The Hero Returns (1)
The Qing forces that quelled the rebellion that erupted in Joseon were now at Gapgot Ferry in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon Metropolitan City, constructing temporary encampments and docking facilities while receiving support from the Beiyang Fleet.
“Here, sir.”
“Admiral, left.”
Among the key figures, the admiral of the Beiyang Fleet, Jeong Yeo-chang, visited the military camp of the Gyeonggi Province, which had been repurposed as the base for the dispatched commander, O Jang-gyeong.
As he entered, the waiting adjutant came to greet him.
“This way, please. He is waiting inside.”
“Thank you for your trouble.”
Unlike the offices of the home country, the admiral entered a more solemn, single-colored government office. Following the adjutant’s guidance, he soon found the new master of the camp.
“General.”
“Ah! Welcome, Admiral. The roads in Joseon are rough, aren’t they?”
O Jang-gyeong, who was amiable to his subordinates and fond of reading, earning the nickname of a Confucian general among the people, put away the book he was reading and greeted the guest with joy.
“Due to supply issues, my subordinates are angry. I had them pick up the shovel right after suppressing the rebellion.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. I was terrified when you said there were no carriages.”
After exchanging brief pleasantries, the two sat down and began their conversation.
“The adjutant’s expression is a bit sharp.”
“Is that so? We’ll talk about it later. He’s a friend with deep thoughts, unlike his appearance.”
“Since you asked, I should make time for it.”
Soon after, tea and snacks were brought by the adjutant, and when the servants left, Admiral Jeong Yeo-chang began the serious discussion.
“Is the Joseon king still silent?”
“Yes.”
The fastest informant on Joseon affairs, O Jang-gyeong, answered briefly. Jeong Yeo-chang frowned, put his hand on his forehead, and sighed.
“It’s a mess. When he’s in a hurry, he begs and pleads, sending Qing troops here, and when the situation calms down, he makes us the scapegoat. Does the Joseon king have no conscience?”
“Watch your words. He is a proper monarch of a tributary state, having received our investiture. Even in private, we can speak of it.”
“The monarch is damned.”
Upon O Jang-gyeong’s remark, Jeong Yeo-chang lightly tapped his chest, indicating his anger.
O Jang-gyeong was a good-natured man, but Jeong Yeo-chang, who was known for being calculating in all matters, saw the Joseon king as an absurdly arrogant human who viewed the home country’s army as his own long-term pawn.
Then, O Jang-gyeong smiled bitterly and explained the atmosphere in Hanseong.
“More than that, the Joseon people’s view of us is getting worse every day. Despite trying to control the soldiers as much as possible, incidents keep happening, and their attitude and our situation become more dangerous every day.”
As he said, the atmosphere in Hanseong seemed like a temporary patch for the unrest, but there was something that could ignite a bigger explosion.
Jeong Yeo-chang, who nodded seriously, continued.
“Food and water are also a problem. No, what kind of country can’t even provide rations for its own officials and soldiers? When they told me that there’s only enough food for a month, I thought they were joking.”
Already, the grain we transferred for free is 10,000 bushels, and the grain rushed from Tianjin under the pretext of accounting is 30,000 bushels. Of course, Qing China, richer in resources and budget than Joseon, wouldn’t see the requested grain as precious, but any further expenditure would burden the Qing army as well.
“Still, water supply isn’t resolved yet? Grain was also rushed from Tianjin.”
“It’s only enough for three months. Moreover, the Joseon king has pushed the relief for the people in Incheon and Ganghwa entirely onto us. I’ve never seen such thick-skinned audacity in my life.”
“Hahaha.”
It was too shameless even for that.
They were a proper army dispatched upon the Joseon king’s request, yet they had to arrange food, water, and encampments themselves.
Jeong Yeo-chang sighed in frustration, and O Jang-gyeong gestured outside the camp and said.
“Still, we’re better off than those who went to Hanseong. They’re in quite a mess now. Dae-won-gun is a capable man. He needs to rebuild the government, but he doesn’t know where to start because all the people are tainted with his era.”
“Is it that serious?”
“Even the government offices and military camps near the capital have no officers or commanders recommended by him. For now, we’re temporarily commanding the soldiers on our own.”
O Jang-gyeong, with a troubled face, took out the document with the Joseon king’s request and continued.
“Apparently, the facts we learned from the home country and the situation of the Joseon government were very different.”
“The Daewongun’s momentum was great, wasn’t it?”
“Rather, it’s his popularity that is greater than expected.”
After suppressing the rebellion, there were truly complex situations. Unlike the Joseon king’s boasts, most Joseon bureaucrats had not exchanged even a single letter with the Daewongun, the main instigator of the rebellion, and there was no hostile sentiment towards the Daewongun who had seized power through the coup.
“If we have time in the fleet, we requested that crew members be sent to guard the palace, but I refused.”
“Good. Otherwise, there were many talks in Japan about dispatching the fleet, and we can’t waste the important power of the Beiyang Fleet for the safety of someone like the Joseon king.”
