It Became a Symbol of the Bronze Age - Chapter 342



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Episode 342. The North opened on the first day of retirement (4)

As we can see from King Yeongjo of Joseon.

Just because a monarch is great, there is no guarantee that he will have a good personality.

He is the 15th military leader of my country.

The same was true for Kang So-baek, who had now become the first king.

This can be seen in an anecdote related to a woman from the state of Chae.

Duke Huan of Yuan Dynasty had two wives. One was a woman named Zhou Xi from the Zhou Dynasty (at this time, the woman’s name was not specifically written), and the second was a woman named Cai Xi from the Cai Dynasty.

Duke Jehwan enjoyed boating with Chaehee. Chaehee knew water well, and she would splash water on Duke Jehwan’s face or rock the boat wildly.

Duke Huan of Je, who was afraid of drowning, told her to stop, but Chae Hee did not listen. Angered by this, Duke Huan sent Chae Hee back to her home country.

At this, Chae Mu-hou, Chae Hee’s older brother and the king of Chae, was very angry and sent his younger brother back to Je. Duke Huan of Je thought this was an act of disrespect and attacked Chae.

…That means, he got angry while boating and started a war. So, Guan Yi thought.

-My country is a loser, and if we wage war over something like this, the will of the world will turn away from my country!

Of course, at that time, the state of Chen was extremely weak, and trampling on the state of Chen was like eating a piece of cake for the state of Je.

It may be different in the Warring States period, but in the Spring and Autumn period, such a thing is dangerous. Waging a war based on personal feelings?

However, even Guan Yi could not break Duke Huan’s will to fight at that time. So, Guan Yi came up with a plan.

-If you are at war with Chae, go ahead and strike Cho.

At that time, the state of Chu ignored the state of Zhou and proclaimed itself as king, and the state of Qi was located between the states of Chu and Qi. Guan Wu took advantage of this.

– It would be sufficient to say that he asked the state of Cai for help in destroying the state of Chu that dared to ignore the state of Zhou and proclaim itself king, but since Cai did not listen, he waged war.

Of course, at that time, the Zhou Dynasty was only the formal ruler of the Central Plains, no different from the Pope after the Avignon Exile, and its authority was nowhere to be found.

There was no better justification for war. And with that one word, my country’s reputation changed.

He is not a rascal who goes to war against another country because he is mad about a woman, but a righteous vassal who personally leads the army for the Zhou Dynasty.

So, there are two things to be learned here.

first.

About 70% of Kang So-baek’s reputation was due to Guan Wu, and the greatest achievement of Duke Huan of Qi was perhaps listening to Po Suk’s advice and employing Guan Wu.

And the second one.

Even a war waged out of greed can be seen as ‘just’ if the circumstances are right and the justification is right.

And this can be applied to the current situation in Asadal. If you just attack Katabuta without saying anything, you will just be a bastard aiming for North China.

But what if it was to help the Zhou dynasty and sweep away the Qi dynasty that ‘dared’ to call itself king?

‘It makes perfect sense logically.’

So, I followed the official of the state of Lu whom Saulbae had told me about and arrived in the state of Zhou.

“From Asadal, the land of brothers, I meet the Emperor.”

The Central Plains’ official name plate vending machine.

No, I was able to meet King Xi of the Zhou Dynasty.

King Juhee’s name was Hoje, and he ascended to the throne the previous year when King Jang passed away.

“I heard that the previous emperor was given the posthumous title of King Zhuang. He made the Central Plains prosperous, so I think it is a fitting title.”

“Thank you, Poongbaek. It is as you said.”

The King of Hee said.

“In the past, the former king joined hands with the martial artists to block the expansion of the state of Chu, which dared to claim to be king. In addition, he succeeded in blocking the state of Yan, which also dared to claim to be king, with the help of his brother state of Asadal.”

“It was a natural thing for us as brothers.”

As a result of the previous Je-Yeon War, Asadal gained the status of a ‘brother state’ of the Zhou Dynasty.

It wasn’t specifically stated who was the older brother and who was the younger brother. The Zhou Dynasty was probably thinking, ‘But we’re still the older brothers!’

It was a little bit of a blow to my pride, but other than that, there wasn’t much of a problem. Even though he was the emperor who had lost all of his power, this was the Spring and Autumn Period, not the Warring States Period.

Anyway, the emperor is the emperor.

Besides, if you think about it, being treated as a younger sibling isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Look at this country. While being treated as a younger sibling of the Song Dynasty, they would happily pick on each other, saying, “Oh my, big brother, you can’t do this to your younger sibling?”

Why else would the Song Dynasty, which was treated as an older brother, say things like, “Do we really have to be brothers with them? Why can’t we just have a normal alliance?”

‘…Well, it’s not like Asadal is ripping off anything from the Zhou Dynasty.’

