There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 292

It had been quite some time since the secret war game, under Yi Bang-won’s secret order, had been underway in the Samgunbu [Joseon’s military command].

In the meantime, the results were a complete defeat.

“Even Taejo the Great, the most renowned general of Joseon, was ultimately forced to throw stones [give up]. The only way is to exhaust the enemy.”

“As long as we hold Liaodong [a region in modern-day China], a full-scale struggle with Ming [China’s Ming Dynasty] is inevitable. Rather than that, we should abandon Liaodong, draw them into our mainland, and then seek reconciliation…”

“Then there’s no point in attacking Liaodong.”

“Isn’t the significance in preemptively crushing the Liaodong forces?”

“Grand Eunuch Zheng He’s fleet is also a problem. The moment we become hostile to Ming, all trade routes with the Nanyang region [Southeast Asia] will be cut off.”

“Our country’s ability to foster friendship with various nations has largely relied on the power of the Ming fleet.”

Joseon was more aware than anyone of the influence Zheng He’s fleet held in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean.

Zheng He’s expeditionary fleet, though it didn’t fill its coffers much—though it could be argued that Emperor Yongle’s prestige itself was the real gain—its military achievements were overwhelming.

Barbarian petty kingdoms had no real power and had to kneel before Ming.

In the meantime, this influence of Ming was the foundation that allowed Joseon to comfortably expand its trade routes, but what if Ming turned into an enemy?

The connections with trade outposts established by Joseon, including Shimhado, would all be severed, and merchants who flocked from all over the world to buy bezoar [a medicinal stone] would shed tears of blood.

“If we directly antagonize the Ming court, we will have to fight the war with both hands and feet cut off…”

Considering all of this, the Samgunbu’s conclusion was absolutely no war.

In the first place, Joseon was Ming’s baeggu state [a tributary state]. If we sincerely uphold the rites of serving the great, such sweet honey drips down, so why should we antagonize Ming?

In the eyes of the seasoned officers of the Samgunbu, there was only one reason for playing this game.

‘The former King and the current King must be overly conscious of the Annam case [Vietnam’s situation].’

‘Now that Princess Royal has married, there’s no need to worry about such things.’

That was the conclusion they came to.

Therefore, the war game conducted by the Samgunbu could only converge on a defensive and conventional plan to repel the Ming army and protect Joseon’s altars of soil and grain [national security].

And it was not unreasonable for Yi Je to think that ‘the Samgunbu’s conclusion is obvious’ after receiving such reports every time.

===

Choi Man-ri, a scholar at the Jiphyeonjeon [Hall of Worthies, a royal research institute], was affiliated with a school of thought called the New Military Strategists.

It wasn’t that he founded this school to lead any particular academic circle; it was just that his older brothers, who he used to do war simulations with, were called New Military Strategists, so he was lumped in with them.

Recently, rumors had spread that it was good to do war simulations when preparing for the military service examination, and they were gaining popularity, but in reality, the cousin and colleagues who formed the New Military Strategists with him were repeatedly failing the military examination.

Only he had passed the civil service examination with dignity and entered the Jiphyeonjeon.

‘You should study hard…’

What’s the point of doing war simulations until your eyes are dark every day?

In the actual state examination, they were drinking the bitter cup [failing miserably].

Choi Man-ri’s loyalty to his job automatically soared when he saw those layabouts next to him.

Perhaps that’s why, when the King had Grand Prince Chungnyeong [later King Sejong] create Hangul [the Korean alphabet], he focused on learning the Hunminjeongeum [the original name of Hangul] distributed to the Jiphyeonjeon.

In fact, what else could he do but quietly keep his tail between his legs [behave submissively]?

His immediate superior was Grand Prince Chungnyeong, who created Hangul.

Moreover, he had received the honorary title of ‘Seongmunjangmuhongikdaewang (成文莊武弘益大王)’ [a title praising his literary and military achievements] for promulgating the new script.

Even the high-ranking state councilors, who he, as a new junior, couldn’t dare to look up to, had come forward to create and offer the honorary title, so the moment he acted out of line, it would be the same as making enemies of them all.

