There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 93

As the Japanese pirates, clad only in loincloths, were led toward Dongnae, the people lined the streets to gawk.

“Waaah!”

“His Majesty the Retired King and the Crown Prince have defeated the Japanese pirates!”

“Just look at the state of those Japanese pirates!”

The people cheered at our triumphant return, as we led the prisoners with a show of dignity.

Yi Seong-gye, who was at the military camp, also came out to greet us upon hearing the news.

“What in the world is going on here?”

“I crushed the Japanese pirates who invaded Geoje in the first wave, and my great-uncle captured the rest.”

Yi Seong-gye blinked for a moment at my explanation, then clicked his tongue.

“I thought you’d be lucky to just hold out with your guards, but you’ve become a general!”

“Aren’t I from a family of generals?”

I said what Yi Seong-gye would have wanted to hear most.

Yi Seong-gye tried to maintain a stern expression, but the corners of his lips were slightly raised.

“By the way, what’s wrong with that guy?”

When I looked in the direction Yi Seong-gye was pointing, I saw my great-uncle jumping up and down on his horse, showing off the heads of the Japanese pirates.

‘Such a lack of decorum,’ I thought.

The people who had followed along to see the captured Japanese pirates exclaimed every time Yi Bang-gwa did that.

The Retired King was even more excited by the reaction, but…

“You guys, get back!”

“How dare commoners make such a commotion?”

“Soldiers, don’t be swayed! His Majesty the Retired King has instructed you not to carelessly reveal your achievements!”

As the guards urged the soldiers and people to quiet down, the Retired King’s expression faltered.

“No, it doesn’t have to be like that…”

When Yi Bang-gwa timidly protested, the people looked at him and nodded vigorously.

But the guards were unmoved.

“Ahem, His Majesty is a virtuous man, so he tells us not to scold you, but he is not one to refuse humility!”

“Swinging a sword once split a mountain? Don’t spread such false rumors! You will be punished for sedition!”

Yi Bang-gwa hung his head at the guards’ excessive loyalty.

“If you were going to pretend to be so humble, you should have quietly packed those heads in a box and left…”

“I, I was worried about wasting salt…”

“We have plenty of salt these days.”

Why is someone whose sons are all salt farm owners worried about salt?

Pretending to be humble in front of his subordinates has led to this result.

I, on the other hand, enthusiastically enjoyed the cheers of the people.

“Waaah, long live, long live, long live!”

The people shouted.

The battle here ended in a great victory and with the cheers of the people.

And soon, the news from Tsushima Island was the same.

===

“Captured 500 prisoners and seized over a hundred spears, swords, and bows. In addition, we have taken the gold, silver, silk, and various provisions that the enemy leader had accumulated, and burned the Japanese hideout to the ground.”

Most of the men had gone to war as Japanese pirates, but there were also a large number of women and children captured by the Jurchens [nomadic people who lived northeast of Korea].

The wealth and food they had plundered and stored in their lairs were also considerable.

“I hope they left enough to give to the lord of Toju, right?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

I asked the Jurchen.

He replied in fairly fluent Joseon language.

I wanted to return everything to the plundered people, but I couldn’t.

There was the food that had already been eaten, and some had to be given to the lord of Tsushima, who had provided information.

Still, how good is it for the people to get back some of the wealth and food that was originally taken from them?

Pyeongdojeon came from Tsushima to report on the progress and discuss the aftermath.

“I am very honored that Your Highness personally captured the bandit Saemontaro.”

Pyeongdojeon knelt and said so.

‘I didn’t capture him,’ I thought.

My great-uncle Yi Bang-gwa glared at Pyeongdojeon, but he didn’t notice.

Well, it’s not important, so let’s move on.

“He dared to point a sword at me. If it weren’t for our and the lord’s secret agreement, I would have conquered all of Tsushima.”

It wasn’t intentional, but since a Japanese pirate dared to attack the Crown Prince of Joseon, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to raise an army.

“But we know the truth, don’t we? Please have mercy.”

That’s right.

The lord of Tsushima actively cooperated, so there’s no reason to act like a thug and invade using this as an excuse.

“Jwa Wimumtae-rang has been captured, what will happen to the land he ruled?”

I asked.

“Thanks to the help of the Upper Kingdom [a respectful term for Joseon], his power has been greatly weakened, so the lord has taken it over directly.”

Pyeongdojeon said.

