Black Corporation: Joseon

The turbulent Joseon, having undergone major events such as Ryu Jeong-hyeon’s imprisonment and the death of Emperor Yongle, was gradually quieting down as autumn passed and winter approached.

However, perhaps not content with this calm, a messenger on horseback rushed into the palace with an urgent report.

“An urgent message!”

Even before his horse had come to a halt, the messenger leaped off, pulling out a scroll from his robe and handing it to the officer on duty.

The scroll was immediately delivered to King Sejong. Upon reading it, King Sejong issued an order to his scribe.

“Summon all court officials, from Dangsanggan (a mid-level government post) and above, to the Royal Council Chamber immediately!”

“I obey the order!”

On King Sejong’s emergency call, all ministers, who had been handling state affairs in various offices and the Council of Ministers, rushed to the Royal Council Chamber.

The same was true for those working in Area 51. Choi Hae-san and Lee Chun, who had been riding horses, as well as Hyang, hurried towards the Gwanghwamun Palace.

Upon arriving at the palace, Hyang, heading to the Royal Council Chamber, asked a question to an inner officer.

“What’s happening?”

“I’m not exactly sure, but I’ve heard an urgent report has come from the north.”

“The north?”

Hyang looked back at Choi Hae-san and Lee Chun, who seemed unusually rigid.

‘The smell of blood somewhere….’

Hyang felt as if the smell of blood was wafting from somewhere nearby. As he traced the source, he realized the scent was coming from Choi Hae-san and Lee Chun, and immediately became on high alert.

‘Is this the predatory instinct of soldiers who have been through hell?’

Upon entering the Council Chamber, he saw that the summoned ministers had already gathered.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“No, Your Highness.”

The ministers reassured Hyang, who apologized for his late arrival.

“His Majesty is entering!”

Not long after Hyang took his place, an announcement was made of King Sejong’s arrival. As Hyang and the ministers respectfully bowed, King Sejong, who had ascended the dais, began to speak.

“It may take a while, so everyone, please sit.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

‘Is this one of the good points of not having ondol (Korean floor heating system) fully popularized yet? That we have chairs.’

‘Oops! I’ve gone off track again.’ Hyang, who had been daydreaming while sitting on the chair brought by the inner officers, lightly shook his head and focused his attention.

When the small disturbance caused by the arrival of the chairs subsided, King Sejong got to the point. “An urgent report has just arrived from the north. Scribe, report its content.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After bowing to the king, the scribe began to speak to the ministers, “As you might be aware, there has been turmoil among the Jurchen tribes in Jianzhou since last year. Although the conflict occurred within the Jurchen tribe, given their nature, we in Joseon cannot ignore it and have been tracking the source of this trouble. And recently, our spies found out the cause and sent the urgent report.”

The ministers listened intently with serious faces to the scribe’s words.

In the deathly quiet council chamber, the scribe’s voice echoed. “The turmoil in Jianzhou Jurchens¹ occurred because a large tribe from the north moved south.”

At the scribe’s statement, minister Hwang Hui spoke, “What was the reason for their southward movement?”

“They were pushed south by the pressure from the Daldan (Tatars).”

“What’s the scale of their migration?”

“It’s said to be about 10,000 households.”

“This is bad…”

“That’s a serious matter.”

Upon hearing the scale of the migrating tribe, the ministers let out sighs of despair. Unlike Joseon and Ming, who considered a family of five as one household, a Jurchens tribe’s household typically consisted of 15 people.

“So, you’re saying they have at least 10,000 to 30,000 cavalry.”

“That’s right. And they also have at least 3,000 to 10,000 infantry.”

This was precisely why Joseon was extremely nervous. Due to their semi-agricultural, semi-nomadic lifestyle, the Jurchens’ cavalry was known for their formidable skill.

Looking back at history, the Jurchens tribes were not entities to be taken lightly. Although they had been subjugated by the Liao Dynasty established by the Khitans, after gathering strength, it was the Jurchens who overthrew the Liao and established Jin. The Jin had inflicted severe damage on both the Song and Goryeo dynasties.

After the Yuan invaded and collapsed the Jin, the Jurchens were fragmented into tribal units, and this state had continued to this day.

This fragmentation of the Jurchens was the result of interference by Joseon and Ming. If there was someone who could unite the Jurchens tribes, who shared almost similar languages and customs, it could lead to the birth of a powerful state. This was something neither Joseon nor Ming wanted.

“Who is the tribal leader?”

“His name is Yi Manju.”

“If such a large tribe moved south, it’s a significant issue. Did the Ming just let it happen?”

“They say the Ming gave permission.”

“What?!”

“This is unbelievable!”

The ministers were taken aback by the scribe’s response. Minister Hwang Hui expressed his opinion to King Sejong with a grave face.

