There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 456

457. Side Story – The Land of the Morning (1)

The outskirts of Hanyang had expanded to at least twice the size they were when Emperor Taejong first moved the capital, now bustling with factories, the constant pounding of machinery, and billowing smoke.

In one corner, workers were busy demolishing the shacks of people who had migrated from the countryside, replacing them with brick houses topped with cement tiles.

As the population swelled, so did the volume of sewage and waste. However, thanks to the sewage system established during the reign of the late emperor, and the diligent operation of the system where sanitation workers collected waste every morning and evening to make compost and saltpeter [potassium nitrate, used in gunpowder], things were still running smoothly.

One might wonder how the Emperor, secluded in his palace, could perceive such changes. But as he sat perched on the roof of Changdeok Palace, peering through his telescope, he could practically see the nose hairs of a scholar squinting at his pocket watch through his glasses.

However, not all the changes happening in Joseon were to his liking.

In particular, the ideology stemming from the teachings of the late Giljae [a revered Confucian scholar] was proving to be exceedingly dangerous.

“When you think about it, it’s also related to my father-in-law, so I can’t simply suppress it outright.”

Jeong Jong-seong was known as a filial son with high moral character. As the father of the Queen, he was posthumously honored as King Yeongwon.

With Giljae and Jeong Jong-seong, the two patriarchs of the Sarim faction [a political faction of Confucian scholars], having deep ties to the Imperial family, there were few individuals openly advocating for the overthrow of the country.

And even if they harbored such thoughts, few would agree with them.

He understood the underlying message of those who called themselves Sarim, but from the perspective of a ruler, it was an unacceptable argument.

His own maternal grandfather, Zhu Yuanzhang [the Hongwu Emperor of China], had removed passages from Mencius [a Confucian philosopher] for that very reason and compiled “The Abridged Mencius”.

“Give me a puff.”

When Yi Hwan, who was beside him, took out his long pipe, Yi Dan spoke.

His trust in his younger brother had deepened after the last inspection tour.

Sending his somewhat immature youngest brother to Inka [likely refers to the Inca Empire or region], only for him to return with the king’s daughter as his prospective bride, was a considerable surprise.

Not that he was particularly angry.

On further thought, he had been planning to marry him off to encourage him to settle down, and considering his parents’ love story, it wasn’t entirely unprecedented. [referencing a past royal marriage that crossed cultural lines]

His younger brother seemed somewhat reluctant for some reason, but that was probably due to the guilt of promising marriage without informing his parents.

Naturally, Yi Dan was not one to dwell on such trivial matters, so he generously approved his brother’s marriage, further strengthening relations with the royal family of the tributary state.

Yi Hwan’s expression became even more subtle, but he didn’t notice.

In any case, besides bringing back his wife, Yi Hwan had excellently fulfilled his original mission.

Yi Hwan, having advanced to the location of the great lakes, erected boundary markers declaring the area as Joseon territory, while also demanding allegiance from the influential tribes among the Haedong people [people from the East Sea region, likely referring to groups in Manchuria or the Russian Far East].

The way Joseon made the Haedong people pledge allegiance was similar to the indirect rule over the Jurchens [a Tungistic people who later founded the Qing dynasty].

Bestowing official positions upon the natives, trading daily necessities, sending monks to proselytize, and having them assist with administration and agriculture, gradually helping them to be incorporated into Joseon.

It was during this process that tobacco flowed into Joseon.

His younger brother, Prince Sim Yi Hwan, had brought it as a tribute, claiming to have obtained it from the Haedong people of North America, and he had found it to his liking, smoking it whenever he was bored.

Yi Hwan wanted to tell him to buy it with his own money, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it this time either.

The two men silently puffed on their pipes.

“France is different from Joseon. That country is a barbarian land without any etiquette between superiors and inferiors, but Joseon is a nation of propriety that cherishes the descendants of former dynasties. How could such an outrageous thing happen?”

The name “France” (佛蘭西) originally came from the transliteration of the modern Japanese pronunciation “Furansu” (フランス), so it was a name that would never be used here, where Joseon held the reins. [This highlights Joseon’s cultural dominance and resistance to foreign influence]

It wouldn’t be impossible to transliterate it using Joseon-style Chinese pronunciation, but Yi Hwan, being of the younger generation, was among those who didn’t understand such old-fashioned habits.

If they used the Hangul [Korean alphabet] created by his uncle, they could still transcribe most proper nouns close to the original pronunciation, so why bother twisting the pronunciation to fit Chinese characters?

Yi Dan nodded.

“That’s right. And when Jang Dal-gu was in Joseon, he often took a cautious stance, so it can only be seen as the situation simply unfolding that way in France. But…”

Yi Dan took the pipe from his mouth and blew out streams of smoke.

“Now that such a wrong precedent has been set, there’s no guarantee that some hotheads won’t crawl out in Joseon too, is there?”

“And yet you’re still thinking of supporting France?”

“There’s no reason not to support them. Commander Jang is not only my friend but also a crucial trading partner.”

France also knew this.

Ultimately, the core of Mediterranean trade was trade with Great Joseon.

In Joan of Arc’s letter, delivered through Venice, she expressed deep friendship and inquired whether they could export muskets and gunpowder.

Yi Dan had no reason to refuse his old friend’s request.

Since the alliance with Ouchi [a powerful Japanese clan], Joseon’s main exports had been weapons and military supplies.

If France ran around diligently, slapping the chins of European countries one by one [defeating them], they wouldn’t even think about coveting the New World with the fires raging at their doorsteps.

