I Became a Fallen Noble of Goguryeo

Chapter 11: Connections

While I was looking at the shops in Pyongyang and wondering to which one I should sell the mushrooms, a very familiar face appeared.

“Uh? Isn’t that the fallen noble?”

“Huh? Soyong?”

It was Soyong, the son of one of Tiger Village’s gentry who had sent one of my front teeth flying at the recent stone‑field tournament.

‘That’s right, this bastard lives in Pyongyang Fortress, right?’

Soyong attended the Scholarly Academy in Pyongyang.

Of course, in this era with no buses or anything, commuting from Bear Village, which was a few days away from Pyongyang, was impossible, so he too had to find lodgings in Pyongyang and live there.

“What are you doing here?”

“What? This house is where the person I serve lives.”

“Hmm.”

I looked at the house he proudly pointed to.

A decent house with pretty tile roofing, and even a warehouse and a well.

The tiles were a bit small, the decorations plain, and above all, it was located quite far from the city center.

Judging by that, it seemed he wasn’t a noble but a merchant subcontracted by nobles.

“Who is the owner of this place?”

“Would I know if I told you?”

“Tell me.”

“It is the merchant Jin Wootae who will soon be connected by marriage to a noble family.”

Just as I expected. A Scholarly Academy student lodging in such a person’s house would presumably be highly disciplined.

‘Gives off a scholarship‑student vibe.’

Traditional nobles have retainers and household guards passed down generation after generation, but new nobles have no guards to speak of, so they must form them on the spot.

Therefore, they often take someone somewhat noteworthy from yone (the academy) and employ them as their personal guard.

Apparently Jin Wootae, the merchant, was also striving to become a noble and was gradually gathering guards.

This suited me perfectly.

“I need to meet this Jin Wootae.”

“A fallen noble bastard? You’ll get a bad reputation. Off you go.”

I didn’t want to argue.

“Even then?”

Rather than a hundred hearsay, I showed him the Grand King mushroom.

He, being also from the countryside, recognized it.

Soyong’s mouth dropped open.

“Where on earth did this come from?”

“Do I need to tell you that too? Be quiet, go quickly and tell your master that the fallen noble has come calling.”

“What did you say? You….”

“If you don’t go right away, I’ll go somewhere else. Think your butt will remain intact then?”

“W‑wait a moment.”

Soyong dashed inside, and the people from our village who saw that snickered.

“Look at him run.”

“He walks so stiffly I thought he was somehow related by marriage to the Grand King, but turned out he’s just a merchant?”

“Not just a merchant, mind you. Running a shop, and hasn’t yet tied the knot with a noble clan, right?”

We followed behind.

Soyong said,

“Elder Jin Wootae, this is the fallen Domestic Fortress Faction noble from Bear Village who requests an audience with you.”

“What? A fallen Domestic Fortress Faction noble?”

At that, Jin Wootae quietly stepped outside.

“You insane bastard…!”

The moment he saw me, his eyes widened greatly.

Merchants are very sensitive about politics.

Even more so a merchant from Pyongyang Fortress dreaming of becoming a noble like Jin Wootae.

He remembered the Grand King’s recent hunt in Tiger Village.

The nobles who went then were not only those from Pyongyang Fortress—but also Domestic Fortress Faction nobles expelled twenty years ago in the Chugun‑Segun rebellion.

The Grand King’s intention was obvious.

‘This current Grand King hopes to resolve the emotional rift between the Domestic Fortress Faction and the Pyongyang Fortress faction.’

The previous Grand King, King Yangwon, had distanced himself from the Domestic Fortress Faction.

Rightly so.

They were traitors who attempted to kill him and place a half‑brother on the throne.

However, after Yangwon died, the newly enthroned Goyangseong was different from his father.

Goyangseong sought to reaccept the Domestic Fortress Faction.

Of course, the Grand King’s power wasn’t as strong as during King Gwanggaeto’s time when a single word could command everything.

One can see this even from the composition of the Jeja Council, Goguryeo’s noble assembly.

In Gwanggaeto’s period, the council’s representative, the Guksang (State Minister), was appointed by the Grand King.

But now, the leader of the Jeja Council (Daedaero) is chosen by a vote of the nobles.

Furthermore, twenty years after using the Chugun‑Segun rebellion as excuse to expel the rival faction domestic‑seong, the Pyongyang Fortress faction holds substantial power.

Yet still, the Pyongyang Fortress faction cannot openly ignore the Grand King. It’s due to their chronic problem of “lack of achievement.”

Among Goguryeo's noble factions, the Domestic Fortress Faction includes the traditional military nobles who have been with Goguryeo since King Jumog’s time.

If you ask domestic‑seong nobles about their ancestors, they would puff up their chests and say:

‘My ancestor fought against Guan Gujian, the Governor of Yuju under the Cao Wei during King Dongcheon’s reign!’

‘He rode horses alongside King Micheon during the expulsion of the Lelang Commandery.’

‘When Murong Huang of Former Yan invaded, he fought to buy time for his retreating comrades and fell gloriously…’

Surely you could hear many other notable stories of Goguryeo’s history.

