There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 378

“Let us spread the spirit of Ryukyu throughout the world and return!”

The people brought from Ryukyu weren’t just the Ryukyu Crown Prince.

The children of the noble families who followed him were mostly included in the expeditionary force and set out.

‘If the Ryukyu army suffers a crushing defeat, the country will be shaken.’

However, I understand why they took such a high-risk gamble.

Ryukyu isn’t a country with a strong central power like Joseon, so the Crown Prince must lead them and establish achievements through victory.

Fortunately, it seems that a sense of camaraderie has grown a lot during that time, and no initial hiccups occurred.

The Ryukyu people began to boost each other’s morale by singing triumphal songs.

Whether it was out of affection or not, the Sungkyunkwan [Royal Confucian Academy] students with their shaved heads and topknots flocked out to greet them.

“Ryukyu guys, don’t get your noses broken!”

“You know it would be a disgrace to lose while subjugating a small country like Salma, right?”

The words exchanged were strangely warm, but this must be something they can say because they have become close.

That’s what I thought.

On the other hand, this side was also indispensable when it came to forming bonds with the international students.

“Come back safe!”

Dani shouted as she hugged Onryuhwan tightly.

Onryuhwan’s face turned blue from the properly executed submission technique.

No matter how I look at it, it seems like he can’t breathe.

“I’ll take special care and send a few of my subordinates with you! They are excellent guards who have shown bravery in the Nadam [Mongolian festival], so keep them by your side at all times!”

“From, from the rear… since I’ll be commanding… I don’t think there will be any dangerous work…”

“Yes, yes! I wish I could go and help you myself, but Abamama [father] is stopping me, so I can’t!”

That’s obvious.

What’s so good about the battlefield that I would send him there? It’s not even our war.

Onryuhwan, who had been struggling in Dani’s arms, finally broke free and stretched his neck, looking around.

“Um… are there any others…”

“Huh? Who?”

If I and the Crown Prince came, that’s everyone.

You didn’t expect even my old and frail father to come out and see you off, did you?

‘How greedy.’

No matter how warmly we treated the Ryukyu Crown Prince, isn’t he asking for too much?

As I glared at him with a fearsome look, Onryuhwan flinched and quickly pulled his neck back in.

Originally, it wouldn’t make sense for the king and crown prince to come out to see him off, you know.

I’m doing this because he’s my son’s friend.

Onryuhwan still looked at us with a regretful gaze, but soon the Ryukyu students lifted him up.

“We will definitely return victorious!”

“Your Highness, let’s go!”

Onryuhwan kept looking back at us with lingering feelings until those who were leaving became dots and disappeared.

* * *

The maritime route connecting Joseon and Ryukyu is mostly used only by the regular ships of Cheonghaejin [maritime trade organization].

It is natural since they monopolize the transportation of people and sugar coming in and out of Ryukyu.

However, Cheonghaejin has reduced the number of departures due to the recent surge in threats, and the ships are traveling in groups, so the number of regular ships has greatly decreased.

Private merchants such as Song merchants quickly filled the void.

The sea route they had been longing for was wide open, but their expressions were not so bright.

“You traded like true noblemen. Not only did you seize all the national tax grains and take 5 *pun* [currency unit] as a transportation fee, but you even set up sugar farms in Ryukyu, didn’t you?”

“Even if we work hard to float ships and carry sugar like this, it’s just making money for Cheonghaejin. They don’t even give us a generous profit margin.”

From the perspective of Cheonghaejin, a public enterprise, it was just to adjust sugar prices, but the Song merchants had many complaints.

“Business was really good during the Jeonjo era.”

Strictly speaking, even in the heyday of Goryeo, merchants did not enjoy the same prosperity as they do now.

However, the past is always glorified.

They are receiving the fruits of Byeokrando’s growth, which is nearby, but they cannot be compared to the Han merchants who have bases in Cheonghaejin or the capital.

At least in the Goryeo Dynasty, there were no merchants comparable to the Gaeseong merchants, so these words came out.

‘Crazy bastard.’

‘Does he want to be dragged to the Uigeumbu [special government office for investigating crimes]?’

Of course, no one agreed with that dangerous statement.

The guy who blurted out such words thoughtlessly in broad daylight will soon feel his colleagues subtly avoiding him and regret it.

“Just sitting here complaining is the mark of an amateur. Shouldn’t we look for new business opportunities?”

In these times, it is an era where you can make a lot of money by setting foot in a foreign country that no one has ever thought of, or by obtaining a patent (mainly by cracking down on other guys who didn’t get a patent).

You can make a lot of money if you can step into uncharted territory.

The merchants gathered here were among those who felt this most keenly among the Joseon people.

“We are serving the Ryukyu Crown Prince at this time, so this is a great opportunity. If we gain trust, we can trade directly with the Ryukyu landlords instead of Cheonghaejin, can’t we?”

“That’s true… but what if the ship sinks after receiving it so suddenly?”

If a ship carrying a state guest unfortunately sinks, it could ruin the entire Song merchant community.

Those sitting around nodded in agreement and whispered.

“I saw in a magazine circulating in Byeokrando that one out of twenty ships doesn’t return.”

“Um, because of that, we had to pay a lot of money this year to pay condolence money. These days, the world is all noisy, so it’s a bigger deal.”

It is common for villagers to collect money when there is a big event such as a wedding or funeral in a house.

Those who are tightly united by a sense of camaraderie as merchants, like the Gaeseong merchants, did even more.

But even that is only once or twice. In this time when maritime cargo volume has greatly increased, it has become a strange world where it is unusual not to hear news of a ship being wrecked, so the money going out almost every day is a concern.

