There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 381

382. Point of Explosion (2)

Zheng He was stationed at Liujiagang in Suzhou, leading the fleet.

Liujiagang had been a center of maritime logistics since the Yuan Dynasty [a Chinese dynasty that ruled from 1271 to 1368], and was a thriving port in this era as well, serving as a hub for grain transportation.

As Suzhou’s main port, it was easy for merchant ships to come and go, and a large military force was stationed there to deter invasions by Japanese pirates targeting wealthy Suzhou.

In effect, Zheng He, who was in charge of all of Ming China’s sea routes, was also responsible for communication with Japan.

“His Majesty has high expectations for pacifying Japan,” Zheng He said, looking at the port filling with seawater.

With all sides surrounded by enemies, it was very pleasing that the Japanese shogun Ashikaga Yoshitomi, or rather, Gien, who was manipulating him, was narrowing the distance with Ming.

It was a natural move for him, as he needed achievements due to his weak power base, but the court could not help but pay close attention as well.

It was perhaps natural that this led to an ambitious strategy of re-appointing the King of Japan and drawing him in as an outer vassal [a state or territory that is subordinate to another, more powerful state].

“We need to bring good news.”

With Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom] casting a tight net on the sea, it was not easy to break through that encirclement.

However, the sea route between Ming and Japan, which had been opened during the era of tally trade [a system of trade using marked certificates], had been weakly maintained through smuggling and other means even after the tally trade was abolished.

Therefore, it was not a major problem to push a ship into Sakai.

However, there was skepticism as to whether Japan would move as intended.

“Japanese pirates are pouring onto the coast almost every day. No matter how unintentional the actions of the Japanese court may be, it is not easy to trust them.”

“The barbarians are inherently stubborn and easily tell lies. Even if things work out, how can we give them complete trust?”

Either they were condoning the actions of mere border bandits, or they were unable to suppress them.

Zheng He’s honest assessment was that if they were condoning them, there was no hope of Japan complying with the Mandate of Heaven [the idea that the ruler was chosen by the heavens], and if they could not suppress the bandits in their own territory, they would be of little help even if they joined this side.

It would be fortunate if they did not ask for troops to suppress internal rebels.

Unless Gien was crazy, that would not happen, but in Zheng He’s eyes, it was not a low possibility.

When he went to the Western Seas, there were more than a few barbarians who tried to protect or overthrow their dynasties by borrowing Ming’s troops.

“It would be very troublesome if they made such a request after receiving investiture [the act of formally investing a person with honors or rank].”

The problem was that, unlike those days, the Zheng He fleet’s power was still insufficient.

It would take time for the Zheng He fleet to recover the glory of the Yongle Emperor’s era [a period of great expansion and maritime expeditions].

Ships and personnel were bound to rust if not used.

In the meantime, the Joseon fleet had steadily increased its power and become the master of the sea, while Ming, which had been focused on austerity and internal turmoil, was now expanding its fleet again.

As befitting China, the scale of pouring money and manpower into it was different, but Zheng He had many concerns.

“It looks like a ship is returning!”

However, even to the naked eye, the way it was returning did not look good.

The ship, which had been sent with great fanfare along with several others befitting the symbolism of carrying the Emperor of the Great Ming’s decree, was the only one left, and even that was in a precarious and ragged state.

As soon as the ship reached Liujiagang, Zheng He rushed there himself.

It was more urgent to grasp the situation than to maintain the dignity of a eunuch.

“What happened?”

Did they encounter Japanese pirates?

The answer that came back exceeded Zheng He’s expectations.

“The, the Ryukyu fleet attacked!”

* * *

The Ryukyu fleet, which was attacking Satsuma [a region in Japan], was winning every battle.

The Ryukyu fleet was smaller in number and size than the Joseon fleet, but that was enough to suppress Satsuma’s counterattacks and pour firepower on them.

Ryukyu, which had blown Satsuma’s mind with cannons, immediately spewed out the troops it had brought.

Satsuma, which had been badly defeated from the start and locked itself in a stronghold, sent out requests for help in all directions, but the Kyushu daimyo [powerful Japanese feudal lords], who were busy enough dealing with Ouchi’s offensive, would not respond to such requests.

In the end, the outcome had been decided from the moment they failed to repel the Ryukyu army on their own.

The shogunate [military government of Japan] was watching, so they would not directly annex it, but Satsuma had now virtually fallen under Ryukyu’s control.

The Ryukyu fleet, which was heading to Naha with only about a thousand pairs of men and women to be put into sugar plantations, discovered a strange ship.

“There’s an unknown ship over there!”

“Where? Is it a Joseon ship?”

However, Joseon ships openly roamed the waters, so there was no reason for them to move so far south.

In particular, ships belonging to Joseon openly flew flags identifying their affiliation, but these ships did not even have that.

On the contrary, wasn’t it obvious that they did not want to be noticed?

They were soon able to deduce the identity of the other party.

“It’s a Ming ship!”

“It looks like it’s returning from Japan!”

As they got closer and the shape of the ship became clearer, it became clear that it was a ship sent by Ming.

Joseon ships had copied the design from Ming’s treasure ships, but over time, the craftsmanship had changed greatly.

“What should we do?”

He had been put in charge of the Satsuma attack, but in fact, Onryuhwan had little to do in a situation where the grand strategy had been decided and the power difference between the two sides was large.

“Joseon has blocked all of Ming’s sea routes. Ryukyu is Joseon’s ally, so shouldn’t we capture them?”

For those who were elated by their first great achievement in life, the Ming ship that appeared before their eyes was just a tempting prey.

