There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 380

381. On the Brink (1)

Kim Jongseo and I meticulously selected the Jurchen soldiers to be dispatched to support the Taining Guard.

They couldn’t be completely incompetent, nor could they be the type to become overly ambitious, using this war as an opportunity to seize power.

The Jurchen chieftains were like feudal lords, each controlling their own semi-independent territories in Manchuria.

I absolutely couldn’t allow a situation where another power like the Qing Dynasty could rise from their ranks.

“It would have been easier if Iribuka were still alive.”

I couldn’t help but say that.

Iribuka had been dead for a long time, and although his children lived, they couldn’t completely fill his void. They lacked his charisma.

“What about Beomchal, the younger brother of Maenggacheopmoka, the Manho [chieftain] of Odori?”

Kim Jongseo mentioned Pancha, the younger brother of Meonteomu, and I scratched my cheek, considering him.

“If you’re looking for someone with military talent, then Yimanju of Pajeogang is worth considering.”

“Yimanju, you say.”

The grandson of Ahachoo, who served under our old commander, and related to the Yeongnak Emperor’s wife’s family.

He had served in Joseon for a long time and had considerable achievements, so I had been keeping an eye on him.

‘The problem is his great ambition for power.’

Just look at how Dan insisted on pushing a woman from her clan into the palace as a concubine.

However, her eagerness to get close to our royal family didn’t seem inherently bad.

If it wasn’t a traitor’s sinister ambition but just a healthy desire for success, there would be no reason not to fulfill it.

“He seems like a useful person, but wouldn’t it be better to assign someone else to keep him in check, just in case?”

There’s no rule that says you have to entrust the entire army to one person.

Why would I trust Yimanju enough to give him absolute authority?

“Then, Your Majesty, do you remember Maenggacheopmoka sending his son to the capital?”

“There are so many Jurchens in the capital that I don’t know them all.”

Back when I sent Meonteomu to Japan, his young son was allowed to act as Manho in his place.

Of course, it was just in name, and Kim Jongseo here was the real power as an inspector.

Thanks to the connection we made back then, he was currently well-informed about Odori’s situation.

“The eldest son is called Talla (脫羅, Tollo) and remains in his hometown, while the second son, Chungshan (充善), is here.

He came to greet me at my house a while ago, and he had grown up quite robustly.”

‘Is this guy taking a bribe and recommending him?’

It’s not unusual for those hungry for military achievements to try to curry favor with high-ranking military officials.

Kim Jongseo answered awkwardly, as if he had read my thoughts.

“It’s not necessarily that, but his colleagues’ reputations and grades are also very good…….”

Since Kim Jongseo is saying this much, I can’t ignore him.

Even if a major disaster occurs, we can always withdraw the troops and use them elsewhere if necessary.

Thus, I appointed Yimanju as Sunbyeonsa (巡邊使, Border Defense Commander) and sent him to support the Taining Guard, with Chungshan to assist him.

Apparently, Yimanju, upon receiving the position of Sunbyeonsa, was so excited that he urged his own tribe to mobilize a large number of troops.

On the other hand, Chungshan was quite calm.

“Are you Chungshan, the son of Maenggacheopmoka?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“It’s commendable that you’re bravely serving in the military.”

“I am honored, Your Majesty.”

He was chosen as Yimanju’s counterpart to firmly establish our power in Jurchen, so I wanted to assess his abilities.

I asked the two of them.

“If the Ming army directly intervenes to help the rebels, what will you do?”

“I will not be afraid in the slightest and will crush them greatly!”

Yimanju answered loudly.

Unlike him, who exaggeratedly displayed his courage and loyalty, Chungshan answered calmly.

“I will not confront them head-on. I will focus on gathering our exhausted troops and preserving our strength.”

Yimanju rolled his eyes and glanced at Chungshan.

He seemed concerned about the different answer he had given.

I poured him an eosa-ju (御賜酒, liquor bestowed by the king) and encouraged him.

“Yes. Our goal is to keep the Ming army tied down in that grassland.”

