There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 298

Saving the Ming (3)

< Saving the Ming (3) >

I remember back in the modern era.

There was this incident where a dictator from some country had his uncle executed using anti-aircraft guns.

‘Come to think of it, that place was also called Joseon.’

But this place isn’t some rootless North Joseon; it’s the land of morality, the Joseon of the Yi [also romanized as ‘Lee’] clan.

Such insubordination cannot be tolerated (my father is an exception).

How could there be a case where an uncle, as the elder of the family, is subjected to such treatment instead of wielding the disciplinary rod?

Even that mere beast, Ttaeng-gu, seemed to understand this great cause, snorting vigorously.

“Your Majesty, it seems the dragon horse wishes to accompany you.”

The royal guards looked back and forth between me and Ttaeng-gu with expectant expressions.

“We have heard that Your Majesty’s dragon horse is a divine creature that wards off plagues. It is an auspicious animal, so please take it with you.”

Since it was a journey to the battlefield, not just any other place, the officials eagerly advised me to do so.

Ttaeng-gu also looked at me with sparkling eyes.

‘Should I take him along?’

I pondered.

He’s such a timid and foolish fellow, unlike his mother, so I’m a bit worried.

– A horse may be a speechless animal, but it is a creature with whom you can connect. Obtaining a good horse can even save your life.

Yi Seong-gye’s advice came to mind, but that was about a proper horse, not Ttaeng-gu.

‘Oh, well.’

Since I’ll be riding Ttaeng-gu and will be heavily guarded, Ttaeng-gu should be safe too.

Ttaeng-gu wasn’t the only one who volunteered for the expedition.

“How can the thread not follow the needle? With the King Emeritus [a retired king] guarding Hanyang [old name for Seoul], this younger brother shall also follow!”

Do said, but I felt the oppressive aura of Queen Wongyeong, who wasn’t present, and flinched.

‘Is it okay to take my brother along?’

“Who else but me can be responsible for supplying the million-strong army?”

Do asked, pounding his chest.

“We’re not taking a million with us.”

I wouldn’t claim that even as a bluff.

I was planning to exaggerate it by about double, claiming it was an army of a hundred thousand.

‘Still, it would be reassuring to have him in charge of supplies from the rear.’

“Is there anyone else you want to take with you?”

“Jeong In-ji from the Hall of Worthies [a royal research institute] would be useful for this kind of task. Please allow me to bring him.”

Do answered readily.

Of course, he didn’t ask for Jeong In-ji’s opinion, but I readily agreed.

Originally, an office worker has to come when called and go when told.

While the Training Command was setting aside troops to defend the capital and mobilizing the ships of the Cheonghaejin [naval base], a mobilization order was simultaneously issued to gather troops, and the northern soldiers on the border were put on standby.

‘It’s fortunate that the public sentiment is more stable than expected.’

By now, even the common people would have realized that the atmosphere was filled with the clouds of war.

However, there were no slanders or ominous signs that usually accompany such events.

‘Ah, right. The cults were already caught and dealt with.’

Even excluding that, the people’s anxiety was surprisingly low.

‘Is this the reward for my hard work all this time?’

It’s not like I have some kind of hypnosis app to brainwash the people.

In the end, it must mean that the things I’ve been doing have been successfully paying off.

‘Even so, the war must not be prolonged.’

Even if the public sentiment is stable at first, it’s hard to tell how it will turn if the war drags on.

‘We must not give the enemy time to prepare either.’

We must strike quickly while Liaodong is still unable to come to its senses.

Above all, the Supreme Military Council predicts that the battle in the Central Plains will also be decided in a single stroke.

To avoid becoming a dog chasing a chicken [a futile effort], we must succeed in this time attack.

“Order the Northern Frontier Military Commander, Choi Yun-deok, to advance from the east!”

A battle with the fate of the nation at stake.

Mobilize all available forces.

There’s no need to worry about the Uriyangkhai [Mongol tribe].

They must be focusing all their attention on the conflict in the Central Plains right now.

The royal guards protecting me and the soldiers of the Training Command moved their feet to the military song played by Jeon Ak-seo.

The Joseon army began its northward march.

===

The officials under the Liaodong Governor were blankly watching the flames rising from all directions.

Suddenly, the Prince of Zhao declared that he would depose the Crown Prince and marched down with an expeditionary force, and the Prince of Han echoed him, causing a rebellion.

