Part 1: Subjugation of Iki Island

After capturing the Iki chief, we fought fiercely and finally succeeded in wiping out every last pirate. Shall I check if he's still properly tied to the prow? As I approached, he looked up at me with a face twisted in terror.

"Spare me, I beg you. I'll do anything."

This Iki chief was far more cowardly than I'd expected. Why had a guy like him dared to raid Joseon? Had he never imagined we'd send such a massive expeditionary force? Or maybe seeing me tied to the prow while massacring his pirates had filled him with dread? That might be part of it, but I suspected the real fear came from seeing the severed head of the Goto Islands pirate boss. That man had been killed by my brother Min Mu-gu, who luckily spotted him, shot him down with an arrow, and claimed his head.

Come to think of it, my brothers and I had captured the two most important figures. But the Iki chief was drooling and pleading for his life—a truly pathetic sight. Kim Sa-hyeong had told me to break his spirit as much as possible, but looking at him now, that seemed unnecessary. In any case, this battle had annihilated or captured the Iki pirates' main force, and we'd killed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a good number from Kyushu as well. I hadn't taken any prisoners myself, but the other generals had rounded up plenty. Our own casualties? I doubted they exceeded a hundred. It had been a one-sided slaughter. The enemy losses were easily in the thousands—we'd confirm the exact numbers later by questioning the Iki chief about his forces.

"Time to head back."

"Yes, Councilor."

We returned, bringing the Iki chief before Kim Sa-hyeong. Seeing this, Kim Sa-hyeong praised me effusively.

"Councilor Min, you've done splendidly. Your contributions in this battle were immense."

"Not at all."

"Such modesty. Your brother slew that vicious Goto Islands pirate boss, and you captured the Iki chief alive—what an outstanding pair."

He seemed genuinely satisfied, repeating the praise. My original goal had been achieved. I was curious what Jeong Do-jeon's face would look like when he heard the news. He'd be thrilled about defeating the pirates, but our family's major achievements might stick in his craw.

At that moment, Kim Sa-hyeong turned to the Iki chief.

"Iki chief, you've dared to plunder Joseon and ravage our lands. Have you anything to say for yourself?"

"My lord, spare me. It was all because of the pirates from Goto Islands and Kyushu—I had no choice."

What nonsense. Blaming others, as expected. True, the Goto Islands pirates were the worst, utter vermin with no redeeming qualities. By comparison, Tsushima and Iki were small fry—but that was like the difference between a serial killer with twenty victims and one with five. If it were up to me, I'd have burned them all out and annexed Tsushima and Iki outright. But the court's decision was different. The goal was to subjugate Tsushima and Iki and secure supplies of copper and sulfur through them.

I didn't fully understand, so I'd asked Nam Jae, my closest confidant among them. There were three main reasons. First, occupying Tsushima and Iki would enrage Zhu Yuanzhang, who might accuse us of using the pirates to target Ming. Given what I knew of him, that was all too plausible. Second, the Goto Islands and northern Kyushu pirates. Fully seizing and holding Tsushima and Iki would mean constant bloody clashes with them, and Joseon couldn't bear the cost—not to mention the maintenance expenses. Third, the copper and sulfur shortage. Joseon desperately needed them for cannons and gunpowder. Importing from Ming was an option, but Zhu Yuanzhang would surely use it to bully us. We needed alternative sources.

Zhu Yuanzhang's shadow loomed everywhere. Since conquest was impractical for the first two reasons, the court's plan was to buy copper and sulfur from them with grain, placating them in the process. Having been thoroughly thrashed, they'd fear us; a show of mercy would make them compliant. It made sense, but it had a shelf life—maybe twenty years? Pirates weren't known for long memories.

If I held a higher position and Zhu Yuanzhang didn't exist, I'd push to change this. But for now, circumstances forced acceptance. I'd revisit it once Yi Bang-won became king. I'd learned plenty here about his hatred for pirates—it should go smoothly. By then, Zhu Yuanzhang would be long dead, and if my plans held, Ming would be mired in civil ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠war, leaving us free to act. I'd turn the Goto Islands and northern Kyushu into a sea of fire, especially the Goto Islands—transform them into a no-man's-land so no pirate would ever rise again. I'd make sure they learned this was just a taste. Next time, we'd fight with proper warships. We'd mobilized four hundred vessels, but fewer than half were combatants, and even fewer were large ships—barely half the size of a panokseon at that. The pirates' ships were mostly transports, so it hadn't mattered, but Joseon needed a stronger navy going forward. To subdue Japan and prepare for the age of great voyages.

