Intervention
“What do you mean by that?”
At Hwiyeom’s question, Lee Jinmyeong answered.
“My secretaries are drafting a full report as we speak, so I’ll have it on your desk shortly. For now, the essential facts: a ship carrying steel produced by the State-run Ironworks was attacked by the Yangtze Waterway Eighteen Stockades and sunk.”
“River bandits attacked a vessel carrying official cargo? Have they lost their minds?”
Hwiyeom was floored.
They kept chanting “the court does not interfere with the jianghu,” as if they truly believed the government would simply leave the martial world alone forever. River bandit outfits like the Yangtze Waterway Eighteen Stockades were never covered by that principle to begin with. The very reason the court turned a blind eye to the private armies and armed disciples of martial sects was so those groups would smash river pirates, mountain bandits, and horse thieves.
The state’s power left them alone not out of principled non-interference, but simply to conserve military and administrative resources—or, more often, because a few corrupt officials took bribes and looked the other way. It was exactly how the Korean government had treated organized crime before the war on gangs: they could wipe them out whenever they chose, yet chose not to. Why? Because the moment you cleared one nest, another would spring up in its place. Better to crack a few heads, pat the survivors on the shoulder, and say, “Don’t cross the line. Keep your boys in check, and I’ll look the other way.” In effect, they farmed out the management of the underworld.
Before the Eighteen Stockades seized hegemony over the Yangtze, dozens—sometimes hundreds—of larger and smaller pirate dens had fought each other for survival. Merchants who tried to pay a toll found themselves shaken down by twenty different gangs; the river ran red more days than not. Once the Eighteen Stockades locked the waterway down, shipping actually stabilized. Merchants only needed to prepare one set of protection money.
But this crosses the line.
Inland water transport was the logistical aorta of the vast Chinese continent. If a ship carrying official cargo was deliberately targeted there, the imperial army would have no choice but to move.
“Looks like the Yangtze Waterway Eighteen Stockades will be closing up shop soon. Tsk, tsk.”
While Hwiyeom was clicking his tongue at that prediction, Sama Yun arrived.
“Dang Gaga, may I come in?”
“Of course. Come on in.”
Sama Yun entered with a grave face and glanced between Hwiyeom and Lee Jinmyeong.
“I came because something important has come up… What were you discussing?”
“Ah, we just finished. The Yangtze Waterway Eighteen Stockades sank a ship loaded with steel from the State-run Ironworks. The Yangtze is about to get turned upside down.”
At Hwiyeom’s words, Sama Yun’s expression grew even darker.
“I thought as much. That’s exactly why I came.”
“Why the serious face? We’ve taken a loss, sure, but…”
“Dang Gaga, this is not a problem that will resolve itself so simply.”
“What do you mean?”
Sama Yun answered with a grave look.
“I’m almost certain the Eight Great Families are behind this.”
“Chieftain, are you truly certain this is wise?”
Ha Tae-ryong, overall chieftain of the Long Dragon Stockade—the headquarters of the Yangtze Waterway Eighteen Stockades—glared at the subordinate who served as his military advisor.
“Why? Wasn’t this already settled?”
“No matter how many times I turn it over, something feels wrong. Suddenly the Regional Military Commissioner of Hubei Province orders us to attack a ship carrying steel out of Sichuan… I understand there’s complicated bureaucratic politics underneath, but at best this ends with us being the hound cooked after the rabbit is caught, doesn’t it?”
The overall chieftain looked at his advisor as if the man were being deliberately dense.
“You’ve got a good head, but you’re too timid. Who’s going to suppress us? The Hubei Regional Military Commissioner? Why would he? He’s left us alone until now, hasn’t he?”
“Well… fighting us would cost the government troops, and more importantly the Yangtze shipping lanes would turn into a free-for-all again, just like the old days.”
“Exactly. The people upstairs know we keep order on the river. They can’t openly admit the government tolerates river pirates, so they make a show of the occasional punitive expedition for appearances’ sake.”
Ha Tae-ryong snorted.
“The only ones who take a hit this time are the Sichuan country bumpkins and their Provincial Governor. And what are they going to do about it? Send troops into territory that isn’t even theirs to suppress us? Ridiculous. All they can do is grab the Hubei Provincial Governor and Regional Military Commissioner by the pant legs and beg, ‘Please wipe out the river bandits for us.’ Then Hubei just shrugs and says, ‘We’re doing our best, but it’s difficult,’ and keeps stalling. While they’re at it, they’ll squeeze a little ‘expedition funding’ out of Sichuan under the pretext of a smooth campaign.”
“…That’s true enough.”
The advisor sighed.
“I’m not worried because I don’t understand that. I’m worried because of the timing. Why now? Why would the Regional Military Commissioner issue an order like this? This didn’t come out of his own head. Someone higher up sent the command. And the number of people who can give orders to a high official of the Hubei Regional Military Commissioner’s rank is extremely limited.”
