1592 The Empire We All Dreamed of - Chapter 341



Only Krnovel

1592 The Empire Everyone Dreamed of (341)

migration

The new year has arrived.

The year of Byeong-o (丙午) in 1606 was the starting point of a new East Asian map.

The North was peaceful after the founding of Goryeo, and there was no trace of Japanese pirates. Only the Northern Ming, Southern Ming, and the Shu kingdom of Sacheon continued to be in a state of imminent confrontation.

Meanwhile, a change occurred on the southern coast of the Shu kingdom.

About 20 galleons surrounded the harbor, with soldiers manning the ports and loading gunpowder and cannonballs.

The officer lowered the flag and shouted.

“Fire.”

Chijijik.

Bang, bang, bang. Bang.

The cannonballs, along with thick smoke, covered the sky in black.

Pee-you-uu. Pee-you-uu.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

The 200 or so iron rings passed through everything in their path, turning the harbor into a wasteland.

“Eww.”

“Bow your head.”

“Everyone, hide and go behind the wall.”

The harbor guards and workers ran quickly to find shelter.

A stick.

The pavilion with its broken pillars seemed to tilt and then came crashing down.

Wow. Wow.

“Ugh, damage.”

“Kwaaak.”

The bombardment continued, but there was no other means of resistance on land. Flames were constantly spewing from the large ships that surrounded the harbor in a semicircle.

Pee-you-u, pee-you.

Crack, crack, crack.

The dock facilities, including the scaffolding, were completely destroyed.

“Ugh, it’s falling down again.”

Wow. Wow.

The harbor was filled with screams amidst thick clouds of dust, and groans echoed from the shattered wreckage.

It was truly a disaster of the Abigails.

It was the evening before yesterday that the Portuguese fleet blockaded the port of Geumju.

The Namman people who entered the port under a white flag said through an interpreter that they wanted to lease the port. I dismissed it as nonsense, and in the morning, the cannonballs came flying in. This was it.

The coastal batteries responded, but were quickly silenced by a mushroom cloud.

Then there was absolutely no way to counter it.

“Damn. If only we had enough cannons and gunpowder.”

Southern Commander Yang Yu-seon ground his teeth.

On the one hand, I was afraid. I knew very well that the Nanman people wanted to trade. I also knew very well that they would pretend to keep their contracts but would not hesitate to commit illegal acts for profit.

But this was the first time I had encountered a fire-breathing giant like this.

“How can you deal with an enemy that floats on the sea and fires cannons?”

Yang Yu-seon stared at the crumbling harbor with dead eyes.

“It’s karma. I didn’t mean to throw away Jan Daein like that.”

The price for being intoxicated with pride was heavy. The achievements made over the past five years were crumbling before my eyes.

Once again the lights flashed in the election.

Kwakwang, kwakwakwang.

In the thick smoke, Admiral João Fernando raised his hand.

“Stop! Cease fire.”

“Yes, Admiral. Cease fire.”

“Cease fire.”

The admiral squinted his eyes and looked at the ruins he had created.

“Kyensisu, can you see the remaining buildings?”

“There isn’t one. You can only see a small village behind the hill.”

“I’m withdrawing now.”

He turned around and headed towards the admiral’s chair.

“Blow the trumpet of Cheolsu.”

Phew.

“Thank you for your effort.”

“Now it’s your turn to work hard. Go up the coastline.”

“Yes, Admiral.”

As the captain turned the rudder, the ship slowly turned. Then, following the flagship, the other ships also turned one by one.

Admiral Juan recalled his recent interview with Yan.

‘I have a suggestion for you. Would you like to listen to it? It’s kind of advice.’

‘I will listen.’

Since I was pushed by force, I was in a position where I had to listen even if it was an order.

‘I wish the coast of Shu would be scorched earth.’

‘Are you talking about the area above Fort Valant? Then who are we dealing with?’

‘Oh, why are you doing this? If you want to monopolize it anyway, you have to show your power, right? How about we clean up the ports that are all over the place?’

It wasn’t bad. From what I heard, the new trading partner was considered to be rough compared to Nammyeong’s managers.

‘What about the maintenance?’

‘We will reduce tariffs on Nammyeong by 1% this year.’

‘I will accept your offer.’

Clang, thud.

The sails, bulging in the seasonal wind, pushed the ship forward.

“It was a good deal.”

Admiral João Fernando, his hat pulled down low, crossed his arms.

The Portuguese fleet that destroyed Jinzhou Port on that day then destroyed ports such as Jinzhou and Nanyang over the next three days. These were ports that the Shu Kingdom had ambitiously built in recent times.

