Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Rebellion Hunter (1)
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Yi Geum called it the Five Army Camps, but with the Royal Guard added to the mix, the current central army camps numbered six rather than five.
If you counted the Inner and Outer Royal Guard Camps as two separate entities, that made seven, so it might be more accurate to call them the Seven Army Camps instead.
However, Yi Geum wasn't wrong about the numbers.
The aftermath of the equal land tax system had rippled through the military as well. With finances in such dire straits, it was inevitable that the outer central army camps would devolve into local forces.
Even before this rebellion, the commander of Bukhansanseong Fortress doubled as the Gyeonggi Province troops, and the guardian of Namhansanseong Fortress doubled as the Gwangju magistrate.
In other words, the burden of two central army camps had been dumped onto Gyeonggi Province.
They couldn't come on short notice even if they wanted to—and there was no real need anyway. These units had already lost any distinction from local forces. Both had been created under King Injo in the first place, rendering them useless in the eyes of a rational monarch like Yi Geum.
That was also why the current commander Hong Bonghan and guardian Seo Myeongbin were both civil officials. They had to plug the holes in the treasury first.
So the people present now were all military officers: Eoyoung Commander Lee Uipung, Golden Guard Commander Gu Seonhaeng, Royal Guard Commander Shin Min, and Drillmaster Commander Kim Seong-eung.
Unfortunately for Yi Geum, however, one of the Five Army Camps was already out before the race even began.
The Capital Guard, to be precise.
It was small in scale, but in this era where they could barely provide rations, the Capital Guard had earned such a reputation that people joked the garrison troops didn't come up to defend the capital—they came to loot it. You could only thank your stars if they just stayed put.
But above all, the commander was the problem.
During his time as the Hamgyeong Province southern horse and soldier commissioner, Lee Uipung had once fled from an enraged woman's blade only to get stabbed in the buttocks—a humiliating mark on his record that made anyone hesitate to entrust him with major duties.
Even a pirate first mate on some ship had once said that a scar on the back was the shame of a swordsman—how much more so for a commander with a scar on his rear?
On top of that, Lee Uipung was an old man on his last legs. Yi Geum had planned to replace him during the New Year's greetings, but things had blown up faster than expected.
Once war broke out, changing commanders would only breed chaos, so all they could do was hope the mid- and lower-ranking officers below the central army commander stepped up.
Even excluding Lee Uipung, though, the rest of the lineup was impressive.
Gu Seonhaeng was a warrior from the prestigious Napseong Gu Clan of martial artists, and Kim Seong-eung was a veteran general with years of experience (Yi Geum never once suspected that Kim Seong-eung harbored any grudge against him).
Above all, Shin Min was the commander of Yi Geum's Zero Battalion Royal Guard—a man handpicked by the king himself.
If Kim Unhaeng had been there, he might have felt crushed under the overwhelming presence of these illustrious generals.
That allowed Yi Geum to admonish them from the position of absolute authority.
"There are baseless rumors of a yellow-haired ship's sails appearing off Ganghwa Island, but you must all exercise restraint. If the army holds its ground like Mount Tai, the rebels will soon falter and be rounded up one by one."
It was a model response. Aside from one faulty premise, that is.
Not just generals were present. With the matter so grave, Minister of War Park Pilgyun spoke up cautiously.
"Your Majesty, forgive my impertinence, but we've received word from the Han River Patrol Fleet that a strange ship has indeed appeared in the western seas. I've recently been building ships modeled after those of the Japanese per the young lord's orders, and they match the descriptions from the soldiers exactly. It must be the Hongmaoje barbarians."
Yi Geum was shocked.
Not by the arrival of the Dutch ship itself, but by the fact that the capital was already buzzing about a Dutch ship's appearance that even the king had only just learned of.
This implied one clear fact.
"The traitors have long since joined hands with the barbarians to sell out the country!"
Shin Min, the Royal Guard commander who needed to prove his special appointment, stepped forward.
With his towering build, clear eyes, and thick beard, his very appearance was extraordinary—truly worthy of the king's selection. Though hidden by his official hat, he was probably bald as a cue ball.
"If the traitors sought aid from the Hongmaoje, they must have brought soldiers aboard. Even if it's just one ship, we cannot allow them to set even a foot on our soil."
Shin Min reported in a booming voice befitting a famous general. In Joseon, such a powerful voice was traditionally a big plus.
