarch and said.

‘No matter how big your head has grown, you still have more to learn.’

Although the Crown Prince was bright, he had no intention of handing over the initiative in state affairs from the start.

“Then I will understand that you mean to come to the throne room from tomorrow.”

“Hmm.”

Yi Bang-won was about to issue an order to return to state affairs, but he had no choice but to hesitate for a moment.

‘Huh?’

Why did I do that?

Yi Bang-won tilted his head and was about to issue the order again, but still, his mouth would not open.

Yi Bang-won soon realized the reason.

‘It’s too comfortable.’

Had he been resting too comfortably for the past few days, leaving state affairs to the Crown Prince?

Frankly, after playing to his heart’s content for three days, he somehow didn’t want to go back.

‘······.’

Yi Bang-won, in whom a completely new self had sprung up, neither reason nor lust for power.

He was dumbfounded because this was also his first experience.

“Your Majesty?”

When Chief State Councilor Ha Ryun looked puzzled, Yi Bang-won finally woke up from his reverie.

“Oh, yes. Tell them I will return and take care of state affairs.”

Yi Bang-won answered, regretting it.

===

Yi Seong-gye might deny it, but frankly, our family was too much for Goryeo.

‘The saying that the blood of a traitor cannot be hidden fits perfectly.’

It’s not for me to say this, but it was true.

Great-great-great-great-grandfather Yi Rin, who assisted under his brother Yi Ui-bang, who started the military coup,

Great-great-grandfather Yi An-sa, who surrendered to Mongolia without even fighting during the Mongol invasions.

Lastly, Yi Seong-gye, who completely destroyed the dynasty itself, shows it.

In other words, it was a legendary traitor family that backstabbed Goryeo three times.

So, even while performing the Sea God Ritual on the west coast to pray for the safe voyage, I couldn’t hide my uneasy heart.

“If I step up to perform the ritual, it might have the opposite effect.”

“Oh, no, how could that be? If such a noble person as Your Highness steps up to pray, the Dragon King of the sea will surely look upon us with favor.”

‘Hmm······ Really?’

The Goryeo royal family was said to be descendants of the Sea Dragon Woman of the West Sea, so if you think about it, they are the enemies of our family.

Well, still, I am the one who continued the ancestral rites of the Wang family, so the Dragon King will look kindly upon me.

‘And I didn’t kill all the Wangs.’

Like Wang Mi, whom I found this time, most of those far from the direct line survived, and there is no guarantee that the humans who were put on ships and sunk in Joseon necessarily died, right?

Perhaps, at the moment of crisis, the gills inherited from their ancestors revived and they are living happily in Bikini Bottom.

‘Let’s just say I created a touching meeting between ancestors and descendants.’

I nodded and thought.

The reason I came all the way to the West Sea was to see off Yi Cheon, Jang Yeong-sil, and others heading to the Ouchi territory.

Since Yi Bang-won had returned to state affairs, I didn’t have much to do, so I came here in person.

I had to do this much for the humans I specifically picked to send to Japan.

“Thoroughly investigate the silver mine and determine whether it is worth purchasing in our Joseon.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“······I will devote my loyalty to carry out your orders.”

Jang Yeong-sil answered vigorously, but Yi Cheon somehow had a constipated look on his face.

I scratched my head as I watched him.

‘Should I have sent him to the South Sea as he wished?’

Yi Cheon knew that no matter what excuse he made, it would not work for me.

So, what he asked instead was to be allowed to go to Dongnae by land instead of the West Sea, and then set sail through the South Sea.

But I had no choice but to refuse that request as well.

It would take time to go to Dongnae by land, but······.

“Another tax transport ship carrying tribute has sunk?”

“How many times is this?”

The sailing skills of Joseon cannot be said to be good even as a polite remark.

With the addition of the West Sea’s terrible terrain, the tribute ships sent up from the south often sank, but the court was unable to take any special measures.

“The coast has many obstacles such as reefs and is shallow, so it is not suitable for heavy and large ships like tribute ships to pass through, let alone small ships.”

“The biggest obstacle is Anheungnyang in Taean. Half of the tribute ships sink while crossing this dangerous place.”

“But we can’t not pass through Anheungnyang······.”

It doesn’t make sense to transport so much tribute by land just because the sea route is dangerous. The time and cost would be absurdly high.

It’s not for nothing that I considered sailing to Ming China instead of going by land.

‘Ugh, what to do.’

For the time being, as a last resort, I sent Yi Cheon and Jang Yeong-sil to create a nautical chart and find a way.

