Chapter 202
Chapter 202
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 202
Chapter Title: Deceive the Ming Dynasty (4)
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The lord of Tsushima Island and its people readily accepted the relocation to Ulleungdo.
"I persuaded them with all sincerity, and the Tsushima lord and people came to understand Joseon's true intentions. Thanks to that, everything went smoothly, Your Excellency."
Heo Jo wore an incredulous expression as he shot back.
"The Tsushima lord was indeed convinced right away by your words and agreed to head to Ulleungdo, but his samurai retainers and the common folk were reluctant to leave the island and dragged their feet, weren't they? That's why the Minister of Works, fed up, led eighty warships from the Gyeongsang Right Naval Station and threatened them outright."
"Threatened? What a vicious thing to say, Minister of Rites."
Joseon never threatened the wako at all.
The Tsushima folk had various big and small excuses that kept delaying the relocation date, so Minister Bulgok Yi Cheon arrived in person at Tsushima with eighty warships and simply said this.
'Your Tsushima people might encounter wako while crossing the sea. That's why the Joseon navy has come to escort you directly.'
Upon hearing this, the islanders were so moved by His Highness's fervent benevolence that they followed along without even being able to string words together properly.
Some might see it as 'threatening', like Heo Jo did...
In any case, the Tsushima lot were indeed the wako who'd plundered Joseon plenty in the past.
Even so, during this whole affair, Joseon hadn't killed or injured a single one of them. We'd spent Joseon's wealth solely to protect their safety and resolve every aspect of their livelihood—a truly humanitarian effort...
Who could dare criticize our Joseon for that?
"History will record that His Highness pitied the Tsushima lord and people so much that he spared them calamity by providing Joseon's own rice."
"I'm truly glad Kim the Royal Scribe isn't a court historian."
"What I just said was nothing more than recounting His Highness's deeds exactly as they happened. Even if I were a historian, I'd go down in the records as an exemplary one who fulfilled my duties admirably."
"No matter what, I'll make sure Kim the Royal Scribe never sets foot in the Office of Annals."
I hadn't distorted a single fact.
Therefore, history would record it just like this.
His benevolent Majesty King Sejong had personally pitied the Tsushima people and lent them Ulleungdo.
As a result, for the next one or two years, the Tsushima folk would live on Ulleungdo, tilling fields, farming, and enjoying peaceful days.
That is, before the purification expedition burned their old home of Tsushima to the ground and the wako who'd seized it were utterly exterminated by the purification fleet.
Even after explaining all that in terms they could grasp, the Tsushima people hadn't come along readily. They must have thought they wouldn't receive sufficient protection on the journey to Ulleungdo or after arriving.
But when a fleet of over eighty ships led by Bulgok Yi Cheon—second-rank Minister of Works, who had crushed countless Jurchen skulls—appeared and promised safe escort, their minds surely changed upon seeing it.
'They're really protecting us. We're safe.'
"What criteria did you use to select the soldiers to send to Ulleungdo?"
"I chose mainly from those who've served long in Pyeongan and Hamgyong Provinces—men of outstanding martial prowess who've earned great merit for the kingdom. The severely wounded from battles with the Jurchens, male kin of the right age from families who'd lost fathers in those fights, the likes of Jeong Nam... In short, those who've pledged their lives to king and country in loyal service."
"Every last Tsushima commoner has wako blood in their veins, so while one might not take on a hundred, they could probably handle up to ten soldiers somehow. That's why we need Joseon troops whose loyalty is proven and who are rich in combat experience to keep watch. Otherwise, it'd be unmanageable."
This was something of an exaggeration.
A fully armored samurai against ordinary troops without armor might slaughter ten or so, but...
No mere Tsushima peasant, no matter how battle-hardened, could ever handle ten Joseon soldiers alone. That simply wouldn't happen.
Yet the statement wasn't entirely groundless. They might not manage ten, but...
A Tsushima commoner accustomed to killing could take down five.
That's precisely why we had to select Joseon soldiers who were fiercely loyal, battle-tested, and seasoned fighters.
Only such men could handle them—those unafraid of death and ready to fight.
"And during their stay on Ulleungdo, it would be good to distribute the fields tilled by the Tsushima folk to the garrisoned soldiers. They're men who've devoted body and soul to the kingdom, or kin of those who gave their lives— they deserve that much compensation."
