Chapter 203
Chapter 203
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 203
Chapter Title: Rich Country, Strong Army (1)
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I had received two directives as the Governor of Pyongan Province.
The first was to strengthen the military.
The second was to take control of trade.
These orders, like some national development simulation, were interconnected when examined closely.
The king wanted to seize control of trade (to secure funds) and use that to build up the army.
I understood. You've got to get rid of those damn bastards. Fine, I'll play along.
Just with a slight rearrangement of the premise and conclusion.
I would build up the military (to secure force) and use that to seize control of trade.
Simply lumping them together as "provincial troops" doesn't provide much categorization—it's about as broad as calling something "mammals."
The types of soldiers in Joseon's provincial armies were incredibly diverse, even to the eyes of modern people living in a pluralistic society.
Not just by status or region, but depending on the supervising office or the interests of high officials in the court (the king most frequently included), units were created haphazardly and piled up over 300 years like sediment.
As a result, there were over thirty different types of troops in the provincial armies of this era, all jumbled together.
The qualitative differences between troop types were more extreme than in foreign armies. And since they were divided among garrisons, barracks, and camps, jurisdiction issues were a nightmare.
Even when all gathered together, they didn't particularly complement each other for any synergy. They weren't designed with that in mind from the start. You could call the patchwork an "organic connected fashion," but that wouldn't change reality.
In the end, Yun Pil-deok could only train a few elite units under direct garrison command, like the pyoha troops or personal guards, and some irregular warriors.
From Yun Pil-deok's perspective, he couldn't just throw up his hands and quit—it was infuriating, but the next commander of the Seven Garrisons was within reach. How could he let that slip?
So instead, he came to me to vent. After all, I was his old superior.
"The enthusiasm of Pyongan Province's military is mostly in the hands of the Regional Military Commissioner anyway. To greatly expand the elite troops, we need to train not just the garrison forces but also those under the barracks. But the barracks folk drag their feet, saying formations are useless for troops defending the castles or that the people are suffering hardship."
Hmm. All I could say was that I probably would've done the same. Soldiers need to make money—where's the time for such pointless nonsense?
But I nodded vigorously in agreement with Yun Pil-deok and joined him in raging against Regional Military Commissioner Kim Seong-u, who was sabotaging the northern expedition. He was my old subordinate, after all.
With a witness secured like that, I could later find a suitable excuse to take down Kim Seong-u.
I was the "observer," the Inspector General. If Kim Seong-u was negligent in the northern expedition, I had the right and duty to investigate and report it to the king.
The Four Guardians of the Southern Sea had been passing the spoils around for so long that it was starting to raise eyebrows. Depose Kim Seong-u, promote one of them, and their fleets and military funds would all return to the people's (my) embrace.
He already showed no respect to the Inspector General, who outranked the Regional Military Commissioner. His prospects looked yellow from the start. A soldier rejecting civilian control was nothing but an axis of evil.
For now, I decided to draft a memorandum on that note and changed the subject.
"What are the Russians up to now?"
Hong Daeyong, the vice minister of the Naesen Bureau—who contributed nothing useful to the country—had only taken scientists he was interested in, some officers, and valuable warhorses that could fetch a high price.
Didn't the rear-guard king, obsessed with the military, pay attention? The king had no interest in regular soldiers. Curious why? Just look at Joseon's regular troops.
Hong Daeyong had his excuses too. Seoul was increasingly wary of illegal foreign residents, and the now-established interest groups of Dutch, English, and Austrian merchants were blocking Russians to protect their own rice bowls. Not that it excused him.
Thus, the Kazakh unit ended up in a position like slave soldiers of the Training Command, abandoned in the sheep pens. Yun Pil-deok answered.
"What else? Just fetching water, chopping wood, cutting grass. But if you don't beat them for three days, they start causing trouble. And without women around, they foam at the mouth, go berserk, and even charge at the horses. Real headache."
