There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 146

< The Milk Expeditionary Force (3) >

“Huh… W-what?”

The milkmaids stared at me, their faces a mixture of shock and disbelief, as if questioning the very possibility of what they were witnessing.

What I had presented was cheese, boasting a savory richness that made the fishy-tasting dried curds pale in comparison.

Of course, before showcasing the cheese to the milkmaids, I had first presented it to Yi Seong-gye.

“Is this the newly made dried curd?”

The Grand Preceptor [a high-ranking official] displayed a surprising knowledge of fine dining.

His discerning palate was clearly a trait passed down through his bloodline, although it was unfortunate that Chungnyeong Daegun [later King Sejong] seemed to have inherited it in a rather peculiar manner.

In any case, the cheese, having passed Chungnyeong Daegun’s rigorous inspection, greatly pleased the Grand Preceptor.

‘Of course, look how I made it.’

The development of dairy products was a crucial step in advancing food culture.

For the mass production of this cheese, the assistance of the dedicated government office, Yuuso [a government office in charge of dairy production], would be necessary, but there was no need to involve everyone.

“There are many within Yuuso who have merely lent their names to the roster, using the excuse of manufacturing dried curds. Conduct a thorough investigation and imprison all those who have been avoiding military service!”

Even the Crown Prince, a relative novice, had managed to produce cheese with relative ease, casting a suspicious light on Yuuso’s activities and what they had been doing all this time.

The Grand Preceptor, who was originally meant to protect them, now shared the same sentiment.

“Indeed. Aren’t they the ones who made excuses even when I requested a daily supply of dried curds?”

The shield that had once protected the milkmaids had vanished completely.

The censors, who had been eagerly awaiting an opportunity to punish these lowly individuals for evading military service, seized the moment and voiced their concerns.

“Out of the 200 individuals in Yuuso, less than 50 are actually necessary!”

“They neglect the production of milk and dried curds, and they shirk their military duties. How can this be considered acceptable!”

Instances of military service irregularities came to light one after another, now that royal protection was gone.

More than half of them worked less than ten days a month, exaggerating the required manpower.

‘Seriously. This might have become a problem someday even if it wasn’t for me.’

Considering that I’ve never encountered a place called Yuuso in historical dramas, it’s possible that it was abolished due to this very reason.

Or perhaps Yuuso simply wasn’t well-known, who knows.

“Those who have evaded military service cannot be left unpunished. Re-register them for military duty.”

“That is not sufficient. Shouldn’t they be punished for deceiving their superiors?”

The censors rushed to Yi Bang-won, clamoring for the milkmaids to be thrown into the Gullah [a type of prison].

When had they ever complained about the miserable conditions of the Gullah? They were like fish in water, eager to throw others in.

But I advised Yi Bang-won.

“I agree with re-registering them for military duty, but their talents would be wasted. Since the war is still ongoing, how about sending them all to Tsushima Island?”

“To Tsushima Island?”

Yi Bang-won inquired.

“I’ve heard that the milkmaids are descendants of the Tartars [a historical term for various Central Asian peoples, including Mongols]. They possess a rough and brave disposition, so wouldn’t it be suitable to send them to the battlefield?”

The tradition of making and consuming dairy products originated from the Yuan Dynasty [the Mongol-led dynasty of China], so the milkmaids could be considered descendants of the Mongols in a way.

Regardless of whether their bloodline was actually Mongol or not.

In any case, tending to cows and milking them was a physically demanding task, resulting in the milkmaids being quite robust.

Of course, that alone wouldn’t warrant sending military service evaders who hadn’t even received proper training.

“If my intention was simply to torment these criminals, I would have thrown them into the Gullah. What are you plotting?”

As expected, my father is quick-witted.

I rubbed my hands together and said.

“I’ve heard that the war situation on Tsushima Island is turning in our favor.”

The Training Corps, led by Sunnyeong-gun Yi Ji, had successfully landed on Tsushima Island.

Having mobilized all the naval forces of Gyeongsang Province, and with the Jurchen thugs who frequently passed through Tsushima Island on their way to Kyushu joining them, there was no way they couldn’t cross the Korea Strait.

Yi Bang-won nodded and said.

“It’s a matter of course. Soi Ssi’s army [the So clan’s army] cannot withstand a head-on confrontation with us.”

