As Prophet - Chapter 170



Only Noblemtl

Episode 170. Sangcham

“The Jurchen army gathered in this way usually trains by hunting. They drive the prey, block its escape, knock it down with bows, and finally hunt wild beasts with swords. Therefore, it is not that difficult to obtain tiger skins in Liaodong. The rules of hunting and fighting are similar. They move in a disorderly manner, but their direction is fixed and their flow is disciplined. The battle recorded in history is that several thousand Song troops were defeated by a few Jurchen cavalrymen who met them in the open field.

Third. The Ming Dynasty established 25 Wei under the command of the Liaodong Commander. One Wei is over 5,000 troops, excluding military officers and generals. If properly organized, it would be a large army of over 100,000. However, they are not able to exert any force at all now. They thoroughly made them fight each other based on the principle of Lee Lee Je-yi, and they discriminated against each other by favoring some, but those who escaped their control began to gather several decades ago. They chased them, destroyed them, and killed them several times when they gathered, but now some Jurchen tribes have migrated and gathered and dispersed, and have grown in size militarily. They have also become economically wealthy through trade. They are wealthy and strong, and these people have gathered together. They also know how to build a country.

Fourth, the question of whether they would invade Joseon. They did not do so during the previous dynasty. There are two reasons. First, there is a theory that Kim Bu-sik, who seized power during the previous dynasty, and Agolta were distant relatives. It is literally a theory. He was from Gyerim, a high-ranking official of Goryeo, and the leader of the Jurchen who went far away to Liaodong and established a country were cousins. It is only an unofficial history, but it is quite credible.

And Goryeo, under General Yun Gwan, advanced north and defeated them, built nine castles, but for some reason, they returned them to them. So, they did not try to invade Goryeo, which was grateful for their power.

And Goryeo was also skilled in diplomacy. Based on the military power that defeated the Khitan, it carried out diplomacy on equal footing with the Song Dynasty. The peace that came during the period of the establishment of the Three Kingdoms was entirely due to Goryeo’s ability.

And Goryeo was militarily strong. The land given to a soldier was given to his descendants even if he died in battle. So it was an army where there was no need to worry even if he died in battle. If the head of the household died, the family would have to live in hardship for decades, but that was not the case at all. Only one thing, the son had to take on the role of his dead father.

I want to ask you. Did we conduct diplomacy like Goryeo? Did we give the Jurchen the grace to return nine castles? Did we think of them as our brothers like our ancient ancestors? Were our peasant soldiers trained and well-armed like the Goryeo army or the Jurchen army? I think so. I don’t know if they have a reason to invade Joseon, but I tell you that there is no reason not to invade.

Fifth, they are preparing for a battle with the forces of the 25th Liaodong Commander of the Ming Dynasty. I would like to ask whether our Joseon army is capable of fighting the Ming army of Liaodong. We will not even reach the battlefield. We will collapse from exhaustion or starve to death before that. We are not superior to them militarily.

The bow, spear, and sword, added to the mobility of the cavalry, are comparable to the ability of the master. Even the masters who are skilled in martial arts cannot handle the speed of the horse. If they fight one-on-one with their feet on the ground, they can win, but it is difficult for the cavalry. How much more so can our peasant soldiers be their opponents? Can they defeat their cavalry who replace military training with hunting every day?

Finally, the Sojik do not know whether they are coming or not. There were signs of that, and there is intelligence that they have already entered the territory through other routes. Turning intelligence into information is confirmation. Our military has not confirmed it. It is still left as intelligence. It is something that needs to be known with all its might, but it is not responding while disparaging it as speculation and barbarism. We need to find out. Even if their activities are false, we need to confirm it. Because we cannot put the country at risk.

The organization called Il-dae-gye was run by a leader named Yeo-ui, and it took root in various parts of Joseon society. They mobilized many soldiers and attempted to overthrow the country. It was not just a rebellion because they dreamed of a revolution. I would like to say this to Your Majesty, who has safely abdicated and ascended the throne during this time. I dare say that Il-dae-gye has colluded with them, and this time when Joseon’s political situation is unstable is the best time for the Jurchen to attack. No matter how much you invest in safety measures, it will never be enough. We must put all our efforts into repairing the walls, training the soldiers, and preparing military equipment. Even if they do not come, peace can continue. Joseon can continue to prosper.”

The commander-in-chief, who had finished speaking, hit the floor with his head. The high-ranking officials who had been muttering with their mouths flinched at the sound of the ‘bang!’. Even if others did not know, they knew that the commander-in-chief had played a significant role in preventing the rebellion. In other words, even if he cut down a few noisy bastards with the sword on his waist, it might not harm him at all.

Isn’t there something more frightening than the king himself, the power that enthroned him? The high-ranking officials who would have been outraged at this nonsense in other times have kept their mouths shut. There were many things I didn’t like, but not many things were wrong.

Although it was grating to their ears to hear about the good things they had done in the past, they could not deny it. The reason Goryeo had a hundred years of peace was because they had won the war against the Khitans. The Khitans could no longer attack the Song Dynasty, and Goryeo’s envoys committed atrocities whenever they went to the Song Dynasty. No wonder Su Dongpo was so angry.

