There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 92

“We have spotted Wokou [Japanese pirate] ships in the distance!”

Upon hearing the scout’s report, Sangwang [Former King] Yi Bang-gwa immediately surveyed his surroundings.

He lamented the absence of onlookers, wondering if the people had already fled upon seeing the approaching Wokou ships.

He took a deep breath and shouted loudly enough for the people hiding in the mountains and valleys to hear.

“Yi Bang-gwa, the Sangwang, is here!”

Although he had changed his name to Gyeong after ascending the throne, it was merely a formality to avoid name clashes and wasn’t frequently used.

Having ascended the throne late in life, he had lived and was destined to die as Yi Bang-gwa.

His name would only be recorded as Joseon King Yi Gyeong in Ming Dynasty’s diplomatic documents.

“Ready all the arrows!”

The mounted archers nocked their arrows.

And fired.

The arrows rained down on the Wokou.

The Wokou, caught off guard and unable to form proper ranks, were defenseless against the hail of arrows.

“Charge!”

At Yi Bang-gwa’s command, the Training Command cavalry surged forward, charging towards the enemy.

The Wokou hastily drew their katana and fought back, but they were no match, having been caught by surprise and barely surviving their previous defeat.

Seeing this, Yi Bang-gwa grabbed a spear and charged towards the enemy himself.

“Sangwang Jeonha [Your Majesty], it is dangerous!”

“These weaklings? What danger could there be!”

Yi Bang-gwa shouted.

Once, he had effectively acted as the eldest son, assisting Yi Seong-gye, but after ascending the throne against his will, his presence had faded long ago.

He often felt it would have been better to remain a general.

Yi Bang-gwa reminisced about the past, twirling his spear.

It was his signature move that had struck fear into the hearts of the Red Turbans and Wokou—or at least, that’s what he believed.

“I never thought I’d use this here! Watch closely! And don’t tell anyone!”

Yi Bang-gwa rode his horse, swinging his spear, and the Wokou fell like leaves in autumn.

“Haa!”

“Ooh!”

“Sangwang Jeonha is displaying such incredible martial prowess! We are truly enlightened!”

Yi Bang-gwa’s pride soared to the heavens at his subordinates’ praise.

However, he feigned modesty and waved his hand.

“You must never spread rumors…”

“Why is that?”

“Or else everyone will ask me to lead the army again!”

Yi Bang-gwa was getting ahead of himself, assuming people wanted him when they didn’t.

It was then.

“Hap!”

“Sangwang Jeonha!”

“You, you bastard!”

Perhaps he had gotten too carried away, as Yi Bang-gwa was caught off guard by a Wokou’s surprise attack.

He hastily struck the charging Wokou with his spear shaft.

– Thwack

Fortunately, he managed to fend off the attacker in time, but at the cost of breaking his spear shaft.

Seeing the Wokou slowly closing in, Yi Bang-gwa quickly searched for a weapon.

“Sangwang Jeonha, here…”

“Got it!”

Yi Bang-gwa picked up a flail that had been dropped, likely by someone who had fled from their work.

And with it, he smashed the head of the charging enemy.

The end of the flail swung at the perfect angle, shattering the Wokou’s head like a watermelon.

“… !”

Yi Bang-gwa shuddered at the sensation in his hand.

He had only thought of the flail as a peasant’s weapon, but it had such power.

Come to think of it, it seemed incredibly effective.

“The flail… it’s quite useful…”

Yi Bang-gwa muttered to himself.

Should he suggest the cavalry use this?

He mumbled.

The pyeon-gon [a type of composite bow], once used in the Three Kingdoms era, was making a roaring comeback.

===

“What kind of heavenly prank is this now!”

In Geoje, they were smashed by strange sticks, and now it’s an attack by the Gabyeolcho [a Korean elite troop].

“Kuaaak!”

“S, save me…”

His subordinates desperately sought rescue, but Saemon太郎 could not lower the rope.

Shouldn’t he at least return alive?

‘Isn’t that why there’s a clear distinction between superiors and subordinates?’

Soda Saemon太郎 tearfully issued a retreat order.

But even that wasn’t easy.

The few surviving Wokou screamed and tried to board the ship.

The Wokou hesitated, unable to forcibly push away their comrades who had shared their hardships.

Moreover, there were more people fleeing and jumping onto the ship than those who remained on board.

“Damn it!”

Saemon太郎 personally cut down a Wokou with his sword.

Only then did the Wokou recoil in terror.

“Sail the ship quickly!”

Saemon太郎 shouted, but no one responded.

“What are you doing, hurry…”

Sensing an eerie feeling, Saemon太郎 turned his head and saw that his subordinates’ gazes were fixed on one spot.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

The Joseon army was closing in.

It was only a matter of time before Soda Saemon太郎’s neck was seized.

===

Grand King Yi Seong-gye was silently staring at the map.

“Your Majesty, shouldn’t you hurry to rescue the Crown Prince?”

“Bang-gwa has gone, so it’s fine.”

Yi Seong-gye thought of his grandson.

The boy was strangely strong-willed, so he would probably survive until the Sangwang came to rescue him.

More importantly, they couldn’t miss the opportunity to strike while the enemies had left their lairs.

“Ships of unknown origin have entered near Ulsan!”

Upon receiving the report from the magistrate of Dongnae, Yi Seong-gye slammed the table.

“So, they’ve finally arrived.”

Yi Seong-gye quickly issued orders.

“Do not worry, they are allies! Each local official must calm the people’s unrest and prohibit the spread of rumors. When they come down to Dongnae, quickly replenish their supplies.”