Having been once caught by the Euigeumbu [a royal investigation agency] and nearly lost his head, only to be saved by the King’s mercy, he wanted to live a peaceful official life without incurring the displeasure of those above.

“Hey, you crazy bastard!”

However, Yi Suk-beon shattered his simple wish in an instant.

“You’re bringing me this kind of thing as the result of a war simulation?”

Yi Suk-beon, who was from the former Crown Prince faction and also served as the Grand Scholar of the Jiphyeonjeon, was furious.

“Why are you doing this, Grand Scholar?”

“Don’t you know what His Majesty has ordered?”

However, Yi Suk-beon was just as frustrated.

He had asked them to secretly conduct a war simulation with a few premises given by the King, but the plan that Choi Man-ri brought was completely absurd.

“Didn’t His Majesty ask you to explore the possibility of occupying Liaodong and maintaining it?”

Choi Man-ri said.

“When I did a war simulation under those conditions, it was not possible to obtain Liaodong by fighting the Ming Dynasty.”

“So you created this result?”

“…That’s right.”

There was no way Choi Man-ri could come up with a plan that even the Samgunbu couldn’t produce.

However, he had reliable older brothers.

‘Is there a need to fight with Ming?’

‘Then how do you get Liaodong?’

In the Samgunbu, they excluded various variables and examined realistic possibilities, but in the New Military Strategists, a gathering of war simulation addicts, all sorts of bizarre situations unfolded.

In fact, that might be why his older brothers still haven’t passed the military examination.

Anyway, these layabouts overturned the premise itself that ‘we eat Liaodong by fighting with Ming.’

It was only possible because they simply thought of it as a game, but for Choi Man-ri, who had to bring results even if he had to create them, even that was a blessing.

Choi Man-ri cautiously opened his mouth.

“However, isn’t the assumption that the northern forces will invade Ming’s north itself not a common one?”

“That’s true.”

Yi Suk-beon nodded.

He was criticized for being arrogant, but he was capable in both literary and military affairs.

Even to him, this was an assumption that didn’t seem very likely.

“Even if the connection with Liaodong is severed, it would be good to see that Beijing is in danger.”

“Is that so…?”

The situation where the connection with Liaodong is severed is not common in itself.

The Ming Dynasty is steadily preparing to move the capital to Beijing.

If the connection with Liaodong, which is close to Beijing, is severed, it means that the Ming Dynasty itself is suffering from a major threat.

“Then it won’t be a minor accident.”

“Then…?”

Choi Man-ri said to Yi Suk-beon’s question.

“If you can’t win by fighting Ming, you shouldn’t fight Ming.”

Choi Man-ri swept away the Ming Dynasty’s horses, which were messily placed on the map with a riding crop.

As the horses poured to the floor, Yi Suk-beon stared at them.

“Aren’t you picking them up?”

“…”

Choi Man-ri glanced at him for a moment, then picked them up and hid them in his sleeve.

“So what are you trying to say?”

“March to Liaodong, but do not make Ming an enemy.”

Choi Man-ri moved Joseon’s horses and pushed them into Liaodong.

“Borrow the road to save Ming (救明假道) [a strategy of using the pretense of aiding Ming to achieve one’s own goals]!”

The Liaodong army on the map did not collide with the Joseon army and disappear, but simply stood tall.

They were the horses that had been assumed to be allies until just now.

“Borrow the road?”

“We are moving only to protect the emperor who is in danger.

If we are lucky, the army will be able to enter Liaodong without shedding a drop of blood.”

“But Liaodong Commander is not a fool, will he readily agree to open the road just because we ask for it?”

Then Choi Man-ri moved the horses and knocked down the Liaodong army’s horses.

“…”

Choi Man-ri, who bent down again to pick up the horses, said resolutely.

“If so, we will treat the Liaodong Commander as a traitor and sweep him away with force.”

“Hmm.”

The Liaodong army was not at a level to be taken lightly, but it was no match for Joseon.

Even in the existing Samgunbu’s war game, the Liaodong army itself was swept away many times.

