Ch.331Northern Expedition (2)

After becoming the Samguk Daejanggun, I received countless greetings from Goryeo officials.

The first to arrive was, naturally, Prince Anchang.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty. You’ve become the Samguk Daejanggun.”

Prince Anchang smiled as he congratulated me on my promotion.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Prince Anchang nodded at my words.

Then, with a meaningful look in his eyes, he spoke to me.

“Now we’ve become political rivals.”

Though his words suggested opposition, his eyes were smiling.

It was fair to interpret this as meaning that while we might be political adversaries, he wished to maintain a good personal relationship.

Of course, being of imperial blood, I shouldn’t completely trust his appearance.

“Politically speaking, that’s true.”

“I think the same. Politically we stand opposed, but personally we maintain a good relationship.”

A long silence followed.

What broke this silence was none other than a servant’s call.

“Excuse me, Your Majesty.”

“It’s fine. Let them in.”

A table of refreshments was placed between Prince Anchang and me.

Fragrant tea appeared alongside delicious and colorful snacks.

After setting the table, the servant bowed and left the room.

“Please, help yourself first.”

At my suggestion, Prince Anchang nodded respectfully before taking one of the snacks.

After eating it, he immediately spoke.

“What a unique flavor and taste. This is a rare snack in Goryeo. Where did you get it from?”

“It’s a snack brought from Mongolia.”

“Is that so? The texture is like rice cake, but the outside is crispy while sweet honey flows inside.”

“I’m glad it suits your taste.”

The food I served was none other than hotteok.

It was a food that existed even in the Goryeo period, called hoehoe-tteok at that time because it was eaten by Muslim people.

In Mongolia, they would put meat inside this hoehoe-tteok and eat it as a meal substitute.

In this world’s Goryeo, they did eat hoehoe-tteok due to Mongolian influence, but they hadn’t experienced hotteok like this—fried on the outside with honey inside.

This was because this hotteok was the Korean version that spread to our country in the 20th century.

The past version of hotteok was difficult to make, but this simplified version was both easy to prepare and delicious.

“What is the name of this food?”

“It’s hotteok.”

“Hotteok… does that mean ‘barbarian rice cake’?”

Prince Anchang asked this while studying my intentions.

I nodded in response.

“That’s right.”

This statement carried many implications.

It was food brought from Mongolia, yet its name was hotteok.

This was similar to saying Mongolians were barbarians.

Though it shook my foundations, it wasn’t particularly problematic since in Goryeo, the prefix “ho” was attached to all Western cultures that entered through Mongolia.

However, it was significant that I, a Mongolian and heir to the throne, would say such a thing.

In Goryeo’s worldview, barbarians were beings that needed to be civilized.

This civilization sometimes involved the use of force, as when conquering the wild Jurchen.

In other words, they were targets for subjugation.

So when I used hotteok to imply that Mongolians were barbarians, Prince Anchang couldn’t help but make such an expression.

“May I ask if what I’m thinking aligns with your thoughts, Your Majesty?”

Prince Anchang asked while taking a bite of the hotteok.

In response, I didn’t answer but simply looked at the hotteok.

Then, Prince Anchang, who had been wearing a puzzled expression, suddenly dropped the hotteok in surprise.

“To show such behavior before Your Majesty. I’m deeply sorry.”

Hot honey had flowed out from between the hotteok that Prince Anchang had bitten into.

Surprised by the heat, he had no choice but to drop it.

“Hotteok is truly a delicious snack. When filled with honey, you can enjoy the crispiness, chewiness, and sweetness all at once.”

“…”

“However, one must eat it carefully. Otherwise, you’ll get burned like that.”

At my words, Prince Anchang briefly fell into thought.

Then he burst into laughter.

“Haha! Too much of anything is bad. How right you are.”

Currently, Mongolia is in chaos due to a princely rebellion.

But that doesn’t mean Goryeo can attack Mongolia at its level.

As I’ve mentioned repeatedly, the Mongolia I created was a world empire.

It was a great empire where the sun never set, stretching from Japan in the east to France in the west.

Even if such a great empire was split into several parts due to internal chaos, an empire remained an empire.

If Goryeo were to greedily attack prematurely, the princes who had divided Mongolia would likely unite against Goryeo.

Therefore, now was not the time to make a move.

“Would you teach me how to eat hotteok?”

Prince Anchang asked me with a reverent attitude.

I smiled and answered.

“It’s like drinking tea.”

“Tea, you say?”

“Yes. First, just as you enjoy the aroma while savoring tea at leisure, enjoy the aroma of the hotteok while waiting for its interior to cool somewhat.”

Prince Anchang nodded with interest at my explanation.

“However, you shouldn’t let the inside cool too much. If the honey gets cold, the hotteok becomes tough and loses its flavor.”

“So I must choose the right moment.”

“Exactly.”

Prince Anchang waited as I suggested for the honey to cool slightly.

Then he took a big bite.

It was at just the right temperature—warm enough to enjoy both the taste and texture.

