Chapter 489: Li Zicheng Picked a Fine Time

Everything in Hanyang remained as broken-down and bleak as ever.

The Joseon kingdom had enjoyed a remarkably long line of succession: founded in the Hongwu era of the Great Ming, it had lasted all the way to the present day, and would go on existing for many years yet. Although it had suffered two invasions, one by Japan and one by the Great Qing, it still stood firm. Historically, it would continue all the way until 1910 AD, when it would be annexed into the Japanese Empire upon the signing of the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty.

Yet the long-lived Joseon kingdom had never once known a period of glory or strength; it had always muddled along in this half-dead fashion. Even Hanyang, the capital of the whole country, reeked of poverty and shabbiness in every corner.

In many people's minds, the kingdom of Joseon was perhaps much the same as its neighbor Japan, or maybe even a bit more prosperous. After all, Japan's medieval period had been chaotic, with endless civil wars, while Joseon had been comparatively stable from the day of its founding.

In reality, however, the stable Joseon could not compare to the chaotic Japan in financial strength at all! The latter was a country rich in gold, silver, and copper. Moreover, the Japanese samurai were better at managing their territories than the Joseon yangban aristocrats...

Under the muddling-along management of the yangban aristocrats, the Joseon kingdom had now returned to the stable yet impoverished days that had gone on unchanged for two or three hundred years. But it was not destitute either, and it was content with itself. Only occasionally would an outside force suddenly burst in and shatter the peaceful years that were supposed to remain unchanged for a thousand years.

Several sturdy horses came flying like the wind from the direction of Incheon, sweeping across the streets and markets of Hanyang. The riders on horseback were all dressed in the uniforms of the capital army — most likely mounted couriers dispatched from the Dragon-Tiger Battalion stationed at Incheon to guard against the Japanese!

These riders had brought some dreadful news, it seemed, for after entering Hanyang they did not slow down, but instead whipped their horses harder and galloped toward Gyeongun Palace in the center of the city.

The Joseon commoners who witnessed this scene all grew tense — what in the world was wrong with these Dragon-Tiger Battalion riders? Why were they galloping recklessly through Hanyang? Had something terrible happened again?

They were soldiers stationed at Incheon to guard against the Japanese! Could it be that the Japanese pirates were attacking again... There had been rumors in recent days that the Japanese pirates had seized Jeju Island! Could they have already reached Incheon by now?

Watching the riders' receding backs, the people of Hanyang once again felt their hearts leap into their throats.

Why did this poor, tiny country of Joseon always have to be coveted by the Japanese across the sea?

Gyeongun Palace had not originally been a royal palace, but rather the residence of Prince Wolsan, the elder brother of King Seongjong of Joseon. During the Imjin War, Gyeongbok Palace, the main palace, along with the detached palaces Changdeok Palace and Changgyeong Palace, had all been burned down by the Japanese pirates, so Gyeongun Palace had to be used as a temporary royal palace.

After the Imjin War, the Joseon kingdom was even poorer and no longer had the means to restore the vast Gyeongbok Palace, so it had to make do with repairing Changdeok Palace first. Until the repairs on Changdeok Palace were completed, the king of Joseon lived in Gyeongun Palace, which was not much bigger than a Chinese landlord's compound. But after the restoration, Changdeok Palace had not been in use for very long before it met with a coup — the Injo Restoration — and the palace that had been repaired with such difficulty was burned down once again.

So the newly enthroned king of Joseon, Yi Jong, had no choice but to move back to Gyeongun Palace and slowly save up money to build a new palace. During the process of saving money, he encountered the Later Jin invasion of 1627 and the Qing invasion of 1636, and the money he had painstakingly saved was squandered away.

So Yi Jong, after more than twenty years as king of Joseon, had simply never managed to save up the small sum needed to restore Changdeok Palace. He therefore had to settle for second best and planned to use the method of tearing down the east house to patch the west house: demolish Ingyeong Palace, which Gwanghaegun had built at the foot of Inwang Mountain, and move the still-usable halls from Ingyeong Palace to Changdeok Palace. That way he could save a large sum on materials.

But before Yi Jong could put this brilliant plan into action, bad news arrived once again — the Japanese pirates had come again and seized Jeju Island. By the look of it, they intended to use Jeju Island as a springboard to invade Joseon once more!

This threw Yi Jong into a panic. On one hand he sent envoys to the Great Qing to beg for help; on the other he dispatched troops to defend all the critical coastal passes, making every effort to prepare against the Japanese.

The plan to rebuild Changdeok Palace could only be shelved indefinitely...