"Allow me to lead the Outer Royal Guard and drive them off. I humbly request authority over the Patrol Fleet and Han River Liberation Division ships."
The Outer Royal Guard, stationed along the Han River, primarily handled ferry tolls and pier management, but they were still the nation's army, so Shin Min's proposal wasn't off-base.
Yet Yi Geum felt uneasy. He didn't want to send out the Royal Guard if he could help it.
But with actual foreign invaders, he couldn't ignore it either.
That was when Drillmaster Commander Kim Seong-eung spoke quietly.
"The Golden Guard must stay closest to protect Your Majesty's person, so it cannot move freely. The Outer Royal Guard should go strike the enemy as you proposed, Commander. We'll handle the rebels inside the capital."
Yi Geum looked down at Kim Seong-eung with clear displeasure.
Of course, Yi Geum couldn't even imagine—as he had thought earlier—that Kim Seong-eung resented him.
But separately from that, Yi Geum himself harbored a grudge against Kim Seong-eung.
It was asking a lot to trust a unit that went out the South Gate when told to head for the West Gate.
"The traitors will surely coordinate from inside and out beyond the capital as well. I'll entrust capturing the internal rebels to the Inner Royal Guard and the Patrol Office. The Drillmasters will patrol the walls to guard against foreign foes, and..."
Yi Geum, grasping for excuses, soon came up with a menial task for the Drillmasters.
"...confiscate the vile placards the rebel party is spreading and calm the rumors among the common folk."
Astonishment drained from the faces of all the assembled officials at once. Good thing they were prostrated and couldn't be seen.
That was the kind of job anyone could do. It bordered on insulting the storied Drillmasters.
No matter how much they were mocked as cabbage peddler troops or the Chrono Legion, the Drillmasters were Joseon's strongest unit force.
But Kim Seong-eung accepted the order without complaint.
In fact, as he left after the meeting ended and headed back to camp, a faint smile even played on Kim Seong-eung's face.
Like the seasoned general he was, Kim Seong-eung quickly prioritized tasks.
The 'rebel forces outside' Yi Geum mentioned hadn't arrived yet. So first, they had to clean up inside the capital.
The Drillmasters, ever loyal to the royal command, split into groups of several dozen to scour the city for 'vile placards.'
Weaving through the crowds with clubs and muskets at the ready, the drillmaster troops exuded a ferocious aura befitting elite soldiers.
"You there! You wouldn't be hiding a placard claiming His Majesty poisoned the previous king, would you?!"
"Pardon?"
"Hey, what's this posted here? That the nation is surrounded by evil ministers and catastrophe looms?"
"That's just drying wallpaper, sir."
"You punk, what's that fermented soybean paste you're eating? Insulting His Majesty?"
"It's j-just breakfast... Want some, sir?"
"Look at this paper closely. Have you seen anything like it posted anywhere?"
"Try the temple for shrimp sauce. Do I look literate to you, officer?"
"Tsk tsk. Fair enough—with a face like that, your whole family must be illiterate. Fine, I'll read it for you. Report it immediately if you hear this!"
Compared to the rebels who had to sneak around posting at night, the Drillmasters' daytime proclamations had a propaganda effect on another level.
Hanseong's population was about 200,000.
The Drillmasters numbered around 5,000.
By simple ratio, it was like 250,000 soldiers patrolling 21st-century Seoul, drilling the 'historical truth' the Soron rebels so desperately wanted to spread.
The effect of state-sponsored public education was tremendous.
In just two days, countless Hanseong residents began eyeing Changdeok Palace suspiciously.
Of course, that didn't mean they were turning into rebels. If they had, the Drillmasters would have been in real trouble.
The capital's folk were simply whispering conspiracy theories like YouTube commenters, making it impossible for the Inner Royal Guard to tell who the real rebels were.
But for Ihajing, Yun Gwangcheol, and the Hanseong branch of the Vile Remnant Party, things weren't going entirely their way either.
Yi Geum's strategic direction was fundamentally sound.
Whether facing the Dutch ship or southern provincial rebels, securing the capital first was textbook.
No matter the smokescreen from the Drillmasters, the city was under full martial law now. A few hundred able-bodied men who'd chanced upon weapons in the spring armory kits weren't in a position for a frontal assault.
