There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 366

367. A King Must Be Kingly (1)

The Emperor was advancing relentlessly towards Daining, which had become the new stronghold of the Taining Guard.

Spearheading this advance were 20,000 carefully selected infantry and cavalry.

If that were all, it might have been manageable, but with the Emperor himself leading the campaign, the pressure they were under was unimaginable.

“Should we… abandon Daining?”

Toguchi, the commander of the Taining Guard, hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

Until now, the Taining Guard had never directly confronted the Ming army.

The difference in military strength was significant, and siege warfare was not their forte.

Why were the Central Plains dynasties unable to subdue the nomadic peoples?

Because when faced with a formidable enemy, they could simply pack up their gers [yurts, traditional nomadic tents] and flee, avoiding battle.

If they were unlucky, the expeditionary force could be lured deep into the territory and suffer a complete defeat.

But the situation was different now.

Over time, Daining had prospered with bustling markets and a growing population, becoming the core stronghold that sustained the Taining Guard.

There were plenty within the Taining Guard who valued this greatly.

“Absolutely not! How can we hand over Daining to the Ming after all we’ve done to obtain it?”

Zhu Chi, Toguchi’s younger brother, was a prime example.

“If we abandon Daining, we will never escape the fate of being mere shepherds, tending to livestock forever.”

By seizing Daining, they had regained the initiative within the Uriangkhai [a Mongolic people], which they had lost to the Taan Guard, and had also been able to increase their power.

If they abandoned all the various artisans within Daining Fortress, the merchants who frequented the markets and filled their coffers, the Han Chinese slaves who handled odd jobs, and the vast amount of supplies, what would be left of the Taining Guard?

“If we fight in Daining, we must risk the fate of our clan, but do we have a chance of winning?”

“Yes, we do.”

Zhu Chi said firmly.

Although the nomadic peoples were not accustomed to siege warfare, the Taining Guard had sufficiently equipped themselves with firepower through trade with Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom].

The Ming army of about 20,000 seemed like a manageable opponent for a pitched battle.

“Even if we fail to win and are besieged, there are many forces inside and outside who will help us if we hold out to the end.”

Zhu Chi had the Taan Guard and Bokyeo Guard in mind, but most people took it as an allusion to Joseon.

Since Zhu Chi, the foremost expert on Joseon within the Taining Guard, said so, everyone felt emboldened.

“He speaks the truth!”

“The Emperor is sending troops to strike us, the meritorious subjects of the punitive expedition! Joseon will not stand idly by!”

They gnashed their teeth in betrayal.

They had completely erased from their minds the memories of invading and plundering the collapsing northern defenses of the Ming Dynasty.

However, Toguchi remained cautious.

“But the enemy is not just the vanguard. The Emperor himself has drawn his sword, so shouldn’t we expect to face several times that number?”

“The Emperor has personally led the campaign because he is young and newly ascended to the throne and needs to demonstrate his authority.

He will surely remain in Beijing. If we can break the vanguard of the enemy coming here, he will accept our submission and withdraw to save face.”

Zhu Chi’s assessment was half right.

Soon, cannons from both the defending and attacking forces spewed thick smoke near Daining, and cavalry clashed on the plains.

“At this rate, we might actually win!”

“What did I tell you!”

Indeed, the well-equipped Taining Guard did not easily yield.

As was typical of nomadic peoples, the warriors of the Taining Guard had seen much hardship and possessed superior individual combat skills from the start.

What they lacked compared to the Ming army was organization, firepower, and numbers, but the Taining Guard, centered around Daining, gradually gained the upper hand.

For just a few days.

“What is that dust cloud over there? What force is approaching?”

“If it’s from the west… reinforcements for the enemy?”

“The imperial standard, it’s the imperial standard!”

“Unbelievable! The Emperor himself has come to the battlefield?”

Easily defying everyone’s expectations, the Xuande Emperor had arrived directly at Daining.

“The barbarians have dared to betray the Emperor’s grace and invade the Great Wall! Annihilate them all!”

In the original history, he had decisively suppressed the rebellion of Zhu Gaoxu, Prince of Han, following the advice of Grand Secretary Yang Rong.