But what if you asked the same of the Pyongyang Fortress faction?

‘My family sold salt for generations.’

‘We were ministers of the Lelang national offices, but after Lelang fell, we became ministers of Goguryeo…’

‘One of our ancestors played the geomungo quite well.’

You’d hear similarly vague answers. The history of the Pyongyang Fortress faction is simply short.

A hundred years ago, King Gwanggaeto and King Jangsu prepared the relocation to Pyongyang to counter the traditional Domestic Fortress Faction.

To that end, they heavily supported the merchant‑local lord class in Pyongyang, absorbing them into the noble force.

In other words, Pyongyang Fortress only fully emerged in Gọgures political order about a hundred years ago—hardly comparable to the Domestic Fortress Faction’s five centuries of accomplishments.

Sure, they come from merchant backgrounds and thus have money, but Goguryeo is a heavily martial state inclined toward glorifying military achievement.

What binds Goguryeo people in loyalty is not money but accomplishments inherited by bloodline.

Money may gather people, but it cannot make them genuinely loyal.

Initially, Pyongyang Fortress’s ability to expel domestic‑seong was thanks to a Grand King whose achievements surpassed those of the domestic faction nobles.

Both King Gwanggaeto and King Jangsu backed them because those lacking achievement inevitably became supporters of royal authority.

If in some future great war Pyongyang Fortress were to achieve tremendous feats, then maybe—but as of now, they are merchants treated as nobles because of Grand King’s legacy.

No matter how tightly Pyongyang Fortress nobles grip power now, openly opposing Grand King without cause would be difficult.

And the Grand King’s reasoning for reinstating the Domestic Fortress Faction was clear.

Twenty years ago, in King Yangwon’s period.

Less than three years after Pyongyang Fortress expelled domestic‑seong during the Chugun‑Segun rebellion, the pastoral Turkic tribes targeted two northern Goguryeo fortresses and invaded.

The reason for the offensive was clear.

Originally, the Domestic Fortress Faction based in the north had fostered close ties with nomadic northern tribes and brought them under Goguryeo’s sphere of influence.

But as domestic‑seong was driven out of central politics, naturally their link to northern tribes loosened.

Moreover, because nobles turned inward and fought each other, many commanders died, dramatically reducing military numbers.

Goguryeo, which had fifty thousand regular soldiers in King Gwanggaeto’s time, could only send ten thousand at Turkic assault under the command of Damo-dal Gogul.

Fortunately, Gogul held off the Turks, but trouble erupted in the south too.

‘Now is the time, since Goguryeo has grown weak!’

‘Recapture the Han River!’

With the regular troops diverted north, the Na–Je alliance invaded the Han River basin in the south, and in the catastrophe that followed, they seized control of the Han River region that had been occupied for over a century since King Jangsu.

Surely, like many alliances in history drawing swords over loot distribution, Silla and Baekje fought wars over claims to the Han River region, ultimately breaking the Na–Je alliance.

But that was merely the lesser concern—losing the Han River remained an unchangeable fact. Goyangseong addressed this squarely:

“As seen in the cases of the Turks and the Na–Je, when the north is attacked, the south is attacked too. To stabilize the south, the north must be stabilized as well.

To that end, the only way is to reconcile again with the Domestic Fortress Faction, who are well‑versed in northern affairs.”

The Pyongyang Fortress faction led by Wang Godeok naturally opposed this.

“Goguryeo weakened because the Domestic Fortress Faction plotted rebellion and caused a civil war! How could you propose calling them back again?”

Their conflict was sharp, but not extreme.

Just as Pyongyang Fortress could not treat Goyangseong recklessly, Goyangseong also could not openly ignore the Pyongyang Fortress faction that held the current political ground.

I nearly triggered a second Chugun‑Segun rebellion, and even if that didn’t happen, it was nearly impossible to run the political situation without the Pyongyang Fortress faction.

Therefore, Goyangseong chose a somewhat ambiguous method: instead of a bold move to re‑employ Domestic Fortress Faction, he had them participate in the hunting procession.

At this level, even the Pyongyang Fortress faction had no strong grounds to voice fierce opposition.

In other words, the two fought within ambiguity.

The Grand King and the Pyongyang Fortress faction were clearly at odds, but knowing they needed each other, neither tried to actively crush the other.

If exaggerated, it resembled a quarrel between spouses over control of the household.

In this situation, the best thing is to leave them to fight and not get involved.

But what about now?

The moment Soyong saw the “Domestic Fortress Faction noble” at the core of this conflict, he immediately labeled him a fallen noble.

For Jin Wootae, his future must have gone pitch‑black.

‘Has that Soyong bastard decided to block my path?’

If word ever got back to the Grand King—who is focusing on reconciliation with the Domestic Fortress Faction—that “someone like Jin brought a fallen domestic noble,” then?

…It wouldn’t end with just being denied noble status.

The Grand King would surely be angry that some merchant dare interfere with his intentions.

No, he would intentionally be angry.

Wouldn’t that also serve as a good justification?

