There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 228

“They’re fighting over the installation of rain gauges?”

“That’s right.”

I shook my head, bemused.

To survey rainfall, each district was ordered to install rain gauges and report the findings to the court.

Under the solemn royal decree, the magistrates hastily commanded their local artisans or workshops to install the gauges. However, one village uniquely defied this order.

It was Buyeo County, the land of 1,000 *gyeol* [a unit of land measurement in Joseon] granted to the Ouchi clan.

The *daimyo* [feudal lord] who received the land probably thought, ‘Why should we do it when he hasn’t said anything?’

“But why did you come along, Grandfather?”

“Just taking a trip for once. Does your grandfather bother you now that I’m old?”

“You should just stay in Taesangjeon [a royal residence] and take care of yourself.”

Our old man is naturally hale and hearty, so there’s not much to worry about, but I get a fright every time he falls ill, given his age.

He’d barely recovered from a spring cold this time, yet he followed me, so something felt off.

“So, what happened?”

“The magistrate, of course, was furious.”

From the magistrate’s perspective, who came down with solemn authority granted by the nation, he must have felt ignored by the Japanese, who were always whispering among themselves and handling matters their own way.

‘Having rotated through prestigious posts and then being dispatched to an outer one, the new magistrate lacked flexibility.’

So, he tried to arrest some Japanese for ignoring his orders and give them a beating, but Ouchi Mitsuyo stopped that too, or so I heard.

‘It’s not like giving land to the Japanese guarantees extraterritorial rights.’

The problem is that Ouchi Mitsuyo isn’t just a simple Japanese immigrant but a figure akin to a state guest representing the Ouchi clan.

For the Buyeo magistrate to arrest and beat even such a person on the grounds of ‘disrupting Joseon’s laws’ is quite something.

Anyway, Ouchi Mitsuyo, having finally grasped how Joseon’s central government works, went to the capital to complain, and the court immediately dismissed the Buyeo magistrate.

‘If unrest arises here, it could spread to Iwami [a silver mine controlled by Joseon].’

The reason we were able to take Iwami so easily was that the Ouchi didn’t know the value of the silver mine.

‘But by now, the Ouchi must have realized they made a losing deal.’

I thought so.

The silver mining output in Iwami is enormous.

Ships loaded with silver depart for Dongnae and Tsushima frequently; there’s no way they wouldn’t notice.

That they were swindled.

They’re enduring it only because of trade with Joseon and the shogunate’s surveillance.

‘If this is exposed, they’re the ones who’ll be screwed.’

In any case, the Ouchi’s dissatisfaction was inevitable, so I needed to go and appease them myself, just in case.

But…

This old man suddenly joined this trip.

He keeps glancing this way, as if he has something to say.

Lee Seong-gye, who was carefully observing the horse I was riding, suddenly spoke.

“Are you not interested in fine horses (駿馬)?”

“Fine horses?”

Fine horse.

That is, an excellent horse.

“Aren’t I riding one now?”

‘The Royal Stables (司僕寺) [a government agency in charge of managing horses] would have picked one out carefully.’

Since it’s the Crown Prince riding, they would have chosen the best horse possible.

Every time I go out, the Royal Stables selects a horse for me, and I haven’t felt any discomfort riding them so far.

They must have chosen horses that are gentle and easy to ride.

However, Lee Seong-gye shook his head.

“Horses that are only gentle are easy to ride but useless. Without wildness, they’ll stop even when they can run.”

“But aren’t wild horses difficult to handle?”

What if I fall off?

The Royal Stables will be wailing in four-part harmony that day.

“That’s why you need to handle those with guts well. Horses may be speechless beasts, but they are living creatures with whom you can connect. If you get a good horse, it can save your life.”

“Save my life?”

It’s not like the Red Hare from Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Lee Seong-gye said proudly.

“I also had eight fine horses called Paljunma. They’re all dead now, but each one was a steed that could leave its name in history. Yurincheong, in particular, lived for over thirty years even after being hit by three arrows~”

“Yes, yes.”

I think I’ve heard about Lee Seong-gye’s beloved horses.

He named each of the eight horses.

‘But that’s because he’s Grandfather.’

Lee Seong-gye has a lot of money and is from a military background, so he’s very interested in horses, but I’m not that interested.

It’s not like I want to drive a supercar in the Joseon era, like a Porsche or Ferrari.

However, the saying that you need to ride one horse consistently to connect with it is worth listening to.

“Then I’ll tell the Royal Stables that I’ll ride this horse exclusively.”

I decided to make the horse I’m riding now my beloved steed.

Then Lee Seong-gye frowned and said.

“You rascal, what have you been listening to? I’m telling you to find a good horse. The one you’re riding isn’t that good.”

It feels like I just bought a new car and am getting unsolicited advice.

With that money, you could have gotten something else.

“Then where can I find a famous horse like Yurincheong?”

“You need to have the right connection.”

“And where does that connection come from?”

At my question, Lee Seong-gye stroked his beard.

“If you’re lucky?”

As if Xiang Yu getting the Wuzhui horse happens so easily.

I shook my head.

You only get better at giving advice as you get older.

===

A thousand *gyeol* of land in Buyeo is enough to feed a decent-sized county.

However, we only gave them the right to collect taxes from the land, and we didn’t drive out the Joseon people who were already farming there, so the village where the settled Japanese lived was smaller than that.

