Black Water Dragon I

-1592- Joseon is invaded by the Japanese!
   -This war goes by many names: "The Seven Years War", "The Imjin War", "The Japanese Invasion of Korea", or even "The Japanese Calamity of the Year 'Imjin'".
      -"Imjin" means "Black Water Dragon", which refers to the year 1592 in the lunar calendar.
   -This was the first great war of Asia, fought between the 2 most powerful Asian nations- Japan and Ming China.

-Prologue:
   -In 1543, Portuguese missionaries are attacked by waegu and decide to flee to Okinawa (instead of trying to make it back to Malacca (Portuguese colony in Malaysia)).  However, there was a storm, and their boat ended up landing in Tanegashima, an island south of Kyushu (but still a part of Japan).
      -The Japanese there had probably never seen white people before, but they were able to communicate by drawing Chinese characters on the beach with a stick (the boat captain was Chinese).
         -The Portuguese also had some firearms, 2 of which the Japanese bought out of curiosity.
            -These firearms were arquebuses (precursor to the musket).
         -This wasn't actually the first time the Japanese had encountered gunpowder, as they had seen it before when the Mongols had attempted to invade (bringing with them Chinese-style cannons).  However, the Japanese at the time believed that these cannons were unreliable, heavy, and a pain in the ass to lug around (especially in the Japanese mountainous countryside).  Therefore, the Japanese hadn't bothered to copy or modify this technology.
         -The Japanese ended up being interested in the arquebus enough to try and create some for themselves, but had too much trouble getting it exactly right, so eventually they just hired a Portuguese blacksmith to show them how to do it properly.  Soon, all the Japanese warlords were frantically trying to manufacture these weapons for themselves, believing that this technology held the key to the domination of Japan.
   -Eventually, the daimyō Noba Nobunaga realized that it was dumb to try and equip his samurai warriors with arquebuses because they were much better with their longbows.  However, peasants armed with these weapons was a different matter...
   -The Battle of Nagashino was a watershed moment for Japan, in which Nobunaga's strategy of peasants armed with arquebuses as an addition to his army really made it obvious that warfare in Japan was changing.
      -Oda Nobunaga died in 1582 and was replaced by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a loyal supporter and eventual unifier of all of Japan!
         -However, he did not receive the title of "shogun" by the Japanese Emperor because he didn't come from a noble family.  Thus, Hideyoshi was always insecure about this, which maybe played a role in his lust for constantly expanding his power and attaining respect.
            -Also, Hideyoshi knew that he had to keep all of the warlords under him busy, otherwise they could turn on him.
               -He soon realized that Ming China was just a shell of its former self, and that it was only a few days away by ship from Japan...

-1580s
   -At this point, the Ming dynasty was like 300 years old and had been in bad shape for awhile, but things were actually improving during this time and they weren't actually doing THAT badly.
   -The Ming also had firearms too, but they were inferior to the Portuguese/Japanese arquebuses.
      -However, one of the biggest problems in the Ming dynasty during this time was that its military generals were ruling over their respective provinces as if they were lords themselves, and the state was rife with corruption.
         -These generals also inflated their troop numbers in order to get more funding from the Ming government.
            -It was reported that overall, the Ming had a standing army of 3 million soldiers, but really it was probably more like roughly 900,000 (or less).  The corruption went all the way up to the Wanli Emperor himself, who would use the army for extortion.
               -It was obvious that this was a huge problem when, at one point, a Mongol warlord was able to lead an army almost to Beijing before meeting any resistance.
   -The Ming also tried to alleviate their military problem by having barbarians on the borders fight for them and act as buffers against other barbarians.
      -They finally seemed to get it together, however, and things began to slowly improve internally.
   -During this time also the ruler of China was the Wanli Emperor, who had been enthroned as a boy in 1572 and would rule until 1620, the longest of any Ming dynasty ruler.
      -Early on, he was a seemingly good ruler who was energetic and active.

