Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 260

260. The Tree Wishes to Remain Still… (3)

“Welcome.”

“It’s been a while.”

Muntamu had to exert all his strength to suppress his humiliation at seeing Yi Man-ju, who greeted him with an exaggerated air of importance.

‘Damn you! What kind of relationship did your father and I have?’

Yi Man-ju’s father, Eo Heo-chul, had been a subordinate of Yi Seong-gye along with Muntamu. However, by playing it safe between Joseon and Ming and siding with Ming first—specifically, because his son-in-law, Zhu Di, became the Yongle Emperor—he was able to grow his power.

Thanks to that, Yi Man-ju was able to expand his influence while also serving as Ming’s shield.

Muntamu displayed superhuman patience and entered with Yi Man-ju.

“I heard you’re having a hard time because of Joseon these days. Are you alright?”

“It’s not good. So, I think we’ll have to come to a conclusion soon.”

As Muntamu got straight to the point, Yi Man-ju straightened his posture and looked at Muntamu.

“Are you thinking of taking action?”

Muntamu nodded at Yi Man-ju’s question and immediately got to the point.

“So, I need your help. I want you to join hands and strike Joseon.”

Yi Man-ju thought for a moment at Muntamu’s words and then shook his head slightly.

“I have the title of commander from Ming. If I do that, it could cause a dispute between Ming and Joseon.”

Muntamu immediately retorted at Yi Man-ju’s words.

“I also hold the title of commander of the Jianzhou Left Guard. But is Ming really taking care of you properly?”

“….”

Yi Man-ju was about to say something at Muntamu’s words but then closed his mouth. However, inwardly, he was openly mocking Muntamu.

‘Why would they bother to care about a small tribe like yours?’

As if he had noticed Yi Man-ju’s thoughts, Muntamu chuckled and continued.

“Of course, compared to you and your tribe, who have the third empress of the former emperor, Yongle, as a relative, we are a much smaller tribe. But things aren’t the same as before these days, are they?”

“Ahem!”

Yi Man-ju had to hide his expression, clearing his throat at Muntamu’s words.

Muntamu’s words were accurate. After retreating south to the Pajeo River due to the pressure from the Tatars [Mongolian people], Ming’s treatment was gradually becoming worse. Especially after Yongle’s death, the degree of neglect was noticeable.

It was a natural thing for Ming to do.

* * *

Treating Eo Heo-chul well was partly because he was the father-in-law of the Yongle Emperor, but also because he led many tribesmen.

When Yongle Emperor had his Mongolian campaigns, he participated in the expeditions with the Ming army, and when there were invasions from Mongolia or the Tatars, he was at the forefront of defense.

Therefore, Ming had no choice but to provide good support. Of course, they also did not forget to steadily wear him down to prevent him from growing too strong.

However, Yi Man-ju abandoned Kaiyuan and migrated south.

And from this point on, Ming’s support began to decline.

“Why should we feed a dog that ran away when we told him to guard the house? It’s better to raise another dog.”

Of course, finding a new dog that would be loyal to Ming would take time, so they continued to provide some support and treatment, but both the quantity and quality began to decline.

And as they reduced the frequency and intensity of conflicts with Mongolia through economic exchanges such as the horse market, Yi Man-ju’s value was gradually decreasing.

Muntamu pointed this out directly.

* * *

Observing the change in Yi Man-ju’s expression, Muntamu continued.

“Think about it carefully. Ming is getting along reasonably well with Mongolia these days, and they are trading extensively with Joseon through the Shandong sea route. That means the value of this Liaodong [region in northeastern China] is gradually decreasing. From Ming’s point of view, this Liaodong is no longer an entity to be appeased and looked after, but a situation where it is more profitable to pick three or four obedient guys, throw them some scraps, and make them snarl at each other.”

“So, you’re saying we should strike Joseon? If we, who have received titles from Ming, strike Joseon, Ming might step in and strike us first.”

Yi Man-ju’s point was valid.

Even in the history before Xiang intervened, when the Jurchens of Jianzhou [a Jurchen tribe] grew in power and harmed Ming, Ming declared a campaign against the Jurchens and demanded Joseon’s participation. Taking this opportunity, Joseon purged Yi Man-ju.

“Of course, there is a high possibility that Ming will do that. But, how long are we going to play this hunting dog role?”

“You mean….”

“There’s a saying going around in the Ming court, isn’t there? ‘If 10,000 Jurchens gather, the world cannot handle it.’ How long do we have to be Ming and Joseon’s house-guarding dogs?”

Yi Man-ju’s eyes began to shine at Muntamu’s words.

“You mean… are you suggesting we rebuild Jin [a historical dynasty]?”

“Why not? Don’t you have the dream of becoming a hero who will lead a large tribe of 10,000 households and be remembered in history?”

Muntamu was gently stimulating Yi Man-ju’s ambition.

While being tempted by Muntamu’s stimulation, Yi Man-ju tried to think as rationally as possible.

“Alright. Alright. As you say, breaking away from Joseon and Ming and establishing an independent country… That’s a great idea. But, there are many things needed to do that, where are we going to get them? Are we going to strike Ming? Or Joseon?”

“Joseon.”

Yi Man-ju immediately shook his head at Muntamu’s simple and clear answer.

“Are you crazy? Are you saying we should strike Joseon after seeing the fortresses Joseon has built on the border these days?”

“Of course, I know those damn fortresses of Joseon well.”

“If you know that….”

