There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 316

< Renaissance (1) >

Unlike Choi Manri’s wishes, I have no intention of wasting time on trivial debates about who’s the strongest.

‘Because I’m the strongest.’

Who else but me has broken through Shanhaiguan Pass and set foot in Beijing?

Even Gwanggaeto the Great couldn’t do that.

‘It pricks my conscience to say this so openly.’

The overall command was actually taken care of by other generals, including Choi Yun-deok and Kim Jong-seo.

Even considering that… wouldn’t my objective achievements be top-tier?

‘Who’s the strongest, indeed.’

It was a completely unimportant question, but I was purely curious about my son’s evaluation, so after coming home from work, I sat Dan-i on my lap and asked.

“Who does the Crown Prince think is the most outstanding military talent in this country?”

“Hmm…”

Dan-i, who had been deep in thought, clapped his hands and shouted.

“Lord of Ansi Fortress!”

Well, let’s just take that as it is.

“Then, who’s next?”

“Cheok Jun-gyeong!”

This kid, just like his traitorous blood.

Why is he naming a traitor?

“It seems you were deeply impressed by the martial prowess you heard when the lecturers of the Office of Royal Lectures discussed history,” No-bun defended from the side, but I felt competitive.

All he did was use a sword well, right?

I used to shoot a gun pretty well back in the day.

“What about me? What’s my ranking?”

“Eomamama [father] gets demerits for leaving his wife and children and getting shot by an arrow.”

‘What are you telling the kid?’

In the end, I failed to hear ‘Dad is amazing’ from my son.

That’s why raising children is useless.

===

“Hahaha, a great success, a great success!”

Meanwhile, Shin Byeong-ga, who had been gaining explosive popularity thanks to the sensational nature of his work, was beaming.

‘I just wrote a few words for fun, but I didn’t expect it to be this popular.’

The discussion about selecting meritorious subjects for the Royal Shrine, which had heated up Joseon’s scholars for a while.

Thanks to that fervor, Shin Byeong-ga’s ‘Selection of the Top 10 Generals of Haedong’ also sold like hotcakes.

Of course, there were no copyrights in this era.

Various handwritten copies were rampant, so the money they earned was only moderate, but there was something more important than that.

“Has our Shin Byeong-ga ever been the talk of the town among scholars like this since its founding?”

“Even when discussing who to enshrine in the Royal Shrine, our Selection of Famous Generals was used as a basis, and our names were mentioned.”

“It’s as if we briefly led the public opinion.”

It was just a booklet published out of interest when the discussion about the Royal Shrine came up, but the reaction was unexpectedly quite large.

It was too intense of an experience for the idle men who were scolded at home for only doing Imjeonrok [a type of practical learning or statecraft studies].

“Shouldn’t we properly publish this?”

When Jiwon-jong opened his mouth, the eyes of the idle men widened.

“Now that the Royal Shrine has been completed, even if we publish more selections of famous generals, we can’t expect the same reaction as before. Wouldn’t it just be a waste of effort?”

“That’s not what I mean.”

Jiwon-jong shook his head and said.

“Why did people cheer for our collection of writings?”

“Well, because of the Royal Shrine discussion…”

“That’s also true, but isn’t it because there’s an element in what we discussed that attracts people’s hearts?”

Who is the most outstanding among the famous generals of this country?

This topic, regardless of the Royal Shrine discussion, had an element that ignited something in the hearts of people, especially men.

“I heard that the women’s association publishes a collection of writings called ‘Good Thoughts’ every ten days, right?”

‘Good Thoughts,’ which used to be published once a month, has increased to once every ten days as the use of Hangeul [Korean alphabet] expands and women in the capital compete to subscribe.

In addition to various sensational stories that make women’s hearts flutter – and at the same time, someone’s funds are quickly being depleted – practical knowledge of household affairs and know-how on raising children are also being shared, aren’t they?

