There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 439

440. The Empire Will Prosper (2)

Joseon’s conquest of the Ming Dynasty was a truly momentous event, even in the eyes of neighboring countries.

Who could have imagined that the Ming Dynasty, the ruler of the Central Plains, would fall so quickly, and into the hands of Joseon no less?

In any case, the Mandate of Heaven had passed to Joseon, and as with other conquering dynasties, the general expectation was that Joseon’s expansion would also come to a halt.

The Central Plains were, after all, a self-contained world.

That was why it was called “All Under Heaven” [Tianxia, a Chinese term signifying the world or everything under heaven].

The country that obtained “All Under Heaven” was bound to be satisfied with it and not turn its eyes elsewhere.

However, Joseon’s concept was completely different from that of previous dynasties.

Even before their victory, they knew that there was still an All Under Heaven outside the Central Plains.

Joseon itself seemed to be focusing its capabilities on governing the Central Plains, but Joseon’s vassals scattered in all directions, expanding their power with the support of their master.

“A dragon should play in the great sea, so how can it be satisfied in a well!”

And this time, the sons of the Joseon Emperor each began to leave, leading groups who wanted to earn merits and seek wealth and fame.

Countless Joseon people who had left the military but were still looking for a chance to change their lives, Jurchens and Mongols skilled in battle, and Japanese people followed them.

This move was reminiscent of the world empire that had been built before, the Great Yuan Mongol Empire.

No, it might be even more than that, in that it extended not only to land but also to the sea.

Everyone watching this process could not help but be nervous.

Was the world conquest project starting again?

This time, at the hands of Joseon!

However, from the perspective of the Joseon princes, it was just a matter of following a story that had been repeated several times in Korean history.

Just as Hwanung, the son of Hwanin, descended to the sacred壇樹 [altar tree, a reference to the founding myth of Korea] with 3,000 people, and Biryu and Onjo descended to Michuhol and Hanseong, they were simply given the opportunity to establish a new state.

Without even realizing that they were the vanguard of Joseon’s world conquest plot, they set out to find unfortunate sacrifices.

The most devastating blow was dealt to Moscow, located on the opposite side of the world.

* * *

The Grand Duke of Moscow, Vasily II, suffered the humiliation of bowing three times and prostrating nine times [a highly submissive act in East Asian cultures] to Essen, who had ‘defeated Kazan and bestowed the grace of restoration,’ but he was able to maintain his position.

However, like Injo [a Korean king who was forced to submit to the Qing Dynasty], he could not do anything about his shattered prestige and legitimacy.

It would be even stranger if his power remained intact even after performing a three bows and nine prostrations strip show in front of everyone.

Joseon’s pro-war faction only criticized Injo behind his back, but the manly Russians did not end there.

The fatal power leak he experienced was enough to make ambitious people take action.

Several years after Vasily knelt before Essen.

The pro-war faction, who had risen up, captured Vasily in a monastery and questioned him.

“Why do you love the Tatars and give them Russian cities? Why do you give the silver and gold of Christians to the faithless? Why do you extort taxes from the people? Why did you blind our brother Vasily Kosoy?”

Originally, Vasily II was blinded by having his eyes burned with lead at this time.

His nickname, the Blind King, came from this.

Vasily showed the tenacity to ascend the throne for the third time in the future, thanks to surviving even after losing his eyes and being deposed, but the story is a little different now.

Vasily had to be completely removed from this world, even to prevent him from returning with Essen on his back, because the three bows and nine prostrations in front of the Kremlin were so shocking.

Hoping Essen would not particularly want to expel Vasily, who had publicly declared himself his vassal.

And so.

“Vasily, the enemy of the Lord who served the barbarians, is dead!”

“Rejoice that all have regained their sight!”

Vasily, the tenacious guy who was deposed twice and ascended the throne three times, would not be able to achieve such a feat here.

The pro-war faction boldly killed Vasily and succeeded in liberating Moscow.

However, Dmitry Yurievich, who succeeded him as Grand Duke, soon realized that there was no answer.

Essen had already swept away the remnants of the Kipchak Khanate and subjugated all of its territory.

Ulugh Muhammad, who had been repelled by him while aiming for Moscow, as well as other khanates that had newly emerged from the remnants of the Kipchak Khanate, were no match for Essen.

The strengthened ‘suzerain state’ had no intention of leaving them alone, who had beheaded a loyal vassal.

The pro-war faction, who had shown the majesty of 天爲 [acting on behalf of Heaven, a concept of divine mandate] by beheading Vasily and were gleefully celebrating, were soon shocked by the onslaught of the Oirat army.

However, the one leading the army was not Essen himself.

“His Majesty King Pyeongseo saved your capital from being completely slaughtered by the enemy, so it can be said that there is a true father-son relationship with your Jongsil [royal family], so why do the rebels drive out the king and betray even loyalty?”

Lee Gyu, the King of Imjon, who had left Joseon and joined Essen with the soldiers who followed him, was in charge of the vanguard.

For him, who was planning to obtain a piece of land under his maternal uncle and establish a state, it was a good opportunity.

In particular, Essen himself was already struggling with the conquest and rule of Central Asia.

Vasily II was dead, and Dmitry, who was now acting as king, was only a usurper.

If he had to find a descendant to continue the lineage, he would not have been unable to do so, but Essen was tired of the chaos and backlash in Russia.