-Joseon
   -Meanwhile, the Joseon dynasty was experiencing a lot of the same corruption as the Ming.
      -Due to the nature of Joseon taking Confucianism even more seriously than the Chinese, corruption was widespread and there was a strong opposition to any attempt at change or reform.
         -Also, in order to prevent generals from amassing too much power away from Seoul, they were all kept close to the capital, which meant that the army was poorly maintained since the higher-ups didn't really know what was going on with their men out in the provinces.
         -The quality of regular officers was low as well, due to the military exam being very easy and the general requirements being only to be physically able to fight and be brave.  However, this was really outdated in terms of how you would go about looking for whoever is qualified to lead as an officer.
            -Also, in the Confucian hierarchy, being in the military wasn't very prestigious, and was usually a back-up plan for those who failed the Civil Service Exam.
            -The government bureaucrats also had more power than the military officers.  Bureaucrats were allowed to change military commands and take over as commanders themselves if they wanted to.  The only prestigious military positions were generals, who were usually just civilian bureaucrats anyway.
               -It was believed that a great scholar would also make a great military leader, which is obviously bullshit.
   -The Joseon dynasty also for whatever reason failed to keep up their system of fire beacons built around the peninsula (which included 700 mountaintop stations!), which would belch forth smoke during the day and fire at night.
      -Civilians didn't want to do it, and it was usually left up to political exiles to operate the beacons...which was obviously a terrible idea.
   -During this time the Joseon dynasty army wasn't completely inactive with their army.
      -There were constant skirmishes with Jurchen hordes and/or other barbarian hordes of the north, plus constant waegu raids in the south.
   -Army recruitment was difficult since so many citizens were exempt from duty, plus 30% of the Joseon population were actually slaves (and thus unable to serve in the army)!
      -The actual warriors of the army were good fighters, but poorly led.
         -The Joseon cavalry was pretty badass though, and great in hand-to-hand combat (although they still weren't as good as the Jurchen in this respect).
            -Joseon cavalry's favored weapon was the pyeongon, a kind of wooden flail inspired by the tool used by farmers to thresh rice.
         -Joseon infantry were set up mostly as anti-cavalry troops with polearms, spears, and tridents, and usually only wore padded armor and a felt cap.  They also occasionally had bamboo shields.
         -Joseon archers were some of the best in the world during this time, with the powerful gakgung (composite bow), which could fire up to 450 meters!  In comparison, samurai bows could only shoot up to 300.
            -During this time Joseon archers also used flaming and explosive arrows.
         -Joseon also had the mighty hwacha rocket launcher, capable of firing up to 200 singijeon (fire arrows) in a volley at once!
         -Joseon also created a new kind of boat that had a bunch of cannons and was covered so that it was more difficult to capture by pirates- the panokseon ("board-roofed ship").  Joseon loved loading these up with hwachas as well.
            -It also had a giant-ass cannon called "heaven cannon" (cheonja-chongtong) weighing 300 kg and had a huge 1.3 long barrel with a caliber of 12cm.
            -The heaven cannon usually fired an iron-tipped wooden bolt that also had gunpowder inside sometimes.  It also had iron fins which made it heavier, but also more aerodynamic.  Really brutal stuff.  Sometimes also fired small stones or lead, like a grapeshot.
            -Also, Joseon warships were made of really tough pine wood.
            -To attack coastal fortifications, the Joseon navy would usually use a primitive, inaccurate, 300kg bronze mortar that could fire a heavy stone at about 400 meters.  The name of the projectile roughly translates as "Flying Striking Earthquake Heaven Thunder", and was a hollow iron ball packed with gunpowder and a timed fuse.
-During this time, King Seonjo was the ruler of Joseon.
   -Started out as a capable ruler, and quickly worked to try and put an end to the pesky raiding of the northern barbarian hordes, but found that the political Neo-Confucian system was too fucked up to get anything done.
      -The court was split between the "East" and "West" factions, and was stuck in a brutal deadlock and completely paralyzed.
         -Because of this, Joseon faced an existential threat when Japan threatened to invade, but couldn't do anything about it due to this paralysis.

