As Prophet - Chapter 39
Only Krnovel
Episode 39. Baek Ui-hyung’s Proposal
Baek Ui-hyeong, who couldn’t stand to watch, grabbed Dal-cheon’s hand and dragged him away.
“The fool is ruining things. He’s not helping, he’s almost a hindrance. I think it’s time to stop.”
“You can do it.”
“You may be good at using force, but cutting the boards thinly like that is a skill. It’s something you learn over a lifetime. It looks like you’re just interfering with the work. If you cut it a little more and there’s a gap, it looks like you’ll have to cut another piece of wood.”
“Is that so?”
“Saying to help could ruin things. It would be better to just back off… … .”
“Cheese.”
Dalcheon belatedly pulled himself out and looked around. He gathered the trash and semi-finished products scattered here and there into one place and greeted them.
“I don’t think today will work. Well, I’ll come back tomorrow.”
The carpenter stops working and looks up with a faint smile.
“Thank you for your effort.”
He grabbed Dalcheon’s sleeve, who kept looking back, and turned his body around. Isn’t the way to divert a child’s attention to something else? There is no other way to persuade someone who is strong but not smart. There will be food and play.
“What are you going to do this afternoon?”
“I wanted to learn how to make wooden boats, but you told me not to… … Phew.”
“Lee Jeong-i is still swinging her sword, right?”
Dalcheon blinked. If he had a determination, he would continue since he was told to continue, and since no one was watching, he could take a break and do it. No, he might have already put down his sword, thinking that he would practice a few times anyway, not endlessly. He closed his eyes because he couldn’t make a decision. He stood there for a moment, felt it, and then snickered.
“I’m still doing it.”
“She is a beautiful girl who grew up in a wealthy family. If she continues like that, something will happen.”
“Whew. If you want to learn swordsmanship, you asked that there be no discrimination between men and women.”
“A woman’s physical strength is not even half that of a man.”
“But if you have a sword, you can cut down those with several times the strength.”
“That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that you should go and tell him to stop. The Lee Jeong I know is a kid who sees everything through to the end.”
“If it’s unmanned, that’s how it should be.”
“I just need a few simple sword techniques for self-defense. Please teach me just those.”
“You have to be able to put your sword into the enemy’s chest. It’s not easy, no matter how strong-hearted you are. What makes it possible is practice. It’s training. That’s how… … .”
“Whew. Are you trying to train female warriors?”
“I thought he was someone with that level of authority.”
“What happened?”
“Um… … When I went on a mission before, he came and blocked my way and asked me to protect my father. There was a platform.”
“Are you saying that child has the value that a human needs?”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t you going to go?”
“I’m doing well, you know.”
“As you say, aren’t you continuing to practice the wrong thing?”
Dalcheon stopped walking and stayed still again. This time, he spread his hands wide and touched the ground. This is the sensing method of the mountain people. They sense someone coming from afar and go out to meet him, or if someone is coming to attack, they quickly get away if they are stronger than them. They feel the vibrations of the ground. It is said that they can sense his strength, internal energy, and even the details of his techniques through vibrations of hundreds of feet. Dalcheon shook his hands and stood up.
“It’s not entirely wrong. It’ll get better after a while if I point out a couple of things.”
He is a priest, but he is much better than me. Whenever this happens, I feel an unspeakable sadness about what I cannot do. He is good, but I am not even a step behind. How should we understand this young soul who has surpassed even his teacher?
“What are you going to do? Why don’t you open a school instead?”
“Is this a school?”
“It’s like teaching the Thousand Character Classic to the neighborhood children at a private school.”
“no way.”
“We will firmly tamp down a large piece of land, build a small thatched hut, and then set up a martial arts school.”
“no way.”
“Ahem. If you go to Hanyang, there is a place where scholars from all over the country go to study for the civil service exam.”
“Just take the test and learn again?”
“It is said that what Confucius said and what Mencius said are somewhat different from the past.”
“I guess so.”
“Um… … It’s a kind of private school made in the homes of people who were very good at writing and who had previously been bachelor’s degrees. In the past, exam questions were often based on the current political situation, major issues facing the country, etc. So they would be able to guess the tense of the exam.
“Let’s discuss the answer to that question, and when I explained it with my long experience as an official, he said it was almost like a joke. There are many places outside Seodaemun and even within Hanyangseong, and each school is teeming with students who want to learn.”
“I guess they’ll ask for a lot of money.”
“That’s right. Some teachers say they can’t stand the urging of officials to teach their sons.”
“Oh.”
“That’s what it means to establish a school. Instead of scriptures, it’s martial arts. Your martial arts are the best in Joseon. And your understanding of martial arts is so great that it almost penetrates the heavens and the earth.”
“But I don’t know what comes out in the tense of the martial arts exam.”
“Well, the military service exam isn’t that difficult. Most people just memorize it and write it down. Aren’t the military officers stupid?”
“Hey, that’s really prejudiced.”
“That’s true. Your Majesty must be frustrated too. Even if he’s not an official, he’s a local governor. Can’t we send someone who can’t even read?”
“That’s true.”
“Especially in border areas, areas that were hit by the Japanese invasions in the past, or far north, we had no choice but to send military officers. That’s why the military service examination is said to be relatively easy, but in reality, many people fail.”
“Because of the test for the martial arts?”
“Well, the military examination is difficult. And how precious are horses? Joseon’s military power comes from horses. They value cavalry, archers, and lancers. So the subjects of the examination are horse archery (shooting arrows while riding a horse), gichang (flag spear), and gyeokgu (beating a horse), but who can do well in them? You have no choice but to borrow a horse and practice, so of course you fail.
