There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 207

The strait between Ganghwa Island and the mainland is narrow, resembling a river, and is commonly called Yeomha.

We crossed the strait through Sondolmok, the narrowest point.

“Even though the strait is narrow, the currents are strong. There’s a reason why Goryeo [previous Korean dynasty, 918-1392] fled here.”

Yi Seong-gye, looking displeased, pointed at Yeomha and said,

“This is just a joke, but do you know why Ganghwa Island was never captured during the Goryeo Dynasty when the entire country was being ravaged?”

“I wonder…”

Even if the nomadic people weren’t familiar with water, they could have done it if they had set their minds to it.

“It’s said that Yeomha is under the jurisdiction of the Dragon King of the West Sea, so our ancestors protected it.”

“Excuse me? What’s that?”

“That’s why I said it was a joke.”

I made a ‘bleh’ face at the absurd answer, and Yi Seong-gye continued,

“We shouldn’t expect such things.”

‘We shouldn’t expect it if we have any shame.’

We can’t very well ask for the Dragon King’s protection after dumping so much marine debris.

“You’re thinking strange things again, aren’t you?”

Yi Seong-gye examined my expression and lightly flicked my forehead.

“Goryeo was lucky enough that Ganghwa Island wasn’t captured, but your descendants shouldn’t rely on such luck. Do you understand?”

“You should have said that from the start.”

I grumbled in a small voice.

“Do you see this?”

“Yes, I see it.”

“In the old days, pirates used to raid along this waterway. If there were only one or two cannons in this narrow passage, it would have been easy to stop them.”

“Are you saying we should build a fort here?”

“Yes. Blocking this place would make it much easier to defend against the enemy.”

This waterway leads to the Han River if you go north.

With the capital being Hanyang [old name for Seoul], it was an important passage that needed to be managed for security.

‘Now that we’ve taken Tsushima Island [island between Korea and Japan], it’ll be difficult for pirates to rise again.’

Still, there were many battles fought here against Western forces in the late Joseon period [Korean kingdom from 1392-1897], so it wouldn’t hurt to build a fortress.

‘If we build a concrete fortress on a difficult-to-attack hill and control it with cannons, we can completely block access to the outer front.’

At Yi Seong-gye’s suggestion, I started planning in my head.

If we build it on a difficult-to-attack hill, we could easily build a fortress without much effort.

“If we put cannons here, we can turn them all into fish food without the Dragon King’s help. I’ll talk to Father. First, let’s have Park Ja-cheong conduct a survey…”

I was about to continue talking about construction when I saw Ju So-hwa’s bored expression and stopped.

Ju So-hwa, looking satisfied that I had stopped talking, asked,

“Where are we staying?”

“The Ganghwa Governor has agreed to provide the government office.”

I said, smacking my lips.

‘I thought I could sleep in a Goryeo palace before coming here.’

I was excited at the thought of staying comfortably in the Goryeo palace in Ganghwa, but even in this era, only traces of the palace remained.

This was because after the Goryeo king made peace and returned to Gaegyeong [old capital of Goryeo], he destroyed all the palaces and fortresses at the request of the Mongols.

“That’s a shame. To destroy something after building it.”

Whether it was built by squeezing the people dry or not, it would have been a cultural asset if it had been well maintained.

Yi Seong-gye shook his head and replied to my words.

“It was good that it was destroyed.”

Yi Seong-gye said that.

“Even if you ascend the throne, never build a palace on Ganghwa Island. If you rely on Ganghwa Island in an emergency, you’ll end up thinking about fleeing here. Then you won’t even think about other solutions. In reality, Ganghwa Island isn’t a natural fortress.”

Yi Seong-gye held my hand tightly.

“In the old days, the Goryeo kings and the Choi clan’s military regime lived in this luxurious palace, not paying attention to the outside world. Choi Woo brought pine and cedar trees from the mainland to build his house, and countless people drowned.”

Yi Seong-gye pointed to the Goryeo palace site in the distance and said,

“That’s why King Mokjo [ancestor of Yi Seong-gye] had no choice but to leave Goryeo, which had lost its mandate.”

“Wasn’t it because he ran away after arguing with the village administrator and the gisaeng [female entertainers]?”

That’s what I thought.

“…Be quiet.”

Yi Seong-gye, at a loss for words, cut me off.

“Our family’s lustfulness has been passed down through generations, so descendants should understand.”

As I nodded and said that, Ju So-hwa, feeling annoyed, grabbed my ear from the side.

“What do you understand? Don’t be like that.”

What did I do?

As I grumbled in frustration, Yi Seong-gye cleared his throat and said,

“Anyway, Ganghwa Island is a natural fortress, but it’s better not to have a palace at all than to build one and wait for the enemy to retreat while sitting here for thousands of years. There’s no need for such a court to remain.”

At Yi Seong-gye’s resolute words, I suddenly replied,

“You did well.”

“?”

Yi Seong-gye narrowed his eyes at the sudden remark and looked at me. I continued,

“As Grandfather says, even when the country collapses and the people are massacred, this place will be peaceful.”

I said calmly,

“Goryeo lost its right to rule the people from the moment it chose to hole up in Ganghwa Island.”

Whether it was the Choi regime or the Goryeo kings who later became puppets of the Yuan Dynasty [Mongol-led dynasty of China].

How could those who abandoned the people first expect the people to maintain their loyalty to them?

“At least Grandfather told us to build a fortress on Ganghwa Island, not a palace. For the people.”

Isn’t that enough to justify overthrowing Goryeo?

Yi Seong-gye turned his face slightly after hearing my words.

“Flattery won’t get you anything.”

Yi Seong-gye said grumbling, but he couldn’t hide the corners of his raised mouth.

“I’ve decided.”