-Diplomacy
   -Diplomacy between the Ming dynasty, Joseon, and Japan during this time was complex.
   -Usually the Japanese wanted Ming luxury goods and would obtain them through Joseon because Joseon had a bunch of Ming stuff.
   -During the early days of the Ming dynasty, the Japanese had actually sent tribute to the Ming and in return had been acknowledged as a tributary state (really a bunch of states, but was technically considered one I guess due to being "unified" under the Japanese emperor).
      -The Ming in return offered gifts for their submissions.
      -However, relations had soured due to Japanese piracy, a riot by Japanese traders in a Chinese port city, and the collapse of centralized power in Japan during the warring states period.
   -Although the Japanese still continued to trade with Joseon, they were still butthurt that Joseon had participated in Kublai Khan's invasion of Japan.
      -Joseon always viewed Japan as a backwards, superstitious barbarians.  This was probably due to so many Japanese resorting to piracy over the years.
   -Joseon viewed China as the pinnacle of civilization, and always tried to emulate their style and culture, seeing them as like an older brother.
   -There were religious components to this too:
      -Joseon wanted to be SO Confucian (like the Chinese) that they ended up being more Confucian than the Chinese actually were.
      -Meanwhile, Buddhism continued to spread to Japan from the Korean peninsula, so the Japanese ended up being more hardcore about Buddhism than anyone else (like how Joseon became more Confucian than China).
         -Joseon would have perhaps been a similar case to Japan regarding Buddhism, but during this time Joseon's hardcore Neo-Confucian philosophical elite suppressed the practice of Buddhism in the kingdom.
   -The waegu were also becoming a problem again, especially from Tsushima Island where the lord there had lost control of the island during Japan's Warring States period, so during the chaos there the waegu were thriving.
   -Because China was the center of the Asian world and the Ming dynasty its rulers, the power-hungry Hideyoshi felt that it should belong to him.

