There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 404

405. The End of War (6)

As expected, Dowager Zhang cooperated with us.

Whether the process was smooth or not,

Hwang Eom, who brought back the decree, wiped away his cold sweat and said,

“The Dowager, who does not know the will of heaven, resisted stubbornly, but this humble servant finally obtained the decree.”

Hwang Eom subtly watched my reaction, emphasizing that he had accomplished a difficult task.

Hwang Eom’s life depended on me.

Now that he was no longer useful, if I ordered him to be dragged to the execution ground, he would have to die. So, he was trying to highlight his achievements as much as possible.

I didn’t say anything and unfolded the Dowager’s decree.

[I hereby announce.

Looking back, Emperor Taejo [Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor, founder of the Ming Dynasty] received the mandate of heaven and unified the Central Plains, embracing the people and enriching them. However, as time passed, the court has truly reached an unsatisfactory state.

Because treacherous subjects have been manipulating from the middle, the court has listened to slander and oppressed the Jongwang [princes of the imperial clan], so the Jongsa [state affairs related to the imperial ancestors] has reached a state of crisis.

The people are in misery, as if the sky is about to collapse, but the Emperor is deaf and blind, not knowing this tragedy, and has come to this day.]

Up to this point, it was no different from the contents of an ordinary abdication decree.

The Dowager’s efforts to somehow blame the Emperor’s faults on the ‘treacherous subjects’ were touching, but.

The problem was what came next.

[Alas! If there is no eldest son, it is right to choose a virtuous ruler. Also, upon investigation, the late Zhou Taejo [Zhu Yuanzhang, referred to by his posthumous temple name] adopted Si-ssi [referring to the Guo family, founders of the Later Zhou dynasty] as his adopted son and passed on the throne.

I have heard that the Joseon Crown Prince, Yi Dan, is a descendant of Taejo’s daughter, with noble blood reaching our imperial family. He is said to be intelligent and of utmost virtue and is worthy of succeeding the throne that has been vacated once.

Therefore, I intend to adopt Crown Prince Yi Dan as Taejo’s adopted son and have him quickly inherit the throne. The civil and military officials should serve the new Emperor and strive to stabilize the heavenly position.]

“Hmm…”

I paused for a moment.

There were two expected moves from the Dowager.

The most reasonable choice would be to obediently put forward a suitable Jongchin [member of the imperial clan] as a jade seal shuttle [puppet ruler].

A bolder option would be to set up influential Jongchin such as the Prince Yeong to create a situation of mutual destruction.

Using this as an excuse, she could get rid of those who might cause internal strife in the future.

But the idea of making Dan-i ‘adopted son of Zhu Yuanzhang’ to inherit the throne… is quite novel.

‘Does she want to preserve at least the shell of the Ming Dynasty at all costs?’

I swallowed a groan at the thought that she would not hesitate to change the national surname for that purpose.

No, the national surname wouldn’t change since the surname would have to be changed to Zhu.

“Shouldn’t I be adopted as Taejo’s adopted son if we’re going by rank?”

When I asked with a bitter smile, Hwang Eom quickly lowered his head.

“In the Central Plains, not only grandsons but also sons-in-law and relatives are adopted as successors. If Your Majesty orders, I will receive a new decree from the Dowager.”

It is the same in the current Joseon that a person with a different surname can inherit the succession.

Even now, there are various discussions about reorganizing the legal system to prevent other surnames from inheriting the succession, but from my point of view, it seems like useless talk, so I’m ignoring it.

Still, the throne is another story, isn’t it?

If the King of Joseon were to pass the throne to his son-in-law, it would be an immediate rebellion, right?

“Would the other Jongwang agree?”

“If Your Majesty wishes, there would be no reason to oppose.”

For them, they can only protect their status as royalty if the Ming system is maintained.

If Joseon devours Ming? Then they simply become the old royalty of the previous dynasty.

All existing privileges and the royal title itself would be lost.

They would rather have this kind of succession by a grandson.