Anyway, we have to go out through the sea.

If we can measure the depth of the coast and create a rough nautical chart, wouldn’t this reduce such accidents?

“I will definitely find a way!”

Jang Yeong-sil said with a determined expression.

“That’s good, but first, you need to properly investigate the silver mine.”

I said that while looking at Yi Cheon and Jang Yeong-sil.

They planned to go down south in a ship of a size that could pass through the west coast well, join the humans who had joined from Tsushima Island, change to a larger ship, and cross over to Ouchi again.

Of course, the most important thing was the investigation of the Iwami Silver Mine and negotiations with Ouchi.

‘The negotiations will be handled separately by government officials, but their role is also important.’

We need to figure out how profitable Iwami is.

“Don’t worry, Your Highness. I will do it at the risk of my life.”

“No, you don’t have to risk your life.”

This is just business.

I silently saw them off until the ship they were on disappeared from sight.

I hope it goes well.

===

“Joseon is interested in Iwami?”

“Yes. Joseon is a country lacking in silver, so they are very thirsty for silver mines.”

The head of Ouchi, Ouchi Morimi’s eyes lit up at his nephew’s words.

“The Joseon envoys who came this time are also proposing to exchange our land and silver mines for their land.”

Obtaining land in the ancestral land was what the Ouchi family had always wanted.

It was something that would have been achieved several years ago if Jeongjong had not listened to his vassals and refused.

‘To exchange it for a silver mine······.’

Land is important in terms of finding the roots of the family, but not to the extent of giving up practical benefits.

But that was also the case with silver mines.

‘In a word, it’s a white elephant [something that is costly to maintain but provides little benefit].’

It felt a bit wasteful to give away the silver mine altogether, but isn’t it a mine that is not suitable for development anyway?

It’s not for nothing that development only started in 1526, a hundred years from now, when the Joseon’s smelting method was introduced.

That’s why they have been leaving it alone until now after extracting silver from the open-air mine a few times.

His nephew, Ouchi Mitsuyo, also had the same opinion.

“Isn’t it difficult for us to profit even if we have it? Wouldn’t it be better to obtain wide and fertile land in Joseon?”

Ouchi Mitsuyo was ambitious to achieve another success in diplomacy with Joseon, so he actively urged his uncle to accept Joseon’s proposal.

Ouchi Morimi pondered for a moment.

‘The shogunate might turn its sword against us at any time.’

For Ouchi, who had once been on the verge of destruction, it was tempting to establish a base in a foreign country in preparation for an emergency.

Also, isn’t it a deal that involves something more important than land?

‘That is, horses and gunpowder.’

Ouchi Morimi was a rational man, and also had the decisiveness befitting a man who had revived a family that was on the verge of collapse.

He had already half made up his mind at the point when he judged that the silver mine was a white elephant.

‘Anyway, we would have to pay silver to buy Joseon’s horses and gunpowder, but it is difficult with our current finances.’

But where can we get that huge amount of silver?

He didn’t even think about giving up the deal. The contents of the Seongchung project presented by Joseon were too tempting.

They would sell cavalry, gunpowder, and cannons.

Furthermore, they would even provide a kind of education and training.

‘If that happens, it would not be a dream to stand tall as the leading power in the West Country.’

Isn’t the benefit of handing over a silver mine that is not very nutritious to Joseon too great?

Perhaps Joseon will also have to reluctantly hand it back to us because it is not profitable.

‘Joseon doesn’t know the situation here anyway. Then······ it would be perfect to rip them off.’

Ouchi Morimi made that judgment.

Sell the silver mine at the highest possible price and rather tie Joseon down with debt. And scrape up a lot of horses and gunpowder, which are goods, as compensation, and foster a strong army.

If that happens, he can defeat his arch-enemy Shoji, and repay the grudge he suffered from the shogunate in the Oei War [a conflict between the Ouchi clan and the Ashikaga shogunate]!

Ouchi Morimi clenched his fist tightly.

‘Is it possible that silver will pour out if Joseon touches it?’

===

“······.”

Yi Cheon and Jang Yeong-sil were speechless.

The two men had suffered all sorts of hardships crossing the sea due to the Crown Prince’s coercion, but they had forgotten about it.

“Hey, Mr. Byeoljang [a military rank in Joseon dynasty].”

“Yeah.”

Yi Cheon nodded at Jang Yeong-sil’s words.

It was because he knew what he was going to say without listening to the end.

“We found it.”

In front of them was a mountain buried with silver to an extent that they could not know the end.