Yi Bang-won's Private Army Purge and the Backlash
Yi Bang-won dropped the bombshell about abolishing private armies, and both Yi Cheon-u and Min Mu-gu were stunned.
"Brother-in-law. What do you mean? Are you saying you're going to carry out what Jeong Do-jeon was pushing for?"
"That's right, brother-in-law."
Yi Bang-won then laid out the rationale for the purge. With private armies still around, the provincial commanders could use them to threaten this regime, and as long as they existed, Joseon's bureaucratic reforms would be impossible. It was sound logic. To reform the bureaucracy, adjustments to the authority of the Three Armies, the Ministry of Military Affairs, and the provincial commanders were essential. But private armies made that impossible. In the end, Yi Bang-won was pushing the abolition to protect his regime and enable those reforms.
But it was sooner than expected. I thought it'd happen next year.
Then Yi Bang-won turned to me. "What do you think, Mu-jil?"
Thank goodness. He asked me before Min Mu-gu.
"I support it. Private armies will remain a threat if left intact, so converting them all to government troops is the way to go. Just give the order, brother-in-law, and I'll hand over my regiment rolls, weapons, and private soldiers anytime."
Yi Bang-won chuckled at that. "I thought you were pretty attached to your private armies, Mu-jil."
"That was only because Jeong Do-jeon was after my head back then. I don't have much attachment to them otherwise. But I'm curious—why did you call us here?"
Yi Cheon-u nodded in agreement. Min Mu-gu looked unhappy, but with me and Yi Cheon-u on board, he grudgingly agreed.
"Thank you. Most of the royal kin have already consented."
Already? He'd gotten their buy-in without telling the rest of us. No wonder Jeong Do-jeon's failure hinged on backlash from the royal kin and princes.
"Then why call us? You could've just announced it."
"Jeong Do-jeon disbanded most of the provincial commanders' guard units, but the capital's guards under the commanders remain. And the ones holding the most are you three, Yi Geo-i, and Sin Geuk-rye. The key to this purge is those guard units drawn from the regiments. Eliminate them, and the rest fall easily. If you lead the way, we can wrap this up quickly. I'll make sure the rewards are generous."
He wasn't wrong. Jeong Do-jeon had already dismantled many provincial guards under the pretext of the Yodong campaign, and Yi Bang-won hadn't restored them. It seemed he'd been planning this from the moment he seized power.
And considering it, Min Mu-gu, Yi Cheon-u, Sin Geuk-rye, Yi Geo-i, and I each commanded regiments of over a thousand, enough for guard units exceeding that number. No one else had that many. Not Jo Yeong-mu, Jo On, or even the other princes—except Yi Bang-won himself.
That was why he'd summoned us. With the royal kin and us on board, it was done.
Was handing out commander posts only to the Jeongsa Gongsin a preparation for this? Chilling if so.
And the "reward"? Obviously Gongsinjeon estates. No wonder he'd been dangling them.
He was gauging how many estates to dole out based on our support for the purge.
I'd have surrendered my private armies even without a reward. Survival first. Holding onto them wouldn't stop the purge—it'd just paint a target on my back.
"I'll announce the surrender of my regiment rolls at the council meeting."
"Thank you, Mu-jil. What about the rest?"
Yi Cheon-u agreed immediately. Min Mu-gu hesitated but nodded.
Fine for us, but what about Sin Geuk-rye and Yi Geo-i? Especially Yi Geo-i—I remembered him fiercely opposing this in original history. And Jo Yeong-mu too.
With that, the private army purge was decided.
Yi Bang-won asked me to stay for a private word. Min Mu-gu waited outside, insisting on coming along. He probably had words about the purge.
Yi Bang-won said to me, "Mu-jil, you speaking up first made this smooth. Thank you." He praised how much I'd helped him overall, and noted he was watching the Hwatong Dogam closely—said I was doing well, especially loving the granulated gunpowder.
He really got firepower's importance.
"But when will the new super saltpeter results come?"
"Probably in a year or two."
"We need lots of it. We can't rely on Ming saltpeter forever."
"For now, we pretend to. Keeps them at ease."
"True. Zhu Yunwen seems milder than Zhu Yuan Zhang, but who knows after the civil war." He paused, thoughtful. "No more Yeumunchusu-gwan. But don't worry—your senior general and commander posts stay."
