Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Record of the Beasts Meeting

“Minister of War, that’s enough.”

The words of the young king, no, the youth king who was no longer young, were heard when I was in the middle of imagining calling the Redcoats and turning Hanyang into a sea of fire.

“Lee Aseul, listen.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Did you tell British merchants to go to Joseon?”

“It is true that this lowly one widely informed the people of my home country about China and Joseon, but I never once told them to go.”

“Then that’s fine.”

“Your Majesty!”

“It cannot be!”

The king frowned at the voices bursting out from various places... I couldn’t raise my face so I couldn’t see, but I want to believe he frowned.

“If a guest has come from afar one should welcome warmly. Aseul lived several years in Joseon land, how can one call it propriety to drive him out coldly without even relieving his feelings. On the premise that they do not cause a disturbance, let them stay in the capital for a while.”

Since I also have sense I didn’t say things like ‘Hehe let’s trade with me, it would be better if you stamp the treaty’, and thanks to that I was allowed to stay briefly just as an old friend.

Things are not unfolding smoothly more than I expected.

I brought ‘gifts’ and trade goods samples, but the majority of the goods were still at Ganghwa Island and the sailors were also still at Ganghwa Island. Precisely I didn’t bring them just in case.

The problem started from where I would stay right away.

I couldn’t sit as a guest again in the Andong Kim clan where I stayed in the past. Right away the head of that Kim clan Kim Jwageun dissed me so fiercely, didn’t he.

Pungyang Jo clan? No need to say. Those guys were ones who cut Christian necks from the beginning and of course their relationship with me was very bad from before.

If I can’t stay in the palace either, and can’t get meals from the Andong Kim clan and Pungyang Jo clan, there is no one who will accept me.

Except just one person.

“The appearance is not worth mentioning. What is that attire?”

“I wore a gat and tied a topknot and dressed in a durumagi, what’s the problem again?”

“Because it’s clumsy beyond measure.”

Heungseon-gun Lee Ha-eung.

A royal family edge who will never see light forever.

He invited me to his house without a bit of hesitation, and fortunately I was able to unpack my luggage.

“You still haven’t married?”

“Where is the time to marry. Didn’t I say I would return to Joseon quickly.”

“Funny words. Since both parents passed away shouldn’t you continue the family line!”

“What... I have an older brother so I don’t worry about the family line.”

“It seems your older brother didn’t raise you with a rod.”

No really. Does the 19th century only have hitting?

“If I get caught in a storm and die again the wife and children who married me will become young widows before even twenty. I didn’t intend to come right after marrying.”

“What nonsense are you saying. Since you don’t know if you’ll die you should of course have left one son and come.”

Ah... this is the difference in way of thinking.

He had servants tidy my attire and immediately prepared a small drinking table and began to relieve feelings.

It was not a drinking table for two.

“It’s been a while!”

“Have you been well in the meantime?”

“Haha! Joseon language is still fluent! I thought you forgot everything!”

Kim Byeonggi.

“I didn’t know I would meet you like this.”

“Ah. Because of father?”

Kim Byeonggi who came to Heungseon-gun’s house as if waiting showed a truly happy expression pounding my back as soon as he saw me. Seeing that smile my wariness seemed to subside a little too.

“Don’t hate father too much. There was no choice.”

“Your Majesty also mentioned British people. What happened?”

“British and French people are coming day after day and demanding trade.”

Ah, fuckers. I told them not to preemptively bid on the Joseon I moistened with spit.

Hearing that not simply adventurer or trader level, but guys calling themselves French navy brought warships and threatened, I also seemed to come to my senses.

- Your country seems to have a big problem. Is France really going to invade like this?

Why is Joseon my country. If one must say it’s Britain.

But hearing that French people are being clingy is very unpleasant. Why are these guys without business ethics coming to the country I am trying to open and doing blackmail threats.

Lee Ha-eung and Kim Byeonggi gulped alcohol and roughly recited the circumstances that had been going on in the meantime.

“The Pungyang Jo clan is crying out for rejecting the West and rejecting heresy, and private Confucian scholars are responding to it. Because of that even our father couldn’t welcome you leniently unconditionally.”

“Uum... I am only sorry.”

“What do you have to be sorry about. But know just this one thing. The Jo clan bastards keep claiming that this disturbance happened because we warmly welcomed you.”

A common responsibility theory in politics.

But it was a bit strange.

“But... it’s a very presumptuous story, but may I ask just one thing?”

“Say whatever.”

“It wasn’t simply only the Kim clan that looked after the young me, right?”

Even just the people who challenged to teach me are already formidable people like Yi Hangro, Gi Jeongjin, Kim Jeonghui. If looking after Arthur Lee becomes a crime those people are all the same crime too.

Moreover... this is also an attack on the king. Who was the person who gave me a piggyback right away?

“I’ll say it.”

When Kim Byeonggi’s complexion hardened Lee Ha-eung continued the words as if baton touch.

“His Majesty the King realized the fact that the military power of Western countries is powerful and immediately said the coastal defense must be solidified and the navy must be greatly raised again.”

“One should of course do so.”

“But some foolish ministers are not thinking so. Why must one train the army when the country is impoverished.”

Lee Ha-eung spoke as if it was a simple policy confrontation, but I immediately caught that it was not that meaning.

- Huh? What is that sound?

Isn’t it obvious.

Which king would be happy watching the powerful people prosper and rule the country as they please.

Heonjong raising the army means in other words the ‘strengthening royal authority’ that appears until worn out in national history textbooks.