“What if they tell us to withdraw from Liaodong after the war is over?”

“That’s something to think about then.”

Yi Suk-beon looked at Choi Man-ri with a pathetic expression, but Choi Man-ri brazenly endured.

What can he do if he was told to do it?

“If I take this to His Majesty and get reprimanded, I will definitely put you in the gulag!”

Yi Suk-beon picked up the report, gnashing his teeth.

===

“Borrow the road to save Ming?”

I entrusted it to the Jiphyeonjeon to change my perspective, but a surprisingly fresh report came back.

‘Are you telling me to stab the Mongol bastards in the back?’

What I was thinking was to occupy Liaodong while the Mongols were clinging to one corner of the world.

Of course, as the Samgunbu predicted, I would soon have to spar with Ming, and in the process, I would have to grind away everything I had worked so hard to build up.

‘But if I can fight on Ming’s side, the burden will be reduced.’

The righteous champion who defeats the northern barbarians who oppress my friend, Ming Dynasty, Joseon’s Peacemaker is dispatched…

Wouldn’t this be a good picture?

Of course, even to me, a non-expert, this plan is full of holes.

First of all, if the Mongols, who were stabbed in the back, get angry and blow everything, the whole thing will be ruined.

Even if I get away with it by insisting on a divisive tactic, the problem is whether Liaodong will readily respond to the slogan of borrowing the road to save Ming.

If they don’t respond, they will be treated as traitors and swept away?

‘The moment we cross the Yalu River, our intentions will be too clear.’

Liaodong says that if they do not respond to the slogan of borrowing the road to save Ming, they will be treated as traitors, but will the emperor treat his own army as traitors instead of the Joseon army?

‘I expected too much from the Jiphyeonjeon scholars.’

I muttered inwardly.

‘This is… a plan that assumes an internal rebellion rather than the Mongols.’

A rebellion breaks out within Ming, and in a situation where it is not even clear who participated, they put forward the justification of ‘borrowing the road to save Ming,’ and either draw in the chaotic Liaodong or brand them as traitors and subdue them.

‘It’s similar to the plan that Yi Seong-gye established in the past.’

When Yi Seong-gye was alive, he told me that Emperor Hongwu made his sons feudal lords and scattered them on the border, so he was trying to advance into Liaodong by taking advantage of the rebellion of the feudal lords that would happen someday.

I don’t know what would have happened if it had actually been implemented.

After Emperor Yongle won, Joseon might have fallen into the abyss of destruction.

Or Emperor Jianwen, who was the loser, might have made a desperate effort to survive.

Even so, it is uncertain whether Joseon could have maintained Liaodong.

‘Borrow the road to save Ming…’

My thoughts are getting longer.

Yi Suk-beon, who was watching my mood, rolled up his sleeves and said.

“Your Majesty, just give the order. I will immediately send the scholar who submitted the absurd strategy to Saga Dokseo [a form of punishment and reflection].”

“No, that’s enough. Thanks to you, I have something to think about.”

It became necessary to modify the strategy that assumed Ming as the main enemy.

There will be that much significance.

For this strategy to really work, it would be impossible unless many coincidences overlap.

After covering the strategy that came up from the Jiphyeonjeon, I swept my eyes up.

It’s scary.

That I have to fight by betting everything I have built up.

That I might have to betray the people I love.

I wish that, like this strategy, my brother-in-law had a bastard like himself so they could fight each other.

But will such a good thing happen in the world?

I thought, closing my dim eyes.

===

“Gasp!”

I woke up suddenly from a strange dream.

I was so surprised that my eyes widened.

‘What the hell is this.’

A dream where Yi Seong-gye winks while raising his thumb.

It was as if he was encouraging me.

‘What is it? Does it mean to burn Liaodong soon?’

I seriously pondered that.

It couldn’t be another prenatal dream.

I’m having all sorts of dog dreams [silly dreams] because my energy is weak these days.

‘My uncle must have some ginseng hidden away.’

I should order the royal kitchen to bring up some ginseng soup.

End

ⓒ Pitkong