Moreover, the Inner Royal Guard and Patrol Office were desperate.
Joseon's investigative tactics usually boiled down to "pick a date and bring someone in, no matter what." If that sounded familiar, it was no illusion.
Even without any regressors, the Inner Royal Guard admirably adopted future investigative techniques.
"If there's no one, make one! Bring someone in even if you have to frame them!"
Lee Pilseop, a former drillmaster low officer who'd transferred to the Royal Guard for promotion and now led the constables, barked fiercely.
With Commander Shin Min preparing for field ops, Lee Pilseop was in charge of the Inner Royal Guard. He couldn't let this chance slip.
"In my view, the rebel party's numbers aren't small. Grab a hundred randos, and one or two are bound to be traitors! Round up whoever you can—especially outsiders!"
It was statistics taken to the extreme. The 99 innocent commoners wouldn't approve, but tough luck.
No lie could pierce Father Jouri's divine power. As countless water elderberry crosses were planted between commoners' legs, confessions erupted like fireworks in the confessional.
Inefficient it might be, but stubborn persistence always yielded answers.
Lee Pilseop's investigation was effective. Catch one, and the rest unraveled in a chain.
So Ihajing and Yun Gwangcheol decided to bide their time for now.
They'd maintain minimal contacts, hard to trace even if someone cracked under torture.
Then hold out in the capital until Yunji rallied the Yangho armies from Chungcheong and Jeolla and marched north, rising at the decisive moment.
It wasn't an entirely pipe dream.
A complete blockade of consumption-city Hanseong with 200,000 souls was tough. Key figures might not slip through, but supplies could.
Ihajing encouraged his men to keep morale up.
"Didn't you all witness the divine omens siding with us? Do not waver. The tyrant will never escape heaven's net!"
In this era, synchronizing two armies to meet precisely was an accomplishment worthy of the term "feat."
It was like two people without any modern tools keeping a promise from half a year ago to the exact minute, multiplied by the troop numbers in difficulty.
Reality didn't offer a top-down view or mouse control, after all.
For rebel forces where every step triggered trouble events, the difficulty spiked even higher.
Thus, it was obvious Ihajing—off-timing his rendezvous—would switch to the resistance route.
Just a shame he wasn't dumb enough to come crawling for mercy. That would've been easier.
Then again, Ihajing probably never told his crew my name—a Noron, no less.
They'd suspect him as a spy in a heartbeat. No way he'd beg for rescue then.
Perfect.
Eliminate him alone, and no one remains to testify to any link between me and the rebels.
Ihajing ghosting me and cutting contact was no obstacle.
A little brainpower revealed exactly where he'd hole up.
As Hanseong's top Vile Remnant brass, he'd pick the safest spot.
A recent "apolitical" mishap had left him bedridden and dead—off the government suspect list—and as a high-ranking military officer, even the Royal Guard couldn't raid willy-nilly.
Former Drillmaster Central Army Commander Jo Dongjeong's residence.
But I didn't storm it with troops.
I had no intention of spilling needless blood like the Inner Royal Guard. Just nab Ihajing.
The house no doubt sheltered the missing—likely captured—Lady Yeoseon Army Lee Hak and Vile Remnant leaders. Wipe them out, and it'd just boost King Yeongjo's prestige for quelling the rebellion in a flash.
These guys needed to hold out until the Dutch ship pressured Ganghwa and the rebels marched north.
So no scaring them off—nothing traceable like arrows. It had to look like an accident.
I took our house dog Chobok out for a leisurely stroll.
The Inner Royal Guard soldiers prowling for new prey, decked out in looted gear, suddenly turned polite upon seeing my metal identification tag and name.
"You're the Military Registry Clerk, sir. What brings you out alone with a lantern this late at night..."
"Should I confess all the kingdom's secret affairs to you?"
"N-no, of course not. Safe travels, sir."
Tch. If Eoji had been with me, they'd have scattered a whole block away. But Eoji was too big and conspicuous.
Jo Dongjeong's house was in the midst of a modest funeral rite.
So I wandered the perimeter unsuspected, peering over the low walls.
How long had I been scanning with 'Guan Yu's Patience' boosting my eyesight?
Just as I was about to give up, my target emerged from a room and headed to the outhouse.
There we go.
For safety, he'd handle everything else via dead drops, but even in hiding, no one wants to shit in their room.
