As Prophet - Chapter 138
Only Krnovel
Episode 138. The Heavens Are Silent
“The execution of the crown prince and the abdication of the throne have now taken place simultaneously. The Il Dae-gye, knowing that the work they have been promoting has gone awry, are using force to destroy the main body of the uprising. You may think they are insubstantial, but you will be shocked when they gather this afternoon. They intend to overthrow His Majesty who has ascended the throne and establish the previous order, or a new order of their own choosing.”
Then a rough-looking old man shouted.
“A new order! The order you desire! Are you talking about the restoration of His Majesty the King?”
The room became quiet as if cold water had been poured over it. It was because of the words, ‘Reinstate the King,’ which were difficult to say. If someone had the courage to say something like that, wouldn’t it be loyalty?
The king’s expression did not change at all, and he continued to chew on the words, “Reinstate the King.” If anyone was to be blamed for this whole situation, it would be him.
Dalcheon frowned and then answered with difficulty.
“It’s a new concept. They say that the era of wood has passed and the era of gold is just beginning. I overheard them talking at their meetings.”
Those who had been quiet were stirred. This meant that it was no longer the Lee Dynasty.
“Are you talking about the surname change revolution?”
“He didn’t use the word, but it seemed to implicitly acknowledge it. Who are you?”
The old man cut his words short, as if he was annoyed.
“I am the Commander-in-Chief of the Five Armies.”
* A position under the Five Guard Commands (五衛都摠府) in the early Joseon Dynasty, responsible for the protection of the king and the palace guards. The Five Guard Commands (五衛都摠府) consisted of five commanders-in-chief, five vice-commanders-in-chief, six military officers, six dosa (都事), thirteen seori (書吏), and twenty sarang (使令). Of these, five commanders-in-chief and five vice-commanders were concurrently held by officials from other government offices, and the positions were held for one year.
Dalcheon bowed his head respectfully and turned to Yu Seok-do. The expression on his face was wondering what was going on between the Royal Guard and the Commander-in-Chief. The Commander-in-Chief answered.
“While strengthening our own royal guard, we play a role in keeping each other in check, and there is no hierarchy among us.”
It’s easier to talk when you set your own rules.
“You asked if their goal was a revolution against the throne, but So-saeng thinks so. Saying that he should become king because the energy between heaven and earth has changed is a kind of fraud to assert another kind of legitimacy. Heaven is silent*.”
* Zi said (Ziwal)
Confucius said,
What a wonderful thing to say in heaven (Cheonhaeonjae)
What does the sky say?
The four seasons are the same, and all things are born the same.
The four seasons run and all things are created,
What a wonderful thing to say in heaven (Cheonhaeonjae)
What did the sky say?
– Chapter 19 of the Analects of Confucius, Yang Hua Chapter
“The heavens are silent… … .”
“I heard them shouting, ‘Reverse revolution!’ That’s their goal.”
The room became silent. The subject of the revolution was absolutely unacceptable. A heavy silence filled the air.
“I can’t believe it.”
It was another person. Dalcheon smiled brightly.
“The person who spoke must be the Gyeonggi inspector.”
“exactly.”
I ordered the leaders of the Samgunbu, Hanseongbu, and Gyeonggi Gamyeong to gather together, so the only person left is the Gyeonggi governor.
“The three of you take turns speaking.”
“If one person speaks, won’t he be the only one who gets blamed? Hahaha.”
“Who said what?”
“I think you might say something about this undermining the legitimacy of the cause.”
Dalcheon stepped down from the throne and turned to face the seated king. He was just looking at him, but it was enough to attract the attention of those sitting nearby.
“Your Majesty may think so, but it doesn’t matter to me. If there is cooperation, I will do as I can, and if not, I will do as I cannot.”
“Does that mean there are no obstacles?”
“It’s not that bad, and I don’t think it’s a big deal if you don’t care. If you don’t believe me, then I’m sorry. It’s only an hour or two later, but what if you regret it then?”
“Are you worried that you will regret it?”
“I hear that all these things have happened because you wanted to stay in this place for a while longer, and you took advantage of that gap to go up to a higher place. But how much of a regret would you have if it ended here?”
The game supervisor was left mumbling in response to the apparent threat.
“What if you cut it off because you don’t believe it?”
“Gather all troops of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office in front of Donuimun Gate within one hour.”
“What if I refuse?”
“You should tell His Majesty to do it, or cut it off and have someone of a higher rank do it instead.”
“You are dancing.”
“There is nothing more hopeless than someone who ignores the assassinations taking place before their eyes and the private battles in which countless people die.”
At the brink of disaster, the king intervened.
“I will mediate. Now is not the time to believe or disbelieve. If you do not assemble a fully armed force within one hour, I will consider it as disobeying the king’s command.
If you do not acknowledge the king and therefore do not follow him, I advise you to step down from your post and return to your hometown. If someone else can do it better, let alone do it well, and if you do not know how to do it and are rather a hindrance, I will remove you.”
The king’s declaration was an ultimatum. The three sighed as he agreed to Dalcheon’s words after saying he would mediate.
I hope nothing happens. Even if the world collapses tomorrow, I want to maintain the present. I don’t like things changing, and I hate things that are different. Even if it’s good for me, I want to avoid change. The commander-in-chief stepped in to mediate between the two.
“If you push ahead without any hesitation, how can the officials who hold reason above all else agree? Since Your Majesty seems to have a lot of information, how about you give it some leeway?