“Choyong and Wiyong, Yangwi – aren’t they all in their prime? We plan to dock at least six ships in Jemulpo, what will those Japanese do by sending a fleet?”
O Jang-gyeong asked, and Jeong Yeo-chang took out the nautical chart of the Gyeonggi Sea from his pocket and explained.
“There are fortifications and forts on Ganghwa Island, but they are full of holes. It was said they endured two Opium Wars and Japanese fleet bombardments, but most of the forts are still unrepaired.”
“Terrifying.”
“Moreover, there is the ‘what if’ factor. Anyway, it’s a big problem because of the stubborn Joseon king.”
Jeong Yeo-chang, who remembered the unreasonable demands and arrogant attitude of the Joseon king over the past month, shook his head. Suppressing the rebellion was one problem, and organizing a new government while excluding interference from other great powers was already beyond his capacity.
“Really, let’s talk about it…”
“What? Did I say something wrong?”
“Haha, let’s not fight among ourselves. We’re already drowning in troubles.”
O Jang-gyeong, who had quickly waved his hand to avoid emotional involvement, said.
“The Joseon scholars are also noisy.”
“Noisy?”
“Why, don’t we say that blocking the path makes him a tyrant? The Joseon king probably thinks that if even they turn against him, he’s finished.”
“Hmph, it seems he has a sense of crisis.”
Actually, upon bringing them in to maintain power, other thoughts arose.
More than that, the path.
“By the way, I heard that too. Seonggyungwan, or something? The young scholars who are camping in front of the palace. Among them, one little guy under 7 years old stands out. How can such a small body make so much noise?”
A few days ago, the rumor that reached Incheon made Jeong Yeo-chang’s eyes widen, and O Jang-gyeong nodded.
“Yes. He is called a prodigy. He was a follower of Daewongun.”
“Is that so?”
Jeong Yeo-chang, who was pondering the information that this troublesome kid was a follower of Daewongun, narrowed his eyes and asked.
“If that little guy is noisy, we can just quietly deal with him, right?”
“What?”
O Jang-gyeong tilted his head at what he meant, and Jeong Yeo-chang whispered.
“Why? It’s not difficult.”
Then, he drew a line on his thumb with the intent of removal on his neck, startling O Jang-gyeong who shouted.
“Say something sensible. Because of one complaint from a 7-year-old kid, do we have to show ourselves as cruel and violent? Besides, the home government is troubled because of the special coverage this rebellion suppression received in Japanese and American media.”
“Why should we make it a problem that the Joseon king requested the suppression?”
“That is not the issue.”
O Jang-gyeong, who remembered another troublesome thing, started to feel a headache and explained.
“The Joseon king raised the issue of the traitors he executed hastily. A barbaric country’s true ‘nature’ with a pre-modern legal system or something? Anyway, our situation inside and outside is not all good.”
“We were the first to oppose executions, right? Moreover, applying the collective punishment was arbitrary. The one who danced the sword dance is the Joseon king, and we eat the humiliation?”
“We manipulated the Joseon government from behind. After all, we are their suzerain? So, they all see only what they want to see.”
“Insane.”
Jeong Yeo-chang, leaning against the wall with an incredulous expression at his words, asked.
“Then, is it the grand return?”
“I wish I could do it too.”
“The court?”
“No response from the court.”
“Even the Beiyang Minister?”
“Yes.”
“Damn.”
Jeong Yeo-chang, who witnessed the reality that no one took responsibility and just said to handle the matter, slammed the table in excitement.
“Admiral Chamryeong (Ma Jianzhong) has no explanation or countermeasures! If this continues, we might be pushed by public opinion, spilling the blood of our precious soldiers and returning without accomplishing anything.”
“Even if I say that the admiral and I are busy suppressing the rebellion and controlling our troops, it’s no use. He is inherently a pacifist towards Joseon from the beginning.”
“I don’t know why the Beiyang Minister trusts such a weak person.”
“He must have great ambitions.”
Watching O Jang-gyeong shrug his shoulders, Jeong Yeo-chang, arms crossed, opened his mouth after a while.
“Rather, let me say this.”
“What?”
“The Joseon king requested something, how about fulfilling it completely.”
“?”
O Jang-gyeong tilted his head not understanding at first, and Jeong Yeo-chang conveyed his serious thought in a serious voice.
“Not just the palace guard, but a way to control the entire Hanseong. After all, the new cabinet’s reshuffle will be influenced by our side, so temporarily governing with the army reconstruction as a pretext—”
“…Absolutely preposterous nonsense.”
Shocked by the open proposal to establish a puppet regime, O Jang-gyeong rejected his suggestion with a firm expression.
“That can never be said.”
“No, why?!”
“What? Think about it. If we openly make Joseon our vassal and control it, will Japan and the Western powers just watch quietly? And most importantly, what about those Joseon people?”
Jeong Yeo-chang, who pulled his head back at O Jang-gyeong’s rebuttal, shrugged his shoulders.