Just like the Taining Guard, confronting Ming head-on would not only be unlikely to succeed but also unprofitable.

It would be better to continue using hit-and-run tactics and wear down the enemy.

‘He’s more quick-witted than I thought.’

Yimanju gave a courageous answer to get into my good graces, while Chungshan still spoke honestly.

If he’s like this, I’m willing to nurture him.

His father is old, and now these two will become the leading figures of the Jurchen people.

I have to properly use these two to keep Jurchen tied to Joseon.

It would be great if both of them could build their careers successfully and lead the pro-Joseon faction in Jurchen.

After the Jurchens left the capital to carry out the war, Wang Ho rushed in this time.

“Your Majesty, there’s an urgent report from Byeokrando.”

“What’s going on?”

“The telegraph office in Byeokrando reports that a rebellion has broken out in Japan.”

Finally, a civil war broke out in Japan.

* * *

Ashikaga Mochiuji, the Kubo (公方, Shogun’s deputy) of Kamakura, widened his eyes and asked.

“Gien forged the will and enthroned the current Shogun? Is there no falsehood in that statement?”

“I can swear on my life!”

His opponent, Hosokawa Mochiyuki (細川持之), bowed his head and cried out desperately, but there was still no concrete evidence.

However, Ashikaga Mochiuji didn’t bother to question it further.

Even a small spark was enough to ignite the friction that had been brewing between the shogunate and him.

“Gien dares to deceive the world and steal the rightful Daeui (大位, great position)! I can’t stand idly by! You wouldn’t object to this justification, would you?”

Mochiyuki breathed a sigh of relief.

Depending on Joseon was the right answer.

In the end, he couldn’t get their army, but he was able to join forces with the Kamakura, who could be said to be Gien’s enemy, through Ouchi, wasn’t he?

If he plays his cards right, he will be the first-class contributor to restoring the Jongsa (宗社, ancestral shrine), and if he doesn’t, he can at least get his hands full of blood from Gien.

While Mochiuji was urging his retainers around him, Hosokawa Mochiyuki asked slyly.

“Isn’t the rightful Shogun being held by Gien? Shouldn’t we secure his safety first?”

“Hmm…….”

Ashikaga Mochiuji, who had been spewing out fierce anger at the traitor Gien until just now, stroked his chin and trailed off.

“I am also a member of the Shogun’s family. How could I not worry? But even Gien would not be able to harm the descendants left by Daeoso (大御所, former Shogun) at will.”

It was a meaningful statement.

While emphasizing that he was a member of the Ashikaga family, he was making a reckless statement that completely entrusted the other party’s safety to the traitor.

His intention was obvious.

If all the direct descendants of Ashikaga were killed by Gien, wouldn’t the turn naturally come to him, a collateral line?

Gaining the justification for punishing a parricide who killed his nephew and grandson is a bonus.

Ashikaga Mochiuji, who had already made up his mind, turned the topic to another direction instead of continuing to dwell on a difficult subject.

“How did Ouchi decide to move?”

“He is in charge of the Kyushu expedition by the order of the country, so he says he has no choice but to focus on the south first, so he is sorry.”

“Hmph, that means they want us to be the arrow shield.”

It doesn’t matter.

After all, once I have Gien’s hands stained with the blood of the direct line of the shogunate, they will have no choice but to uphold me as Shogun.

“I will punish the traitor Gien and correct the orthodoxy! Send proclamations to all the righteous people (義士) in the world and have them join the great cause!”

Along with Ashikaga Mochiuji’s cry, the Eikyo Rebellion (永享の乱), which was initiated by the Kamakura in opposition to the shogunate, revealed its appearance in history earlier than originally.

The chaotic world where fighting never ceases began to ignite even in the east.

* * *

At first, I was worried that Ouchi might have been targeted by the shogunate and suffered a setback, but fortunately, that was not the case.

Ouchi followed my advice and slyly passed the responsibility to the Ashikaga clan.

As a result, both sides were fiercely opposed to each other, accusing each other of being traitors.

