There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 291

< Peacemaker (1) >

“Are the kids asleep?”

I came home from work to find my daughters swaddled and sound asleep.

Sleeping is all they do, but I wonder if they even recognize their dad.

I carefully picked them up, making sure not to wake them.

“Let’s see, is this Gyeong-i?”

“That’s Hyeon-i.”

“They look so alike, I keep getting them mixed up.”

The twins are named Lee Gyeong and Lee Hyeon.

I named our son, so I let my wife name the daughters, and this is what she came up with.

‘Even so, she named them both after mirrors.’

Both Gyeong (鏡) and Hyeon (鑦) mean mirror.

“It’s what saved you and brought us together. What name could be more meaningful than that?”

Actually, it was thunderstruck wood… Forget it.

No one would like to hear that except the late Yi Seong-gye, so I’ll keep quiet.

‘If Grandpa were alive, what advice would he give me?’

– Just do it and think later.

Well, his voice seems to echo in my ear.

After visiting Yi Bang-gwa, I realized that the men in our family all give terrible advice.

‘Even if you meet other women, just stay with your first wife in the end? What kind of advice is that?’

It seems our Former King mistakenly thinks I’m worried about women.

It’s like the saying, a Buddha sees only Buddhas, but I wish it were such a minor problem so I wouldn’t have to worry like this.

“What if…”

I opened my mouth with difficulty.

“What if the Ming Dynasty falls into crisis?”

“The Ming Dynasty in crisis?”

Ju So-hwa tilted her head, her eyes wide.

She has lived as a princess of the strongest nation in East Asia since birth, so she probably doesn’t understand what it means for the Ming to be in crisis.

Yet I, her husband, am twisting and turning to crack that Ming order.

“Are you saying there’s an internal conflict and the Crown Prince is in danger?”

The only possibility she can think of is civil war.

There’s precedent for that, after all.

Emperor Yongle himself started a rebellion and seized the throne.

She directly experienced rebels storming the Nanjing Imperial Palace back then, so this would resonate more with her.

“Something like that.”

If the Ming Dynasty falls into crisis, the Crown Prince and his descendants, who will succeed Emperor Yongle, won’t be in a comfortable state of mind.

“Honestly, I want to help, but…”

Ju So-hwa hesitated, trailing off.

The Former King holds the military power, so Ju So-hwa can’t say anything.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the court officials started a chorus of complaints, saying, ‘The Queen is interfering in state affairs.’

Perhaps the Former King is behind those officials.

“I don’t want Joseon to be swept up in the crisis too.”

Ju So-hwa continued with difficulty.

“If something that big happens, you and our children will be in danger.”

Ju So-hwa said, hugging her knees.

‘I wish it were just a civil war like my wife thinks.’

I know what she’s worried about, but if that situation arises, I plan to actively intervene.

If the Ming Dynasty says, ‘Oh, you’ve been sucking our blood as the most favored nation, and now you’re going to stand up to us? Go ahead,’ we won’t have much to say.

‘Actually, we’ve benefited quite a bit from the Ming Dynasty.’

Personally, I don’t feel too sorry because I think of it as paying a friendship fee in the name of tribute.

However, the Ming Dynasty could feel betrayed enough.

‘So, if it goes into a civil war between the Crown Prince and the princes, it will be easier to justify.’

Above all, Ju So-hwa doesn’t have much interaction with her nephews like the Prince of Han or the Prince of Zhao.

“I thought they were bad people because they were picking on and harassing my nephews. Her Majesty the Empress was worried about them until the end.”

‘Well, I wouldn’t be too shocked if the Prince of Han or the Prince of Zhao got their heads smashed.’

However, after careful review, the possibility of a civil war in the Ming Dynasty is low.

According to Wang-ho’s intelligence, the existing succession structure is becoming increasingly solid as the Grandson of the Crown Prince grows up.

Moreover, the Crown Prince has been solidifying his base by guarding Nanjing whenever Emperor Yongle inspects the north or goes on expeditions.

On the other hand, among the competitors, the Prince of Han is messing around and getting banished to his fiefdom, and the Prince of Zhao is lying low and sucking up to his father.