‘She tried to preserve the national structure by any means possible.’

The Dowager must have considered my intentions as much as possible.

Instead of capturing the Ming Emperor and making him do a naked dogeza [a humiliating prostration], why did I bother to take the form of ‘Jeongnan’ [referring to a coup or rebellion]?

If you try to inherit the Chinese dynasty, you don’t necessarily need to use the Yi surname.

I’ll hand over the throne much more easily.

Please preserve the Sajik [lands and altars, symbolizing the state] of the Great Ming…….

‘A grave misjudgment.’

The reason I’m putting in so much effort is for another reason.

Domination established by force disappears the moment that force weakens.

What comes to mind is the memory of when I was in the modern era.

A tribe that was ‘selected’ by foreigners who colonized their homeland and became the ruling class.

And the B tribe, which makes up the majority of the population but is classified as the ruled class.

The reason why the A tribe was able to stand above the B tribe was solely because of the needs of the colonial authorities.

As time passed, the colony was liberated, and the old masters left, but the A tribe still wanted to maintain its position as the ruling class.

Politics, economy, administration, military, and schools were all considered their share.

Just like it had been until now.

Naturally, the B tribe had no intention of recognizing the A tribe’s rule.

The guns and swords of the old masters who had protected them until now had long been withdrawn.

The layers of accumulated hatred and discrimination were only a matter of time before leading to civil war.

It was a civil war, but it was not a war to win each other.

One side had no intention of letting the other side, which was only a handful, who had enslaved them, live.

The other side wielded their blades for the reason that they had to reduce the number of the other side in order to survive.

The goal of either side was to racially exterminate the other.

Fortunately, before either side succeeded in completely wiping the other off the face of the earth, the UN intervened.

The civil war was officially ended, agreements were signed, and independent states were established.

However, bloodshed and violence between the two sides still occurred frequently.

The village I was in was safe because the vigilante uncles were holding out, but if I went just a little outside the suburbs, I could clearly witness the tragedy.

Schools where bombs had exploded, streets where gunshots were rampant, rampant terrorist groups and warlords…….

There are no winners or losers in such a fight.

There is nothing to be gained.

But wouldn’t that tragedy be repeated if Joseon’s power ever waned?

The moment the people of the Central Plains distinguish the Joseon people as others, the moment they recognize them as thieves who stole the mandate of heaven, there is no guarantee that such a thing will not happen.

If I don’t want that, I can just let go of everything and go back to Joseon, as Yang Sa-gi said.

‘Yang Sa-gi is just saying that because he doesn’t want to acknowledge Joseon’s rule anyway.’

Then what should I do?

The answer is simple.

As the Dowager suggested, I can just be adopted as Zhu Yuanzhang’s son, change my surname to Zhu altogether, and live speaking Chinese.

I can also move the capital to Nanjing and emphasize the lineage from Zhu Yuanzhang to me in the history books.

Even after only a hundred years, the identity of the Joseon dynasty will fade, and the people of the Central Plains will serve their emperor without a shred of doubt that he is Han Chinese.

Haohao xiexie yiersansi! [Nonsensical Chinese, implying assimilation]

“That’s enough.”

I quickly erased the scene that came to my mind.

It’s not for particularly nationalistic reasons, but if I did that kind of thing, Yi Bang-won [King Taejong of Joseon] and Queen Wongyeong would come running at me with clubs in the afterlife.

‘This son of a bitch is not even Yeopo [Lu Bu, known for betraying his adoptive fathers], but he’s changing his father?’

Well… that’s reason enough for me to change the imperial family.

“Tell the Dowager not to do anything useless.”

I said firmly.

Hwang Eom, who had been flattering me, quickly bowed and obeyed my command.

The Dowager’s struggle to give up everything and protect only the national structure was cute, but I have no intention of following along.

Then we go back to the original problem.

How should Joseon rule the ‘other’ Central Plains?

The Five Barbarians blended into the Central Plains, and the Yuan Dynasty was pushed back to Mongolia after a short reign of over a hundred years.

