Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 484

484. Ouchi, Raising an Army (2)

Sejong asked, but Hyang didn’t answer immediately.

‘What’s wrong? He’s not acting like the Crown Prince I know.’

Sejong looked at Hyang, who remained silent when usually an answer would spring forth as soon as the question was asked.

Hyang sat with a fierce expression, his mouth shut tight as if his mortal enemy was before him, which only deepened Sejong’s curiosity.

‘Why on earth?’

The ministers felt the same way. They were also tense, watching Hyang’s completely different demeanor.

Meanwhile, Hyang, with his fierce expression, was internally spewing out every curse he could think of.

‘Damn it! These bastards! They wouldn’t be enough even if I smashed every egg they came from! These damned guys are useless in both lives!’

Hyang’s cursing wasn’t just because of the seriousness of the situation.

‘If you were going to start something, you should have done it when the previous Shogun died!’

The reason Hyang was cursing was due to the timing.

* * *

Before Hyang began acting as regent, even if something similar happened, Hyang felt less pressure.

‘Because Father is here!’

Since Sejong was the final decision-maker, Hyang, free from responsibility, could even come up with bold ideas. Sejong made the choices, and Sejong took the responsibility.

However, now was the time when Hyang was acting as regent.

Of course, Sejong would make the final choices due to the importance of the matter, but Hyang couldn’t help but feel a heavy burden.

‘I can’t delay Father’s departure to Shinji! I have no choice but to step forward! The situation in Europe is moving faster than I remember! If I mess up, I’ll be feeding the dogs!’

“Haa~.”

Hyang sighed and focused his mind as much as possible to sort out the situation.

‘There’s a high possibility that the Japanese civil war will break out faster than I remember! If my vague memory is correct, the first victor of the Warring States period is indeed Ouchi! But Ouchi couldn’t maintain that power, and the war dragged on. And… the Imjin War [Japanese invasions of Korea in the late 16th century] breaks out! If so!’

* * *

“Haa~.”

Hyang sighed deeply once more and opened his mouth.

“Your Majesty, I would like to share my thoughts with you. Please consider that these are the opinions of someone with little experience.”

“You’re being uncharacteristically verbose. Speak quickly.”

“Yes.”

At Sejong’s urging, Hyang took a breath and began.

“If a conflict arises in Waeguk (Japan), I agree that the Daenei clan is most likely to be the starting point. However, I do not believe that the Daenei clan will be the victor.”

“Why?”

Hyang explained the reason for Sejong’s question.

“The reason is that the Daenei clan’s base is too far from Kyoto.”

Hyang explained why it would be difficult for Ouchi to seize and maintain power.

-As I mentioned before, the Daenei clan’s base is far from Kyoto, where the Emperor resides.

-In Kyoto and its surroundings, the nobles of the court who follow the Emperor have deep and solid foundations. Therefore, to stabilize the regime, the Daenei clan must station a considerable number of troops in Kyoto.

-In addition, the Daenei clan must allocate additional troops to check the lords located between the Daenei clan’s base and Kyoto.

-Maintaining the troops in Kyoto, the troops to check the lords between the Daenei clan’s base and Kyoto, and the troops to defend the Daenei clan’s base itself requires enormous financial resources.

“Therefore, I believe that in the conflict caused by the Daenei clan, the Daenei clan may be the initial victor, but the possibility of becoming the final victor is slim. Unless someone helps.”

At Hyang’s words, Sejong immediately asked a question.

“Are you talking about our Joseon as someone?”

“Our Joseon is second. The first would be the lords who would cooperate with the Daenei clan. The first one that comes to mind is the Kyushu 탐제 Won clan.”

Sejong’s eyes sparkled at Hyang’s words.

“Are you saying that we should not reveal our assistance as much as possible?”

“Don’t we lack justification for Joseon to openly intervene?”

Sejong and the ministers all nodded at Hyang’s point.

“I will stop here regarding the issue of whether the Daenei clan will seize power in Waeguk. Next, I would like to talk about what I think is the appropriate way for our Joseon to act if an internal conflict occurs in Waeguk.”

Sejong and the ministers’ eyes sparkled at Hyang’s words. Hyang took a light breath and continued.

“First of all, even if an internal conflict occurs in Waeguk, our Joseon’s principle is not to directly intervene. The reason is the justification I mentioned earlier. However, externally, we must completely make Daemado (Tsushima Island) our own. I wish we could also make the 은기 (Oki) Islands our own, but the Oki Islands have been with Waeguk’s history, so there is a high possibility of conflict.”

“Daemado….”

Sejong and the ministers mulled over Daemado at Hyang’s statement.

Sejong, who had pondered Daemado several times, looked back at the ministers.

“As soon as I ascended the throne, the late king conquered Daemado. At that time, the lord of Daemado promised to be loyal to our Joseon, and our Joseon gave the lord of Daemado an official seal. However, even after that, the lord of Daemado’s attitude toward our Joseon has been insidious, so wouldn’t this be a good opportunity?”

The ministers all agreed with Sejong’s words.

“That is correct. Daemado has been like a thorn in our side. If a civil war breaks out in Waeguk, we should take advantage of the opportunity to make it a complete territory of Joseon.”

“That’s right. In the meantime, our Joseon’s military power has improved dramatically, so subjugating Daemado will not be a big problem. If a civil war breaks out in Waeguk, we can make Daemado, which is simultaneously loyal to our Joseon and Waeguk, completely our own.”

