Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 631

631. Now in Beijing…. (1)

While Joseon, now the Great Han Empire Federation, was bustling with preparations for further advancements, Beijing was in constant turmoil.

Bang, bang, bang!

“The war ended a year ago, and we’re already in the second year since! Yet, things are still like this! What is going on!” Emperor Jingtai, Zhu Qiyu, slammed his desk, his voice echoing through the hall.

At Emperor Jingtai’s roar, the Grand Secretary and other officials immediately prostrated themselves on the floor, heads bowed low.

“Please forgive our incompetence!”

“If you’re so incompetent, resign and step down! Have you forgotten the late Emperor’s instructions? Or have you forgotten the humiliation suffered at the hands of Joseon, a mere vassal state!”

“How could we forget!”

“Then why is it like this!”

Emperor Jingtai’s rebuke left the officials speechless, heads bowed in shame.

* * *

Since the war with Joseon, Ming’s situation had become increasingly dire.

The biggest reason for this was the severing of the Grand Canal’s crucial section.

Contrary to Joseon’s initial expectations, Ming didn’t just become weakened by the loss of the Grand Canal; it became almost completely paralyzed.

“Why?”

Realizing the situation was far more serious than anticipated, the Empire began a thorough investigation into the root cause.

The urgency stemmed from the understanding that any significant chaos in the Central Plains would directly and negatively impact the Empire.

The Red Turban Rebellion, a major factor in Goryeo’s downfall, served as a stark reminder of such potential damage.

During the late Yuan Dynasty, the Red Turban invasions, which occurred twice, plunged the northern and central regions of Goryeo into chaos.

Coupled with the incursions of the Wokou [Japanese pirates], which wreaked havoc in the southern and central areas, the Goryeo royal family lost its ability to govern effectively, ultimately leading to the rise of Joseon.

“Of course, the situation is completely different now, but we must prevent any preventable damage.”

“That’s right. And, unlike before, we have a much larger territory than we imagined, so similar events could occur. We need to carefully analyze Ming’s situation and prepare countermeasures in advance.”

Having reached a consensus, Hyang and the officials mobilized resources and began a detailed examination of the reasons behind Ming’s predicament.

* * *

As suspected, the primary cause was the disruption of the Grand Canal.

The Joseon army, advancing as far as Jinan, systematically destroyed the canals near the city and the waterways that fed them.

This wasn’t mere destruction; they used explosives to demolish sluice gates, waterwheels, and dams of key reservoirs.

Furthermore, the Yellow River’s characteristics exacerbated the problem.

As its name suggests, the Yellow River carried a heavy sediment load. Even under normal conditions, regular dredging was required to remove accumulated silt from the canals.

However, the Joseon invasion, followed by the Wokou raids, completely halted canal maintenance. To compound the issue, debris and sediment clogged the destroyed facilities, requiring significantly more effort to clear.

If this had been caused by a natural disaster while Ming’s administrative capacity was intact, recovery wouldn’t have been a major issue. It would have required extra work, but it was manageable under normal circumstances.

However, the war with Joseon and the Wokou invasions turned this into an almost insurmountable challenge.

A large portion of the male population was conscripted into the army and sent north, while many of those who remained were killed by the Wokou or in the fighting.

* * *

Ming wasn’t simply standing idly by, watching the situation unfold.

Efficient manpower mobilization strategies had been developed since the Xuande Emperor’s reign.

The problem was the railroads. Railroads were intended to be the primary mode of transportation to increase efficiency. The plan was to enable rapid assembly and movement using the three circular railroads divided by the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, and the Grand Canal.

However, the Wokou, who invaded the central region of Ming, destroyed all the iron rails and steam locomotives and shipped them back to Japan.

While not as advanced as Joseon’s, the quality of iron used in Ming’s railroads and steam locomotives was considered top-notch in Japan. Therefore, the Wokou dismantled the rails and locomotives, even removing the nails from the sleepers, and transported everything to Japan.

As a result, Ming had to abandon a significant portion of the plan established during the Xuande Emperor’s reign and revert to traditional methods – primarily relying on foot travel.

This was also difficult.

The central and northern regions of Ming had been largely emptied of manpower due to conscription for the war against Joseon and defense against the Oirat [a Mongol group] in the north.

And the central region, excluding the central and western areas, had been ravaged by the Wokou.

Most of the manpower mobilized for reconstruction had to come from the southern region of Ming. Fortunately, the southern circular railroad network remained intact, allowing for quick personnel gathering, but crossing the Yangtze River posed a problem.

They traveled as far north as possible on the severed Grand Canal, but from there, they had to continue on foot for long distances.

Moving the 100,000 people mobilized in the first phase on foot was a monumental task.

Providing clothing and shelter for 100,000 people was a challenge, but the biggest issue was feeding them.

* * *

Since the Southern Song Dynasty, the Jiangnan region [the area south of the Yangtze River] of the Central Plains had been renowned as a granary. The completion of the Grand Canal during the Yuan Dynasty and the Yongle Emperor’s reign of Ming was largely for the purpose of transporting vast quantities of food from Jiangnan to the north.

The Xuande Emperor divided the industrial structure of Jiangnan and Jiangbei [the area north of the Yangtze River] to maximize the geographical advantages of the Central Plains and the Grand Canal.

