The issue of deposing the queen ended after both Taejong and Sejong rejected it, and with that, the purge of the royal in-laws finally came to an end.
Afterward, aside from Ming's lingering suspicions, few major obstacles appeared before Taejong's death.
Ming, which had never lowered its guard against Joseon because of the abandoned Liaodong conquest originally planned by Taejo and Jeong Do-jeon during the founding years, suddenly took issue with Taejong's abdication and began interfering.
As a result, Sejong was forced to exhaust enormous amounts of both energy and wealth persuading the envoys sent by Ming.
Because Sejong had to focus on appeasing Ming's envoys, and because Taejong still controlled military authority, Sejong could do nothing more than watch the Tsushima campaign unfold.
"What a pity."
Holding Hyang on his lap while reading reports regarding the Tsushima expedition, Sejong muttered quietly.
Hearing the complaint, Hyang turned his head toward him. Sejong smiled faintly.
"If only I possessed greater authority and more freedom, I feel we could have prepared this campaign much more thoroughly..."
Watching Sejong filled with regret, Hyang began digging through his memories.
'How did Yi Jongmu's Tsushima expedition end again? Half-successful, wasn't it?'
Curious, Hyang stretched out his hand.
Seeing the child in his arms reaching toward the memorials and reports spread across the desk, Sejong smiled.
"So our royal heir is already interested in state affairs? Hmm... governing the state requires scholarship, you know."
After briefly considering something, Sejong turned toward the senior eunuch beside him.
"Summon the Chief Royal Secretary."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Watching the eunuch leave to deliver the order, cold sweat began running down Hyang's back.
'This feels dangerous.'
Around the time Grand Prince Chungnyeong officially became Crown Prince, Hyang created a plan of his own.
"The foundation of everything is that King Sejong himself is basically an obsessive nerd. And he's also extremely favorable toward fostering engineers."
Sitting cross-legged with his short limbs folded awkwardly together, Hyang wore a deeply serious expression while running calculations in his head.
The real historical Munjong had also been an obsessive enthusiast, especially regarding military matters. Judging from craftsmanship like the earring I saw during my first birthday celebration, artisans of early Joseon are absolutely not lacking in skill. Especially those connected to the royal household. In Joseon, one becomes recognized as an adult at fifteen. That leaves eleven years. Combining my status as Crown Prince with talented craftsmen means I won't need to suffer doing everything myself. I can just order people around. Most importantly, I won't need to torment myself with complicated calculations. I only need to provide ideas. Based on Sejong's obsessive personality and emphasis on national defense, I should be able to secure major support for something like flintlocks or percussion caps. As for the technological level, the artisans of this era should be capable enough to overcome it. And if not? I'll just work them harder. I'm the Crown Prince after all. If a few projects succeed this way, not only will my own position become solid, but I'll also secure reliable material support and expand into other fields.
Final Conclusion.
Profit.
Important Note.
Before turning fifteen, I absolutely must establish a flawless Confucian scholarly foundation. If I lose verbal arguments against the ministers, I'm finished.
Additional Note.
Win over the Crown Prince's scholarly attendants as much as possible. By the time I'm grown, they'll all hold major positions, so it's best to mark them as allies early.
"In the end, the real problems are my memorization ability and the Crown Prince's attendants..."
While lightly tapping his folded arms with his fingers, Hyang thought deeply about the attendants assigned to educate him.
Through the Chief Royal Secretary, Sejong ordered Hyang's instructors to pay even closer attention to his studies.
Hyang had only just turned four and still held merely the status of royal heir rather than officially appointed Crown Prince. However, because his talents were so exceptional, his education had already been entrusted to the Office of the Crown Prince's Lectures.
Under such circumstances, Sejong's command placed tremendous pressure upon the instructors responsible for teaching him.
After receiving the royal order, the senior instructor of the Office gathered the vice instructors and all the scholarly officials together.
"The royal heir is entering his fifth year now... How far has he progressed in his studies?"
"He is currently studying the Great Learning."
"And at what age did you learn the Great Learning?"
"At eleven years old."
"You were considered a prodigy then?"
"You flatter me."
"If even studying the Great Learning at eleven made one a prodigy, His Highness has not even turned five yet. If we push him too hard now, he may instead lose interest in scholarship altogether."
"You mean too much can be as bad as too little?"
"Exactly."
"Hooo..."
At the instructor's firm conclusion, all the assembled officials sighed.
'Educating the prince who will someday inherit the throne.'
Depending on perspective, the Office of the Crown Prince's Lectures represented the greatest opportunity possible, a direct path toward becoming the core of the next administration.
But educating the Crown Prince was both opportunity and danger.
As seen with Taejong and Yangnyeong, every king desired a successor who was intelligent and morally flawless.
Yet as Yangnyeong had demonstrated, fulfilling such expectations was far from easy.
And if the Crown Prince failed to meet those standards, the king would unquestionably hold the instructors responsible.
The greater problem was that the current king himself had been renowned as a scholarly genius ever since his days as a grand prince.
A man so exceptional would naturally hold extraordinarily high standards for his son as well.
And the newly issued royal order proved exactly that.
The officials of the Office worried not because of themselves, but because of the royal heir.
They feared that forcing excessive pressure upon such a uniquely gifted child might destroy his passion for learning altogether.
After much deliberation, the senior instructor finally reached a conclusion.
"In the end, we must follow the doctrine of moderation."
"That is certainly the principle, but..."
"Difficult problems can only be solved through principles."
And so the officials educated the royal heir according to proper principles.
When his academic achievements impressed them, they praised him while cautioning him against arrogance.