Until now, it was considered a book only sought after by women, so they didn’t pay much attention to it, but is there any reason why men can’t write in this way?

“Let’s make it like that too!”

“Are you saying we should publish it regularly? What should we fill it with?”

“We shouldn’t just recycle what we’ve already written.”

Jiwon-jong clenched his fist and shouted.

“Let’s compare the differences between muskets and other weapons, or analyze past wars in our own way and publish articles.

We can also receive submissions from active military officers, and we can also transcribe and publish stories from military officers or soldiers who participated in this war.”

“W-won’t we be severely punished for doing something that endangers military security?”

They remembered being dragged to the Uigeumbu [Joseon Dynasty’s supreme law enforcement agency] and suffering for copying just one Imjeonrok.

They were especially in the mood to be careful during His Majesty’s reign.

Then Jiwon-jong nodded heavily and said.

“We’ll figure it out somehow, right?”

“How?”

“Somehow…”

Jiwon-jong, who was slurring his words, stopped and shouted.

“Hey, will a man be dragged away twice?”

“If we get dragged away once more, it will be the second time…”

“The important thing is that there are stories that people want to read. We’ve gained literary fame now, so should we miss this opportunity and put down our pens?”

For the unemployed men who were holed up in their rooms eating Jjajangmyeon [black bean noodles] or watching Gyeokgu [a traditional Korean ball game], the attention they received was too stimulating.

Enough to suppress even the fear of the Uigeumbu.

“Good.”

A colleague widened his eyes and said.

“Originally, creating a collection of writings is one of the tasks of a scholar! It’s okay to start preparing for the military examination in earnest from next year!”

It wasn’t okay at all, but if these unemployed men had the ability to discern that, they would have passed the military examination long ago.

“Fortunately, we saved a little money while publishing the last book. This should be enough to publish the next collection of writings.”

“I hope those damn guys don’t just copy it recklessly this time.”

“Then let’s buy a skilled painter and carve a printing block. Even if they can roughly copy the contents of the text, it will be difficult to copy the pictures.”

If they print pictures depicting maps or military equipment, handwritten copies will not be comparable to the original.

Even those who accidentally obtain handwritten copies will be in a frenzy to obtain the original.

Thus, Joseon’s first military magazine was born in the rooms where unemployed men were scratching their bellies.

===

“Why? Are you bored?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

Seeing Min In-saeng’s face rotting away makes me feel refreshed.

‘I should have done this sooner.’

In the past, someone promoted people they didn’t like to get rid of them.

I, who hold the power of personnel affairs in Joseon in one hand, haven’t thought of this idea until now.

As a meritorious subject, Min In-saeng, whose rank and position have jumped up, must now step down from practical work and retire to a managerial position.

This means that he can no longer follow me around like a mere historian and write down my every move.

‘Fortunately, there are no other crazy guys like him among the junior historians.’

In addition, I am constantly throwing work bombs at this vicious stalker to prevent him from turning his attention elsewhere.

‘I can finally protect my peaceful daily life.’

While I was enjoying a small sense of victory, Wang-ho approached with hurried steps.

He hasn’t been back from Ming for long, but he’s busy.

“Your Majesty.”

“What’s going on?”

At my question, Wang-ho took something out of his arms and handed it to me.

“Recently, this kind of book has been circulating in Hanyang [old name for Seoul].”

‘What is it?’

There was no need to ask who the author was.

The title of the book itself was Byeongshin… no, Shin Byeong-ga.

‘Are these guys at it again?’

I clicked my tongue inwardly and took the book.

– Inaugural Issue

Below the title, the table of contents was lined up.

Even that was selected with phrases that would attract people’s interest, such as ‘A Thorough Analysis of Zhuge Liang’s Northern Expeditions’ and ‘The Secrets to the Winning Streak of Imjeonrok Masters,’ and placed on the front.

They even drew a decent illustration of the Joseon army on the cover.

‘They copied Good Thoughts exactly.’

To be exact, they copied the structure of modern magazines that I copied.

