Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 347
Episode 347 Let’s make a play board! (1)
Gangnyeongjeon in the middle of the night.
It was deep into the night when even the officers had retired. King Sejong, dressed in a robe, was sitting in his seat waiting for someone.
How much time has passed? The eunuch quietly came in and informed King Sejong.
“majesty. “My stomach is back.”
“Please come by right away.”
“yes.”
The merchant ship retreated, and Naegeumwi, plastered in black, came inside and knelt down.
“result?”
“Done.”
King Sejong’s face brightened at Naegeumwijang’s answer. Looking at King Sejong’s face, Captain Naegeum added.
“Among the famous people identified by the Milwi, there are none who have escaped. There may be some who remained in the Jemulpo Junghwatong, but all those who came out in connection with this incident have been exterminated.”
“Good job! “Well done indeed!”
“I appreciate the hard work of the millworkers.”
“How much were the workers sacrificed?”
“There are two dead and three maimed.”
“The damage was quite significant.”
“The skills of those I faced were formidable. “Seeing as they were all speakers, it is clear that they were members of an armed force.”
King Sejong asked with a serious face upon hearing the report from Naegeumwiwi.
“After all, it wasn’t just bravado?”
“That’s right.”
* * *
The reason for opening a superior office in Shandong was not only because of trade issues, but also to obtain information about the Ming situation and other information more quickly and diversely.
Among the information received through my superiors, there was also information about ‘Dongchang (東廠)’.
-There is an organization created by the Ming imperial family using eunuchs for temple purposes.
-The organization called Dongchang has a unit made up of highly skilled warriors.
‘Alumni’ was a well-known organization, so it had little value, but the problem was that it was an armed group within the alumni group. A group whose size and capabilities were unknown was an ‘invisible fear’ to the people of the Ming Dynasty.
‘Why on earth do eunuchs create an armed group? Are you dreaming of becoming a Sipsangsi again?’
There were many people who were concerned about armed groups within the alumni community, but alumni also had something to say.
-Secret inspections often lead to life-or-death situations. In this case, escorts were needed to protect those in charge of inspection. However, due to the nature of the work, the exact size cannot be revealed.
Everyone who heard this classmate Taegam’s remarks had the same curiosity.
“Then what are those skills?”
And there were two answers to that.
-It is clear that they have selected and trained talented people, so they pose a sufficient threat.
– Talented people will not become eunuchs just because they want to, so this is just bravado.
However, the agents of the Milwi who were deployed in this battle were also recognized by the Naegumwi. The fact that such people were killed or maimed was proof that Dongchang’s armed forces had formidable capabilities.
* * *
After re-evaluating his classmate’s armed forces organization, Sejong moved on.
“Do you think those are all who were dealt with this time?”
In response to King Sejong’s question, Naegeumwijang shook his head.
“I guess not. There will definitely be more in Jemulpo. Do you want us to search Jemulpo?”
“No, let’s end it here. Seeing that their comrades haven’t returned, the remaining people will probably guess what’s going on. This would have been a reasonable warning. If we proceed further than that, Shandong could become dangerous.”
“I understand, Your Majesty.”
“The treatment of those who are dead or injured must be carried out according to pre-established rules and a silent star must also be attached. And write the ‘secret travel log’ properly.”
“I understand, Your Majesty.”
* * *
When something that started in the dark ended in the dark, things were slowly coming to an end on the bright side as well.
Geunjeongjeon.
In the presence of King Sejong and all the ministers, Panuigeumbusa reported the progress of the case.
“… Therefore, Seong Pan-sul’s brother-in-law Daesu Dae-su admits his crime. In addition, Cho Han-tae, who instigated Dae-su, and Park Eun-soo, the secretary of the top, admitted their own crimes.”
“Are they the only ones involved?”
Panuigeumbusa immediately answered King Sejong’s question.
“We interrogated all those working at the top, but they were not found.”
“I see…”
When Sejong fell silent, Lee Jik immediately joined the conversation.
“Did you find the backstory that instigated Jo Han-tae?”
Panuigeumbusa answered Lee Jik’s question with a perplexed expression.
“We are currently tracking it.”
“Are you in ignorance?”
“To be honest, I can’t find any trace of it.”
Ijik sighed at Panuigeumbusa’s answer.
“Huh…”
The air inside Geunjeongjeon became increasingly heavy as the whereabouts of the most important back line remained unknown.
When the atmosphere subsided to the bottom, Sejong, who had been silent, opened his mouth.
“Panguigeumbusa should limit the tracking of the back line to the vicinity of Jemulpo and stop after one more day.”
“yes?”
“I, as well as everyone gathered here, have some guess as to who is behind the scenes. And they would have already erased all traces by now. So any further tracking is just a waste. If we continue tracking for another day and the area is limited to Jemulpo, they will immediately understand that it means a warning. “Do you understand what I mean?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As Panuigeumbusa answered with his head bowed, King Sejong turned to the other ministers. Lee Jik stepped forward on behalf of the ministers who had received the silent question.
“I think this is truly appropriate treatment. “I only feel resentment because it is truly an unbecoming action for a nation and our Joseon’s power is weak, so we have no choice but to act this way.”
“I agree with you too.”
When King Sejong used the word ‘gwain’, the ministers became very nervous. This was because King Sejong rarely used the word ‘gwain’. Sejong looked at the ministers and spoke emphatically.
“We must not forget this incident and be negligent in developing Joseon’s capabilities.”
All the ministers responded to King Sejong’s words by bowing their heads.
“I will keep this in mind!”
The officer who recorded all of this added:
– says the officer. It is not a new phenomenon that the events of the Sang-guk are truly unbecoming of the Sang-guk. How can it be called a great country if it only believes in its own strength and persecutes the countries around it?
