Joseon Military Officer, Establishing Balhae - Chapter 338



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Episode 338

unification (1)

Seonjeongjeon Hall, Changdeokgung Palace, Hanseongbu.

As soon as the king entered the selection hall, he collapsed on the dragon throne. After catching his breath for a moment, he raised his head and stared into space. His pupils were bloodshot and his eyes were swollen.

As soon as he returned from Balhae’s capital, he stopped by Jongmyo Shrine and performed a ceremony to bow down before the spirit of the former king and tell him what had happened. However, he was overcome with sadness and wept for a long time.

Another reason for his emotions was the scene of many Confucian scholars in mourning clothes, lying on mats and wailing in front of Heunginmun Gate. On his way back to Hanseongbu, he tried to console himself that Joseon had not fallen, and that it was okay since they had succeeded in preserving the name of the country, the autonomous territory, and the royal shrines and temples. However, when he saw the Confucian scholars in such a state, he finally faced reality.

In addition, I had to cry for a long time as I recalled the humiliating scene of being summoned to Seoul and having to bow down to the King of Balhae as a sign of respect. My heart ached even more when I remembered that Taegeon had once been a subject of Joseon.

Only Jeong In-hong, Lee I-cheom, and Sang-seon were by his side, just bowing their heads. Most of his subjects were busy hastily returning to their hometowns to gather their wealth. It was fortunate that he had carefully kept the land documents when he fled to Gongju. So he hurriedly returned to his hometown to submit the documents to the Balhae military leader and go through the process of having his ownership recognized.

The army was also disbanded. However, some of the loyal troops who could live off the salary from the Joseon royal family remained.

It wasn’t just the subjects and the military who left. I realized upon arriving in Hanyang that the people had also left. Since Balhae had already become a part of the world, the common people, except for some of the noble class, did not pay any attention to the king’s grand procession. Their eyes were cold. They even laughed and pointed at him. Some even mocked him loudly, saying, “The father did the same, and now the son has abandoned the capital and fled? How dare he come back?”

“Your Majesty. But didn’t you preserve the royal family? Shouldn’t you hold on to your sincerity and take good care of Hanseongbu?”

Jeong In-hong spoke cautiously.

“That’s right. We should at least build the city well.”

The king muttered as if he was speaking to himself. He continued.

“But, there’s no way Balhae will become Joseon in the future, right? Not even after a few decades, or even after a few hundred years.”

Jeong In-hong couldn’t answer and just nodded his head.

“That means you don’t even have hope.”

“I am sorry, Your Majesty.”

“We were completely defeated. The king went to Seoul and realized it.”

The king, like Jeong In-hong, took the train to Seoul, where he saw another world. And he realized that he had been completely defeated in the confrontation between the systems of Joseon and Balhae.

“But they thought that they had fallen far from the way of the sages and that they possessed inferior civilization, on a par with the barbarians. In that sense, Joseon was better. Although their national power might be different, they were proud that Joseon’s spirit was better and that it was a better country. However, when they saw their new civilization, that pride was shattered in an instant. Everything was convenient and full of new things. The people’s lives were rich. You can tell just by looking at their diet, which was the most important thing in life. The people in the marketplace enjoyed delicacies from the mountains and the sea that only the rich could eat. Then, as a commoner, would you choose a poor country that upholds the way of the sages? Or would you rather live in a country like Balhae?”

“majesty…….”

Lee Yi-cheom squirmed. But he too had nothing to add.

In fact, if it weren’t for the humiliating oath of loyalty to Balhae, the visit to Seoul by the king and his subjects could have been quite an interesting and enjoyable journey. They stopped by Seolhae Port on the way and fully experienced the grandeur of the maritime empire Balhae. The huge, exotic-looking sailing ships were the symbol of Balhae’s national power. Of course, the Balhae food that he tasted for the first time at every meal also made him happy. They also visited several factories and witnessed the harmony created by steam engines.

In this way, the memory of his visit to Balhae brought him both pain and excitement. He promised to visit again at the next national event, and thinking about it already made him feel excited, a contradictory feeling.

“Your Majesty! The Balhae Army’s Deputy Commander, Kang Kyung-woo, has entered the military.”

“Oh, you’re here already?”

Although he had not yet received an official position, since the Joseon side favored Kang Kyung-woo, he was to serve as a conduit between Balhae and Joseon for the time being. Later, an official who would inspect the policies of Hanseongbu under Joseon’s control was to be appointed and take office. Of course, he was to come as a liaison officer, not as an observer in name.

When Kang Kyung-woo entered the guest house, he did not bow, but only bowed respectfully.

Then Lee I-cheom got angry and shouted.

“How could you be so rude to His Majesty?”

“We Balhae do not bow to Giha. Giha forbade it, saying it was a show of formality. Should we show courtesy to His Majesty that we do not show to Giha?”

“Then why! At that time we…….”

Lee Yi-cheom tried to shout loudly, but stopped himself. He couldn’t bring himself to mention the fact that he had bowed to Taegeon in front of the king.

“That is a diplomatic courtesy.”

Kang Kyung-woo dismissed it in one word and then looked up at the king.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty has granted us the funds to rebuild Joseon territory.”

“Wealth?”

“It’s outside. Would you like to go and see?”

At Kang Kyung-woo’s suggestion, the king and his subjects came out to see.

I noticed two carriages loaded with large boxes.

“Let me come down and show you.”

“Yes, General.”

As the Balhae officer gestured, the soldiers rushed in, took down a box, opened the cover, and showed the inside. It was full of Balhae silver coins.

“I originally intended to give you paper money, but I thought silver coins would be better for use in Hanseong, so I brought them like this. This amount will be enough to hire officials and maintain facilities until the tax administration is normalized.”

