There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 335

336. The Light of Civilization (2)

“The Ministry of Rites holds such a weighty position, so why were *they* recommending *him* as the imperial envoy?”

Initially, Emperor Hongxi was not pleased with Yi Inseon.

However, Yang Sa-gi stepped forward to persuade Emperor Hongxi, arguing that sending a high-ranking official like the Minister would better reflect Princess Bokyeong’s honor, and he finally agreed.

“Minister Yang, our ancestors overcame hardships in the past because they had ministers like you.

Please take care of yourself and return safely.”

“Your Majesty has provided a large escort, so there should be no issues. I will thoroughly examine Joseon’s strengths and weaknesses for the Crown Prince and return, so please wait for me.”

Yang Sa-gi bowed deeply in response to the Crown Prince’s request.

The Crown Prince is a wise man.

The current Emperor is the same, but the Crown Prince possessed the demeanor of Emperor Yongle, which the Emperor did not have.

He is not as cruel as Emperor Yongle, but he is calm and resolute.

Perhaps the emperor who will make the Ming Dynasty great again is this man.

Yang Sa-gi was ready to do anything to assist the Crown Prince’s reign.

* * *

Yang Sa-gi, having solidified his resolve, traveled along the Grand Canal to Beijing, and from there, crossed over to Liaoxi by land. However, upon reaching Jinzhou, he was at a loss for words.

During the Jo Wang Rebellion [a historical uprising], the fortresses of Liaoxi were completely destroyed.

The Joseon army obliterated the fortresses entirely under the guise of eliminating the rebel bases, and the collapsed Liaoxi defense line was entirely the Ming’s responsibility.

Fortunately, although the fortresses were destroyed, there were still some materials left on the site, and they were gradually rebuilding the fortresses based on them, but it was by no means an easy task.

It was one of the factors that continued to strain the Ming Dynasty’s finances.

Yang Sa-gi had vaguely assumed that Joseon was in a similar situation.

‘What could he do? Since they destroyed the fortresses with their own hands, it was right for them to rebuild them on their own,’ he mused.

However, Yang Sa-gi’s expectations were shattered upon reaching Jinzhou.

“What.”

The whitewashed walls stood tall.

It was a stark contrast to the original Jinzhou Fortress, which had a circumference of only 5 *li* [approximately 2.5 kilometers] and a height of only 2 *jang* [approximately 6.06 meters] before the renovations during the Hongzhi Emperor’s reign.

The walls were so high that he had to crane his neck to see the top.

The fortress was much larger and the gates were wider, as if many people were coming and going.

‘Even if Joseon has become quite wealthy, it cannot compare to the Great Ming.’

Joseon would have tried to rebuild Jinzhou, its foremost frontier, first, but how could they have rebuilt such a great fortress in such a short time?

“Why haven’t I heard about this situation when I was in Nanjing?”

The information Yang Sa-gi received was that Joseon was also building fortresses in the border areas.

The envoys from Nanjing often used sea routes, so they were not interested in this at all.

“Is there anyone who knows the situation?”

Since Jinzhou was originally Ming territory, there were quite a few people the Ming envoys could contact.

Most of the high-ranking officials had been replaced and returned to Ming, but those with lower ranks who had lived in this land for generations and served in official positions were still employed by the Prince of Shen’s administration.

However, few were deeply involved in the construction, and since the officials did not directly carry soil and stones to build the fortress, there was a limit to what they could tell.

“They say that Joseon has a soil called ‘Gongiltu,’ which becomes very strong when mixed with water and left to harden, so they used that to build it.”

“Soil brought from Joseon?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Yang Sa-gi frowned at the words.

“That’s nonsense. I’ve never heard of soil that only exists in Joseon being able to build such a fortress. How can we know if what the Joseon people are saying is true or not?”

However, the officials of Liaoxi looked at each other for a moment and replied with difficulty.

“The technicians from the home country said so, so we only know it as such.”

‘Home country?’