While the Taining Guard, who had optimistically expected only a formal campaign, were engaged in a back-and-forth battle with the vanguard, confusion spread like wildfire as reinforcements began to join the imperial standard.

“There’s no need to panic! The Emperor has come to his own death! If we can counterattack and capture him…!”

However, the Xuande Emperor was not as reckless as his son, the Zhengtong Emperor, in the original history.

Those who assisted him were also not like the eunuch Wang Zhen.

“There are fierce generals like tigers around the Emperor. Even if we try to squeeze through that gap, we will only face a dog’s death.”

They could not risk everyone’s lives on a slim chance of reversal.

Toguchi, having made a more rational judgment, sighed deeply and ordered.

“The glory of the Taining Guard ends here! Abandon Daining and flee now.”

“Where should we go to avoid the disaster?”

“It would be best to head west. Even if we only go as far as the Kuli’er River in the Hinggan Mountains, the enemy will not be able to pursue us easily.”

“No, even if we go there, there is no guarantee that we can evade the enemy’s pursuit, and we risk being isolated on the plateau.”

Zhu Chi strongly opposed the idea of going west.

“Join the Bokyeo Guard. It is close to Joseon, so we will surely be able to establish a base for recovery.”

Zhu Chi, who had consistently advocated for cooperation with Joseon, could not tolerate a situation where they were isolated in a corner of the Mongolian Plateau and their connection with them was severed.

This was especially true since he had already suffered a political blow by pushing for a direct confrontation with the Ming army.

It sounded plausible to Toguchi as well.

‘The only place we can rely on is that side…’

The Bokyeo Guard was stationed to the east, north of the Songhua River.

Unlike the Taan Guard, whose attitude was ambiguous, the Bokyeo Guard had consistently worked with the Taining Guard, so if they joined forces and formed a common front, it would be a worthwhile fight.

Above all, the Bokyeo Guard bordered Joseon along the Songhua River, so they could flee into Joseon territory if necessary.

Surely Joseon would not refuse to accept them.

* * *

“The Taining Guard was defeated and fled to join the Bokyeo Guard?”

I shouted, tearing at my hair.

Why are these guys suddenly running this way?

There are plenty of deserted towns without people.

Since they are wandering nomads anyway, they can set up tents in any empty land.

‘Should I praise them for having the sense to join the Bokyeo Guard instead of Joseon?’

If the Taining Guard had surrendered to us, it would have been a situation where we could neither accept nor reject them.

The Ming Dynasty would surely have tried to interrogate us.

‘This tastes bitter.’

The presence of the Uriangkhai forces in the western part of Liaoning had the effect of diverting the Ming Dynasty’s attention.

Having retaken Daining and inflicted a major blow on the Taining Guard, the Xuande Emperor’s ‘Uriangkhai Expedition’ was successfully concluded.

The remaining forces of the Taining Guard had moved to the Songhua River, but to launch an expedition to this place, the Ming army’s supply lines would be endlessly long, and it would be difficult to project their power.

But the Xuande Emperor was a much bolder man than I had expected.

“They want to eradicate the roots of the Uriangkhai, so they want us to open the way?”

I was speechless at the news from Jinzhou.

‘Is he crazy?’

Liaodong and Liaoxi are nominally Ming territory, but they have long been my land.

In fact, from the Emperor’s point of view, it was no different from entering foreign territory.

If the Emperor came alone, I would consider the option of detaining him, but he is leading an expeditionary force.

The moment the Xuande Emperor enters Liaodong to strike the Uriangkhai, he will take over Liaodong completely.

The justification is good too.

Liaodong is originally Ming territory, and there is justification for striking the Uriangkhai, so he will use military administration to take away all the privileges of the Prince of Shen’s court.

“The Emperor is oppressing a small state beyond measure.”

Such words suddenly came from Hwang Hee’s mouth.

“What did Joseon do wrong to deserve this?”

“If His Majesty had not defeated the rebels and protected the late Emperor, could the current Emperor have ascended to the throne?”

“Does the court of the suzerain state not even uphold the four characters of ‘ruler, ruler, minister, minister’?”

It seemed that fatigue with the Xuande Emperor had been building up among the officials for the past few years.

