There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 372

373. Coalition (2)

“How good could life be for someone who entrusts their life to another country? It’s just crawling into one’s own grave.”

“It’s not that simple. I did turn our blades towards Ming at your word, but we are not safe either.”

Although they hadn’t crossed Jiayuguan [a major pass of the Great Wall, marking the westernmost point of Ming China], the morale of the troops wasn’t too bad, as they had thoroughly plundered the Ming’s Gansu garrison.

Togon was cautious, even though it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a great victory.

Was it really worth pulling the whiskers of an angry tiger for the sake of the Uriankhai [a Mongolic group]?

However, Esen spoke loudly and confidently.

“Didn’t I tell you? I’ve formed an Anda [blood brotherhood] with the Crown Prince of Joseon.”

Esen said confidently.

From the Oirat’s perspective, why would they use the strategy of ‘Wei Wei Jiu Zhao’ (圍魏救趙, relieving the state of Wei by besieging Zhao) [a military strategy of attacking a vulnerable point to relieve pressure on a main target] for the sake of the Uriankhai?

It was all done with Joseon behind them in mind.

“Either way, if we are to establish a country in the future, we will inevitably have to break away from Ming. It’s better to start things when we have a backer.”

Togon smiled at his son, who was revealing his ambition.

“When the time comes, what need would we have for someone like Tohto Bukha? We can just bring in anyone who has the blood of the Golden Clan.

If not, we could directly ascend to the throne of the Great Khan….”

“That cannot be. No one will recognize someone who does not have the blood of the Golden Clan as the Great Khan.”

Togon said, his face hardening.

“So, I heard that the King of Joseon also has the blood of the Golden Clan through his maternal line, but he created a separate position called Taewang and ascended to it.”

It was a misunderstanding that would have made the deceased Queen Wongyeong feel wronged and die again, but once a rumor spread, it was unstoppable.

Esen, embarrassed by his father’s reaction, changed the subject.

“I was just saying that we should consider that option if there’s no other answer.”

Togon turned his head at his son’s excuse and asked.

“Now that we’ve drawn our swords, we should hurry to participate in the alliance meeting. Who should we send to the Jinzhou Alliance?”

“I will go myself. Since it’s late, someone of high status should go and congratulate them.”

They hadn’t heard the news that the alliance meeting was being held in Jinzhou because they were busy battering Jiayuguan, but they had to put their name on the list, even if it was late.

What a disaster it would be if others, not them who had been pulling strings from the start, were to take all the fruit.

He intended to go himself to flaunt his brotherhood with the Crown Prince of Joseon and to push forward with the things they had secretly discussed before.

* * *

Gien, who had effectively seized power in the shogunate in place of his young nephew, was overwhelmed with uncontrollable anger.

“Why has the Kamakura-bu [Kamakura government] not followed the Kaei (改元, changing the era name) [the practice of changing the name of an era during a Japanese emperor’s reign]?”

The Kamakura-bu was an office established by the shogunate to govern Kanto [a region of Japan, including modern-day Tokyo], and the descendants of Ashikaga Motouji, the second son of the first shogun, had consistently inherited the real power.

It was virtually another shogunate established in Kanto, and since Gien had seized power, they had been constantly holding him back.

“Giving a position to a monk who has left the world is the same as giving a position to a criminal!”

“Since Gien has not returned to secular life, shouldn’t the closest Kamakura-bu be in charge of the shogun’s guardianship?”

Decisively, when the era name was changed from Shocho (正長) to Eikyo (永享), the Kamakura-bu continued to use the Shocho era name, and Gien’s anger exploded.

If it hadn’t been for the dissuasion of many people, he probably would have resolved to conquer Kamakura.

The pressure Gien was under was that great.

“I must somehow overcome this….”

The conflict with the Kamakura-bu was as it had been in the original history, but his position was only as the shogun’s guardian.

Compared to the original history, where he had become shogun through a lottery, his position was much more unstable.

Moreover, the process by which he had acquired power was through a coup, so there was no need to say more.