No matter who he appointed, they would rebel at any time, so he was looking for someone who would not betray him and would only concentrate on governing Moscow.

In that sense, his young nephew who came to him was the right person, even if he did not know his abilities.

Was he not the son of the Joseon Emperor Lee Dan, who was his sister’s son and his brother?

It was a bit of a concern that he was a complete outsider in Russia, but that was why he had no reason to be at odds with him.

He was much more trustworthy than those who were outwardly submissive, talking about revenge, and only plotting to stab him in the back.

Essen had no reason not to give him an army, since his nephew had brought a huge amount of weapons and gunpowder that the Joseon Emperor Lee Dan had sent as ‘gifts’.

Thus, the resentment of the 서자 [illegitimate son] who raised the banner of 討逆 [rebellion against injustice] swept through the frozen soil of Russia.

The conclusion was as good as predetermined.

* * *

Lee Gyu, who had captured Moscow, was promoted to King of Russia after expelling Dmitry, and succeeded in ascending the throne as the king of 외번 [vassal state].

If his rank were to be listed according to Joseon standards, it would be on par with the King of Pyeongseo, but due to the relationship between nephew and maternal uncle, and because he was not so horizontal in power here far from Joseon, he was in fact no different from Essen’s direct vassal.

Since the foundation on which he was able to achieve his royal status was the foundation, he first took a polite attitude towards his maternal uncle and accepted his position as a subordinate ally.

However, on the other hand, Lee Gyu showed a forward-looking attitude for the sake of governance, such as converting to the Orthodox Church and marrying the daughter of a nobleman.

You can win a country on horseback, but you can’t rule it on horseback.

The series of political turmoil had been brought to an end for the time being, but the new ruler of Moscow had a mountain of tasks left to do.

Joseon was a magical country whose name was widely known even in Russia, but after all, Lee Gyu, who had invaded with Essen’s army, was only seen as a kind of Tatar.

There were still many factors that could undermine his rule, so he had no choice but to make this compromise.

Lee Gyu had a mountain of things to do as soon as he got the country, but this was a very successful case.

Most of the other princes, encouraged by this, could not even achieve this.

In most cases, even if they were princes, they would not want to go out to 외방 [foreign lands] and swing their swords.

Five emperors had already ascended the throne since the founding of the country, and it was enough time for the martial spirit that had existed at the beginning of the country to disappear and be immersed in aristocratic life in other royal families.

If you are a 군왕 [ruler], there will not be many people in the country who are higher than you, and you will be able to enjoy wealth and glory for the rest of your life.

However, in the Joseon royal family, there were many people whose ambitions were stirring in their blood, and their nature itself was far from that of a quiet scholar.

In other words, it could be said to be a fantastic collaboration of heredity and family environment.

Some princes, who could not be satisfied unless they were kings themselves, left Joseon imagining themselves becoming the 태조 [founder of a dynasty] of a country.

Their armies were recruited from Mongolia, Jurchen, and Baekje.

With Joseon’s backing, what more could be said about their quality?

The princes’ power, backed by superior firepower, was of a high standard.

However, unless they had a powerful force like King Pyeongseo Essen to support them with a large army, it was true that they were insufficient to achieve hegemony.

From that point of view, the most easy places to conquer would be 무주공산 [unoccupied territory] without existing countries or forces.

However, those who had abandoned their comfortable and prosperous lives in Hanseong and jumped in to become 태조 [founding emperor] once would not be satisfied with such trivial kingship.

Besides, even if they were 번왕 [vassal king], how could they have dignity if they ruled a handful of 토인 [native] villages in a place without civilization or people?

“It’s better to live as a 부가옹 [wealthy nobleman] in Hanseong than to be the head of a snake in such a place.”

Some went to the Middle East, helping the Mamluk Jo, who had set out to beat up the grown-up Osman, and some went to India, where great powers were fighting for hegemony.

In North India, the Delhi Sultanate, and in South India, great powers such as the Bahmani Sultanate and the Vijayanagara Empire were in the midst of a great war, so they were hoping that there would be an opportunity if they looked carefully.

Or someone even went to Africa to try to start a business, namely Lee Chang, the King of Nakrang, who newly started a business in the northern part of Somalia, following Lee Gyu.

Somalia is now a lawless zone, notorious as a place to film a real-life One Piece, but the story is a little different in this era.

The Ajuran Kingdom, built in the Mogadishu area, was located in the strategic point of the Horn of Africa, so trade had flourished greatly since ancient times, and it had even built extensive cities.

Zheng He also visited this place when he was serving the Ming Dynasty and collected tribute, and Joseon also sent merchant ships here to trade.

And since Joseon had conquered the Ming Dynasty, it was a country that was formally included in the tributary order, so there was no reason to touch it.

However, in the case of the Warsangali Sultanate in northeastern Somalia, there was only private trade with Joseon, and no formal diplomatic relations had been established.

Nevertheless, this country was a traffic hub located at the entrance to the Red Sea, so Joseon had been paying attention to it.

For this reason, Lee Chang was able to successfully penetrate the political turmoil in Warsangali with the full support of his home country, unlike his other brothers.

After Lee Chang founded the country, he went through a similar process to his brother.

It means that he converted to Islam, took a local wife, and reorganized the power system with the support of Joseon.

And above all, he did not forget to pay tribute to the 부조 [ancestors] who had supported him in establishing his state and express his gratitude.

The story of Ijae meeting the envoy sent by his grandson came from such a measure.