But what gave Yi Jong some small comfort was that, under the full vigilance of the Joseon army and people, the Japanese pirates could not for the time being find a gap through which to invade. So up to now, the southern coastal regions of Joseon had remained peaceful and uneventful.

Yet Yi Jong's heart had not been at ease for more than a few days before a piece of news he had never anticipated arrived from Incheon Port.

The aged, white-bearded Chief State Councillor Kim Ryu had only gotten halfway through his rambling report when Yi Jong — past fifty, dignified in appearance, looking very much like a worthy ruler — lost patience and shouted, cutting him off: "What? Ships from the red-haired country? Why not drive them away? Our country has always kept itself closed and isolated, and does not welcome barbarians, Japanese, or foreign merchants coming to trade! Could it be that the officers and men of the Dragon-Tiger Battalion stationed at Incheon are all cowards who fear battle?"

Old Kim, hearing the king's rebuke, could only sigh repeatedly — the soldiers of the Joseon kingdom were indeed cowards who feared battle! What could be done about it? The Joseon kingdom was a yangban world; to gain wealth and rank one had to be of yangban birth, and not even of illegitimate birth — one had to be a legitimate son of pure blood. Only legitimate sons of yangban birth, through the civil service examinations, could have a decent career in office. Everyone else could only struggle at the bottom... Under such a system, it would be a miracle if the army could fight at all!

But the Joseon kingdom did not rely on its army to maintain its position; it relied on "serving the great power" — that is, clinging to the thigh of a great power, first the Great Ming, and now the Great Qing. So this time the soldiers of the Dragon-Tiger Battalion did not dare drive away the barbarian ships that had entered Incheon Port...

"Your Majesty!" Kim Ryu, in his black gauze hat and python robe, looking just like a Ming official, hastily explained in a loud voice, "The barbarian ship that has come this time claims to be from the red-haired country of England. Its purpose in coming to port is to offer England's special products as tribute to the Great Qing through our country."

"What remarkable special products could the red-haired barbarians have?" Yi Jong said impatiently. "The Great Qing is the Celestial Court, the superior state — what good things does it not have? Would it care for the special products of red-haired barbarians?"

"Your Majesty may not be aware, but the special product of this red-haired country of England is none other than the Hongyi cannon!" Kim Ryu said. "The red-haired barbarians have come precisely to offer Hongyi cannons as tribute to the Great Qing Celestial Court... This is no small matter, and it requires Your Majesty's personal decision!"

What? The special product was Hongyi cannons? Yi Jong was at a loss now — Hongyi cannons were the Great Qing Prince Regent's favorite thing! If he blocked the red-haired barbarians from presenting them, how could that be acceptable? If the Prince Regent grew angry, the Joseon kingdom might well be destroyed.

But allowing the red-haired country to pass through Joseon territory to offer Hongyi cannons as tribute also seemed inappropriate... There were still many pro-Ming anti-peace factions within Joseon! The pro-peace and anti-peace lines, combined with the already fierce factional struggles within Joseon, made for utter chaos! At the height of the fighting, it had nearly come to blows.

If Joseon now allowed the red-haired country's cannons to pass through its territory, it might well intensify the factional struggles within Joseon.

Moreover, envoys from the Great Ming had come to Joseon a while ago, saying they were willing to help recover Jeju Island... The Great Ming was still the good one! It had shown Joseon grace as weighty as a mountain! A group of pro-Ming ministers were so moved they could not help themselves, and wept openly in the court.

"Your Majesty!" At this moment the Left State Councillor Kim Ja-jeom gritted his teeth and spoke up. "Although the Great Ming defeated the Great Qing Prince Su's army in Huainan and killed Prince Su himself, it lacks the strength to continue the northern expedition. The situation of Qing in the north and Ming in the south is now set... And in the contest for China, whoever gains the Central Plains gains the realm. Now that the Central Plains belongs to the Great Qing, it is extremely difficult for the Southern Ming to recover. In the future it will be either an Eastern Jin or a Southern Song, so we must absolutely not turn our backs on Qing and turn toward Ming. This subject is willing to personally escort the tribute envoys of the red-haired country of England to Beijing!"

Kim Ja-jeom was the leader of the pro-peace faction within Joseon, a great capitulationist! Not only had he surrendered himself, he had also framed many loyal ministers of the anti-peace faction, so everyone cursed him behind his back as a great traitorous minister.

Yi Jong sighed and thought to himself: It seems this traitor is the one I can rely on after all!

"Very well!" Yi Jong nodded. "Let it be handled according to the policy proposed by the Left State Councillor!"