It seems they properly grasped the core of attracting people’s attention.

‘There were magazines like this all over my friend’s house back in the day.’

He also had tank and airplane models on display in the display case, he had a very unique taste.

“So, what’s the problem with this?”

“They say they met soldiers who participated in this punitive war and put their stories here.”

Well… the war is over, so there’s nothing to stop.

It’s not like we have anything to hide.

“This is no different from digging up military secrets.

Shouldn’t we arrest these people, interrogate them, and confiscate all the published collections of writings?”

“Ahem.”

I stopped Wang-ho.

A private magazine is just starting to sprout, and you’re going to trample on it?

In fact, the royal family was heavily involved in the creation of Good Thoughts, so it is not a completely private magazine.

“It’s just unemployed men who failed the military examination discussing things with each other, so there’s no way there’s anything of great secrecy in it. Isn’t what’s in this book just the experiences that soldiers had in each battle?

Just be careful about active military officers leaking information, and leave the rest alone.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

Even if I say this, Wang-ho, the Uigeumbu, or the Hanseongbu [Capital Defense Command] will frequently obtain books and carefully examine whether any loose-lipped guys have leaked secrets.

‘Well, that’s what they should be doing, of course.’

Apart from that, I wasn’t very interested in the content.

Only friends who like military stuff would skim through this.

“Your Majesty, may I also take a look?”

At the request of Min In-saeng, who was next to me, I handed it over without regret, as my interest had waned.

‘Unexpectedly.’

Was Min In-saeng also interested in this?

However, it seems that Min In-saeng’s attention was focused on a different point.

“Internal Eunuch Wang, is this really popular?”

“Yes. It seems that these people were quite famous among the unemployed men preparing for the military examination, and during the last Royal Shrine discussion…”

Before Wang-ho could finish speaking, Min In-saeng jumped up.

“Your Majesty.”

“What?”

“I will resign from my position.”

“?”

I opened my eyes wide at the sudden declaration of resignation.

I had always wanted Min In-saeng to quit, but… what is he going to do?

Min In-saeng fluttered his robe and shouted.

“I think I’ve finally realized what I have to do! It seems that I learned how to type all for today!

I have always devoted myself to correcting and faithfully recording the historical records so that nothing is omitted from history, but because my talent is too outstanding, I have strayed from my original profession.

What good is it to be a Prime Minister or a Minister of the Board of Personnel under these circumstances! Please accept my resignation.”

It was difficult to understand because of the nonsense mixed in the middle, but to summarize, it seems that he is saying that he will also print magazines like this.

“…Do you have money?”

“I don’t have much, but I have wealth that I received when I was appointed as a meritorious subject, so I can use that. Don’t worry, Your Majesty.”

No, I’m not really worried about your wallet.

‘Should I create a pre-emptive media censorship department?’

If this guy goes out and starts printing newspapers or magazines, I don’t know how big the impact will be.

Maybe half of it will be tabloids.

Perhaps the first order to close down will occur.

I might have to pour cold water on the publishing culture that has just begun to sprout.

‘Could it be that he’s deliberately doing this to put the stigma of a monarch who suppressed the press on me?’

I know that the crazy guy Min In-saeng doesn’t have such deep thoughts, but I even have such doubts.

‘Wait, but wouldn’t it be beneficial because I can send Min In-saeng out?’

However, the thought of being able to make Min In-saeng disappear from the court forever was an irresistible temptation.

I can’t just kick him out because he’s a meritorious subject.

I smiled warmly and encouraged Min In-saeng.

“Work hard.”

“Thank you for allowing me to resign, Your Majesty! Then I’ll be on my way!”

Min In-saeng is about to jump out as soon as he finishes bowing.

‘Crazy bastard.’

I shook my head.

If I leave him alone, I don’t know what kind of accident he’ll cause.

I should tell Wang-ho to keep an eye on him.

< Renaissance (1) > End

ⓒ Pitkong