Not long after the Ryukyu envoy departed, an Ouchi emissary arrived in Joseon.

This was quite unexpected. Following usual practice, Ouchi should have been among the first to arrive.

This sparked various discussions in court.

“Isn’t this rather strange?”

“Indeed it is.”

While suspicious opinions circulated, opposing views also emerged.

“Aren’t we being overly sensitive?”

“True. They might simply be delayed by circumstances.”

Hwang Hui immediately responded to this.

“The question is what those circumstances might be, isn’t it?”

Most officials present, regardless of their stance, nodded at Hwang Hui’s words.

***

For those living in Joseon, the Jurchen in the north and Japan in the south were constant objects of vigilance. The northern Jurchen situation had improved through continuous absorption via reforms, and the transformation to empire had further eased concerns.

Having become imperial territory and subjects, they could now be managed with carrots and sticks without diplomatic considerations.

But the situation with Japan in the south was different. Not only was there the matter of crossing the sea, but as an established nation, wielding the stick required proper justification.

This was something that concerned Hyang as well.

Whether in the 21st century or now, legitimate cause is absolutely necessary for war! Remember how much groundwork we laid even for the Tsushima expedition!

During the Tsushima expedition in Sejong’s first year, Joseon had engaged in extensive lobbying, bribing Japanese lords heavily to ensure their inaction when Joseon struck Tsushima.

With the nightmare of the late Goryeo and early Joseon period still vivid in memory, wariness toward Japan remained at its peak.

***

In this situation, the Ouchi emissary who arrived was Ouchi Norihiro.

“Welcome, House Head[1].”

“Thank you for your reception, Minister of Foreign Affairs.”

After exchanging formal greetings according to protocol, Norihiro got to the point.

“Following our previous agreement, we wish to purchase 20,000 rifles with 2 million rounds, and 40 Eulshik hwacha with 10 million rounds.”

“We shall arrange it.”

Heo Hu nodded readily at Norihiro’s request. Seeing Heo Hu’s positive response, Norihiro moved on to his real objective.

“Minister, are you familiar with the term ‘menge (免許)’?”

“Menge? Doesn’t it mean ‘to exempt from permission’?”

“In our country, it has a slightly different meaning. It means being granted permission to do something.”

“Is that so? Interesting.”

Heo Hu’s interest was genuine. Although these countries used the same Chinese characters, there were many words that carried similar yet distinct meanings.

“Why do you bring up menge?”

At Heo Hu’s question, Norihiro responded directly.

“We wish to receive a license to produce Joseon’s Eulshik rifles, Eulshik hwacha, and ammunition.”

“Oh? You want to produce our empire’s Eulshik rifles and hwacha in Japan?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you wish to produce them?”

At Heo Hu’s question, Norihiro explained with an embarrassed expression.

“Though my father has become Shogun and served the Emperor for several years, many still refuse to pledge loyalty to the bakufu. We need these to subdue and pacify them. While purchasing from the empire is good, we cannot always obtain the quantities we need when we need them. Therefore, we seek a license for the bakufu to produce them.”

Norihiro’s message could be condensed to:

We have lots of people to beat up, so how can you give us such tiny amounts? Are you pulling rank? Fine, we’ll make them ourselves, damn it!

“Hmm…”

Stroking his beard while pondering Norihiro’s words, Heo Hu reached a conclusion.

“This matter is beyond my authority to decide alone. I will present it to His Majesty.”

Norihiro nodded readily at Heo Hu’s response.

“Of course. Here is the Shogun’s personal letter to His Majesty.”

Receiving the letter Norihiro respectfully presented, Heo Hu responded immediately.

“I shall present it to His Majesty.”

***

Shogun Mochiyo’s personal letter, forwarded through Heo Hu, was examined by the Royal Secretariat before being delivered to Hyang.

• I, Ouchi Mochiyo, Shogun of the bakufu, write to the Emperor of the Great Han Federal Empire. Since the time when your empire bore the name of Joseon, our Ouchi clan and Joseon have been the finest of neighbors. As Joseon has ascended to empire like a dragon meeting clouds and rising to heaven, I too cannot contain my joy.

(Middle section omitted)

• Thus, if Your Majesty grants my request, the good relations between our empire and Japan will continue for ten thousand generations.

Mochiyo’s letter was written with extreme courtesy, using the highest honorifics for Hyang.

“Hmm… Interesting. And that’s precisely what worries me. Please examine this.”

After reading the letter’s contents, Hyang handed it to a court eunuch.

Starting with Hwang Hui, who received it through the eunuch, all ministers present at the meeting examined the letter.

Hwang Hui, who checked the letter first, reported to Hyang.

“Indeed, this letter shows unprecedented deference. However, as the saying goes, ‘excessive courtesy is discourteous’[2], making it all the more suspicious.”

The ministers who examined the letter all nodded at Hwang Hui’s words.