“Hmph, he got it for free thanks to us.”

Yi Seong-gye snorted at those words.

“Shouldn’t there be a price to pay?”

“A price… are you referring to?”

Pyeongdojeon asked.

“Well, I’m not asking for territory to be ceded. Just give us a place to build a trading post in the port.”

I said so.

Anyway, if we set up a base there, they will never be able to lead Japanese pirates to riot.

It will be reported directly to us.

“The lord rather wants to expand trade with Joseon, so it will be possible enough, but…”

Pyeongdojeon said, kneeling.

“Then that’s fine. If you sell us some land, we’ll make you pay taxes according to your income.”

‘Of course, we have to use it as a base for the Jurchens too,’ I thought.

The Tsushima trading post was intended to be used as an intermediate base for trade with Japan and to monitor any potential unrest.

Also, with this, we will be able to grasp the trends within Tsushima in detail.

Wouldn’t that be a win-win for both sides?

Then Pyeongdojeon said cautiously.

“However, we also have external circumstances, so I hope you will consider them.”

“External circumstances?”

“This time, the lord’s taking Soda Mano’s land was a mistake.”

Pyeongdojeon brought up something he wasn’t even asked about.

Tsushima’s lord, So Sadashige, happily devoured it because the power of that land had greatly weakened, but in fact, this was a bad move.

“Our Tsushima… because there is the Shoni clan, the daimyo [powerful feudal lord] of Kyushu, who is the overlord of Tsushima.”

The suzerain state of Tsushima was the Shoni clan, but Tsushima always hated external interference, as everyone else did.

On the other hand, the Shoni clan wanted to strengthen its suzerainty over Tsushima.

And they had been in a deep relationship with Soda Saemontaro, a powerful figure in Tsushima.

“Saemontaro was captured by the Upper Kingdom’s army, but his descendants remain on the island. Instead of appointing one of them as the new Mano, the lord took it over, so will the Shoni clan let this go?”

Even if they are just standing by now, they will try to investigate this when the opportunity arises.

If Joseon’s trading post enters, how will they react…”

Um, I know all about your complicated political situation.

‘But who cares?’ I thought.

“The fact that you are telling me even these deep inside stories must be because you have something in mind, right?”

I asked Pyeongdojeon.

Then he bowed to me.

“That’s right. I advised the lord on this matter, but he coveted the small land and would not listen, so I couldn’t help it.”

“A wise bird chooses its branch, so please accept my defection, Your Highness.”

So, judging by the looks of it, the lord of Tsushima will also be ruined someday, so he’s going to grab this rope.

On the outside, he is a high-ranking official of Tsushima, but on the inside, he is going to be loyal to us?

“Of course, Hogun [a Joseon official title].”

Of course, there was nothing bad for us.

When I called him by the Joseon official title that had been given to him, Pyeongdojeon was overjoyed and stepped back.

Yi Seong-gye clicked his tongue as he watched the scene.

“If you eat too much, you’ll get indigestion. You have to be careful when taking other people’s things.”

Yi Seong-gye continued.

“Even though he is a local magnate under my command, he didn’t cause a rebellion, and he didn’t appoint his descendants, but simply because the head of the family was captured, he swallowed up his land, so it’s only natural that the lord of Tsushima won’t last long.”

“That Pyeongdojeon has a good eye for people.”

“I agree. The lord of Tsushima should have come and received education on the attributes of usurpation from Halba-mama [term of endearment for grandfather].”

“You rascal.”

Yi Seong-gye gave me a flick on the forehead for being rude, but it was actually true.

How much justification would he have made to take other people’s countries and make them his own?

In reality, it was Jeong Do-jeon and his other subordinates who directed it, but Yi Seong-gye would have experienced the process clearly.

I stroked my head, which now seemed to have physical resistance, and said.

“Pyeongdojeon will now take care of the Tsushima issue. Halba-mama, please have the magistrate gather some of the government slaves from Dongnae.”

“Why the government slaves?”

“I’m going to try seaweed farming.”

Pearl farming and seaweed farming.

The goal was to revitalize the economy of the South Sea coast through this.

Who would refuse an order? Dongnae’s magistrate, following Yi Seong-gye’s orders, gathered all the government slaves that day and sent them to me.

===

Yi Seong-gye and Yi Bang-gwa were busy sightseeing while they were down here, and the soldiers were leisurely relieving the fatigue that had accumulated from moving urgently.