“Before departure, the Beiyang Minister also gave me strict instructions. Do not lightly regard the Joseon people, avoid provoking them as much as possible. That’s why I spent time trying to persuade the rebels on the first day of suppression, right?”
“That is true, but…”
“We don’t need to show our teeth openly, and there’s no need to eat humiliation. After all, since the Joseon king has voluntarily come into the suzerain’s embrace, time is on our side.”
Yes. Time was on their side, and trying too hard here would only lead to humiliation.
O Jang-gyeong, who thought he had sufficiently persuaded the admiral, said.
“Anyway, if there is no other response from the home country, let’s maintain the current situation for now. Let’s do our job on the side that doesn’t provoke the Joseon people as much as possible.”
“I understand, General.”
*****
Meanwhile, at Gwanghwamun, a meeting of three people was taking place.
“Ah!”
The first to notice the two coming towards this side was Chamryeonggwan Woo Beom-seon, who ran to them and bowed deeply.
“Chief State Councillor, what brings you here? And you, Coordinator, came too.”
The people he greeted were former Chief State Councillor Min Yeong-hwan and Coordinator Min Yeong-ik, people who had formed an unlikely connection through the recent rebellion and resolved past grievances.
Min Yeong-hwan, receiving Woo Beom-seon’s greeting, waved his hand and said.
“Chief State Councillor, what, I’m not an elder anymore.”
“I’ve been dismissed for a long time too.”
“Both of you have suffered.”
“You too, Chamryeonggwan.”
The three, who didn’t mind the fact that they had all become commoners, just laughed.
It turns out these three were chased out of the court because of a single person.
After laughing for a while, Min Yeong-ik said, apologizing for the past.
“Seeing the court’s situation these days, it was frustrating. Now I can understand your feelings a bit.”
“Haha, is that so?”
With a sheepish face, Woo Beom-seon nodded, and pointed to the person sitting quietly on a mat in the middle of Gwanghwamun and asked.
“Is that okay? Just leave that kid as is?”
There was a boy there, surrounded by Confucian scholars, engaged in conversation.
Woo Beom-seon, with a look of pity, eyebrows furrowed, said.
“I don’t have the ability to speak, what can I do? Just ‘yes yes’ as he says.”
“Hmm.”
“That’s a pity.”
With a look of sympathy, Min Yeong-hwan clicked his tongue once, and Woo Beom-seon opened his mouth. There was a separate urgent matter on this side.
“What is the Chief State Councillor doing?”
“Watch your words. This time, he has properly received punishment.”
“Gumseok (Hong Yeong-sik) is running around for release, but it’s too late.”
The rumor that the Chief State Councillor Hong Sun-mok, who had been lenient towards Daewongun, had fallen out of the king’s favor and was imprisoned in Uigeumbu had spread early.
Recalling the memory of his close friend Hong Yeong-sik visiting his house with a hurried expression, Min Yeong-ik said.
“I lent him my name to ask for help… Actually, I was in quite a bit of danger too, wasn’t I?”
“Of course, after that day, who in Hanseong is safe from the king’s whims?”
Actually, there was no one safe.
Ah, if I have to be picky, there was exactly one person deep in the palace.
“Has the queen consort received no news yet?”
Woo Beom-seon asked, and Min Yeong-hwan answered with an apologetic face.
“Watch your words. The entry and exit of servants is already prohibited. The Tongri-gunguksa-mu Dokpan (Min Tae-ho) who understood our will personally inquired, but there was no response.”
“Similarly, even if the Hanseong Pan-yun requested an audience, there was no notice.”
“That is a big problem. In a country where most friendly people have been dismissed, even neutral people are being monitored…”
Woo Beom-seon, who was fidgeting because the king’s surveillance and checks on them were more than expected, received sincere warnings from Min Yeong-hwan and Min Yeong-ik.
“It is a dangerous situation.”
“Rather, staying quiet might be safer.”
“But, our plan needs to connect with the previous preparations, doesn’t it?”
Yes. Their final goal was the greatest elder of the royal family, the queen consort.
“It is not easy.”
“We cannot watch with open eyes as many people are unjustly executed.”
“I know, Chamryeonggwan. We are doing our best too.”
Feeling that the conversation was veering into excuses, Min Yeong-hwan changed the subject for a moment.
“The kid, what do you say?”
Woo Beom-seon answered with a stern look.
“He says that not even one step can be moved from there.”
“It’s already the third day, right? My god, a hunger strike.”
The kid was already the talk of the town and the focus of all scholars.
“Shinwon movement.”
A 7-year-old kid doing a hunger strike is surprising enough, but the reason is a Shinwon movement towards the criminals who are unjustly persecuted due to the turmoil of the rebellion.
The news that the court was noisy because of this was not only too painful to explain but also.
Watching this, Min Yeong-ik said with admiration.
“He has a very principled stubbornness. Myunam and his friends would like it.”
“What good is that? A healthy kid is about to starve to death!”
Of course, the quick-tempered Woo Beom-seon was frustrated to death with the current situation.