As the Central Plains burst into flames in an instant, Liaodong was caught in confusion and contemplation.

‘Which side should we take?’

‘Since the situation will be decided in a single stroke anyway, should we wait and see without making any hasty moves?’

The contemplation didn’t last long, but the opponent’s reaction was even faster.

It wasn’t just the Ming princes who were making sudden moves.

“The Uriyangkhai army is heading west! Their target seems to be Daining!”

“What?”

“Shouldn’t we send troops to block the Uriyangkhai?”

Should we send troops to defend Daining, which had fallen into the hands of the Prince of Zhao?

Wouldn’t the Nanjing court treat us as rebels if we did?

Before they could take any action, blades were flying at their necks.

“The Joseon army is advancing north from Uiju! What should we do!”

“Joseon! What on earth are those people invading for!”

They had considered the possibility of a few Jurchen tribes under their command causing trouble, but they never expected the Joseon mainland to move.

The Liaodong Governor, who was merely a civil official, couldn’t possibly come to his senses in this situation.

“Quickly gather the scattered troops. We must stop the Joseon invasion!”

The person who took command in place of the Liaodong Governor was Liu Jiang, the Liaodong General.

From a young age, he had followed Xu Da in military service, participated in the Jingnan campaign [a civil war], and in the original history, he would defeat the Wokou [Japanese pirates] and defend Liaodong next year.

Liu Jiang immediately realized that Liaodong had no choice but to stop Joseon on its own.

‘If we’re not careful, we could be accused of colluding with rebels, so we can’t ask the Prince of Zhao for help, and even if we did, he wouldn’t listen.’

How could the Prince of Zhao, who had to rush to Nanjing as quickly as possible, care about the disturbances in Liaodong?

Fortunately, the garrison troops in Liaodong alone numbered in the tens of thousands.

‘The Joseon army has already left Uiju, and the other gates of Liaodong are not sturdy, built only with earth and wood. It would be better to concentrate all forces at Yanshan Pass.’

In the original history, the large-scale expansion of Liaodong’s defense facilities, in conjunction with the growth of Jianzhou, would occur about 20 years from now.

The terrain of Liaodong was rugged, but there were still no proper forts or fortresses in Dongparcham, the border with Joseon.

The Liaodong Governor seemed to want to hide in Liaoyang Fortress, the seat of his government, but if they couldn’t stop the enemy at Yanshan Pass, how could Liaoyang in the rear hold out?

This was the only stronghold that could stop Joseon.

‘We’ll hold out for now! Whoever becomes the emperor, as long as the chaos in the Central Plains subsides, we can repel the enemy with a single imperial decree!’

Thus, Liu Jiang left Liaoyang and rushed to Yanshan Pass, but when he saw the Joseon army advancing majestically, his confidence waned.

Liu Jiang gritted his teeth and shouted.

“I am Liu Jiang, the Liaodong General! Why is Joseon taking advantage of the internal strife of the suzerain state to bring its troops here!”

Then, a young man who looked handsome at a glance rode out slowly in front of the lined-up army.

As he shouted while holding a strange cylinder, the sound echoed through the mountains and rivers.

“Does the General recognize my face?”

Liu Jiang knew the identity of the young man who was shouting in fluent Chinese.

“Your Majesty, the King of Joseon!”

It was a touch-and-go situation, but Liu Jiang couldn’t help but use honorifics.

The opponent was the king of a tributary state and the son-in-law of Emperor Taejo.

The Joseon army wouldn’t have moved without the King of Joseon’s orders, but he didn’t expect the king himself to get involved in this absurd confrontation.

However, it was Liu Jiang’s turn to show his mettle as a general. He questioned him point by point.

“As the son-in-law of the late Emperor, the King of Joseon should be protecting the territory of his tributary state, so why are you bringing troops to Liaodong?”

At his question, Yi Je raised his hand high.

Then, banners that had been prepared in advance began to spring up like mushrooms along the mountain ridge.

– Saving the Ming by Borrowing the Way (救明假道) [a historical reference to a strategy of conquering one state by feigning to pass through another]

At the sight of the slogan, Liu Jiang automatically groaned.

“A rebel has risen and occupied the new capital (Beijing), and Liaodong has joined them, so how can I, as a subject of the imperial court, stand idly by?

