**Chapter 66: Variables (5)**
With major events such as Ryu Jeong-hyeon's purge and Emperor Yongle's death occurring in succession, Joseon, which had been spinning busily, gradually grew quieter as autumn passed and winter set in.
However, as if displeased with such stability, a horseman holding urgent news galloped into the palace.
"Urgent report!"
Before his horse had fully stopped, the cavalryman leapt down as if flying and pulled out a memorial from his bosom to deliver to the responsible official.
The memorial brought by the cavalryman was immediately delivered to King Sejong. After reading it, Sejong issued an order to the Chief State Councillor.
"Immediately summon all officials of tangsanggwan rank and above to the Pyeonjeon!"
"Your command shall be obeyed!"
At Sejong's emergency summons, the ministers handling government affairs at various offices and the State Council all rushed to the Pyeonjeon.
Those working in Area 51 were no exception. Choi Hae-san, Yi Cheon, and Hyang mounted their horses and galloped toward Gwanghwamun.
Upon arriving at the palace, Hyang headed toward the Pyeonjeon while questioning a eunuch.
"What has happened?"
"I do not know the details, but I only heard that urgent news came from the north."
"The north?"
Hyang looked back at Choi Hae-san and Yi Cheon. Both men were stiff like never before.
'The smell of blood from somewhere....'
Hyang felt as if the scent of blood was wafting from his surroundings. Searching for where the bloody scent was coming from, Hyang grew tense upon realizing the smell was emanating from Choi Hae-san and Yi Cheon.
'Is this the killing intent of soldiers who have weathered battlefields?'
Upon entering the Pyeonjeon, the ministers who had been summoned were already gathered.
"I apologize for being late."
"Not at all, Your Highness."
In response to Hyang's apology for arriving late, the ministers stepped forward to say it was fine.
"His Majesty the King enters!"
Not long after Hyang took his place, the chief eunuch announced Sejong's entrance. While Hyang and the ministers respectfully bowed, Sejong ascended to his seat and spoke.
"This will take quite a while, so everyone please be seated."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
'So this is a benefit of ondol not yet being widespread? There are chairs.'
'Argh! My thoughts wandered again!' Hyang, who had been thinking other thoughts while sitting in the chairs brought by the eunuchs, shook his head slightly and concentrated.
After the small commotion caused by the eunuchs bringing chairs settled down, Sejong brought up the main topic.
"Just now, urgent news has arrived from the north. Chief State Councillor, convey the contents of the urgent report."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Chief State Councillor, having bowed, opened his mouth toward the ministers.
"You are all aware that disturbances have been occurring among the Jianzhou Jurchens since last year. Though the turmoil occurred within the Jurchen tribes, given the nature of the Jurchens, our Joseon could not ignore it, so we have continued tracking the source of the disturbance. Then recently, scouts discovered the cause and sent an urgent report."
At the Chief State Councillor's statement, the ministers listened with serious expressions.
In the mouse-quiet Pyeonjeon, the Chief State Councillor's voice resonated.
"The reason for the turmoil among the Jianzhou Jurchens is that a major tribe from the north has moved south."
At the Chief State Councillor's statement, Hwang Hee spoke.
"What is the reason for their southward movement?"
"They say they were pushed south by pressure from the Tatars."
"What is their scale?"
"They say it is a tribe of about ten thousand households."
"Good heavens...."
"This is a great problem."
Upon hearing the scale of the tribe that moved south, the ministers sighed. Unlike Joseon and Ming, which counted five people as one household, a Jurchen household typically consisted of fifteen people.
"Then that means they possess at minimum ten thousand to thirty thousand cavalry."
"That is correct. And heavy cavalry would number at least three thousand to ten thousand."
This was precisely the part that had Joseon extremely tense. Due to their semi-farming, semi-nomadic lifestyle, the Jurchen cavalry's skills were not to be taken lightly.
Looking at past history, the Jurchens were by no means beings to be underestimated. Though they had been dominated by the Liao established by the Khitans, it was the Jurchens who, after gathering their strength, brought down the Liao and established the Jin. And that Jin inflicted great wounds upon both Song and Goryeo.
After the Yuan invaded and destroyed the Jin, the Jurchens split into tribal units. And that state continued to the present.
This division of the Jurchens was the result of interference by Joseon and Ming. The Jurchen tribes, with nearly identical language and customs, could have led to the birth of a powerful nation if only someone could unite them. This was something neither Joseon nor Ming desired.
"Who is the tribal chief?"
"They say it is Li Manzhu."
