1592 The Empire We All Dreamed of - Chapter 334



Only Krnovel

1592 The Empire Everyone Dreamed of (334)

deterioration

The midsummer sun warmed the earth.

It was a group of humans who pushed away the azaleas that were rippling across the land.

“Whoaaaa. Charge!”

“Kill them all.”

The infantry formed up and charged across the battlefield.

bang.

The two formations collided with a loud noise. A life-threatening clash ensued.

“Come on, die.”

Boom, bang, bang.

In a group fight, any weapon becomes a blunt weapon. The long sword that turned into an iron club broke when it struck the shield.

An axe flew over the shield.

puck.

The soldier with the sunken forehead slumped down. The spear pierced through his armor and tore through his intestines. The broken shield became an excellent bludgeon.

Boom. Boom.

“Die. Die. Die.”

During the hot summer, as the battle continued, the soldiers grew tired.

“Ugh, please die.”

“You’re the one who’s going to die, you traitor.”

The sword that struck the helmet broke. The opponent caught the dull blade that was left in half in his hand.

“Traitor? Who is who!”

The remaining hand grabbed the helmet and removed it, making it a blunt weapon.

puck.

“Who dares to talk about betrayal to whom?”

Thud, thud, thud.

“Taking advantage of the Emperor’s poverty.”

Thud, thud.

“Aren’t you the traitors who enthroned the new emperor?”

When I let go of his hand, the person whose eyes rolled back fell down helplessly.

“Loyalty? How dare you say that… … .”

Crunch.

The words could not be continued. The headless body collapsed.

“Oh, shit. This isn’t it.”

The officer who cut off the enemy soldier’s head spat out a curse.

It was 30 minutes before the meal that 5,500 troops from the Changzhou Guard Command in Jiangsu Province crossed the Yangtze River.

While searching for the barbarians who were said to be detaining the former emperor and moving south, they encountered an enemy of a thousand people. A battle ensued, and they crushed their opponents with overwhelming numbers.

But the one dying with his eyes wide open was a fellow countryman who spoke the same language.

“Anyone who fights with a sword is an enemy, so kill them all.”

“Wow.”

Jin Ja-wi, a small bannerman belonging to the Sangju Wei Baekhoso, gritted his teeth. The truth of the battlefield is simple. If you take up a sword, you must cut it.

“Get in line, fill in the gaps.”

“Whew, Whew, spearmen forward. Maintain the siege, hmm?”

Suddenly the ground shook. Then dust rose from the horizon.

Doo doo doo doo.

“Wow, it’s cavalry. It’s the Governor’s personal guard.”

“I lived.”

The soldiers, on the verge of annihilation, shouted with their last bit of strength.

“What the hell, get behind the spearmen, surround the spearmen with shields.”

“If you don’t have a shield, pick up anything. Even pile up corpses.”

“The order is shield, spear, and bow. Kwak.”

Jinjawi, who was holding onto the arrow stuck in his eye, writhed in pain. Soon, the arrows covered the sky in black.

Doo doo doo doo.

“Haa! Haa!”

As the red flag at the very front tilted to the left, the column that was rushing forward as if it was going to collide changed direction to the left. And then the bowstring was fired.

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

Arrows flew through the air and struck the densely packed enemy.

Pak, pababak. Pak.

“Ugh.”

“Eww.”

The ranks shook as they leaned against their shields and held out their spears like hedgehogs.

“Don’t move. Stand firm like Mt. Tai.”

“The enemy is bypassing. Oh, and he fired another arrow.”

“Everyone bow your heads!”

Pavababak, pavabak.

“Kwaaak.”

“Where on earth are our cavalry?”

“There they are, fleeing. Our cavalry is fleeing.”

A cloud of dust rose where the rear command post had been. Where the dust settled, there was nothing.

“Ugh, you cowards.”

“It’s always the tall guys who run away first.”

As the white flags were raised one by one in the so-called hedgehog formation of about 100 men, the cavalry that had formed an encirclement fell back to the side.

“Wootan, go. Come back when you run out of arrows.”

“Yes. Byul-ra. Here!”

Doo doo doo doo.

The axe turned and headed towards the surviving soldiers.

“Who is the leader here?”

“Let’s go to Jang Mu-gi, the 5th rank Jeong Cheon-ho of Cheonho-so in Ungju.”

“Again! Behave properly.”

The escort moving forward was stopped by the Aekyeokdo.

“Stop it, you are the ones who should not insult the brave warriors.”