While lost in such thoughts, Kim Sa-hyeong berated and intimidated the Iki chief, who groveled in response.

"Spare my life, and Iki will submit to Joseon. We'll pay tribute annually and never pirate again—please forgive us."

He begged with utter servility. No surprise—he'd seemed spineless earlier. Kim Sa-hyeong pretended to deliberate on his fate before replying.

"Very well. We'll go to Iki and formalize the agreement."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Yes, my lord."

Kim Sa-hyeong was a surprisingly good actor—feigning doubt when the decision was already made. Afterward, we took the Iki chief and sailed for Iki. The voyage wasn't long; Iki was close to Tsushima. Soon we arrived, disarming the remaining garrison of about three hundred—easy enough, since most had died at sea. Following the chief's account, we tallied our kills: roughly six thousand, eighty percent from Kyushu and Goto Islands. Far more than the historical Tsushima expedition. We'd eliminated a huge chunk of their pirates; we could ignore them for a while.

Asking why so many pirates, the chief explained they'd planned a massive raid on Ming but diverted to crush Joseon's navy first and sweep the southern provinces, per the Goto pirates' insistence. Iki claimed coercion, but the Ming plan was true; the threats were lies. Either way, it gave us something to tell Zhu Yuanzhang—not bad at all.

I had my own private joy: altering history. In the original timeline, Dongnae was devastated by pirates, leading to a limited retaliatory expedition. This time, we'd mobilized to utterly crush Tsushima and Iki—and succeeded. This was how we'd rewrite history.

Other clauses followed, but these were the essentials. Quite merciful, really. We prepared to return to Tsushima, taking the freed Joseon captives (fifty-seven) and Ming subjects (forty-one). Fewer than expected, as most had been sold to Kyushu and Goto—another reason to sweep those areas later.

Boarding with the rescued, the Ming folk chattered incomprehensibly, but the Joseon people wept with joy at returning home, thanking our troops profusely as they embarked. As we boarded, the Iki chief approached Kim Sa-hyeong, groveling.

"Thank you for your unexpected mercy."

He offered a falcon, claiming it was for Yi Seong-gye. You should be grateful. If I'd led this war, it'd have been total devastation. Receiving the gift, I glanced back at the chief—he recoiled in horror upon seeing me. Was I that frightening? Leaving the trembling Iki chief behind, we sailed for Tsushima to complete its subjugation and end the war.

Once the Joseon army withdrew from Iki, the chief sighed in relief.

"Better than expected."

From the moment of capture, he'd feared death and total annihilation of Iki. Hence the groveling—and the lenient terms. Releasing his soldiers preserved minimal forces, and trading copper and sulfur for grain and cloth benefited Iki too. Cotton cloth fetched high prices in Japan due to shortages, and grain was vital. This secured his authority, leaving him reasonably satisfied.

"If not for those Goto Islands bastards, I could've bowed faster for better terms—but survival is survival."

Plus, most Goto pirates were dead, ending their dominance—a silver lining. With their overseers crushed, no one would target Joseon again soon. Ming raids were someone else's problem; monitoring Joseon approaches was his duty. Suddenly, the image of Min Mu-jil chilled him to the bone. That man was a demon incarnate. Swordsmanship aside, the glee in slaughtering pirates was pure fiend. Tied to the prow amid the massacre, he'd seemed the devil himself. And that final look—as if wondering why not kill him outright, why not dismember him—terrified most.

"They say he's the king's brother-in-law, bound for high office... Never want to cross paths again. If pirating, better stick to Ming. If he comes for my head... shiver."

So resolved the Iki chief.

Meanwhile, on Tsushima, Nam Jae's left and right armies had seized the Tsushima lord's castle. The lord had tried holding out with a few hundred, but it was futile against Joseon's cannons. He fled, letting them take the castle easily. They secured surrounding villages, encircled the mountain hiding the lord, and awaited word from Kim Sa-hyeong. Soon came news of Iki's successful subjugation and their approach. Nam Jae rejoiced, preparing a grand welcome.