There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 393

394. The Qualification of the Throne (2)

Around the time the brilliant Emperor suffered a crushing defeat in Liaoxi and fled to Shanhaiguan, an imperial decree from the Xuande Emperor arrived in Dengzhou.

“Move to Jiangnan and join Eunuch Zheng He?”

The Ming army, which had been conducting maritime supply operations from Dengzhou, became less vital with the end of the Liaoxi front.

However, their presence was still essential to prevent the rampant Wokou [Japanese pirates] along the coast.

Yet, they were ordered to gather in Jiangnan with their ships and troops.

“But since it’s an imperial decree, we have no choice but to obey, do we?”

“Indeed.”

Those who dared to question the imperial decree had already been purged.

The Xuande Emperor was already leaving Beijing and returning to Nanjing, so he would soon hear whether the Dengzhou army was moving or not.

‘Indeed, there’s nothing more to be done in Dengzhou now. At best, we can only stop the Wokou…’

No one could ignore the fact that the Ming dynasty’s war situation was unfavorable, given the uproar over the Ming army’s failure to break through Liaoxi and its subsequent collapse.

In such a situation, what would be the point of withdrawing the Dengzhou army?

‘Could the court be discussing a landing in Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom]?’

No matter how strong the Joseon army was, there was one thing they couldn’t overcome.

That was the difference in the amount of resources a nation could mobilize.

The Joseon army’s forces must be concentrated at Shanhaiguan by now.

If they could strike a weak point, they could turn the tables, if they could only strike a weak point.

Preferably before Shanhaiguan falls.

However, even if Joseon’s main forces were concentrated in the north, it would still require tens of thousands of troops to completely subdue a country.

To handle that enormous supply demand, even the Ming would have to gather every ship in the country.

If such a large-scale operation were to take place, defending against the Wokou in Shandong would be a trivial matter.

Like mosquitoes, the Wokou clinging to the Ming could suck blood, but they couldn’t bring down this great nation.

The Emperor must have steeled himself to sacrifice flesh to strike at the bone.

Whether it would work or not was another matter.

* * *

To others, the Crown Prince might seem like someone ruled by his testosterone, but surprisingly, Yi Dan had his own reasons for going to war.

He couldn’t deny the influence of his barbarian friends who guarded him…

“Sometimes, when I look at Father, he seems like he just fell from the sky.”

There were many who were called geniuses, but they all achieved their accomplishments on top of existing foundations.

Could Zhu Xi [Song dynasty Confucian scholar] have compiled Neo-Confucianism without the foundation of Confucius and Mencius?

But Father was different.

He used knowledge that no one knew, pushed forward inventions that no one thought possible, and succeeded every time.

Yi Dan might seem to live without a care in the world, but sometimes when he thought about having to follow in such a person’s footsteps, he honestly felt burdened.

At this rate, he wondered if he could even properly maintain Joseon, let alone develop it further.

His younger sister, who was interested in politics, might envy him, but once he sat in that position, he wouldn’t be filled with ambition.

“I’d rather be on the battlefield than try to understand Father’s blueprint.”

Yi Dan’s cousin, Yi Yu, chuckled at his grumbling.

“My father says that His Majesty often makes jokes like that. He said that he actually fell to this earth riding a star.”

“Your uncle must have been troubled about how to react.”

“Falling stars are said to be bad omens, but I don’t know why he used such a metaphor,” his father sighed.

‘If things continue like this, will I be able to properly succeed Father?’

It wasn’t a question of whether or not he could inherit the throne.

Yi Dan was the only son of the King, so if this Joseon land didn’t return to him, who would it return to?

He had been the grandson of the heir apparent since birth, his grandfather King Taejong had personally placed the crown of the heir on his head, and furthermore, he had the blood of the Ming Dynasty’s founder flowing through his maternal line.

But all of those things were given to him from birth, and he hadn’t achieved them himself.

In fact, inheriting one’s parents’ status and becoming noble was the same in any era or country.

Yi Dan had no intention of rejecting what had been given to him or what would be given to him in the future.

‘But will inheriting be enough?’

Joseon was moving towards becoming an empire, and this war could be said to be the culmination of that.

Not just a mere border country, but an empire that would hold the hegemony of the world and encompass the four seas.

And it was clear that his father would become the de facto founder of that empire.

Even though the throne of Joseon was inherited, Joseon before and after his reign was like a completely different country.

It was only his father’s merit that had grown Joseon to the point where it was now vying for the Mandate of Heaven [divine right to rule].

At the very least, he could boast that he had inherited a Joseon made of mud and was passing on a Joseon made of concrete.

It wasn’t just his father.

Looking at the kings of this country, they had all proven their qualifications to sit on the throne with their own hands.

Wasn’t that the case with King Taejo and King Taejong?

Let’s forget for a moment that the proof mainly consisted of coups.

‘I feel like I’m forgetting something else.’

But it must have been his imagination, so Yi Dan shook his head and continued his thoughts.

Ironically, because his father’s achievements were so great, his descendants would inevitably be overshadowed.

Yi Dan realized that unless he wrote his own legend, he would never be able to escape his shadow.

“I can’t handle electricity and gunpowder like Father, and I can’t skillfully create devices.”

In fact, he didn’t even want to compete with his father in that area.

Because he couldn’t win anyway.

However, he had one great advantage that couldn’t be compared to others.

That was his personal strength.

‘It’s not like people have to follow smart people.’