-Mounting Tensions
   -Tensions rose between Joseon and Hideyoshi when Hideyoshi sent emissaries all over Asia, but Joseon didn't even know who Hideyoshi was and probably thought he was just some noob.
      -After meeting his emissaries Joseon believed that Hideyoshi wasn't actually a real shogun that should be shown respect a legitimate representative of Japan (a fellow tributary state of the Ming dynasty).  In their eyes, Hideyoshi was just some upstart rebel.
   -1586- Hideyoshi commanded Lord Sō Yoshitoshi of Tsushima Island to go to Joseon and demand submission to Japan, and also for Joseon to begin preparations for the invasion of Ming China.
      -Yoshitoshi was screwed either way because if Joseon said yes, then he would lose his trade monopoly with Joseon, but if they said no then they would then see him as their enemy and close their ports to him.
   -Yoshitoshi decided to take a risk, and altered the message, saying that Joseon was to send an ambassador to Hideyoshi with a message of goodwill instead of submission.
      -In order to have a degree of deniability, Yoshitoshi sent a messenger instead of himself so that he could blame the messenger in case the shit hit the fan.
         -However, the messenger was a noob who acted like an asshole when he arrived in Joseon, so this naturally probably pissed off the Joseon court.  Embarrassed, Yoshitoshi had the noob messenger executed when he returned to Tsushima Island.
-The Joseon court reaction about Hideyoshi was split, but to bide their time they sent a message to Yoshitoshi saying that they couldn't send a diplomatic mission to Japan because Japan was too far away and also that they were poor sailors (haha).
   -Many Joseon courtiers felt that Hideyoshi was bluffing- he was still fighting resistance forces in Japan (they believed)!  How could he possibly have enough power to conquer the Ming dynasty?
-Hideyoshi decided to test the Joseon defenses, and sent scouts to make light attacks against Joseon ships.  The scouts reported that the Joseon ships were timid and weak.
   -The Joseon response?  Jack shit.  Some courtiers wanted to conscript peasants to guard the coast, but there was still the threat of the Jurchen hordes in the north, and so the Joseon decided it was best to make sure that the defense of the north was their main priority.
-1588- Hideyoshi sends a new envoy to Joseon, this time Yoshitoshi himself.  However, King Seonjo still refused to send a friendly envoy to Japan.
   -In 1589, Yoshitoshi tried once more to persuade King Seonjo to get in bed with Japan.
      -The Joseon government finally said that they would consider sending an envoy to Japan, but only if they could first receive some Korean criminals who had fled the kingdom and become waegu.  Yoshitoshi arranged for some random Koreans living in Japan to be brought back (who knows if they were actually criminals),  The "criminals" were then executed at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul.
         -At the event, King Seonjo was given a gift from the Japanese- an arquebus.  In return, King Seonjo selected a beautiful warhorse from his personal stable.
      -Oddly enough, the Joseon government didn't really bother to check out the arquebus with much interest, seeing it as a barbarian toy more than anything else.  Big mistake!
-Meanwhile, Joseon spies began reporting back that the Japanese threat was legit- Hideyoshi was building hundreds of warships, raising a huge army!
   -The Joseon court was completely paralyzed with so many options, but most of the court seemed to believe that the Japanese didn't pose a significant threat to Joseon.
      -Another problem was that there was too much petty Neo-Confucian bickering and shit that obstructed any realistic, effective legislation.
         -Finally, in 1590 King Seonjo agreed to send a diplomatic envoy of friendship and goodwill to Japan.  Hwang Yun-gil (leader of the Western faction) and Kim Seong-il (leader of the Eastern faction) were sent from Busan to Japan.  They first arrived, however, at Tsushima Island, where they stayed for a month.  While they were there, there was some drama with the seating arrangements not being correct or something, and Kim Seong-il had a meltdown!
            -In order to calm things down, Yoshitoshi had some servants executed, which I guess smoothed things over.
         -They finally arrived in Kyoto in August, but Hideyoshi was gone, putting down some rebels.  They had to wait for another few months (until December!), and during that time were forced to stay in a boring temple and eat boring food.
            -Finally, they met with Hideyoshi and gave him his gifts and shit.  Because of the misunderstanding due to Yoshitoshi, Hideyoshi didn't feel the need to see the envoys again due to them being there to give him tribute, and gave them a letter instead for King Seonjo warning that Joseon was to aid him in conquering Ming China, or else face obliteration!!