Rather than tearing it off,

There is nothing to tear off.

The Song Dynasty, which had a brotherly relationship with the Liao Dynasty, was inferior in military power, but was second to none in wealth.

But the Zhou dynasty is not like that. At present, the wealthiest state in Central Plains is probably the Qi dynasty.

Of course, Asadal didn’t give anything in particular. It’s literally a political relationship. From the Zhou Dynasty’s perspective, it’s good because they can shout, “Asadal is on our side!”, and from Asadal’s perspective… it’s good in times like these.

“When fighting against the Yan state, the Yan Marquis dared to defy the Emperor and proclaim himself king. We, Asadal, together with the Qi state, suppressed the Yan state from all sides and dealt with it. However, a truly sad thing happened.”

I said.

“…Who would have thought that my country, which was once so highly regarded as a feudal lord, would become so corrupt that it would proclaim itself emperor after ascending Mount Tai?”

“…Phew.”

At those words, King Juhee’s expression crumpled.

It was only natural. This happened less than two years after he ascended the throne.

Because of that, King Zhu Xi’s situation is not good. Of course, it’s not that King Zhu Xi did anything wrong. Even mistakes can only be committed when one has real power.

However, the Emperor is different from the leader of Asadal. While Asadal was a religious and political group, the Emperor also played a role in representing the will of heaven.

In other words, the fact that the state of Qi, which had been a vassal state during the reign of his father, King Zhuang, declared himself king during the reign of King Zhu Xi… was enough to make the people of Zhou suspicious of King Zhu Xi.

Even if the emperor is only a figurehead, the Zhou Dynasty is still the supreme ruler of the Central Plains. If it loses this justification, the Zhou Dynasty will no longer be able to function as a country.

“…Poongbaek. I too have had many worries because of that. In fact, the state of Jeong has even made an alliance with the state of Je, so it is as if the ghosts of the state of Je are under us.”

The Zheng state is not one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, but it is the first hegemonic state. However, it has recently lost its momentum and has become just another country… It has always dreamed of a comeback.

Meanwhile, the Song Dynasty, which was next to the Zheng Dynasty, was taken over by the Qi Dynasty, so the Zheng Dynasty simply sided with the Qi Dynasty.

“However, in the midst of such a turbulent time, our brother nation Asadal sent me Poongbaek in person, so I feel as if I have gained a thousand troops. How should I put it, I have gained a female… ah.”

King Juhee, who had been speaking, closed his mouth.

It’s because the metaphor is flawed.

Yeo Sang is Jiang Taigong, and Jiang Xiaobao, who is currently rebelling, is a descendant of Jiang Taigong.

Even though the most famous official in the Zhou Dynasty was Lu Shang, the comparison to Lu Shang is not appropriate in the current situation. It seems that King Zhou Xi has not been king for long and is not accustomed to such things.

“I made a mistake. How dare you compare Asadal to that group of traitors.”

“No. You can do that. Even if Kang So-baek runs wild, would his ancestor Yeo-sang be blamed?”

I neatly summarized King Zhu Xi’s words, which could easily have been considered a diplomatic faux pas.

‘Anyway, our relationship with the Zhou Dynasty must be good.’

The basic order of the Zhou Dynasty is the relationship between the emperor and the feudal lords. The emperor reigns, but the local regions are governed by the feudal lords.

There is no such saying in the history of the Central Plains that it is a split and a split. It is natural that it is cut, and it is strange that it is put together. Strictly speaking, it is similar to India.

This was the case until the emergence of the outstanding figure of Qin Shi Huang. Xiang Yu, who destroyed Qin, also sat on the throne of Chu, not on the throne of the emperor.

I hoped that this order of emperors and feudal lords in the Central Plains would last for quite some time. What kind of hardships did Goguryeo experience as soon as the Six Dynasties period, which lasted 400 years from the fall of the Han Dynasty to the rise of the Sui Dynasty, ended?

In that sense, the Zhou Dynasty, which maintained the feudal order, was one of the best national systems for Asadal.

This is an enemy that must be defeated by all means. No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like this guy will be able to maintain the feudal order.

Just looking at the Yan Dynasty, you can get a general idea.

As soon as Kang So-baek subjugated the Yan state, he implemented a large-scale, semi-forced immigration policy.

Through it, he literally turned the tables on his sister-in-law and the emperor, and grew incredibly.

This is exactly what the original Qin Shi Huang did.

This guy is the kind of person who only wants to have everything in his hands and rule over it. He is a monarch who wants centralized power.

“My country has forgotten the kindness bestowed upon it by the former King of Zhou and has selfishly proclaimed itself king. As a brother of the Lord, I cannot ignore this, and as a human who knows the kindness of another person before, I cannot sit by and watch.”

“That’s what I mean!”

“Yes. Next spring, Asadal will assist the Emperor in advancing toward our country.”