Until now, they had no objection to the proposition that ‘the King of Joseon is loyal to the Emperor of Ming.’

There were also none who wanted Joseon to return the hegemony it held and return to being a mere vassal state of Ming.

However, in the process of Ming trying to return Joseon to such a position, the officials had to choose only one side.

And in this situation, there are no hardcore pro-Ming sycophants in our court.

There should have been…….

“Your Majesty, Liaodong and Liaoxi are originally the Emperor’s territory. How can we, as ministers, stand in the way of the Emperor moving his troops in person?”

‘Oh.’

“Minister of Rites!”

This was even said by Heo Jo, the Minister of Rites, who was close to me.

Did this man eat something wrong?

I narrowed my eyes and asked.

“So you’re saying we should just open the gates?”

“As long as Liaodong is Ming territory, and as long as Your Majesty is a subject of the Emperor, we cannot refuse.”

Heo Jo continued.

“And as long as the Emperor considers Joseon a subject, he will never be grateful for anything Joseon gives.”

Everything a subject has belongs to the Emperor.

The Emperor graciously ‘allows’ his subjects to have things, but when that permission is withdrawn, the subject must offer it back without saying a word.

In reality, things are different, and diplomacy does not work that way, but as long as the relationship between Joseon and Ming is established on the basis of the righteousness of ruler and subject, the positions of the two countries cannot be equal.

Forever.

“But there is one way.”

Heo Jo said, looking around at the officials.

“Our Taejo [founder of Joseon dynasty] received the mandate of heaven and founded the country for four generations.

In Your Majesty’s reign, the country is prosperous, and auspicious signs have appeared one after another, such as a divine horse that heals diseases appearing and bowing its head, and the heavens sending down a precious incense burner to bless us.”

Where is that dreamland, that mysterious world?

While I was thinking about this, Heo Jo stepped forward and said.

“Your Majesty has already compiled the history of Haedong (East Sea) and established the ancestral shrine to reveal that it is different from the lineage of the Central Plains.

But how can it be said that there is a mandate of heaven only in the Central Plains and not in the East?

Moreover, upon examining the past, even the barbarians (四夷) [a derogatory term for non-Chinese peoples] could claim the title of Emperor if they had the fortune, so why should the King of the East be an exception?”

While I and the officials were speechless, Heo Jo said with a firm expression.

“Declare yourself Emperor, Your Majesty. We must liquidate our subservient relationship with Ming.”

* * *

I didn’t immediately abandon our subservient relationship and declare myself Emperor because I thought it was right.

‘Because I can’t figure out exactly what the Emperor wants.’

Whether he really intends to reclaim Liaodong, or whether he has other intentions.

There is no need for us to rush into action without knowing the Emperor’s true intentions.

“The words of the Minister of Rites cannot be easily discussed. I will not accept it at this time.”

Of course, I did not throw Heo Jo into the Uigeumbu (the supreme law enforcement agency) and interrogate him.

I’m fine with it, but it’s strange that the officials don’t make such a request.

Whether their claims are so shocking that they are stunned, or whether they are really secretly agreeing.

“I will have to go to Jinzhou myself.”

If the other party is the Emperor, I will have to move myself.

I started to mobilize troops.

It’s not to fight the Emperor.

This is a kind of… show of force.

Nominally, I am moving to personally submit a ‘memorial from a loyal subject requesting the withdrawal of the imperial order.’

It’s just that about tens of thousands of people are going to appeal together.

“The Crown Prince will remain and take over the regency.”

I said to Dan.

This time… Lee Bang-won’s (de facto) regency will not be necessary.

Dan is old enough to be able to tell right from wrong.

“Now that we can transmit most of the important things through jeonsin (telecommunication) [a fictional communication device], wouldn’t it be better to take care of state affairs directly?”

Joo So-hwa looked somehow uneasy.

“It’s okay. We need to give Dan some power too.”

Then, Joo So-hwa, who was staring at me, asked.

“You’re not going to war this time, are you?”

“Of course not. Rather, I’m going to prevent a war.”

Would I say that I’m going to wipe out my in-laws?

Then Joo So-hwa nestled into my chest and said.

“Then I’ll come with you too.”

What?