After participating in the Nadam [Mongolian festival], he gradually grew wiser and realized that, even though the standards were mostly set by his barbarian friends, there was no one around him who wasn’t impressed by his strength.

‘If Father becomes the Son of Heaven [Emperor of China] through his own achievements, I will prove it through fighting!’

Originally, the order of the strong dominating the weak didn’t distinguish between countries and peoples.

Especially the barbarians from all directions who had entered the alliance were even more so.

In the end, the world tends to follow those who fight well.

It was clear that the order that the alliance and Joseon had built would be shaken once the common enemy Ming fell and Father eventually passed away.

Wasn’t it the role of the second generation to fix that?

At the very least, he had to prove that he was a human who could crack skulls if they tried to break away from the order led by Joseon.

In that respect, there was no better opportunity than this war.

* * *

Jinpyeong, Yi Yu, also volunteered for the war for similar reasons.

But his calculations were a little different.

It was true that he had lived comfortably thanks to the enormous wealth and reputation that his father had built up.

But that wasn’t his share.

That was the share of his elder brother, who was helping his father with his work from time to time.

‘My sister-in-law has been complaining that she seems a bit strange.’

But even if a nephew wasn’t born, they would adopt an heir from the next generation, and there was no way the turn would come to him, his younger brother.

In the end, it was only natural that Yi Yu had to pioneer his own path.

In that respect, this war was a great opportunity.

If he caught the Crown Prince’s eye while assisting him, who knew, he might enjoy even greater power than his father was currently enjoying.

Sitting in the Simwang Palace wearing a military uniform was also perfect for his personality.

‘I’m glad I followed him.’

His father, who cherished his son, seemed uncomfortable – but because he wasn’t the eldest son, he didn’t stop him until the end – wasn’t it a good thing for both himself and his family?

He had built a reputation as the grandson who had set out to avenge his grandfather, and he had also received praise as a loyal family who had sent his son to the battlefield despite being a close relative.

Both were important issues, but if he had to choose which was more valuable to him, it was of course the former.

‘Should I start my career right after this war ends?’

Yi Yu crossed his arms and pondered with a satisfied expression.

‘No, it would be better to be more prudent and obtain a government position. That way, the world will think of me as a unambitious relative.’

‘It would be even better if I could pass the civil service examination with top honors like my father, but that probably won’t be easy.’

No, it’s better this way. If I take the civil service examination, it will look like I’m desperate for a position. It would be better if my brother later issued a special decree, and I reluctantly took office in the form of the king’s order…’

‘Wait, wouldn’t it be too late if I waited until Crown Prince ascends the throne? How old do you think His Majesty will live until?’

‘I shouldn’t delay my career too much. At least I have to be more successful than my brothers.’

It was as if the war was already over and his success was guaranteed.

Well, all the news he had heard so far had been victories, so it was no wonder that Yi Yu was so relieved.

However, Yi Yu dropped his pencil when he heard the Crown Prince’s words.

“You’re going back to the capital?”

Yi Dan nodded at his question.

Yi Yu couldn’t understand.

He was already building a reputation as a relative who had directly participated in the war just by staying still, and he could accumulate achievements just by subduing the remnants of the Ming army in Shenyang, yet he was going to return to the capital.

He would understand if he was going to the front line instead.

He knew what Yi Dan wanted.

His Majesty would never allow it, but it wasn’t a bad choice from his point of view either.

If he was the hero of the capture of Shanhaiguan, even the Minister of Justice remaining in the capital wouldn’t be comparable to him.

But if he returned to Hanyang before the war was over, wouldn’t he have to return home without a victory parade?

He couldn’t let his hard-earned presence be blown away like that.

But Yi Dan waved his finger and said.

“It’s more urgent than the Wokou in Shandong. The Ming Dynasty’s ships in Dengzhou have disappeared.”

“Isn’t it because our ships are about to rush in and destroy them?”

The Ming army fleet in Dengzhou was insignificant in his eyes.

With the Liaoxi army already collapsed, if Joseon launched a fleet to intercept them, they would be destroyed one by one, so it was reasonable to think that they had hidden somewhere else.

“That’s right, then why don’t you ask His Majesty if we should land our troops in Dengzhou? It would greatly disrupt the enemy’s rear.”

But Yi Dan shook his head.

“It’s strange. Even if they’re afraid of our navy, would they have to completely empty Dengzhou? What would they do if our troops entered Shandong like you said?”

“Wouldn’t they have gone north to defend Tianjin?”

Assuming that the Joseon army advanced by both land and sea, the most important place to defend was Tianjin.

It would hurt to be stabbed in Shandong, but unless they advanced deep inland and cut off the Grand Canal, they couldn’t completely reverse the situation.

And they would probably be stopped by the Ming army that rushed in before that.

But Tianjin was different.

If Tianjin was captured by the Joseon fleet, it meant that Beijing would fall, and Shanhaiguan would face enemies from both sides.

Therefore, Yi Yu naturally thought that the Dengzhou navy, whose mission had disappeared, had been diverted to defend Tianjin.

But Yi Dan trusted his intuition.

He had a feeling that the Ming Dynasty wouldn’t just keep getting pushed back like this.

“I think I’ll have to take the Royal Guards and go down to Hanyang.”

Yi Yu shouted in panic at Yi Dan’s unilateral declaration.

“W-wait a minute! Your Highness, no, Brother! Shouldn’t you get permission from His Majesty first?”

Yi Dan smiled and showed him an edict at his question.

“I’ve already received an imperial order to return to the capital and take over the regency.”

Yi Yu, who had received it in dismay, thought.