Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 242

The Joseon fleet, having encountered the fleet sent by the Ouchi clan, dropped anchor at Shimonoseki.

“Welcome, esteemed envoys!”

Ouchi Morimori, the heir of the Ouchi clan, enthusiastically welcomed Nam Gi-ju and his entourage.

***

The reason Ouchi Morimori warmly welcomed Nam Gi-ju’s group was that the Ouchi clan was one of the biggest beneficiaries since Sejong’s military reforms.

Among the Japanese merchants staying at Waegwan, a significant portion were merchants sent by the Ouchi clan.

That was not all. One of the only ten remaining copies of the Tripitaka Koreana in Japan was housed in the Rurikou Temple in Yamaguchi, and many monks and Buddhist devotees were making pilgrimages there. The wealth generated from these monks and pilgrims was not insignificant either.

***

During their four-day stay in Shimonoseki, Nam Gi-ju’s group had a busy “rest” period.

They had to attend banquets hosted by Morimori without fail and receive visits from scholars or various clans from the vicinity.

“It is an honor to meet the highly erudite envoys from Joseon.”

Engaging in discussions, writing, and drawing pictures to distribute to the visiting intellectuals and clan leaders left Nam Gi-ju’s group with little actual rest despite taking a break.

While the envoys spent their time in this manner, the naval forces on the panokseons that had carried them were busy. They completed maintenance and procured water and food supplies.

“Work completed, sir.”

“Good work. But…”

The ship’s commander, receiving the report, glanced at the soldiers working below and turned to the deputy commander.

“The soldiers haven’t caused any trouble, have they?”

***

The commander’s concern had a reason. He knew that before departing from Dongnae, all sorts of rumors about Japanese women had circulated among the naval soldiers.

“They say Japan is overflowing with women!”

“Japanese women, even commoners, not just courtesans or entertainers, will not only let you stay the night if you ask but even sleep with you! And for free!”

When it became known that such rumors were spreading among the soldiers, the higher-ups were troubled.

Once a ship set sail and until its return, everything had to be entrusted to the heavens. If they encountered a storm midway, the ship and its crew could all become ghosts of the sea in an instant.

As a result, not only the naval soldiers but most of the crew on civilian merchant ships tended to live without regard for tomorrow.

If such men heard rumors about a foreign country and went there, military discipline could break down, leading to international problems.

In the end, the Naval Commander had to step up and warn the soldiers.

“Those who recklessly violate military discipline in Japan will face extreme punishment!”

***

Knowing the situation from Dongnae, the ship’s commander could not hide his concern. If any unsavory incidents occurred, it could hinder his own promotion.

To the commander’s question, the deputy commander replied with a smile.

“The soldiers also value their lives, so such things won’t happen.”

At the deputy commander’s answer, the commander sighed.

“Whew~. That’s a relief, but sometimes those who can’t control their youthful vigor are the problem.”

“That’s true, but… the lads are refraining from going out after the first day.”

“Oh? Why?”

“They say the Japanese women smell bad…”

“What?”

Surprised by the unexpected answer, the commander doubted his own ears.

***

Since Hyang mass-produced soap and strengthened hygiene education, the people of Joseon had become much cleaner. As they paid more attention to hygiene, the incidence of skin diseases and various illnesses decreased, and the people, having confirmed the effects, began to pay even more attention to hygiene.

Before long, the people living in Joseon had become the cleanest among the three countries of Northeast Asia.

***

The issue of Japan’s sexual culture was also a topic of controversy in the royal court.

“If we obtain a naval base in Tsushima, open a trading post in Japan, and begin mining, it will definitely become a problem. Even if we send only single men to the naval base, trading post, and mines, they will be influenced by Japan’s customs and cause issues. And if we send men with families, their entire families will be influenced by Japan’s customs. When such people return to Joseon, the morality among the people will surely crumble!”

Sejong nodded at the point raised by the Office of the Inspector General.

“This is indeed a matter that requires serious consideration. Therefore, gather people and devise countermeasures.”

“We shall heed your command!”

At Sejong’s order, the ministers summoned senior and junior officials to begin a strategy meeting.

Including young officials in the meeting was quite unusual. However, the ministers also had their reasons.

“These days, my body is not what it used to be. It’s time to start preparing for the future.”

“You too? I’m also…”

Having served in official positions since the late Goryeo period, they were preparing to step down. It was a move to entrust their successors to those with long careers and have the young ones observe and gain experience in how things operated.

The problem was that Sejong was not one to let them go easily.

Through this process, the ministers formed a kind of task force and entered the meeting.

“Making a decision based only on fragmentary rumors risks committing a fatal error, so we must investigate thoroughly!”

“I agree with that statement.”

Following this decision, they began an investigation into Japan’s customs and culture by questioning the Koreans in Japan and the merchants at Waegwan.

And upon seeing the Japanese customs they had gathered, the young officials were all appalled.

“Such promiscuous customs!”

“It’s barbaric! Barbaric!”

While the young officials were appalled and in an uproar, the reaction of the older officials was slightly different.

“Japan’s civil war lasted quite a long time, didn’t it?”

“When I took office, I heard it was still in the midst of a civil war, so it’s been a while.”

“According to the records, it lasted for nearly 60 years.”

The senior officials, discussing the civil war that had taken place during Japan’s Northern and Southern Court period, nodded and reached a conclusion.

