Black Corporation: Joseon

“Then do you believe we should prevent conflict from breaking out in Japan?”

Hyang immediately rejected Sejong’s suggestion.

“The outbreak of conflict in Japan follows the natural order. It would be reckless for our Joseon to attempt to prevent it.”

“Are you saying it’s Heaven’s will for conflict to break out in Japan?”

“Indeed. They placed a child on Japan’s throne, and before their oligarchy, established under the pretext of regency, could even take root, the Japanese king died. As I said before, the shackles have been broken.”

Sejong and his ministers all nodded at Hyang’s response.

****

Japan’s bakufu was very similar in nature to its predecessor, Goryeo’s military regime.

They maintained an emperor as a figurehead monarch while the bakufu’s shogun ruled Japan. For such a political system to function properly, the shogun, as head of the bakufu, needed to maintain firm control over his subordinates.

This had held true until the previous shogun, Ashikaga Yoshinori.

As a result, both Ming and Joseon had addressed the bakufu’s shogun as the “King of Japan,” recognizing and treating him as Japan’s leader.

However, when a regime’s leader was a child who hadn’t properly studied statecraft or proven his capabilities rather than a tested adult, the regime’s foundation would inevitably shake. Of course, both East and West had regents in such situations to maintain the system.

The problem arose when these regents wielding delegated power either turned the monarch into a puppet or when the nobles and ministers under them grew too powerful. Armed struggles would break out to seize the supreme power left without a true master.

The most striking example was Goryeo’s period of chaos following the military rebellion. Looking further back, there was the power struggle among the powerful families at the end of Later Han.

Given these historical precedents, Sejong and his ministers agreed with Hyang’s assertion that it “cannot be prevented.”

***

“‘The Japanese daimyo rising against the bakufu is inevitable. The problem is that this conflict will become prolonged.’ Is this what concerns you?”

Hyang bowed his head at Sejong’s question.

“Yes, exactly.”

At Hyang’s brief but firm response, Sejong stroked his beard, deep in thought.

“Hmm…”

After contemplating silently for a while, Sejong seemed to organize his thoughts and questioned Hyang.

“I have a question for the Crown Prince.”

“Please ask.”

“Following your reasoning and synthesizing the situation, the best course of action would be for this inevitable conflict to end as quickly as possible. Is that correct?”

“Too short would also be problematic. If the conflict resolves too quickly, the victor might overestimate their capabilities and attempt something reckless.”

“Something reckless? Invading our Joseon?”

“Yes. While Ming is clearly a great power that none would rashly challenge, our Joseon is different.”

“That’s true.”

Sejong nodded at Hyang’s response. Then Hwang Hui joined the conversation.

“Given the Ouchi clan’s capabilities, I don’t believe the quick resolution the Crown Prince fears is possible.”

As Hwang Hui finished, Hyang pointed out what he had missed.

“That’s true to an extent. While the Ouchi clan controls nearly a third of Kyushu and a quarter of the main island, they don’t maintain good relations with most Japanese daimyo except the Otomo clan. What concerns me are their musket and artillery units. Though a mere drop in the bucket compared to our forces, given Japan’s situation, they could yield unexpected results.”

At Hyang’s observation, Foreign Affairs Minister Heo Hu spoke up.

“Then what about supporting the bakufu using the strategy of using barbarians against barbarians?”

Hyang shook his head at Heo Hu’s suggestion.

“That would be unwise. It would sour our relationship with the Ouchi clan, causing us to lose our hard-won foothold in Japan. Though we’d provide support secretly, it would inevitably be discovered. Moreover, even a small mistake with this strategy could lead to a prolonged conflict. Besides, the bakufu will receive support from elsewhere even without our aid.”

Sejong interjected at Hyang’s words.

“You mean Ming?”

Hyang answered briefly to Sejong’s question.

“Yes.”

After briefly analyzing the situation, Sejong nodded.

“That makes sense. The current bakufu is friendly with Ming, while Ouchi is closer to our Joseon. The Emperor would naturally support the bakufu. Having Japan check our Joseon would benefit Ming.”

“Exactly.”

***

Looking at the current situation between Japan, Ming, and Joseon, Ming and Joseon were fiercely competing over the Japanese market. The bakufu was currently leaning more toward Ming. Though Japanese consumers actually preferred Joseon products, the bakufu had grown closer to Ming as Ouchi maintained close relations with Joseon.

“Since our Joseon’s founding, Ming has sought to check our power. Though we’ve avoided conflict by maintaining proper tributary relations, we can’t be certain this will continue indefinitely. Therefore, we can’t easily let go of the Ouchi clan’s hand. Our Joseon lacks the capacity to fight on two fronts simultaneously. Though our soldiers are qualitatively superior, we’re at a numerical disadvantage.”

As Hyang pointed out this reality, Sejong and his ministers’ expressions grew complicated.