According to his whispered secret, it was still a hundred times better than them assaulting people, so they gathered locals to watch as entertainment and fund military expenses that way.
My confidence in being the sole moral light of the premodern era kept flickering. Could I really reform these guys?
But Yun Pil-deok believed even horses, of equal status to the Russians, deserved fair chances, so it resembled more of a man-vs-horse bare-knuckle coliseum. Anyway, it was popular—should I congratulate him?
In Europe, bestiality was a graver crime than murder, punishable by immediate execution, but Joseon was truly lenient.
Anyway, as I thought, the Kazakhs were far from home and in poor shape.
"You've suffered much because of those good-for-nothings. Russians are a variant of the Xiongnu, so they're not suited for diligent farming or corvee labor."
"I knew there was a chieftain's vibe leaking from their faces and every action—they really are Xiongnu descendants."
"Exactly. So, to save on food costs, I'll take them off your hands and use them."
Like a seasoned officer, Yun Pil-deok didn't ask what I'd use the Russians for. He left delighted.
There were about seventy or eighty Kazakhs. Some died in captivity, but more perished from reckless challenges trading sex and life for horse kicks.
Yet their spirit remained unbroken. Daring to glare or spit in front of the governor suggested Yun Pil-deok had been too lenient.
"Eoji. Prepare the Loyalty-Infusing Spirit Staff."
"Yes, sir."
That was the longest Sino-Korean term Eoji understood. And his most confident weapon.
We made the Kazakhs prostrate one by one, then beat them a few times each (a few was plenty for Eoji), and they humbly accepted my Slavic-Xiongnu synchronization theory and began obeying orders.
As Yun Pil-deok said, the Pyongan provincial troops he could train were limited to some elite units.
The rest couldn't be trained. Even before issues of soldiers' aptitude or stamina, most weren't even located.
The majestic dignity of Joseon's elite northern army pressed in moment by moment. Thinking back now, during that spring in Seoul, I didn't need to fear Yeongjo's northern army mobilization and spread rumors of a Qing invasion.
So I understood why Pyongyang's Central Army commander Sin Hap looked troubled upon receiving my official dispatch and orders.
"Gather the castle defense troops, sok-o troops, and the Jangshipbu (mainly local units for beast hunting). It'll be hard to find them, but hang up a banner promising food, and they'll come. I'll personally oversee them."
Sin Hap hesitated before speaking.
"Governor, forgive my impertinence, but the castle defense troops are padded with women just to meet numbers. The sok-o troops are mostly slaves and beggars, and the Jangshipbu have all scattered long ago. They're not even troops the court originally relied on. What do you plan to use them for?"
"Knights or armored warriors who were originally elite don't need retouching. What's marvelous about turning already clever ones into greats? I'll spread enlightenment from the very bottom."
With that, I shook out my iron-ringed sleeves, stood, and clasped my hands behind my back. The spirit of Yi Sun-sin, who forged a strong army from an environment as disastrous as mine, must be dwelling in me.
Sin Hap seemed to think so too.
"I shall obey the Inspector General's command."
Surprisingly, Sin Hap really believed that.
Sin Hap felt a vibe similar to what Namhae merchant Han Jung-ryang had sensed long ago. He'd always thought me extraordinary, but back then in a bad way—now it was different.
Kim Unhaeng seemed like he could change things.
Sin Hap was a military officer promoted by traditionalist Yeongjo despite all societal weaknesses. Not a concubine's son, but sharing their social context, he was sensitive to reformist scents.
Once given rein, Sin Hap gathered people however he could. As expected, the Inspector General didn't question methods.
And even when Kim Unhaeng implemented a training curriculum identical to some cult across the sea, Sin Hap's awe didn't waver.
"Run again!"
"S-Sir! We've run back and forth to that tree without rest—if we add it up, it's already over a hundred li! Let us shoot muskets instead!"