‘But I can’t just pretend I don’t know.’

The sea is such a dangerous place, so there is no guarantee that your own ship will not sink.

So, you have no choice but to reluctantly give condolences, but there are many annoying things, such as how much I paid and how much you only paid.

“You don’t have to worry too much about the Ryukyu Crown Prince’s escort. We will only escort him to Jeju Island, and the rest will be directly taken by the Ryukyu fleet to Japan.”

In the old days, many transport ships sank just getting from Jeolla-do to Hanyang, but now that offshore navigation has become common, domestic routes are clear even with your eyes closed.

“Let’s put that aside for this time, and it would be good to establish measures for regular sinking in the future.”

“I think it would be better to regularly invest in a rotating credit association [gye, a traditional Korean financial system].

You can think of it as money that will be spent anyway, and if you put out the money quantitatively, these and other troubles will disappear.”

“That’s a good idea, but if we create an association, not only Gaeseong but also other places will be interested.”

“Even if it’s not us, even if it’s a Han merchant, there’s no reason not to include them if they just pay the money.”

“Well, the more money that is collected, the more reliable it will be for this kind of thing.”

“Of course, the process of collecting and giving out money also takes effort, so we can’t give out all the collected association money to restore the property.”

“That’s right. The *gyeju* [rotating credit association leader] also needs to earn a salary to work wholeheartedly.”

The Gaeseong merchants, who are quick with calculations, do not trust those who work without receiving money.

A person who volunteers to take on the troublesome role of *gyeju* is either very diligent or has a plan to run away with the money.

So, it has become customary to give some compensation in proportion to the association money, but how much should be charged as compensation to the owner of a large *gye* that covers ships, cargo, and even people?

I don’t know, but you’ll probably have to hire several *sanwon* [accountants] to run it.

“Huh, when I think about it, this is not bad for business.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

The sea has no limit when it is angry, so business is good when it is good, but if a ship encounters a storm or a reef, it can lead to bankruptcy in an instant.

In these cases, there is a limit to giving condolences as a merchant’s loyalty, so let’s make it a product.

There is no reason for those who float ships not to join this *gye*.

There are those who do not join for fear of running away with the association money, but that is why if they, who are second to none in credit, take charge, wouldn’t people flock to them?

The Song merchants put their heads together and gradually developed the plan.

The maritime war with Ming is rolling and rolling, giving rise to the insurance business in Gaeseong.

If this is interpreted as the development of the Joseon financial industry, then war does not necessarily bring only bad things.

* * *

“……”

Kim Jong-seo knelt down and remained silent for a while.

Following my order, he raised his head and was making a very impressed expression.

Why are you looking at me with such affectionate eyes?

“I think I was a civil official.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Has Kim Jong-seo finally regained his lost memories?

But why is a faint resentment rising between those moist eyes?

To the benefactor who fed him, gave him shelter, and allowed him to work as a worker in the north while he was suffering from amnesia.

“The northern winds have blurred my memory a bit… but I was definitely a civil official.”

Still, I let your family visit often.

Kim Jong-seo had to work, so the family took the form of traveling north, but that’s natural.

Modern soldiers’ families also go to Yanggu, which they would never visit if it weren’t for their son’s military service.

“The nature of the Jurchens is rough and fierce, and they only follow the strong, so someone like you must hold military power to make them obey Joseon.”

“It’s not really like that these days…”

“Ahem.”

Then are they quietly eating tangerines in their rooms and reading comic books?

I silenced Kim Jong-seo and gently coaxed him.

“It couldn’t be helped because your abilities are outstanding. That’s why I called you up this time.”

Let’s put aside the fact that he was a loser who was defeated by Grand Prince Suyang in the original history for a moment.

‘Well, coups have nothing to do with military strategy.’

Just because Yi Seong-gye couldn’t stop Yi Bang-won’s coup doesn’t mean he lacked military strategy.

Of course, I, the greatest conquering monarch in Korean history, am a bit more superior.

If you want to refute, go conquer Liaodong first.

“Then this time…?”

“I have prepared a position in the Three Armies Command.”

Kim Jong-seo visibly drooped his shoulders, but I ignored it.

What good is it if you pass the civil service exam?

Your career has been built entirely in military positions.

Can someone who used to command tens of thousands of people as a general now pick up a pen and do something like Daesaseong [a high-ranking official in charge of education]?

It would be better for him to do what he used to do comfortably in the Three Armies Command.

‘Maybe he knows it too?’

So, rolling around like this is just protesting to me.

He’s obviously trying to get me to consider a promotion.

That’s not difficult.

I also accepted his intention and appointed him as *Dojinmu* [Chief Military Officer] of the Three Armies Command.

Choe Yun-deok is still active, so I can’t give him the title of *Samgunbu Jejo* [Director of the Three Armies Command], but in fact, the *Dojinmu* controls the military command, so it can be said to be a key position.

Kim Jong-seo had a satisfied face.

He must be dreaming of passing through the Minister of War based on this experience, becoming a Prime Minister, and retiring.

‘It’s still 20 years too early.’

It will be a long time before Hwang Hui and Maeng Sa-seong, the one-two punch, retire.

Until then, he won’t be able to become a Prime Minister or escape from my court.

“Then what is the most urgent matter to be dealt with?”

Kim Jong-seo must have felt the war clouds flowing in all directions.

As soon as his appointment was decided, his eyes changed.

I handed him a book.

“Read this first.”

It was the war game result report, that is, the *Imjeonrok* [Record of Facing War].