**Chapter 100: Hwang Hee, Crisis at Hand! (1)**
As they headed toward Hanseong, the Jurchen tribal chiefs grew increasingly tense.
The cause of their tension was the Joseon cavalry accompanying them, claiming to be their escort.
"Are those the Green Armor Ghosts we've only heard rumors about?"
The tribal chiefs murmured quietly as they watched the green-armored cavalry moving alongside them on both sides.
Until recently, the Joseon cavalry they had been familiar with hadn't even had properly unified attire. While chainmail armor was gradually increasing, overall, all kinds of armor were mixed together. Without military discipline, they were Joseon cavalrymen who could have been mistaken for Jurchens.
However, starting not long ago, units began unifying with new green armor, and now most Joseon troops in the border regions had been unified in green armor.
The initial reaction of the Jurchens in the Duman River region upon seeing the Joseon army's armor unified in this way was lukewarm.
"The armor changed? Did this new king spend some money?"
"Looks decent. Should we try raiding them later?"
The response of the Wild Jurchens, which had been lukewarm or had viewed them as delicious prey, completely reversed when rumors of the bloodbath that had swept through the Jianzhou region reached them.
"Green Armor Ghosts?"
"Yes, the cripples of Jianzhou called them that."
"Isn't that just an exaggeration by those Jianzhou cripples?"
The Wild Jurchen tribal chiefs who first heard the rumors had dismissed them as exaggerations.
* * *
To bring the Jurchens under their control, Ming and Joseon showed similar movements.
On one hand, they diligently courted them; on the other, they used military force to crush any sign of resistance. But what they put even more effort into was dividing the Jurchens to prevent them from uniting.
As a result, the Jurchens looked down on Jurchens living in other regions and growled at each other.
They fell into a situation where they couldn't stand each other, calling each other 'Jianzhou cripples,' 'Wild Jurchen beggars,' and 'Haeseo mongrels.'
* * *
"Joseon can't be that strong... it's just that the Jianzhou cripples are stupid."
When they first heard the rumors of the Green Armor Ghosts, the Wild Jurchen tribal chiefs' reactions were largely similar.
However, as detailed information came in from Jianzhou, the faces of the Wild Jurchen tribal chiefs grew serious.
"12 Bo'oiGon wiped out? And those were Bo'oiGon with over 200 households?"
"With only 500?"
The total Joseon forces committed to the campaign to subjugate Jianzhou Jurchens was about 3,000.
At that time, the Joseon army divided them into 6 groups composed of 400 cavalry and 100 artillery each, sweeping away 12 Bo'oiGon.
This was exactly where the Wild Jurchen tribal chiefs became tense.
A Bo'oiGon with over 200 households was a scale that traditional Joseon cavalry of 500 could not easily handle. A 200-household Bo'oiGon could mobilize 600 to 700 cavalry in a true crisis situation.
Given the abilities of Jurchen cavalry, 500, no, 400 Joseon cavalry would have had no choice but to retreat after suffering serious losses of at least half their forces. That had been the situation until now. If it were Ming, it would have been near total annihilation.
But if the rumors now heard were true, the opposite situation had occurred.
"Don't just bring rumors, bring proper intelligence!"
"Yes, Khan!"
"And tell those who went hunting not to touch Joseon people or Joseon forces in the border region for the time being!"
"Yes, Khan!"
Through intelligence obtained with time and effort, the Wild Jurchen tribal chiefs realized a true crisis had arrived.
"12 tribes destroyed, with almost no survivors? Joseon military casualties almost nonexistent?"
"They gained the power of the Fire Dragon? What kind of nonsense is this?"
The Wild Jurchen tribal chiefs focused on the word 'Fire Dragon.'
"The Joseon army used cannons in large quantities? So they call it a Fire Dragon? Those stupid Jianzhou cripples! Have they never even seen cannons while living right next to Ming fools?"
The Wild Jurchen tribal chiefs who mocked the Jianzhou Jurchens while knowing that 'Fire Dragon' meant cannons soon learned the truth.
The Joseon army had begun deploying and using cannons in quantities exceeding those of the Ming army.