“I’m sorry.”

The axe moved its reins and approached its opponent.

“I will report your efforts to the governor. Have him personally select the dead and those who performed meritorious deeds and bring them out.”

“I obey your orders.”

The old man of the village gave an example with a somewhat softened attitude.

The battle, which took place in the summer of 1605, 50 li (20 km) north of the Yangtze River in Nanjing, was the first battle between Han Chinese since the occupation of Beijing.

With this victory, Nurhachi consolidated his territory north of the Yangtze River.

* * *

In August (September in the solar calendar), Solbin was prosperous as the harvest was approaching.

Summers in the North were short. Outside the city, the fields were undulating with sorghum that had grown taller than people.

The port was full of trading ships, unloading copper, sulfur, cotton, and whale oil, and loading various glass products, ceramics, lacquerware, paper, fish, dried meat, and dried sea cucumbers.

The increased quantity was distributed and stored in the warehouses of Chahohan by train.

“The wind is cool.”

Adjutant Kim Myeong-seop opened Ji-woo’s collar and gave it to him.

“It’s already fall. Time flies.”

“That’s right. I told you that there was frost in the morning.”

Harbur brought a robe and placed it over Jiwoo’s shoulders.

“What about construction?”

“The fever has gone down. Sleep well now.”

“Are you tired from last night?”

Harbur shook his head.

“I’m going to sleep next to the child now. Don’t worry and go.”

“Come on in.”

Jiwoo was surrounded by guards as he left the official residence.

“Attention, troops!”

At Jiwoo’s command, the guards stopped in the same motion.

“Line up in front of the central headquarters of the unit. Carry out.”

“practice.”

As the guards retreated, his view cleared. Only then was he able to cross the street comfortably and enter the central government building.

Prime Minister Han Chang-keun met him in his office.

“Come in. Just a moment, I’ll warm up the tea.”

Slurp.

The scent of tea spread faintly throughout the room.

“At some point, I started starting my day with tea.”

“If you don’t have a car, you get sleepy and can’t concentrate, right?”

Jiwoo put down his glass after savoring the scent of the tea.

“That’s addictive.”

“Is that the case for you too, Your Majesty?”

“The human body is the same. How can I be an exception?”

Jiwoo shrugged and blew on the tea.

Meanwhile, Han Chang-geun selected several documents and placed them on the table.

“First, a report from the Governor of Hanam.”

“Park Ki-yoon?”

“Yang Yinglong’s army has entered Gansu, and Li Yubo of Shaanxi has stepped forward to stop them. We are still in contact through dialogue.”

“The next thing I want is for them to fight amongst themselves.”

“Oh, it is said that Nurhachi of Shandong fought against the Nammyeong army and won.”

Jiwoo smiled bitterly.

“I can’t stop you. Anyway, I’ve taken the initiative.”

“To be exact, it was the Han Chinese soldiers who fought the battle. It seems that Jian Zhuwei, or rather Nurhachi, arrived late and finished it off.”

“Have you already won over the Han Chinese?”

He scratched the bridge of his nose.

“If it’s an army that follows the Emperor of Beijing, then it makes sense?”

“It helps to have two emperors.”

Han Chang-geun took a sip of tea and picked up another piece of paper.

“The following is a summary of the regular report above. 600,000 seoks of grain were safely delivered to the displaced people. There were some frictions with some local officials, but they have been resolved.”

“How can a single top solve management problems?”

“To tell you the results, about 100 corrupt officials and 600 of their family members were arrested and are being sent away, and you are included.”

“Oh my. I can’t be this happy.”

“We crossed the Tuman River two weeks ago, so we should be arriving soon.”

If you are a Korean, even the most rebellious and unruly people are welcome. The harsh North can embrace them more than enough.

“I heard that Sapporo is short on writers, so I would like to send some sinners.”

“You figure it out.”

“I will settle my family in Puhai and Usuri.”

Jiwoo nodded.

“How many people speak Korean these days?”

“I’m sorry, but I think it’s no longer very meaningful at a time when the number of elementary school graduates is reaching 50,000 every year.”

“Are you saying that 50,000 children who speak Korean and Jeongeum are produced every year?”

“Yes, and it is increasing. As of this spring, the number of first graders in elementary school was estimated at around 90,000.”

“That number exceeds expectations.”

Han Chang-geun nodded his head.

“In addition to the population influx, the infant mortality rate has dropped sharply due to smallpox vaccination and hygiene education. Seven or eight children per household survive and grow up safely.”