"If a tribe of this scale moved south, it's quite a major problem. Did Ming just leave them be?"
"They say Ming gave permission."
"What!"
"How could this be!"
At the Chief State Councillor's answer, the ministers were aghast. With a serious face, Hwang Hee presented his opinion to Sejong.
"Your Majesty, there is a possibility this is Ming's maneuvering."
At Hwang Hee's statement, Sejong nodded.
"I think so as well."
* * *
'Jurchens....'
Hyang, listening to the Chief State Councillor's report, recalled memories from the 21st century.
When he was wandering the internet aimlessly to feed his obsession with various topics, he came across a posting titled 'Yi Seong-gye's Presence.'
"What is this?"
The blog post he clicked into was created using records from the Annals of King Taejo.
It marked the Jurchen tribes that surrendered to Taejo at the time and their naturalization status on a map. Upon seeing the map, Hyang's jaw had dropped.
"Whoa...."
Yi Seong-gye's direct influence extended firmly beyond Goryeo's northeastern border into the Gando region, and his indirect sphere of influence spread further north to southern Heilongjiang Province.
"Is this a joke? Is the source reliable?"
It was a post that left a strong impact on Hyang's memory.
After being reincarnated, Hyang had gradually gathered information about the relationship between the Jurchens and Joseon. For Hyang, it was a kind of cross-verification.
While checking the materials he had gathered, Hyang burst into a laugh.
"Doesn't this remind you of a scene from a gangster movie?"
What Hyang was referring to was the war of words between King Taejong and Emperor Yongle. That part, no matter how one looked at it, was a scene from a gangster movie.
--
Hey! Chairman Zhu! You can't do this!
Even if our Joseon faction has placed itself under the Ming faction, this isn't right!
Ming faction bastards are coming into the Wild Jurchen area and poking around!
Hey! The Wild Jurchen area is territory that even the previous Chairman said was ours! Hey! Do you have no code of honor? That's not how it works!
What? You say the Jurchen region is also Ming faction territory?
You're spouting absolute nonsense! Want to have a go at it?
Our Joseon faction's head might get cracked open, but do you think you Ming faction will stay in one piece!
Huh? Huh? Want to have a go at it right now?
Forget about the Northern Yuan faction or whatever else, want to have a go at it?
--
After the rough exchange regarding the Jurchen region, Taejong, having brought out 'Zhu Yuanzhang's guarantee,' extracted concessions from Emperor Yongle.
Since then, the Jurchen region had become a stage for three-way competition. Ming and Joseon were each aiming at the back of the other's head while gradually expanding their influence among the Jianzhou Jurchens and Wild Jurchens, and above them, Northern Yuan was dreaming of a comeback while watching for opportunities.
* * *
Because of this complex situation, not only the ministers but even Sejong suspected this was Ming's maneuvering.
"The situation is urgent, so I ask you ministers to think of good countermeasures."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
While the ministers who received the command exchanged opinions in hushed tones, Hyang rummaged through his memories.
- Among the Jurchens, Taejo Yi Seong-gye's presence and influence were undeniably powerful.
- However, coming down to Taejong and Sejong, this influence was gradually decreasing. The reason for this was that unlike Yi Seong-gye, who had direct contact, the number and intensity of direct contacts decreased as they remained in the palace.
- Though influence was decreasing in this way, the influence of Yi Seong-gye and his descendants was 'for now' still alive. The problem was that the subject exercising this influence was 'Yi Seong-gye's descendants,' not 'Joseon.'
'Let's see... was it from Sejo that it became a completely profit-only transactional relationship? I recall seeing somewhere that quite influential Jurchen tribal chiefs got entangled in the Danjong restoration movement and died, and that's when relations with the Jurchens completely fell apart... Good grief! The habit of roughly remembering things when I'm less interested is causing problems here.'
Hyang grumbled internally and continued pondering to come up with a good plan.
However, even after thinking for a long time, only standard answers emerged.
'Damn it! Is this the best I can do?'
In a situation where no brilliant answer was forthcoming, Hyang cursed inwardly and then opened his mouth with a resigned expression.
"Father, in the current situation, I believe clever stratagems will be of little use, and we must proceed with the standard approach."
"The standard approach?"
"Yes, Father. I believe we must strengthen Joseon's capabilities, reform the military system to build substance, and then proceed to subjugate the Jurchens."
At Hyang's answer, Sejong stroked his beard.
"Is that the best option?"
"In the current situation, this is the only best option."
'The reality is a sewer, I tell you!'