“Your Majesty, there’s a possibility that this is a scheme by the Ming.”

At Minister Hwang Hee’s remark, King Sejong nodded.

“I thought the same.”

“Jurchens….”

Hearing the report from the chief eunuch, Hyang recalled his memories of the 21st century.

When he wandered the internet aimlessly for his fangirling activities, he came across a post titled ‘The Presence of Yi Seong-gye’.

“What’s this?”

The post in the blog she clicked into was created based on the annals of King Taejo. It marked the tribes of the Jurchens who surrendered to Taejo and the state of their assimilation on a map. Hyang’s jaw dropped at the sight of the map.

“Wow….”

Yi Seong-gye’s direct influence clearly extended beyond the northeastern border of Goryeo all the way to the Gando (Jiandao) region. His indirect influence further spread up north to the southern part of the Heilongjiang Fortress.

“Is this a joke? Is the source reliable?”

The post left a strong impact on Hyang’s memory.

After his reincarnation, Hyang collected bit by bit information about the relationship between the Jurchens tribe and Joseon. It was a sort of cross-validation act for him.

As he checked the collected data, he let out a soft laugh.

“This reminds me of a scene from a gangster movie?”

What Hyang referred to was the debate between Taejong and Yongle Emperor. That part totally reminded him of a scene from a gangster movie.

— (Intermission)

J: Hey! Chairman Zhu²! This isn’t right!

J: Even though we, the Joseon gang, have joined the Ming gang, this can’t be tolerated!

J: Look! Those Ming gang jerks are strutting around in the Jurchens’ territory!

M: Hey! The Jurchens area was declared ours by the previous Chairman Zhu! Don’t you even know the Gangster’s Code? It’s against the rules!

J: What? You say the Jurchens’ territory is the Ming gang’s territory?

J: Are you out of your mind? Shall we start a fight?

J: Even if our Joseon gang gets beaten, do you think you, the Ming gang, will be alright?

M: Huh? Huh? Shall we fight now?

M: Forget about the Northern gang, shall we start a fight?

—

At the end of the rough debate over the Jurchens territory, Taejong, who brought out ‘Chairman Ju’s Assurance’, managed to get a concession from Yongle Emperor.

From then on, the Jurchens territory became a battlefield of the three countries. Ming and Joseon were gradually expanding their influence, trying to stab each other in the back in Geonju Jurchens³ and the savage (Yain) Jurchens⁴ territories, and the Northern Jurchens were watching for an opportunity to dominate the entire area.

* * *

Because of this complex situation, not only the ministers but even Sejong began to suspect the Ming’s operations.

“The situation is critical, so think of a good countermeasure.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As the ministers began to exchange their opinions after receiving the command, Hyang recollected his memory—Yi Seong-gye’s⁵ presence and influence were indeed strong among the Jurchens tribe.

— However, as it descended to Taejong and Sejong, this influence was gradually decreasing. This was because, unlike Yi Seong-gye who had quite direct contact, the number and intensity of direct contact decreased as they stayed in the palace.

— Although the influence is decreasing, the influence of Yi Seong-gye and his descendants is ‘still’ alive. The problem is that the subject exercising this influence is ‘the descendants of Yi Seong-gye’, not ‘Joseon’.

‘Let me see… Was it from Sejo’s reign that it became a purely profit-based relationship? Quite a few powerful Jurchens tribe chiefs got involved in Danjong’s restoration movement and died, and I think I read somewhere that the relationship with the Jurchens tribe completely fell apart… Damn it! My habit of remembering vaguely when I’m less interested is causing trouble here.’

Hyang grumbled to himself, continuing his contemplation for a good solution.

However, after much thought, the only answer he came up with was a standard one.

‘Shit! Is this the best I can do?’

Cursing at the situation where he couldn’t come up with an innovative solution, Hyang opened his mouth with a resigned look.

“Your Majesty, in this situation, I believe extraordinary measures are not very useful, instead we need to take a conventional approach.”

“Conventional?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I believe we need to strengthen the capacity of our Joseon, reform the military system to build a solid foundation, and then gradually assimilate the Jurchens.”

At Hyang’s answer, Sejong stroked his beard.

“So, that’s the best option?”

“Given the current situation, this is the only best option.”

‘Because the reality is such a mess!’

“If I consider your usual wit….”

“Once again, Father, I must reiterate that it’s difficult for us to use extraordinary measures given our current situation in Joseon. After all, extraordinary measures are a lucky shot that rarely beats a standard approach.”

At Hyang’s response, Sejong let out a sigh. Seeing him, Hyang added, “Extraordinary measures shine the most when there’s room for them. Even if there’s an extraordinary measure, a common foot soldier cannot beat a cavalryman, right?”

