Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 204

Episode 204: Dilemma – Odori (1)

As the loyalty of the noble Jurchen people increased, the military and military began serious discussions about incorporating the Jurchen people into the Joseon army.

“Is it really a good idea to accept the Jurchen people?”

“Isn’t it a matter of betrayal?”

It was this issue of ‘trust’ that the officials, from Choi Yun-deok at the forefront to Cho Mal-saeng in Hanseong, agonized over and argued about the most.

‘Can we trust the noble Jurchen people?’

The war of words on this issue soon began to rage beyond the scope of the military and military, with even King Sejong and ministers participating.

The opinions of those in favor were as follows.

‘We have sworn loyalty to Joseon and are dependent on Joseon for food, clothing, and shelter. In this situation, it is okay to incorporate him into the military.’

However, the opponents were also formidable.

‘Jeojin-in is a noble person in the front and a backstabber in the back. ‘Isn’t this something that has happened once or twice since the Goryeo Dynasty as well as the Joseon Dynasty?’

A tense tug-of-war ensued, as both sides had reasonable grounds.

Accordingly, the fragrance came up with a third plan.

“How about restricting eligibility?”

“Eligibility restrictions?”

“Only those who are children of those with important responsibility for the tribe or those who have formed a family and have children are accepted into the Joseon military.”

“Hmm….”

“That might be okay.”

King Sejong and the ministers seemed tempted by Hyang’s proposal. But there were also those who raised counterarguments.

“Please consider the case of Yeongyeonggacheopmokah (童猛哥帖木兒) of the Odori tribe. They pledged allegiance to Joseon as hostages, but eventually fell to the Ming. And under pressure from the Ming Dynasty, we had to send away all of our hostages. Considering this, it is not the best idea.”

After hearing the counterargument, Hyang refuted it again.

“Of course, there are such examples. However, it is even more dangerous to leave them alone. Think of the ferocity of the Jurchen warriors. “We need to put them in the military and control them.”

“But…”

“Then how about this method?”

The township presented a plan for improvement.

-The next powerful person, such as the chief’s son, is placed in Sungkyunkwan and educated as a civil servant.

-Children of elders are placed in military custody but kept as hostages.

The enlisted Jurchen warriors are grouped by tribe, divided into units (15 to 25 people) and mixed with other tribes.

Encourage loyalty and competition by providing opportunities for promotion.

King Sejong and his ministers responded more and more positively to the improvement plan. However, since there were still those who opposed it, the township proposed additional improvements.

-The Jurchen troops are not issued commanders. The Jurchen people only use traditional bows and spears as weapons.

-Only helmet and breastplate are provided as armor. Full body armor used by Joseon army cavalry or spearmen is not provided.

“I won’t object if you don’t pay the Führer.”

Even those who were opposed to the additional improvement plan proposed by the township turned in favor.

According to the decisions of King Sejong and the government, a wave of change swept over the Jurchen tribe.

The noble leaders of the Jurchen tribe held on to their sons who were leaving for Hanseong and gave them instructions.

“Having a seat in the court is not only an opportunity for you, but it is also a great opportunity for our tribe. “It is certain that there will be discrimination, but grit your teeth and endure.”

“Yes father.”

“I don’t want to go to the final decision. However, you must rise to Danghagwan (Jeong 3rd to Jong 6th rank).”

“Yes father.”

“Then go. “Take care of yourself.”

The family of the tribal chief’s son, who left, settled in Hanseong. For their convenience, the government allocated houses near Dongdaemun. This was the birth of a neighborhood later called ‘Dongyechon (東女村)’.

“Do your best for our Joseon, for your tribe, and finally for your success and fame.”

At the banquet hall welcoming the sons of the tribal leaders who arrived in Hanseong, King Sejong gave the above instructions.

All of the Jurchen people who attended King Sejong’s instruction responded with one voice.

“I will keep this in mind!”

Three days after the banquet, they all entered Sungkyunkwan. Sungkyunkwan Jejo (成均館提調) of Sungkyunkwan, who was in charge of guiding them, looked at them and talked about their future schedule.

“For the next six months, you will study here and receive practical training. Throughout this entire process, you will be graded based on your attitude and performance, which will determine the grade you will be given in the future. Also, how well you speak Korean will determine the rank you will receive, so I hope you do your best.”

“yes!”

Thus began their eventful school days.

Since most of them came with their families, they were paid the bonuses that officials of the 9th grade of the clan receive.

In addition, those with excellent grades received a certain amount of additional money every month, so they competed with their eyes lit up.

After fierce competition, they received grades from 8th rank to 6th rank and were assigned to the royal court.

“Haa~.”

On the first day of attending the 6th government office to which they were assigned, they all sighed as they stood before the doorstep of the office.

“I am a Yeojin person. How much discrimination will I be subjected to?”

Although they were very worried, Joseon officials welcomed them warmly.

“Welcome! “Welcome!”

“Welcome! Welcome!”

The Jurchen people could not help but be suspicious of such an enthusiastic welcome.

‘Couldn’t this be a trap?’

However, within three days, they were able to understand why Joseon officials welcomed them so warmly.

“Work never stops!”

“Working overtime every day!”

“help me! “This is hell!”

As the Jurchen people shouted ‘hell’, a passing Joseon official smiled and spoke to them.

“Is this still just the entrance to hell? Do you know where the real hell is?”

The Korean official raised his hand and pointed to where the recorder was.

“That place is truly hell. Work hard. “If you make a mistake, you will be sent to hell.”

As they were so overwhelmed with work, the Yeojin people seriously considered resigning.

“Would you rather abandon your tribe and run away to the far north?”