* * *
With the situation of Joseon's military power becoming seriously stronger, the Wild Jurchen tribal chiefs had no choice but to heighten their tension.
In such circumstances, Sejong sent an 'invitation.'
In the end, the Wild Jurchen tribal chiefs had to head to Gapsan with only a small escort, as written in the invitation.
* * *
As they headed toward Hanseong, the Wild Jurchen tribal chiefs complained.
"This is something else... whether they're escorting us or transporting prisoners...."
The target of their complaints was the Joseon cavalry that surrounded them on all sides, claiming to be 'escorting' them.
The Joseon cavalry, all armed in green armor, gave off an enormous sense of intimidation just from that unity alone.
The new Joseon armor they first saw upon arriving in Gapsan looked incredibly sturdy even to the tribal chiefs' eyes. Moreover, unlike existing chainmail or other armors, it protected the whole body while appearing comfortable for movement.
"How can they make such armor?"
"The armor is a problem, but what's more frightening is that they mass-produced such armor and distributed it. This new Joseon king doesn't seem ordinary."
The Wild Jurchen tribal chiefs who gathered together at their temporarily designated lodging exchanged opinions with serious faces.
Among the tribal chiefs, the older ones had even more serious expressions.
"I can't judge since I haven't seen the Joseon king yet, but the real problem is that the spirit of the Joseon forces has become even fiercer."
"That's true. Before, they were troublesome opponents when we met, but just from what I felt now, I got the feeling I wouldn't want to meet them as enemies."
The Joseon soldiers they met while coming to Gapsan had changed in spirit from before.
Previously, only the cavalry had felt troublesome, but now even the soldiers guarding formations and fortresses were showing fierce spirit toward them.
No, it wasn't just that their spirit was fierce—they were even showing fighting spirit that seemed to say 'Let's have a go!'
"I haven't felt this since the Great Elder passed away... huu~."
The tribal chiefs sighed as they felt again that powerful presence that Yi Seong-gye had possessed, which they had forgotten about.
What made the tribal chiefs feel even more burdened was during their movement to Hanseong.
The Joseon cavalry in charge of 'escort' always maintained a distance of at least 10 jang (about 30m) from the tribal chiefs' procession. It was a distance that could momentarily close if they decided to turn their horses and charge, but it was also a distance where seasoned cavalry could sufficiently prepare to counter.
And when wide plains appeared, other cavalry would emerge to form another layer of defense.
As they passed through valleys or ridges and the road narrowed, the Joseon cavalry moved to the front and rear of the procession.
The tribal chiefs caught in the middle and traveling the road sighed as they saw the green armor visible here and there among the trees.
"Huu~. I guess it means don't think about anything and just go to Hanseong."
"But I envy Chief Nagutai. He was lucky."
The tribal chiefs, who had only been sighing, sent envious glances toward a tribal chief who had a leisurely expression on one side.
Large prison carts (檻車, carts for transporting criminals) were positioned where Chief Nagutai's tribe was located.
Inside those carts were packed men and women in wretched states, wearing mixed attire of Joseon and Wild Jurchen styles.
The men and women filling the prison carts were Hwacheok (禾尺) and Hwajeok (火賊) who had been pursued by the Joseon army.
* * *
While promoting reforms, Sejong issued a royal decree to local magistrates nationwide regarding the Hwacheok groups, and the magistrates posted the decree on the walls of the Dongheon (東軒, magistrate's office).
- All Hwacheok in the Eight Provinces of Joseon must appear in person at government offices by the end of the year to register in the household census. Hwacheok who register will be given means of livelihood after completing education, and they will become dignified subjects of Joseon.
However, Hwacheok who do not appear by the end of the year will be regarded as internal traitors and will be firmly punished.
Those who saw the decree containing Sejong's royal order conveyed the news to the Hwacheok they had connections with.
The Hwacheok who heard the news had to make a decision.
A significant number of Hwacheok brought their families down from the mountains and voluntarily reported for the census. These people moved to Neobeolseom, received training in livestock raising, and began preparations to be assigned to ranches being prepared nationwide.