“Gangseo tests military strategy (兵書), righteousness (經書), and the law code ‘Gyeongguk Daejeon (經國大典)’ to test the ability of the governor. Those who are blind will never pass. How can one become a general if they do not know strategy?”
“Yes, strategy is more important.”
“That’s why we teach it. This country’s unmanned training center.”
“Hey, what is that? No, it’s probably a cram school for passing the military service exam.”
“You tend to take other people’s words too lightly.”
“I’m sorry. I have a tight mouth so whatever I think comes out.”
“If Jin-guk appears among them, wouldn’t the ideal warrior you desire really be produced?”
“I’m not good at teaching.”
“That’s right, that’s right. If I try to do everything, it’s very difficult to do anything. Why should I do everything? There are very good people who are better at certain things than I am… .”
“You want me to hire someone else?”
“That’s right. Repetition and mastery are things that you have to keep an eye on. There are a lot of people who failed in the past. If you hire a few of them, they’ll do well. They’re all good at martial arts. And above all, this isn’t a place to train mountain men. It’s to fatten our army and train capable commanders. It’s not teaching you the same things as your studies.”
“okay.”
Dalcheon agreed with some of the points, so Baek Ui-hyeong took a breath.
“I can decide the name.”
“What is your name?”
“Yes. Yangju Dalcheon Mugwan. Hmm, how is it?”
“Oh, what is Dalcheon?”
“There is a study room in the school in Seodaemun that bears my name. It is doing well. People come from as far away as Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces to get into it.”
“Ahem. That gentleman has a name, so he should use his own name. I disagree.”
It sounded like he was doing his job but was only against having his name on the signboard. He was Baek Ui-hyung trying to somehow tie Dalcheon to this land.
“How do I save students?”
“There’s already one.”
“Who is it?”
“Lee Jeong-i.”
“Oh my! A woman in the martial arts exam?”
“Of course, we can only teach martial arts to Lee Jeong-i, and we can’t tell him to take the military service examination.”
Dalcheon chuckled to himself, wondering what was going on.
“Why? Why are you laughing?”
“There is one more.”
“who?”
“Death penalty.”
“Mr. Lee, what about me?”
“Death penalty was also a thing of the past.”
“It’s just that I didn’t have time to study.”
“Anyway, I failed. Don’t you have to take the military service exam even if you’re a death row inmate?”
That’s right. It wasn’t possible before, but now I can. I saw it once a few years ago, and the memory of it falling so beautifully still remains like a painful scar.
“Phew, why are you saying such things?”
“I think he is a person who is well-suited to be a local government official, as he has mastered the job while working in the military.”
“Oh my.”
It is easy to talk about the work of a third party, but it is not easy to apply it to oneself. This is because the threshold of failure still blocks one’s life.
“Do you really have to say that?”
“… … .”
“If you put up a sign, people will come. Children from nearby villages will also become interested.”
“Ahem. So you’re saying that we should first make a large piece of land for one mook and just put up a signboard?”
“That’s right.”
“I guess I’ll have to get the 18th class weapon too.”
“First, I have to carve a piece of wood and make something that looks roughly like it.”
“I also need to buy a bow.”
“yes.”
“How about horses? If you get used to riding them a lot, things like knights, crows, and geukgu won’t be that difficult… … Horses are expensive, aren’t they?”
“I don’t know how many students will come, but hmm, there should be a few. I can help you at first.”
“How many horses would you like me to bring from Baekgajang Stable?”
“yes.”
When I thought about it, there were too many things that were needed. It was easier said than done. It wasn’t something that could be done by just putting up a sign on the roof. Baek Ui-hyeong blew away all those worries.
“You don’t have to have everything from the beginning. You can just get them one by one according to the student’s level!”
“Ahem ahem ahem.”
Baek Ui-hyeong took Dal-cheon, who was lost in thought, to his home and brought in Baek I-jeong, who was still practicing. She agreed to establish a school and helped with the work. It was thanks to Baek I-jeong’s drive that the plan was drawn up right away under the support of the Yangju family.
She wrote down what was being said right away. With the addition of one person, the progress of work was qualitatively different. She started writing and drawing quickly, and quickly showed the outline of the school. A list of specific things to do was written, and a plan to make the school prosper was also written. The process of teaching everything from neighborhood kids to high-level military personnel was written, and the outline of the personnel to manage and maintain the school was also set. It was a kind of plan.
Dalcheon, who didn’t know much about the world, thoughtlessly followed him, but in fact, he was quite interested. He was proficient in the 18 martial arts, well-versed in martial arts and strategy and tactics, and although he didn’t know the only thing he knew was the Gyeongguk Daejeon, he had no shortcomings as a teacher of martial arts. What I know and what I teach are different areas, but if I think about the fact that I have to know something to be able to teach it, he was more than qualified.
While I was deliberating in Sarangmaru in the afternoon, I heard him coming again. It was Mukhyeong. Dalcheon pulled himself out and went to the railing of the veranda. The yard uncle, who was always there, was standing there holding a broom. Dalcheon asked the yard uncle.
“There’s an old man outside. Please tell him to stop staying there and come in here.”
“Mr. Muk? Who are you talking about?”
“I think I’ve been here before, but there’s a person wearing black clothes, a black hat, and a black face.”
“Yes, I understand.”
While the yard man went out to fetch him, Dalcheon’s eyes were spinning. As soon as Mukhyeong arrived, he told him to come up quickly as if he was annoyed, and had Baek I-jeong explain the outline of the plan before appointing him as the bridgehead.
Mukhyeong was interested in the word “school” that had a name. He started to feel a sense of guilt when he heard that he was the head of a school, but he couldn’t get out. He was quickly swept up in something that was created by thoughtless people.
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