There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 85

Now that the ball was in Muhak’s court, I quietly focused on my own work.

The monks mobilized for the Hanyang construction, and those from the Printing Office all actively cooperated with the nation’s affairs.

‘Indeed. The reform signal launched by the Buddhist community must have boosted these people’s motivation.’

I looked at them with satisfaction.

The day when Joseon’s Buddhism would overcome the attacks of Confucian scholars, renew itself, and soar was not far off.

“No matter how I look at it, it just seems like they’re working hard because they don’t want to be dragged off to the gulag…”

“Be quiet.”

I kicked Noh Bun in the shin.

“Ugh!”

“I barely touched you, you brat.”

Such dramatics.

In any case, with more specimens entering the gulag, Pyungwonhae was all smiles.

“How is work going these days?”

“It is progressing well. The doctors are resistant, but what can we do? This is also a method of healing.”

When he said that the anatomical charts were almost complete, I clapped my knees.

I exchanged various stories and then changed the subject.

In truth, I knew almost nothing about medicine, so it would be troublesome if Pyungwonhae asked me about specialized knowledge.

‘I got a strange image attached to me for performing the Heimlich maneuver last time.’

Instead, I brought up the topic of his hometown.

“Isn’t Physician Pyung’s hometown Tsushima Island? What is it like there?”

“What is it like, you ask…?”

“I’m just curious about the local climate and people. The power structure, things like that.”

I knew almost nothing about Japanese history.

At best, a few events from the Imjin War [Japanese invasions of Korea in the late 16th century] and the Japanese colonial period that overlapped with Korean history.

So, to get information, I had to ask people from this era.

Fortunately, Pyungwonhae was a native, so he was a suitable person to give me information.

“There are several local clans under the lord. The most powerful is a man named Soda Saemontaro, or rather, Zawimon Taro (左衛門太郞)…”

After listening to his explanation for a long time, I sent Pyungwonhae back.

“I kept the former Physician for too long, I see.”

“Not at all. I enjoyed talking about my hometown after a long time as well. Hehe.”

However, it was a useful story in many ways.

If you know yourself and your enemy, you will not be defeated in a hundred battles.

‘The problem is that my work has piled up while listening to that story.’

I sighed.

The amount of work I had to handle myself was already overflowing.

‘I need to hire someone else quickly.’

It was fortunate that the Training Command was managed by Jo Young-moo and Halba-mama; if I had to take care of that as well, I wouldn’t have enough bodies even if I had ten.

‘Just looking at Hanyang is enough to make me full without eating.’

This is why I want someone to replace me.

I only provide the broad direction and technical foundation, and I needed someone to grasp the remaining details and take overall management.

I had my eye on someone, but it was clear that it would take at least ten years for that person to grow, so I felt hopeless.

While I was engrossed in work, someone came to find me.

“His Majesty orders you to come up to Gaeseong [the capital of Joseon at the time] immediately.”

“Already?”

I had only been in Hanyang for a short time, and now I was being told to go up to Gaeseong.

“He’s calling me as soon as Changdeok Palace is completed.”

I said, looking across at the newly completed Changdeok Palace.

Was it because of the upcoming relocation of the capital?

Since coming to Hanyang, I had been traveling back and forth to Gaeseong several times, giving regular reports.

The news of the completion of Changdeok Palace must have already reached Lee Bang-won’s [King Taejong of Joseon] ears.

‘Well, let’s take a breather.’

That’s what I thought when.

“Your Highness, please grant me this one request before you leave!”

Meng Sa-seong came shouting with a map of Hanyang’s land.

As soon as I saw Meng Sa-seong’s face, my expression hardened.

‘Damn it, now even Meng Sa-seong?’

Since I was in charge of the construction of Hanyang, lobbying requests had been pouring in from everywhere.

I granted requests like Muhak’s that were worth considering, but most were trivial requests to expand the building site or move the gate because it was too noisy.

‘Hwang Hee often brought these kinds of requests.’