“With a civil war of that scale, it’s understandable that such customs would develop.”

“Pardon?”

The young officials expressed doubts at the senior officials’ conclusion.

Seeing this, Chief State Councilor Lee Jik stepped forward to explain.

“Have you young ones ever experienced a war?”

“We have experienced a few invasions by the Japanese pirates.”

At the young officials’ answer, the Chief State Councilor waved his hand dismissively.

“Ah~. The Japanese pirate invasions you experienced at your age are nothing compared to those at the end of the previous dynasty.”

That was indeed the case.

***

The Japanese pirate invasions at the end of the Goryeo Dynasty had devastated the southern regions of Goryeo. To stop them, the Goryeo army made desperate efforts, and in the process, Lee Seong-gye, who had made a name for himself, went on to found the Joseon Dynasty.

The rampant Japanese pirates’ activities began to subside after they suffered heavy losses to the Goryeo army, which had introduced gunpowder weapons in the late Goryeo period. Afterwards, as Joseon was founded, they pacified the Japanese lords, launched offensive campaigns including the Tsushima Invasion, and finally suffered a crushing defeat in Ming during the period of the Tsushima Invasion.

Even after that, the Japanese pirates attempted to invade Joseon several times, but they were thoroughly defeated by the Joseon navy, which had been strengthened through military reforms, making it difficult to find Japanese pirates in the seas near Joseon.

Therefore, Lee Jik had given such an answer.

***

Taking a sip of black tea, Lee Jik continued.

“If a situation like the rampant Japanese pirates at the end of the previous dynasty persists, what do you think is the first to be wiped out?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Men. Especially the low-ranking soldiers who were farmers or fishermen. Those who only knew how to fistfight end up being used as sword and arrow fodder, and their line is the first to be wiped out. Next are the middle and low-ranking military officers commanding them.”

Hearing Lee Jik’s words, Hyang recalled a line from a movie he had seen in the 21st century.

“In the Vietnam War, do you know the average survival time of a newly commissioned second lieutenant when first deployed in combat? 16 minutes! A fucking 16 minutes!”

‘Whether then or now…’

While Hyang was lost in thought, Lee Jik’s words continued.

“Then what happens? You may not know in the cities, but if you go a bit out, it becomes difficult to see men. Then what follows? Seeds become precious. To obtain those seeds and continue the family line or have children to farm and support, the things you call promiscuous happen.”

The Chief State Councilor’s words were filled with the pain of those who had survived a period of chaos.

“So don’t simply look at one piece and condemn it as promiscuous or whatnot. There’s no law saying similar things won’t befall our Joseon.”

As Lee Jik finished speaking, Kim Jeom’s words followed.

“Those Japanese are not ignorant of morality either. If you had properly examined the records, you would have seen the small clan in the corner of Japan that was wiped out. When the lord’s daughter committed suicide, unable to bear the shame of being raped, look at what happened as a result. If they were simply promiscuous and barbaric, such a thing would not have occurred. Therefore, as the Chief State Councilor said, don’t make rash judgments based on fragments, but examine more broadly and deeply.”

“Yes, sir.”

The young officials replied sincerely to Kim Jeom’s advice. Those elder statesmen had left them advice that would become their bones and flesh.

Watching that scene, Hyang was immediately filled with doubt.

‘Then what about the videos in my computer’s hidden folder and the internet stories from the 21st century?’

With that question in mind, Hyang directly asked the elder statesmen.

“Then, is there no possibility of such primitive and promiscuous customs persisting?”

To Hyang’s question, Lee Jik replied.

“If the current regime established by the Ashikaga clan is maintained stably for a long time and the people’s lives become stable and well-educated, there is a high possibility of it disappearing before long. However, if the lifespan of the Ashikaga regime is short and another long period of civil war follows, it may become a traditional custom.”

“I see.”

Hyang replied briefly but inwardly shouted.

‘The Sengoku period!’

However, the young officials’ point was not entirely wrong.

“It’s unfortunate that Japan has developed such customs. But considering our Joseon people who will immediately settle in Japan, this is a big problem.”

“Then what do you think we should do?”

“We should build walls around the residential areas of the naval base and trading post to cut off contact.”

“Is that possible? It doesn’t seem so in the Waegwan area.”

The elder statesmen showed a skeptical reaction to the young officials’ answer.

Despite the strong social sentiment of hostility towards the Japanese due to the pirates and strict entry and exit control, Japanese customs had considerably infiltrated the Joseon people around Waegwan.

Therefore, the elder statesmen had shown a skeptical reaction.

Afterward, various measures were proposed, but most of them were methods to block contact, so they did not receive much support.

Watching the scene from one side, Hyang intervened in the meeting.

“Instead of blocking contact, how about educating them?”

“Educate them, you say? Should we dispatch scholars?”

“The Joseon people going to the trading post and mines will mostly be families anyway. Then shouldn’t we also establish private schools to educate the children of those families?”

“Ah!”

The officials, simultaneously exclaiming at Hyang’s words, immediately proceeded with the meeting.

From then on, the meeting progressed swiftly.

The results of the meeting can be summarized as follows:

Watching the process of reaching this conclusion, Hyang’s expression turned bitter.

‘Not Japanization but Joseonization… The hypocrisy is unreal…’

***

Note 1) https://www.huffingtonpost.kr/2016/12/26/story_n_13780142.html

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