Emperor Jingtai immediately nodded upon receiving the strategy devised by the Head of the Grand Secretariat and ministers.
“What an excellent plan! This addresses the security concerns caused by those returning from Liaodong perfectly!”
Highly satisfied, Emperor Jingtai stamped the document with the imperial seal and commanded:
“Implement this immediately!”
“We shall obey Your Imperial Command!”
The Ministry of War and military departments immediately began work upon receiving Emperor Jingtai’s authorization.
-Volunteer for units suppressing rebels in Jiangnan! -Sufficient wages will be paid to soldiers in suppression units! -After suppression, participating troops can receive unclaimed farmland in Jiangnan! -Those who achieve military merit can acquire more land! -This is personally promised by His Majesty the Emperor!
For those who had returned from Liaodong, the Emperor’s edict announced by the Ministry of War was a lifeline rescuing them from the brink of death.
“What fortune! We were desperate for means of survival! We’re saved!”
“Jiangnan’s farmland is the cream of the crop! Worth risking our lives for such land!”
Men from returning households, regardless of age, volunteered for military service upon discovering this hope.
The same held true for retiring soldiers who had been packing to return home.
They had received substantial wages while restoring the war-damaged Grand Canal and various transportation networks. However, many faced uncertain futures upon returning home.
Such individuals also volunteered for the suppression forces.
Thanks to this, the Ming court secured enough troops for the suppression campaign without withdrawing forces from the north.
“Including the Imperial Army stationed in Nanking and various cities, we have sufficient forces to suppress the rebels, Your Majesty!”
Emperor Jingtai expressed satisfaction at the Minister of War’s report.
“Excellent! Ministry of War, turn them into elite soldiers as quickly as possible!”
“We shall obey your command!”
While training the returnees into soldiers under Emperor Jingtai’s orders, Ming military officers noticed one characteristic:
“These fellows… they’re terrifyingly fierce.”
“Indeed. Must be from living in such harsh territories.”
As the officers noted, those returning from Liaodong were rough in temperament.
Not only the Jurchen people who had been considered somewhat tamed by settled life, but also the Han people who had lived alongside them were fierce in nature. Training returnees who would resort to life-and-death struggles over slight disagreements was no easy task.
As officers struggled to manage these rough individuals, rumors began circulating:
“If the supposedly ‘tamed’ settled Jurchen are this fierce, how much more savage must the still-nomadic Jurchen be? And what about those Joseon fellows who made even such Jurchen tuck their tails?”
Officers who followed this train of thought sought out colleagues who had faced Joseon forces in the recent war.
“How fierce are Joseon troops? When they lose battles, they charge in grinding their teeth in frustration, and when they win, they attack even more terrifyingly in their elation.”
As veterans shook their heads while answering, fear of Joseon forces gradually took root among the officers who had asked these questions.
This was an unexpected harvest that even Hyang hadn’t anticipated.
Meanwhile, around the time Emperor Jingtai in Beijing was preparing to quell the chaos in Jiangnan, the situation in Japan was also deteriorating.
The Ouchi Bakufu, having acquired massive funds and craftsmen during the recent war, was working to strengthen centralized control. This proved difficult for the existing privileged classes to accept.
Eventually, they drew their swords once again.
At the center of this uprising were the noble houses[1].
Through the Kamakura and Muromachi Bakufu eras, a division of labor had developed between the Bakufu and Kuge.
The Bakufu held military and police authority plus governance of eastern regions centered on Kyoto, while the Kuge handled general court administration and governance of western regions.
However, the problem lay in the Ouchi clan, who had established the new Bakufu, having their roots in southwestern Japan.
Simply put, overlapping territories emerged between Kuge and Ouchi domains.
Furthermore, instead of establishing themselves in Kyoto, Ouchi had brought the Emperor to Yamaguchi, which was another issue.
They had gained control of the Emperor, a symbolic figure, while remaining within their sphere of influence.
Having secured both political symbolism and military power, Ouchi became unstoppable.
“We must discard the old ways! Only then can we survive these turbulent times!”
Emphasizing the crisis, Mochiyo requested the Emperor grant him another position besides Sei-i Taishōgun, the traditional office held by Bakufu Shoguns.
The position he requested was ‘Kampaku’[2].
Kampaku was effectively the highest position among Japanese court ministers.
Whether symbolic or not, all Japanese policies officially required Imperial approval. However, this approval couldn’t be given by the Emperor’s sole decision, requiring final consultation between the Kampaku and Emperor.
This Kampaku position could only be held by members of five noble families known as the ‘Go-Sekke’[3].
Ouchi had demanded this Kampaku position.
The Go-Sekke naturally had to resist Mochiyo’s demand.
However, since Ouchi held actual military power, they offered a compromise:
“Choose one of the Go-Sekke houses and become their adopted son. Then we will acknowledge you.”