"I agree."
"Loyalty to the king is a given for any man, but rewarding those who've shown it is a duty the state must uphold."
In my view, we'd ideally allot each soldier about one gyeol of land, but...
If that's not feasible, even half a gyeol would do. To modern sensibilities, it'd be like giving an apartment to those who've served the nation or the bereaved of the fallen...
They'd be satisfied with that.
"How much grain do you plan to provide the Tsushima people? The court says the Japanese eat far less than Joseon folk and are used to grueling labor, so we could treat them stingily..."
Their opinion wasn't wrong.
But in about twenty years, Joseon would be positioned to eye not just Manchuria but even Japan if we pushed a bit harder.
Japan would have more people, sure, but as Guan Zhong said, 'The people value food as highly as the heavens.'
If we could convince the Japanese that becoming Joseon subjects meant never going hungry and living far better than before, they'd line up voluntarily to join us.
These people had no sense of national belonging until the Meiji Restoration, making them easy to win over loyalty-wise.
"We should provide them the same level of rations as Joseon commoners doing corvee labor. Since we're at it, let them taste the abundance a Joseon citizen enjoys."
"I won't oppose giving them rations equal to our own people. Feed the Tsushima folk till they're full, and gratitude will have them working like oxen. But it feels like you have ulterior motives beyond that..."
"Japan's current state is like the Spring and Autumn period, when Zhou lost all authority. So if we play it right..."
My ultimate goal was to make the entire land of Japan Joseon territory.
But if I stated that outright, old fogey Heo Jo might faint...
'Better tone it down.'
"I'm expecting that, while Your Highness lives, we can at least claim the island they call Kyushu."
"......"
Heo Jo was speechless.
Then he chuckled.
"Coming from anyone else, I might dismiss it, but since it's you, I'll believe it. This is our chance to let the Tsushima people truly taste His Majesty's benevolence."
Kim Dae-bung's proposal swiftly reached Sejong.
His Majesty, who looked especially dashing in ironclad armor, heard the details.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Even Zhuge Liang's genius is wondrously brilliant, but stand him next to Kim Dae-bung for comparison, and he'd be like a firefly beside a torch. Don't you think, Do-ya?"
Sejong let out a hollow laugh at Yi Bang-won's words.
No one across Joseon's eight provinces was unaware of Kim Dae-bung's brilliance.
How famous was his talent among the common folk?
Legends had sprung up that he was a heavenly being who'd served as prime minister under the Jade Emperor but was banished to earth with divine wisdom after a blunder.
Some even claimed his axe was possessed by Kang Gam-chan's spirit, granting him wisdom at every turn—utter nonsense circulating as folklore.
Separate from that, Zhuge Liang had taken nothing but Liu Bei and made him emperor of Shu.
Comparing such a man to a firefly before a torch was a bit much, Sejong thought.
But spoiling his grandfather's good mood with cold facts would be unfilial, so Sejong quickly changed the subject.
"Do you think that highly of Kim Dae-bung?"
"Even on his deathbed, Grand Progenitor lamented how great it would have been if Jeong Mong-ju had been Joseon's prime minister. I deeply agreed back then. But even if Jeong Mong-ju were alive today, how could he compare to Kim Dae-bung? Put Jeong Mong-ju and Jeong Do-jeon together, and they'd still fall short."
"I think so too."
Jeong Mong-ju and Jeong Do-jeon had both been exceptional statesmen.
Jeong Do-jeon especially had practically committed treason during the Strife of the Princes and utterly loathed Yi Bang-won...
So Yi Bang-won had wanted to have Ha Ryun erase all his achievements...
But he'd given up, fearing it would topple the kingdom's foundations—Jeong Do-jeon's abilities were that outstanding.
Jeong Mong-ju was the monster who'd single-handedly extended Goryeo's lifespan by years, maybe decades.
"For such a Kim Dae-bung to say he can make Kyushu Joseon soil during your reign—mark my words, it will happen. Just thinking about it fills me with joy."
"Then you must visit Kyushu with me someday, Father."
"Of course."
And not long after, the leader of the Western Ocean Expedition Fleet, Zheng He, appeared personally at the Joseon palace.