Think about it. One morning, the king was changed. It is not easy for the officials who shouted “Immortal” to admit it because they suspected a coup. But a revolution? I am very curious as to who, why, and what preparations could have been made to make it happen. It is generally accepted that such a thing cannot happen in today’s peaceful world. The bureaucracy has been perfected, and information is transmitted very quickly and accurately.
“I never felt any signs of it before, but suddenly there’s a revolution.”
Dalcheon nodded and agreed. He looked outside at the sunlight pouring down, estimated the time, and explained the circumstances. He even told the story of how he had secretly gone to Jeon-ga. He told the news of Eun-myeon and their meeting, and that they should gather in front of Gwanghwamun, and everyone was silent. After hearing the explanation, the Gyeonggi governor immediately apologized.
“I would like to apologize for speaking rashly without knowing anything.”
Dalcheon chuckled.
“If you apologize, that’s what you’ll do. What else do you want to do? Oh my.”
The game inspector immediately spoke again.
“I apologize.”
Dalcheon looked at the other two people. The commander-in-chief agreed and explained.
“In case of emergency, the troops of the Gamyeong will enter Hanyangseong to defend it, and some of the troops of Hanseongbu will enter the palace to defend it. Including the palace, the total number of troops that can be called up from three places is about 3,000.”
“Oh, is that all you can do? In Daejoseon?”
The words are strange. He speaks as if he is not a Joseon person. The expressions of the three leaders responsible for defending Hanyang were astonishing. It feels like we are working together, but one of them is stepping aside as if he is talking about someone else.
Yoo Seok-do glanced at Jo Dong-gil, the chief of the Royal Guard sitting next to him, and spoke as if making an excuse.
“Because the true man lived in the mountains for a long time and spent quite a long time in Liaodong, Liaoxi, and the grasslands, I use the expression Joseon. Among the descendants of the Great Korean nation, the only one that has the form of a nation and serves its people, I think that 3,000 troops is an unreasonable number.
The true man thinks that in a country with a national conscription system, everyone should come out and fight when the country is in danger. The author thinks that the people in white clothes have paid their military service, so they have fulfilled their military duty and therefore do not have to fight, but in reality, the military service is not without its substitutes for our government officials’ monthly salaries. Can’t we ask those who have fulfilled their duty to do more?
Jin-in thinks that there was a problem with the fact that he ordered them to be sent to Gunpo in the first place. One soldier needs to be supported by two other soldiers, but since he ordered them to be sent to Gunpo, there is no way that there will be enough soldiers.
There are many exceptions, and in some ways, military service has more exceptions. The true idea is to eliminate all of them.”
As the three listened to the explanation, Dalcheon opened his mouth wide. His wide-open eyes turned to Yoo Seok-do, not even realizing that he was embarrassing the person. Yoo Seok-do, who had been explaining diligently, paused for a moment. He didn’t even bring up the conclusion that followed the main topic.
“Why on earth are you doing this? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Have you always been such a good speaker?”
“I was wondering what you were talking about again.”
Yoo Seok-do smiled awkwardly.
“It seems like we have a little time, so let me tell you a side story. At that time, I was badly injured because I failed to protect the Vision, and I couldn’t return to the palace. That’s because they kept chasing me. I think I hit my head when I fell off the cliff. I lost my memory for quite some time.
It seems that I ran away to the temple below the mountain where the true man was. I don’t remember how I got there, and I lost my memory after that. I must have been quite foolish. At that time, I had the nickname of Hanyang’s Best Swordsman, but I was stabbed by an assassin and fell while running away, losing my memory. I must have thought it was quite funny how stupid I was at that time.
The young Jin-in was truly sincere to me. He was the only person who recognized me as a human being. At that time, I couldn’t speak, and even if I spoke a long word, I could barely complete a sentence.
He is truly innocent. He has no selfishness and does not twist words. He has no greed, so he is free from worldly affairs. He is a great free man.”
It was an explanation of the situation, but the three nodded. Yoo Seok-do raised his hand to stop the game inspector from saying anything.
“And above all, he is the best in the world. When you practice martial arts and reach the peak, we call him Hwagyeong.”
The unmanned commander asked, leaning on the table.
“Is it a mirror?”
Yoo Seok-do shook his head.
“It has gone beyond the next level.”
“If you have surpassed the state of Hwagyeong, what is the next realm?”
“There is no proper name… … I don’t know what to call it, but the first teacher of the true man has truly ascended to the immortal realm.”
The audience gaped in amazement.
“They say that one man is worth a hundred. When riding a horse, it is said that one man is worth a thousand. Even if hundreds or thousands of enemy soldiers come, this person will not blink an eye.”
The game inspector muttered in a timid voice.
“Then why do you bother us instead of doing it yourself?”
“I will explain that to you as well. I try to be indifferent to worldly affairs. I try not to get involved. He came here because of a predestined relationship, and it would not be strange if he disappeared at any time. I am truly grateful that he came down to the world and is with us. We are holding onto the true being, and the true being does not tell us to do this or that. I do not know if he knows exactly or if he is explaining it, but he thinks that we should live our lives. He is exactly the one who has left the world. He does not belong here. By our standards, he is quite different. We have to do it, and the true being can only help a little.”
“Why would that be?”
“They say that if you interfere with worldly affairs, things will go wrong. They say that if the order of the human world collapses, a greater disaster can occur. Hiding yourself, not revealing your name, and not actively coming forward is similar to a certain principle that governs the world. You are the one who is closest to that.”
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