I showed him what happens when you accept bribes.

I didn’t have any evidence, so I was keeping an eye on him, but I was dealing with Hwang Hee’s proposals by rejecting them all.

Was Meng Sa-seong joining in on this?

I examined the map Meng Sa-seong brought.

A large circle was drawn in pencil on one side of the capital, and something was written in Chinese characters.

“A dedicated cattle shed for farming oxen?”

I asked, raising my eyebrows.

This was so obvious.

However, Meng Sa-seong, whose love for oxen was extraordinary, said shamelessly.

“Agriculture is the foundation of the world. Oxen are spiritual beings that cultivate the land, so shouldn’t there be a place to care for them within the capital?”

“Well, shouldn’t each household take care of that on their own?”

“Aren’t all the oxen used during the construction of Hanyang gathered in one place anyway? Let all the oxen owned by the country live comfortably here.”

“Hmm.”

That was only possible because Hanyang was under construction; if there was a large-scale cattle shed inside the capital, there would be huge complaints about the smell.

Meng Sa-seong, the cow mom… no, cow daddy, would be happy, though.

I shook my head.

“I will prepare a site on Yeouido [an island in Seoul], so try to promote it there.”

Yeouido was planned to be used as a pasture, so it was good for raising livestock.

‘If we gather livestock, we can systematically obtain manure.’

I nodded.

===

After arriving in Gaeseong, Lee Bang-won summoned me to the throne room without giving me a chance to catch my breath.

Watching the royal court meetings was something I had often done before.

It was meant for me to see how state affairs were conducted and offer my opinions.

It was unprecedented for a young crown prince like me to attend, but more than that, there had never been a crown prince as young as me in Joseon, which was in its early days.

‘Annoying, annoying.’

Even though there was a lot of work, Hanyang was better because I was living productively.

But here….

“The Book of Rites states, ‘The reason why a son by a concubine does not perform ancestral rites is to clarify the line of succession.’ Now, many members of the royal family are privately officiating ancestral rites at the royal shrine. Please prohibit this.”

“According to the ancestral rites, it is not right for a collateral relative to dare to take charge of the ancestral rites. Act as the Ministry of Rites has stated.”

‘What is all this talk?’

I sighed.

It seemed to be an important issue intertwined with ancestral rites and legitimacy, but I wasn’t interested, so it was incredibly boring.

I gave my opinion on issues that I was involved in and knew well, such as the opening of the market and the relocation of the capital to Hanyang, but for the rest, I spaced out, half-consciously watching.

“Aren’t you being too obvious about being bored?”

Lee Bang-won even whispered to me when he saw that.

“Huh? How did you know?”

“It’s all over your face.”

My father’s intuition is scary.

I slapped my cheeks to force my eyes to look bright.

“So, is this why you called me here, to learn how to handle state affairs?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Lee Bang-won replied.

“There’s a tricky problem that’s hard to ponder alone.”

Before Lee Bang-won’s whisper was over, the chief secretary stepped forward.

“The next item on the agenda is a petition to move all the residents of Mureung Island in Gangneung Province to the mainland.”

“Mureung Island?”

I asked absentmindedly, and the chief secretary looked at me and nodded slightly, adding an explanation.

“It is a small island in the East Sea [Sea of Japan]. It is also called Usan Island or Ulleung Island.”

‘No, are they emptying Ulleung Island?’

Suddenly, I felt like I was waking up from a daze.

Come to think of it, I vaguely remembered this content when I watched the History of Korea.

“That is correct.”

While I was dumbfounded, the officials repeatedly voiced their agreement.

“If the Wokou [Japanese pirates] use the island as an intermediate base, they may invade Gangneung Province, so there have been many calls to repatriate the people.”

“Wokou invasions of Ulleung Island have been extreme since the Jeonjo Dynasty. It would be very difficult to go out by boat and stop them every time, so please allow it.”

As several officials bowed their heads and spoke, Lee Bang-won also looked troubled.