And the Pyongyang Fortress faction wouldn’t side with him either.

They would surely view him as someone poking a hornet's nest for no reason.

‘Ha….’

Jin Wootae had absolutely no desire to be torn in half between Grand King and Wang Godeok’s tug‑of‑war. It wasn’t a metaphor—he could literally end up like that.

Jin Wootae shouted to survive.

“Thiissss‐person! Soyong!”

“Yes, yes?”

“Bring the mat! How dare you call a noble a fallen noble? Today, I will have that man’s entire body ripped apart!”

Before being torn, he would tear him first.

That was Jin Wootae’s mindset.

“Arghh! Please spare me!”

I watched Soyong roll up in the mat before my eyes.

Of course I had thought to some extent.

I too knew that the Domestic Fortress Faction had joined the previous hunt.

But…

“You yourself revealed your crime! Beat him! No, tear his body apart!”

Honestly, I hadn’t expected Jin Wootae to be this enraged.

Of course, watching Soyong being beaten was quite satisfying, and his cries sounded more refined and pure than any instrument—but that was as far as I took pleasure in it.

“Please lay down the blade. This is enough.”

Jin Wootae couldn’t let Soyong be completely crushed.

If Jin Wootae shredded him to bits, that would count as some form of “apology” to me, right? Then our negotiations would become difficult.

And no matter how bad relations were between Tiger Village and Bear Village, if rumor spread that Soyong died because of me, it wouldn’t end with the stone‑field tournament. Just a beating would be enough.

“You should at least hear the reason why I came.”

“Oh, yes indeed. How did a noble of distinguished rank come to visit our household?”

Look at how polite Jin Wootae’s tone became.

If Soyong hadn’t caused trouble, this wouldn’t have happened—he became notably compliant thanks to Soyong’s mess.

“The only reason one comes to meet a merchant is one. I came to sell something.”

I offered Jin Wootae the Grand King mushrooms.

At the sheer quantity, Jin Wootae let out a sound.

“…Is this all? All of this is Grand King mushrooms? Where did you get so much?”

“I happened to find a cluster. How much is it worth?”

“At this amount, at least eighty seok of millet flour, I’d say.”

From behind came murmurs of “What, eighty seok not forty?”

It was the clamoring of Bear Village villagers whose minds had gone crazy after seeing the street vendor’s haul so far.

I accepted payment not in grains but in cloth, since grain would have been too heavy.

Of course, even cloth weighed less but took up more volume. It was a million‑to‑one relief we had a donkey cart.

“Wow, is this really all cloth?”

The villagers marveled. Though it's my cloth now, in just a year, if they grew mushrooms, they could get this too, right?

But someone voiced doubt.

“…Why aren’t you saying the important part?”

Munso asked.

“What you wanted wasn’t just to sell goods—you were looking to secure a regular outlet for mushrooms, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But you didn’t say you cultivated them? If you wanted steady trade, you should’ve made that clear first.”

“Because I think it’d be a shame to hand it over to a non‑noble merchant. If I’m going to leverage connections, isn’t it better to go through a noble than a merchant?”

Just as Munso said, my original goal had been to find a suitable merchant connection and secure a steady market for the Grand King mushrooms.

But after seeing Jin Wootae’s over‑the‑top reaction, my thoughts changed slightly.

‘King Pyeongwon’s Domestic Fortress Faction affinity policy has already begun—and merchants roughly perceive it.’

Though traditional powerful nobles led by Wang Godeok might begrudge this… they cannot control all nobles.

There must be nobles who want to emphasize “friendship with the domestic faction” before the Grand King to win his favor.

To such people, a formerly fallen Domestic Fortress Faction noble like me may appear as a pretty asset.

“Furthermore, Jin Wootae doesn’t seem that powerful.”

Frankly, if the mushroom‑farming business really takes off, someone like Jin Wootae may not stand in our way.

It’s going to be a massive enterprise.

How many robbers will it attract? And how many nobles, even more dangerous than robbers, would be interested?

“If we even set it as a military training zone, soldiers would come more than twelve times a year to get their spending money. To stop that, a single merchant like Jin Wootae is no match.”

“What if that doesn’t work?”

“If it doesn’t, I’ll just go back to Jin Wootae.”

“Ah, this is complicated… so complicated. My head hurts.”

Munso and the others held their heads.

And then:

“You folks, whose crew are you?”

A dozen or so street vendors approached from the other side.

“Who let you sell here? If you have goods, sell them to us.”

“If you sold what you owe us, you could build another country, you idiots.”

“Ha, noisy. Follow me.”

I found that remark utterly absurd.

I just helped Jin Wootae gain credit, you know?

Just mentioning Jin Wootae’s name here will scare off these street vendors—they’ll run.

“No need to fight.”

“But we have reason to fight, don’t we?”

The villagers smirked, draping their arms over the shoulders of the street vendors.

“Alright then, should we go that way? Since our heads are already spinning, good timing.”

“Make sure you bring plenty of numbers.”

It seemed our villagers wanted to cool their heads with a good old fistfight.