Ch.325Exam (2)

“To exchange my life for a test result that’s merely Goryeo.

It’s an absurd situation, but from the Emperor’s position, it was only natural.

“I should be satisfied with this much.”

From my position, even this much was a satisfactory situation.

Especially since there was no punishment at all for recruiting firearms craftsmen.

“In a way, I’ve gained a grace period.”

The Emperor said he would test me when I became an adult.

That essentially meant he would leave me to my own devices for the next four years, regardless of what I did.

“But what kind of test is he planning that warrants such gravity?”

It was the first time I’d seen the Emperor so angry.

Of course, since I hadn’t known him for long, there was much about him I didn’t understand.

“Test… a test…”

I muttered to myself, organizing my thoughts.

At that moment, something flashed through my mind.

“Eunuch Jang. Eunuch Jang! Are you there?”

At my call, Eunuch Jang, who had been waiting outside, entered.

He bowed before addressing me.

“Did you call for me, Your Highness?”

“Has there been any suspicious activity in the Liaodong region recently?”

“The Liaodong region, Your Highness?”

“Yes.”

Liaodong was a place where various nomadic tribes lived together.

Because of this, there were still people who followed the laws of the steppe.

The Goryeo-Liaodong Federation was a larger country than one might think.

Just in terms of size, it was much larger than the Korean peninsula.

It was impossible to control such a vast territory completely in the pre-modern era.

For this reason, from the time the Prince of Liaodong also became Emperor of Goryeo, the administrative center was moved to the Korean peninsula.

There simply wasn’t enough administrative capacity to project power across the entire vast territory.

Additionally, there were those who resisted such central control.

“Regarding Liaodong… I have heard rumors that the Wild Jurchens have been causing trouble recently.”

“Wild Jurchens, you say.”

The Wild Jurchens were descendants of the Mohe people, who belonged to the Sushen lineage.

The descendants of the Mohe were divided into three branches: Jianzhou, Haixi, and Wild Jurchens.

Among them, the Jianzhou would later establish the Qing Dynasty, and the Haixi were absorbed by the Jianzhou and became sinicized together.

In contrast, the Wild Jurchens, located in the northernmost regions, remained unsinicized until the end, resulting in their backward culture.

Unlike the original history, in this altered timeline, Nurhaci, the ruler of the Jianzhou Jurchens, was serving as the Emperor’s general.

This meant that both the Jianzhou and Haixi Jurchens were under the influence of the Goryeo-Liaodong Federation.

Unlike these two tribes, the Wild Jurchens, as in the original history, seemed to have not come under the influence of Goryeo, which was descended from the Yemaek people.

“Yes. They are ferocious people who have occasionally allied with the Chahar tribe to harass both Mongolia and the Goryeo-Liaodong Federation.”

They seemed to be behaving like barbarians, just as in the original history.

This was understandable since their land was even further north than the Maritime Province in modern terms, making agriculture impossible.

As a result, they appeared to have joined forces with the Chahar tribe, a Mongolian tribe in a similar situation, to occasionally raid the border regions.

“Raids, is it? Is there no response from our country?”

“Unfortunately, with the entire Mongolian territory fractured due to the princes’ rebellion…”

Eunuch Jang hesitated to continue.

Probably because I was from Mongolia, he had to be careful with his words.

Regardless, as he said, the country was in chaos due to the princes’ rebellion.

Chaos was the most suitable time for bandits to thrive.

“Then is Goryeo taking any action to prevent this?”

“They continuously send soldiers to subdue them, but the Wild Jurchen cavalry are so fast that it’s difficult to respond effectively.”

I nodded at Eunuch Jang’s words.

It was difficult for infantry to chase cavalry. That’s why complete eradication was nearly impossible.

To completely eliminate an enemy force, one had to lead an army to the enemy’s stronghold.

But when cavalry kept harassing them, even this became challenging.

“So that’s why he said that back then.”

The Emperor’s statement that infantry couldn’t subdue cavalry seemed to be because of this.

No matter how many troops were sent, they couldn’t subjugate the Wild Jurchens.

“May I ask what you’re referring to, Your Highness?”

“It’s nothing. More importantly, doesn’t Goryeo raise cavalry?”

If infantry couldn’t catch cavalry, raising your own cavalry was a reasonable solution.

“They raise horses on Tsushima Island, but it’s such a small island that it’s not feasible.”

“I see.”

In the original history, Goryeo became a vassal state of Mongolia and was made to raise horses.

The place where those horses were raised was Jeju Island.

But since I had obtained Jeju Island from Goryeo, history had been twisted.

“Then why not raise them in Taiwan?”

“Taiwan… is technically territory of the Goryeo-Liaodong Federation, but our administrative power doesn’t reach there.”

“Why is that?”

“Because of the Song people.”

“Song people?”

At my question, Eunuch Jang began to explain about the Song people.

The Song people were Chinese who had crossed the sea and settled in Taiwan after the fall of the Song Dynasty.