Meanwhile, I took the government slaves and went around looking for shallow tidal flats, setting up bamboo poles.

The work itself wasn’t very difficult, but…

‘Someone might take it, so I always have to check it like this,’ I thought.

I didn’t think there would be anyone brave enough to steal the work managed by the Crown Prince, but there were plenty of people living only for today in this era.

So, while I was taking a walk in the morning to check the bamboo poles, something caught my eye.

“Huh?”

On the tidal flat where the bamboo was lined up, I could see one foot floating around.

Looking closely, the foot was also made of bamboo.

“Who made that?”

When I pointed at it and asked, the Ajeon [a low-level government official] – who was from Dongnae’s workshop – who had followed me, hurriedly stepped forward.

“Wh, who dared to float such a thing! Your Highness, I will definitely find him!”

“No, finding him…”

I wasn’t trying to scold him.

However, the workshop official immediately called the government slaves and urged them.

“You guys! Who dared to make the bamboo poles like that?”

The government slaves didn’t answer.

Then, after the workshop official urged them again, someone hesitantly stepped forward.

A youthful face, close to a boy.

“You, you are the culprit!”

The workshop official said, exaggeratedly jumping up and down.

“Your Highness, this child… You, kneel down quickly. He is the Crown Prince.”

What business would a government slave have to see the Crown Prince?

Of course, he didn’t know the etiquette, so he just suddenly prostrated himself on the floor.

“I, I greet the Crown Prince.”

The child stuttered, perhaps nervous that a high-ranking person had suddenly called him.

“H, however, what is the matter…”

“Did you make this thing?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

He trembled, afraid of being scolded, but what came out of my mouth was something else.

“Why did you make it like this?”

“Yes?”

The child blinked at the sudden question, then belatedly realized that he had committed the rudeness of not answering the Crown Prince.

He pulled himself together and hurriedly answered.

“Ah, I thought it would be difficult for the seaweed stuck on the bamboo poles to receive sunlight.”

“Crops also grow well in sunny places because a lot of Yang energy comes in. Seaweed is also a crop, so I thought it should receive a lot of Yang energy…”

“Heo.”

I had only heard about the method of bamboo pole farming, so I hadn’t thought of this.

He may not know the principle of photosynthesis itself, but he applied the facts he learned from observation here.

‘This kid has a great imagination,’ I thought.

In fact, he looked three or four years older than me.

‘If you count my age from my past life, he’s still a kid to me, though.’

I always coveted such excellent talents.

I said to the workshop official.

“Workshop.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“It’s not that the Dongnae government office necessarily needs this child, right?”

“Th, that’s right.”

The workshop official said, glancing at my face.

The faces of the government slaves gathered here all turned blue.

“Y, Your Highness! This child has done wrong, but he is a very bright and smart child!”

“Please save him!”

“?”

I was momentarily stunned by the incomprehensible reaction, then realized what the situation was.

They think I’m going to kill that child.

‘My desire for talent is being misunderstood like this!’ I thought.

I was lamenting inwardly when Nobun, who was standing next to me, stepped forward with a determined expression.

Perhaps he was saddened by the sight of his master being misunderstood.

Nobun looked at me and asked.

“Your Highness, how should we deal with him?”

I kicked the guy in the shin.

“You idiot, do you think I’m going to eat him?”

It’s the opposite.

I waved my hand and shouted quickly.

“That child seems to have a good talent, so I want to take him and raise him. Have him follow me.”

“Y-yes?”

Joy and sorrow crossed the boy’s face.

The guy who had a face like he had come back to life soon had a dead face.

“Why is that?”

“I am honored, but please withdraw that order.”

“My mother is a government slave in Dongnae, and I cannot leave my mother behind and follow Your Highness alone.”

I wondered what it was, so that’s what it was.

“Is that so? Then bring your mother with you too.”

“… !”

The boy’s eyes widened at my words.

Why are you worrying so much when you have such an easy solution?

I was annoyed by any further questions, so I just got on my horse.

He’ll follow me on his own.

Ah, but I haven’t heard his name yet.

I looked back at the boy and asked.

“What’s your name?”

Then the boy, who had been bowing his head in fear, poked his face out and opened his mouth.

“I am Yeongsil… Jang Yeongsil.”

Ah, this.

I’m lucky.

End

ⓒ Pitkong