I clapped my hands and said,

“I will build a fortress on Ganghwa Island. So that the court can evacuate in case of emergency.”

However, I will not build a palace.

‘Should I fortify the entire Ganghwa Island?’

Ganghwa Island was also an important base for controlling the islands in the West Sea.

A plan to make Ganghwa Island the last fortress of Joseon was forming in my head.

===

On Manisan Mountain in Ganghwa Island, there is an altar called Chamseongdan where sacrifices are offered to Dangun [legendary founder of Korea]. According to legend, it was originally a stone altar where Dangun offered sacrifices to the heavens, but since Dangun, who originally settled in Liaodong [region in northeastern China], would not have offered sacrifices on Ganghwa Island after his descendants were pushed out, it is merely a tradition.

However, this Chamseongdan, where sacrifices had been offered since before Wang Geon [founder of Goryeo Dynasty], was a relic in itself, so Yi Seong-gye and I gathered all the people of Ganghwa and held a grand ceremony.

After all, our nation’s name is Joseon, which succeeded Gojoseon [first Korean kingdom].

“We are overjoyed that the Grand Royal Father and the Crown Prince have personally come to perform the ceremony,” said the Ganghwa Governor. Yi Seong-gye listened, nodding silently, but his expression became subtle when the village elders of Ganghwa came out and offered their blessings with bright faces.

“I didn’t think the people of Ganghwa would look at me so favorably, but the atmosphere is surprisingly good.”

“Excuse me? Why?”

Did you have a feud with the people of Ganghwa?

“Choi Young [Goryeo general] defeated the pirates who invaded Ganghwa Island and Gyodong Island and saved the people. Many people will still remember that.”

“Hey, that was a long time ago.”

Ganghwa Island, like other regions of Joseon, was enjoying considerable development.

It was close to Hanyang, so it received a considerable amount of benefits.

‘I bet a bag of cement goes further.’

When Yi Seong-gye asked the village elders, similar stories came out.

“Has life changed since Joseon was founded?”

“To be honest, things don’t change much for us villagers no matter what happens to the country. But in the last few years, our livelihoods have greatly improved.”

“We worry less about firewood every winter, and we don’t have to worry about our sons being mobilized for construction and dying or getting hurt. Since we have even a small plot of land, we can at least dream of raising our children and marrying them off.”

“Is that so.”

Yi Seong-gye looked up at the sky for a long time.

The autumn sky was so clear that it seemed as if the heavens were responding to this outing.

“I have something to ask.”

“Please ask.”

Yi Seong-gye looked at the village elders and asked,

“Is there a place in Ganghwa that is said to be the tomb of Sinchang [King Chang of Goryeo]?”

===

Like the later King Danjong [Joseon king forced to commit suicide], a king who dies unjustly at a young age receives sympathy.

The same was true of King Chang.

King Chang, who was exiled to Ganghwa Island and soon executed, his body abandoned carelessly, was pitied by the local people, who built a small mound for him.

“If I hadn’t been told, I wouldn’t have known even if I passed right by it.”

Of course, no one wanted to be branded a traitor and die, so the tomb was just a pile of dirt and looked very shabby.

With no one to manage it, it seemed that it would naturally blend into the landscape and disappear without a trace in the future.

This was only found out by threatening and appeasing the trembling villagers.

“He was probably younger than Prince Chungnyeong [later King Sejong] at the time.”

Yi Seong-gye said,

“I’ve probably killed dozens of Wangs [royal family name of Goryeo]. But King U was tyrannical and unreasonable, so he deserved to die, but what crime did this child commit?”

“His crime was being a descendant of the royal family.”

I said that.

Without going far, Yi Bang-seok [Joseon prince] also died before he could even grow up because he was a descendant of the royal family.

“…At first, I thought it was karma.”

Yi Seong-gye opened a bottle of alcohol and said,

“I once heard a story. A Chinese emperor was discussing history with his ministers and, after hearing about the mistakes his ancestors had made, lamented how his country could last long.”

I think I heard that story when I was learning from my teachers.

It was probably the story of Emperor Ming of the Eastern Jin Dynasty [Chinese dynasty].

“When Bang-beon and Bang-seok died, I really wondered if that saying was true. It was so frightening. I wondered if the spirit of this Wang Chang, who died unjustly, had killed those children. I wondered if it was all because of my sins.”

Yi Seong-gye poured alcohol on the tomb.

I thought as I watched him,

‘Is it okay to give alcohol to a minor who died?’

I seriously wondered if age mileage accumulated even after death.

Yi Seong-gye looked at the carelessly made tomb of King Chang.

It was the tomb of a child who had been denied everything he had gained from birth, even his surname.

Yi Seong-gye looked at me and Ju So-hwa and said,

“The reason I brought you here is because of that. To break this resentment.”

“So you’ve come to apologize?”

Well, Yi Seong-gye must have felt a lot in his later years.

Since he dismissed his entourage, I thought he was trying to offer an unofficial apology to King Chang, who had been caught up in a brutal political situation where he had to be killed or die.

That’s what I thought, but Yi Seong-gye shook his head.

“No. I’ve come to give a warning.”

“A warning?”

Before I could finish speaking, Yi Seong-gye took a deep breath and shouted,

“You Wang clan ghost!”

‘Whoa.’

“If you have resentment, you should punish the old me, not pass the anger on to my descendants!”

I was greatly embarrassed to see Yi Seong-gye shouting in front of King Chang’s small tomb, but Yi Seong-gye was confident.

“It’s enough that you’ve taken two of my sons. Don’t pass the anger on to the children here. If you do, I’ll wander around the afterlife and find your spirit and kill you again!”

“……”

“I think he understood by now.”

I was dumbfounded as I looked at Yi Seong-gye, who said that triumphantly.

End