This was natural since I, as Yesugei, had carried out indiscriminate massacres against the Chinese.

In any case, those who fled to Taiwan for survival had no choice but to hide their nationality.

Otherwise, they would be forcibly repatriated by Goryeo, which was allied with Mongolia.

For this reason, the Song people had been pretending to be Goryeo people, not people from the Central Plains.

Goryeo people who spoke Chinese.

It was an absurd claim, but Goryeo lacked the administrative capacity to repatriate all of them to Mongolia.

Moreover, Taiwan was uninhabited land.

So, partly to increase the population, they chose to leave these people alone.

For these reasons, the connection between Goryeo and Taiwan began to weaken.

As this situation continued, Goryeo eventually lost control over Taiwan altogether.

“The Song people are originally from the Central Plains who claim to be Goryeo people. However, they don’t speak the Goryeo language at all.”

“Hmm.”

They claim to be Goryeo people but can’t speak the Goryeo language.

I understood why the Song people made such claims, but it didn’t make sense.

“Moreover, with Mongolia in chaos, there are even those among the Song people who are asserting their sovereignty and seeking independence from our country.”

As I’ve mentioned repeatedly, the distance between the Korean peninsula and Taiwan was quite far.

Goryeo had lost control over Taiwan.

Furthermore, Mongolia, which had been suppressing them, was in chaos.

As a result, the Song people, who no longer had to be cautious, seemed to have started demanding independence.

“I should have killed them all back then.”

While I had massacred the Song people, it was also true that I had deliberately left them an escape route.

I had opened a path for them to flee to Taiwan, intending to create internal chaos within Goryeo.

I had maintained this strategy, planning to control Goryeo through division…

But now that I was born as a descendant who had to rely on Goryeo, this situation was uncomfortable.

“Anyway, that’s enough. You may go.”

At my dismissal, Eunuch Jang bowed and left.

After he departed, I took out a map from the drawer.

“So he plans to test me through the subjugation of the Wild Jurchens.”

Infantry can subdue cavalry.

Having heard these words, the Emperor would surely order me to subjugate the Wild Jurchens.

“If I succeed in subjugating the Wild Jurchens, it benefits Goryeo; if I fail, my head will be taken by the Wild Jurchens anyway, so the Emperor has nothing to lose.”

It was a harsh reality, but it was the truth.

“Four years. I’ll focus.”

I clenched my fist with a determined expression.

Yes, the test given by my descendant. I’ll pass it, no matter what.

* * *

“Hah!”

As the sword fell from above, the man in front stood tumbled to the ground.

“Ugh…”

The man, covered in dust, looked up at the figure who had knocked him down.

But that figure, seemingly uninterested in the fallen man, gestured with his hand.

“Next.”

At that, another challenger who had been waiting his turn rushed forward.

Watching all this, Go Yoon couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration.

“Truly remarkable growth.”

Go Yoon said this while watching the man who was effortlessly defeating the challengers.

With neatly arranged hair and a tidy blue headband.

Below that shone intelligent eyes, a straight nose, and perfect features that could steal any woman’s heart.

Unlike his dazzling appearance that would be fitting for a gisaeng’s brother, the man’s body was like that of a warrior.

Countless wounds and scars testified to how hard he had worked over the past four years.

While Go Yoon was thinking this, the young man had defeated all the challengers.

Then, with a towel draped over his shoulder, he approached Go Yoon.

“Has Judge Go arrived?”

“That was impressive swordsmanship, Khan Tolui.”

The man’s identity was none other than Khan Tolui.

At 16 years old, now an adult, his face showed no trace of the youthful appearance he had at 12.

“I’d prefer if you called me Park Su-hyeon, not Tolui.”

“How could I dare to address Your Highness by name?”

“I consider Go Yoon like my brother. That’s a shame.”

Tolui, or rather Park Su-hyeon, said this with a mischievous smile.

In response, Go Yoon shook his head as if to say he couldn’t be helped.

“Does sparring every day make us brothers?”

“On the steppe, that’s what we call brotherhood.”

Su-hyeon answered with a smirk.

Then he immediately took a stance, as if suggesting they spar. Go Yoon shook his head.

“I don’t think I can spar today.”

“Why not?”

“Isn’t today your appointment with His Majesty?”

“Ah, right.”

At Go Yoon’s words, Su-hyeon withdrew his sword.

Then, after taking a deep breath, he turned to look at Eunuch Jang.

As if he had been waiting, Eunuch Jang approached him.

“We will head to the imperial palace. Prepare formal attire.”

“I will obey your command, Your Highness.”

As Eunuch Jang disappeared to carry out the order, the soldiers naturally disappeared as well.

With everyone gone, only the two of them remained in the open space.

“Judge Go.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“How would you evaluate my current level of swordsmanship?”

“You could rightfully be called the finest swordsman in Goryeo.”

“The finest swordsman in Goryeo… why not the finest in the Three Kingdoms?”

“Because that position is already taken.”

Go Yoon retorted with a smirk.