For that reason, the reign of terror that he should have carried out in the original history was being carried out even more harshly.

However, no matter how fiercely Gien wielded his sword internally, he was nothing more than a room-bound Yeopo [a powerless figure] outside of Japan.

In that situation, the Ming’s signal, which seemed to recognize him as the real power holder of Japan, was more than welcome.

With the technology of this era, it was impossible to perfectly patrol the Ming’s coastline, so it was impossible to completely block contact between the two countries.

Even if they could, they wouldn’t have bothered to put that much effort into it.

Therefore, the national letter that flew in through the He Seo Ryang Han Jeong Hwa [a diplomatic channel] safely reached Kyoto.

‘Why is Ming suddenly doing this?’

No, the reason isn’t that important.

If he could resume trade with Ming, his authority would skyrocket.

It was truly a move that would secure both fame and fortune.

Asking to be appointed as the King of Japan would only have a lot of negative effects, but there was nothing to lose by at least building a friendly relationship with Ming.

Moreover, the price the other party was asking for in return was truly insignificant.

“The Great Ming wants us to crack down on the Wokou [Japanese pirates].”

Gien decided to be as gentle as possible without openly submitting to Ming.

Currently, Japan was not a country with active foreign exchanges, so it was very ignorant of foreign affairs.

Compared to Joseon, which had opened the Age of Exploration, or Ming, which was a party competing with it in various places, it was completely in the dark.

Moreover, Gien, who was focused on internal struggles, was even more so.

Therefore, the conclusion that Gien came to was also very simple.

‘It seems that many pirates have sprung up recently due to the war taking place in Kyushu [the southernmost of Japan’s main islands]. They’ll only be a hindrance if we resume trade anyway.’

He knew nothing about the great game that Joseon and Ming were playing.

Gien, who had inferred the situation based only on the situation within Japan, nodded and said.

“It’s not a difficult task. Tell the Emperor that I will follow his orders, and that this Gien wants to continue to build friendly relations in the future.”

He had given Ouchi [a powerful clan in western Japan] the cake of pacifying Kyushu, and in return, the head of the family, Ouchi Morimi, wasn’t particularly baring his teeth at him.

They were being quite cooperative, so they would obey his orders without question.

‘It’ll be enough to just tell them to be careful so that Wokou don’t occur too much.’

Gien concluded in his mind, then turned his attention back to the Kamakura-bu, which was still bothering him.

This side, which was from the same Ashikaga family as Ouchi and held Kanto, was much more troublesome.

However, danger always exists in the places that are not revealed rather than the places that are revealed.

He couldn’t imagine that Ouchi would prioritize the orders of the King of Joseon over his own.

* * *

Prince Yeong, Zhu Kwon, picked up the porcelain placed in front of him and asked.

“You’re saying my sister sent this?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“My sister is the only one who thinks of me. Tell her I’m grateful.”

His gaze was still fixed on the porcelain, not on the other person.

As can be seen from the famous Goryeo celadon, the porcelain culture that flourished greatly from the Goryeo Dynasty transitioned to Buncheong ware [a traditional Korean stoneware] in the early Joseon Dynasty.

Originally, this trend would last for about 200 years until the Imjin War broke out, but the much increased exchange with Ming compared to the original history had a great influence on the development of Joseon’s porcelain.

Cheonghwa Baekja [Korean blue and white porcelain], which should have been introduced during the reign of King Sejo, had already been introduced to Joseon and was forming its own unique style.

But that was it.

To Prince Jong of Ming, who had Jingdezhen [a town in China famous for its porcelain production], the origin of porcelain, what was so great about Joseon porcelain?

He had heard that the southern barbarians, who would be amazed even by the rough bowls in taverns, would load up on porcelain when they visited Joseon, but to Prince Yeong, who used only the finest products from Jingdezhen, there was still much lacking.

Rather, he was briefly impressed by the box containing the porcelain, which was so flawlessly beautiful that he couldn’t tell how it had been gilded, thanks to his excellent aesthetic sense.

‘But after all, when it comes to Joseon specialties… it’s this.’

