Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 785

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785. Internal Troubles (3)

In the final battle with the Muromachi Shogunate, Kyoto suffered significant damage due to a large fire that broke out during the fighting.

Amidst the difficult recovery, the battle between the Ouchi clan and the court nobles dealt a fatal blow to Kyoto.

The Ouchi clan, having completely subdued the Muromachi Shogunate, old lords, and court nobles, took the Emperor to Yamaguchi.

-We will serve His Majesty in a safer and more pleasant place!

Under this pretext, the Ouchi clan took the Emperor to Yamaguchi, effectively holding him hostage within their sphere of influence.

Moreover, it wasn’t just a pretext. The imperial palace built in Yamaguchi was quite large and the environment was pleasant.

However, for the residents of Kyoto, this was a deep and unerasable wound to their pride. Kyoto had been the capital of Japan for nearly 700 years since Emperor Kanmu established it as the capital in the Heian period.

-The Ouchi bandits have kidnapped His Majesty the Emperor!

This was the common sentiment among most Kyoto residents.

As a result, Kyoto remained a stronghold of anti-Ouchi sentiment, and the various policies implemented by the Ouchi clan struggled to gain traction there.

This situation led to a vicious cycle.

Due to the resentment towards the Ouchi Shogunate, the implementation of various policies was sluggish, and the Ouchi Shogunate drastically reduced its support for Kyoto.

The most representative example was education. While children were sent to the compulsory national schools, they were not sent to higher-level secondary schools.

* * *

As national schools became established, demand arose for higher levels of education to satisfy ambitions and academic pursuits.

Many academies and boarding schools were established to capitalize on this demand. However, as they were not officially recognized, their standards varied widely, and tuition fees were substantial.

In response, the Ouchi Shogunate began establishing secondary schools throughout Japan sooner than expected. Additionally, existing academies and boarding schools that passed inspections were recognized as educational institutions equivalent to secondary schools.

* * *

Most residents of Kyoto did not send their children who had completed national school to the secondary schools established by the shogunate. Instead, they sent their children to academies and boarding schools established by influential figures in Kyoto.

In response to these actions by Kyoto residents, the Ouchi Shogunate drastically cut back on support needed for reconstruction.

“Just a bunch of prideful fools!”

Conversely, the residents of Kyoto became even more united.

“You’re just rebels!”

“We’d rather starve to death than accept your filthy money!”

As a result, Kyoto had yet to regain its former glory.

It wasn’t just Kyoto.

Naniwa—the old name for Osaka—near Kyoto, was also in decline.

During the Muromachi period, Naniwa was the central port for trade with the Ming Dynasty [China’s ruling dynasty from 1368 to 1644]. Later, as Joseon’s [Korean kingdom from 1392 to 1897] trading post was established, merchants from all over Japan gathered in Naniwa.

-In Naniwa, even beggars only accept money.

Naniwa had enjoyed such prosperity.

However, two civil wars led to Naniwa’s decline.

During the civil wars, Naniwa’s merchants remained strictly neutral, carefully observing the situation.

After the second civil war, the Ouchi Shogunate moved the trade port, especially the imperial trading post, to Yamaguchi.

Due to the Ouchi’s decision, many merchants left Naniwa and moved their bases to Yamaguchi.

That was when Naniwa began to decline.

The most decisive factor was the railway.

Having seen and heard of the usefulness of railways, the Ouchi clan began laying tracks in Japan.

The first places where railways were laid were Kyushu, which could be considered the Ouchi’s base, and Honshu, which could be considered the entirety of Japan.

The Ouchi Shogunate decided to construct the northern route of Honshu along the northern coastline, and the southern route along the existing land route.

This southern route dealt a critical blow to Kyoto and Naniwa.

To suppress Kyoto’s momentum, the Ouchi Shogunate built the railway that passed through Naniwa to head directly to Nagoya via Omi (the old name for Shiga) without passing through Kyoto. The reason for going through Omi was to supply water from Lake Biwa to the locomotives.

As the railway headed to Kanto [modern-day Tokyo area] without passing through Kyoto, Kyoto’s economy collapsed. Agriculture alone, practiced by the residents of Kyoto and its vicinity, had its limits.

The same was true for Naniwa.

Merchants from other regions used the iron horse [railway] to go directly to Yamaguchi to buy goods and then return home on the iron horse.

Merchants only stayed in Naniwa when it was too late and they had to spend the night.

As a result, traditional lodging, brothels, and warehousing businesses suffered significant losses. The previous practice of merchants negotiating and staying for a short period of 2-3 days, or even longer than ten days, had almost disappeared.

As a side note, these discriminatory and economic policies of the Ouchi clan led to the birth of deep-rooted regionalism in Japan.

-People from Kyoto and Yamaguchi don’t even attend each other’s weddings.

Such deep-rooted regionalism became a proverb.

It also became the reason why the most famous private educational institutions in Japan are concentrated in Kyoto.

* * *

For these reasons, the cautious faction shook their heads as soon as Kyoto was mentioned.

“Kyoto is good for gathering troops, but not for war expenses. There’s nowhere to get war funds.”