Jiangnan focused on its traditional agriculture-centered structure, while the area near Beijing and the central and northern regions were transformed into manufacturing centers.

This wasn’t solely based on geography. The Xuande Emperor, viewing the Oirat and the Northern Yuan [remnants of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty], as well as Joseon, as potential threats, transformed Beijing and the central and northern regions into industrial zones to rapidly supply arms and enhance manufacturing competitiveness.

This had the positive effect of increasing efficiency in manpower supply and logistics, but it also created a vulnerability: reliance on Jiangnan for food.

And, due to the Wokou invasions, that weakness was proving fatal.

* * *

As mentioned earlier, the Jiangnan region of Ming suffered minimal damage from the war or the Wokou invasions.

The problem was that with the Grand Canal severed, there was no way to transport and sell the surplus food.

Grains rotted in the granaries of Jiangnan farmers, while north of the Yellow River, obtaining grain became nearly impossible, even at exorbitant prices.

At this point, merchants from the Empire approached to purchase the grain.

“I’d rather feed it to pigs than sell it to those Joseon bastards!”

Some used it as animal feed, gave it away to beggars, or donated it to temples, but many ultimately sold their grain to the Empire’s merchants.

As this situation unfolded, merchants exploiting the crisis for massive profits began to emerge.

They bought grain from farmers in Jiangnan at rock-bottom prices and sold it in Jiangbei for several times the cost.

This was, of course, illegal. During the Xuande Emperor’s reign, such merchants would have faced execution, along with their entire family and relatives.

However, with the Empire’s administrative network weakened by the Grand Canal disruption, the seeds of corruption began to sprout once more.

Those who accelerated this corruption were the so-called martial artists [Wulin or martial arts practitioners].

* * *

The martial artists, purged during the Xuande Emperor’s reign for rebelling against imperial authority, had been forced into hiding.

These martial artists resurfaced in response to the Wokou attacks.

Under the banner of ‘loyalty, righteousness, chivalry (忠, 義, 俠),’ the martial artists distinguished themselves in battles against the Wokou.

Emperor Jingtai praised their achievements and bestowed considerable rewards. This spurred other martial artists to come forward. However, it was inevitable that these groups would transform into self-serving interest groups.

The martial artists began demanding significant concessions in exchange for protecting workers and materials moving between Jiangnan and Jiangbei.

* * *

The areas devastated by the Wokou invasions were overrun with vagrants. With the administrative network for providing relief destroyed, these displaced people soon turned to banditry.

Ming, having lost a significant number of troops to Joseon and needing to confront the Oirat in the north with the remaining forces, required time to recruit and train new soldiers for security.

To buy this time, Ming turned to the martial artists.

The merchants did the same.

With the Grand Canal unusable, they had to rely on traditional methods to conduct commerce between Jiangbei and Jiangnan.

They had to load goods onto ships and travel by sea, or load goods onto carts and travel by land.

However, the roads were teeming with bandits, and the sea routes were infested with pirates.

After Ming’s navy was destroyed in the previous war, the coastal sea routes between Jiangbei and Jiangnan became pirate havens.

The pirates had little choice, as the Joseon navy, or rather, the Empire’s navy, patrolled the outer sea routes and Joseon waters, where the real riches were to be found. It was safer to prey on merchant ships along the coastal routes than to become fish food in deeper waters.

In this situation, the merchants had no choice but to seek the protection of the martial artists.

And Ming’s security situation deteriorated further.

A lucrative market was created, leading to fierce clashes between martial arts factions. These groups, calling themselves orthodox or unorthodox, began assassinating rival martial artists and attacking merchant caravans protected by opposing factions.

As this situation unfolded, what could have been a manageable crisis was spiraling into complete paralysis.

* * *

After summarizing the situation, Hwang Hee reported to Hyang and added, “Although the Grand Canal is vital to Ming, I believe its disruption alone shouldn’t cause such a severe national crisis. It’s difficult to comprehend Ming’s current state, which teeters on the brink of collapse.”

Hwang Hee’s words resonated with the other officials, who nodded in agreement. After a moment, Hwangbo In offered his thoughts: “Is it simply because it’s a vast empire? Managing such a large territory effectively is no easy feat.”

Hwang Hee firmly shook his head at Hwangbo In’s suggestion. “These are officials selected specifically to manage that vast territory. It doesn’t make sense.”

Various explanations were offered, but none seemed plausible.

Hyang, who had been organizing his thoughts while listening to the officials, finally spoke. “It’s because the Xuande Emperor is gone. Looking at the events in Ming, the Xuande Emperor’s influence was pervasive, and his intentions were embedded in every aspect of the government. However, I believe he failed to cultivate capable successors, and his system collapsed, leading to this current state.”

“I believe Your Majesty’s assessment is the most accurate,” Hwang Hee immediately responded, and the other officials nodded in agreement.

The historian, who recorded all of this, added these words:

-The historian says.

I believe that what the Emperor has said is extremely reasonable. The problem is that the issue of succession is something that our Empire must also think deeply about….

“Why is the historian typing for so long? What kind of commentary are you writing again?”

“Ah, no!”