Prince Yeong’s gaze turned to the Biaak [a medicinal aphrodisiac] that was among the packing materials under the porcelain.

Mysterious medicine, Biaak.

It was something that everyone sought after because of its advantage of allowing not only the elderly but also those who were still young to erect their Yang energy again and again.

It was such a famous mysterious medicine that there was even a joke that his brother, Emperor Yongle, had died from using Biaak and draining his energy, so compared to this, it was okay to break a few of the porcelain in front of him.

Perhaps it was an embarrassing item to give and receive openly, so it was sent along with the porcelain.

‘It’s been hard to get these days, so this is good.’

Needless to say, it was because of the recent conflict with Joseon.

Moreover, now they were trying to put a ridiculous rubber stamp on the children born to the imperial family, saying that they were not contributing to the national finances.

In fact, as the central government feared, the surge in the imperial family was a cause that weighed down on Ming’s tax revenue as time went on, but from Prince Yeong’s perspective, who had already lost a lot to the imperial family, it was none of his business.

“So, what does my sister want from me?”

Prince Yeong, who had put only the porcelain back in the box, excluding the Biaak, asked.

His youngest sister, with whom he had little contact when he was in Ming, couldn’t have suddenly become so affectionate now.

He called her sister just in case, but this was a bribe sent not by Joo So-hwa, but by her husband, the King of Joseon, behind her.

“There’s not much I can do. Rather, I’ve been dragged to this Nanjing and am just breathing.”

In words, they were praising him as a loyal member of the imperial family who had supported the Crown Prince even while Princes Jo and Han were rebelling, but he was not given any real power.

After the rebellion of the two princes broke out, the court took him from his palace in Nanchang and placed him in Nanjing to monitor him.

In name, it was a courtesy to a loyal subject of the imperial family, but they seemed quite afraid that a close member of the imperial family would be plotting something in a distant palace.

‘They don’t trust me at all. I would have done the same if I were them.’

Of course, the reason he didn’t start a rebellion was not because of his loyalty to his nephew.

It was because he thought there was nothing to gain by belatedly joining in when Princes Han and Jo had already become the main axis of the rebellion.

Why would he bother stirring up trouble when he would only be met with checks from the nephews who had usurped the throne, rather than having crumbs fall like when his brother had won the Jeongnan Rebellion [a historical event in Korea]?

But this family was going too far.

‘Well, considering whose grandson he is, it’s not surprising.’

The envoy did not miss the cold smile on Prince Yeong’s face.

That was enough in return.

“The dissatisfaction that the elders of the imperial family hold, just keep it well in the future.”

“Without saying it out loud?”

“That’s right.”

Prince Yeong, Zhu Kwon, nodded and said.

“It’s what I’ve been doing so far. It’s not difficult.”

Prince Yeong was once known for his schemes.

He guessed what role they expected of him without asking anything.

He had been pushed out to Nanchang, but originally his territory was Inner Mongolia.

The court was extremely wary of state affairs leaking to the members of the imperial family, but it was not difficult to guess what was happening just from the stories he heard.

Prince Yeong, who was trusted by his father, Emperor Hongwu, to the point of being entrusted with the front lines, could clearly see how the current situation was unfolding.

‘While they went to conquer the Urianghai, the Waja tribe, who should have been staying still, stabbed the Emperor in the back.’

The groups of Tartars who were constantly feuding and divided.

Even the Waja, who could not mix with the Tartars like water and oil.

All of them were moving as one force.

This meant that the strategy of using Yi Yi Je Yi (以夷制夷, using barbarians to control barbarians) [a Chinese strategy of using one group of barbarians to control others], which had traditionally been used to govern those groups, had completely collapsed.

Prince Yeong carefully examined the porcelain sent by his younger sister again.

“Half of the world that my brother promised… perhaps a way to get it back is in sight.”

Compared to the special products of Jingdezhen, it was still not satisfactory, but strangely, it looked incomparably prettier.

That was because it was porcelain worth half the world.

Prince Yeong picked it up and muttered.

“Shall I put it in a visible place?”