The Qing Dynasty, um. I should have studied history a bit when I was in the modern era.

Anyway, seeing that the Communist Party came in at some point, it doesn’t seem like they ended smoothly either.

‘A way to rule China while preserving Joseon’s identity.’

Is the current Joseon, where electricity is installed, people enjoy chicken and cola, and cement tiles are placed on top of concrete Hanoks [traditional Korean houses], the same country as the original Joseon?

Then… does the Central Plains that I will rule necessarily have to be the same as the original Central Plains?

The Five Barbarians melted into China, but the Hobok [nomadic clothing] they left behind remained intact.

In the first place, where in the world is there such a thing as ‘pure XX civilization’?

I was lost in thought.

* * *

Hanlimwon (翰林院) [Royal Academy].

Since its first establishment during the Tang Dynasty, the Hanlimwon has been passed down through various dynasties, but its status has always been the same.

A scholarly institution that gathers only the best scholars in the country!

And there was a matter that those scholars gathered and were seriously discussing.

“Gija [a legendary sage] was a wise man of the Yin Dynasty who fled to the east to avoid usurpation and spread the Tao [the Way, a philosophical concept] in Joseon. The number of years has already been more than 2,500, which is by no means inferior to the Central Plains…….”

“Mencius (孟子) clearly stated, ‘Sun was a person from Dongyi (東夷) [Eastern Barbarians], and King Mun (文王) was a person from Seoyi (西夷) [Western Barbarians].’ As such, saints (聖人) do not distinguish between tribes…….”

“Already in the Han Dynasty, the Seolmunhaeja (說文解字) [an early Chinese dictionary] praised Dongyi as a country where gentlemen do not die (君子不死之國)…….”

“Joseon, you have certainly become stronger. Equal to or better than the Central Plains.”

Tada!

In fact, Joseon was not a barbarian!

The propaganda for national뽕 [nationalistic hype] that had been built up in Joseon to appeal ‘we are also a civilized country’ was transplanted to the Ming Dynasty as it was.

Officially, the Hanlimwon stamped the fact that ‘the enlightenment of saints in Joseon is not much different from that of the Central Plains.’

Phew, I’m glad everyone has this much sense.

Maybe it’s because of the Gapsa [elite soldiers] who are glaring while pounding on the typewriters.

By the way, isn’t that a Korean typewriter? What are they typing?

Thanks to the steady improvements, typing should be quite easy now, but the minor question of why the Gapsa are still typing is not very important.

With this much, the deployment of strategic Yi Do [King Sejong] and Heo Jo [a Joseon scholar] can be postponed.

As expected of great scholars, they come up with plausible ‘academic discussions’ even with just a little hint.

If you don’t like it…… you know, right?

If you don’t want to taste the real barbarians waiting outside the pavilion, you better behave.

Meanwhile, the reactions of those ‘real barbarians’ were also a bit strange.

“Uh… aren’t we the only barbarians in the east?”

“Was Emperor Sun really from Dongyi?”

“Bokhee, Chiwoo, and Sohao are actually Jurchen?”

The Jurchens, who were listening to the discussion meaningfully, had a look of realization.

I don’t know what they realized, but I don’t think that’s it.

I swallowed a groan as I watched the Jurchens spreading their imaginations with the logic of ‘Anyway, they’re talking about us because they’re Dongyi.’

‘I think they’re on some weird뽕 [nationalistic hype].’

Well, I guess it doesn’t matter.

If I dig deeper, I’ll have to discuss whether they are actual people in the first place, not just characters in myths.

Anyway, there was an important implication in the ‘historical research’ of various scholars.

There is no basis for saying that China is civilized and that foreigners are uncivilized.

Rather, even those whom the people of the Central Plains revere as the founders of civilization were not originally from the Central Plains (according to records).

But no one here denies that they were their kings.

Rather, their historical sites have become objects of worship and respect.

This is the power of virtue.

And when it comes to virtuous kings, there is no one like me.