“…Someone hostile to the Sichuan Provincial Governor, yet able to issue instructions to the Hubei Regional Military Commissioner.”
The overall chieftain’s face grew a shade more serious. The advisor nodded.
“I believe…”
He spoke with a tense expression.
“Only someone of the Eight Great Families’ level could pull it off.”
“According to intelligence from Beijing, the Pi Family—the lowest-ranked of the Eight Great Families—appears to be moving.”
Sama Yun spoke with a grave face.
“The Pi Family?”
“Yes.”
Lee Jinmyeong immediately supplied the details.
“A prestigious house that has produced the Minister of War for three generations running. They hold a firm grip on the core personnel of the Ministry of War. Roughly half the Five Military Commissions can also be considered theirs. As a meritorious founding clan, their prestige is formidable.”
Hwiyeom paused to reconstruct the military system of the Gyeong Empire in his mind.
First, central and provincial forces. The provincial armies fall under the Regional Military Commissions. The central forces consist of the emperor’s personal guard and the capital armies.
The emperor’s personal guard was split between the Imperial Guard that protected only the palace and the Embroidered Uniform Guard that secured Beijing.
“The Embroidered Uniform Guard is controlled by the Beijing Yang Family, correct?”
Sama Yun answered.
“Yes. One of the Nine Great Noble Families. In fact, the reason the Yang Family was allowed to take the Embroidered Uniform Guard was so the emperor could keep the Pi Family in check.”
“I see.”
Excluding the Imperial Guard and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the remaining central forces were further divided between the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissions.
The Ministry of War is the political-administrative organ that handles military policy; it maintains no troops of its own. The Five Military Commissions hold the actual central armies and serve as the emperor’s counterweight against the provincial forces.
In short, they had deliberately separated the head from the body. Hwiyeom did not particularly care why. What mattered was that both the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissions lay under Pi influence.
So in twenty-first-century terms, a military aristocracy that has produced the Minister of Defense for generations and holds most of the key generalships. It’s a miracle they haven’t staged a coup.
Perhaps the Eight Great Families and the Pi Family really were paragons of loyalty for all time.
Hwiyeom found the thought so absurd he muttered without realizing it.
“A family that holds military power yet never rebels, and an emperor who simply leaves them be… both are extraordinary.”
Sama Yun looked startled.
“Never say that anywhere else. You’ll get us all killed.”
“Of course not.”
Sama Yun sighed.
“The Pi Family may control military authority, but that is precisely why they are watched more closely than anyone. And military force alone is never enough. In politics the most important thing is justification. If the Pi Family raised an army in rebellion, the Regional Military Commissioners of all thirteen provinces would immediately march their provincial armies on the capital. Or each would declare himself a local king and recreate the late Han. Why risk a rebellion that, even if successful, would leave you with a tattered, broken country when you can enjoy power in a peaceful Gyeong Empire simply by kneeling under the emperor?”
“So they could rebel if they wanted, but failure is certain and success would gain them little, so they stay quiet. And a family with that much power is only the lowest seat among the Eight?”
“Well… compared with the other Six Ministries, the Ministry of Justice does rank a little lower.”
“I don’t…”
I really cannot understand the sensibilities of this era. I get that the Ministry of Personnel, which holds the power of appointment, and the Ministry of Revenue, which holds the purse strings, stand at the top, and that the Ministry of Justice with its power of punishment comes next… but is this some kind of ‘civil officials above military’ thing?
Hwiyeom shook his head.
“So the Sama Clan detected the Pi Family’s movements?”
“Yes. Nothing official has surfaced, so formal interrogation would be impossible—and even if we tried, they would simply stonewall. But our agents confirmed people from the Pi Family coming and going from the Hubei Provincial Administration Commission and the Regional Military Commission offices.”
“The Ministry of War… hmm. That actually makes sense.”
The Pi Family controlled the Ministry of War. In other words, they were a military clique—and therefore the group most intimately tied to ironware.
“The picture is clear. The cheap, high-quality steel from the State-run Ironworks must have hit them hard.”
In a Central Plains where a certain level of corruption was simply dressed up as “connections,” it would be naïve to think there was no collusion between military officials and the iron foundries.
Sama Yun nodded.
“In fact, a great many of the foundries across the Central Plains are run by branch lines of the Pi Clan. Rumors that they were seething over the appearance of the State-run Ironworks have been circulating for some time.”
“Of course. When cheaper, better steel pours out in bulk, no one has a reason not to use it. If the Pi Clan forcibly suppressed demand and forced the government armies to keep buying their own ironware, they would only hand their political enemies a perfect excuse to attack them.”
“Indeed. Intelligence indicates that other members of the Eight Great Families are already using this as leverage to squeeze various concessions out of the Pi Clan.”
“Who’s the main opponent? Have we identified them?”
“The Gol Clan. Seventh among the Eight Great Families. They control the Ministry of Works.”
“The Ministry of Works… that reeks of sticky money. The construction of fortresses and citadels under the Ministry of War was originally under the Ministry of Works’ jurisdiction, wasn’t it?”