As Hyang said, Joseon’s current military power was at its peak since the nation’s founding. The Joseon navy controlled the seas between Ming, Joseon, and Japan, while their amphibious forces struck terror into the Jurchen tribes.

However, in terms of quantity rather than quality, Ming was the strongest among the three nations.

Fighting and winning on two regular war fronts rather than just border conflicts—probably only the US during World War II could manage that, even with the time difference.

Hyang continued grumbling internally.

That country wasn’t called a cheat key for nothing!

***

“Wouldn’t Ming be satisfied as long as our Joseon maintains proper tributary relations?”

Hwang Hui countered Heo Hu’s words.

“What happens when the time comes that our Joseon no longer needs such relations?”

Heo Hu fell silent at Hwang Hui’s point.

Heo Hu understood the situation well enough.

Joseon was continuously developing. Along with territorial expansion, commerce and industry were advancing, and more foreign tribes were pledging allegiance to Joseon.

If current trends continued, while completely ending tributary relations with Ming might be impossible, achieving the status of “outwardly king, inwardly emperor” seemed achievable in the near future.

***

‘When tributary relations become unnecessary.’

When Hwang Hui’s statement emerged, the throne room briefly stirred before settling. Everyone shared similar judgments to Heo Hu, but the pressing matter now was Japan.

Finally, Sejong stepped in to summarize the situation.

“Hmm… Let’s organize this. One, the Ouchi clan might achieve unexpected results. Two, this could lead them to overestimate themselves and make wrong decisions. Three, Ming will support the bakufu to prevent Ouchi from seizing power in Japan. Is this correct?”

“Yes, Father.”

Sejong asked again after Hyang’s confirmation.

“If Japanese politics flow that way, shouldn’t our Joseon support Ouchi as well?”

“Yes. However…”

“However, we can’t provide open support, and at best can only supply gunpowder and medicines?”

Since Sejong’s interruption hit the mark, Hyang nodded.

“Exactly. And considering the Emperor’s temperament, Ming will likely do similar.”

Sejong and his ministers all nodded at Hyang’s words. Emperor Xuande had struggled to restore the treasury depleted by Emperor Yongle’s frequent campaigns. Therefore, Xuande would never provide direct military support.

Hyang continued.

“The only time our Joseon should take direct action would be in securing Tsushima. Of course, things would change if our people in Japan face harm.”

Sejong nodded at Hyang’s words.

“That’s true. But tell me this. What if Ming’s support and other factors create a stalemate between Ouchi and the bakufu, leading inevitably to the prolonged conflict we most want to avoid?”

“Then we must provide more active support.”

“More active? You mean deploying our troops?”

“No. We should deploy mercenaries.”

The word ‘mercenaries’ caused another stir in the throne room.

“Mercenaries? You mean paying soldiers to fight for them?”

“Yes. Of course, officially it wouldn’t be our Joseon supplying them, but rather Joseon merchants acting as intermediaries for Ouchi’s requests.”

“It seems like a good idea… but where would we find these mercenaries?”

“The Jurchen are nearby, and looking further, there’s the Western Regions.”

“The Western Regions?”

Sejong and his ministers’ eyes widened at this unexpected suggestion.

Seeing their reaction, Hyang added with a slight smile.

“Yes, looking at the current situation in those European lands, it seems entirely feasible.”

***

As the medieval feudal system collapsed, wars grew increasingly larger in scale. Naturally, larger conflicts required more manpower.

The problem was that forcibly conscripted soldiers were often of very poor quality.

The population decline from the Black Death compounded the issue.

When lords barely had enough people to maintain their own estates, conscripting men for war caused more harm than good.

In this situation, mercenaries began to rise to prominence. Noble’s sons without inheritance rights, like second and third sons, and urban unemployed became mercenaries and entered the battlefield. Additionally, people from harsh regions with limited livelihood options, like the famous Swiss mercenaries, chose mercenary work as their profession.

These mercenaries were now earning money throughout Europe, including Italy.

This was what had caught Hyang’s attention.

***

“Mercenaries… Not bad.”

After hearing Hyang’s explanation, Sejong quickly made his decision.

“Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Finance—prepare for this possibility.”

“We receive your command.”

Having somewhat settled the measures to take if Ouchi needed support, Sejong questioned Hyang again.

“I have another question for the Crown Prince.”

“Yes, Father.”

“If things proceed as we expect and Ouchi seizes power in Japan, what happens next? More precisely, how would it affect our Joseon?”

“There are several possibilities. But considering our connection with Joseon, the best scenario would be if Ouchi, after seizing power, acts exactly like previous bakufu. Then nothing would change except the bakufu’s master, and Ouchi is friendly with us.”

Nodding at Hyang’s words, Sejong asked again.

“Then what’s the second-best scenario?”

“There is no second-best—they’re all worst-case scenarios. It’s difficult to compare their severity.”

“What?”