As Prophet - Chapter 81
Only Krnovel
Episode 81. If you hold on, time will pass.
Dalcheon did not come down straight from the mountain, but circled around and stood right in front of the main gate where two large tree trunks had been erected.
“what’s the matter?”
He pretends not to know even though he knows it clearly. He looked at the dozen or so military horses standing next to the main gate and asked the unfamiliar guard at the entrance.
“How did you come?”
“Are you the governor?”
“That’s true.”
“His Majesty is waiting.”
An uncomfortable expression immediately appeared. Baek Sa-ban, who was in the main office, hurriedly ran over to deliver the news.
“Where have you been? I told you I was coming… … .”
“I heard the news and went out to meet you.”
“It looks like the path is wrong. His Majesty has arrived.”
“You didn’t say anything.”
“You must be careful to reveal the movements and locations of your Highness.”
“What’s going on?”
“Anyway, just say ‘yes, yes’ to every question. You must answer positively to every question.”
“I told you that something happened when the death penalty was first issued. It seems that the conversation did not go well. I was thinking about it.”
“The two of you, Do Seung-ji and I, were going to come first, but Your Majesty came out with you. I couldn’t help it. Phew! Hurry up and go up.”
The movement of the children studying next to the path leading up to the main shrine shone in the sunlight. If there is one day in life that shines, it might be today. I don’t know, but the movements of the young students were dazzling. If I do that for a hundred years, I might become a master.
The little boy who had become the master of the school while living there came running like a squirrel.
“Everyone is looking for you! Come on! The Great Queen has arrived.”
“Ugh.”
Dalcheon patted the little boy on the head and told him to go and study, then went up to the main hall. Instead of getting close, he stood at the end of the porch, shook out his sleeves, and bowed deeply.
“A thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand years. I, a lowly citizen, greet Your Majesty.”
“Peace. Come closer.”
Dalcheon gets up, takes three steps forward, and sits down again, but is told to come closer. What should I do with a friend who comes near me even though I don’t like him? It is good for both parties to keep their distance without being rude. But if that is the king… … .
Dalcheon came down from the mountain and mobilized all the social knowledge he had learned. It was frustrating that there was nothing I could do for you and me to get along except to bow, bend, and accept it. Still, time goes by. No matter how hard, frustrating, and rough the time is, if you endure, time goes by. No matter how much we make a fuss, it won’t last all night. These are the words that Baek Ui-hyeong said when the trial became longer and he had to stand for a long time as more witnesses were added.
The king, who had been looking down, looked at Dalcheon, who was keeping his distance, with an uncomfortable expression and told him to come closer.
“Come this close.”
I told him to come closer three times, and when I looked, it was the face of a young boy.
“Ugh.”
Oh my, she was so young. I was speechless at the sight of her fluffy fur and her young face that still had chubby cheeks. The words that she was the best in the world, that she was a warrior of the highest order, that if such a being interfered with the political events, the state affairs could be shaken, etc., sounded meaningless.
“You’re so young! Are you really the governor?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I am Dalcheon, the head of the Yangju Academy.”
The king looked back at Do Seung-ji. Unlike the king who was surprised by the young face and forgot why he had come there, Do Seung-ji glared at Dal-cheon with a cold face.
“I have come to ask you a few questions. You are the supreme ruler of this country and the father of all people. You must answer honestly, without a single lie.”
Dalcheon smiled broadly as he recalled the saying that the Prime Minister’s dog was scarier than the Prime Minister. The introduction was a kind of pressure, but he was not scared at all and instead smiled, which made the Prime Minister frown.
“Why are you laughing?”
“A smile beautifies a society where we live together. If I smile first, the mood of the person I am meeting will improve, and our conversation will become smoother.”
“We didn’t come here to like each other.”
“So you came here to fight?”
The simple rebuttal left Do Seung-ji speechless. If it had been someone else, he would have scolded him. However, Dal-cheon’s words were as innocent as a child’s. The king and Do Seung-ji had stern expressions, and he did not yield at all to the pressure of the guards surrounding him on the left and right. To Dal-cheon, social class was merely a standard set by them.
“It’s a very serious situation.”
“A noble person has come to this humble place. It is an honor beyond compare, but the lowly people are clueless and do not know the situation.”
You said it was serious, but I didn’t know. It didn’t seem like his attitude would improve unless I caught him first and scolded him.
Meanwhile, Baek Sa-ban, standing next to him, was sitting restlessly. He was not like this by nature, so I couldn’t figure out why he was acting that way. The cold air that had grown colder due to the conversation with the Grand Prince became even colder. The one who changed the atmosphere was the Grand Prince.
“His Majesty has come in person. First, he will praise your achievements despite your service in the previous Imjin War, which did not earn you a place among the meritorious subjects. He will also come to inspect the management of this academy, which has produced three loyal warriors and established a martial arts academy that is unprecedented in this country. Isn’t that right, Do Seungji?”
“Of course.”
The minister quickly answered and observed the king’s expression. The king spoke next.
“You declined the offer even though you contributed to suppressing the Japanese invasion?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I am still too young to be listed on the list. And when the country was in danger, I was only doing what was right as a mountain man, so I declined to list on the list as a meritorious subject. I am only here for a short while, so what else could I ask for by leaving my name behind?”
“Good, you.”
“I am so grateful.”
“Yes, I would like to hear directly about the reason for establishing the martial arts academy.”
“While working as a secret officer in Gyeongsan County, I saw some very excellent warriors, but I felt sorry that they could not take the military service examination because they were not good at a few things. They were good at wielding the 18-band weapon, but they were not good at reading the martial arts, so it was a shame to see that they had a hard time passing the examination.