               -Kim Seong-il felt that this wasn't serious, and that Hideyoshi was just being a moron.  However, Hwang Yun-gil knew that war was imminent, and immediately sent messengers to Seoul to warn the king.
-King Seonjo finally made a decision- there was no way he could betray the Ming dynasty!  They were like an older brother/father to Joseon!
   -Joseon began to make preparations for war in the south, especially in Gyeongsang Province near Daegu, Dongnae, Busan, and Jinju, with earthen walls, fortifications, etc.
-One official who oversaw these preparations was one of the greatest naval commanders / Korean heroes of all time- Yi Sun-sin!!
   -Born to an upper-middle class family in Seoul.  Had served the government since the Goryeo dynasty until his grandfather had been purged from service in 1519, and afterwards the family had declined a bit.
      -Yi Sun-sin went into the military because he had older brothers who were prepping for the civil service exam, and his family couldn't support all of them doing so.
         -In the military he became renowned as a skilled swordsman and archer.
   -Established himself early as a capable military officer when he was stationed in Hamgyong Province (in modern-day North Korea) fighting the Jurchen.
-1580- Became a naval officer and was stuck in Jeolla Province.
   -Although he was obviously a badass, his stubbornness and unwavering ethics/morals caused the higher-ups to dislike him since he was not susceptible to corruption.
      -1583- Sent back to the north to fight the Jurchen again.
         -Actually managed to capture a Jurchen chief- Mu Pai Nai.
         -Had to leave the army for 3 years (because his father died), but he returned in 1586.
   -He had further success against the Jurchen and was noted for his bravery, but the other officers were jealous assholes and so they lied and had claimed that Yi Sun-sin had deserted a battle, so he was demoted, imprisoned, and tortured.  He continued to serve after this, however, as a normal soldier.
      -However, Yi Sun-sin's luck changed when his old childhood friend, Ryu Seong-ryong, had become a high-ranking minister who decided to help him out.
-1590- Yi Sun-shin was appointed as a military commander in Jeolla Province, stationed at a garrison on Wan Island.
   -Before that he had also been appointed as a garrison commander at several other places too, but this was his first big position before finally hitting it big as an admiral.
-1591- Yi Sun-sin was appointed as naval commander of the "Left Jeolla" (eastern half of Jeolla Province) thanks to Ryu Seong-ryong's favor with King Seonjo.
   -This was considered a cushy job since the Left Jeolla navy was kind of a joke and poorly managed.
      -However, Yi Sun-sin immediately began to turn things around by running it pretty tightly, with harsh punishments, executions (for major defenses), but also rewards as well.
         -Also began to repair badly maintained ships, construct new ships, and build fortifications and defensive stations and weapons.
         -Soon, Yi Sun-sin had transformed the navy under his command into the best in the kingdom, and also had a strength of 24 panokseon ships.
-Why didn't the Ming dynasty combine forces with Joseon to fight Japan?
   -Because the Ming found out about what was going on via messengers from the Ryukyu Islands, who had heard from the Japanese messengers that Joseon had allegedly agreed to attack the Ming along with Hideyoshi.
      -This was because Hideyoshi had believed Joseon had sent him tribute, not a "good will" mission like Joseon had thought they were doing.
         -The Ming, naturally, were really pissed off!  Joseon hadn't mentioned anything to them about this, so they felt betrayed!
      -Finally, soon after the Ming found out about what was going on from the Ryukyu messengers, the Joseon messengers arrived.  Japan was about to attack Joseon!
         -Joseon had many allies in the Ming court, but the Wanli Emperor was still very suspicious.
            -1591- Ming sent diplomats twice to Joseon to see when the deal was.
-Fall of 1591- Hideyoshi had finally had enough of Joseon, and soon Japanese merchants and travelers began to be mysteriously absent from Busan...
-Hideyoshi's plan:
   -Initially wanted to invade the Ryukyu Islands before hitting Taiwan and then southern China, which at the same time another force would travel through Joseon (assuming they were friendly) and attack Beijing.
   -Finalized plan:  the above was too complicated.  Just go straight through Joseon, full-strength!
      -After taking Joseon and the Ming, Hideyoshi had his sights set on conquering Vietnam, Thailand, and even India!
-Hideyoshi then changed his HQ from Kyoto to Karatsu, Kyushu, and constructed Karatsu Castle as his center of power.