"I would like to do work other than livestock raising."
Those who wanted to do other work had their wishes reflected as much as possible and entered the service of merchants or artisans who were beginning to lack manpower.
And after some time passed, as cattle and pigs were shipped from ranches, the 'slaughter ban' was completely lifted, and as 'poultry farming' became popular, some began to accumulate wealth by entering the butchery and restaurant businesses.
Of course, this is a story for later, and the number of Hwacheok who voluntarily appeared to register for the census by the end of the year was not as many as expected.
To be precise, the Hwacheok who registered for the census were those who had almost completely adapted while living close to Joseon people, and most of those who hadn't were still running rampant as criminals.
In other words, the Hwacheok had openly rejected Sejong's command.
"To reject Our royal command! Not only that, but to raise swords against the people? Mobilize the military and exterminate them!"
"I obey your command!"
With Sejong's command, a Hwacheok suppression campaign took place nationwide.
The Hwacheok, descendants of Khitans or other nomadic peoples, were troublesome beings as they were skilled at horseback riding and had strong combat power. However, as Joseon began a determined, organized, and meticulous suppression campaign, they had to die.
This was a suppression campaign that would later cause intense debate between Eastern and Western historians researching Joseon history, especially the periods of Sejong and Munjong, over whether it was 'genocide.'
In the end, the Hwacheok who couldn't withstand the government forces' pursuit had to go north, further north. As they fled from government forces, the direction they moved was northeast.
During this flight, new people joined their group.
They were Hwajeok (火賊, fire bandits).
The Hwajeok were in the same situation, being pursued by government forces.
The reason the Hwajeok were being pursued was because of the Great Hanseong Fire. During the Great Hanseong Fire, some who found it entertaining to steal property while fires broke out formed groups and continued to attempt arson.
In the end, Sejong, enraged by their criminal acts, issued an arrest order.
"If you cannot capture them alive, you may behead them on the spot!"
In the end, these Hwajeok also had to flee northeast to escape the government forces' persistent pursuit.
And most of these fleeing Hwajeok and Hwacheok were captured by Jurchens like the Nagutai tribe.
The fate of the captured Hwacheok and Hwajeok was not very good. Stripped of everything they had, the Hwacheok and Hwajeok were beheaded on the spot. Women and children were spared death but became slaves of the Jurchens or were trafficked to Ming.
That said, those now captured by the Nagutai tribe weren't lucky either.
Upon being handed over in Hanseong, most of them faced the fate of execution by beheading.
* * *
Arriving 10 li from Hanseong, the Jurchen tribal chiefs tensed up even more.
On both sides of the road to Hanseong, soldiers in green armor stood upright at regular intervals, holding large swords like walking sticks, waiting for them.
And behind the soldiers standing like totem poles, people had come out in crowds to watch them.
"Huh~. Did the Great Elder really come back to life?"
The old tribal chiefs sighed as they saw the spirit of the soldiers.
The spirit emanating from the soldiers now standing by the roadside was as strong as that of the soldiers Yi Seong-gye had commanded during his prime.
As the Jurchen tribal chiefs entered Honghwamun (弘化門, Dongso-mun, present-day Hyehwamun), the armor the soldiers wore changed from green to deep navy blue. They were the Royal Guards defending Hanseong.
However, the Jurchen tribal chiefs were greatly surprised by something else.
"What kind of road is this...."
The gray main road leading to the palace was something they had never seen in their lives.
The smooth main road with no visible stones or earth appeared as a symbol of the changed Joseon.
* * *
The tribal chiefs who arrived at Gwanghwamun all had to dismount and enter on foot.
On both sides of the road leading to Geunjeongjeon, soldiers in black armor from the Naegumwi (Inner Royal Guards) similarly stood holding large swords like walking sticks. The tribal chiefs completely gave up and released their tension.
Arriving at the front courtyard of Geunjeongjeon, the tribal chiefs looked up at Geunjeongjeon.
There, Sejong sat on the throne, looking down at them.
Upon seeing Sejong's figure, the tribal chiefs immediately knelt.
"We greet His Majesty the King!"