The heartbreaking remarks pierced the hearts of the officials. If it had been a normal situation, they would have been scolded loudly for comparing Goryeo and Joseon. It was not uncommon for a young high-ranking official to curse General No, who was a military officer.

And no one could contradict the governor-general, because the new king nodded in agreement with his words. The king opened his mouth to face the governor-general, who gave a long answer and exhaled.

“Raise your head. Isn’t it the Commander-in-Chief’s fault?”

“Your Majesty! How can I be forgiven for my sins of not doing my job properly until now? I truly realized after seeing what happened yesterday. I truly realized that we did things very wrong. I beg you not to forgive the warriors of this country who put the country in danger.”

“How could that be your fault? It’s our fault for making a puppet out of you.”

“majesty!”

The king approached and stopped the commander-in-chief from showing his loyalty by hitting his head again.

“My head hurts. Let me ask you something else. What do you think about the heavenly path that the king spoke of?”

The commander shed tears.

“It is because Sojik did not do his job well that we have come to this situation. We have not verified the facts and we have no countermeasures. If he had ordered us to move the capital, it would have been the right decision. But how could that be? Move the capital after Sojik is pierced in the stomach by their spears and his waist is broken outside Heunginjimun.”

The senior officials could not raise their heads at the old general’s spirit as he grabbed the floor and shouted loudly.

“Why do you think you’re coming to Dongdaemun? Couldn’t you have come through Gupabal or Donuimun?”

“If they came down through Cheoryeong, then it would be Donuimun. However, there is no trace of them. If they came by another route, I thought they would come down through the mountain path in Gangwon-do and come to Heunginjimun. I made an example without realizing it, and it is not based on actual information.

“For a warrior, death on the battlefield is the most honorable thing. I will protect my country, Major General. I will die protecting it. At that time, I request that you go to Mapo and move to Ganghwa Island. I am sorry. Please kill this incompetent old subject.”

Tears fell from the old man’s eyes.

“Phew.”

I said let’s have a meeting, but he speaks eloquently. I appreciate the spirit of righteousness, but the meeting is not going well. Still, it is the position of politics to make judgments. Haven’t we seen too many people ruin the country by not doing this or that?

The king looked around at the civil servants who were saying the same thing. They were speechless, overwhelmed by the spirit of the commander-in-chief. They probably had nothing much to say. He desperately wanted to bring in the royal envoy and have a conversation. He must have had another reason for the discussion he had started. Leaving the royal shrine and the country behind was a euphemism for another dynasty to take its place. Should he enjoy playing king until the time of destruction? Did he go through such difficult times for this? Is it the original will of a human being to enjoy what he can with his barely saved life?

I noticed that training center instructor Lee Ki-moon was lowering his head to one side and doing something else. His lips were moving, as if he was talking to himself, but I couldn’t tell who he was talking to or what he was talking about.

“What do you think about this ball?”

This is the country of the Lee family. Many people are Lee. There are more than five or six people facing each other. One thoughtless Lee has stepped forward.

“Your Majesty, your words are absolutely right. We are ignorant, unprepared, and have even underestimated our powerful enemy. Still, moving the capital is impossible. I think it is a realistic strategy to find a way to defend it here. Since we cannot fight against the cavalry, we should rely on the walls to fight, and if we are pushed back in close combat, we should fight after breaking the enemy’s front with archery. We should train in formations and fight under the protection of the camp, and deploy new weapons like the ones we saw last night to give them a good fight.”

It was the most realistic answer. It was also the answer that allowed him to overcome this situation without difficulty. Lee Ki-moon, who had blinked at the word “Gong,” realized belatedly that it was referring to him, bowed his head, and glanced at the king. Their eyes met. He was the one who had been with him, and he was the one who had defended the palace so well. Above all, he was the one who recognized the king’s talent and sent the general of the training center to train him.

“What does the training center leader think?”

“Your Majesty, as someone who trains soldiers, how could I avoid it because it is difficult? The situation is not ordinary, but I would like to talk about something else.”

“Tell me.”

“First of all, the enemy is strong. There have been many stories about the activities of the Jurchen cavalry, which have grown to be frightening, even from the rumors heard from afar. However, they do not have much reason to fight us. They are probably just cleaning up before advancing to the continent. Their target is the Ming Dynasty, not Joseon. The commander-in-chief mentioned the previous incident, but it is an undeniable fact that their intentions are on the continent.”

“Hmm, that’s a new word.”

“I would like to point out that there has been no diplomatic solution. Diplomacy is another war, but I think that revival is a way to avoid war. If they want to suppress Joseon and do not want to take away Joseon’s land and people, I think a diplomatic solution is possible. I think that it is necessary to order the Ministry of Rites to restore relations with them even now.

The war is after that. In the meantime, we must strengthen our defenses. We must mobilize the people. In yesterday’s battle, the people did not play any role. We all know that they have a duty to serve in the military. We must not refuse to serve because we have paid military service. This is an emergency situation.”