Joseon - Part 7

-1506- King Jungjong is enthroned.
   -Rebel soldiers led by 3 merit courtiers (Seong Hi-an, Park Won-jong, and Yu Sun-jeong) enthroned him after the tyrannical rule of his half-brother, the brutal King Yeonsan.
   -King Jungjong was very unlike King Yeonsan, but was dominated by the courtiers that had gotten him into power.
      -Immediately there was a bunch of drama between the courtiers and the old guard that had benefited under King Yeonsan's rule.
-1509- A courtier named Jo Gwang-jo, very smart and hungry for power, began to rise up through the ranks.  More on him later.
-Meanwhile in the south, many ex-waegu began to settle around Busan after all the raiding and shenanigans had stopped.
   -The Joseon officials sent from Seoul took advantage of these waegu immigrants by over-taxing them and just being shitty to them.
      -These ex-waegu tried to complain to the Joseon government about it, but to no avail.  So, they went to Tsushima Island (Daema Island in Korean), where they were able to raise a strong navy!  They then attacked Busan, killing the officials, and sacking the city!
         -In response, Joseon sent a force down and crushed the rebellion.
   -Diplomatic relations between the Ashikaga shogunate and Joseon were icy after that for about 50 years, and most Japanese living in the south were deported.
   -In preparation for a possible war with the Ashikaga Shogunate, King Jungjong ordered that temples in Gyeongju be gutted, in case the temple artifacts were needed to be melted down to create weapons.
      -King Jungjong didn't give a fuck because he wasn't Buddhist, but this obviously upset many of the largely Buddhist common folk.
         -This was arguably the nadir of the history of Korean Buddhism.
-Meanwhile, Jo Gwang-jo continued to rise in the ranks, gaining recognition from the king personally.
   -Finally, he was appointed a junior censor.
      -He immediately created controversy by confronting the elite in government about corruption and the limited power of the censors.  He was also mostly supported by the Sarim.
         -This was surprisingly supported by King Jung-jong, who seemed to have a mancrush on Jo Gwang-jo.
         -There was a huge political gridlock in the court, but ultimately Jo Gwang-jo was able to dominate.
-1518- The Jurchen began to get rowdy again north of the Yalu River.
   -The war council had planned for a sneak attack, but Jo Gwang-jo thought that a truly civilized people like Joseon didn't stoop to such low tactics, and convinced the court not to go ahead with this plan.
-1519- Jo Gwang-jo is appointed as official tutor of the crown prince.  He also continued to grow in power.
   -Introduced new government policies- streamlined the provincial governorship process and position.
   -Introduced a harsh system of justice based around public shaming.
      -Allegedly, crime went down!
   -Ceased public gender segregation.
   -Made people wear different clothing to indicate social status.
   -Introduced the Hyangyak ("Village Code"), rooted in Neo-Confucian philosophy.
      -Gave local power to rural officials, and gave the yangban power to enforce local governments.
      -This made the realm more secure too, because the local officials could use the money to raise local armies.
         -This was a big reason why Joseon survived as a distinct political entity into modern times.
-However, Jo Gwang-jo went too far in his will to power by trying to purge the rival Hungu yangban.
   -Tried to prove that the entire faction of Hoongu were fake or undeserving of their position via personal attacks, etc.
      -This initially worked, and more than half of the Hungu were stripped of their ranks, but the Hungu struck back by manipulating King Jungjong's favorite concubine into speaking badly of Jo Gwang-jo.
         -They also allegedly spread the rumor that the common folk were clamoring for Jo Jung-gwan to take the throne himself...but maybe this also wasn't a rumor?
         -They also allegedly tried to make supernatural tricks happen to suggest that ill omens from heaven were trying to show that Jo Gwang-jo was evil.
-Finally, the Hungu spread a rumor that Jo Jung-gwan was about to attack and usurp the throne, and then convinced the king to take immediate action.
   -The Sarim and Jo Gwang-jo were then summoned to the court.
      -A bunch of Jo Gwang-jo supporters showed up to protest, but the damage had already been done.
         -Jo Gwang-jo was beaten and exiled.  He tried to clear his name and communicate with the king, but to no avail.  Finally, soldiers were sent to execute Jo Gwang-jo by making him drink poison :(
            -The king believed that Jo Gwang-jo in the end was just more trouble than he was worth.  However, his legacy would prove quite venerable, and he would be seen as a Neo-Confucian hero for future generations to come.