Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Even Pirates Have Their Uses (7)
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Who Kim Dae-bung was wasn't exactly a closely guarded secret in Joseon.
Any Joseon citizen would have heard at least once the tale of how he stood before Yi Bang-won and declared that if they insisted on introducing currency, they might as well smash his own head in.
Beyond that, his exploits were so infamous there was no hiding them even if he wanted to.
Thus, investigating just what sort of man this Kim Dae-bung was—on orders from the Lord of Tsushima—wasn't all that difficult.
"My lord, I've gathered the basic information on Kim Dae-bung."
"Good work, Yanagawa. So, what exactly is this Kim Dae-bung guy who they say is more ruthless than a demon or asura? What does he even do in Joseon?"
Lord of Tsushima So Sadamori was intensely curious about this Kim Dae-bung, both in his official capacity and on a personal level.
What kind of audacious bastard could toy with the Lord of Tsushima's neck like a plaything, then extort a whopping thousand taels of silver as a bribe? That was what he wanted to know.
Yanagawa swallowed hard before replying.
"They say he's like Joseon's Zhuge Liang."
"Zhuge Liang? The guy who lures me into a secret meeting just to threaten me for a thousand taels of silver is Zhuge Liang? He's a greed-soaked, raving corrupt official!"
"I fully understand your lordship's rage a hundred—no, a thousand times over. But I investigated everyone in this diplomatic mission: the chief envoy, the interpreters, even the physicians and the lowly rowers. And the same story came from every last mouth."
To avoid any scolding from the Lord of Tsushima, Yanagawa had pulled out all the stops in his investigation.
He'd wined and dined the chief envoy with rare delicacies, even slipping him a whole box of precious pepper to loosen his tongue.
For the interpreters, he'd smuggled in geishas for private entertainment or bribed them with luxuries that fetched high prices back in Joseon.
Even the insignificant rowers got unlimited rice, sake, and grilled fish, topped off with cash bribes to spill what they knew.
The Lord knew his top Tsushima retainer wouldn't half-ass a job like this, so he let out a deep sigh.
"Fine, then. Out with it."
"Don't be shocked, my lord."
"I won't be shocked, no matter what you say."
"They say Kim Dae-bung nearly doubled—or tripled—Joseon's tax revenues in a single year."
The Lord of Tsushima shot to his feet at those words, jabbing a finger at Yanagawa and bellowing.
"Is that what you wasted all that money on?! Does that even make a lick of sense? A young Joseon bureaucrat—barely junior fifth rank—increases the entire kingdom's tax haul several times over in one year? You'd have better luck claiming the late Empress Shin-gong rose from the grave to conquer Gyeongsang and Jeolla Provinces!"
The Lord of Tsushima—no, Japan's daimyo—were masters at wringing every last drop from their taxes.
In the Edo period, when commoner exploitation hit its zenith, they even had a saying:
'Never kill off the people, but never let them live easy either.'
So the shoguns and daimyo of the Edo era levied taxes calibrated to keep the masses teetering right on the brink of death.
It got so brutal that peasants—who made up most of the population—resorted to 'mabiki,' parents killing their own infants to cut down on food consumption.
For a tax-obsessed Lord of Tsushima like him, squeezing out even a 1% increase took endless headaches. Yet some fresh-faced young Joseon upstart triples revenues in a year? Preposterous.
"I couldn't believe it myself, but the chief envoy from Joseon, the interpreters—every single one sang the same tune."
"Even so?"
"If it was a rehearsed lie, cracks would show in the details. But everything lined up perfectly."
Goosebumps prickled across the Lord's entire body.
He was struck anew by just how terrifying the man who'd blackmailed him truly was.
Someone capable of doubling or tripling a kingdom's taxes in one year could probably reduce Tsushima to ashes with a few well-chosen words.
"And that's not the end of it. Despite the massive tax hikes, the Joseon people are supposedly cheering 'Long live the King!' and thrilled about it."
"......"
The Lord was so flabbergasted he nearly blacked out right there in his seat.
Taxes doubled and the masses celebrate? Impossible.
Hearing this utterly baffling scenario secondhand filled him with dread.
"And that's just scratching the surface. Stories of every stripe: defying the king's policies and demanding his own head on an axe if they wouldn't listen... Filing a petition branding Joseon's Chief State Councillor a traitor just because he rubbed him the wrong way... The more I heard, the more I wondered if the guy's even human."