They were the ones who had been crushed like sesame candy in Geoje and fled.

Even if the situation had reversed, with us now being the attackers and them the defenders, Tsushima Island was still considered foreign territory from the Shoni army’s perspective.

The Shoni army desperately appealed to the clans of Tsushima Island to resist the foreign invaders, but their response was lukewarm.

‘Isn’t Shoni also a foreign enemy anyway?’

‘So Sadashige [a member of the So clan] was blinded by greed and acted immorally, but that doesn’t mean we have to side with the Shoni clan.’

‘On the other hand, isn’t the Joseon army advocating for the So clan, whether we like it or not?’

‘So Sadashige is originally a traitor, but if it weren’t for the So clan, there would be no one to govern the island.’

The leaflets distributed by the Joseon army diligently proclaimed that So Sadashige, the usurper, was dead, and that they should now support So Yorituna, the rightful heir to the lordship of Tsushima Island.

The clans sympathized with the cause of restoring the So clan, but they were also carefully calculating their own interests.

‘So Yorituna is barely even ten years old.’

‘The So clan has suffered tremendous losses from this war. Doesn’t that mean the fox will be king in a den without tigers?’ [an idiom meaning that in the absence of strong leadership, weaker individuals will rise to power]

Due to the symbolism of having ruled Tsushima Island for centuries, the So clan would retain the title of lord, but the actual governance of Tsushima Island would undoubtedly be completely restructured.

Then, what would prevent these clans from securing positions in the newly formed government of Tsushima Island, effectively replacing the So clan?

Of course, Joseon, having dispatched troops, would claim the largest share…

‘In the end, it’s difficult to govern Tsushima without our cooperation.’

However, the situation with the Shoni clan was different.

In the worst-case scenario, they would attempt to directly control Tsushima Island, or, even if they didn’t, they would frequently mobilize them for battles on the Kyushu mainland.

Even now, the So clan had attempted to expand their influence in Kyushu, or had succumbed to the orders of their master, the Shoni clan, and dispatched troops on several occasions.

Therefore, there would be little to gain compared to siding with Joseon.

The result of their calculations was quite clear.

“The Shoni invaders must retreat!”

“The Shoni brat is trying to swallow our Tsushima!”

“The true successor of the So clan, who was taken away by the usurper, has returned!”

When the Shoni clan was defeated and fled to Tsushima Island, and Sunnyeong-gun landed and secured a bridgehead, the clans who had been keenly observing the situation rose up on a large scale.

The Training Corps, having secured the cooperation of the locals, was heading straight for the So clan’s stronghold in Tsushima, which was occupied by the Shoni army, and was diligently firing cannonballs.

The Shoni army was making the most of the defensive advantages to hold out as long as possible, but…

“It won’t last long.”

Yi Bang-won predicted that the Shoni army would either flee to the mountains scattered throughout Tsushima Island to wage guerrilla warfare, or retreat to the mainland.

But the former was not a particularly wise choice.

“It’s not their land, and it’s not easy to fight relying on the mountains of someone else’s land.”

With all the clans having turned their backs, they couldn’t expect support from the locals, and they weren’t familiar with the terrain.

It sounded appealing to hide in the mountains and wage guerrilla warfare, but it was likely to devolve into a band of robbers.

If that happened, the Joseon army could take its time and thoroughly suppress them like catching lice.

“There’s no benefit to clinging to us so desperately.”

The Shoni clan’s main enemy was not Joseon.

According to the intelligence that Joseon had received through the Ouchi clan or Tsushima Island, Kyushu was currently in a state of chaos.

Officials dispatched by the shogunate and local lords were intertwined, and conflicts erupted frequently.

In the midst of all this, they had taken 2,000 troops and fled to Tsushima Island, and if these troops were all annihilated while fighting us, the Shoni clan would suffer a significant loss without gaining anything.

Having established the justification for punishing So Sadashige, it was a wise decision to save the remaining troops and retreat.

“Sunnyeong-gun estimates that period to be about a month.”

In other words, we had to discuss how to govern Tsushima Island from now on.

First of all, whether to annex Tsushima Island or not.

