Joseon Military Officer, Establishing Balhae - Chapter 333



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Episode 333

Jeong In-hong’s Journey (1)

As the spring famine began, the situation of the Joseon government worsened. The military rations were already insufficient. However, when they reached the barley pass, they could no longer procure military rations. No matter how strongly they requested from the surrounding counties that were still on Joseon’s side, it was useless. The government granaries were already empty.

So, instead of relying on local government offices, the propagandists went around begging for food from the local families who directly controlled the area. Also, many soldiers had left during the winter, and now only about 2,000 troops were left.

The king sighed at the sight of the shabby table. It was obvious that he would prepare a splendid table when everyone, including the Left State Councilor Jeong In-hong, was starving. Of course, he had no means to do so.

The king immediately put down his spoon and stood up. Even clearing the table of food was an inconsiderate act.

As I walked around the palace yard for a bit, soon the officials came in. The officials also lived around the palace, that is, the Chungcheong provincial government office, so they arrived at work quite early.

The king looked up at the sky. Today, the sky seemed as high as autumn, and the blue was so blue that it hurt his eyes. The spring breeze passed by, caressing his cheeks. The king closed his eyes. He felt pain in his neck, but he did not want to change his position.

When the king did not come in, the subjects came out of the temporary palace building and gathered near the king.

“Is everyone here?”

When the king heard footsteps, he opened his eyes and looked at his subjects.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please come in.”

Jeong In-hong tried to bring the king in.

“The weather is nice, so let’s talk here. There won’t be much to talk about.”

“majesty…….”

As their livelihood became more sparse, meetings became more formal. They were all about sharing information, and they would often end up worrying about food and deserters.

The king’s subjects were somewhat taken aback by his unusual attitude.

“Do you have anything to report?”

The king asked. Then Lee I-cheom answered.

“I am sorry to report this, but the eastern region eventually fell to Balhae. That is why Jinjam-hyeon and Hoedeok-hyeon became like a border.”

Hoedeok and Jinjam are the places that correspond to the future Daejeon.

The king did not seem particularly shaken by the bad news, but simply nodded.

“It seems that the entire Gyeongsang Province has fallen to Balhae. The southern part of Honam seems to be the same.”

The king closed his eyes again.

The subjects could no longer disturb the king, for all they had to report was bad news.

The king slowly opened his mouth.

“Left State Councillor.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Let’s put it down now.”

“yes?”

“Let’s stop now. What’s the point of holding on here any longer? It’ll just make everyone suffer.”

The subjects, who had noticed the king’s intentions, reacted immediately.

“Your Majesty! This is absolutely unjust. To hand over our country to a northern traitor.”

After a long time, the term ‘Northern Frontier’ has appeared.

“Your Majesty! This is absolutely impossible. If we somehow manage to maintain the lineage, won’t an opportunity come someday?”

Even Jeong In-hong stepped in to dissuade him.

The king shook his head vigorously.

“Stop talking nonsense. Don’t you know that the reason we are still able to survive is thanks to Balhae’s consideration? Do you really not know why Balhae, which possessed hundreds of thousands of troops and easily won the wars against the Ming and the Later Jin, is not moving its troops?”

“majesty…….”

“They are the ones who know how to win without fighting. They have won the hearts of the Joseon people and have naturally encroached upon the land of Joseon, like water seeping into cotton. Didn’t the people rise up and offer up their entire town? They are not only strong in military power, but also skilled in strategy. How can we defeat them?”

The king was praising Balhae.

“majesty!”

“Ahhhhhhh! Your Majesty!”

When the subjects realized that Joseon was over, they sat down on the ground and began to weep.

“The Left State Councilor should form a negotiation team and contact Balhae. Even if they surrender, shouldn’t they create a situation that is beneficial to the royal family and the officials? Also, request food to feed our soldiers and people on the way to their capital.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will do so.”

The subjects were still sobbing, but Jeong In-hong had no time to leisurely participate in such a formality. He had been given the last great responsibility. Jeong In-hong decided to set out with Lee I-cheom, Gi Ja-heon, and Ryu Yeong-gyeong.

* * *

Hayang-hyeon, Gyeongsang-do (part of the future Gyeongsang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Daegu-si).

Baek Jin Jeong-ryeong, commander of the 83rd Regiment of the 24th Division of the Balhae Army, looked at the faces of the people filling the yard in front of the main gate of the government office.

“Nari. Those gathered today are slaves from Wachaon and Jungrim.”

A local official who was familiar with local administration reported to the Baek Jin regiment commander. Wachaon-myeon and Jungnim-myeon were areas located around the town of Hayang-hyeon.

“There are only two places, but there are so many?”

“Yes. There must be a lot of them since they brought all the soldiers without leaving a single one behind.”

Hyang-ri answered cautiously, fearing that she might offend Baek-jin even a little.

The military leaders in each region were receiving help from the local leaders regardless of their corruption. The local leaders knew this, so they had no choice but to bow down to the military leaders. The county magistrate of this region had already fled to Gongju, so they became even more dependent on the local leaders.

“As expected… I heard that there are a lot of slaves in the Samnam region. Wasn’t there anyone who refused to give up their slaves?”

