Innovation and Revolution (18)
The road home after the festival was empty and desolate.
A path back to the daily grind of life that felt suffocating and meaningless.
Yet after the lantern ceremony that had been just like the festival itself, the ministers yearned for that same return to ordinary life.
Because nights had stretched long past when they had refused to leave even though the bright, dazzling electric lights made every day feel unbearably bright and restless.
So Yi Yeon had officially proposed the introduction of a holiday system.
“In the Hwaryeok Industrial Complex, machines get one day off every ten days for maintenance. But we have no special rest days set aside. So we will create them.”
“How exactly?”
“Let every government office close on the fifth, fifteenth, and twenty-fifth of each month—just one day every ten days, just like in the Hwaryeok Industrial Complex.”
“But that could create gaps in national defense and public order, Your Majesty.”
“The District and Regional Garrisons are in place. There is no cause for concern.”
The local militias had sounded more like volunteer farmers eager only for an end to their training than actual soldiers.
So Yi Yeon had reorganized the long-dormant local militias under the name Defense Forces and linked them to the District and Regional Garrisons, which were already tied to the royal council.
Because with such overwhelming firepower, static defense rather than mobile tactics made far more sense.
And he placed all military authority of the Defense Forces under the direct command of the Royal Council.
The temptation to protect the commercial district was too great, and the council needed regular auditing to prevent corruption.
Therefore the Defense Forces stationed in the District and Regional Garrisons would rotate every two weeks, granting them a single day of rest each month.
“It is an act of consideration,” Yi Yeon had said, “because they cannot bring their families into the commercial district and live there.”
But the true purpose was prevention of graft.
Anyway, even if the offices closed and the days were called holidays, defense and public order would not pause.
In larger villages the Regional Garrisons were close at hand, in smaller ones the District Garrisons, and more and more villages were building their own local security forces.
Public order was steadily improving.
Therefore this measure passed without opposition.
Who would dare oppose a country officially granting rest days?
And with one day’s labor bringing two or three days’ rations, it was impossible to find a single reluctant subject.
While late into the night he handled one proposal after another, Yeojo-panseo Lee Tak entered the Gungjeong Hall and bowed deeply.
“Your Majesty, the head of the Mori clan and his descendants of the former country have come requesting an audience. What shall we do?”
Yi Yeon let out a snort that he had not even realized was a fart.
He had heard the news that Mori Motonari was coming.
With his two sons and the grandson who would one day inherit the clan.
At that moment the thought that rose in his mind was simply “curse.”
The long line of evil that the Mori clan had brought upon the Korean people—starting with the Imjin War, the invasion of Joseon, colonial rule, and even their extreme-right speeches—flooded back.
That was why he had sworn to end the Mori clan.
He had sent Kim Sung-il to bring them the humiliation they deserved, then trampled upon their arrogance while laughing.
Even if he did not dwell on events from his previous life, the Mori clan, which had taken the place once held by the Ouchi family claiming descent from Baekje, had to be destroyed by any means necessary.
Only then would the other daimyos gather and attack, only then could the war end quickly.
Yet this man had come to the capital, staking everything on his arrival.
At first Yi Yeon had ordered him barred from the palace.
Meeting Mori would bring nothing but trouble.
But curiosity had burned in him, and the thought of revenge through other means had not been unpleasant.
“Let them come in.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
*
Mori Motonari could feel the end of his life drawing near.
In an age where anyone with strength could cut down a lord and claim the shogunate title, such a premonition was inevitable.
He worried for his family.
If he were gone, the clan might vanish without a trace.
He had even considered fleeing to another region.
But once Joseon unified, life would only grow more miserable.
So he had chosen to prostrate himself without question.
I must survive.
“Yes, Father.”
Terumoto, you must survive too.
“Yes, Grandfather.”
Firmly swearing this oath, he boarded the ship bound for Joseon.
At that moment he had thought only one word: “I did well.”
The new Joseon warships that had been drifting like sentries in the sea off Shimonoseki grew larger the closer they drew, their hulls emerging from beneath the waves as if the sea itself had been hiding them.
Those vessels are said to be entirely made of steel.
Through the steel doors cut into the side of the Joseon warship, he stepped inside and nearly jumped in shock.
A fire burning inside a transparent glass bulb was far brighter than any lantern and did not flicker even in the swell of the sea.
The ship itself groaned like a living monster as it surged forward at terrifying speed.
Such a massive, heavy-looking vessel.
Crossing the Tsushima Strait, they passed Busanpo, Mokpojin, and reached the mouth of the Han River.
It feels as though we have stepped into another world⋯
At dusk the sight of Gyodongdo—the free-trade district—seemed almost unreal in its beauty, visible from miles away with its bustling, vibrant energy that seemed to radiate sound.
This is nothing like the Joseon I know.
He gathered his surviving clan members and spoke with heavy emphasis.
“To survive, you must follow us without question.”
“Father, why all of a sudden?”
“Can’t you see what I’m pointing at?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The gap in technology.”
“Ah, I understand. Even so, do we truly need to do all this?”
“Hmm⋯ From now on we will never be able to beat Joseon, and in fact may not even be able to follow it. So we must live as thorough Joseon subjects. That is the only way to protect our clan and enjoy wealth and honor. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
Mori Motonari, who knew better than anyone that the strong survive, immediately laid out every preparation he had made upon meeting the Joseon king.
The contents, as shocking to the listening ministers as they were to Yi Yeon, were staggering.
After hearing it all, Yi Yeon asked.
“So while you block the east, you will conquer Kyushu and Shikoku?”