Indeed, protecting the mainland would be cheaper than protecting a distant island.

‘No, are they just giving up on Ulleung Island?’

I can’t stay still.

I looked at the officials and began to speak.

“Since Silla’s Isa-bu conquered Usan-guk, Ulleung Island has always been our territory.

There is no land among the three thousand li of Joseon that is not the land of our ancestors. How can you make such a statement to give up so easily?”

If we give up Ulleung Island because it is difficult to defend, wouldn’t there be calls to give up other territories that are difficult to defend next time?

However, the officials calmly refuted my argument.

“Emptying the island is just one way to manage Ulleung Island, not to abandon the territory itself.”

“The people of the island are suffering greatly from the Wokou, so we are only giving them land on the mainland to take care of them.”

“Every three years, we will send a Sutogwan [inspector] to Mureung Island to check if there are any foreigners who have entered without permission and manage it strictly.

Your Majesty, please grant the requests of your subjects.”

Taejong was listening to all the stories seriously.

“Hmm.”

Certainly, this would seem like a reasonable choice from his point of view.

It’s not like they’re handing over the territory to another country, just moving the people.

‘Still, I can’t let them fall for this.’

“Even if it is difficult, we must seek ways to defend the island across the sea. If we only look for easy ways, we will fall into great difficulty in the future.”

In fact, neither Joseon nor Japan attached much importance to Dokdo yet, but as someone who had lived until modern times, I knew how hot of a potato this would become.

The logic that Joseon, which emptied Ulleung Island by implementing the vacant island policy, would have seen Dokdo as its territory was used.

It was hundreds of years in the future, so I didn’t need to worry about it yet, but I didn’t want to give them an excuse.

“The court is trying to follow the example of the great power and implement a policy of maritime prohibition. It is difficult to protect both maritime prohibition and Mureung Island, so you must make a decision.”

‘What maritime prohibition?’

I made a disgusted face.

Whether the Ming Dynasty closes off the sea routes or not is their business, do we have to do the same?

“The laws of a country must be applied in accordance with the circumstances of that country. If we have to control the people from going to the sea because of the maritime prohibition, shouldn’t we empty all the islands of Joseon, which number over 3,000?”

The officials were taken aback when I said that.

They didn’t expect the crown prince to openly say that there was no need to apply the laws of the Ming Dynasty to Joseon.

Minister of Justice Jin Eui-gwi barely stepped forward and said.

“However, Joseon’s laws already borrow from the Great Ming Code. We must follow the maritime prohibition as well.”

“Then, since they practice ritual suicide in the Ming Dynasty, should we practice ritual suicide as well?”

“……”

I don’t know if ritual suicide is stipulated in the Great Ming Code, but I remember that ritual suicide existed in the Ming Dynasty at this time.

‘In fact, the Ming Dynasty is a Han Chinese dynasty that drove out the Yuan, but that doesn’t mean they completely eliminated the customs of the Yuan. They inherited and maintained all kinds of harsh punishments and evil practices such as ritual suicide.’

Hyuk-jin’s explanation came to mind.

Of course, the Joseon Sadaebu [Confucian scholars] did not blindly praise this, but rather secretly regarded it as uncivilized.

“Ah, no, that’s not what I meant…”

Jin Eui-gwi waved his hand, but I drove the wedge in completely.

“I understand that you want to implement all the horrific punishments of the Great Ming Code in Joseon.”

Jin Eui-gwi’s face turned pale as he was about to bring in terrible punishments such as waist chop, slow slicing, and skinning.

“Stop.”

Lee Bang-won raised his hand to stop me.

“The point is whether to defend Ulleung Island or not, so let’s consider it only from a practical point of view. Ulleung Island is a land where many soldiers cannot stay, and it is far out at sea, so even if we hear the news of the Wokou from Gangneung Province and send troops, we will always be late.”

Lee Bang-won sighed softly and opened his mouth.

“Do you have a solution?”

End

ⓒ Pit-Kong