I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 290

Became a Hidden Power in the British Empire – Episode 290

< Recorded in the Veritable Records >

Joseon [Korea] and Japan had always been close yet distant neighbors.

There was a brief lull during the Japanese invasion [Imjin War, 1592-1598], but exchanges continued after the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate [1603-1867].

Moreover, both countries had something in common: they both used each other as tools to enhance their own authority, subtly regarding the other as inferior.

Objectively, Japan’s national power in the mid-19th century far surpassed Joseon’s, but no one in Joseon knew that. Or rather, even Japan itself probably didn’t know exactly how much stronger they were than Joseon.

Because they didn’t know the details of each other’s situations, they were just full of unfounded confidence and didn’t make rational judgments, which was the dreaded 19th century.

In that regard, Gyeongwon-gun’s question was an idea that didn’t suit a child, and it also showed a lack of understanding of reality.

“If the direct line of the Tokugawa family is cut off, they will look for a shogun from a collateral line, so it’s not theoretically impossible. But we have to consider this carefully. This isn’t a game of Go [a strategic board game] where I make a move and then they make a move. And we must always keep in mind that they can come up with the same methods that I can think of. Unless you’re a genius who comes along once in a century.”

“I understand. You mean that if we try to take such actions, the shogunate could take similar actions. But are the Japanese really capable of that? I’ve heard that the Japanese are fierce and insidious, lacking the ability to distinguish between greater causes.”

Considering the era of 19th-century Joseon, this level of awareness is probably the best one could expect.

Well, it’s commendable that he asked in a private setting instead of making it a topic of public debate.

If someone this young can grasp the situation to this extent, he can be considered to have relatively outstanding qualities among the royal relatives of Joseon.

Even if the Pungyang Jo clan [a powerful political faction] is a concern, it won’t be a problem considering Gyeongwon-gun’s temperament.

Knowing that I’m backing him, even the powerful families won’t do anything stupid like openly challenging the king.

He’s a bit too young, but being young also means there’s plenty of time to mold him to my liking… Suddenly, I’m intrigued?

In fact, from a cold perspective, it’s impossible for either Joseon or Japan to interfere in each other’s internal affairs based on bloodlines.

If they did, the situation would escalate to the worst possible scenario, even to the point of war.

However, after working on it for a long time, I couldn’t help but think that even if it was impossible for Joseon or Japan, I might be able to do it.

Frankly speaking, isn’t the current selection of Joseon’s new king an extension of that?

After that, I weighed the pros and cons of each candidate with various trivial topics.

I came to the conclusion that it was impossible to make a choice in advance because they were all surprisingly similar.

Still, I got an estimate that I could control whoever became king among the three, so there was a gain.

All that’s left is to compare the acorns, to figure out who’s slightly better.

I can only hope that the lectures devised by Heonjong [the current king] will do their part.

* * *

Even after the three candidates left, the procession of people seeking me out didn’t stop.

The manufacturers of the Military Affairs Command, the ministers and vice-ministers of the Six Ministries, and even the royal relatives of other royal families.

However, surprisingly, the Grand Queen Dowager Sunwon, the great elder of the royal family, remained strangely silent and didn’t try to contact me.

I wondered if it was because she was Kim Jwa-geun’s sister, so she had been told in advance, but was Queen Sunwon someone who listened well to her brother?

Or maybe Kim Jwa-geun had told her so strongly that I needed to check it separately.

Even if the Joseon royal family can’t have a meaningful impact, I refuse to make things more troublesome at this point when I have to deal with Qing China and Japan.

Still, with the greatest elder of the royal family remaining silent, I rejected all other interview requests and leisurely waited for the day of the lectures to come.

And finally, on the day of the lectures that I had been waiting for.

I was able to directly observe the debate to determine the next king for the first time in the history of the Joseon Dynasty, or the Korean Peninsula dynasty, from a special seat right next to Heonjong.

Originally, they were going to have the debate in Pyeonjeon Hall [the King’s council hall], but Heonjong decided that it needed to be held in a wider place so that more people could see it, so he moved the debate hall to the examination hall where the preliminary examination was held.

Thanks to this, almost all the officials of the court, as well as the Jinsas [successful candidates of civil service exam] of Sungkyunkwan [Royal Academy], were looking at this place with shining eyes from the corner.

The candidates, who were suddenly being interviewed in front of so many people, turned pale, but Heonjong didn’t care at all, as if they had to overcome this much to become a real king, and suddenly threw a question.

As expected, even if the parties involved are anxious, it’s so much fun for those watching.

Before Heungseon-gun [one of the candidates], he was so relaxed as if he had almost been entrusted with the position of crown prince, but now he has become a wooden doll due to tension.

“I will ask Deokwan-gun [another candidate]. I know you spent your childhood in Ganghwa Island. If you are the king of a country, you must receive education from childhood to lead the country. Deokwan-gun seems to be fatally lacking in this regard, but do you think this is a disqualification?”

“…I, of course, think it can only be seen that way, but I am working harder to study as much as I am late than others. I, and although I don’t know the court’s laws well, I think I have advantages that only I have.”

“What is that?”