   -He raised a massive army of 335,000 men.  100,000 were to  remain in Japan as a defensive force should the Ming decide to launch a counterattack.
   -3 divisions leading the attack:
      -First division:
         -Led by Konishi Yukinaga (AKA Agostinho (converted to Catholicism), from Osaka, Kansai region) and Sō Yoshitoshi (AKA Dario (converted to Catholicism under the influence of Konishi Yukinaga), from Tsushima Island), and some other minor generals.
      -Second Division:
         -Led by Katō Kiyomasa (from Nagoya, Chūbu region), Nabeshima Naoshige (from Hizen, Kyushu). and other minor generals.
      -Third Division:
         -Led by Kuroda Nagamasa (from Himeji, Kansai region), and some dude named Otomo Yoshimada.
   -During this time, some of the commanders were Christians (see above), and many of the Japanese soldiers actually were as well.  These were not the samurai of the Japanese old days- this was the NEW Japanese army, made up of both samurai and peasants, some of whom were Christian.
      -Hideyoshi actually hated Christianity himself, but saw Christians as important in his success.  However, some speculate that Hideyoshi sent many of these Christian commanders and troops as the first in line during the invasion (shock troops, kind of) so that they'd die before the non-Christian troops.
-Before the arrival of the Japanese troops, the Joseon court was still discussing the potential threat.  General Sin Rip believed that the Japanese were short, weak, and bad fighters.  Also, he believed that their guns were lousy and inferior to Korean bows.
-The main problem and reason for why the Japanese were so dangerous to Joseon was because of incompetence.
   -Too many government officials stupidly believed that Hideyoshi was an idiot and didn't have the strength or intelligence to pull off an invasion.
      -Also, the generals or officials in charge of preparations were incompetent, or didn't believe the Japanese were a threat.
-Meanwhile, Yi Sun-sin had been developing an experimental new ship, which was to be revealed very soon...
-April 13, 1592- Hideyoshi launches his attack from Tsushima Island!
   -Due to bad tower upkeep and management, the tower beacon warning system wasn't able to carry the message to Seoul and was only confined to Gyeongsang Province.
   -The Japense ships (about 90) began to group at Busan Harbor.
      -By evening, around 300 had arrived.  By night, 400!
   -Both Gyeongsang navies (right and left) didn't attack and just watched, unable to believe the size.
      -They believed that maybe it was a huge tribute mission from Japan as an apology (yeah fucking right!).
      -They had 150 panokseon ships that could have easily taken on the shitty Japanese ships (which didn't even have cannons).
   -That night, the Japanese met with the commander of the forces of Busan one last time to demand that Joseon allow the Japanese passage into Ming China.  Joseon officials refused, so the Japanese decided that time was up and war had begun!
      -The Japanese troops began to disembark and lay siege to Busan.
         -While Sō Yoshitoshi laid siege to Busan, Konishi Yukinaga laid siege to Dadaejin Fortress.
   -At Busan, Sō Yoshitoshi asked the Busan commander (Jeong Bal) one last, final time to surrendur to the Japanese, but Jeong Bal refused.  So, the Japanese attacked!
      -Joseon quickly realized that their poorly-trained conscripts, armed with bows and spears, were no match for the Japanese arquebus firepower.
         -By the next morning, Busan had fallen and Jeong Bal was dead, and the Japanese had really fucked up the city, killing men, women, and even dogs and cats!
-During this time, the Japanese ships remained unprotected in the harbor, but the cowardly Park Hong was not too scared to strike and fled north with his fleet.
   -There was also a sea battle fought against Won Gyun of the Gyeongsang Right Navy, but he was defeated due to the aggressive Japanese tactics of assaulting the ships and drawing them into hand-to-hand combat.
      -40 panokseon were destroyed.
      -Won Gyun led the retreat to Geoje Island, and then Hansan Island.  As boats loomed closer, Won Gyun believed they were Japanese, so he began sinking the panokseons...but stopped when he found out that they were just Joseon fishing boats.
         -Only 4 panokseons remained lol.
-Only the Jeolla commanders remained now, and they only had 100 panokseons between them.
   -Also, even though Busan had fallen, Dongnae Fortress nearby remained as a rallying point for Joseon forces.
      -However, once the poorly-trained conscript peasant forces realized that Busan had been crushed, the army began to dissolve as people panicked and fled.
         -The governor of the area even declared Dongnae as officially fucked, and fled to Seoul.
            -Forces remained at Dongnae Fortress, however, but refused to submit to the Japanese and were quickly annihilated :(