People romanticize 'samurai' as dashing warriors ready to commit seppuku for their lord at a moment's notice.
But the samurai of this era? If their lord looked like he was truly done for, they'd bolt before even thinking of dying.
All that talk of seppuku was just pretty anecdotes. No one actually threw their life away just to offer blunt advice.
In Japan, they'd never seen or heard of an official like Kim Dae-bung.
Exceptionally talented, yet willing to face death unflinchingly for his country.
A rock-solid ally on your side—but a demon straight out of hell if he was your foe.
"Nothing else?"
"Everyone said he's an utterly incorruptible paragon, not taking so much as a single bribe."
"This 'paragon' waltzes off with a thousand taels of my silver..."
The Lord ground his teeth to the quick.
But grinding was all he could manage; opposing Kim Dae-bung was unthinkable.
Those words kept echoing in his head:
'His Majesty has the power to elevate Tsushima's lowliest wretch to Lord of Tsushima overnight.'
"The art of war teaches: if you face an unbeatable foe a thousand li distant, sue for peace. Joseon is no longer the pushover it once was... I must bow my head."
Saying this, the Lord of Tsushima eyed Yanagawa standing before him.
Even his own clan's top retainer—the chief karo—could no longer be trusted blindly.
If that devious, petty Joseon king handed trade rights with Joseon to this man, Tsushima's samurai would slaughter the So clan starting with him and install Yanagawa as the new lord.
All for their own gain.
"I need to bow before Joseon faster than any other daimyo."
Better to take the beating early—and if you're bowing, do it quicker and lower than anyone else.
That way, you'd snag a few more scraps from the table.
"Joseon's future will revolve around that Kim Dae-bung. Find a way to cozy up to him, whatever it takes."
"Yes, my lord."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Something was off about Lord of Tsushima So Sadamori.
Made me wonder if the guy had downed a bad bowl of medicine.
"Word is, the deputy envoy topped the civil service exam back in Joseon."
"Yes, that's right."
"Joseon scholars steep themselves in the sages' teachings from childhood. The truly exceptional pass the exams and become officials, no? So as top scorer, your calligraphy must be top-notch."
"I'm afraid I'm not that skilled with a brush."
This wasn't empty modesty.
I wasn't hopeless, but outstanding? No way I'd claim that.
"Could you at least write out one short phrase?"
"Of course."
Nominally higher-ranked than me and a key player in diplomacy with Japan, the Lord of Tsushima was someone best not provoked unless absolutely necessary.
I wrote out the Hanja phrase “Let the ruler be a ruler, the minister a minister, the father a father, and the son a son(written in hanja)” for him.
With the hope that he'd grasp his place and kowtow properly to Joseon.
The Lord took it, flashed a grin, and promptly started showing it off to his retainers.
"I'm no deep scholar myself, but I do know a man's calligraphy reveals his character. These eight characters brim with the deputy's loyalty to his sovereign, his pure heart, and his devotion to the people... Priceless—even gold and silver couldn't buy it."
What the hell? Why the sudden over-the-top gushing? Was he feeling okay?
"To receive such a treasure demands a fitting gift in return."
The Lord of Tsushima handed over five bolts of black satin—the finest silk in all Northeast Asia.
Given publicly as payment for 'my calligraphy,' it was essentially a legal bribe.
"Four years back, in my foolishness, I wrote in the state letter that more grace from Joseon would bring Tsushima under your banner... Now, we yearn to learn Joseon's lofty scholarship and culture, cast off our barbarism, and live as civilized folk. I know it's a tall order, but would the deputy envoy kindly petition His Majesty to send a teacher for me and Tsushima's samurai?"
The Lord wasn't just asking to learn a few books.
This was blatant bootlicking—proclaiming that if Joseon said 'drop dead,' they'd at least pretend to oblige.
King Sejong would beam from ear to ear upon hearing this.
Joseon civilizing the Japanese barbarians and all that.
"I'll make sure to relay the request."
No need to send them anyone good, though. Better ship over Jeong Chang-son—that rigid old Neo-Confucian fossil.
It'd spread stick-in-the-mud Confucian thought among them, slowing their progress to a crawl.