Next of course the purge of the powerful Kim clan and Jo clan will follow.

Perhaps the Kim clan is also on the same side as the Jo clan now. Because for Heonjong to solidify royal authority he will eventually have to trample the Andong Kim clan a bit too.

I decided to use the secret technique only foreigners can use.

‘I don’t know the circumstances of this country well so I can’t understand the hidden meaning at all’.

“It’s a big problem sound. Joseon is now facing a huge crisis or the same. One must of course prepare the army and prepare to confront external invasion!”

“...Is it to that extent?”

“France is the most barbaric and violent country in Europe. These are a tribe called the tiger and wolf country in Europe the same as Qin of the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, and they scatter the monks of the religion they believe all over the world and when they are executed they commit invasion saying they will avenge their people.”

The two people slowly put down their cups. If war might break out the taste of alcohol will completely flee.

“I did not come to Joseon to recommend trade.”

“Right. I know.”

“But, war will break out once again soon. Even before I departed public opinion that war must be done was gradually gathering strength not only in France but also in the manufacturing country Britain.”

“Why Britain again?!”

Kim Byeonggi shouted in a high voice as if his voice cracked but no one said anything.

“Do you know why the war between Qing and Britain happened last time?”

“Isn’t it because your tribe kept selling opium.”

Ah. Since it’s hit with facts the bones are cold. Heungseon-gun Your Excellency, can’t you hit gently?

“Opium is not an important problem. In the home country court the middle opinion was that bad guys who go around selling harmful things to other countries deserve to be punished.”

“Then?”

“The biggest reason is that Qing does not respect us.”

Barbarians.

From my position who learned Confucianism and has even 21st century knowledge, I know well that Qing where the Middle Kingdom order is everything accepting other countries as ‘equal’ countries is almost a matter of putting a knife to the neck.

But even I who know, if I keep hearing barbarian barbarian in front of my face my mood becomes sour and conflict arises whether to correct with this justice Eton-fist, so how would Qing’s that attitude look to Europeans who live on their own pride?

“Our merchants are coming for trade risking their lives crossing the sea literally, but Qing officials demand bribes every time they take a breath and are committing exploitation from them under all sorts of pretexts.

Even though war was fought Qing’s arrogant attitude was not corrected, so there is discussion that this time we must properly show our power.”

“I see.”

Lee Ha-eung closed his eyes for a moment.

And a few minutes later when he opened his eyes again.

I felt the illusion that a tiger was in front of my eyes.

“You guys just want war?”

“······.”

“The body is itchy because you can’t wield the power of those powerful ships and cannons. Right?”

“What on earth are you saying?!”

“...It seems so.”

As expected Joseon’s last flame? It was definitely different.

While Kim Byeonggi whose face became pale as if about to faint only opened and closed his mouth Lee Ha-eung leisurely lit the long pipe.

“So, if one opens the country’s doors so one can freely trade then Westerners won’t invade... is what. In my thought it doesn’t seem so.”

“My thought is different. If only the freedom of trade is permitted they won’t start a war. The only country in this world that can block that vicious France is Britain-”

“Disciple. Your lie is clumsy. Isn’t it not about opening trade but that your tribe is satisfied only when they earn big profits? That means we have to see losses?”

- You completely dried up.

I completely ignored the jar ghost’s interjection and nodded indifferently.

“Perhaps it might become so.”

“Then is that the purpose you came too? If you don’t want war quietly hand over the country’s wealth?”

“As you know from seeing the last war, we might start a war and kill people and burn villages but conquering and ruling a place that takes a year by ship is a completely different problem.”

“I, I seem to be getting too drunk so I’ll go home.”

Kim Byeonggi shivered as if even listening more was scary and hurriedly went out.

Neither of us saw him off.

Right now I had to do my best against the opponent in front of my eyes.

“I can confidently say that the best opportunity in the entire history of Joseon has come now.”

“Opportunity?”

“Yes. Britain and France will beat Qing no matter what means they use. Because they found out in the last war that Qing is too weak.”

Up to here is a fact the whole world knows.

But after that.

Only I know.

“If Qing is beaten like a dog, can Qing maintain its dignity as the Son of Heaven country?”

“······It seems you learned the Way wrong.”

“After learning the Way you all carefully taught, I realized that those queue bastards sitting in Beijing are truly a tribe worthy of being called barbarians.”

The mandate of heaven collapses.

The continent shakes.

“If one joins hands with Britain and trains the army from now, is the northern expedition really just a dream?”

“What gain is there for you to spout such crazy words to me? As for me I am nothing more than a single royal relative who can’t even enter official posts.”

“As a scholar-official who learned the Way dreaming of establishing oneself and making a name is a natural thing, isn’t it?”

That’s why I recommended to Lee Ha-eung to go together.

Because anyway there is no opportunity for him born as a royal relative in Joseon land.

Knowing that he also pondered until the end, right.

Looking at the footprints Heungseon Daewongun Lee Ha-eung left in history, this person is a person who can never be free from desire for power and authority.

He belongs to the category with the highest possibility for me to recruit.

The mouth corner of Heungseon-gun who stared at me for a long time twitched subtly.

“Attach to Britain and sell the country?”

“I didn’t say to that extent.”

“Even if beasts learn the Way they are ultimately beasts. A young thing who can’t even tie a topknot is sinister beyond measure.”

And.

“Is there a guarantee that Britain will perfectly defeat Qing?”

Even a tiger belongs to beasts if one must say.

I nodded.

© 명원 #1jwz2

Author's note

Thank you to Yeonchamhara for your sponsorship!!