Perhaps because of this, he enjoyed the hotteok with a satisfied expression.

“Haha! This is really delicious. Don’t you agree, Your Majesty?”

* * *

After meeting with Prince Anchang, I met with several other notable figures.

Among them was Master Jo Sik, known as Yi Hwang’s rival.

“Thank you for meeting me, Your Majesty.”

Master Namyeong Jo Sik had an appearance that no one would mistake for a scholar.

His fierce eyes, tremendous leg muscles, and the boisterous voice that emerged whenever he opened his mouth made him look more like a general.

“I’m pleased to meet the famous Confucian scholar, Master Namyeong.”

As an aside, Namyeong was the same age as Toegye.

“I am also honored to meet Your Majesty, who has achieved great merit in subjugating the wild Jurchen.”

There was a reason he specifically mentioned the subjugation of the wild Jurchen.

Unlike Toegye, Namyeong had radical tendencies, and he repeatedly submitted memorials urging the Emperor to focus on stabilizing security in the northern territories.

The reason for this argument was that he believed they could eventually form a large force and become a threat to Goryeo.

In actual history, the Jurchen tribe was indeed a major threat to Goryeo.

The Jin Dynasty, which had been subjugated by Goryeo, suddenly grew in power and became the superior state.

Given this history, it was understandable why Namyeong persistently advocated for the subjugation of the wild Jurchen.

In reality, when I subjugated the wild Jurchen, their tribal scale was quite large.

If they had joined hands with the Mongolian Chahar tribe in this state and transformed into an independent nation, they could have created a power like the Khitan, which flourished based in Liaoxia, or the Jin Dynasty, which rose from Liaodong.

Fortunately, I had eliminated the wild Jurchen in such a situation, so from Namyeong’s perspective, he must have been eager to meet me.

Anyway, after finishing our greetings, I engaged in conversation with Namyeong.

The conversation was, naturally, based on Confucianism.

“As the newly appointed Samguk Daejanggun, what future do you envision for Goryeo, Your Majesty?”

“We must rise resolutely to pacify our surroundings, maintaining dignity abroad and pursuing peace at home.”

This was a quote from the Analects.

Namyeong, who couldn’t possibly be unaware of this, nodded and continued his questions.

“In pacifying our surroundings, what methods does Your Majesty intend to use?”

“First, examine internal affairs to ensure there are no deficiencies, and learn from the old to create the new.”

Ongojisin.

This too was an idiom encapsulating “learning from the old to know the new makes one a teacher” from the Analects.

When I mentioned this, Namyeong asked a question as if he had been waiting for it.

“May I ask what Your Majesty means by ‘the old’?”

“As Goryeo’s Samguk Daejanggun, I command the military. Therefore, I will explain in terms of Goryeo’s military situation.”

After taking a deep breath, I continued.

“I will create new tactics based on infantry using firearms to annihilate the enemy.”

“Though I am a Confucian scholar, I know a little about military strategy. According to military principles, it takes several infantry to block one cavalry, which means infantry have difficulty defeating cavalry, doesn’t it?”

“Generally speaking, that’s true. However, if one learns new things and integrates them with the old, it becomes possible. I proved this during the subjugation of the wild Jurchen.”

Namyeong nodded at this.

Indeed, I had defeated the wild Jurchen cavalry with just 500 infantry.

Of course, it helped that they were light cavalry wearing light armor, but still, it was remarkable that infantry, numerically inferior at that, had defeated cavalry.

Additionally, Toegye, Namyeong’s rival, had participated in this battle.

So Jo Sik was well aware of this.

“I can only admire Your Majesty’s forthright explanation.”

Namyeong bowed as he spoke.

I nodded and then addressed him.

“It seems Master Namyeong didn’t come here merely to inquire about Goryeo’s direction. May I ask the reason for your visit?”

At my suggestion to get to the main point, Namyeong nodded.

“The reason I sought an audience with Your Majesty is because of this.”

Namyeong took a letter from his breast.

Then he continued his explanation.

“This is a letter I received from Master Toegye, describing how you civilized the wild Jurchen during their subjugation.”

As expected of a Confucian scholar, Toegye had written about it and sent it to his rival.

In a way, it could be seen as Toegye’s prank to provoke Namyeong, who had an activist tendency.

In any case, the effect must have been significant.

Judging by Namyeong’s personal visit.

“As a Confucian scholar, civilization is the most important virtue.”

“I think so too.”

“But in this letter, Master Toegye wrote that developing upper body muscles is important for civilizing the wild Jurchen.”

“Is that important?”

“It is important. According to Geungyeong Mukbalgeunjeon, all of a person’s center begins from the lower body.”

Mukbalgeun was the phonetic transcription of Elunka’s name in Chinese characters.

Elunka led the Tamma and emphasized the importance of the lower body. So naturally, it was written that all muscles, the lower body was most important.

“Therefore, civilization focused on the upper body is incorrect.”

“…?”

“Please give me a chance. I will show you what true civilization is.”

I had a feeling things were taking a strange turn.