There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 418

419. The New World (1)

Shinmi spoke with an almost pleading tone.

“Moreover, in this day and age, even the Tatars, the Japanese, and the barbarians from all corners of the world unanimously recognize Your Majesty as their leader, do they not?”

It sounded like he was referring to a *he盟* [Hui Meng, a type of conference or alliance], which traditionally positioned the King of Joseon as the head, but with the upgrade to Emperor, the status had fundamentally changed.

However, major allies of Joseon, such as Majapahit, the Mamluks, and Venice, were difficult to simply consider as vassals of Joseon.

‘Shinmi’s words are essentially about establishing international law.’

I wasn’t sure if other nations would adhere to such a concept.

Even domestic laws weren’t fully established yet, so I wondered if we could afford to focus on international law… but since we were building a rule-of-law state, it might be beneficial to have them start working on it.

Once the domestic law project was complete, the assigned personnel could be transferred to this new initiative.

I took a deep breath.

At that, the monks’ eyes widened, and they trembled.

‘Goodness! How dare a monk discuss matters of state!’

It wouldn’t be surprising if such a cry erupted.

Regardless of a monk’s noble intentions, advising on state affairs was a taboo.

It was the kind of action that could easily lead to being labeled as another Shindon [a controversial Goryeo Dynasty monk who wielded significant political power].

Perhaps Muhak [a prominent Joseon-era monk and advisor] was the exception, as he supposedly advised on the decision to make Hanyang the capital city.

But even that was likely just Muhak using *feng shui* to influence a decision that had already been made.

‘The military will probably object even more strongly than the Censors Office.’

They’d want to use the poison gas card whenever the war situation became difficult, and they’d resent a monk trying to stop them.

I carefully chose my words to minimize the backlash.

“Your concern for the well-being of the people as a monk is admirable. I am already well aware of your great virtue (大德), so I will take your words into consideration.”

The reason I didn’t immediately rebuke him and have him removed was that I recognized some merit in his suggestion.

Shinmi’s words could also be interpreted not as expressing an opinion on state affairs, but as a fundamental plea from a religious figure to prohibit killing.

Even with this explanation, some would likely grumble out of spite, but I could simply ignore that.

It was annoying that he made me consider this, but I almost unfairly accused someone of stealing Hangul and had them eliminated, so let’s consider it even.

‘If we were to create international law…’

It probably wouldn’t be as simple as Shinmi envisioned.

It was true that Joseon currently held a leading position in East Asia.

With Joseon’s influence, combined with taking over the prestige that China held as the Son of Heaven’s nation, we could say that we were the dominant power east of India.

However, the Son of Heaven’s edicts only carried the weight of international law within that specific region.

The Son of Heaven was considered the son of the sky, the parent of all under heaven.

But the reality was different.

Countries like Venice and the Mamluks were our allies, but not our vassals.

Even in the past, there were countries that recognized each other bilaterally but didn’t pay tribute.

We could try to mentally *승리* [seungri, achieve victory] and resolve the contradiction by claiming they were barbarian countries untouched by the Son of Heaven’s teachings, but Joseon’s officials were quite flexible in their thinking in this regard.

‘Is it because they’re from vassal states rather than the Son of Heaven’s country?’

Or was it the result of a dramatically expanded worldview after I arrived in Joseon?

Anyway, the solution was simple.

If the technology and knowledge we possessed were destined to spread beyond our reach, then we had no choice but to extend our reach to the entire world before that happened.

* * *

Jeonghwa not sinking into the cold East Sea with Seondukje was solely due to his abilities.

The geological knowledge possessed by Emperor Ije of Joseon was rudimentary.

After the plan to send ships north to advance into the New World failed, he struggled to apply his knowledge of the Kuroshio Current, but with only a roughly drawn map, he couldn’t determine where to begin or which routes to open.

The reason for employing Jeonghwa, arguably the foremost expert in East Asia on pioneering new sea routes, was precisely for this purpose.

Ije’s decision to employ the literary officials (文士) of the old dynasty could be seen as a symbolic gesture of the Emperor’s generosity and his desire to cherish talent.

But what about Jeonghwa?

He was not a literary official but a eunuch.

When analyzing the reasons for a dynasty’s downfall, wasn’t a treacherous vassal, especially a eunuch, often the primary target of blame?

The fact that he had actually served as the head of Ming’s maritime strategy and a soldier was irrelevant.

Failing to eliminate old evils and correct past wrongdoings, and then reappointing him, would be enough to cause grumbling, if not outright opposition.

Therefore, Jeonghwa had no choice but to stake his life on this endeavor even more.

“I never thought I’d have the opportunity to return to the sea again.”

Jeonghwa stood at the bow, facing the sea breeze.

The five ships had just departed from Luzon.

Early 15th century.

Few records remain in the modern Philippines to accurately reconstruct this period.

This was because the tribal states scattered across each island and mountain lived independently, and a unified state wasn’t established until shortly before the arrival of the Spanish.

However, the situation was slightly different along the coast.

The Islamization of Southeast Asia, which had been steadily progressing since the 13th century, had also influenced the Philippines.

The Muslims who had established themselves from Sulu to Mindanao created maritime kingdoms, each dominating their respective areas.

Thanks to the *활성화* [hwalseonghwa, activation] of maritime trade between the East and West, the Philippines at this time was truly experiencing the golden age of these maritime kingdoms.

That is, if it were the original history.