“B, but.”

Onryuhwan hesitated and continued.

“Isn’t Ming our suzerain state [a state that controls another state in international affairs]?”

“That’s true, but…”

Even his classmates were speechless at Onryuhwan’s question, who had studied under strict Confucian order.

However, what did that matter when even Joseon, where they had studied, had thrown away the idea of serving the great and was about to fight Ming?

The classmates exchanged glances.

“What if Ming is plotting a treacherous scheme with Japan?

Our King has received grace from Joseon, but owes nothing to Ming. Now is the time when the two countries are about to engage in a war, so shouldn’t we strike and subdue them all?”

“That’s right. The other side is only a few ships.

The effort is small and the merit is great, so even if the Crown Prince receives praise, no one will be harmed.”

“Wouldn’t the King of Joseon highly value the loyalty of our royal family?”

At those words, Onryuhwan’s eyes became dazed.

He didn’t need praise from others.

But what about praise from the King of Joseon, who would allow the marriage, and admiration from the princess he loved…?”

In an instant, the names of the descendants who would inherit the throne of Ryukyu and rule the country for all eternity flashed through his mind.

For some reason, the faces of the descendants that came to mind in his imagination resembled him and the princess by half.

Originally, if the wife (not) is beautiful, one bows even to the stakes in the wife’s (not) house [an idiom meaning one shows respect to even insignificant things related to someone they admire].

Onryuhwan no longer hesitated.

“Fire the cannons! We must not let them go back!”

Of course, the Ming ship was also wary of the suddenly appearing opponent.

They were relieved that it didn’t seem to be a Joseon ship and were about to quickly leave the waters when the other party suddenly increased speed and rushed towards them, causing an emergency.

“Ryukyu, it’s the Ryukyu fleet!”

“What grudge does Ryukyu have against us!”

“Damn it, does that matter!”

Desperate screams erupted from all over the Ming treasure ship, which had suddenly entered battle.

Soon, the artillery fire spewing from both sides’ ships raged towards each other.

Of course, this time, the outcome had already been decided.

* * *

– Tu-ta-ta-tang!

The loud gunshots that erupted all at once greatly subdued the officials and the royal family.

The Ming army had worked very hard to learn Joseon martial arts, and they showed no errors in the parade.

“I heard that the Prince of Ying was very brave in the past. What do you think of the might of our army?”

“Yes, I think it is a very strong military force,” Prince of Ying Zhu Quan replied, bowing his head to Emperor Xuande’s question.

It was not an empty compliment.

The introduction of muskets had brought about changes in the organization of the Ming army.

Ming generals, including Duke of England Zhang Fu, developed a phalanx of guns and spears, just like Joseon, and Joseon martial arts, which all Ming soldiers now practiced, further promoted it.

The continuous pouring of gunfire had a chilling effect on people, and the tightly packed phalanx seemed as if it would not collapse even in the face of the most savage Tatar northern barbarians’ charge.

“It is thanks to the support of reliable imperial relatives like the Prince of Ying.”

“…It was something I had to do.”

In a situation where the emperor was refusing to rebuild the palace and was instead expanding military spending, the imperial relatives, who were blamed for the financial drain, could not help but be mindful.

Thanks to the incessant infighting among relatives since the founding of the country, the imperial relatives had to feel as if a blade was right below their chins.

In this situation, everyone took out their private wealth to pay war contribution money to please the emperor.

However, Emperor Xuande’s satisfied mood did not last long.

– …When our envoy arrived in Japan, they happened to encounter Joseon military officers and officials sent from the court.

Recently, the pirates of this country have not followed the court’s orders and have invaded the Heavenly Dynasty, and when Joseon was rebuked for being behind it, the Joseon people strongly protested.

The Joseon people were all furious and dared to call it slander, but the King of Japan presented a letter requesting investiture with a respectful attitude.

However, on the way back, the Ryukyu navy attacked, killing the envoy and sinking the national letter into the sea, and I barely managed to ask about the situation and submit a memorial…

“There’s no way the Ryukyu navy would have done that.”

Emperor Xuande was furious, but his mind was more calm than ever (or so he thought).

However, the court officials also did not think much differently from the emperor.

“As Your Majesty said, the enemy claimed to be the Ryukyu navy, but in reality, isn’t it the Joseon fleet?”

“Ryukyu is suspected of treason, but there is no reason for them to attack our ship, so how could such a thing be possible?”

This was close to the belief of the subjects.

There was no way that a small country like Ryukyu would dare to attack Ming openly, and even if they did, they believed that they would not be able to match them in terms of power.

At this point, the truth was not so important.

Even the few who suspected Ryukyu realized that they could not announce that they had been badly defeated by a small country like Ryukyu, and that Ryukyu, a mere vassal state, had turned against them so openly as to pour cannon fire on them.

Naturally, the court’s discussion also flowed in the direction of punishing Joseon, which had disguised itself as the Ryukyu navy and launched the attack.

“Shouldn’t we be a little more cautious? Their identities have not yet been clearly revealed…”

“The war has already begun. This is just a pretext, and if you advise against it now, you will not be able to avoid the fate of Yong Mao [likely a reference to a historical figure who suffered consequences for opposing a war].”

Even in this situation, there were some cautious people who felt burdened by the war, but they soon had no choice but to shut their mouths.

“Have the Duke of England cross the Great Wall and head to Jinzhou.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

However, Emperor Xuande’s order did not end there.

“As I did before, I will go to Beijing to command the entire army.”

It was, in effect, a declaration of a personal campaign.