It was already in use in Joseon’s markets, and the Joseon king was also familiar with Balhae silver coins.

“In addition, we have also stored food outside of Donhwamun. Please use this food to help those starving in Hanseongbu.”

“Thank you. Please convey my gratitude to Giha.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Taegeon gave a generous gift.

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“Then, if nothing else comes up, I think I’ll go back to my lodgings.”

As Kang Kyung-woo tried to leave, the king stopped him.

“Wait a minute, I have something to ask you.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, please proceed.”

“That railroad thing. When will it be connected to Hanseongbu?”

The King of Joseon had already used the train, so he intuitively realized how much influence the railroad would have on state affairs. So he wondered when the Seoul and Hanseong of Balhae would be connected by railroad.

“Wouldn’t two years be enough? I heard they’re planning to speed up the construction by sending in a large number of prisoners of war.”

“Two years is not much time left.”

The king nodded with a bitter expression.

* * *

In front of the government office in Hayang-hyeon, Gyeongsangbuk-do.

Today, the empty lot in front of the government office was full of people. It was because of the resident registration issue that had been going on for two months. Residents came to the government office and returned their Joseon identification cards, such as house cards, and received new resident registration cards. At the same time, applications for moving to other places were accepted at a tent located next to the resident registration office. The village head and 1st Battalion officers, who had quite a track record in this matter, were skillfully counseling residents.

The military leader of this town, the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 83rd Regiment of the 24th Division, Lieutenant Colonel Han Sang-hyun, entered the tent where the consultation was in progress and watched the scene.

“Is there anywhere we can go?”

When a man of very shabby appearance asked with a very timid expression, an administrative sergeant of the rank of vice-chancellor answered.

“I plan to divide the people of Hayang County and send them to two places. One is across the sea to Hokkaido, and the other is to Dongpyeongbu in the northern part of the mainland.”

Dongpyeong-bu, the northernmost of the civil administration areas, was still underpopulated. Hokkaido was no different.

Within Balhae, the migration destinations were designated by counties belonging to the three southern regions of the old Joseon Dynasty. The southern Gyeongsang-do region was assigned Namhae-bu, the northern Gyeongsang-do region was assigned Inan-bu, Dongpyeong-bu, Yeonhae-bu, etc. in the northeastern part of the mainland, and Hongje-bu and Bukhae-bu across the sea. In addition, Chungcheong-do and Jeolla-do were assigned to the western and central parts of the newly acquired Manchuria region.

“What kind of place is it?”

“Both places are somewhat cold in the winter, but I heard that the existing residents are very satisfied with their living conditions because the land is fertile. Also, Dongpyeong-bu has the advantage of being much closer to Seoul than Gyeongsang-do.”

“I’m sorry, Nari, but our family would like to go somewhere else. How could that not work?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to go where people from the same town go? That way, we can have something to rely on.”

Deputy Chief Han Sang-hyun, who was listening to the conversation between the executives and the residents, asked the residents.

“I guess you don’t get along well with the neighbors?”

“Oh, no, Nari. I just want to live with someone who doesn’t know my background.”

Battalion Commander Han Sang-hyun soon guessed their background.

“Looks like you were pretty bullied.”

“I’m so sick of it.”

As the battalion commander began to caress his sore spot, his emotions exploded and he began to pour out his heart without restraint.

“Won’t they drag my young daughter to their neighborhood party and abuse her? She’ll get beaten up as they please. The farmers in the neighboring village are worse than the nobles. That’s why I don’t want to go with the people of this town.”

The identity of these residents was none other than Baekjeong. The peasants, whose social status was not much different, often harassed the commoners as a group. Baekjeong were also subject to restrictions on their clothing. They were discriminated against so thoroughly that they were even forbidden from having topknots or hair tied in knots.

“Okay. So, is there anyone else who wants to go with me?”

“Yes, I have some neighbors.”

“Then how about living in the city? If you move to the city, you won’t receive any farmland. However, we will guarantee you a house to live in and a job to earn a living.”

“Oh! Then, can your children go to school there too?”

“Of course.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

Baekjeong residents who formed a new village in the countryside were afraid that their origins would soon be discovered and that they would be discriminated against, so they chose to become urban workers.

“Vice-Minister Choi. Please reflect this person’s wishes. If there’s a place worth going to in Dongpyeongbu, it would probably be Yeongganghyeon. There are many factories there.”

Because of the steel mill, areas such as Yeonggangjin and Yeinsa were transformed into industrial complexes, and the population was increasing very quickly.

“Yes, Commander. Then I will write the paperwork accordingly.”

After the Baekjeong resident expressed his gratitude and left, the next person to come was a farmer. As a tenant farmer, he also applied for relocation. He hoped for Bukhaebu. He applied for relocation to Bukhaebu after hearing that they would give him more land and that it would be less cold than Dongpyeongbu.

Again, Battalion Commander Han Sang-hyun asked him.

“Why did you apply for immigration?”

“Oh my! Don’t be ridiculous. I live in Mayang, and I’m thinking that anywhere would be fine as long as I can get there.”

“Why is that? Who is bothering you?”

“It’s because of the Choi family. They are so mean. They don’t even know that the world has changed and they are still talking nonsense. The same tenant farmers are also the problem. They are still talking nonsense and acting like subordinates because they were treated so badly by that family. I hate those guys even more.”

“It’s because of the hyangyak.”

“That’s right. That damn incense.”

Hyangyak is like a village regulation, and is usually led by the Hyangban. The problem is that since they have the power to punish, the Hyangban often acts like a dictator in the village. The intention is good, but as is always the case in reality, they lose their original good purpose and are often transformed by those in power.

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