Muntamu interrupted Yi Man-ju and continued.

“But, we can strike the places where those damn fortresses haven’t been established yet, places that are Joseon but not Joseon.”

“Places that are Joseon but not Joseon? Are there such places?”

“There are. Aren’t there guys who are living fat and happy while sticking with Joseon?”

“Ah!”

Yi Man-ju’s eyes began to shine again at Muntamu’s words.

‘If it’s that place, there’s still a possibility!’

The place Muntamu was referring to was the area where the Jurchen tribes who had submitted to Joseon were located.

* * *

When the Jurchen tribes submitted, the first thing Joseon installed was a monopoly agency [government trading post].

The officials stationed at the monopoly agency investigated the exact population and territory of the submitted tribe. When the related reports were submitted, those who made identification tags came down and made identification tags for the Jurchens.

As long as they had that identification tag, the Jurchens could easily obtain salt, sugar, and various spices from the monopoly agency. It wasn’t just easy to purchase. The prices were also much cheaper than those of Ming merchants and Jurchen merchants.

To buy these items, they naturally needed money. To raise money, the submitted Jurchens brought furs, ginseng, and other items to exchange for money.

In this process, the Jurchens were surprised once again. Unlike the merchants of Ming or the Jurchens, the official of the monopoly agency in charge of the transaction fairly priced and traded with them.

“Ah! You are now a Joseon citizen, so you have to pay taxes, right?”

Of course, they had to pay a considerable amount in taxes, but it was still a much better deal compared to the previous transactions.

As that process was repeated, the Jurchens sincerely became Joseon citizens. Then, Joseon migrated farmers from the south.

The Joseon people who migrated in this way showed farming methods that were more advanced than the farming methods of the Jurchens at the time, and the Jurchens who learned the farming methods while helping with the work also produced more and more yields from their own farmland.

“Then, you have to pay taxes, right?”

Of course, their stomachs ached every time they paid taxes, but that was the same for both Jurchens and Joseon people.

And when they were completely settled in this way, Joseon army fortresses came in and took their place.

It seemed like the order of things had been reversed, but considering the still deep-rooted distrust of the Jurchens, it was unavoidable.

That’s why the ‘fattened Jurchens’ that Muntamu mentioned were created.

They had economic affluence as goods became abundant through the monopoly agency and yields increased by learning Joseon farming methods, but they were the ones who were not yet fully protected by the Joseon army.

Of course, they were well aware of their situation, so they were preparing by creating self-defense organizations.

However, if more troops than they could withstand came in, the self-defense organization was useless.

* * *

“Hmm….”

Muntamu, sensing that Yi Man-ju was almost swayed, put strength into his voice.

“If we catch these pigs who are only fat, we can sufficiently fill the supplies to establish a new base. No, if it’s not enough, we can dig a little deeper into Joseon. Although those damn fortresses are blocking the traffic routes, there’s more than one way, isn’t there?”

“But, Ming is a bit of a concern.”

“Is it just Ming? Joseon will also be in an uproar. So, at the same time as starting the work, the tribes must start migrating immediately.”

“Hmm….”

Yi Man-ju, deeply thinking about Muntamu’s words, stared directly at Muntamu.

“So, do you have a place in mind to establish a new base?”

‘He’s almost completely swayed!’

Muntamu rejoiced inwardly and immediately answered.

“North of the Mudan River, the Samsung area.”

“If it’s that place, it’s the area of the Udige tribe, isn’t it?”

“It’s the northern border of the Udige tribe.”

“Hmm….”

At Muntamu’s words, Yi Man-ju crossed his arms and pondered. After pondering silently for a while, Yi Man-ju asked Muntamu.

“So, how many troops are you planning to mobilize?”

‘He’s swayed!’

“One thousand. But only about 700 will actually move in the battle. We need to leave at least 300 to protect the tribes that will go north.”

“Then I will mobilize 2,000. But there’s something we need to do first.”

Yi Man-ju got up from his seat and moved outside.

Yi Man-ju, who called a soldier who was waiting outside, immediately gave an order.

“Gather the tribal chiefs.”

“Yes!”

* * *

Most of the tribal chiefs under Yi Man-ju who gathered in that way agreed with Muntamu’s plan. They also felt that the situation was getting worse.

Three days later, Yi Man-ju was seeing Muntamu off.

“The day of execution is ten days from now. The great work will begin in ten days, starting with Jaseong.”

Muntamu immediately replied to Yi Man-ju’s words.

“Then I will start the execution with Muchang. I wish you good fortune.”

“I wish you good fortune.”

As Yi Man-ju returned to his house after seeing Muntamu off, one of the tribal chiefs who was still remaining asked with a worried face.

“Can we trust that guy? Isn’t he going to start this and then dump it on us?”

Yi Man-ju smiled slightly at the tribal chief’s question and answered.

“That guy has no choice but to execute it. He’s already in a checkmate situation. And, dump it on us? Then he’ll be the first to die in our hands at that moment. What can he do with only a handful of troops?”

The tribal chief nodded at Yi Man-ju’s words. The downfall of Muntamu’s tribe was already a story known to all the Jurchens in the Liaodong area. If Muntamu betrayed them, that moment would be Muntamu’s end.

Even if he was lucky enough to escape that crisis, the fate of Muntamu and his tribe would be over. Following the betrayal of the children of the great elder Yi Seong-gye, betraying Ming, and stabbing the knife of betrayal once again, there would be no Jurchens anywhere to welcome him.