Chapter 201
The Tsushima lord and the people of Tsushima meekly accepted relocation to Ulleungdo.
"Since I sincerely persuaded them, the Tsushima lord and people understood Joseon's sincerity. Thanks to that, things proceeded smoothly, Your Excellency."
Heo Jo countered with an incredulous expression.
"The Tsushima lord listened to you and immediately marveled at your words, saying he would go to Ulleungdo, but didn't the Japanese commanders (samurai) and people under him hesitate to leave Tsushima and drag their feet? So the Minister of Works, unable to bear watching it, led eighty warships from the Gyeongsang Right Naval Base there and threatened them."
"Threatened them? What a terrible thing to say, Minister of Rites."
Joseon never threatened the Wokou.
The people of Tsushima kept delaying their relocation for one reason or another, so Minister Bul-gok Yi Cheon merely came to Tsushima in person with eighty warships and said this:
'You people of Tsushima may encounter Wokou while sailing the seas. That is why the Joseon navy has come to escort you personally.'
Upon hearing this, the people of Tsushima were so moved by His Majesty's warm grace that they could barely speak and simply followed along.
Some people might look at this and think it was a threat, like Heo Jo did...
In any case, those Tsushima bastards really were Wokou who had plundered Joseon extensively in the past.
Even so, Joseon had not killed or injured a single person while carrying out this operation. We had acted humanely, using only Joseon's resources to ensure their safety and resolve every problem concerning their lives...
Who could possibly dare criticize Joseon?
"History will record that His Majesty King Sejong took pity on the Tsushima lord and people and even gave them Joseon's rice to spare them from disaster."
"I am truly relieved that Kim Eung-gyo is not a court historian."
"What I just said was merely a straightforward account of what His Majesty did. At that level, even if I had become a court historian, history would record me as one who performed his duties exceptionally well."
"Whatever happens, I will make sure Kim Eung-gyo never enters the Office of the Veritable Records."
I did not distort the truth.
Therefore, history would record it like this:
The benevolent Great King Sejong personally took pity on the people of Tsushima and lent them Ulleungdo.
Thus, for the next year or two, the people of Tsushima would live peacefully on Ulleungdo, clearing fields and farming.
They would do so until their former home, Tsushima, was burned by Zheng He's expeditionary force and the Wokou who had occupied it at will were annihilated by Zheng He's fleet.
Even though I had explained everything clearly enough for them to understand, the people of Tsushima who could not readily follow us must have thought this:
They would not receive sufficient protection on the way to Ulleungdo or after arriving there.
But then a fleet of more than eighty ships led by Senior Second-Rank Minister of Works Bul-gok Yi Cheon, who had smashed countless Jurchen heads, appeared and promised to keep them safe on the journey. Seeing that, their thoughts must have changed.
'They really are protecting us. We are safe.'
"By what standards did you select the soldiers to send to Ulleungdo?"
"I selected mainly those who had served for a long time in Pyeongan and Hamgyeong Provinces, possessed outstanding martial prowess, and had rendered great service to the country. Men who had been severely wounded fighting the Jurchen, able-bodied sons of military-service age from families whose fathers had died fighting the Jurchen, and so forth... I intend to send those who have risked their lives and devoted themselves to serving the army and country."
"Every single person from Tsushima has firsthand experience as a Wokou. They may not be able to take on a hundred men apiece, but they might somehow manage to fight as many as ten soldiers. That is why we must use Joseon soldiers whose loyalty has been tested and who have abundant combat experience to keep watch over them. Otherwise, we will not be able to handle the situation."
I had exaggerated a little when I said that.
In the case of a heavily armed samurai facing an unarmored ordinary soldier, a single samurai might be able to butcher around ten soldiers, but...
There is no way some mere Tsushima commoner could handle ten Joseon soldiers alone simply because he had a little combat experience.
However, what I said was not entirely absurd, because even if they could not defeat ten...
A Tsushima resident accustomed to killing people might defeat around five.
That is precisely why we must select and send Joseon soldiers who are fiercely loyal, rich in combat experience, and accustomed to fighting.
Anyone who lacked extensive combat experience and the ability to fight without fearing death would be unable to keep them under control.
"And I think the fields cultivated by the people of Tsushima during their stay on Ulleungdo should be distributed among the soldiers stationed there. They are people who devoted body and soul to the country, or the families of those who sacrificed their lives, so they deserve that much compensation."
"I agree."
"Loyalty to the king is naturally a duty that every person ought to possess, but rewarding those who have given their loyalty is also a duty the country must uphold."