Yang Sa-gi was annoyed by the term, but he could not strictly question them because an atmosphere of discomfort towards the envoys was slowly rising among the Liaoxi officials.

If he touched them carelessly, it could escalate into a diplomatic issue with the Prince of Shen and Joseon behind him.

“I can’t be the first of our people to see such a fortress. But why haven’t I heard anything about it until now? Has no one tried to obtain Joseon soil?”

Yang Sa-gi expressed his frustration.

Then, those who had accompanied the envoys several times replied evasively.

“Now that I hear about it, it is indeed a strange soil, but we cannot pay attention to such things one by one. Even if Joseon’s products are prosperous, how can they compare to the Central Plains? Moreover, it is not a precious item, and who would try to obtain soil from the frontier?”

“Building the ramparts in an instant is a strange thing, but it cannot be compared to a fortress that has been carefully built with the labor of the people. It is obvious that a stone fortress is better than an earthen fortress, isn’t it?”

Yang Sa-gi gritted his teeth at the foolish words of the foolish men.

If it is soil that can raise solid walls in such a short time, they should inquire about the manufacturing method or usage.

But they all firmly believed that it was ‘unnecessary.’

The Central Plains is the center of civilization.

Culture is created in this land and spread to the barbarians in all directions, but the opposite can never happen.

So, if there is something that exists in the barbarian lands but not in the Central Plains, it is only because the Central Plains does not need it.

Gongiltu is also the same.

Joseon is a small country with few people, so they may have to dig up strange soil to build fortresses, but the Great Ming is different.

With the Emperor’s decree, millions of people can be mobilized to build dozens of fortresses, and they are actually doing so, so what need is there for Gongiltu?

‘Except for Biaek [processed Goryeo ginseng].’

Goryeo ginseng has been a well-known elixir since ancient times, and Biaek is a product made by processing ginseng, so the story is a little different.

That is because of the difference in the earth’s veins, so it cannot be helped. It is the same principle that there is a lot of Sichuan pepper in the Tartar lands and sulfur in Japan.

It is enough to accompany the envoys and leave some private gains.

‘These guys…….’

Yang Sa-gi did not know if he had only picked out incompetent guys, or if all the guys who had been going to Joseon were blind men like this.

However, soon, even deeper wrinkles appeared on Yang Sa-gi’s forehead.

‘I’m not in a position to talk about others.’

Forgotten memories began to resurface in Yang Sa-gi’s mind.

This was not his first time going to Joseon. When Princess Bokyeong got married, he had visited Joseon with Hwang Eom as part of her entourage.

The Hanyang Fortress he saw at that time was also built high with a whitewashed appearance like the current Jinzhou Fortress.

He was amazed by it and quite surprised by the prosperity of Hanyang.

But after returning from Joseon, Yang Sa-gi also completely forgot about it.

The reason was simple.

Because he thought it was incomparable to the prosperity of the Central Plains.

He was careless.

He had been careless.

He had prematurely assumed that there was nothing to learn from the barbarians.

It was only after the crisis struck the Great Ming that he realized it.

Yang Sa-gi could not calm down.

* * *

The envoys’ journey continued to Shenyang.

Although Joseon Prince of Shen, Yi Je, is in Hanyang, they could not avoid visiting the Prince of Shen’s residence since they had come all the way to Shenyang.

To welcome the guests of the ownerless Prince of Shen’s residence, Grand Prince Gyeongnyeong, who was in Musun, hurriedly returned to Shenyang by imperial order.

‘Why are they suddenly saying they’re coming by land when they’ve been coming by ship all this time?’

Grand Prince Gyeongnyeong, whose language had become rough from being stuck in the mines, cursed inwardly.

He wanted to tell the Jinzhou Commander to block the road, but if he did, His Majesty would probably make it so that he couldn’t even find his body.

However, on the outside, Grand Prince Gyeongnyeong greeted the envoys with the utmost courtesy befitting a Joseon royal.

“You must have suffered a lot on the way, Minister.”