"You think you're using some clan secret shrinking-earth technique like me? It's not even two sichen since we started—how could you have run a hundred li? Seeing you spout nonsense so calmly, some blind shaman must have possessed you. Eoji. Grab that one and beat him severely..."
The pleading "soldier" bolted off at a speed that seemed capable of a hundred li in two sichen.
Dongchun Gong had many advantages.
First, it was easy to learn, showed quick results, and was safe with low injury risk. That alone made it unrivaled in this era—no other martial art could match.
And the most revolutionary point: it "cost no money."
Kim Unhaeng, unwilling to waste precious military funds on soldier training, just made them run until they dropped.
Yet no rebellions or riots occurred. Not just thanks to Eoji.
The ragtag bunch Kim Unhaeng gathered were mostly from the poorest commoner strata.
Opportunities to eat by doing "easy work" like sprinting rarely came. In fact, Kim Unhaeng soon delegated training to officers and left, but almost none deserted.
While building their stamina to some degree, Kim Unhaeng clarified the training's purpose.
Unlike soldiers, this was his specialty.
The current castle scripture general was no longer Aisin Gioro Hong Yeom.
But the smuggling holes he'd opened for Yuryeok wood and Manchu imports remained unplugged. Centered on Uiju's merchants—who occasionally faced suspicions of being Jurchens—various smugglers were actively crossing the Yalu River.
Smuggling was still trade, contributing somewhat to Joseon's domestic market, but every nation banned it for a reason.
You couldn't collect taxes on smuggling. A crisis "customs aspirant" Kim Unhaeng couldn't ignore.
Kim Unhaeng fully exercised the authority delegated by the king.
"With no laws at the border, ferocious bandits and cunning scoundrels rampage. Establish a customs sub-office in Uiju to regulate trade, with rates same as Jeju. Even smugglers who self-surrender and pay duties will be specially forgiven and protected, but from this day, any caught smuggling will be executed on the spot."
A traditional trade control measure, nothing creative.
It was completely opposite to the Pyongan trade "expansion" Kim Unhaeng had resolved and petitioned the king for. Considering he founded the Liberation Squadron, it was suspicious.
The Uiju merchant alliance and others felt baffled but relieved.
Sending danryeonsa or whatever to control trade profits for the state had happened endlessly throughout Joseon history.
And by then, the danryeonsa was just a business partner to the merchants.
The merchants scoffed and continued smuggling. No one visited the customs sub-office refitted from a Uiju county office warehouse.
The Pyongan smuggling cartel even boasted publicly.
"You think we'll let tax-kissing lackeys be? Figuring if the garrison troops or us are closer is tough. Our bowl messages are ten times faster than sluggish official notices. Mind your step or you'll end up stabbed and floating in the Yalu!"
Students fear class bullies more than teachers; soldiers fear senior privates more than legal commanders. At this rate, the Uiju customs office seemed doomed to ridicule.
When the government's face was thus tarnished, that's when the merchant cartel stepped in. Flatter the observer wannabe governor with bribes, negotiate, and all is resolved.
Blind bribery risks losing this and that. Hence, careful calibration of power was needed. That was the way of the world.
But Joseon had law-abiding citizens too.
A Hamgyong merchant broker named Gil-sang or Gil-dong, expanding business northward for years, boldly registered at the Uiju customs sub-office.
The Inspector General, delighted by this "unexpected loyal subject," appointed him as merchant liaison captain.
This not only gave Gil-sang official trade rights but signaled resetting the "existing" merchant liaison privileges.
The Pyongan cartel was outraged. Unanimous agreement to shred the "ignorant Hamgyong punk" finer than fish bait.
"But maybe he's got backing to act so bold?"
"Hmph. I can guess who. But even the king can't touch us here. Secret: I supply Shandong goods and have ties with Regional Commissioner Kim Seong-u. If needed, we'll ask him."
"Whatever later—kill that guy first or our face is done, business over. No time dawdling; gather the tough guys quick!"