The Jurchens, following Yi Seong-gye’s support, were to resupply in Dongnae, rest, and then set sail for Tsushima Island, taking into account the currents and winds.

They had seized an opportune moment.

The Jurchens had been ordered to burn and pillage everything while the enemy’s main force was away.

“Will 300 men be enough?”

“Do not worry. Unless the lord of Tsushima Island leads his troops personally, we are bound to win.”

Yi Seong-gye said.

However, since the lord of Tsushima Island had already agreed to cooperate greatly, victory was virtually assured.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Yi Seong-gye said.

The Jurchens were more ruthless than the Wokou.

There was no need to worry, as those men would be allowed to unleash their wild instincts to their hearts’ content.

Yi Seong-gye looked beyond the sea.

Once they had shown their might in Tsushima Island, the Jurchens, having tasted money, would join this looting spree one after another.

‘After that, they might set their sights on the Japanese mainland rather than Tsushima Island, which has few resources.’

What was he planning to do by raising these Jurchens?

===

“You’ve come to rescue me?”

Upon returning to Tongyeong, I asked my great-uncle, who had completely wiped out the remaining forces.

I thought Yi Seong-gye would come himself.

Did that mean he was prioritizing that?

‘No, shouldn’t saving his grandson be the priority?’

Not just any grandson, but the Crown Prince of this nation.

“I thought you were in Tongyeong… you went quite far…”

“I should have informed you, I apologize.”

I scratched my head and said.

Still, thanks to that, I managed to come up with the idea of seaweed farming and secure a wintering ground.

“Well, it’s fine. If this battle is also written in the manual and taught for generations, I can let it pass…”

‘Ah, that’s the goal.’

No wonder he was sulking when the people only looked for the Grand King and me when we visited Dongnae.

He must be incredibly proud of this battle.

“I’ll even print it out with a printing press and publish it in the jobo [official gazette].”

As I said that, Yi Bang-gwa’s cheekbones soared to the sky.

“So, would you like to see the face of the captured Wokou leader?”

At my request, Soda Saemon太郎 was dragged in, tightly bound.

He looked at my face and shouted something.

“Hey, is there an interpreter?”

Then, an old man came running in a hurry.

He was an old man who had been captured in Japan a long time ago and was redeemed, and he had learned Japanese thanks to that.

Even before the old man arrived, Soda Saemon太郎 was shouting like a mad dog.

To translate, it was roughly this:

“You dog-like Joseon bastards! You tricked me!”

‘Huh? What is he talking about tricking?’

I blinked.

“You knew we were setting sail and laid an ambush! Otherwise, how could you have cornered me as if it were predetermined!”

‘No, what is this bastard talking about.’

It wasn’t an ambush in the first place, but this guy was just unlucky enough to run into our army, but even if that were the case, what’s wrong with ambushing and capturing invading Wokou?

‘Our way of thinking is completely different.’

I was dumbfounded and asked.

“It is natural to use tricks in war. And isn’t it ridiculous for bandits like you to talk about morality? Is it right for you to plunder Joseon people?”

Then, Soda Saemon太郎 replied in a pathetic voice.

“You have vast farmlands and harvest a lot, so wouldn’t it be okay to share a little?”

“What a crazy bastard.”

I raised my fist, but Yi Bang-gwa reacted faster.

A tough fist, similar to Yi Seong-gye’s, struck Soda Saemon太郎’s face.

“Keok!”

Nosebleeds splattered everywhere.

“What a sight to see, pathetically coveting other people’s things. By now, your house must have been completely looted.”

“Y, you treacherous Joseon bastards… !”

Soda Saemon太郎 muttered, burying his face in the ground.

It’s a nuisance even when you kindly inform him.

I looked at my great-uncle and asked.

“How many prisoners did we capture?”

“It seems like there will be about 200…”

“Oh, valuable labor. I heard that the Dancheon silver mine is short of people. Let’s throw them all in there, shall we?”

I thought about using those who knew how to sail or were good at looting, as their skills were too good to waste, but I didn’t intend to employ them right away.

It would be good to let them rot in the gulag for a few months and realize the true meaning of ‘labor re-education.’

‘I have to make them always have a grateful heart.’

I was thinking that when No-bun asked.

“What are you planning to do with this guy named 좌위문태랑 [his Japanese name]?”

However, I cannot let this commander, who dared to point a sword at me, the Crown Prince, live.

“Shouldn’t we escort him to Gaeseong and behead him or something…?”

Yi Bang-gwa said.

“That would be fine for now… but something is missing.”

The people of the southern coast have suffered severely from the Wokou.

If the leader of the Wokou is captured and immediately taken to Gaeseong to be executed, can it be said that the wounded hearts have been compensated?

“Then what are you planning to do…?”

“Leave it to me.”

I said with a bitter smile.

===

“Done.”

As always, I wrote down a few sentences on a wooden board in elegant handwriting.

And I hung it around the neck of Saemon太郎, who was tightly bound.

“W, what is this? What are you trying to make me do?”

“Uh-huh, shh. Stay still.”

Saemon太郎 resisted, but there was nothing he could do, having already been subdued.

Watching from afar, he looked quite satisfactory.

It was a pity that not everyone could read the sentences written in Chinese characters, but I had no choice but to hope that the content would be passed down by word of mouth.

“Now, let’s go to Dongnae like this.”

I was planning to have the Wokou march with such wooden boards hanging around their necks.

The content was as follows:

– I am a Wokou. I will receive Joseon’s judgment.

End

ⓒ Pitkong