On the other hand, if they detected laziness or carelessness in either his conduct or studies, they disciplined him immediately and sternly.
"His Majesty himself was no ordinary man, but the royal heir is hardly any less remarkable."
The left and right scholarly attendants personally responsible for Hyang's education repeatedly clicked their tongues in amazement at his accomplishments.
Hyang's progress exceeded even their expectations.
His conduct was likewise nearly flawless.
The situation became so extraordinary that jokes like the following began circulating among the officials.
"Are we absolutely certain the royal heir is truly not yet five years old? He is far too mature for his age."
"I agree. It is not merely that he absorbs instruction well. The fact that he raises questions himself..."
"We worried that carrying out His Majesty's command too aggressively might be excessive, but seeing the royal heir's brilliance now, perhaps it would be acceptable to become slightly more ambitious."
"I agree as well. We should discuss this matter again with our superiors."
Gradually, the officials of the Office began leaning toward even more intensive education and discipline.
The royal heir's astonishing achievements, which formed the basis for that decision, owed much to Hyang's natural abilities.
But above all, they stemmed from his own determination.
"I need to move my plans forward."
Once July passed, Hyang resolved to completely revise his original plans.
"I planned to start acting once I turned fifteen, but I'm suffocating waiting this long!"
Beating his chest in frustration, Hyang could no longer hide his impatience.
"As early as possible. At the latest, I need to start making moves by age ten."
Unable to suppress his frustration, Hyang gulped down water before exhaling sharply.
"Puh... If I don't start soon, I'm seriously going to explode from frustration."
Two major reasons caused Hyang to completely revise his plans.
One of them was the Tsushima expedition.
To prepare for the campaign, the court issued mobilization orders for warships and troops throughout Gyeongsang, Jeolla, and Chungcheong Provinces.
What infuriated Hyang was the content of the mobilization order itself.
"Mobilize two hundred warships from the three provinces, along with reserve armored soldiers, special troops, palace guards, castle garrison laborers, entertainers, butchers, unemployed commoners, low-ranking officials, and even yangban experienced with ships... gather them all at Gyeonnaeryang by the eighth day of the sixth month."
"Incredible. Just incredible."
After obtaining and reading a copied version of the mobilization order, Hyang exploded.
"Fine, mobilizing reserve troops and military personnel is one thing. But castle laborers, entertainers, lowborn workers, drifters, petty officials... and even yangban skilled with ships? Yangban means men who passed the civil or military examinations! They're basically gathering everyone except the farmers because it's planting season."
After reviewing the list of conscripts, Hyang sighed deeply.
"Hooo... Even accounting for the Joseon era, this is ridiculous. Not only are there far too few combat troops, there's a complete lack of professional naval personnel."
While reading through the mobilization details, Hyang suddenly remembered a scene from a foreign movie he had watched long ago.
Sailors returning after long voyages sat drinking noisily in a tavern when soldiers carrying clubs stormed inside, beating everyone and dragging sailors away toward warships. Even navigators and deck officers waving official certificates in protest were answered only with clubs.
"The problem is that wasn't fiction... Looking at this mobilization order, the same kind of thing is probably happening here too."
The human composition of the expedition force felt far too improvised and unprofessional.
Still, regardless of Hyang's frustrations, preparations for the campaign eventually concluded.
"Royal Heir, you wish to go as well?"
"Yes, Father."
At Hyang's request to attend the expedition's departure ceremony, Sejong hesitated briefly before nodding.
"Very well. Come with me. Prepare for the royal heir to accompany us."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
On May 18th, at Baeksajeong near Dumopo along the Han River, a departure ceremony was held for the expeditionary forces led by Commander Yi Jongmu.
'At least they're actually wearing armor.'
After examining the soldiers' equipment, Hyang released a small sigh of relief.
Unlike the poorly dressed soldiers often seen in historical dramas, these troops at least wore proper chest armor.
Thus began the Tsushima expedition.
On July 3rd, the campaign entered its first conclusion when the expeditionary army returned to Geoje Island.
While the forces reorganized there, further pirate raids erupted, leading the court to discuss launching a second campaign.
As many officials argued for delaying the renewed expedition because of falling troop morale and the approaching typhoon season, urgent news arrived that the pirate forces invading Ming territory had been annihilated.
After receiving the report, the Joseon court dissolved the expeditionary army and instead dispatched envoys to Tsushima.
Tsushima is recorded in historical documents as Joseon territory. Therefore, the lord of Tsushima must restore proper relations between ruler and subject.
The people of Tsushima must all relocate to Joseon territory.
Failure to comply will result in renewed military conquest.
Under Joseon's pressure, the lord of Tsushima sent back a reply through envoys.
Tsushima's land is barren and its people live in hardship. Please relocate the island's residents to Geoje and nearby islands. Furthermore, if the King of Joseon grants official titles and seals to the lord of Tsushima, I shall obey as a loyal subject.
After receiving the letter, the Joseon court interpreted it as Tsushima's formal surrender.
However, concerns emerged that relocating the islanders into Geoje and surrounding islands might simply transform those regions into new pirate bases.
As a result, the court instead granted the Tsushima lord an official seal bearing the title "Sō Clan Dodo Ungwa."
[Seal Img]
Listening to the developments from the Eastern Palace, Hyang clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Too soft. Far too soft."
"The strategy, operations, and command structure were all terrible."
"They should've accepted all the Tsushima islanders into Joseon from the start. Once the population was fully relocated, there'd be no reason to care about the island lord anymore. Just send everyone north and the problem's solved."
"They completely underestimated Tsushima's value."
Reviewing the final results alone, Hyang exploded in frustration.
"I seriously can't take this anymore."