At this point, it’s safe to say that the power structure is completely settled.

In the end, we have no choice but to shake things up from our side.

“Have you heard anything?”

Ju So-hwa asked with a worried expression.

“No, it’s nothing.”

I brushed it off like that.

I feel like I made her uneasy for no reason, but I gained something from this conversation.

Even if something happens to the Ming Dynasty, Ju So-hwa will prioritize my and Joseon’s safety.

That’s why my mouth tasted bitter.

I didn’t want to disappoint someone who loves me so much.

But the die has been cast.

===

The Ming Dynasty has a cast iron cannon called the Hongwu Cannon (洪武大砲).

As the name suggests, it was developed and manufactured during the reign of Emperor Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang, and is the standard cannon of the Ming Dynasty deployed in each garrison.

I sent a secret order through Wang-ho.

“Is there any way to get one?”

“I will try to get one from the Liaodong area. However, while there may be people who smuggle and sell gunpowder, it will be difficult to get the cannon itself out of the country, so it will take some time.”

“It doesn’t matter if you can’t get the real thing. It just needs to look like a Hongwu Cannon.”

I chose the Hongwu Cannon (fake) as a product to export to the Uriyangkhai and Mongolia.

The Ming Dynasty has a vast territory, and the garrisons are scattered, so if a cannon with the manufacturing date and manufacturer cleverly erased circulates, they will mistake it for being leaked from somewhere else.

‘Above all, its power is controllable.’

The Hongwu Cannon is said to be advanced in many ways, but it was still just a cannon of this era.

There is a significant difference in level compared to our cannons, which are equipped with carriages, rifling, and explosive shells.

However, this much would be more than enough for the Uriyangkhai.

For nomads, the most difficult thing when facing sedentary nations is siege warfare.

Since they had lost much of their siege capabilities after the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, firepower to compensate for this was essential.

“Your Majesty, it’s one thing to trade furs and valuables, but do we really need to give them cannons? It may only be a few, but what if those barbarians cause an accident with them…?”

Kim Jong-seo said with an uneasy expression.

We will erase our traces as much as possible, and if it doesn’t work out, we’ll take the fall, but he seemed afraid of the Ming Dynasty’s surveillance.

Instead of relieving his anxiety, I tapped the armrest while looking at Kim Jong-seo.

“This is just a hypothetical scenario after the current emperor dies.”

Emperor Yongle is showing off his vigor, but in reality, he is at an age where he could die at any time.

Especially since he is running around on expeditions that consume a lot of energy in his later years.

Kim Jong-seo swallowed hard.

“If we were to deploy troops to Liaodong, how many soldiers could we mobilize?”

“…”

Kim Jong-seo’s mouth dropped open.

However, his years of experience in the military could not be ignored.

Like a skilled military officer, he automatically finished calculating and gave an answer.

“About 50,000.”

“Less than I thought.”

I clicked my tongue.

“Didn’t our Taejo [King Taejo, founder of the Joseon Dynasty] lead 50,000 troops when he went to attack Liaodong?”

The roads have been neatly maintained to an extent that cannot be compared to that time, and we can attempt maritime supply since we have Cheonghaejin [naval base].

We can also draw troops from the north and the subjugated Jurchens.

The nation’s coffers are full, and the population is only increasing.

But it’s the same size as the Goryeo army at the end of the Goryeo Dynasty, which had nothing?

“At that time, it was the result of 기울인 [pouring out] all the nation’s strength, to the point where there were few defense forces left in Gaegyeong [capital of Goryeo]. Even if the Goryeo army was 50,000, 20,000 of them were 잡병 [miscellaneous soldiers] conscripted for work rather than combat.”

“Then what about now?”

Kim Jong-seo nodded as I asked him to explain why the troop size was similar even though the situation was different.

“War is not simply about taking troops out and planting a flag.

If the Joseon mainland is invaded, we can mobilize 100,000 or 200,000 as defense forces. But for an expedition, we cannot ignore the supply issue.”