‘Well, the Ouchi wouldn’t be able to let so many people leave either.’

Because population is labor and military power in this era.

As we approached the Baekje Village on one side of Buyeo County, we saw rows of Japanese-style houses.

The Ouchi clan brought many artisans from Japan to build the buildings themselves, so the scenery was like transplanting their hometown directly into this village.

‘It’s surprisingly fitting.’

I heard in modern times that artisans went to Japan a lot during the Baekje era and passed on the Baekje style.

So, when restoring Baekje-related ruins, they often refer to the styles of old Japanese buildings.

Thinking about it that way, this scenery might be closer to the old Sabi Fortress of Baekje than I thought.

‘Except for that mountain gate.’

After the Ouchi settled in this town, they said they would build a shrine to honor their ancestors, the Baekje kings, separately from the Sungnyeoljeon [a royal shrine] we built, so we allowed them to do so…

‘This is a shrine?’

I felt a bit dizzy looking at the massive *torii* (鳥居) [a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine] erected in front of the Baekje Three Kings Shrine.

“They built a large shrine to honor the kings.”

‘Well, if you call this a shrine, it is a shrine.’

To me, it looked like a shrine I saw when I went on a trip to Japan, but the Joseon people accompanying me didn’t care much about the difference between a shrine and a temple.

“*Gagarye* (家家禮) [a Confucian principle emphasizing respect for family traditions], shouldn’t we respect their customs of building ancestral shrines in their homes?”

“…Is that so?”

The Joseon people are surprisingly tolerant.

To be precise, it’s closer to not caring.

As I entered the shrine, I saw a sign that read Baekje Three Kings Shrine.

It is a shrine dedicated to Onjo, the founder of Baekje, King Wideok, who is considered the ancestor of the Ouchi clan, and King Pung, the last king of Baekje.

Ouchi Mitsuyo, who had come down to Buyeo before me, was there to greet me in advance.

“Your Highness, I heard that the Taesang King [retired king] is also accompanying you…”

“Grandfather had something to do in the middle and went somewhere else.”

Of course, Lee Seong-gye just needed an excuse to get out, and he wasn’t interested in the Japanese problems at all, so he slipped away to a hot spring on the way.

Why did he bother coming in the first place?

A look of disappointment briefly crossed Ouchi Mitsuyo’s face.

He must have been expecting the founder of Joseon, the Taesang King, to visit in person, but he seemed disappointed that only I came.

If they actually saw the Wokou Slayer [pirate slayer] old man, they wouldn’t react like that.

“So, what’s the real problem?”

The magistrate was dismissed, and in return, we received a promise from these Japanese to follow the court’s orders.

And I personally visited Buyeo to appease the Japanese, so the matter should be over.

But my intuition tells me that’s not all there is to it.

Then Ouchi Mitsuyo’s expression changed.

He knelt down and straightened his posture.

“There seems to be a lot of talk about the Iwami issue at the main family.”

“…”

Seeing my face twist, Ouchi Mitsuyo hurriedly said.

“Thanks to the support of the Supreme Country, the Shoni clan in Kyushu is almost on the verge of annihilation.”

We are also hearing news through the Joseon people stationed in Iwami and Meonteomu [a border region].

The story was that the Shoni clan suffered significant damage from the Ouchi clan’s cavalry and was once even surrounded in its center.

The fact that the Ouchi defeated the Shoni was not such a welcome story for us.

It meant that one of the leashes that kept the Ouchi from resisting us was being loosened.

I knew this would happen someday.

“So, you went to the privy and changed your mind?”

Perhaps the Ouchi main family took a breather after dealing with the Shoni clan and started thinking about breaking even.

Then there would be only one thing they would ask of us.

Iwami’s division.

“I opposed it to the end.”

That’s right.

‘When you think about it, these guys are all hostages.’

If necessary, we can tie them all up like dried fish and have them follow in the footsteps of our Wokou boss, Saemontaro.

Of course, the Ouchi didn’t send people to Joseon without knowing that.

Managing a large land across the sea brings prestige and practical benefits.

Besides, the hostages are only from the Ouchi clan’s collateral line and the people.

However, the story is different from the perspective of those who are captured.

‘The Japanese in Buyeo are literally hostages that we can purge at any time. The Ouchi probably think of our officials in Iwami that way.’

So, it seemed reasonable for the Ouchi to feel that the land exchange with us was unfair and to try to correct it.

‘But…’

I felt more goodwill than antipathy towards Ouchi Mitsuyo.

He’s the person I’ve met the most among the Ouchi clan’s delegation, and he’s as affable as the Japanese business partners I met in modern times.

I don’t know what he’s like inside, though.

Anyway, based on that goodwill, I gave him a piece of advice.

“When the rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked.”

At my words, Ouchi Mitsuyo’s eyebrows twitched.

It must mean that even if I’m the Crown Prince, this kind of provocation is hard to bear.

“Does that mean that the dog who finished the hunt is demanding his share of the meat, so you’re going to cross the sea and cook us?”

“Far from it. It’s not like you hunted the Soi clan for us, so there’s no reason for us to cook you.”

Only then did Ouchi Mitsuyo understand and his face stiffened.

You guys, it’s not like the shogunate is pushing you because they like you.

If the Shoni clan collapses like this, you’re next.

End

ⓒ Pitkong