The Public Complex and the Firepower Military Academy (Part 4)
At three years old, Ryu Seong-ryong had already been reading university texts, earning the nickname “child prodigy.”
Even after the sun set, he still lit the oil lamp and kept working. He held the dual posts of censor at the Hall of Illustrious Scholars and royal historian at the Office of Annals, and the backlog of tasks had grown so enormous that that alone explained why he stayed so late. There was another reason, though. A very good reason. A reason that could make or break a career. A reason Ryu Seong-ryong refused to ignore.
“It has become increasingly difficult to understand what His Majesty truly intends with those words.”
Anyone else would simply organize the sparse historical records and file them away. But Ryu Seong-ryong did not. He had sensed hidden meaning in every imperial declaration and was determined to uncover it. That was the duty of a loyal subject, he believed, and the surest path to becoming Grand Chancellor.
The most recent edict concerned only the Hanseong Prefecture.
“Do not interfere with the actions of the Hanseong Prefecture Governor Bak Sun, and do not report on them either. When the outcome is known, we shall discuss it at the Grand Council.”
From the governor’s recent behavior, Ryu Seong-ryong had no doubt something enormous was brewing. That was why the edict had been issued—both the ministers and even the low-ranking officials were clearly interested.
Yet even someone universally recognized as brilliant could not grasp the true meaning.
“Was he simply repairing the Cheonggyecheon and redeveloping the surrounding area…?
The rumor had already spread that more than thirty percent of the city’s population would be relocated. Most of that, apparently, would go toward labor costs. So it could not be that.”
The more he thought about it, the more curious he became.
That was why he only went home after midnight every night. But tonight he had left his desk early.
“Everyone worked hard. I will take my leave first.”
“Is there something wrong?”
The censor at the Hall of Illustrious Scholars looked at Ryu Seong-ryong with a puzzled expression. Even though he was only a ninth-rank censor, he handled every task with precision, and he was always the last to leave. The man had been watching him closely for a long time now.
“A childhood neighbor’s son is coming home early because he passed the Firepower Army officer examination.”
“Then by all means, let him in.”
The censor readily agreed. There was simply too much work for everyone. Without a proper excuse, they could not send anyone home early. This was the perfect excuse.
“Forgive me, Censor-nim.”
“It’s fine. Double the hours tomorrow instead.”
“I already doubled them today.”
“Then triple them tomorrow.”
“Where would that even leave us?”
“I’m sorry, but until I find enough additional staff, just put in the extra hours. You don’t get overtime pay?”
“I do… but I don’t remember the last time I ate dinner with my family.”
“What a shame, a genius like you suddenly unable to remember the last time he ate dinner with his family.”
“Excuse me?”
“Nong, nong. Go home now, and don’t drink too much.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be going.”
The idea that the Firepower Army would become Joseon’s main force had been spoken for years. Ryu Seong-ryong had never really cared. But now they were actually establishing the Firepower Military Academy and recruiting officers. Anyone who wanted to become a general would have to graduate from there.
Ryu Seong-ryong’s gaze sharpened.
A childhood friend who had once been the neighborhood captain during war games, the son of his childhood neighbor, now wanted to take the Firepower Army officer examination. His family had been a literary scholar lineage for generations, so the boy had spent his childhood studying the Four Books and Five Classics, dreaming of passing the civil service exam.
“If his name is Yeo-hae, perhaps that would be even better for him.”
Ryu Seong-ryong himself had been the one to contact the boy. At three years younger, the boy had always been the natural leader in their games. Ryu Seong-ryong believed a soldier was better suited for him than a civil official. Especially since the palace guards would keep him completely out of politics.
“I want to become a general who protects the country and opens new territory, not one who argues,” the boy had once said. Ryu Seong-ryong had replied at once.
“Brother, I may be the one who would suit that role best. You know what happened to our grandfather. Because of his close friendship with someone, he suffered during the Gisa Ho Incident. So I have no interest in politics…”
“Thank you for telling me. I will come visit you as soon as I can.”
Ryu Seong-ryong had expected the boy to refuse—after all, he had only recently married. But the reply came quickly and without hesitation.
“Still hasn’t changed his mind, I see. I hope he passes the exam, though…”
At the palace inspection hall, King Yi Yeon met a tall and imposing man brought by his personal bodyguard Han Geuk-ham.
“Who are you?”
“This subject is Kim Myeong-won, who oversees the southern districts within ten ri of Hanseong Prefecture.”
“Kim Myeong-won?”
Yi Yeon murmured the name without realizing it. The name had triggered a memory.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Did you pass the military exam before the civil service exam?”
“I did, Your Majesty.”
“Hmm…”
Yi Yeon nodded slowly, a quiet sound escaping his throat. He had a rough idea of what had happened yesterday.
“A man who passed both exams… the administrative genius Kim Myeong-won.”
Once the name registered, Yi Yeon asked directly.
“Why did you do that?”
“I am ashamed to say, Your Majesty, that the entire village stank of urine after the barbarians urinated in our wells without permission.”
“I meant, why did you give urine markers to the children and eggs to the barbarians?”
Kim Myeong-won clenched his teeth, bowed deeply, and answered.
“Your Majesty, this subject has committed a capital crime.”
“What?”