As I mentioned once before, my field-genius dog Chobok is a hefty mutt.
And when the conquistadors conquered the Americas, guns and steel swords might've been efficient, but the most terrifying weapon was the hunting dogs.
The European war hounds chased natives relentlessly without compromise or fear, ripping out throats.
A trained dog's over 30 kilos is unbeatable barehanded, they say.
Chobok wasn't quite that heavy, but more than enough for one old man.
As the funeral of a former drillmaster central commander, plenty of mourners were about. The front gate stood open.
One dog slipping in and out wouldn't raise eyebrows. Think village yard overrun by every stray.
No drawing eyes with food lust either. Chobok, from a proper Neo-Confucian household, knew etiquette cold.
In Joseon, dog chow waited right where Ihajing had gone.
Farmers to the fields. Mutts to the outhouse.
A perfectly natural move no one would question.
And the end for the traitor who'd tested the waters, installed a false king, and dared strike at me and the crown prince from behind? Natural as could be.
I strolled away slowly at the first scream. Chobok would loop back another way.
My one mistake? Not telling Se-hwa before heading out.
She spotted me from the doorway, face paling as she rushed over.
"Heavens, Song the steward said you went out with Chobok, and then the dog comes back alone with blood on his muzzle—I thought for sure something happened to you!"
She patted me down everywhere. So undignified with the servants watching.
"The rascal bolted out alone but made it home. Must've caught a rat or something. Chobok. Go wash your muzzle in that water bowl over there."
Luckily, the servants' attention shifted from Se-hwa's antics to the genius dog. A pup brushing its teeth on command? Even living together, it's a wonder.
Meanwhile, I headed inside with Se-hwa, now composed.
Se-hwa, suddenly shy, said primly,
"From now on, as head of the house, don't worry your wife and kids—tell me where you're going and what for."
It sounded like the duties toward parents from Elementary Learning, but I just smiled without arguing.
Se-hwa, cheeks still a bit flushed, remembered something and pulled out a letter.
"A pigeon came from Teacher Sikni-dang (Lee Jae-un) down south."
"Oh? Really?"
It was finally a report from Lee Jae-un, who'd fled the capital with most of the spring kit men just before martial law and headed to Chungcheong Province.
I unfolded it. With all the pigeon use lately, I could decode the cipher at a glance.
<The traitor Yunji has declared himself Yangho Grand Marshal and risen across Honam. His vanguard has already crossed the Geumgang River.>
Why do traitors always crave those grand marshal business cards?
Lee Injo was the Three Southern Grand Marshal, failed rebel Jeong Hoechung after was Yeongho Grand Marshal. Now Yangho? Rotate through the south like it's a buffet.
Hong Gyeongrae later claimed Pyeongseo Grand Marshal too? Want to succeed? Hang a sign like Lee Seonggye's Goryeo Rights Restoration Chancellor or whatever.
Anyway, I miss you guys too.
Hurry up. Before the Seoul Party Committee you barely scraped together gets wiped out.
But all of you would be too many—even for me.
So let's meet only your elites—the ones who broke through government lines despite the handicap of Kim Chunsik's safety fireworks I offloaded via Samhwadang from Mokcheon and Jiksan.
Author's Note
1. At this point, the Five Army Camps commanders are all historical except Royal Guard Commander Shin Min. Shin Min's appearance is fictional, and he doesn't seem to have been particularly favored by Yeongjo. Later, Yeongjo even forgets Shin Min's name and fumbles in the Diaries of the Royal Secretariat.
2. Lee Uipung's career is factual. As Hamgyeong southern horse commissioner, he beat a subordinate officer to death over something trivial. The widow Jageunrye (different from the Jageunrye executed for sorcery rebellion under Sukjong) gathered relatives for revenge and ambushed him.
She chased the fleeing Lee Uipung and stabbed his buttock with a dagger. Personally, I question why the annals specified "left buttock" in such detail.
The culprits including Jageunrye were executed, but Lee Uipung was also dismissed (not for the murder, but for being threatened by a woman). Park Mun-su recommended him back into service, pitying his talent. In real history, he dies not long after this story's point.
3. The full text of the Naju placard isn't known, but it was short—about three lines. To avoid detection, they copied characters one by one from various books, matching style and size, resulting in a jagged appearance. Like old-time extortionists clipping newspaper letters.