I can understand the resentment of Jinsanbuwongun during the reign of King Taejong when he said he wanted to join forces with the Japanese and fight a decisive battle against the Ming.
* * *
During the reign of King Taejong, Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty, who had suffered from Japanese pirates, insisted on the ‘Jeongwae theory’ and forced military cooperation on Joseon.
However, the intentions of King Taejong and his ministers at the time could not be trusted.
‘Isn’t there an intention to station the Ming Dynasty army in Joseon under the pretext of Japan’s invasion of Korea and further usurp Joseon’s national sovereignty?’
In the end, Joseon refused Ming’s request, making various excuses, and on the other hand, sent word to the Japanese through Tsushima Island and asked them to suppress the Japanese.
In this process, the Ming Dynasty began to put pressure on the people by bringing up the ‘North Jeong theory’ using the Jurchen tribe as an excuse, following the ‘Japanese invasion theory’.
In the end, due to this pressure, Ha Ryun, the Left State Councilor at the time, came forward and advocated the ‘Great Ming Battle Theory’ to unite with Japan to deal with the Ming Dynasty.
(Note 1)
However, this proposal was rejected by King Taejong. And in the first year of King Sejong’s reign, Joseon independently conquered Tsushima Island.
* * *
Sejong, who changed his mood by chewing Sangguk, soon moved on.
“Let the back line do the same… How can it be right to punish the criminals Jo Han-tae and Park Eun-su and Dae-su Dae-su?”
The Minister of Justice came forward and answered Sejong’s question.
“According to the laws of economic development and the Great Ming Law, criminals are those who have committed the crime of high treason and harm to the nation. Therefore, the three criminals should be beheaded and their relatives should be made government slaves.”
After gathering his thoughts for a moment after hearing the Minister of Justice’s remarks, Sejong decided on a ruling.
“As the Minister of Justice said, the three criminals will be beheaded, and their relatives should be sent to Aoji as government slaves.”
“I follow your orders!”
Once Sejong’s ruling was made, the Minister of Justice stepped forward again.
“And those who were caught in the process of arresting Daesu this time should also be punished. “They have committed gambling that is prohibited by the government, so they should be severely punished.”
“The Minister of Justice is right. Distinguish between those who opened the gambling table and those who participated. Those who opened the game should be sentenced to 10 years, and those who participated should be made to work in the mines for 5 years. However, pay for the labor, but pay only 70% of the salary normally received by mine workers. Also, give them only 100% of the salary directly and give the rest to their families. This is because they are also the heads of their families. “The goal is to provide relief to families who have lost their head due to sin so that they can live at a minimum level, while at the same time enabling them to reflect on their sins through labor.”
The ministers all responded with one voice to King Sejong’s ruling.
“What a wise decision!”
“You even think of the hardships the families of sinners will go through, so all the people will praise your virtue.”
While the sound of praising King Sejong’s wise decision echoed throughout Geunjeongjeon, the officer recorded it.
-… So, when the king made the ruling, all the high and small officials praised it as a truly beautiful ruling.
The officer says:
There is no mistake in what the subjects say. Those caught gambling are all heads of the same family. When the head of the family disappears, the deprivation of the family is indescribable. The virtue and mercy of the statue that took pity on this is truly beautiful.
The problem is why he gives such virtue and mercy so harshly to the officials.
I hate both free dinner and sleeping quarters.
I want to leave the company on time. I want to see my wife awake.
* * *
Three days later, Jemulpo.
Honghwaru (紅花樓) is the largest of the juru located in Junghwatong, Jemulpo.
A man approached the VIP room on the third floor and made a cautious move.
“I am Jangryong, a large person and a small person.”
“Please come in.”
Jang Ryong, who came in after receiving permission, bowed his hand and bowed to the old man sitting in front of the table.
The old man who received Jangryong’s courtesy asked in a drowsy voice.
“So… did you find any traces of me, the Lieutenant General, and the group?”
“I apologize.”
“Hmm…”
The old man snorted lightly, took the teacup in his hand, and took a light sip.
“Let’s see… Joseon’s upper level, which Lieutenant General Jang had lined up, has been destroyed by Uigeumbu, and the whereabouts of Lieutenant Inspector Jang and Deputy Inspector General Jang are unknown…” The
old man who was sorting out the situation returned to Jang Ryong. I asked a question.
“Is Uigeumbu still searching around Jemulpo?”
“no. “After an extensive search two days ago, everyone was evacuated.”
Two days ago, those who had come out of Uigeumbu and soldiers from the nearby army camp had been scouring the Jemulpo area. The atmosphere was grim for a while as we searched the surrounding villages and mountains without a proper explanation of what we were looking for.
“Hmm…”
The old man who was pondering Jangryong’s report while holding a teacup in his hand opened his mouth.
“Withdraw.”
“yes?”
“I, Lieutenant Superintendent and Superintendent Jang, are probably already dead. The commotion two days ago was a warning from the king of Joseon. This is something no one can talk about. So please return quietly.”
Jangryong bowed his head in response to the old man’s decision.
“I will start preparations right away.”
After Jangryong left, the old man muttered softly.
“The kings of Joseon are always scary people.”
* * *
While the situation was going on like that, Hyang was preoccupied with other issues.
“80 people caught gambling? In that small town? “That too during busy farming season?”
Hyang was shocked to see the number of gamblers who were also caught in the process of chasing the renter.
“It’s not a gambling republic, it’s a gambling kingdom! It won’t work! “We have to find the answer!”
* * *
Note 1) Military strategy of the Joseon Dynasty. P.64. Ministry of National Defense Military Compilation Committee.