As Prophet - Chapter 221



Only Noblemtl

Episode 221. The King and the True Man’s Post-War Restoration

“I’m telling you to stay here and teach the kids. They’ll hate any kind of status or honor, so I’ll just give them a little bit of a title.”

“A title?”

“It is as you said. When I ascended the throne, I saw something different. The international situation is really not good. It is not easy. The Jurchen army did not come here because they were greedy for wealth and grain. With the Liaodong Commander-in-Chief, they have now crossed a river from which there is no return. It is you or I who will die. Ming will not give up Liaodong.

Giving up Liaodong would mean losing the means to check the Mongol Dalja, their main enemy. They have been on five expeditions to the grasslands since the founding of the country. They will never give up Liaodong. We have broken their advance.

“If even Nohoraha Teuk-ah had died, the war between the Ming and Jurchen would have been delayed by at least 5 years, no, 10 years, but it was inevitable.”

Dalcheon, who still didn’t realize what had happened, lowered his head.

“I will listen.”

“The hundred years of peace are now over. It is war. It is world war.”

“okay.”

“I didn’t come down because I wanted to, Nohoraha Special Forces. Are you the kind of person who would give in just because Yeo-ui is trying to seduce you? I came because I needed to, and I returned without getting anything, but I’m still maintaining my power. With their 20,000 troops, they can fight against the 100,000-strong Ming army.”

“World War?”

“It’s a world war, even though their world and the grasslands are clashing.”

“Hmm, I see. I understand that you mean large scale.”

“It means that you still need to be there.”

“I will do my best to prevent Joseon from being drawn into war.”

“I don’t think it’ll end like that. I need to receive the order of the king, and he told me to prepare a delegation.”

“That’s what happened. I heard that it’s been like that since the founding of Joseon.”

“It’s the world of Confucian scholars. They place great importance on receiving a high reputation from the emperor. To be honest, it’s very difficult to receive a high reputation. Although it took the form of abdication, if you look at the content, isn’t it usurpation?”

The new king calls the abdication a usurpation, so it’s obvious what others will think.

“majesty.”

“Jim is a usurper. Isn’t he?”

My thousand-character mark was deeply engraved on Dalcheon’s forehead.

“My thoughts are different. I think it is more like a rebellion. It means to turn back and make things right, dethroning a king who is doing wrong and establishing a new king.”

It’s not a new interpretation at all, but it feels like there’s a thought behind it. The new king chuckled.

“You are truly a man of words. I don’t mean that you talk too much, but that your words are very well chosen. You scratch people’s itchy spots exactly.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to call it a rebellion and say that your son inherited the throne by abdication? And if you also mention that you repelled the Jurchen invasion, I think you’ll be able to please them.”

A smile appeared on the king’s face. It seemed plausible. He could easily get them to accept his reputation. If he mixed a little lie into the facts, he would be able to create a story that would be just right for them.

“I thought you were going to say something about Daejoseon and tell me to stop receiving their honor and go to Bongseon myself.”

“It’s diplomacy. I think that knowing how to be humble is more important than fighting a war with a sword. And don’t you think that there will be a time when you have to perform the rites of the Emperor and the Emperor’s son? That’s politics. Politics is about being polite, right?”

“Ahem. I have to do it sometime?”

“I wish I could do it while I’m on the throne. The thoughtless Confucian scholars and officials who believe in Neo-Confucianism will rise up. It’s really incomprehensible. It’s the same country, so I really don’t understand why I have to go to that country and have my legitimacy recognized. It’s really incomprehensible that such incomprehensible things are normal for them. But that’s for later. You have to stabilize the political situation and achieve a wealthy and strong country. Joseon is a poor country. Its productivity is so low that it can’t maintain a bureaucracy. There are two or three times a year when salaries don’t come. As a result of tightening our belts to the point where we can’t pay salaries, no one starves, but is that all there is to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom?”

“Oh! I didn’t know that Jin-in also had a unique perspective on the policy of governing the world and saving the people.”

Dalcheon lowered his body.

“It means you can’t do everything at once, so take your time.”

The king smiled.

“Is there anything else you want to say?”

“Don’t be intoxicated by power.”

“Don’t be intoxicated by someone who loves power and wants to be king.”

“The mind of a person who has tasted the taste of wielding power is similar to that of a person who was in a state of despair.”

“What? No way.”

“It’s true. The pleasure of swinging it is intoxicating. And the sense of loss and emptiness when losing power is said to be the same as that of someone who has fallen from grace. Of course, I’m not saying that it’s the same for anyone in power, but I’ve seen it. I can see the flow of energy, so when the former king swings it, I saw the satisfaction behind the expression of someone who is intoxicated by grace.”

“Oh my.”

“It is the work of serving the people by following the will of heaven.”

“Oh my.”

“Feed the people and satisfy their hunger… … .”

“Whew. In a little while, the saying that the people are heaven will come out.”

“I was going to tell you that too.”

“This country is a country of scholars. It is not a country of the people.”

“It is a country they founded, but their claims are not right. They won, but that does not mean they are right. In particular, this incident revealed their limitations in governing the country, diplomacy, and the military.

I am really curious to see what kind of theories they will come up with, but there will be discussions about this matter that will bring about academic agony. Please bring out suggestions and listen to their excuses. In the process of acknowledging and discussing, the limitations of Neo-Confucianism will be revealed. It is a trend that was already discarded long ago in the Song Dynasty because its limitations were revealed.”

“Yes, you are really stubborn.”

“So-saeng is a great sage of Daejoseon.”

“It also means that we will not acknowledge this small ship.”

“I’m sorry.”

“… … .”