"Yes, brother-in-law."
Where to, then? After farewells, Min Mu-gu and I headed back—but he came all the way to my house. Lots to say, apparently.
In the sarangbang, he got straight to it. "Mu-jil, why support abolishing private armies? They're our biggest strength."
Time for a Min Mu-gu-friendly explanation.
"Better off without them, brother. Think: private armies split military authority. Abolish them, convert to government troops, and only officials in command roles wield it. So you, as senior general and commander, keep yours. Those who had private armies lose it. As long as we're close to power, no issue—we retain command authority."
Finally, understanding dawned.
"Plus, if we brothers lead the purge, won't brother-in-law give us more Gongsinjeon when he distributes them?"
"Gongsinjeon? Ah, right—the reward. How much, you think?"
His eyes lit up. Classic greedy Mu-gu.
"No idea."
But plenty, I figured. Yi Bang-won's reign was notorious for massive Gongsinjeon handouts.
"Then let's lead when it comes up. Makes sense now."
"Yes, brother. With Yi Cheon-u brother-in-law and us upfront, no one dares oppose."
"Right."
Min Mu-gu left in high spirits. Tailored explanation worked. But his greed worried me—could I even save him?
After he left, I pondered. The purge accelerating beyond original history. Probably caught wind of Yi Bang-gan's moves. My fault, really—I'd tasked Min Mu-gu's surveillance on threats, emphasizing Yi Bang-gan.
Yi Bang-won plus my request meant thorough watching. Mu-gu uncovered Yi Bang-gan's secret buildup, prompting the fast purge to nip ambitions.
This could trigger the Second Princes' Revolt sooner. Not bad—better early. I'd end up involved anyway. No avoiding it. Focus on now.
Yi Geo-i saw private armies as key to his power and quick response. When Yi Suk-beon chimed in supporting the purge, Yi Geo-i snapped.
"What does a non-commander know? A mere deputy minister of the Right lecturing on military matters?"
Yi Geo-i openly dismissed him. Even as fellow meritorious retainers, their status differed vastly—army commander vs. deputy minister. Yi Geo-i, fed up with Yi Suk-beon's recent overreach, decided to put him in his place.
Yi Bang-won, watching, deemed Yi Geo-i unpersuadable. He'd been negative in private talks, now shouting publicly. He signaled me to intervene.
I stepped in. "This minister supports it. Per Lord Jeongan, I surrender my regiment rolls, weapons, and private soldiers to the Three Armies."
Yi Geo-i startled. Me, of all people—battle-hardened, brother-in-law to Lord Jeongan, senior general, commander, diplomatic success with Ming. Untouchable, unlike Yi Suk-beon. Hard to attack or dismiss.
"How could you..." He trailed off.
Then Yi Cheon-u, Sin Geuk-rye, and Min Mu-gu piled on. Yi Geo-i visibly wavered. He'd assumed they'd side with him, fellow big private army holders.
With regime heavyweights except him onboard, momentum shifted. The purge passed.
Two days later, Gongsinjeon distribution was announced—massive, with huge grants to purge supporters. Yi Cheon-u, Sin Geuk-rye, Min Mu-gu, and I each got nearly 150 gyeol, the largest.
Yi Bang-won declared: obey, and reap huge rewards.
His order triggered the purge. We surrendered rolls, weapons, soldiers voluntarily; it snowballed.
But Yi Geo-i and Jo Yeong-mu resisted fiercely. Jo Yeong-mu assaulted officials collecting weapons, protested to Yi Bang-won—and got exiled to Hwangju.
Yi Geo-i held out, badmouthing supporters. Yi Bang-won offered more Gongsinjeon for his merits; he relented but grumbled insolently. Demoted to Gyerim Buyun.
Meanwhile, Yi Bang-gan fumed. His secret buildup ruined by the sudden purge. Park Po, freed from exile in Jugju, approached: Yi Bang-won plotting against him. Sensing threat, Yi Bang-gan sought counsel. Park Po: relinquish power, strike first, or flee. Yi Bang-gan plotted a secret strike—perfect timing with Yi Geo-i and Jo Yeong-mu gone.
Min Mu-gu's surveillance relayed it all to Yi Bang-won.