Joseon - Part 8

-During the reign of King Jungjong, weapon development produced notable improvements in cannon and fire arrow technology.  They also invented a longbow, and a special piercing arrow that was super aerodynamic.  They also acquired compass technology from the Ming dynasty.
-Scholars established Confucian academies to train students throughout the countryside.
   -Usually established by Sarim yangban to expand their influence.
-Also during this time, a female doctor, Jang Geum, was appointed as the king's personal physician.  This was actually the only time in Korean history that a woman was appointed as the king's personal doctor.
-King Jungjong died in 1544, replaced by his son, King Injong.
   -Unsure as to what exactly happened, but he only ruled for 1 year.
      -Either had deep depression after his father died, OR he was poisoned by the rival Yoon clan in order to have his half-brother ascend the throne.
-So, King Injong died in 1545, replaced by his half-brother King Myeongjong.
   -Reign started with some bad omens... there was an avalanche at Bukhansan (near Seoul), and there was also a bunch of floods and shit in the city.
   -He was also too young to rule, so his mother, Queen Moonjong, ruled as regent.
   -During this time, the powerful Yoon faction had split into 2 factions- Greater Yoon and Lesser Yoon.
      -Greater Yoon was led by Yoon Im, King Injong's maternal uncle.
      -Lesser Yoon was led by King Myeongjong's maternal uncles, Yoon Won-hyeok and Yoon Won-ro.
   -Lesser Yoon were able to win over the queen's favor.
      -Greater Yoon were purged, with the leaders arrested on trumped-up charges.
      -Greater Yoon members were forced to flee to the countryside to try and recuperate.
      -Lesser Yoon then split into sub-factions, with the faction led by Yoon Won-hyeong having the queen's favor.
         -Yoon Won-hyeong was a really shitty politician, but unfortunately no one noticed this because they were a misogynistic Confucian society that blamed everything on the fact that the regent was a queen, which I guess was something they believed the Divine Powers That Be disapproved of.  Yoon Won-hyeong was able to climb the ranks of government and thus accumulated a lot of power, even though he was completely incompetent when it came to actually doing his job well.
-1548- meanwhile, a Tsushima Island representative arrived in the capital, claiming that Tsushima had nothing to do with the recent raids seemingly by Japanese troops, instead blaming the raids on waegu pirates.  Therefore, the Japanese soldiers who were wrongfully imprisoned in Joseon on charges of piracy should be let go and be allowed to return to Busan.
-Also, during this time Queen Moonjong lifted the censoring or banning of Buddhism, and there was a massive Buddhism revival!  Some of the art was even patronized by the crown itself.
   -Only a few of these works survive today, but most of them are in Japan :(
   -Also introduced a standardized test for those who wanted to be monks.
   -Moral legislation was also introduced.
   -A dude named Bo Woo was assigned as Chief Monk during this time, and revived an official system of training and selecting monks in both the Seon (meditation) and Gyo (doctrinal, scholastic) sects of Korean Buddhism.
-1551- Bongeun-sa became the main temple of the Jogye Seon Order and the main base for the overall restoration of Korean Buddhism.
-1554- King Myeongjong finally came of age during this time, and Queen Moonjong stepped down as regent.
   -Lesser Yoon power was diminished as he tried to demonstrate his power.  However, King Myeongjong was still heavily influenced by his mother, and Yoon Won-hyeong kept his position as a powerful government figure.
-There were also a variety of existential threats to Joseon at this time.
   -The Jurchen hordes remained a volatile threat in the north.
   -The waegu continued to be a threat.
      -In Japan it was the Warring States Period (1568-1615), and many Japanese turned to piracy in order to survive.
         -One notable pirate threat was in Jeolla Province, where the pirate leader had a huge white horse and cool armor and actually defeated the Joseon army sent there to fuck them up.
            -Joseon was finally able to put them down by utilizing psychological warfare and their new arrow technology.
               -The pirates fled to Jeju-do, where they tried to raid again, but were run off.
-Meanwhile, the Ming dynasty were fighting barbarians on all sides.
   -Life was hard in China, and many Chinese turned to piracy to survive (similar to the situation in Japan).
      -Joseon records falsely state that all the pirates came from Japan, when really many/most were actually from China during this time.
-The Yangban then began to grow in power and gobble up more land, which caused many families to lose their farmlands and turn to banditry themselves, which became increasingly problematic.
-1565- Queen Moonjong dies.  Soon after this, Bo-woo is killed by anti-Buddhist government officials.
-1567- King Myeongjong dies but he has no heir, as his only son died when he was a young boy.  Eventually, King Seonjo (King Myeongjon's half-nephew) takes the throne after several months.
-In the beginning of his reign, King Seonjo looked to secure the realm from the dangerous Jurchen hordes of the north.
   -They pushed the Jurchen back, but went in too far and were ambushed and massacred.  A second force was then sent in and were more successful, and the north was temporarily secured.
-1570s- There was much turmoil in the Joseon court.
   -The Sarim and Hoongu factions had faded, and new political parties had formed.
      -Not so much focused on dogma or philosophical differences, just more like personal alliances, and was the result of the power struggle between all the rural Confucian academies.  
         -The major political factions:
            -Dong-in ("Easterners")
            -Seo-in ("Westerners")
         -Eventually, both the Dong-in and Seo-in split in half, forming:
            -"The Old Party"
            -"The New Party"
            -Buk-in ("The Northerners")
            -Nam-in ("The Southerners")

         -Competition was fierce, with lots of backstabbing, character assassination, etc.

            -Corruption was a horrible problem and was fucking up the government with gridlock and overall incompetence.

-Meanwhile, the Jurchen hordes were rapidly becoming more and more of a threat in the north.

   -The Ming dynasty was also spending a ton of resources combating other dangerous Manchurian hordes.

-During this time, Joseon was not properly equipped to defend itself.

   -The army was too small due to the people being either too poor to be soldiers, too rich to be bothered to serve (buying their way out).  

      -There were efforts for military reform, but these were blocked due to petty government squabbling.

-Meanwhile in Japan, around this time a low-born commoner named Toyotomi Hideyoshi had risen up to become a powerful daimyo, unifying Japan and bringing an end to the Warring States Period!

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.

