He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 66

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Japanese Pirates Can Be Useful Too (4)

King Sejong is unfolding and reading the official report that Jo Mal-saeng secretly submitted.

Strictly speaking, while the person who submitted it was Minister of War Jo Mal-saeng, the content written inside was entirely written by Kim Dae-bung from beginning to end.

Jo Mal-saeng had also reported this fact to King Sejong exactly as it was.

Though Jo Mal-saeng was an official who loved corruption, he was a man who knew that stealing credit from his subordinates was like eating his own flesh.

[Your subject, Minister of War Jo Mal-saeng, humbly reports.]

King Sejong chuckled when he saw this passage.

It reminded him that because Kim Dae-bung’s rank was low, it would be awkward for him to submit a secret official report directly to the king, so he borrowed Jo Mal-saeng’s name.

[Some foolish nobles and scholars say that since great sages like Confucius, Mencius, and Zhu Xi are Chinese and their culture is also very beautiful, Joseon should serve them, learn from them, and show complete loyalty. They quote Mencius saying that for a small country to serve a large country is the proper way because they fear Heaven.]

Just 20-30 years ago, there had been diplomatic conflicts between Joseon and Ming Dynasty that resembled a cold war.

Ming Dynasty had ordered Jeong Do-jeon, who was planning the conquest of Liaodong, to come directly to Beijing to explain the crime of using strange words in his diplomatic letter. Naturally, Jeong Do-jeon did not go to Ming Dynasty.

This was because Joseon knew that if Jeong Do-jeon really went to Beijing to explain, Ming Dynasty intended to kill him according to their beautiful criminal law.

And Ming Dynasty exercised all kinds of power abuse to test how well those Joseon bastards could bow their heads to the ground.

Demanding gold from a country without gold or silver mines, extorting tribute goods from counties along the routes where Ming Dynasty’s envoys passed, demanding Joseon pay 10,000 war horses annually instead of gold and silver to break Joseon’s backbone, forcing them to offer court ladies, and so on.

King Sejong and Lee Bang-won had never forgotten this humiliation and shame for even a single moment.

[However, Mencius also said this: For a large country to serve a small country is something only those who enjoy Heaven’s principle and are benevolent can do as a large country serving a small country. But Ming Dynasty demands that Joseon serve them, while they only oppress and exploit Joseon… How can this be called enjoying Heaven’s principle, and how can it be considered benevolent?]

Saying they were not benevolent was a polite way of saying “These bastards are not human, they are beasts.”

In the official report Kim Dae-bung wrote, he disparaged Ming Dynasty as a petty nation.

King Sejong found it quite satisfying.

While reading the petition, he resolved to make Kim Dae-bung dedicate himself to the Royal Court for exactly 100 years—no more, no less.

It wasn’t because Kim Dae-bung had suggested to Lee Bang-won to make him climb mountains daily and hunt frequently that he was thinking this.

It was just that when he thought about it, what could be more tragic than not granting the wish of a capable subject who wanted to exert utmost effort for the Royal Ancestral Shrine and State?

[In my humble opinion, Ming Dynasty is no different from Yuan Dynasty during the Former Goryeo period. Therefore, Joseon must recognize them as a potential enemy and respond accordingly.]

King Sejong frowned at the words about preparing for war with the Ming Dynasty.

However, just as one never knows when the Japanese might come raiding, one never knows when the Ming might attack Joseon or tighten their grip to impose disadvantages…

‘We should prepare for it.’

[Therefore, I believe we should make Japan and Ming fight each other so they exhaust themselves in battle. Of course, manipulating the Japanese pirates to fight the Ming Dynasty is no easy task. However, if we grant just a little of what Japan desires, they will desperately throw themselves into attacking the Ming Dynasty.]

Reading this passage, King Sejong experienced goosebumps rising all over his body.

Joseon also sometimes used the policy of making tribes fight each other as a method to control the Jurchen Tribes.

The Ming Dynasty calls this the Jimi policy.

Therefore, these words themselves were not unfamiliar.

‘Barbarians should be made to fight among themselves.’

Nevertheless, the reason he was shocked to the point of getting goosebumps was because of the suggestion to unleash the Japanese pirates on the Ming Dynasty to solve the problem of Japanese pirates invading Joseon.

Though he was surprised, he didn’t dislike the strategy.

Joseon becomes safe, and the Ming Dynasty gets headaches from the Japanese pirates!

[When I interrogated the Japanese pirates, they were people employed by powerful clans under the Lord of Tsushima. When I asked why they engaged in piracy, they answered that since Joseon and Ming completely banned trade with them, they had no way to make a living and thus resorted to such acts. They said that if Joseon would just permit trade with them, they would never again engage in piracy against Joseon.]

King Sejong tilted his head.

Whether Ming barbarians or Japanese, they’re all the same – people who never keep their word.