In my opinion, it would be ideal if we could distribute about one gyeol of land to each soldier, but...
If that proved difficult in practice, even half a gyeol would amount, in modern terms, to giving an apartment to those who devoted themselves to the country and the families of those who died for it...
Those who received it would surely be satisfied.
"But how much food do you intend to provide the people of Tsushima? The word from the court is that the Japanese eat far less than the people of Joseon and have always suffered under harsh labor... Apparently, it is acceptable to treat them somewhat stingily."
Their opinion was not wrong.
However, in about twenty years, Joseon would be capable of aiming for not only Manchuria but Japan itself with just a little more effort.
Japan naturally had a larger population, but as Guan Zhong said, 'The people regard food as heaven.'
If we could simply convince them that, as Joseon subjects, they could live far better and never go hungry compared to how they lived as Japanese, the Japanese would voluntarily line up and do whatever it took to become Joseon people.
Until the Meiji Restoration, these people had possessed no sense of belonging to a nation at all, which meant winning their loyalty would be quite easy.
"We should provide them with the same level of food given to Joseon commoners who participate in labor service. Since we are doing this anyway, it would be good to let them taste the abundance they can enjoy as Joseon people."
"I do not particularly oppose your suggestion that we give them the same amount of food as Joseon commoners. If Joseon feeds them well, the people of Tsushima will work like oxen out of gratitude. But it seems you have another motive besides that..."
"The current situation in Japan is like the Spring and Autumn period, when Zhou had lost its authority. So if things go well..."
My ultimate goal was to make all of Japan part of Joseon's territory.
However, if I spoke honestly about this goal, that old fossil Heo Jo would faint...
'I'd better put it more modestly.'
"I expect His Majesty to be capable of acquiring at least the island they call Kyushu within his lifetime."
......
Heo Jo was rendered speechless.
Then he broke into a grin.
"If it were anyone else speaking, I might doubt it, but since it is you, I will believe you. We must use this opportunity to show the people of Tsushima the full extent of His Majesty's grace."
Kim Daebung's proposal was swiftly submitted to Sejong.
Even the king who looked exceptionally well suited to wielding a mace heard about it.
**
"Even if Zhuge Kongming's abilities were wondrously brilliant, if he were placed beside Kim Daebung for comparison, he would be like a firefly next to a torch. Wouldn't you say so, Doya?"
Sejong gave a hollow laugh at Yi Bang-won's words.
There was no one anywhere in Joseon's eight provinces who was unaware of Kim Daebung's extraordinary talents.
His reputation among the people was so great that...
It was said that Kim Daebung was actually a heavenly being who had served as a chancellor under the Jade Emperor, but had made a mistake and been cast down to earth while retaining Heaven's wisdom. The story had spread as a legend.
Some even circulated the absurd claim that the spirit of General Gang Gam-chan resided in his axe and periodically gave him wisdom.
Quite apart from that, Zhuge Kongming was the man who raised Liu Bei, who had started with nothing, to become emperor of Shu.
Still, comparing such a man as Zhuge Kongming to a firefly before a torch seemed a little too exaggerated.
But it would have been unfilial to spoil Yi Bang-won's excellent mood by confronting him with the facts, so Sejong promptly changed the subject.
"Do you like Kim Daebung that much?"
"Until the very end of his life, King Taejo was always saying how wonderful it would have been if Jeong Mong-ju had been Joseon's chancellor. I, too, deeply agreed with him. But even if Jeong Mong-ju were alive now, how could he compare with Kim Daebung? Even Jeong Mong-ju and Jeong Do-jeon combined would fall short of Kim Daebung."
"I think so too, Father."
Jeong Mong-ju and Jeong Do-jeon were both exceptionally capable chancellors.
In particular, Jeong Do-jeon had effectively committed treason during the Strife of the Princes and hated Yi Bang-won intensely...
Thus, Yi Bang-won had once considered having Ha Ryun completely overturn all of Jeong Do-jeon's achievements, but...
He gave up because doing so seemed likely to overturn the foundations of the country itself, which showed just how exceptional Jeong Do-jeon's abilities were.
As for Jeong Mong-ju, he was a monster who had single-handedly extended Goryeo's lifespan by several years, perhaps even more than a decade.
"Since that Kim Daebung said he could make Kyushu Joseon territory during your reign, it will surely happen someday. I am overjoyed just thinking about it."
"Then you should visit Kyushu once with me, Father."
"Of course. We must."
Not long afterward, Zheng He, the head of the Western Ocean expeditionary force, personally appeared at the Joseon royal palace.