While the armies of both sides gathered in Kamakura and faced off tensely, the shogunate issued a nationwide subjugation order and pressured the court to declare the Kamakura side as an enemy of the court (朝敵).

On the other hand, the Kamakura side scattered proclamations denouncing Gien as a traitor and gathered support.

“I hope they’ll stay in that state of confrontation until the war with Ming ends.”

If the shogunate suppresses the civil war, they might turn their attention to Ouchi, so I hope they drag it out as much as possible.

‘Or the rebels might seize power altogether.’

I made this judgment according to national interest, but surprisingly, domestic public opinion was similar.

Originally, Joseon, or rather most countries in this era, are largely ignorant of foreign affairs.

Although the press has emerged in Joseon, even local news is scarce without information collected by the court, let alone foreign countries across the sea.

Therefore, foreign news is not published much in newspapers, and even then, most of it is focused on news from Ming, which has a close relationship.

However, once the war clouds began to gather, the demand for foreign affairs exploded.

Most of it is occupied by slandering Ming, where all kinds of rumors, whether true or not, are circulating, but the evaluation of the Japanese shogunate was not very good either.

First of all, the fact that a monk is holding the reins of the country is offensive.

The Sadaebu (士大夫, scholar-officials) poured out scathing criticisms based on the principle of strict separation of church and state.

‘The Buddhist community will be upset.’

Even in modern South Korea, there was someone who ran for president with the support of the Buddhist community.

Among the voices that criticize the shogunate by raising their voices more than necessary, I thought that there might be subtle criticisms of me mixed in.

Originally, you can’t criticize your own country’s politics openly, but you can comfortably criticize foreign politics.

‘Strangely, there’s a rumor that I favor Buddhism.’

As someone who was labeled a pro-Buddhist monarch simply because I told people not to throw excrement at temples and beat monks, I felt extremely misunderstood, but anyway, public opinion about the shogunate and Gien was very negative.

Because it was reported in a tone that compared them to Gungye or Shindon and suggested that the whole country was in chaos, the people who read it thought so too.

Even the rebellion in Kamakura was portrayed as ‘a loyal member of the royal family could not stand by and watch the tyranny of the evil monk and rose up.’

It was absurd, but this overall increased interest also led to interest in an unexpected direction.

It started with Choi Manri, the Deputy Head of the Jiphyeonjeon (集賢殿, Hall of Worthies).

“Your Majesty, the Japanese are well-known for their fighting skills.”

What is the reason why the Wokou (倭寇, Japanese pirates) have such a fearsome reputation?

Even if a proper army from a proper country is dispatched, they are often pushed back, suggesting that the individual combat power of the Wokou is by no means low.

That’s why we’re using them as mercenaries.

“It is said that a few Wokou wielding their swords are nothing more than a nuisance to a commoner, but the court and Jiedushi (節度使, military governor) of that country have already raised a large army, so they will surely face off with tens of thousands of people.

They will mobilize all the weapons and military tactics that they are good at, so wouldn’t it be beneficial if our generals could observe and learn from their strategies?”

Are you trying to gain experience by watching someone else’s war?

‘Unless the civil war ends quickly without us knowing, it doesn’t seem impossible.’

From the shogunate’s point of view, whose legitimacy is shaken, it would not be easy to give up the propaganda of ‘a legitimate government with foreign envoys also serving in the military.’

The probability of being caught in the war and suffering a disaster is not zero, but the Kamakura side will likely avoid targeting our military officials.

They wouldn’t want to make enemies with us.

In particular, if they seize power, they will want to receive recognition from foreign countries that they have been communicating with, and antagonizing us would not be helpful to them in any way.

“Let’s send a general with the next Se Gyeonseon (歲遣船, annual tribute ship) [Joseon-Japan trade ship].”

So I decided to select military officials and dispatch them to Kyoto.

They won’t refuse unless they really have to, but if they get rejected, they can just return on the Se Gyeonseon.

However, there was something that I and my servants did not expect.

“Ming also sent an envoy?”

Ming reached out to the shogunate.