“It was my own decision to handle the matter. When Your Majesty instructed me to act, you said I must pay the price for my actions. So I did.”
“You gave urine markers to the children and took eggs from the barbarians in exchange?”
“That is correct, Your Majesty.”
“Hmm. Impressive.”
“I am unworthy, Your Majesty.”
Kim Myeong-won bowed even lower. When he had been arrested by the palace guards, he had believed his life was over.
He had acted for the sake of the stinking village, but negotiating with the barbarians and distributing urine markers without reporting to the higher authorities was clearly unauthorized.
Yet the young king had praised him.
“It was the truth, after all. What a true sage ruler.”
Kim Myeong-won felt the blood returning to his veins.
Yi Yeon questioned him for a long time afterward, learning that while his command of troops was disorganized, his ability to organize units and supply provisions was unparalleled.
He therefore decided to assign Kim Myeong-won to the chicken coop at the elementary school. An administrative master like him would surely manage it well.
No! Not everyone could do that. Gathering the misfits and turning them into soldiers with provisions was something no one could do.
But a man who had passed the military exam would be an excellent archer.
“Should I appoint him as vice principal?”
After selecting the best from the Firepower Army, training them under the Crown Prince’s guards, and turning them into first-rate warriors, a report arrived.
They fired multi-barreled cannons, hurled hand grenades, and pursued enemies on horseback. It was all difficult, but not impossible. The selected Firepower Army members were courageous men of exceptional physical strength, and the Crown Prince’s guards who trained them were also martial masters.
Yet even after firing the multi-barreled cannons quickly, they still charged forward too readily. They might still be misfits.
“Teaching them the strategy and tactics of using firearms will be difficult.”
The original plan had been to let them experience the weapons first, then pick out the best among them to teach strategy. But they preferred action over thought, so Yi Yeon had given up.
“I can’t change them.”
Fixed thinking at their age would be hard to break. Instead, he decided to establish the Firepower Military Academy and select one hundred students, teaching them military strategy and how to read the political situation the way scholars did.
It seemed the most efficient way to build and run the Firepower Army.
But there was one concern.
“If anyone else is put in charge, I might end up like Cao Cao, who lost his kingdom to Sima Yi.”
He could not risk it. So Yi Yeon decided to personally train the generals who would command the Firepower Army. If he did not set the standard from the beginning, they might become either corrupt officials or traitors.
“They might even stage a rebellion.”
Joseon was governed by Neo-Confucian thought, so no coup to become king would occur. But a rebellion to replace the ruler with someone more to their liking was possible.
“Then they would meddle in politics and ruin the country.”
Yi Yeon had always believed that men of power must never involve themselves in politics. The fist came before the words.
Therefore, as the first principal of the Firepower Military Academy, he would personally teach them and plant the right ideals in their minds.
Selecting the rotten characters would be a bonus. But since he could not handle everything himself, he was searching for a suitable vice principal.
None stood out. There were men who were both military and civil officials, but none was competent enough to organize and manage an institution.
“I have one question.”
“I am all ears, Your Majesty.”
“You know, the Firepower Army will become the backbone of our Joseon. So tell me—what do you think is the most important thing for the Firepower Army?”
“Logistics, Your Majesty.”
“Why?”
“The greatest weakness of the current Joseon Army is that not one in a hundred archers is any good.”
“Hmm…”
“But I have heard that the Firepower Army is different. Anyone who learns a little about the multi-barreled cannon will become a master shot.”
“Therefore, what they need most is ammunition for the multi-barreled cannon, and ensuring it is supplied on time. That is the most important work.”
“Hmm…”
Yi Yeon asked again because his words were exactly the same as what Yi I had said.
“Who told you that? Or did you think of it yourself?”
“I was talking with Yi I, the magistrate of Byeokdong County, and I came up with the idea myself.”
“Yi I?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Yi Yeon was startled.
“The master of the thirty-six stratagems, Yi I?”
“How do you know him?”
“During the reign of the previous king, in 1558, we both passed the military exam together and occasionally exchange letters. Recently I met him in the capital and we spoke.”
“Hmm…”
A strange feeling washed over Yi Yeon. The world he knew was changing.
“Has the causality finally started to shift?”
He had caused many instances of causality breaking already. But no one had noticed. Among the heroes who shone during the Imjin War, the only ones he had met were Shin Rip and Kim Ji.
Yet in just one day, three names had appeared in succession: Han Geuk-ham, Kim Myeong-won, and Yi I.
“Was it because I kept Shin Rip captive? Or because I turned the military exam into a Firepower Army selection instead?”
He could not say. But both seemed connected, and the effects were finally appearing.
Then…
“I suppose he will take the exam after all.”
The plan was to make the Firepower Army the core of the Joseon Army. Those selected through the civil service exam would be assigned to defense, policing, and internal security. Attack was important, but so was defense, and internal security was even more important. This way would be better.
But there was a problem.
“If I do that, I might never see the heroes I have been waiting for.”
Together with Stephen, it was a dream he refused to abandon.
“No good.”
Once the Firepower Army was established, the heroes who had risked everything to save the country would have no place left. Even if discovered later, they could not be appointed recklessly.
“That would make it like the Tang dynasty.”
So he lowered the qualification for the Firepower Army officer examination. Anyone in Joseon could take it.