Help the emperor and destroy the emperor’s enemies.

The so-called collaborator.

‘Ah, Your Majesty, Your Excellency Dong Seung Sang, Your Excellency Jo Seung Sang, the ‘Takjo’ of the Mangtakjo.

Are you watching?’

I am putting your wisdom to good use.

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***

In fact, there is no need to go all the way to Mangtakjo.

This kind of excuse for a collaborator was quite common.

During the Yeo-Yeo War, the reason the Liao Dynasty attacked Goryeo was probably to recover the six provinces east of the river that it had given to Seohee.

Originally, they said that it’s not important to know something when you have it, but to know it when it’s gone. That’s what Gangdong 6 weeks was like.

I gave it to Goryeo because it seemed useless, but it turned out to be a strategic point in itself.

But they can’t attack us on the pretext of returning the 6 weeks of Gangdong that they themselves gave us. It’s too cruel.

That’s why, instead of ‘returning Gangdong 6 weeks’, they brought up the justification of starting over as strong people.

‘It was a difficult time to emphasize.’

Since he dared to assassinate King Mokjong of Goryeo while being armed, the Liao dynasty, his brother’s country, will directly punish him… something like that. Hmm, even this seems to be a Liao meta.

However, King Juhee was not stupid either. When the Liao Dynasty invaded, did King Hyeonjong of Goryeo rejoice and say, “Wow! He’s strengthening the royal authority!”?

That can’t be. Usually, when an army is raised, the one raising it wants to take something. So, King Zhou asked.

“…Is there anything you wish for?”

“If a battle is waged, Asadal will first attack Gye-hyeon (present-day Beijing), which the former state of Je took over after defeating the state of Yan. Please allow Asadal to occupy that place.”

“…Yeah, that’s to be expected.”

“And, additionally, I will go down to save the country of No. I will return their rightful territory of Munyang, and additionally… if there are any small countries that my country annexed in one generation, I will return their territories as well.”

“If it were one generation… small countries annexed within 15 years?”

Saving small countries.

This is another strategy following the Collaborator.

‘This is the strategy used by Kang So-baek in the history of Yuan Dynasty.’

The Yuan Dynasty’s Kang So-baek was a strange person.

He started a war with the state of Chae because his wife from the state of Chae sprinkled water on him, and he started a war with Song Yuyeol because he ignored him, and he even destroyed the state of Sui because they refused to open the way to the state of Lu.

But even so

He rescued the Yan state from Shan Rong, suppressed the Song rebellion, and won a battle against the Chu state that ignored the Zhou state, thereby saving many small states.

So, he punishes those who treat him like a dog, but he does his best for those who bow down to him. He’s like a loyal mafia boss from a movie or something. To put it a bit badly, he’s like Cthulhu.

That is why the neighboring countries feared and praised my country, and called him a loser.

But the current Kang So-baek is different. He has chosen the path of a conqueror, not a loser. His goal is to expand the territory of his country to every direction and become the emperor.

Therefore, the current ‘Loser’ position is vacant. Although the Murim people nominally occupy similar positions, their power is only strong in the mountains.

So, wouldn’t Asadal be able to take this position? If he can take the title of the loser, following the support of the Emperor who helps him as a brother of the Zhou Dynasty… then the various powers won’t be able to easily touch Asadal.

I already know the method. My country became a true hegemon by conquering the state of Chu, which had declared itself king. And now, my country has reversed this and declared itself king.

My country has become the position of the state of Chu.

Then, Asadal, let’s take our country’s position.

I’ve already decided what I’m going to say.

Wouldn’t it be enough to roughly change the nouns to say what Jiang Xiaobai did when he attacked the state of Chu?

“In the past, during the reigns of King Wu and King Wen, there were as many as 100 feudal lords in the central plains. Half of them were descendants of the emperor, and the other half were vassals who had helped the Zhou dynasty. The emperors of the Zhou dynasty did not give land only to their own blood relatives, but bestowed grace.

“Under the Emperor, a hundred feudal lords educated ten thousand high-ranking officials, and these high-ranking officials guided a hundred thousand scholars, who in turn benefited ten million people. As a result, the lives of each and every one of the people were enriched, and from the bottom to the top there was no empty space. The Book of Rites calls this “cultivating oneself, regulating one’s family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world.” This is the founding principle of the Zhou Dynasty established by King Wen and King Wu.”

At my words, King Juhee’s mouth fell open.

It can’t be helped.

Imagine a foreigner in the 21st century praising King Sejong for 30 minutes while reciting Taejeongtaesemundanse and Hunminjeongeum. Wouldn’t that make you feel patriotic and repulsive?

“But what about now? Compared to the time of King Wen and King Wu, the population has increased from ten million to twenty million, but the number of feudal lords has decreased to fifty.