I heard the accusation of Eunuch Hwang Eom and rushed to bring troops here!”

“What are you talking about, saying that Liaodong has joined the rebellion? We are only loyal to the country!”

“Now that the traitorous subject has left Beijing and gone down to ravage His Highness the Crown Prince like a jackal, it is the perfect opportunity to subdue the rebels, yet Liaodong has not moved a single soldier. What is the reason for this? Isn’t it because the Liaodong Governor and the General have joined the rebels?”

Liu Jiang felt like he was going crazy with injustice.

The Liaodong Governor had been hesitant, suggesting that they observe the situation without making any hasty moves, but in reality, there was no time to mobilize troops.

But now, as if they had been waiting for this, they suddenly brought troops and scolded him for being in league with the Prince of Zhao.

“We also heard that a rebellion had broken out and were just gathering troops!”

Liu Jiang shouted, and Yi Je nodded as if he understood.

“Oh, is that so? You were planning to strike the Prince of Zhao soon, right?”

“That’s right!”

Liu Jiang shouted as if to let all the Liaodong soldiers hear.

The most important thing in a battle is justification.

We must convince not only the enemy but also our own troops that we are not rebels.

“If that’s the case, then we are on the same side. I am going to subdue the Prince of Zhao, upholding the righteousness of family, so open the gates and welcome our troops, and let us go together to subdue the Prince of Zhao.”

“······.”

The request was so natural that Liu Jiang momentarily thought, ‘Should we?’

“Your Majesty’s righteousness is admirable, but our Liaodong has not yet completed preparations to advance to Beijing.”

“That’s unfortunate. Then, we will advance alone, so please just lend us the way.”

Liu Jiang was fed up with Yi Je’s constant unreasonable demands and shouted.

“Even if Your Majesty is a relative of the imperial family, how can you arbitrarily allow the troops of another country to pass through? Doesn’t Your Majesty know the story of borrowing the way to destroy Guo (假途滅虢) [another historical reference, warning against allowing passage to a seemingly harmless force]?”

Then, the Grand Prince Chungnyeong, who was next to the king, stepped forward, unfolding a white fan.

“Guo and Yu were in a situation where if one fell, the other would also fall, so Gong Zhiqi opposed lending the way. Can we see the relationship between Liaodong and the Prince of Zhao in the same way?”

“That’s not what I meant!”

“Oh, Liaodong has rebelled! Liaodong is on the side of the Prince of Zhao!”

However, without listening to Liu Jiang’s excuses, Grand Prince Chungnyeong shouted to the Joseon soldiers behind him.

“The Liaodong General said that he and the Prince of Zhao are in a relationship of mutual dependence!”

“The Liaodong General, Liu Jiang, has rebelled!”

The soldiers shouted in unison, taking up Grand Prince Chungnyeong’s words.

“Y-You!”

Liu Jiang tore at his hair, annoyed by Grand Prince Chungnyeong, who was twisting his words to frame him as a rebel.

Who on earth taught him such a way of teasing people?

Liu Jiang’s adjutants, who had been stamping their feet, stopped him.

“General! Please be patient! You must be patient!”

“It’s just a shallow trick of the enemy. We must openly declare our righteousness in times like these.”

At the desperate pleas of his lieutenants, Liu Jiang calmed down and opened his mouth again.

“Listen carefully. What I meant was not······.”

However, King Yi Je and Grand Prince Yi Do smiled and covered their ears.

‘Did they cover their ears because they didn’t want to hear me?’

Liu Jiang groaned at the childish behavior that he couldn’t believe a king would do, but he soon realized the real reason.

– Boom! Boom!

At the same time as Yi Je covered his ears, the cannons that had completed their alignment fired in unison.

Thank you for the sponsorship, Bijinbu!

< Saving the Ming (3) > End

ⓒ Pitkong

There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]

There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]

내 조선에 세종은 없다
Status: Completed Author: Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] Imagine a Joseon dynasty unlike any you've read before, where the throne isn't yours by right, but by cunning and strategy. What if the most revered king in Korean history, Sejong the Great, was your younger brother? Forced to confront a destiny not of your choosing, you face a daunting question: Can you truly surrender to fate, or will you defy it to forge your own legend in a kingdom ripe with ambition and intrigue? Dive into a world where blood is thicker than water, but power is the ultimate prize. Will you yield, or will you rise?

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