However, their attempts were met with strong opposition from their wives and children.

“Where can I leave? “There must be something to stop the kids from going on!”

“Where else in the world can you find a house and household goods like this! People need to be patient! Your father said the same thing! “Let’s live without the liver and gallbladder for a while!”

“This isn’t a matter of pride, I’m dying of work!”

“But the kids don’t starve!”

At the wife’s last words, the men fell silent.

Even though he was the son of a tribal leader when he was living a nomadic life, he had to worry about starvation.

In the end, they had to go to work with their shoulders slumped.

It was a sad portrait of heads of families who were overwhelmed by life.

* * *

But their wives also had their reasons.

Although the salary their husbands received was small, it was a huge amount for the Jurchen people.

Even from the perspective of the Joseon people, the bonuses that officials received were considerable.

As the economy progressed, the size of the economy grew, and King Sejong began to gradually realize the salaries paid to officials and royals as promised.

Of course, in return, if even the slightest bit of fraud was discovered, most of one’s property would be confiscated and one would be thrown into a record office or a mine.

Therefore, unlike in the past, officials had to react extremely strongly to bribery.

In any case, the standard of living they lived with the bonus they received was very high compared to what they enjoyed while living a nomadic life.

In addition, the treatment she and her family received from the surrounding Koreans was also different.

This was because they were not just ‘Jurchen tribe beggars’ but ‘Nari’ and ‘Nari’s servants’ who worked for the country.

According to the rumors there, a social democratic school was scheduled to open soon. There were rumors everywhere that if you went through the Social Democratic Institute and received a more advanced education, you could work with good treatment not only in management but also at the top.

The Jurchen women who heard the rumor gritted their teeth.

“There are social democratic schools all over the country, but the number of schools above them is drastically decreasing! It is obvious that the place located in Hanseong is the best! No matter what happens, we must hold out in Hanseong!”

The skirts of Joseon’s mothers as well as Yeojin’s mothers began to flutter.

* * *

Meanwhile, the situation was similar for the Jurchen people who entered the Joseon army.

Although it was the same cavalry, the Jurchen tribe only received breastplates and helmets, unlike the Joseon army.

They also did not receive the guns used by the Joseon army. Jurchen cavalrymen had no choice but to continue to use bows and spears as their main weapons.

However, the Jurchen tribe seemed satisfied.

“The power of the Fuhrer is good, but the range is short!”

The Jurchen people pointed out that the range of the Masang Chongtong, the main weapon of the Joseon cavalry, was short.

The rebuttal from the Joseon cavalry was formidable.

“It is true that the range is short. But the new horse barrel has a much longer range. And the Gap-sikjang Chongtong has an even longer range. Lastly….”

The Joseon cavalry finished their sentence by pounding the armor they were wearing.

“The distance that Ma Sang can make a hole in the armor of the Jurchen tribe is much greater than the distance that the Jurchen tribe’s arrows can puncture this armor!”

The Jurchen cavalry nodded at the words of the Joseon cavalry.

“Oh, I admit that. “That’s why we don’t say anything.”

Although it was only a breastplate and a helmet (a helmet with an awning along the entire circumference of the chest), the Jurchen cavalry had no complaints as they were provided with armor and helmets of exactly the same performance as those worn by Joseon cavalry and spearmen.

In fact, I liked the fact that the Jurchen cavalry only received breastplates and helmets.

-The full body armor worn by Joseon cavalrymen has good defense, but it is so heavy that it is difficult to move!

The Jurchen people’s evaluation was as above. Joseon cavalrymen ‘are not martial arts but closer to acrobatics.’ This was because it was more convenient to wear only a chest armor and helmet to perform the flashy horseback martial arts that were evaluated as.

In this way, when the Jurchen cavalry was incorporated into the Joseon army, the upper echelons of the Joseon army organized them into an outpost unit (a unit in charge of reconnaissance and guarding at the head of the previous unit).

They took advantage of the unique mobility of light cavalry to reconnoiter enemy lines ahead of the Joseon cavalry and relayed the information.

If the enemy was of a reasonable size, they single-handedly struck the enemy and pinned him down.

When the enemy stopped, the main tactic was for Joseon cavalrymen with superior firepower to rush in and inflict irreparable damage.

* * *

When they were first incorporated into the Joseon army, many Jurchen cavalrymen had the same concerns as the Jurchen people who went to Hanseong.

“What should I do if the Koreans discriminate?”

They swore allegiance to Joseon while serving as nobles, but before that, it was common for Joseon people and Jurchen people to resort to sword fighting.

However, when Korean soldiers met a Jurchen military officer of a higher rank than Daejeong (隊正), who commanded the battalion, and Gichong (旗摠), who commanded the flag (consisting of 3 to 5 flags), a higher-ranking organization, they politely showed military respect.

Rather, it was a polite military courtesy that embarrassed the Jurchen military officers who received the courtesy.

This was because of the royal decree issued by Hyang through King Sejong when the incorporation of the Jurchen tribe was decided.

King Sejong and his ministers were worried about the discord that would arise from incorporating the Jurchen tribe into the Joseon cavalry.

Hyang, who saw this, appealed to King Sejong.

“Military rites established in military discipline are intended to set an example for the class, not for the person. Therefore, regardless of whether you are a Joseon or a Jurchen, it is military discipline to bow to your superiors. Failure to follow this is a serious crime against military discipline.”

King Sejong was impressed, slapping his knees, at Hyang’s remonstrance, which was borrowed from a 21st-century drama featuring a U.S. airborne unit from World War II.

“That is indeed true! cancer! What is the problem if the superior is a Jurchen or a Korean? If you are a superior, it is natural for you to show military courtesy!”