But the raid never happened.
A young errand boy staggered into the merchants' gathering.
"Bandits hit our porcelain cargo!"
Kim Unhaeng's public notice worrying for the people proved spot on.
Indeed, "ferocious bandits" began assaulting innocent smugglers, as proclaimed.
This era had no photos; paintings were limited to noble portraits or perverted Chinese commerce art. Expensive too.
So even wondrous Russian rumors didn't intuitively match the gang before their eyes.
Thus, the porcelain smugglers attacked thought them rival organization thugs. Common in smuggling.
"Y-You know who we are? Where'd you come from?"
Only clubs, kicks, punches returned. No swords, guns, but enough for blood to flow.
While seven or eight Kazakh soldiers reveled in long-denied plunder, fifty-odd masked Joseonites quietly stripped prisoners and packed loot.
Dongchun Gong masters Kim Unhaeng had drilled in running. His ex-training command proved worthwhile—these "Pyongan provincial troops" snatched valuables lightly and fled nimbly.
Modern Kim Unhaeng well knew the importance of "standing army with salaries."
If budgets were embezzled leaving no pay, make budget elsewhere.
A common rich country, strong army policy.
The bandits plundering smugglers on sight showed no mercy.
From western Yalu end Hajeungdo (Jazido) to distant eastern Sakju (Shakju), nearly all Yalu smuggling routes were devastated.
Curiously, they never approached Gil-sang's gang via Uiju customs. Truly upholding the office's dignity.
Merchants began seeking the garrison troops they'd valued less than neighbor's dogs. Every thug turns law-and-order when beaten.
Merchants weren't dumb. They didn't suspect the Inspector General made the bandits, but knew he wouldn't aid mocked traders.
Border forts scattered here and there fell under Regional Commissioner, not Inspector General.
Merchants sent distress to Regional Commissioner Kim Seong-u. Urgent enough to top his desk over all duties, with ample "express fees."
Pyongan Regional Commissioner Kim Seong-u agreed with the merchants.
Such bandit swarms in peaceful northern Pyongan post-rebellion was a true emergency.
But he suspected one more thing.
Recently, to pad training records for king's favor—not entirely wrong—pesky Training Command Central Army Yun Pil-deok; and after refusing troops, the civilian Inspector General gathering riffraff for runs—linked in his mind.
"Could it be..."
Suspicion overflowed. But given Kim Unhaeng's power, hard evidence was needed.
Kim Seong-u recalled the martial arts master from China.
Originally planned to use the foreigner—where fair probes impossible—to "accidentally" kill Kim Unhaeng, "catch and execute" culprit, claiming commissioner's merit.
Similar to Kim Unhaeng using Russians. Anyway, foreigners crawling into this hellish country deserved it.
But assassinating king's confidant was risky. Best if Kim died, but ousting him from Pyongan sufficed.
Such power abusers amassed enemies. Seoul had many awaiting scandal.
Choose easier path per situation.
Kim Seong-u summoned Baekryeon cult's strongest, Meng Chan, disguised as errand boy from barracks.
Author's Notes
1. Joseon's diverse provincial troop types accumulated like: when Type A lost function to era changes, create Type B from other resources; new policy issue, Type C; office seeking power expansion, direct Type D. Thus, expecting organic complementation from diversity was hard.
2. Inspector Generals and Regional Commissioners often same rank, but for equal ranks, civilians superior. Thus, commissioners punished if handling barracks routine personnel before garrison routines. In-story, one of Four Guardians Park Jae-ha was such case.
3. Merchant liaison captains emerged late 17th to early 18th century. Couldn't ignore merchants on envoy routes anymore, so granted offices. Here, "captain" not general— "military" encompasses combatants, laborers, low admin.
4. Obviously, Kazakhs and Xiongnu unrelated. If anything, common shaved forelocks—nearly all northern nomadic/hunter tribes.
5. "Gae gae da" means causing needless friction for loss.