In the past, personal letters had been exchanged several times between Joseon’s king and the bakufu’s shogun.

However, examining those letters, both sides had shown mutual respect without establishing hierarchy.

But this letter from Mochiyo showed complete submission.

This made the ministers even more suspicious.

Even when Joseon sent letters to Ming as a tributary state, they weren’t this deferential. Indeed, even the weakest nation wouldn’t prostrate itself to this degree as a matter of pride.

“Historical precedent shows that the Japanese are a people we must be most wary of when they show excessive courtesy.”

As Hyang nodded at Kim Jeom’s words, he pointed out the real issue.

“The crucial question is why the Ouchi clan seeks to strengthen their military power further.”

Heo Hu answered Hyang’s question.

“While many lords who opposed the Ouchi clan certainly fell during the last war, not a few others have actually grown stronger. From what the House Head said today, it’s clear they intend to deal with these elements.”

***

During the recent war with Ming, Joseon and Ouchi had landed Japanese lords and their troops on Ming’s mainland.

Blinded by the opportunity for instant riches, many had plundered Ming territory, effectively severing Ming’s waist.

The problem came afterward.

Having achieved their strategic objectives, Joseon and Ouchi immediately withdrew.

Of course, they hadn’t withdrawn without warning. Joseon had made sure to notify them of the withdrawal date through Ouchi.

“The Ming forces flee at the sight of us! We don’t need to follow Joseon’s notification!”

“Who listens to those Ouchi bastards!”

However, confidence gained from routing Ming forces, daily accumulating wealth, and finally, antipathy toward Ouchi led them to ignore Ouchi’s notification.

This proved their fatal mistake.

As time passed, recovered Ming forces and civilian warriors known as martial artists began driving them out.

Escaping the Ming forces and martial artists’ suppression toward the sea, they now had to face Joseon and Ouchi’s navies. Immediately after withdrawing, Joseon and Ouchi had declared those remaining in Ming to be pirates and began eliminating them.

While many lords hostile to Ouchi fell during this process, quite a few others survived.

There’s no such thing as groundless goodwill!

But if we don’t join the expedition, we’ll be branded traitors, and even if not, our decline is certain.

Some lords who suspected Joseon and Ouchi’s intentions stayed alert to their movements even while plundering.

Especially after seeing Ouchi’s enthusiasm for securing Ming craftsmen, they also gathered Ming artisans themselves.

And upon receiving notification, they returned home without hesitation.

Though bitter about paying substantial passage fees to Joseon, they managed to return safely to their domains with considerable wealth and craftsmen.

Later, hearing rumors about the fate of those who had acted foolishly unlike themselves, they breathed sighs of relief.

The problem was that subsequent developments proved rather unpleasant for Ouchi.

Lords began quietly implementing their own wealth-and-power policies based on the resources and craftsmen obtained from Ming.

“If those Ouchi peasants could grasp the world, why couldn’t we?”

Once again, the scent of war began slowly wafting up.

***

“Hmm…”

At Heo Hu’s response, Hyang stroked his chin and muttered internally.

Will the Warring States period that I thought wouldn’t happen occur after all? Considering how that period’s end affected Joseon, it’s not welcome… Well, now we’re an empire, not Joseon, and the situation is completely different, but still, it would be better to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Especially if the Warring States period extends as long as I learned about, the variables become too great.

Hyang’s greatest concern was the final issue raised.

-The impossibility of guaranteeing the situation of future generations after a long time passes.

If things continued as they were now, there would be no worry, but like Roman history after the Five Good Emperors period, the possibility of decline was not small.

We could even shatter into pieces.

“Hmm…”

Seeing Hyang unusually stiff and silent, unlike his normal self, the ministers became restless.

What’s this? His silence is somehow frightening!

Usually he’d immediately make a proposal or ask another question, but suddenly acting like this…

Whether aware of the ministers’ expressions or not, Hyang finally spoke after remaining silent for a long while.

“The situation is quite unfavorable. As the Foreign Minister says, we risk another civil war breaking out in Japan if we handle this poorly.”

The ministers nodded after reconsidering Heo Hu’s remarks.

Among the nodding ministers, Min Sin, the new Defense Minister, spoke up.

“That’s certainly true. However, allowing the Ouchi clan to produce rifles and hwacha themselves is also dangerous. We cannot be certain how long they will remain obedient to us.”

Kim Jong-seo raised the core issue in response to Min Sin’s words.

“But isn’t the problem that their civil war would affect us as well?”

The debate between supporters and opponents continued. However, the opposition held the advantage.

After organizing the situation while listening to the ministers’ arguments, Hyang finally reached a decision.

“I’ve made my decision.”

The ministers fell silent and looked at Hyang, who continued addressing them.

“Let’s give the Ouchi clan the license they want. But let’s do so while placing several shackles on them.”