This is because the wicked states of Qi and Chu annexed neighboring countries indiscriminately, causing the number of feudal lords to steadily decrease.

The feudal lords are a national system designed by the Emperor to enable people in each region to live in their own way. How can you ignore this and do whatever you want? Also, if the feudal lords are reduced to this extent, how can the values ​​of governing the country, governing the world, and bringing peace to the world be greatly realized?”

“Whoa!”

“Therefore, we, Asadal, want to push out our country and return the territory that belonged to his land to its rightful owners.”

When King Zhouxi heard this, he was troubled.

I will return the territory of the small country that my country annexed.

In other words, it means that Asadal will swallow up the land that my country originally occupied.

And if it is a territory that my country did not annex, it means the land where my country first started.

‘It’s a matter of course.’

The capital of my country.

There is a long wall there that takes a whole day to walk through, and 40,000 households (approximately 300,000 people) live inside.

It is literally the largest city in the eastern part of the Central Plains. The land is rather poor, so it relies on mining and commerce rather than agriculture. For Asadal, it is a region that is bound to make your mouth water.

‘If you add Gyehyeon here, it’s 60,000 households.’

This means that Asadal will swallow up approximately 500,000 people. As Poongbaek, this ‘500,000 people’ was the maximum number that Asadal could swallow without difficulty.

In the work “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” by the literary giant Leo Tolstoy, there is a lesson that if you are greedy for a large amount of land, you will end up falling behind.

Poongbaek has no intention of abandoning that lesson. The land should be maintained as long as it can be maintained, and it should be eaten only as much as it can digest. Asadal is already overwhelmed with just the people of Gyehyeon and Imchi.

Moreover, even if you eat only Imchi and its surroundings, Asadal can be connected to Naeminbu through land. In fact, only Balhae becomes Asadal’s lake.

King Juhee thought about it for a moment.

The worry didn’t last long.

“Not only did he help them, he also volunteered to protect the small countries. How could I, as the emperor, not allow this?”

The emperor who lost the capital to the tyrant King You of Zhou and Duke Cai was like the pope who was exiled to Avignon, an emperor in name only.

After King Zhou You, they tried to restore the imperial order for about 100 years, but all of their dreams faded away as they were trampled by people like Zheng Zheng.

But in the midst of all this, another opportunity came.

‘The revival of the small state lords and the restoration of the imperial order…?’

These could not but be sweet words.

“Asadal is our brother. How can we not be happy when brother helps brother! I want to show this as an example to all my lords!”

Therefore, King Zhou Hee accepted my words.

As soon as I saw that sight, I smiled.

‘Thank you, Kang So-baek.’

For becoming a conqueror for Asadal.

***

The Zhou Dynasty, which wanted to restore the imperial order and increase its authority, agreed to my proposal without looking back.

Since the Emperor had even promised to restore the feudal order, he could not have not taken our side here.

But in reality, this is just a pretext.

More importantly, the surrounding lords.

The Zhou dynasty was a toothless tiger, and they were the ones who had the real power, so in the end, they had to be persuaded.

However, the process wasn’t particularly difficult.

First of all, there is no need to mention Noh Nara.

Because I’m being beaten by my country in real time right now.

And Asadal said that he would return the lands that his country had annexed in the past 15 years, including the lands of the Sui Dynasty that had been taken away a few years ago and the land of Munyang that Jo Mal had risked his life to obtain.

If you refuse this, there is something wrong with you.

Then, the remaining states were Wei, Nanjin, Wu, and Cai, and they also readily agreed.

-Asadal seems to have no interest in the Song Dynasty.

Asadal said he would only eat Gyehyeon and Imchi.

If Asadal invades, the Song Dynasty’s soldiers will also become uneasy.

-Uh. Then we must move. We cannot leave alone someone who dares to defy the Emperor and call himself king. (Interpretation: We can split the land and eat it.)

– In addition, Jiang Xiaobai trampled all the descendants of the Song Dynasty. (Interpretation: Is that empty land? We can just eat it without any problems?)

-Jeong Nara is also a problem. They dared to bow their heads to my country. This is a betrayal! (Interpretation: Will Jeong Nara also share the spoils?)

-They are so vicious that they stole grain from the government in the past and then started a war against it. We can’t just leave them alone. (Interpretation: That’s great!)

-But, if it goes on like this, won’t the Emperor of Zhou bear too much of a burden? (Interpretation: Isn’t it about establishing the Zhou Dynasty?)

-Don’t worry. The Emperor is smart and wise. (Interpretation: So what can he do?)

-That’s right. You’re telling fortunes on a mountain, and since every hexagram gives a good sign, it’s truly a gift from heaven. (Interpretation: What else can you do besides offering sacrifices to heaven and telling fortunes?)

They had no intention of missing the opportunity to divide the Jeong and Song dynasties, which had become uninhabited.

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