Sama Yun’s eyes widened.
“Yes. In principle everything falls under the Ministry of Works. But beyond the official state corvée projects there has always been a portion contracted out to private firms, and the Pi Clan has used the special nature of the military to keep the construction companies belonging to the Gol Clan from setting foot in that space.”
“The board is roughly clear. And the rest?”
“The remaining families appear to be half watching from the sidelines.”
“From the Pi Family’s perspective they must have been waiting for a chance. And with the Ministry of War in their pocket, passing orders down to a Regional Military Commission would have been easy. Of course His Majesty will not simply let this pass.”
Sama Yun nodded.
“Emperor Sungui has been using the cheap, high-quality steel of the State-run Ironworks as a pretext to pressure the Pi Clan’s foundry businesses for some time. And…”
She hesitated a moment, then continued.
“No formal decree has been issued yet, but His Majesty intends to order additional State-run Ironworks built outside Sichuan as well—entrusted to interest groups that follow the imperial will—in order to dry up the Pi Clan’s funding streams…”
“Why the hesitation? Ah. I see. The Sama Clan is involved.”
“…Our main house submitted a memorial to Emperor Sungui requesting that role…”
Sama Yun bowed her head to Hwiyeom with an apologetic expression.
“I’m sorry, Gaga. I only received the report after the fact. Something like this should have been discussed with you in advance, but the situation was moving so quickly they were afraid another family would snatch it away.”
“If you know it was wrong, you shouldn’t have done it.”
Sama Yun’s face stiffened at Hwiyeom’s cold tone—until she looked up and saw him smiling slyly. She stared in confusion.
“…Dang Gaga? Why that expression?”
“You did something that requires an apology. You weren’t planning to get away with mere words, were you? Tell the Sama Clan to hand over a hundred competent scholar-officials. This is worth at least that much.”
“…Gaga, you really are…”
Sama Yun wore an incredulous look.
“You expected this?”
“I didn’t know it would be this exact moment, but I always knew it would happen eventually. Emperor Sungui is no fool. There was no chance he would pretend something like the State-run Ironworks didn’t exist. It’s not as if it’s a secret that can leak like gunpowder.”
When the time came, the emperor would have demanded additional ironworks anyway, and Hwiyeom would have recommended his marriage allies, the Sama Clan, as operators. He was simply giving away something he would have had to give eventually, taking full credit for the generosity, and extracting high-grade personnel as the price.
“…Gaga, you really are magnanimous. Generous. Now I feel even more ashamed.”
“Hahahaha. Mind your manners.”
The anxious Sama Yun wrapped both arms tightly around Hwiyeom’s arm.
“All right. I’ll report that Dang Gaga was deeply shocked and dismayed by this affair, and greatly disappointed by the main house acting without prior consultation. I’ll whine a little and squeeze two hundred out of them instead.”
They laughed and chattered for a while before returning to the main subject.
“I understand. For the moment they have no legitimate pretext to strike at the Sichuan Provincial Administration Commission or our Dang Family, so they’re trying to retaliate this way.”
“And the real purpose is almost certainly a wedge strategy.”
“A wedge?”
“Yes. The Sichuan Provincial Governor’s appeals will be ignored, and the fleets heading into the Central Plains will keep being attacked. That will translate into enormous losses for the Sichuan State-run Ironworks.”
“True enough.”
Steel was a high-value-added industry that also consumed staggering amounts of raw material. Sink two or three more ships fully loaded with Sichuan steel and the ironworks’ finances would be staring bankruptcy in the face.
“And that is when they make their move. They claim that the attacks on the ironworks’ ships are the work of Central Plains martial artists who resent the Sichuan Dang Family’s expansion. Since the court does not interfere with the jianghu, if the Provincial Governor simply removes the Dang Family and replaces them with someone else, the merchant ships of the State-run Ironworks will never be attacked again. The Provincial Governor will of course try to discard the Dang Family… that sort of story.”
“Makes sense. A Dang Family abandoned by the Provincial Administration Commission will nurse a grudge against it. Then the two former allies tear each other apart while the rest of us eat the rice cake and watch.”
Hwiyeom gave a short laugh.
“They put some real thought into this.”
“What will you do? The Sama Clan advises that until the main house can expose the orders that passed between the Pi Family and the Hubei Regional Military Commissioner, we should temporarily suspend steel exports inland…”
“I have a better idea.”
“What kind of idea?”
“I’m going to call on His Excellency the Provincial Governor. Ah, and Secretary Lee—while I’m with the Governor, set a meeting for this evening with the Forge Master, the Construction Chief, Manager Dang Unhwa, and Senior Michelangelo. We’re going to need some urgent work done.”
Lee Jinmyeong nodded.
“Understood. What reason shall I give them?”
Hwiyeom said,
“Tell them we’re going to talk about ships plated with iron armor on the bottom… and bombs that explode underwater.”
You dared to touch the Dang Family?
You’re finished. Politically, physically—either way.