“I grew up feeling the lives of the people with my body, not with knowledge.”

Although he is a member of the royal family, he was involved in a coup and grew up like a commoner in the mountains of Ganghwa Island from a young age.

Even though he must have known that there was ridicule mixed in the gazes directed at him, Deokwan-gun surprisingly straightened his chest and continued to speak.

“Mencius [a famous Confucian philosopher] argued that the core of royal politics is benevolence and righteousness. Benevolence is love, and love can be said to be love for the people, so I, who know and pity the lives of the people better than anyone else, can be said to have at least the heart of benevolence.”

“It’s too abstract, can you speak more specifically?”

“Yes. I know what it’s like to have no firewood to light a fire when my hands are so cold that they freeze in winter, and my whole body is chilled to the bone. I know the despair and misery of having to wander around to find something to eat because it’s hard to get even a grain of rice. If thinking about and caring for the people is the attitude of a true king… I am confident that I am better prepared than anyone else in that regard.”

It may be an obvious story, but the description itself was vivid and appealing, so Heonjong and other ministers nodded their heads, saying it was plausible.

However, even the idea of loving the people and royal politics are only meaningful if the monarch has the ability to do so.

If basic abilities don’t support it, it’s difficult to become a great monarch no matter how good the intentions are.

If illnesses could be cured just by wanting to save people, who wouldn’t become a famous doctor?

“Next, Gyeongwon-gun [the youngest candidate], Gyeongwon-gun is much younger than the other two candidates, but do you think this will hold you back?”

“Being young is a weakness right now, but if you look to the future, it means there is a possibility of further growth. I will continue to devote myself to studying and show you how I grow.”

“Then shall we change the question this time? Heungseon-gun, what do you think is your weakness?”

Lee Ha-eung’s [Heungseon-gun’s real name] eyes trembled subtly as if he knew how to dig into the parts that could be weaknesses like the others.

It’s more difficult to talk about weaknesses than to appeal to strengths.

If you say something too trivial, you’ll get a reaction that you’re joking, and if you say something really serious, you’ll get a reaction that you shouldn’t be chosen.

“I… I had an aspect of overconfidence in my knowledge. When I was younger than I am now, I remember being someone who believed that my shallow knowledge was right and rejected other opinions. But I learned that that was wrong through an event, and now I always keep in mind that I may be wrong and try to listen to the opinions of others.”

“Can you tell me what that event was?”

“Yes. Someone once asked me about opening diplomatic relations with the West. At that time, I was convinced that opening diplomatic relations with the West would only eat away at the country, and I didn’t even pretend to listen to the other person’s words. However, since a few years ago, I have come to realize that opening diplomatic relations is up to each country, and what is more important is how our Joseon actively responds. Therefore, I have come to remember the humility and consideration emphasized in the Doctrine of the Mean [a Confucian text], and I am trying to practice it without forgetting it.”

Revealing his weaknesses, but saying that he overcame them and subtly appealing to his strengths.

It’s one of the skills that is useful even when interviewing in modern times.

He’s using this right away, so it seems undeniable that Lee Ha-eung is quite smart, even if he doesn’t know anything else.

After that, Heonjong, who asked questions in various fields such as basic knowledge, foreign affairs, and opinions on personnel recruitment, listened to the answers of all the candidates and pondered for a while.

Objectively, the most noticeable person was Heungseon-gun, and the one who surprisingly did well was the young Gyeongwon-gun.

In the case of Deokwan-gun, the penalty he had from the beginning was too great, so he could hardly answer any questions asking for detailed knowledge.

All that’s left is to make up for it in the debate, but unfortunately, the topic presented by Deokwan-gun was too ordinary, so he couldn’t show off his skills here either.

‘How important is it for a monarch to understand and care for the real lives of the common people?’

This is because Deokwan-gun himself explained it in detail with detailed examples in the first question, so it was just a rehash of the answer he gave earlier.

Still, there was quite a fierce debate on the next topic.

‘Is it really important to maintain the Neo-Confucian order in a rapidly changing era? If so, what are some good ways to do it?’

Gyeongwon-gun emphasized Dongdo Seogi [Eastern ways, Western technology] in this topic he threw.

“It is impossible to deviate from the Neo-Confucian order we have built up so far and accept the spirit of the West. However, it is true that their technology is strong, so wouldn’t it be possible to maintain our spiritual civilization as it is and only bring in Western technology?”

“Gyeongwon-gun’s words are also reasonable, but just as Yi [principle] and Gi [material force] communicate, essence and phenomenon are ultimately closely intertwined and form a reciprocal relationship that affects each other. But to leave civilization as it is and only accept technology? Their technology is a collection of their ideas. Whether it’s Yi Gi Il Won [principle is one] or Yi Gi Ii Won [principle and material force are two], Yi and Gi are not qualities that can be completely separated. Therefore, Dongdo Seogi can be said to be a slogan that deviates from the Neo-Confucian order itself.”

“I’m not saying that we should accept their technology indiscriminately as it is. I’m saying that we should dismantle it, analyze it, and reassemble it to suit our needs. My point is that we can firmly maintain the center within us even in the rapidly changing world situation. Are you arguing that we should not accept their technology at all, Heungseon-gun?”

