Chapter 290: Managing Jeju

Although the Jeju Garrison was the grandest and best building in all of Jeju town, and even on the entire island, it still looked shabby. Feng Zongze was reminded of his visit to Gyeongbok Palace years ago: This is what they call a government office?

The two men toured the garrison, led by a captured clerk from the garrison office.

The architectural style of the garrison was a miniature version of the Ming’s, but the scale and grandeur were far inferior. It couldn’t compare to the few Ming and Qing county offices that many Senators had visited in Shanxi, and even the government offices in the remote small counties of Hainan Island were more impressive.

“…This Gwandeokjeong Pavilion was built by Magistrate Shin Suk-jeong during the reign of King Sejong. It was later rebuilt by Magistrate Yang Chan during the reign of King Seongjong,” the clerk said obsequiously. The demise of the Jeju Magistrate and Adjutant had made him cherish his own life even more, lest he anger this strange band of Wokou.

The two men examined the very Chinese-style pavilion. Though called a pavilion, it was more like a small tower. In front of it was a large open space, paved with yellow sand. This was where the garrison’s magistrate and adjutant practiced their martial arts. The archery targets from the competition a few days ago were still standing.

“When was King Sejong’s time?” Nangong Wudi asked.

Feng Zongze replied, “I don’t know either. Oh, right, the Joseon Dynasty used the Ming’s reign titles. We can just ask.”

They asked the clerk, who told them the reign title was Xuande. This meant it was nearly two hundred years old.

The calligraphy on the plaque was beautifully written. The clerk said it was the work of King Sejong’s third son, Grand Prince Anpyeong.

“The calligraphy is not bad. Rare, very rare,” Feng Zongze said this from the heart. His own handwriting, like that of most Senators, was barely legible except for his signature. The clerk, however, was bewildered. In his view, Grand Prince Anpyeong’s calligraphy was certainly not bad, but it was hardly rare.

Although the garrison was small in scale, compared to the even shabbier civilian houses, the buildings of the Jeju Garrison were quite well-constructed. They had raised foundations and were built entirely of brick and tile. The rooms had floors, as well as underfloor heating and heated kangs. It was very warm inside. The drawback was that the ceilings were too low. For men of Nangong Wudi and Feng Zongze’s height, they could almost touch the ceiling with a raised arm.

“It feels so oppressive,” Nangong Wudi said with dissatisfaction.

Feng Zongze said, “The houses are built small for warmth…”

“Beijing is much colder, but I haven’t seen the emperor or the government offices build their houses so low. Isn’t Jeju Island still subtropical?”

“It’s called subtropical, but it still snows here. The temperature drops to zero in winter, similar to the Jiangnan region. Not to mention we’re in a Little Ice Age now,” Feng Zongze said. “The difference you’re talking about is actually a difference in national strength.” Unlike Nangong Wudi, who had taught himself Korean for business, Feng Zongze had studied it formally, so he had a certain understanding of Korean history and culture.

“Never mind the house, look at this table and chairs,” Feng Zongze slapped the table. “They’re made of pine and elm. How do they compare, not just to Beijing, but even to the furniture in the county offices and wealthy households on Hainan?”

“That’s true. At least on Hainan, woods like pear wood are not rare.”

“Actually, Korea at the end of the Ming Dynasty was in a very sorry state,” Feng Zongze said, pleased to see that the room chosen for the main headquarters had been cleaned and smelled of disinfectant. He sat down on a chair and took off his fleece hat. “The Little Ice Age brought frequent natural disasters. Neither the Ming nor the Later Jin were kind neighbors; they both ‘foraged’ from this neighbor. To the south, the Dongjiang garrison constantly demanded grain. To the west, the Later Jin frequently invaded. The Joseon Dynasty was struggling to cope. It’s a miracle they managed to survive and continue their dynasty for another three hundred years.”

1631 was just another bleak year in the half-century of hardship for the Joseon Dynasty during the decline of the Ming and the rise of the Qing. From spring to July and August, there was a widespread drought, and the king frequently prayed for rain. After August, there were frost and heavy rains in various places, which did not stop until November, leading all the ministers to resign in an attempt to appease the heavens’ wrath. In May of this year, the Later Jin invaded Anju and other areas, not retreating until July and August. The Dongjiang garrison, entrenched on the Liaodong Peninsula and the Korean border, mutinied. Governor Huang Long was once imprisoned. The island was extremely short of grain and constantly demanded shipments. The Joseon court, despite its own difficulties, did not dare to refuse.

Nangong Wudi said with dissatisfaction, “Are you feeling merciful?”

“Of course. Seeing the people of the Joseon Dynasty living in deep water and scorching fire, and the light of the Senate has not yet shone here, I am deeply grieved,” Feng Zongze said with feigned solemnity.

“Alright, you little sun, go shine on Jeju Island,” Nangong Wudi roared. “General Feng, mansae!”

“Mansae, mansae,” Feng Zongze said. “Let’s first take stock of the spoils of war on Jeju Island.”