“Why not? The Park family, who have been powerful here in Hayang for generations, were caught trying to hide slaves, so Captain Kim, who was in charge of Hayang County, arrested them and locked them up in Dongheon Prison.”

The battalion commander in charge of Hayang County’s military administration was currently leading troops to investigate the area.

Captain Baek Jin was inspecting the situation in the district under his regiment’s charge with his escort troops when he arrived here today to observe the handling of slave-related affairs.

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“You must have told me this in advance, right?”

“Of course. I have repeatedly emphasized that anyone who hides a slave or obstructs their release will be severely punished.”

“And you still break it?”

“If we give up our slaves, there will be no one to farm.”

“Anyway, greed…….”

“Excuse me, but I heard that you recognize the existing land register as it is. Does that apply to those who have committed crimes as well?”

“That’s right. Balhae doesn’t necessarily take away land. Punishment is punishment, and property is property.”

“What will happen to our villagers when the military government ends?”

“You too will be re-evaluated. If you have committed a crime, you must confess and return to your original state so that you will not be punished. If you have not committed a crime, you will receive a pension from the state and continue to do what you were doing.”

“You get a salary from the country?”

“Balhae’s administration is very simple. Everyone who works in the government is an official, and the official receives a salary. There is no distinction between central and local officials. The only difference is the salary received based on position and rank.”

“Oh! It really is true what I saw in the newspaper.”

“Haha! You’ve already read the newspaper. I see.”

“Commander. Since everyone is gathered, we will begin work right away.”

The company commander who was guarding the east pavilion approached Baek Jin, greeted him, and spoke.

“I know.”

The company commander climbed up onto the stage and shouted loudly.

“Now! Today, you will be registered as Balhae residents. What does that mean? It means that you will be freed from slavery. Do you understand?”

Those who did not understand the meaning of the resident registration were in an uproar. However, those who focused on the part about being released immediately burst into cheers.

“You’re getting released?”

“It really is liberating. Hehehe!”

Baek Jin immediately noticed that the slaves were divided into two groups.

“There are some who are slaves to the core, and there are many who were not originally slaves but became slaves after their families fell into ruin.”

Hyang-ri, who was observing Baek Jin’s expression, immediately resolved his curiosity.

“Those who like it that much must be the latter.”

“Yes, but many of those who were slaves to the bone may feel more fear than a sense of liberation.”

“Well, maybe that’s the case now.”

The company commander continued speaking.

“Those of you who don’t have a last name will be given a new one today. So come forward and register one by one.”

As soon as the captain finished speaking, the slaves lined up in front of several desks.

“But how do you give a surname?”

Hyang-ri asked.

“This is Hayang-hyeon, so most of them will be Hayang Ha.”

“Ah! That’s how it is.”

“That’s right.”

“Then where do they go?”

The local resident was asking the regimental commander a series of questions because he needed to know the answers himself in order to answer the barrage of questions from those gathered in this open space.

Baek Jin smiled faintly and called the operations manager.

“Manager Choi. You tell me the details. It’s very important to them.”

“Yes, Colonel.”

Chief of Operations Choi Young-hoon came forward and began to answer the questions of the villagers.

“The places they were assigned to were Hongjebu and Bukhaebu.”

Hyang-ri blinked, not knowing where these two regions were.

“The land taken from Wa is Hongjebu, which is located in the northern part of Wa’s mainland. There are not only Wa people, but also natives who look different from Wa people, and the population is not that large. Furthermore, the prisoners captured during the Japanese invasion were released and are living there, so it won’t be that lonely. And Bukhaebu is a large island located in the northern part of Wa’s mainland…….”

Hyang-ri concentrated on what Choi Cham-ryeong said, not wanting to miss even one thing.

The Balhae government focused on the Samnam region, which had an extremely high slave composition ratio compared to other regions. Therefore, they carefully selected and allocated land to which the slaves in these regions would be relocated. Therefore, they planned to relocate a large number of Joseon residents evenly throughout the northern territories of the mainland as well as overseas territories on this occasion. Migration was optional for the wealthy yangin class, but slaves who had no property to support their livelihood had no choice but to live in areas provided by the Balhae government. Therefore, although it was not a forced relocation, the result was no different from a forced relocation.

“It’s amazing. There’s a land like that.”

“You’ll see when you go, it’s an unbelievably vast land.”

“So how much land will be allocated then?”

“Do you understand that if I say that’s double the maximum amount of land a family of four can farm?”

“Huh~?”

Hyang-ri opened her eyes wide in surprise.

In Joseon, even if one farmed as much land as the labor of family members allowed, everyone had to live a difficult life because the produce was not entirely theirs. However, Balhae was different.

“Well, what good would it do if you give double the amount and can’t farm?”

“We are helping to make that happen. We are assigning cows and horses to work in villages, and in some cases, we are even lending machinery.”

“A machine?”

“You won’t understand it if I explain it to you here. You have to see it for yourself.”

Hyang-ri rolled his eyes here and there. He had quite a bit of wealth, so he had no intention of leaving his hometown. But when he heard that people who were born as slaves were receiving such benefits, he suddenly became greedy.

“Wow! Is that really true?”

“Huh? You’re giving me that vast land?”

There was also an exclamation of surprise among the slaves who were registering their residence. They were very surprised to hear the answers after asking questions directly to the officers and non-commissioned officers in charge of administration.

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