* * *

As February (March in the solar calendar) arrived, the cold air began to subside.

Spring has come north of the Yellow River.

Farmers, in anticipation of the beginning of spring, have been plowing the hardened ground with their oxen. Now, the cold spell will come, and by the time they plow the frozen ground again, spring rain will have soaked the earth.

No matter which country you live in, the life of a farmer is hard.

He goes out to work before the sun rises and returns home after dark. By working like that, he harvests 7 or 8 seok of white rice a year, sometimes as many as 10 seok. Half of that is Segok.

If this is the case for independent farmers, it goes without saying that it is even worse for tenant farmers.

When the famine came, he sold his young daughter to a landowner to make a living, so the saying that children are also property was just heartbreaking.

Meanwhile, a room attached to the county office became a hot topic.

“Hey Assam, have you heard the news?”

“What news?”

Assam, who had roughly turned his dirt hands, bit into a hard lump of corn.

“We are recruiting people to pioneer the North.”

“okay?”

It must have been a trick to lure the poor and sell them into slavery. Asam seemed uninterested and munched on the lump of millet melted in his spit.

“Oh, well, the head of the county office (9th rank) posted a note and recited the contents himself.”

“At the county office?”

If it’s a public notice from the local government, at least it’s not a scam.

“I don’t know about anything else. They provide rice for one year, exempt you from taxes for three years, and if you do military service, the tax rate is 30%.”

“So, if I do as you say, the tax rate is 30%?”

“That’s what it is.”

Even if you work yourself to death, after deducting this and that, you will only have three or four seoks of white rice left. If there is a famine, it is common for one or two family members to die. No matter how you look at it, it is better than the current situation.

Assam’s eyes sparkled.

The rumor spread, and peasants in the impoverished region volunteered to move one by one.

Here, Nurhachi of Shandong sequentially sent up a population of 300,000 and filled the vacancy with Jian Zhuwei.

Tianjin Port, located 300 li (120 km) southeast of Beijing, was bustling with people.

“Is the position of a local government official always this busy?”

Jinyeop Choi licked his swollen lips.

He was previously a deputy chief of staff of Yi Yeo-baek, but was unexpectedly put in charge of Cheonjin Port by Gukmin Seo. He was a refugee from Joseon who became a 4th rank local official of the Northern Ming Dynasty, so he was considered to have risen greatly.

But, I wanted to take a break now, regardless of whether I was a successful person or not.

“How many people are boarding today?”

“There are 1,100 people in 12 medium-sized ships and 8 medium-sized ships.”

Over the past ten days, more than 10,000 people have left Tianjin Port, and new arrivals continue to arrive.

“How many people are waiting in the refugee camp?”

“As of yesterday, about 2,500 people arrived from Shandong, 500 from Shaanxi, and 700 from Henan.”

Jinyeop Choi didn’t take his eyes off those boarding the ship.

“What about food?”

“Based on two meals a day, you have more than two weeks to spare.”

“Good. Are there any sick people?”

“Some people showed symptoms of a cold and were sent to the hospital.”

“Quarantine them for now and postpone boarding until they are fully recovered.”

“I will obey your orders.”

The Han Chinese official bowed politely and withdrew.

Jinyeop Choi, a member of the Cheonjin branch, rubbed his eyes.

“I’m tired. It’s fortunate that they’re following along well.”

The division between military and administrative powers was clear, and so the Ming was able to take control of the local administrative system largely without bloodshed.

Appointed high-ranking officials either submitted to the emperor’s orders or committed suicide, while practical officials remained loyal to whomever paid their salaries.

“Your Majesty, rice has arrived from Beijing, or rather, from the West.”

“Yeah, how long have you been here?”

Choi Jin-yeop blinked and turned his gaze back to the dock.

“5,000 seok of white rice, 6,000 seok of barley, and 2,000 seok of sorghum and millet.”

“Put it in the warehouse, check the inventory, and report back.”

“Yes, I will obey your command.”

As the official withdrew, he motioned for his escort.

“Go and call Comrade Choi (5th rank).”

“I’ll be back shortly.”

The escort who had taken the salute arrived shortly afterwards with someone accompanying them.

“I have been called by Comrade Choi Jin-young and have come to serve as Colonel.”

He asked without turning his head.

“We’ve both been busy, so we’ve been a bit busy.”

“I was really nervous at first, so I was able to proceed without any major incidents. Now, I will gradually become more relaxed, so don’t worry.”

Jinyeop Choi turned his gaze and looked at his half-brother.