However, separately from that, from Yi Dan’s perspective, the flames of republicanism and whatnot spreading to Joseon were a considerable concern.

Even though it was happening in a foreign country on the other side of the world, it didn’t feel distant at all to Yi Dan, as it was something being done by someone he knew well.

To put it coldly, although a republican revolution had occurred in France, it was different in nature from the later French Revolution, which was caused by social contradictions and pressures.

A political environment where absolute monarchy had not yet been firmly established, thus the sanctity and absoluteness of the king had not been properly established.

Chaos caused by prolonged war.

The prestige held by Joan of Arc personally.

Antipathy following the peace treaty with Yongdam [a historical event or figure, needs more context if possible].

And the backlash and sense of crisis following Louis’ attempted escape.

It could be seen as a product of chance, all mixed together.

As the era and circumstances were different, Europe’s reaction was also different.

The noble blue bloods sneered at the rise of a ‘rootless peasant girl’, but unlike the French Revolution, where all of Europe ganged up on them, that was all.

England and Burgundy, who had strong incentives to intervene in France, were busy overcoming their own crises.

In the meantime, the principalities within France, which had been secretly trying to gain independence by taking advantage of the collapse of the royal family, had their heads chopped off by Joan of Arc, and the seemingly precarious republic quickly solidified its position.

Conversely, if the seeds of republicanism had not existed in the form of city-states, or if Joan of Arc, a renowned general, had disappeared into ashes, or if the situation had not flowed in a direction that would inevitably close the Valois dynasty…

Louis’ head would not have been cut off three hundred years earlier.

“Today’s prosperity of Joseon is unprecedented in history, and it would not have been achieved without our ancestors. Those who remember the grace of our father overflow throughout the myriad miles of rivers and mountains, so your worries are excessive.”

Even beasts knew gratitude, so how could they dare covet what their father had passed down to them, was his thought.

“In fact, when you think about it, the cause of this was a general wielding military power and turning his troops, so wouldn’t it be enough to be careful about that part?”

In fact, considering the deep respect that the people of Joseon had for him simply because he was the son of the Tae Emperor, he couldn’t help but understand.

Louis’ head was cut off only because he was immoral, and it was hard to imagine that the simple people of a country like Joseon could do such a thing.

But Yi Dan’s thoughts were different.

It is difficult to revive a country, but easy to ruin it.

Even if virtuous rulers appear for ten generations, one foolish ruler can undo everything.

Moreover, wouldn’t that be even more true for a great empire like Joseon?

He had heard that Esen of the Oirat [a powerful Mongol leader] had died, and he was barely managing to salvage the situation in Central Asia, where the Ulus [Mongol term for a territory or state] he ruled was on the verge of splitting into five.

While reminding them that the prosperity of the Oirat was entirely due to the overland trade continuing from Joseon, he had to attempt a soft landing by cooperating with his son, Prince No, from both the east and west.

Naturally, due to the distance and the fact that there were now some fearless individuals trying to break away from Joseon’s influence, it was not easy.

Esen’s eldest son, Horukdason, formally submitted a memorial requesting that Joseon allow him to inherit the title of Prince of Pyeongseo, but Esen’s other sons, Oshu Temur and Umasancha, were different.

Therefore, Yi Dan had issued a decree to gather Mongol cavalry and begin the task of subjugating these groups.

Khan Adai had already died, and one of the Borjigin clan members [Genghis Khan’s clan] had taken his place, but in reality, nothing was done according to the Khan’s wishes, and all matters were decided by holding a Kurultai [a Mongol political and military council].

The Kurultai was held in Sangdo, which was under the jurisdiction of the Joseon army, so it mostly took the form of following Joseon’s requests.

However, after running mercenaries like this once, Joseon would generously compensate them for the value, so there were no significant complaints.

The advantage of being able to crush the enemy with Joseon’s overwhelming firepower also existed.

Esen was also aware of this fact, so he had not bothered to break away from Joseon’s influence, but his sons had no choice but to be disciplined.

In addition, there was a request to take the area called the Great Food Bay (Persian Gulf) and make it a Joseon territory like Simhado [an island under Joseon control]. They were in the midst of reviewing it.

This was because there were only a few local noble families in this area, and the Turks – that is, the Mamluks [a military caste in Egypt] – did not pay much attention to this area.

It was not a particularly economically wealthy area, and its religious importance was negligible compared to the western Arabian Peninsula, where Mecca and Medina were located.

Yi Dan thought that if that was all, there was no reason to make it a Joseon territory, but the reason was that it was across the sea from the White Sheep Dynasty [Aq Qoyunlu, a Turkoman dynasty], which was gaining momentum in the gap where the Ottomans were shattered, and it could be used as an important trading hub.

From managing the division of the Oirat and expanding to the Great Food Bay to providing military support to France.

The circumstances of countries that would have had nothing to do with Joseon in the past are now closely linked to Joseon’s national interests.

If even a small miscalculation is made, it will directly result in harm to this dynasty.

But will all descendants truly understand this well?

Even he, with a fairly strong heart, occasionally feels the pressure, so will they be able to properly carry out their rule as emperors?

In any case, he will be in his grave, so he cannot afford to worry about the distant future.

But the problem was that he was worried about what would happen just one generation later.

Yi Dan initially hoped that the Crown Prince would share the burden of his father, just as he had shared the burden of his father.

His late-born son was his only legitimate son, and Yi Dan himself was gradually aging, so that was even more so.

“But he just likes to go out and play.”

Yi Dan held his head.