“Would there be any particular benefit to annexing Tsushima Island? Tsushima Island is a narrow and barren land, unsuitable for farming. Furthermore, our race and customs differ, which will create issues in our relations with the Japanese court.”

Yi Bang-won shrugged his shoulders, but after all the years I’ve spent observing my father, I knew better.

He wasn’t one to relinquish Tsushima Island, which had practically fallen into his lap.

So this wasn’t my father’s personal opinion, but rather the opinion of the opposing senior officials in the court.

It meant that I needed to present a logical argument to refute it.

“Governing it won’t require much effort, surprisingly. Isn’t it similar to the situation with the Jurchen in the northeast?”

Currently, the Dongmanju [Eastern Manchuria] region – although this term didn’t exist in that era – was under a form of indirect rule.

Nominally, our territory extended to the Mudan River, but it was impossible to project administrative power into this area, which had a low population density and was primarily inhabited by Jurchens.

Perhaps it was only possible due to Yi Seong-gye’s influence.

To compensate for this, Joseon planned to construct fortresses at various strategic locations and station troops.

Bestowing Joseon official titles was an added incentive.

Furthermore, monks with religious authority were brought in.

Monks were literate and knowledgeable, making them proficient in managing the affairs of the tribes.

So, even by simply maintaining the presence of those we dispatched, we could achieve an effect similar to direct rule.

I decided to apply the same approach to Tsushima Island.

“We must also grant positions such as Jwasu [a local official position] and Hyeon-gam [another local official position] to the clans of Tsushima Island.”

“Is that so?”

“After all, they are no different from the local officials of Hamgyeong Province. Or the Jurchens who have received our official titles.”

“We don’t need to dispatch monks, do we?”

“That’s right. Unlike the north, Tsushima Island is a small island anyway, and simply having our troops stationed there will ensure everything is under surveillance. However, to prevent the clans from rising up all at once…”

“Don’t interfere with their interests?”

“That’s right.”

After all, there was no profit to be gained from sending officials to manage even the villages tucked away in the corners of a small island like Tsushima Island.

So, let’s simply grant them hereditary Jwasu or hereditary Hyeon-gam positions.

“Also, appoint Pyeongdojeon as the military governor of Tsushima to oversee its governance. However, explain to the Japanese court that Jongroegang (So Yorituna), who is nominally the lord, is young, so the senior vassal Pyeongdojeon is acting as his proxy.”

“That’s right.”

Yi Bang-won smiled and said.

“They’ll know that Tsushima Island is virtually in our hands, unless they’re fools…”

But what are they going to do?

‘What can they do?’

The shogunate, preoccupied with its own internal affairs, was unlikely to engage in a life-or-death battle with Joseon over Tsushima Island.

“If we acquire Tsushima Island, we can also station a navy there to deter pirates, which is advantageous in many ways.

Furthermore, if Japan ever raises a large army to invade Joseon, it can serve as a strategic point to hinder the enemy’s advance.”

“The Japanese are planning to invade us? Will such a thing happen?”

But it actually did happen.

I witnessed it with my own eyes.

“The island is barren, but we don’t necessarily have to focus on farming. We can also relocate the pearl farms there and develop fishing and trade.”

“Is that why you’re sending the milkmaids?”

Yi Bang-won showed interest.

I nodded and said.

“I’ve heard there are no tigers on Tsushima Island?”

I had heard a story about Tsushima Island from Pyeongwonhae before.

Because it was an isolated island, there were few wild animals that posed a threat to people and livestock.

‘At best, only the slash-and-burn farmers are troubled by wild boars.’

Then why not simply release all the livestock into the mountains scattered throughout Tsushima Island and raise them?

In other words, mountain grazing.

It was absolutely impossible in mainland Joseon, where tigers would frequently prey on them, but it was feasible on Tsushima Island!

‘It’s even warm in the south.’

What if we introduced various animals that were difficult to raise in Joseon for various reasons?

It was truly an environment optimized for grazing.

“The milkmaids will have a lot to do.”

“That’s right. For a while, or perhaps forever, they won’t be able to return.”

They would bitterly regret evading military service, but if they adapted, it might become a livable place.

‘Now that I have it in my grasp, I must exploit Tsushima Island to the fullest.’

So that I can utilize it for a long time.

< The Milk Expeditionary Force (3) > End

ⓒ Pitkong