Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Matchlocks and the Northern Expedition (3)
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Sejong hated the Jurchens.
It was true that they had once greatly contributed to founding Joseon by aiding his grandfather, King Taejo.
But that was all in the past.
Now, they were nothing more than mongrel pups scavenging scraps tossed by the Ming bastards...
And those mongrel pups didn't stop there. They routinely kidnapped Joseon's northern folk, enslaving them, selling them off, and even massacring them for sport.
They were irredeemable scum that couldn't be left alone—vermin that had to be exterminated.
In a gathering of all his ministers, Sejong spoke up.
"I hate those Jurchen barbarians."
At those words, the ministers swallowed hard and tensed.
"Those Jurchen barbarians ought to be content scavenging meat scraps from the Ming dogs. But no—they cross into Joseon, plunder our people, kidnap them to make slaves, and slaughter them for amusement. As king of Joseon and father to all my subjects, I can never forgive such wretches. One day, I will surely rip out their livers and chew them myself."
Sejong consistently cherished and loved his people.
He had learned as much from his father, King Taejong Lee Bang-won, and his innate nature was profoundly benevolent.
Meeting Kim Dae-bung had only deepened that love, awakening him to the truth that only the king could care for the poor and lost.
The heavier his love, the greater his hatred for the Jurchen barbarians.
"Yet to claim victory over them and turn their lands from barbarian wastes into Joseon soil, we must prepare thoroughly. Charging in without a plan would be no different from feeding our soldiers to the barbarians."
Running an army well was incredibly difficult, but getting your own troops massacred? That was all too easy.
A minor hiccup in supply lines or a touch of laziness, and frontline soldiers could go hungry for over half a month. Skimp on scouting even a little, and a hidden enemy band could shatter your forces.
Sejong himself wasn't much of a military expert, but he knew history was littered with armies wiped out over trivial reasons.
"What does the Minister of Defense think?"
"I agree, Your Highness. No matter how many soldiers we have, without weapons to arm them or food to feed them, what's the use? And as Kim Dae-bung of the State Council noted, fail to manage hygiene strictly, and even tens of thousands could fall to a single plague."
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the famous Battle of Red Cliffs was usually credited to Zhuge Liang's fire attack burning the Wei fleet to ash...
But the real killer blow to Wei had been local diseases and epidemics.
Joseon's army could meet the same fate against the Jurchens—wiped out by plague before firing a shot.
"What do we need to subjugate the Jurchens?"
"Above all, matchlocks, Your Highness."
"How many?"
"The more, the better."
"Many is good?"
"Yes. As Your Highness knows, most Joseon soldiers are simple farmers who've spent their lives tilling fields. They can't shoot arrows or wield spears beyond pointing them at the enemy... Blocking cavalry with long spears? Practically impossible for them."
People often say spears are the easiest and most powerful weapons—but that's only before guns.
Killing with a spear takes skill; halting a charge demands lengthy training.
It's not like archery, needing ten months minimum, or horsemanship, years long—so the barrier is low, sure...
But matchlocks? Learn to load, and anyone can fire. Hit, and anyone drops in one shot.
Far less training, far greater utility.
"Give them matchlocks, and farmers can drop Xiang Yu, Lu Bu, Jurchens, or Japanese with one blast! How brilliant is that weapon?"
Choi Yun-deok's face flushed red, his breath ragged.
In his mind, a scene unfolded: Soldiers who were farmers yesterday, drilled into proper troops, dropping Jurchen cavalry with a single matchlock shot.
Just imagining it made his heart pound.
"To subdue the Jurchens, we must produce as many matchlocks as possible, no matter what, Your Highness!"
Jo Mal-saeng stepped forward beside him, backing the minister.
"Jurchen barbarians ride from birth and shoot arrows like pros—armor aside, they're elite. But most Joseon folk are lifelong farmers who can't handle horses, bows, or fights. Now, with drill and matchlocks, anyone can become a strong elite soldier. To make our troops elite as the minister says, we need matchlocks in their hands above all. Produce as many as we can."
"Understood. I'll order my Inner Treasury to empty its coffers. I expect you all to follow suit."
Choi Yun-deok was too excited dreaming of unleashing lead storms on Jurchens to notice, but Jo Mal-saeng caught the piercing glares aimed his way.
From Chief State Councillor Hwang Hui on down, all who'd taken lavish "gifts" (bribes, by Kim Dae-bung's metric) now faced disgorging massive wealth...
And all that backlash would rain on him.
'This is all for king and country.'
But he knew better.
Serving Joseon was one thing; losing his fortune another.
"Jurchens excel with horse archers. Won't matchlocks and spears alone struggle to counter them? Does the minister have a plan?"
"We have just two ways to beat horse archers: archers to strike back as they close, or raise our own cavalry to charge them."
Heavy cavalry armored their horses, shrugging arrows. But horse archers wore light leather—must stay nimble to dodge and shoot.
Thus, weak to arrows, poor in close combat.
Joseon had always countered with cavalry or archers.
"Then we must bolster archers and cavalry too."
"Reward meritorious archers and riders generously. Many commoners laboring on corvée nationwide ride well. Recruit those who prove themselves as special irregulars."
Joseon's corvée laborers nationwide? Only one group fit.
The former butchers.
Many clung to nomadic ways, skilled at riding and shooting—prime elite material.
"So be it. How many troops should we mobilize?"
"At least twenty-five thousand to wipe out Yi Man-ju and all traitors backing Joseon."
No courtier forgot Ahap-chul, Yi Man-ju's grandfather—even if they overlooked the man himself.
Ahap-chul had once aided Lee Seong-gye enough for founding merit, but refused to farm like a Joseon man and fled home.
Then begged Ming aid to plague Joseon.
Three generations of torment...
All who knew him vowed his death.
Sejong turned to Finance Minister Jo Gye-saeng.
"Minister of Finance, is the budget sufficient?"
"Taxes have surged, Your Highness. Twenty-five thousand is well within means."
Jo Mal-saeng and Choi Yun-deok thought the same.
"Well within" for twenty-five thousand meant ten thousand more—or beyond—with a little push...
Time to go big.
"Your Highness, as Finance Minister, I believe supply is key to victory. Even the greatest general can't fight on empty stomachs."
"Well said."
"Send State Councilor Kim Dae-bung under Supreme Commander Do Won-su to assist him."
Finance Minister Min Gye-saeng still vividly recalled Kim Dae-bung wringing budgets from him.
Seemingly impossible policies, massive funds—yet he always took just enough to avoid state trouble.
Stick such a man by the commander, and he'd guard the treasury fiercely.
'This is protecting the nation's coffers.'
"I appoint State Councilor Kim Dae-bung as Commander of the Five Armies, overseeing all Defense Ministry directorates."
Kim Dae-bung, reporting at the State Council, suddenly shivered with an inexplicable chill.