“Of course not. Haven’t we all seen how Qing China is collapsing? I think we should accept what we need to accept. I also agree that the Neo-Confucian order should not collapse. However, if you consider whether Dongdo Seogi is realistic and whether it really conforms to Neo-Confucian teachings, there is a difference of opinion.”

From the perspective of modern people, it seems like they are arguing over something useless, but Neo-Confucianism is the foundation of Joseon, so they are fighting a life-and-death battle.

Meanwhile, the Andong Kim clan [another powerful political faction], who are watching Deokwan-gun, who can’t even dare to intervene and is just watching blankly, must be anxious.

But no matter how smart Gyeongwon-gun is, how can a child who is just over ten years old continue to argue with Heungseon-gun?

As the repertoire he had prepared ran out, Gyeongwon-gun’s words noticeably decreased, and the discussion ended with Heungseon-gun’s victory.

And as I listened to this debate, the picture of how I should use Joseon became more concrete in my mind.

As expected, the biggest obstacle is Confucianism. That damn Neo-Confucian order.

It’s difficult to collapse that with ordinary methods, so I have to use a roundabout way, and one of the means that can be used is the topic of the next debate.

-Does Joseon have legitimacy in the territory of the old Joseon [Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom]?

The ministers who saw the debate topic revealed by Heonjong, as well as the Jinsas of Sungkyunkwan who heard the story from afar, stared at the presenter Heungseon-gun with their mouths wide open.

The reactions were different, but the feeling was the same.

‘Is that human crazy?’

No one made a sound, but the tension that was tightening around them was telling the story.

In the meantime, our innocent Deokwan-gun raised his hand with a cheeky face and asked.

“Is the old Joseon you’re talking about the Joseon founded by Dangun [the mythical founder of Korea]?”

“That’s right.”

“…Then our Joseon is a country that inherited the old Joseon from its name, so I think it’s natural that it has legitimacy.”

The faces of the Andong Kim clan ministers turned blue.

Feeling the desperate feeling of ‘Is that right?’, Deokwan-gun turned his head slightly, scratched his head, and added a few words.

“But now most of the land of the old Joseon is Qing China’s territory, so border disputes are bound to occur… Isn’t there a high possibility that it will lead to a meaningless fight?”

“I, I, I think so too.”

It’s too big and heavy a topic for a child to discuss.

Gyeongwon-gun also quickly expressed a reserved position, trying to stammer.

In fact, this is the reaction of ordinary people and the 정석 [the standard way], but if you are an ordinary person, you would not present this as a debate topic in the first place.

Heungseon-gun glanced at me, took a deep breath, and raised his voice in a firm tone.

“Our Joseon is a country that has inherited all the legitimacy of all the countries that have continued on the Korean Peninsula in the past. Not only the old Joseon, but also Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, Balhae, and all the traditions and ideas of Goryeo are alive and breathing in our culture. Is there anyone who can deny this?”

“…No, that’s.”

“I’m not necessarily denying it…”

Heonjong’s intention is to liquidate the serving the great powers with Qing China, and I intend to strongly push the opinion.

Just as I was about to predict that the conclusion might be simpler than expected if it went on like this.

Whether it was a childishness unique to children or a sharp sense was activated, Gyeongwon-gun, who was hesitating, closed his eyes tightly and shouted loudly.

“No, no! Our Joseon is the country that inherited Joseon, Balhae, and Goguryeo! This is… that, so I heard that there is a record in the Veritable Records [the official historical records of the Joseon Dynasty] that it inherited Goguryeo!”

“What about Balhae?”

“It’s recorded in the Veritable Records.”

“The old Joseon too? Are you sure?”

“That’s also recorded in the Veritable Records! Probably…”

Um.

Uh.

Is that so?

Just in case, I asked Heonjong next to me, and surprisingly, he said it was probably true.

Amazing Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty!

No matter what, it only looks like he’s just insisting, but what can I do?

As long as there is a record in the Veritable Records that Joseon inherited all the countries that had bases on the Korean Peninsula, denying this is the same as denying the accuracy of the Veritable Records.

The people who can access the drafts and Veritable Records are very limited, so it was an invincible logic that I couldn’t say let’s open it up right now.

If it’s not later, I’m thinking of saying that I must have heard it wrong or not.

While everyone was 어버버 [stammering], the direction of the debate was already fixed on the side that Joseon is the rightful successor to Manchuria, and this is stated in the Veritable Records.

It goes without saying that today’s debate will also be recorded in the Veritable Records.

Watching this crazy debate flowing naturally like water, I was able to naturally solidify my conviction.

The only way to shut the mouths of the Confucian Taliban at once is the slogan ‘Make Joseon Great Again’.

There’s no need to explain in detail what the process of making it great is.

One concern is that if Joseon tries to take Manchuria, there is no possibility that our Dongjoseon [Eastern Joseon], that is, Japan, below will be affected.

Will they be quiet even after seeing this?

I don’t think they will.

While I was drawing the map of the entire Asia in my head and thinking, a satisfied smile appeared on Heonjong’s lips as he watched the development of the debate.