The occupation of the three towns brought at least half of Jeju’s population under their direct control.

Based on historical data, interrogations of captured officials, and confiscated records, they roughly knew that Jeju Island currently had a population of fifty thousand. The exact number was unknown even to the Joseon officials. According to the records, excluding military personnel, the population should have been 63,093. But the captured household registry clerk said this was impossible. Since the reign of King Sejong, people had been allowed to migrate to the mainland during famines. Over the years, the population had been in a state of outflow. Although supplemented by exiles, Jeju Island had long suffered from a shortage of grain, and many people had fled. Therefore, the actual population should be around fifty thousand.

More than half of this population was concentrated in Jeju town and the surrounding villages. This was why Feng Zongze had decided to set up his main base here. In addition, Jeju town itself was a transportation hub for entering and leaving the island, directly facing the Korean mainland.

There were a total of nine frequently used and relatively good harbors on Jeju Island—the locations of the “nine forts.” The most trafficked ports with the Korean mainland, besides Jeju, were Jocheonpo to the east of Jeju. There was a post station, boats, and it specifically handled official traffic between the mainland and Jeju Island. So, at the same time they took Jeju, Xue Ziliang had been ordered to take Jocheonpo to control the large boats and boatmen there.

“We should immediately occupy all the forts and control all the ports,” Nangong Wudi said eagerly.

“It doesn’t matter. We have so few men, it’s impossible to completely blockade the entire island,” Feng Zongze said. “The poor won’t run away, and what can the rich take with them even if they do?”

Completely controlling the ports was also meaningless. The strait between Jeju Island and the Korean mainland was not wide, only a few dozen kilometers. With the Kuroshio Current, anyone determined to escape could reach the Korean coast by clinging to a bathtub. Besides, if one were fleeing for their life, they would only take some valuables and dry rations; a small boat would suffice.

The task force’s naval strength was limited and could only blockade a few large ports. Moreover, there were many rivers on Jeju Island, which were impossible to control. The wealthy could easily escape by taking a small boat from one of these rivers.

But even if they escaped, it wasn’t a big problem. The wealth of Jeju was mainly its cattle and horses. To transport cattle and horses, large ships were necessary. Apart from a few official vessels, Jeju Island had no large ships. The rich would not flee with cumbersome cattle and horses; they would only carry valuables. For the Senate, it was better if the rich ran away. The cattle, horses, and real estate they left behind would rightfully become spoils of war.

“If we don’t have enough men, we have to raise troops. We need lots of collaborators!” Nangong Wudi said. The performance of the Japanese Company of the Public Security Army had pleased him so much that he had suddenly taken a liking to the term “Public Security Army.” “There are so many government slaves on the island. They can’t possibly be loyal to the Joseon Dynasty, can they? It shouldn’t be a problem to form a few… no, Public Security Army companies.”

“Yes, we should get on it right away. Nationalist sentiment isn’t strong in this era; we can totally take advantage of that,” Feng Zongze also nodded. Their numbers were limited. Both the regular army and the Public Security Army had to be kept as a mobile force. It was impossible to station occupation troops everywhere.

They calculated that each town should be armed with at least one company of public security soldiers, equipped with cold weapons. Weapons were not a problem; they could select three to five hundred usable weapons from the confiscated arms of the Joseon soldiers and the government armories.

As for the source of soldiers, they would start with the government slaves. In Jeju town and its surroundings alone, there were seven to eight thousand hungry and cold government slaves. It would not be difficult to select three hundred with deep bitterness and great hatred.

“We should do what we did on Hainan, first establish a liaison system in various places, order the villages in the countryside to pay tribute and provide labor, and gradually penetrate the grassroots,” Nangong Wudi suggested again.

“Good. But our first task is to consolidate the cities.”

After detailed calculations, they decided to station one platoon and one work team in both Daejeong and Jeongui as the core of the occupation force. The Seongsan base would be controlled by the navy. The rest of the troops, including the labor corps, would be concentrated in Jeju town. After all, the spoils of war were most abundant there and needed to be properly digested.

The first step was to clean up the houses in the city. The circumference of Jeju town was 3,910 paces, more than twice the size of Qiongshan, the capital county of Hainan. Apart from the residential streets and shops of the common people, a large number of the buildings were “official houses.”

The quality of the official houses varied. Many were used to house the government slaves exiled here. Because the government slaves were a mobile population, some who had been on the island for a long time had built their own houses, while others had been assigned to other parts of the island for farming and herding. Therefore, many houses were empty. The houses for the government slaves were very simple, but at least they could provide shelter from the wind and rain. They were perfect for housing the refugees from Shandong.

The drawback was the poor sanitary conditions. Skin diseases and parasites were rampant, and strict disinfection was necessary.

However, there was a lot of open space in the city, which was also convenient for building temporary camps. In particular, the water supply was abundant and could be used for purification and for the daily life and diet of the refugee camps. Although the walls of Jeju were a bit pathetic, they were still walls and could be used for effective refugee control, preventing them from escaping and wandering around.