“The more the better. The land is still vast and the people are scarce.”

“I expect domestic development to proceed smoothly in conjunction with the development of Gando, but the problem is Mukden (Seonyang).”

“What is the population ratio of Mukden?”

“The vacancy left by Nurhachi’s followers was filled by 300,000 Ming refugees. There are also about 100,000 Jurchen and 10,000 or so Koreans here.”

Jiwoo got up from his seat and looked at the map hanging on the wall.

“There is no point in relocating Koreans any longer.”

“Then how about this side?”

“I guess that’s the only way?”

Han Chang-geun’s hand was pointing to northern Honshu.

“Yes. Just as the Satsuma people were relocated to Taiwan, thereby cutting off their language from the continent, they are filling up northern Honshu with Han Chinese.”

“That’s how you move that number of people to Mukden.”

“Isn’t it okay for a new nation to be created through moderate mixing of blood?”

“Anything that can cut me off from my life.”

Specific discussions followed, and methods such as tax benefits were suggested to encourage voluntary participation.

“Call in the citizens. Take sufficient time to push forward by land and sea.”

“I’ll put the scorpion in right away.”

“The Prime Minister will handle the matter from now on under his authority.”

Jiwoo stood up, having passed on the work as if it were a given.

“Don’t push yourself too hard. You have that much leeway now.”

“Since I filled the Prime Minister’s Office, nothing has been that difficult.”

After the middle school graduates started coming out, the burden on the commanding staff was greatly reduced, so education saved Solbin and personnel affairs were everything.

“Myungseop, where are you going next?”

“This is a visit to encourage the third quarter recruits.”

“Let’s go. We’ll have to do the daytime work at the barracks.”

“The soldiers and their families will love it.”

“Smile. Don’t come out.”

“Take a look.”

Prime Minister Han Chang-keun bowed deeply.

At that time, hundreds of people and dozens of carts arrived at Solbin Estuary.

The houses lined up on both sides of the street were originally accommodations built when Jiwoo got married, but are now being used as refugee accommodations.

“Stop. Wait here.”

“Get off the wagon, we will assign you temporary accommodations soon.”

Children and old people got out of the carts and searched for their families.

“Father, mother, here.”

“Oh, is everything okay?”

“Yes, please stay a moment. I will go find the first and second.”

Lee Hyeop, a man who was harsh to tenant farmers but warm to his own family, searched for his son.

“Inho, Inseop.”

“Where are you, Youngsu?”

Men in similar situations ran around looking for their families.

Their first impression of the North was not bad.

* * *

Bukchon originally meant a neighborhood north of Cheonggyecheon. It is located between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changgyeonggung Palace and is close to Yukjo Street, so many noblemen, especially high-ranking officials, lived there since ancient times.

In the middle of it all, people wearing silk clothes were gathering one after another in a large house with over 90 rooms.

As we lit candles in Sarangchae, people’s faces became hidden in the shadows.

“You kept me waiting.”

After a while, the owner appeared and took his seat at the head table.

“The royal family’s problems have been holding back the government. Since His Majesty ascended to the throne, the state seemed to be on the right track, but these days, even that is being swayed by the North.”

“Since ancient times, a monarch must protect the center.”

“That’s right. For a monarch to give strength to one side only means to consolidate his power.”

“How long will Joseon be ruled by one monarch?”

“The tragedy of Sambong (Jeong Do-jeon) must not be repeated again.”

For a while, criticism regarding wages and North Korea continued.

Knock, knock, knock.

The person sitting at the head of the table struck the table and silenced everyone.

“The opinions are unanimous, but there is one thing that must be made clear. We must bear in mind that we do not dare to depose Your Majesty.”

“Yes. It is to eliminate those who divide the court and destroy the law from beside Your Majesty.”

The idea was to seize power anyway, even if it meant ruling out a revolution.

“Since there is no objection, I will proceed with the operation. Before that!”

Soon, a pen and ink were placed at the very end of the seat.

“Let’s make a decision. No one here can betray.”

In this way, names were densely written on a 90cm long piece of paper from hand to hand. Finally, the person in charge of the table wrote the name Yoon Geun-su.

Moonlight fell on the veranda where people had left.

Yoon Geun-soo’s eyes were dead as he put down his teacup.

“If anyone has to do it, it has to be me.”

The excitement of a quiet summer night stirred the heart of the old minister.

First, I thought of my older brother, Yoon Du-su, who went first.