“I know you’re tired, but I have a favor to ask.”

“Please, if you give me an order, I will do as you command.”

“Jinyoung.”

The younger brother swallowed hard and looked around, then fixed his gaze on his stepbrother.

“Yes, go ahead, brother.”

“This is a matter of great interest to His Majesty the King.”

“Are you saying this isn’t just a simple pioneering project?”

Jinyeop Choi, who was wondering whether he should give a long explanation, simply nodded.

“Yes. So we need to look at the whole thing again. We need to check if there were any omissions in the reports from the past ten days, if there were any missing or embezzled materials, but we are short on time.”

“I will take a look at it.”

“The only thing you can trust is your family. Investigate each and every one of them without regard to their relationship or status. Do you understand?”

Jinyeop Choi repeatedly urged his stepbrother, who nodded silently.

“This is the family’s chance. Let’s try a little harder.”

“Yes, brother.”

As his younger brother stepped back, Jinyeop Choi turned his head back to the dock.

After that, I didn’t take my eyes off him until the last ship left the port.

In the spring of 1606, the continent was slowly finding stability amidst the chaos. Perhaps it could be said that the situation of being divided into three parts was solidifying.

Behind this were countless people who devoted themselves to the interests of themselves and their families.

* * *

Jiwoo quickly picked up the baby and lifted him up.

“peekaboo.”

“Krrrrrr.”

The baby squeaked in excitement. It was definitely laughter.

“Hehehe. Knock knock, knock knock.”

This time, I carried her on my back and ran around the room. I really had no choice but to carry her.

Then Harbur came in carrying a bundle full of dried diapers.

“Oh my, the kid is going to suffocate.”

“Was I being too harsh? Should I stop?”

Harbur blinked and then shook his head.

“Well, I guess I’ll sleep well. Go ahead.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Peekaboo, click, click, eeeheehee.”

“Crunch.”

Jiwoo ran around the room carrying the baby, and Habur folded the diapers. The warm spring sunlight shone through the window frame covered with paper.

“Huh, huh. Our construction is good, right?”

Eventually, Jiwoo, who was tired, held the child in his arms and patted him, and the sound of the child’s even breathing and heartbeat reached his chest.

“Haha. That guy is falling asleep right away.”

A child who sleeps soundly could not be more adorable.

The same was true for Habur, who fell asleep while wearing a diaper.

It was a lazy spring afternoon.

Swish.

As I quietly closed the door and came out, Kim Myeong-seop, who had been sitting on the veranda, got up.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“I was briefly intoxicated by the spring sun.”

“Yeah, sometimes it’s good to clear your head like that.”

Jiwoo went down to the courtyard and looked up at the sky.

“It’s clear and cloudless.”

“It’s the kind of weather you could call fall if it weren’t for the buds.”

“Really? Come on, let’s go.”

Two people walked.

“How many people arrived today?”

“About 800 refugees from Honshu have arrived and are being examined. A similar number are said to have gone straight to Josanbo. Oh, and.”

Kim Myeong-seop took the paper out of his bosom and checked it.

“Similar reports came from Andong (Dandong) and Guknaeseong. They say that ships carrying refugees sailed up the Yalu River every day. This is the situation from two weeks ago.”

“If it’s before two weeks, then it should arrive soon.”

“Solbin’s top guess is between tomorrow and the sand.”

It was truly a transport operation that mobilized both land and water transport.

“So far, everything is going smoothly.”

“I feel nervous. If something goes wrong somewhere.”

“Hahaha, Kim Myeong-seop is a newbie.”

“I’m sorry for bringing up such ominous things.”

“No. If we were anxious, everyone would be nervous and we could prevent accidents. Isn’t that right?”

“okay.”

“Trust me, when we do our best, others do their best too. So we need to be compensated according to our ability.”

“I always forget the obvious.”

While the two were talking, they arrived at a refugee camp at the entrance of Solbin.

The street was already lined with carts and people.

“It’s always crowded here.”

“Solbin, where is there a place that isn’t crowded?”

While the two were talking, a man in his 40s came running.

“I, Haengsu Imminsu, come to see Your Majesty. 100 carriages and 1,003 refugees have been prepared.”

“Isn’t there a separate escort?”

“All the upper ranks are armed with iron bows as reserves.”

“I see. There’s no need to hold on for too long. Let’s go.”

“I will obey your orders.”

Rattle, creak.

Soon a procession of carts and people moved along the street.

“I will take you to the bank next.”

“It’s the regular report, right? Is there anything special?”

“From Joseon… … .”

“Well, there must be no problem.”

The two people walked while talking.