Kim Jong-seo explained that mobilizing more than that for an expeditionary force would overload the supply lines and waste military supplies.

“However, if Cheonghaejin supplies along the Yellow Sea, we can drastically reduce the manpower involved in supplying.

The 50,000 I mentioned are only elite troops that can be mobilized for combat. Compared to the Goryeo army, it has almost doubled.”

I understood a little after hearing the explanation.

But even so, it is still a small force to face the Ming Dynasty.

Kim Jong-seo seemed to think the same way.

“We cannot 빼다 [pull] troops from the Northern Frontier. Even if we open markets in Taeneungwi or Bokyeowi, it is difficult to truly trust them.”

If we were to draw troops from the Northern Frontier and receive an invasion from them, the Northern Frontier, which we had painstakingly built up, could fall into the hands of the enemy in one fell swoop.

The Northern Frontier is gradually achieving food self-sufficiency and population growth, so if they occupy this place, Taeneungwi or Bokyeowi can gain a stable base.

Therefore, Kim Jong-seo explained that the defense forces of Guju Fortress and the Jurchen soldiers cannot be dispatched, and even if they are dispatched, it would only be a small number.

“What if we don’t consider the threat from the north?”

“…Then we could additionally mobilize soldiers from the Northern Frontier.”

“How many?”

“Since most of them are Jurchens, wouldn’t about 10,000 be possible?”

As expected, the Jurchens are a warrior race, so their mobilization power is good.

Even if the population is small, there are many usable troops.

“So, about 60,000.”

“However, even with this, it would be difficult to attack Liaodong. The Ming can mobilize tens of thousands of troops in Liaodong alone, and while they are conducting delaying tactics, a large army will be 급파 [rapidly dispatched] from the mainland.”

Kim Jong-seo said with a dizzy expression.

I know, you old man.

I learned that painfully while playing wargames with Yi Seong-gye.

The current Ming Dynasty is a 마굴 [demon’s den] where even if you defeat 100,000, 1 million will pop out.

I don’t know what it will be like after Emperor Yongle dies.

“What if… a northern force that appeared from somewhere cuts off the connection between Liaodong and the Ming mainland?”

“So, you are selling cannons to the barbarians?”

If the Uriyangkhai attach themselves to Mongolia and deploy troops to the north of the Ming, there is no need to worry about defending the Northern Frontier.

It seemed that the puzzle pieces were being put together in Kim Jong-seo’s head, but his expression was still stiff.

“In that case, it depends on seizing Liaodong as quickly as possible.

If we can quickly subdue all of Liaodong and rely on the waterways and mountains of the Yoha River, we can catch our breath for a while.”

Kim Jong-seo quickly continued.

“But even this will eventually wither away in the face of the Ming army’s waves. Since the Ming’s territory has been 침노당하였으니 [invaded], the war will not end unless one side is destroyed.”

“Like Goguryeo, which fought against the Tang Dynasty.”

Take advantage of the 천하의 변고 [upheaval in the world] to subdue Liaodong and solidify the defense posture.

This was the grand strategy that had been 이어온 [continued] since Yi Seong-gye, but in the end, it only came to the conclusion that it was not enough to face the Ming Dynasty.

‘Should I just hope that our barbarian friends, who will be in charge of the 변고 [upheaval] role in the 천하의 변고 [upheaval], fight damn well?’

Actually, I think they will be pushed out beyond the Great Wall if the Ming Dynasty starts 조지기 [to mess with] them.

So, we have no choice but to seize Liaodong before that.

Then we go back to a 1-on-1 with the Ming Dynasty and enter an endless punching match….

“We need to change the premise itself.”

If we can’t beat the Ming no matter what, it means there’s a problem with the strategy and the plan.

“Is there anyone in the Jiphyeonjeon [Hall of Worthies, a royal research institute] right now?”

I asked No-bun that.

‘Why the scholars?’

Kim Jong-seo made that expression, but I 깔쌈하게 [coolly] ignored it.

No, before that, you’re a 문관 [civil official] too.

Looking at Kim Jong-seo, who seemed to have forgotten that he was a 문관 [civil official], I said,