“Yes, my lord. If Your Majesty provides only one thousand troops from the Joseon Hwaryeok Army, I can advance alone.”
“Is this true?”“Yes, my lord.”
“Why are you so eager to do this?”
“My lord?”“Why are you volunteering so desperately?”“The times need my lord.”
“You flatter too much.”
“If you do not want it, I will not proceed. My lord!”
The will to save his life—or at least his clan—was so fierce it was almost frightening.
His two sons and grandson looked equally sharp-witted.
So he asked.
“Can you become Joseon subjects across generations and dedicate yourselves fully to the interests of Joseon?”
“Of course, my lord. If I had no such intention, I would never have come here.”
He questioned Mori Motonari further.
The more he did so, the more worried he became for the extreme-ized Joseon he had helped create.
Ah, so this is why he used such people in the first place.
In his previous life he had supported them under every ridiculous pretext and name.
Now he finally understood the reason.
It is perfect!
Exactly. They would do everything themselves.
He decided to use them.
He renamed Mori Motonari to Mori Won-yeo and placed him at the forefront of the campaign to punish the former country.
“Then I will appoint you as Commander-in-Chief of the Joseon Eastern Army.”
“I am grateful, Your Majesty.”
Henceforth the Joseon army composed of people from the former country would be called the Eastern Army.
Because the sea between Joseon and the former country was the Eastern Sea.
And he installed Mori Motonari as overall commander of the Eastern Army.
It seemed the best choice.
“However, remember this. In peacetime you may act independently, but in wartime you must obey the orders of the Hwaryeok Army without question.”
“What does that mean, Your Majesty?”“There is no independent operational command for the Joseon Eastern Army.”“No?”“Do not interpret it yourself. Obey only what is commanded. Understood?”“Yes! Your Majesty!”
“And I will say it again. You are a subject of Joseon. Therefore you must learn and follow Joseon law. Understood?”“Yes! Your Majesty!”
Thus the former Japanese shogunate region naturally became part of Joseon’s territory and began to serve as the launching pad for the conquest of the archipelago.
* * *
Two years earlier, Oda Nobunaga had ridden into Kyoto, determined to replace the shogun.
Every direction was hostile. Other daimyos were already scheming to take his place while he prospered.
But suddenly Joseon had stepped in.
So he summoned his trusted vassal Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
“What should we do?”
“My lord! It is already too late.”
“Too late?”“Yes, my lord. Mori Motonari has gone to the Joseon king to surrender.”“What!”
“I am sorry, my lord.”
After seizing Tsushima and then Iki Island, Joseon had surrounded them, and none of the daimyos wished to fight.
Around them were wolves waiting only for the weak to falter.
So they had watched silently.
They had ignored Mori’s plea for support, uncertain who might strike from behind next.
But Mori had not been able to endure it any longer and had simply defected to Joseon.
“Then what should we do?”“It would be best if you withdrew for now.”
“Why?”“If we stay here, we may be defeated by Joseon and torn apart by wolves.”
“Understood. Then there is no choice.”
Oda Nobunaga decided to withdraw from Kyoto.
After that, he would move only after watching what the Joseon army did.
Relations were still poor because they had only just finished fighting.
The Anagawa, Kanegasaki, Noda, Fukushima, and Ishiyama battles had already been fought that year.
That was why he had no desire to entangle himself with Joseon.
He could kill the larks that did not cry, but he did not want to touch the rising dragon.
Yet he had heard that Mori was advancing.
“What do you mean Mori Amako has occupied a place and is pushing toward Asai?”“Yes, my lord. They are advancing with the Joseon Hwaryeok Army at the front, and there is no way to stop them.”
“How could such a thing be said?”“They only said it was terrifying.”
Yi Yeon raised the Hwaryeok Army to thirty-one thousand men by recruiting an additional twenty thousand.
He then divided them into four thousand per force, creating four cavalry regiments, four infantry regiments, and two marine regiments.
He assigned Jeong Yeo-lip’s cavalry regiment to Mori Motonari.
With the double-tap strategy, they pushed straight into Osaka.
The cavalry regiment under Jeong Yeo-lip was not the splendid force he had imagined.
They rode ordinary draft horses instead of specially bred pursuit steeds.
It lacked flair.
But they moved steadily.
The famous stamina of the ordinary draft horse had shone even on the island’s rugged terrain, where they ate little.
Of course they did not charge blindly.
The Joseon Eastern Army under Mori first harassed the enemy rear like a double-tap striking a tree to flush out insects from their hole.
Those who resisted were ruthlessly beheaded, while prisoners were sent to forced labor for pay.
At that moment Jeong Yeo-lip finally understood what the king had said was true.
Just before this campaign, the king had summoned him to the academy and asked without warning.
“Yeo-lip, what is the world you dream of?”“What?”“Perhaps the Grand Unity?”“Yes?!”
“Grand Unity! A fine phrase. It also means a world where the entire realm prospers and lives in peace. But. To create such a world, one must first feed everyone.”
“Your Majesty, I do not understand.”“To create the Grand Unity you dream of, the first step is to feed everyone you want.”“I am grateful, Your Majesty. This servant has not understood.”“No matter who surrenders or rebels in war, feed them first. If they still rebel, settle them without mercy.”“Ah, I understand, Your Majesty!”
Following the king’s teaching, they fed them well, and the men obeyed without hesitation.
Even checking their eyes to see if they were trying too hard.
So he understood.
The Grand Unity he had worried over all this time was not so complicated after all.
“Eating well and living well is the Grand Unity.”
* * *