Since all the ministers agreed, the ‘Daemado Subjugation’ was immediately passed.

* * *

However, Sejong’s eyes on Hyang were fierce.

“I will ask the Crown Prince.”

“Please ask.”

“When I first asked, you couldn’t answer right away. The proposal you just made regarding Daemado is good, but it is lacking compared to the time you took.”

“Tsk….”

At Sejong’s words, Hyang lowered his head and smacked his lips slightly. The meaning of Sejong’s words was simple.

-Is there anything else? Spit it out!

‘I can understand how Minister Jang Yeong-sil must have felt.’

Hyang felt a sense of camaraderie with Jang Yeong-sil, whose workshop was constantly being ransacked by him.

‘Well, I was going to say it anyway.’

Hyang quickly sorted out his emotions and continued.

“Yes. I have been constantly worried about the possibility of a conflict in Waeguk.”

“What is it?”

“It’s when the civil war is prolonged. For at least 100 years.”

When Hyang mentioned ‘a long civil war of more than 100 years,’ Minister of Foreign Affairs Heo Hu immediately raised an objection.

“Will the civil war last for 100 years? The lords of Waeguk must know that only mutual destruction remains.”

At Heo Hu’s objection, Hwang Hee immediately retorted.

“It’s not impossible. Haven’t they already fought each other for nearly 60 years, establishing two emperors?”

Heo Hu closed his mouth at Hwang Hee’s words.

After Hwang Hee suppressed Heo Hu’s objection, Sejong asked Hyang.

“Do you think that if a civil war breaks out in Waeguk, it will be a long war? For what reason?”

“It’s because of Ouchi. As I said before, Ouchi’s ability would make it possible to overthrow the current shogunate. However, it is impossible to keep that position afterwards. From the perspective of other lords, Ouchi’s rise means that the political shackles that have bound their feet have been loosened. And if Ouchi collapses, then after that… I don’t know if this example is appropriate, but Waeguk will have a Spring and Autumn period [era in Chinese history marked by warfare and political fragmentation].”

“Spring and Autumn period? Not a civil war, but a Spring and Autumn period?”

“Yes. The reason is….”

When Hyang was about to explain the reason, Sejong answered first.

“Is it because of the Emperor?”

“That’s right. In addition, looking at the current situation in Waeguk, there are large and small territories, but there is no territory that is overwhelmingly powerful enough to subdue them all.”

“Ah….”

Sejong and the ministers all nodded at Hyang’s explanation. Sejong and the ministers were all well-versed in Confucianism and Chinese history. The moment Hyang mentioned the Emperor, they could immediately understand why the Warring States period came out.

“Hmm…. So, the current situation in Waeguk can be seen as the situation before the Spring and Autumn Five Hegemons or the Warring States Seven Heroes appeared, and therefore, if a civil war breaks out, it will inevitably be a long war?”

“That’s right. It will be a long civil war from the Spring and Autumn Five Hegemons to the Warring States Seven Heroes, and finally until a final victor like Qin or Han emerges. And the moment that victor emerges will be the moment when a crisis of life and death comes to our Joseon.”

* * *

When Hyang brought up the words ‘crisis of life and death,’ the Daejeon (main hall) was greatly shaken.

Surprisingly, the first to object to Hyang’s statement was Hwang Hee.

“Isn’t ‘crisis of life and death’ too far-fetched? Looking at the current Joseon, it is a time of peace internally, and its military power is unparalleled externally.”

“That time of peace is the problem.”

“Yes?”

Hwang Hee blinked, looking like he didn’t understand properly, so Hyang continued to explain.

“Have you forgotten the premise I mentioned? ‘A long war of about 100 years.’ Looking at the current situation in our Joseon, thanks to Your Majesty’s good governance, a foundation has been laid for a long period of peace to continue for generations. If this long period of peace continues, what is the first part to become lax? When looking at the history of the Central Plains and our Haedong (Korea)?”

Hwang Hee, who had been thinking for a while at Hyang’s question, answered.

“National defense.”

“That’s right. Conversely, let’s think about the case of Waeguk. What was the most important national policy for the feudal states of the Central Plains during the Spring and Autumn period?”

“Enriching the country and strengthening the military.”

“Wouldn’t Waeguk be the same?”

Sejong and the ministers all nodded at Hyang’s point. As Hyang’s explanation continued, Sejong and the ministers’ faces gradually hardened.

While watching the reactions of Sejong and the ministers, Hyang gradually put more strength into his voice.

“What will happen when the final victor who has pacified such a time of war is determined? The rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked! [proverb meaning that once someone has outlived their usefulness, they are discarded] In order to secure his safety from the military power that has grown excessively by nurturing himself and absorbing those who have been defeated by him, he will turn his eyes outward. Taking the example of the Central Plains, Emperor Yang of Sui and Emperor Taizong of Tang tried to scheme against our Haedong. Wouldn’t Waeguk do the same?”

The air in the Daejeon became terribly heavy at Hyang’s words. No one immediately opened their mouths at Hyang’s last question. Sejong and the ministers, who were imagining the subsequent progress according to the preconditions Hyang had mentioned, seemed to hear the screams of the people in their ears and smell the fishy scent of blood in their noses.

Hyang, who paused for a moment, had a determined expression.

‘I can guarantee safety during my reign, or even when Wan is in power for a long time! The problem is after that! We must make the best possible preparations to secure at least minimal safety!’