When the Go-Sekke messenger delivered this compromise, Mochiyo immediately drew his sword and beheaded him.
“Such insolence! How dare they view our clan this way? These creatures without proper genealogy treat us like beggars!”
Mochiyo couldn’t contain his rage. The Ouchi clan had long claimed descent from Prince Imseong of Baekje. Moreover, Joseon had created and presented them with a proper genealogy, causing Ouchi clan pride to soar to the heavens.
Being asked to abandon such an ancient clan’s surname led Mochiyo to immediately behead the messenger.
Enraged, Mochiyo shouted to his retainers:
“Treacherous ministers still plague our country! Failing to break from old ways is itself treason! Prepare for battle! Purge them!”
“Yes, my lord!”
Though Mochiyo called for a purge, the Kuge didn’t back down.
Rather, they couldn’t back down.
“If this continues, not only all court positions but all domains in Yamato will become Ouchi’s!”
Their concerns had reason.
Since the Ouchi clan began sending students to Joseon, the scale had steadily increased.
What started with 20-30 students had now grown to nearly hundreds.
These individuals who had studied and gained practical experience in Joseon were now responsible for Ouchi Bakufu administration.
As they fully demonstrated what they had learned and mastered, the Ouchi Bakufu possessed powerful administrative capabilities unlike previous Bakufu like Kamakura or Muromachi.
Following Joseon’s victory over Ming and rebirth as an empire, these scholars raised their voices:
“Abolish domains and establish prefectures[4]!”
“Though Yamato is clearly one country, how absurd that all domains call themselves kuni (國)!”
“The court is the same! It has rotted under Kuge monopoly! We too must implement civil service examinations to recruit talent and reform!”
“We must establish educational institutions like the Four Classes Academy to nurture talent among the people!”
Those who had directly learned and experienced Joseon’s centralized political system called for Japanese reform.
And gradually, people among the common folk began quietly supporting them.
As the situation evolved this way, the Kuge faced an existential threat.
Finally, in Imperial Year 2.
As purges became almost certain, Kuge members in Yamaguchi began slipping away one by one.
Those who carefully escaped Ouchi surveillance moved as quickly as possible toward their domains.
However, despite their secretive movements, they had all fallen into Ouchi’s surveillance net.
“So, they’ve all returned to their domains?”
“Yes, my lord!”
Receiving the report, Mochiyo smiled coldly.
“Moving without realizing it’s a trap – this is why they’re inadequate. Prepare for war immediately! Also recheck the condition of the new matchlocks and Eulshik fire vehicles imported from the Empire!”
“Yes, my lord!”
As the commanded retainers hurried out, Mochiyo looked at Norihiro who remained.
“Heir, what do you think?”
Norihiro prostrated himself deeply at Mochiyo’s question and answered:
“I have been awaiting your decision, Clan Head! Once the Kuge purge ends, our Japan will be reborn as a truly unified country!”
Norihiro’s voice was filled with burning aspiration.
Through his travels between the Empire and Japan, and participation in the war against Ming, Norihiro couldn’t hide his admiration and envy of the Empire’s development.
This admiration and envy soon transformed into thirst and urgency.
“The world changes rapidly, yet our Japan wastes time in a well!”
“How long will we continue playing at being feudal lords!”
For Norihiro, who could barely contain his frustration at Japan’s outdated state where only the head had changed while the body remained the same, the Kuge rebellion was most welcome.
And Mochiyo felt the same way.
“Bring brush and paper!”
“Yes, my lord!”
Grasping the brush, Mochiyo vigorously wrote on blank paper. In one stroke, he wrote just two characters:
–Restoration[5]
This declaration would later be known as the Hotoku Restoration[6], taking its name from the era.
Meanwhile, the Kuge nobles who had returned to their domains gathered troops and rose in rebellion.
As they rebelled, these nobles declared:
“The current Bakufu oppresses the people with borrowed force and destroys traditions passed down from the past! How tyrannical! We shall suppress the Bakufu and revive beautiful traditions!”
The soldiers of these rebels raised banners inscribed with phrases such as:
News of the Bakufu and Kuge clash in Japan quickly reached Seoul.
Confirming this information, Hyang muttered with a bitter smile:
“One way or another, what connection does this word ‘restoration’ have with Japan… Wait! Haven’t almost all Japanese military operations with the character for ‘heaven’ (天) had poor results?”
Setting aside such personal feelings, upon receiving the information, Hyang discussed future matters with the ministers.
“What are your thoughts on the renewed civil war in Japan?”
Hwang Hui immediately answered Hyang’s question:
“It’s said the most interesting spectacles are watching fires and fights, Your Majesty. Observation should be our priority for now. Of course, we should prepare for any spillover effects, but still.”
All other ministers nodded at Hwang Hui’s words.
“The Prime Minister’s words are sound.”
Hyang nodded at the ministers’ response.
“Then let’s just watch for now.”