“It would be a relief if they didn’t ask us for money.”

The radical faction immediately refuted the cautious faction’s words.

“Of course, the situation in Kyoto and Naniwa is not good. But there are still many wealthy people left.”

“Many, including deep-rooted aristocratic families and wealthy farmers, are willing to provide support.”

“We’re not planning a long-term war, are we? Just one decisive battle, draw the Ouchi bastards into that battle, and win it.”

The cautious faction still pointed out problems and did not easily agree with the radical faction’s words.

“Do you think the Ouchi bastards will try to decide the outcome with just one battle? Unless they’re fools, they’ll try to avoid doing that, right?”

“If it’s the Ouchi, they’ll choose a way to win the war even if they lose the battle. Face the situation. Isn’t the Ouchi advantageous in every way? The Ouchi will never want a short-term war.”

The radical faction immediately responded to the cautious faction’s words.

“That’s why I said we need to lure the Ouchi bastards in, right? We need to make them think that dragging it out will also be a loss for them!”

The cautious faction began to show curiosity at the radical faction’s words.

“How so?”

“First, assassination.”

At the word ‘assassination,’ the cautious faction shook their heads.

“It’s not easy because of those damn Baldo troops [elite soldiers]. We’ll only lose valuable patriots if we fail.”

“We’ve found some pretty skilled marksmen. They have Ming-made long rifles that are inferior in performance to those made in Joseon, but they are skilled enough to hit targets at least 200 paces away.”

“Are they trustworthy?”

“They’ve been through the Muromachi Shogunate and the court nobles.”

“Then…”

The cautious faction nodded at the radical faction’s answer. The Ouchi, who had won the civil war, persistently wooed the defeated soldiers to their side. Many of them joined the Ouchi, fought against the opposition, and achieved success by gaining merit.

The fact that they stood against the Ouchi until the end, despite such people being the majority, meant that they could be trusted.

The cautious faction nodded at the radical faction’s words but still hesitated.

“Even so, we still lack war funds.”

The radical faction played their last card at the cautious faction’s words.

“Then let’s bring in His Majesty the Emperor.”

“His Majesty the Emperor? Is that possible?”

“We’ve already won over some of those who frequent the Imperial Palace. And there’s a patriot who used them to have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Who is it!”

At the cautious faction’s cry, the man sitting at the very back of the radical faction came forward.

“I am Taro of the Konoe family.”

“Konoe!”

The eyes of the cautious faction lit up at the sound of Taro’s surname.

The Konoe family was the highest-ranking family among the courtier families who had served the Emperor closely.

The Konoe family had traditionally held the position of Kanpaku [chief advisor to the Emperor], which the Ouchi now held.

The Konoe family was the most central family in the recent civil war between the Ouchi and the court nobles, and it was rumored that the family had been destroyed as a result of the defeat.

The cautious faction’s eyes changed at the fact that a man from such a family had met with the Emperor.

“What did His Majesty say about our righteous act?”

Taro replied calmly to the cautious faction’s question.

“His Majesty said, ‘I am grateful that patriots still exist. I earnestly pray for the success of your righteous act.'”

“Oh!”

The cautious faction, hearing the Emperor’s words of encouragement, trembled with emotion. Seeing such cautious faction, Taro continued.

“His Majesty also said this: ‘Due to the tyranny of past shogunate, successive emperors have lost power and have been forced to live in despair. I, too, cannot help but feel wronged by the current situation. I hope that the attempts of the patriots will succeed and that this Japan can return to being a proper country.’ With that wish…”

Taro took out an envelope from his pocket and unfolded its contents.

On the letter that Taro had unfolded, four large characters were written.

-Taisei Hokan (大政奉還, Restoration of Imperial Rule) [returning political power to the Emperor].

“His Majesty wrote it himself.”

“Oh! What an honor!”

“Taisei Hokan!”

The cautious faction was once again moved by the phrase written by the Emperor himself.

After some time, the cautious faction, having calmed down, asked the radical faction.

“Is it certain that His Majesty will respond if our patriots ask for help?”

“The possibility is high.”

“Possibility alone…”

As the cautious faction showed hesitation again, the radical faction pointed out the reality.

“We and His Majesty know that if we just let time pass, the Ouchi will have everything. The Ouchi bastards respect His Majesty now, but no one can guarantee anything once Masahiro takes over the shogunate. Not only Masahiro but all those around him have gone to Joseon to learn. What kind of country is Joseon? Isn’t it a country where the general overthrew the king and became king? Having learned in such a country, they will surely think that they can do the same.”

“That’s true…”

The cautious faction nodded at the radical faction’s words.

The Ouchi was the master of Japan now.

Although the shadow of the Emperor still remained, in time, there would be no one who remembered the Emperor.

The radical faction continued.

“If that happens, we will be traitors, not patriots. We must turn everything back before it’s too late.”

The cautious faction nodded without realizing it at the radical faction’s words. Seeing such cautious faction, the leader of the radical faction concluded.

“His Majesty also knows that it is already a tiger by the tail (騎虎之勢) [a dangerous situation where one cannot stop]. He knows very well that if we fail, he will be finished too, so he will respond to our help.”