“It is nothing. The guesthouses from Liaoxi to here are well-maintained, and the hospitality is abundant, so I came comfortably.”

This was not an empty compliment.

Clearly, both the mainland and this region of Liaodong had suffered the scars of the civil war, but even considering that they were hosting the envoys, there was no sign of poverty at all.

Even the beggars were rarely seen, so it was a question of where the money was coming from in this land where farming was not even good.

“In Liaodong, as long as you have enough travel expenses, even a commoner can rent horses or carriages at each post station. Many places also offer lodging and food at low prices, so it has naturally become easier to travel.”

Grand Prince Gyeongnyeong said proudly.

“That seems to be the case. Above all, it was unusual that banknotes were used more actively than silver.”

Some of the guys in the envoys’ group tried to scam people by presenting Da Ming Baochao [Ming Dynasty paper currency], thinking they could take advantage of the active banknote transactions, but they ended up getting scammed themselves, but that was their own fault.

The dignity of the envoy was not activated to take care of such fools, so Yang Sa-gi remained silent.

“When we first issued banknotes, there were only four types, but now the demand has increased further, so we are issuing them with subdivided denominations. Since the value is always guaranteed and various measures are taken to prevent counterfeiting, people naturally have no choice but to seek out banknotes.”

Counterfeiting banknotes means forging the emperor’s seal on them, which is punishable by treason.

But there are always those who are daring.

This alone is not enough to completely suppress counterfeiting crimes.

So, Joseon engraves detailed pictures and anti-counterfeiting codes on banknotes, and even if you bring someone who is good at drawing to copy this, it is not profitable at all.

As a result, even Chinese people use Joseon banknotes when trading among themselves.

Grand Prince Gyeongnyeong changed the subject and asked this time.

“I heard that you came to offer condolences for the late Grand Merchant King. The sea route would have been much more convenient and faster, so why did you come this way?”

“The Emperor issued a decree to carefully examine the situation of the border areas on the way to a foreign country, so I only followed that order.”

“Haha, I see. As you said, I asked because I heard that you were carefully examining the administration of Liaodong.

But now that I know the situation clearly, if there is anyone who misunderstands that the envoy is spying and slandering without knowing the Emperor’s good intentions, I will step forward and punish them.”

Yang Sa-gi smiled quietly at Grand Prince Gyeongnyeong’s pointed words.

“Liaodong is the Prince of Shen’s fiefdom, but before that, it is the Emperor’s land. Who would misunderstand that examining the situation of one’s own country is spying?

Fortunately, General Jin Guk (鎭國將軍) [a military title] is acting on behalf of the Prince of Shen, so it is truly reassuring. I will tell the Emperor as well.”

Grand Prince Gyeongnyeong’s body stiffened as he was stabbed with his own sword.

“I am not acting on behalf of our Prince…….”

“I know. You must have said that after considering the Prince of Shen’s intentions.”

Yang Sa-gi silenced Grand Prince Gyeongnyeong with his eloquent tongue, but his heart was not at ease.

‘It’s as if the Joseon people are running rampant as if it’s their own land.’

It was obvious that Liaodong was gradually becoming one with Joseon.

Even here in Shenyang, Joseon people, Liaodong people of Goryeo descent, and Jurchens were mixed together and running wild.

As he envisioned, he would have to cut off all the Prince of Shen’s fiefdoms and privileges and leave him with only a nominal royal title, but in this situation, would the people of Liaodong even accept it?

‘This cannot continue.’

As he went down to Joseon, Yang Sa-gi’s conviction became stronger.

“Welcome, Imperial Envoy. You’re quite late.”

“……I am sorry.”

“Oh, we informed Ming as soon as we had the state funeral. Isn’t that right, Minister of Rites?”

“Your Majesty is right.”

“How can you be later than the Ryukyu envoys? This is such a rudeness, I could bite my tongue.”

Especially when he saw Joseon Prince of Shen, Yi Je, grumbling, ‘Why aren’t you hurrying up?’, he felt even more so.