“We need to think seriously about Liaodong. How long do you plan to leave it in the hands of the Jurchen? The role of the Liaodong Commander-in-Chief for the past hundred years has been to have the Ming Dynasty claim it as our land.”

“Whew, there’s so much homework. Anyway, don’t go too far. I hope you don’t go more than a hundred miles.”

“Your Majesty! After I finish my work, I will return to Taebaek. That is where the lineage of Joseon’s ancestors resides.”

“You can do it in Hanyang!”

“majesty.”

“For the time being, I guess that’s how it is. I feel really relieved when I hear that you’re teaching children here.”

“majesty.”

“It’s late at night! I’ll go.”

The king stood up and Dalcheon followed him out. The soldiers surrounded the king tightly. Everyone in Sogyeok-seo was waiting at the door. They were students who had once studied together at Yangju Academy. The king encouraged them one by one and got into the palanquin. The king said a word as they surrounded them, bowing deeply.

“Even though I want to highly praise them and give them rewards and official positions, they all refuse and come here. What should I do?”

Cheolmuwoong answered politely.

“Please give it to me next time.”

Since he was a close friend of mine during my time as a grand prince, there is nothing foreign about him.

“There is no next time.”

“Then let’s say.”

The general looked around the crowd and said.

“Those who have finished their studies, please contact me. I will then give you an official position. And the Sogyeokseodo members, please follow the will of the true man and never forget that this is a precious opportunity, and focus on your studies.”

“debriefing!”

The king’s palanquin departed, followed by dozens of royal guards.

* * *

Will daily life begin again? Although there was no battle in Naeseong, Hanyangseong was bustling and noisy. Every house that had been plundered was busy rebuilding. An army was organized to pursue the returning Jurchen army, and around Heunginjimun, where the battle was fierce, corpses were cleared away, weapons were recovered, and traps that had been painstakingly built were restored. The country opened Gwanghungchang to help the people who had lost everything in the war to make a living, and on the other hand, they began the work of reorganizing the military system and enlisting all people who had reached a certain age in the military. They literally tried to implement a national conscription system. They tried to eliminate exceptions.

He eliminated the exceptions that had been accepted until then based on the standard of no exceptions. He first included the yangban and students in the military service. It is not easy to give up vested rights. He faced opposition from many yangban. The king criticized him, asking where he was and what he was doing during the war. In reality, most people were hiding somewhere and dreaming of treason and betrayal, so they did not dare to oppose. Having overcome the war, the king suppressed the opposition of his subjects with force.

The three military departments, which had been out of power for a long time, began to play a role. The commander-in-chief wielded absolute power over military affairs. He punished those who did not respond to the summons, promoted those who had high merits, and mobilized the people of Hanyangseong and Geungi to repair Bukhansanseong and Namhansanseong.

He sent out official documents to horse fields across the country to determine the status of horses, encouraged the production of military horses, and reinforced the equipment of artillery units that were effective during battle by emphasizing military discipline. He changed the artillery from being pulled by men to being pulled by horses, and encouraged the production of gunpowder. He requested materials from the Ming that had previously been dependent on imports.

He immediately set out to form a delegation to receive the royal decree. It was no coincidence that the commander-in-chief accompanied the group as a guest general. He told them to reevaluate the military power of the Jurchen and sufficiently persuade them of their tactical role in suppressing them, even if they did not receive the royal decree. He also formed a separate group of warriors to track the path of the former king, who was presumed to have headed to Nanjing, and had them accompany him.

A lot happened overnight, but the king was very capable. Unlike the previous king who was obsessed with giving and taking away official positions, he gave instructions according to the work and role, sent people to check, and quickly supplied the necessary resources to get things done. He personally inspected the restoration work near Heunginjimun, and recognizing the importance of Bukhansanseong, he had the collapsed walls and fortifications properly restored. Considering the difficulty of not being able to last long because there was no warehouse inside, he built the warehouse bigger and prioritized grain storage in Gwangheungchang and Heungwonchang.

He also ordered that trees be planted in various places along the new route that the Jurchen army had taken south, thereby clearing the way. Thousands, if not tens of thousands, of trees were planted in various places in Gangwon-do and Hamgyeong-do.

Free from all this commotion, Sogyeok-seo was busy with other things. It was a task to change Sogyeok-seo, which was centered on the first rite, into a center of lectures and training. It was a form of adding necessary things according to Dalcheon’s guidance, but since Sogyeok-seo did not have any special resources, it was a task of getting rid of and replacing what was there. Changing the signboards of the existing buildings was a minor change. When the colorful shaman houses were demolished, it began to feel like a temple where the military was stationed. Since there was nothing new to bring in, they just focused on getting rid of them.

“What is that?”

“This is where the utensils used in the first rite are stored.”

“Get rid of it.”

“yes.”

“What is that?”

“This is where the officials stay when offering sacrifices over several days.”

“Get rid of it.”

“Yes? Why?”

“There’s no need to stay, so get rid of it. Tell them to either attend and do their duty or go home. If I see them doing that and say, ‘You do it, I’ll sleep,’ will that work for me?”

The job was to remove the eyesores in that way. There was a lot of miscellaneous stuff, but when I cleared it away as I saw it, the space became more spacious.

Meanwhile, the study continued on as planned. Some of the Doryu who were dissatisfied with Dalcheon’s event resigned. The maker was disappointed, but Dalcheon did not care. Another problem was that the military personnel from Yangju Academy who entered as students were not able to get along with the existing Doryu.

During break time, the Doryu would stick together and the students would hang out together. A strange sense of alienation permeated the room, but Dalcheon didn’t care.