The Islamic forces in Southeast Asia, which had been significantly strengthened with the support of the Ming Dynasty and Jeonghwa, had their fortunes completely reversed as Joseon took their place.

The alliance between Joseon and Majapahit, the subsequent influx of Joseon’s military support, and even the Manja War to support Buddhist countries by driving out Islamic countries backed by the Ming Dynasty, all combined to cause these Islamic communities to rapidly decline.

Hinduism and Buddhism, which had been strong in the region from the beginning, and even the Chinese White Lotus followers who were introduced, all united to compete with the Muslims for power.

Majapahit, enjoying a *살판* [salpan, heyday] with Joseon’s rise, was fiercely cracking down on Islamic forces encroaching on Java and Borneo.

Compared to that, the minor Islamic states in the region that would later be known as the Philippines, including Sulu, were relatively fortunate.

However, it was important to note that it was only ‘relatively’ so.

By pledging allegiance to Joseon, they were barely able to avoid destruction, but they had to faithfully fulfill their role as a maritime bridgehead according to Joseon’s strategy.

These measures were not without their benefits.

Paying allegiance to Joseon meant receiving the empire’s protection and system guarantees.

However, Jeonghwa couldn’t help but feel a sense of regret over this decline.

Whether it was because he was a fellow believer in Islam, or because the grand strategy of directly leading the fleet as the Ming admiral and supporting pro-Ming Muslims had completely collapsed, or perhaps both, was unknown.

‘What can I do?’

He himself had already become a vassal of Joseon.

There was no regret.

The person who had reappointed him, who had believed he would never escape the dark prison, was the Emperor of Joseon.

If that was the case, then he would repay his expectations and do his best.

Just as he had done for Emperor Yongle in the past.

“The foreign explorers reported that no matter how far north they sailed, they couldn’t find a viable route…”

The foreign explorers continued to search for a route even during the war, but they only encountered colder and colder conditions with almost no success.

All they had managed to do was receive tribute from a few tribes on an island called Hokkaido.

It was beneficial for opening trade with them and greatly enhancing the Emperor’s prestige, but there was virtually no progress in terms of exploring the New World.

Jeonghwa decided to head south instead.

He didn’t fully grasp all of Ije’s explanations about ocean currents, but he had at least gained a valuable hint.

The Philippines, like the unprofitable archipelago it was considered during the colonial period, lacked valuable trade goods such as spices and precious metals.

The weather was hot, fevers were rampant, and the tribes in various regions who didn’t even know who the Emperor of Joseon was were more likely to attack than to willingly accept investiture.

At first glance, there seemed to be no reason to stay, but Jeonghwa resolutely decided to make this place a base for departure.

He decided to stay in Luzon, particularly Manila, and closely study the ocean currents.

This location had a long history as a relay trade port, and it was convenient for trading with the Central Plains, which is why Spain would later establish a base here as well.

Currently, the Kingdom of Manila-Tondo was established, but it had long submitted, claiming to be a vassal, at a time when Joseon had already secured maritime dominance.

After receiving supplies in Manila and sailing far to the east, all that stretched before their eyes for days was the open sea.

“It’s fortunate that we loaded up on plenty of food.”

“That’s right. It’s a relief that we anticipated how vast it would be.”

The place they ultimately had to reach was a continent that no one living in East Asia had ever set foot on.

The width of the sea they had to cross was also twice that of the Atlantic Ocean.

This alone significantly increased the difficulty of pioneering the New World.

Columbus, who set sail from the Atlantic, also faced numerous challenges and nearly failed (or so Ije had read in his biography).

Ije complained that he felt constrained by the map, but unless he could somehow transport Joseon to Florida, there was nothing he could do.

Therefore, Ije and Jeonghwa had to pay close attention to ensure that the voyage didn’t run aground in a sea where even intermediate supply points were scarce.

First of all, scurvy, which was often fatal to pre-modern sailors, had to be addressed.

The diets of East Asians were generally rich in green and leafy vegetables, and the early development of tea culture provided ample opportunities to consume vitamin C, so such diseases were not prevalent in the Joseon-Indian Ocean voyages where ports of call were frequent, but this voyage was different.

Fortunately, Luzon, the land they had left behind, was a hot and rainy region, making it easy to obtain fruit, and the warehouse was stocked with dried fruit to last for a long time.

Moreover, unlike Columbus, who miscalculated the distance to India and even mistakenly called the natives Indians, they knew exactly where their destination was and how far they had to travel.

Furthermore, Jeonghwa’s authority was far greater than that of the Genoese mapmaker Columbus, who had secured his position as captain with support from Isabella.

Jeonghwa was more of a soldier than an explorer, and he had already proven his capabilities by leading several expeditions.

The number of sailors who had worked with him had significantly decreased because Jeonghwa’s expeditions had been suspended for a long time, and even then, the fleet had been burned and destroyed by the Joseon army in the Yellow Sea, but the newly recruited Joseon sailors had also heard of Jeonghwa’s reputation.

Moreover, this was an order directly from the Emperor, who was revered like the sky.

From the perspective of Joseon people who had witnessed the King’s projects consistently succeed, they couldn’t help but have faith in this voyage.

The voyage, which at first glance seemed more arduous than Columbus’s by more than double, continued smoothly, mitigating the threats of mutiny and scurvy.

All that remained was to reach the destination, overcoming the inevitable dangers of nature, such as storms and waves.

History, with the help of Ije and Jeonghwa, was on the verge of writing a great achievement: pioneering the New World through the Pacific Ocean.