‘Well? If a foot soldier had a machine gun instead of a spear, the story might have been different…‘

Hearing Hyang’s words, Sejong nodded. “That seems to be the case. What a pitiful situation! Hear this, ministers!”

“We will follow Your Majesty’s command!”

“Create and submit a plan to reform the military system. This is necessary even for the financial management. I was thinking of creating and implementing it a little later, but as the situation has rapidly changed, we need a quick solution.”

“We receive your command!”

The command had been issued to the ministers, but Sejong didn’t seem satisfied.

“I think there must be a more effective solution…”

Upon hearing Sejong’s regretful words, the ministers started to rack their brains in a cold sweat. If they were to think a little further, an annoying ‘Tsk!’ would soon follow, and after that, they’d be in a situation where they would have to shout ‘Your Majesty!’ until their throats burst.

‘Think, think!’ While the ministers were desperately brainstorming, Hyang made a suggestion to Sejong.

“Your Majesty. As a preliminary plan, how about inviting the chieftains of the Yain Jurchens tribes to the palace?”

“Invite the tribal leaders to the palace?”

“Yes. There is a saying among the words in the street, ‘If the body is far away, so is the mind.’ This isn’t only confined to the relationships between men and women, right? If you invite the tribal leaders, they will be touched by your benevolence, Your Highness.”

“I see.”

At Hyang’s words, Sejong nodded. Seeing that Sejong’s response was positive, strength began to fill Hyang’s voice.

“If our Joseon becomes stronger, the chieftains who have come will have to make a choice. They will have to choose between the gift in one hand, or the club in the other.”

“That’s a great idea! Then we would need a very sturdy club, wouldn’t we?”

“Yes, we would.”

At Hyang’s words, Sejong nodded deeply.

“I like that very much.”

* * *

Five days later, the ministers submitted their plan for military reform to Sejong.

“Let’s see…”

Sejong, who was reading the measures submitted by the ministers, looked up at them.

“Is this your best?”

“We apologize, Your Majesty!”

“Tsk! Did you even properly look at the financial management plan that this Majesty made?”

“We apologize, Your Majesty!”

In the midst of the repeated apologies, Hwang Hui stepped forward.

“We believe that given our current situation in Joseon, this is the best we can do…”

“Look here, Right State Councilor! Is just changing the names of the positions a reform? How is this the best you can do?”

“We apologize, Your Majesty!”

“Alright, enough! I’d rather do it myself!”

“Please excuse our incompetence!”

“Do you really want that?“

“We apologize, Your Majesty!”

In the end, Sejong started creating his own plan for military reform, as he had said.

“First, based on the expansion of the government’s finances in the future…”

Sejong, who created a basic plan based on his previously written financial management, passed it on to the Hall of Worthies.

“Review it and find points for improvement.”

“We receive your command!”

Sejong, who received the plan that had been reviewed by the Hall of Worthies, went through a re-review. After scrutinizing the plan several times, Sejong frowned.

“I’m still not satisfied…”

Sejong, who had been pondering, sought out Hyang.

“… I made this plan, but what do you think?”

“The work Your Majesty created after much deliberation is undoubtedly the best, isn’t it?”

“Even if you flatter me like that, increasing the research institute’s budget is impossible.”

In the end, Hyang created an improved plan together with Sejong.

“Are we going to completely separate the military positions and fill them with the military officials? Wouldn’t the civil officials resist? If we do this wrong, there might be those who cry ‘military dictatorship.'”

“That’s why we are leaving the authority over budget and personnel to the Minister of War and the Chief State Councillor, aren’t we? And both of them won’t be military officials.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if I, after all the separation, took charge of everything?”

“Then there’s a high possibility that the military officials will completely ignore the civil officials and monopolize power. If that happens, it would be a ‘return of the military dictatorship.'”

“Even if I’m there?”

“Your Majesty will become the justification for that monopoly.”

“Would it?”

“It definitely will.”

Hyang answered firmly.

‘There actually was such an organization. It was called the Imperial Japanese Army!’

Thus, with this back-and-forth debate, the reform of the military system began.

It was a reform symbolized by the ‘General Staff Headquarters of the Joseon Army’ and the ‘Training Institute’.

1. One of the three main Jurchen tribes identified by the Ming.[↩]
2. Birth name of Emperor Youngle: Zhu Di, lol[↩]
3. Geonju Jurchen people united with Koreans to establish Goguryeo together in the 1st century BC, and operated a joint state with Koreans until they parted with Koreans due to the destruction of Balhae kingdom and the formation of a large lava area due to the explosion of Baekdusan volcano in the 10th century.[↩]
4. One of the main three factions of Jurchens. These Jurchens can be classified into; Haixi Jurchens in Heilongxiang, Jianzhou Jurchens in Jilin, and barbarian Northern Jurchens[↩]
5. King Taejo[↩]