Also, since horses are expensive, I have seen many people fail the civil service examination because they do not have the opportunity to practice the horsemanship of knights, spearmen, and archers on horseback. I thought that if I raised a horse and kept it close to me at all times, so that I could practice the spearmanship and archery that I already know on horseback, I would easily pass.”
“The reading of the martial arts scriptures and martial arts on horseback… … .”
“That’s right. Even for the rich, it costs a lot to raise a horse for riding. Since it’s difficult for a family to afford one, even strong and agile warriors rarely have the opportunity to learn how to ride. Although there aren’t enough horses in the school, they are managed directly by keeping a few horses, which saves on the cost of raising them.”
“Good, good! But, even if three people passed, they all rose to the ranks of A, B, and C. How do you explain this?”
“The fundamentals of martial arts are very important. The one who opens the door is the master, but the one who learns and practices is the student. The most important thing is to let them know how to do it, and by doing that, they seem to have advanced their skills in addition to what they had already practiced.”
As the conversation turned to martial arts, the general leaned forward, touching the floor with his fingertips.
“As a martial arts master, Guan Zhu teaches very essential things very well.”
“Oh, for example?”
“There is an example that says, ‘When studying alone, pretend that there is an enemy, and when facing an enemy, pretend that there is no enemy.’ Most warriors do the opposite. They tremble in fear when they go to the battlefield, and when studying alone, they take the easy way out because there is no one there. However, the moment I heard those words from Guan Zhu, I realized my mistake and started studying in a new way. I made great progress.”
“Oh, that’s a good point. Does that mean you’re in the top spot?”
“I just gave one example. My studies progressed quickly because I was well-informed and received the guidance I needed.”
“I saw it on my way up earlier. You’re doing a hobo before shooting a bow?”
“Yes, it’s not a punishment, it trains your archery muscles. It’s very effective.”
“Heh heh.”
The king looked at Dalcheon again.
“So what is it that you wish for?”
“While working as a military officer in Gyeongsan County, I have seen many cases where the military administration of this country has become ineffective. There are people who are exempted for various reasons, and many of the reasons are presented with great confidence, so I have seen situations where even if a war breaks out, there are almost no troops that can be called up.
I know it started out of a desire to care for the people, but I thought that if there was a riot, we would be in a very difficult situation. I thought that if we trained military officers and generals, there would be no danger.”
“Officers and generals.”
“Yes. The troops called up for war can be deployed early.”
“Early deployment… … . Ahem. Are we going to train military officers who can do that? There’s nothing we can do about the military government.”
“In Gyeongsan County, we have called up all the people without exception to participate in training, but I know that other counties do not have the same conditions.”
“Ugh. Is this a poor response?”
“Based on military registers, we selected soldiers of the highest rank, and appointed guards to support the guards, who would pay for the provisional allowance. However, as the burden on guards was too great, they would escape here and there. Some would enter the homes of powerful noblemen, others would submit their records to the monks’ register, and still others would submit their records to the local school.
Also, if you can pay military service instead of military service and be exempted, who would want to do military service? It must have been an inevitable choice for the government, which was tightening its belt to reduce the tax burden on the people, to supplement its insufficient finances with the military service received. If commoners pay military service and do not have to go to the military, who will protect the country?”
The king saw Baek Sa-ban.
“Most counties are like that, but Gyeongsan County is the only one that isn’t like that. That’s why I asked you to come up with a solution before.”
Baek Sa-ban bowed his head.
“I am having a hard time because I have little experience and lack the wisdom to understand the system and principles. When I was a county magistrate, I blocked all the loopholes that could lead to my escape.”
“What did you do with the lack of finances?”
“After the work was done fairly, everyone came out and reclaimed the wasteland, and then developed the fields. The first year was very difficult, but as barley began to grow in the fields, the conditions improved, and as we made waterways and planted rice seedlings, many difficulties were resolved.”
“Didn’t you say to come up with a plan that can be applied to other regions as is?”
“The problem is the lack of finances. It is a small government that has tightened its belt to the point where it does not even have enough to pay salaries to bureaucrats. If there are more months when there is no pay than when there is a full pay, it will be very difficult if we do not receive military pay.”
“What about the problem of protecting the country?”
Baek Sa-ban turned his attention to Dal-cheon.
“As Confucius Dalcheon said, if we train many military officers and generals, I am sure that we can mobilize and train all those who have served in the military in times of war to create a strong army.”
“The two of you think the same thing.”
The king frowned as if he was thinking. It was because there was no way to make up for the lack of finances. It was a chronic problem that even the best officials could not solve. The king asked Dalcheon.
“Is that the answer you think it is?”
“Your Majesty, how can that be the answer? I did what I could. How can I solve the country’s problems with my clumsy mind? Ultimately, this is the problem that must be solved.”
“Yes, that is the ultimate problem. But you cannot raise taxes. The founding of this country was based on the ideal of reducing taxes on the people and making them rich.”
Dalcheon bowed his head deeply. The meaning is precious. No matter what is said, the rulers of this country must be respected.
I am not going to say anything. Those who have thoughts but do not know the work of coordination are just talking without knowing the facts. They do not know the many reasons why they cannot do it even though they know it.
“Your intentions are truly precious. How can we expect the ultimate solution from the people? It is our job to do so.”
Do Seung-ji bowed down next to him.
“That’s right.”
Dalcheon waited. The king would not have come to say such a thing. He did not know how much he knew, but it was impossible for any nonsense to be put in front of the king, who was ultimately informed of all information. It was a kind of arrogance to think that the king would not know. He bowed his head again, waiting for the words to come out of his mouth.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