Yet Kim Dae-bung is listening to the Japanese words…

[I don’t completely trust their words either, but if we can obtain things like black pepper, sulfur, water buffalo horn, and sugar through trade with them, I believe this would greatly benefit Joseon. And while permitting trade, we should attach the condition that if Japanese daimyo fail to properly control the pirates, we will completely cut off trade. Then they won’t dare come to Joseon for piracy either. Even the Japanese would well understand that regularly coming and going for trade would bring greater profit than coming to Joseon for piracy to obtain small amounts of precious goods.]

From a Confucian perspective, the idea of controlling the Japanese through trade was somewhat disagreeable.

However, if they could buy various precious goods from Japan that are hard to obtain in Joseon, and furthermore acquire things like sulfur needed for making gunpowder… it would ultimately bring great benefit to Joseon.

While the Japanese are indeed cunning, they are people who value profit above all else in the world.

Even Japanese daimyo would recognize that continuing trade would benefit them.

‘Thoroughly pragmatic.’

[If you open a market in Jeongui County and allow the Japanese to trade freely as much as they want, they will have no reason to send Japanese Pirates to Joseon. Furthermore, they will plunder various precious goods from the Ming Dynasty and try to sell them in Jeongui County. This will become a great source of worry for Ming.]

And at the end, it was written that the Japanese Pirates they had captured were skilled in navigation, so rather than just killing them, they should be put to use for the development of Joseon’s Navigation Skills.

The Japanese Pirates would benefit from being able to pass goods plundered from the Ming Dynasty to Joseon, and Joseon would benefit from being able to obtain Ming Dynasty goods more abundantly than before, having previously depended only on some smuggling and official trade.

Moreover, they could also cause damage to the Ming Dynasty… it was truly an excellent strategy.

And ocean navigation, one of the most important problem areas in the Bangwon Method, could also be somewhat resolved by putting those Japanese to work.

“In many ways, this is a truly excellent strategy.”

A smile appeared on King Sejong’s face.

It would be an evil deed that a gentleman should not do, but it would be of great help to Joseon’s national interests.

To think that Joseon could sit still and make the Ming Dynasty and Japan fight each other… just thinking about it was exhilarating.

“Today, no, at least until the day after tomorrow, I can work overtime using the excuse of the Official Report that Kim Dae-bung submitted to His Majesty.”

Working overtime meant he didn’t have to climb Bukaksan Mountain.

What a wonderful thing this was.

Also, for the Government Officials of the Royal Court, it would give them an opportunity to work more for the Royal Ancestral Shrine and State, so wasn’t this truly the king’s grace?

And since Kim Dae-bung was someone who disliked overtime, this was also an opportunity to legally get revenge on him for daring to make him exercise every day.

“You there, go to His Majesty right now and tell him that I have urgent official business to handle, so for the time being I won’t be able to climb Bukaksan Mountain with His Majesty.”

One Court Eunuch hurriedly went and delivered this news to Lee Bang-won.

And after about half an hour had passed, Lee Bang-won came directly to where King Sejong was.

“Do-ya.”

“Yes, His Majesty.”

“I can understand that the matter written in the Official Report that Kim Dae-bung submitted under the Minister of War’s name is important. However, is it really such an urgent matter?”

“It’s not exactly urgent, but it’s something that would greatly benefit the country. So we must implement it as quickly as possible…”

King Sejong couldn’t bring himself to lie to his father.

“Your words are correct. However, I think taking care of your body as king is a more urgent matter. Isn’t your stamina still too weak? Even this father who has passed fifty finds it not difficult to climb to the summit of Bukaksan Mountain, yet you can still only climb to the mid-slope… First, you must devote yourself to taking care of your body.”

King Sejong’s face clouded over as he thought that today’s overtime work would provide an escape route, allowing him to skip the Bukaksan Mountain climbing.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I am telling you to build your physical strength and train in martial arts purely for your own benefit.”

“According to rumors I hear, you’re trying to create justification to go hunting frequently with me…”

Lee Bang-won quickly turned his head away. It was because he had been hit right on target.

How wonderful would it be if he could first get King Sejong’s body in good shape under the pretext of taking care of his health, then frequently take him hunting?

If King Sejong could come to enjoy hunting itself, then going hunting once every ten days instead of every fortnight wouldn’t just be a dream.

“This is all for your sake, Do.”

Lee Bang-won was determined to drag King Sejong mountain climbing today as well.

And during their enjoyable mountain climbing, King Sejong and Lee Bang-won reached one agreement.

They would send Kim Dae-bung to Tsushima Island to persuade the Lord of Tsushima, who was in charge of Korean-Japanese diplomatic relations.

It couldn’t be said that there wasn’t a small element of King Sejong venting his petty resentment for having to do unwanted exercise daily because of Kim Dae-bung.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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