"Thinking of your usual wit, this is somewhat...."
"I will say again, Joseon's current situation makes it difficult to employ clever stratagems. Generally, clever stratagems are lucky shots that cannot defeat the standard approach."
At Hyang's answer, Sejong made a sound of frustration. Seeing such a Sejong, Hyang added more words.
"Clever stratagems also show their value when there is spare capacity. No matter what clever stratagem exists, can a mere foot soldier defeat Xiang Yu?"
'What? If a spearman had a machine gun instead of a spear, the story might be different...'
Hearing Hyang's words, Sejong nodded.
"That is true. What a truly regrettable situation! Ministers, hear me!"
"We will listen with full attention, Your Majesty!"
"Create and submit a plan for reforming the military system. This is also necessary for the Gyeongjang reforms. I had intended to create and implement it a bit later, but with the situation rapidly changing, swift measures are needed."
"Your command shall be obeyed!"
Though he had given the order to the ministers, Sejong did not have a satisfied expression.
"I thought there might be a more effective method...."
At Sejong's words full of regret, the ministers broke into cold sweat and began racking their brains. If they went a little further from there, that now-dreaded 'Tch!' would pop out, and after that, they would be in a situation where they would have to shout 'We are mortified!' at the top of their lungs.
'Think, think!' While the ministers were desperately racking their brains, Hyang made a suggestion to Sejong.
"Father. As a secondary measure to use first, how about summoning the Wild Jurchen tribal chiefs to the palace and appeasing them?"
"Summon the tribal chiefs to the palace?"
"Yes. Among the words circulating in the marketplace, there is a saying: 'When the body is distant, the heart grows distant too.' Would this apply only to relationships between men and women? If you summon the tribal chiefs and appease them, they will be moved by Your Majesty's kindness."
"I see."
At Hyang's words, Sejong nodded. Seeing Sejong's good reaction, Hyang's voice gained strength.
"When Joseon's capabilities grow stronger, the tribal chiefs who come seeking us will have to make a choice. Between the gift in one hand, or the club in the other hand."
"That is very good! Then we'll need a very sturdy club, won't we?"
"That is correct."
At Hyang's words, Sejong nodded greatly.
"I am very pleased."
* * *
Five days later, the ministers submitted to Sejong a plan regarding military reform.
"Let us see...."
As Sejong read through the plan submitted by the ministers, he raised his head and glared at them.
"Is this the best you can do?"
"We are mortified!"
"Tch! Did you even properly look at the Gyeongjang reforms I created?"
"We are mortified!"
While they continuously bowed their heads, Hwang Hee stepped forward.
"Given Joseon's current situation, we thought that was the best...."
"Listen, Chief State Councillor! You merely changed the names of the official positions and call that reform? How is that the best?"
"We are mortified!"
"Ugh! Fine, I will create it myself!"
"Please kill us!"
"Do you truly wish for that?"
"We are mortified!"
In the end, Sejong began creating a plan for military reform himself, as he had said.
"First, based on the expansion of government finances going forward...."
Having created a basic plan by referencing the Gyeongjang reforms he had written, Sejong passed it to the Jiphyeonjeon.
"Review it and find areas for improvement."
"Your command shall be obeyed!"
With the plan that had gone through the Jiphyeonjeon in hand, Sejong began reexamination. After examining the plan several times, Sejong frowned.
"Something doesn't feel right...."
While pondering, Sejong sought out Hyang.
"...This is the plan I created. What do you think?"
"Since Your Majesty created it after deep contemplation, isn't it the best?"
"Flattery won't get you an increase in the research institute's budget."
In the end, Hyang worked with Sejong to create improvements.
"Completely separating military positions and filling them with military officials? Won't the civil officials rise up in protest? If done poorly, people talking about 'military rule' will emerge."
"That is why I had the authority over budget and personnel entrusted to the Minister of War and the Vice Minister, and had those two positions filled by civil officials, didn't I?"
"Rather than that, since we're completely separating them anyway, wouldn't it be better for me to take charge of everything?"
"Then there is a very high possibility that the military officials will completely ignore the civil officials and go their own way. If that happens, it will become 'the return of military rule.'"
"Even with me present?"
"Your Majesty would become the justification for that runaway."
"Would that happen?"
"It definitely will."
Hyang answered firmly.
'Such an organization actually existed. Called the Imperial Japanese Army!'
After such back-and-forth arguments, the military reform began.
It was a reform symbolized by the 'Joseon Army General Staff Headquarters' and the 'Training Bureau.'