Joseon - Part 6

-1469- King Seongjong is enthroned, but is too young, so the regency goes to his grandmother, Queen Jeonghee, and his mom, Queen Insu.
   -During this time, the number of merit scholars surged, entering into a special rank of royal subjects that enjoyed a very privileged life.
      -The old-school Confucian literati hated these new-school privileged chumps, especially because they had to compete with them for government administration jobs.
   -King Seongjong grew up to be a hardcore Confucian.
      -First law he implemented was the identity card system, which was a joke.
      -He also reinvested in the government branches in order to strengthen each department, as their power had been stripped under King Sejo.
      -Also for fun acquired a huge collection of monkeys from the Ryukyu Islands.
      -Also began to crack down on Buddhism in order to promote Confucianism.
-1472- King Seongjong orders the banishment of all Buddhist monks, fortune tellers, and shamans out of the capital.  He also gutted 23 temples and convents, either converting them into schools, or just demolishing them completely.
-1474- The new law code (started being written during the reign of King Sejo) was finally finished.]
   -Under the guidance of King Seongjong, conservative social laws were implemented, such as the outlaw of couples dancing together.  In ceremonial dancing, young boys were to play the female roles.
   -Raunchy language from popular folk songs was banned.
   -Widows were not allowed to remarry.
   -Etc.
-Also during this time, Joseon allied with the Ming dynasty to fight against the Jurchen hordes.
-King Seongjong also loved debate, and his court became quite intellectual and surprisingly "liberal".
   -Joseon began printing many books during this time, including texts on history, poetry, geography, etc.
-There was also some court drama too, involving the crown prince, concubines, etc.
-During this time emerged the elite yangban class, who had even existed before this time (ever since Goryeo) but just hadn't been as powerful.
   -During the Goryeo dynasty, it seemed like overall the military had dominated the government, but with the Joseon dynasty the power shifted to civilian elites who were strictly Confucian, and this class status was hereditary.
-Obviously there were lots of opportunities to be had by staying close to all the drama and intrigue in Seoul, but the crafty knew that the key to power was really to go out and amass power in the provinces.
   -This was during peacetime too, so the yangban were able to grow in power since no one was busy serving in the army.
   -They were always trying to undermine each other and shit, really vicious.
   -There were 2 main factions- the Hoonggu and the Sarim.
      -The Hoonggu were more old-school elites, and the Sarim were new-money elites.
-1494- King Seongjong dies.  His reign was long, but he died young for whatever reason.  He was replaced by his son, King Yeonsan ("Yeonsangun"), who was a really shitty king.
   -Had a really bad temper, which was kept in check when he was a prince, but as king he had full rein.
      -Had his tutor executed.
      -Also, as a kid, loved to torture animals :(
      -He gutted the Confucian college, Seonggyeonggwan, and converted it into his pleasure palace, filled with babes and animals for hunting.
         -His agents scoured the land for the hottest girls and the best horses, and they would then capture them and take them back to his pleasure palace.
      -While he didn't have any violent outbursts against his brothers or other family members, he would steal his courtiers' wives for sex whenever he wanted.  He also replaced many of his father's old concubines.
      -His rule is said to have been a "long carnival of murder, lust, and oppression".
      -Of course, he also had violent purges of perceived political rivals, including the prime minister and a bunch of Sarim yangban via disgusting executions and other gross shit that everyone in the court was forced to watch (and those who looked away or failed to show up were punished, obviously).
   -He also tried to suppress the power of the Office of the Censors, whose job it was to criticize or keep in check the power of the king.  He made the ministers wear a sign that said "A mouth is a door that brings in disaster, a tongue is a sword that cuts off a head.  A body will be in peace as long as its mouth is closed and its tongue is deep within."
      -This event is known as the First Literati Purge.
   -During this time, there was an eerie calm in the capital, as anyone smart (or who could afford it, at least) had fled the capital.  Schools also had closed.
   -1504- King Yanseon found out about how his mother had been executed during the reign of his father.  This really pissed him off, especially since everyone else knew the truth and no one had ever told him (including who his true mother really was).  Thus, the Second Literati Purge took place, with much violence.
      -Over 200 scholars (and even their families in some instances) were executed.
      -Meanwhile, anonymous posters began to pop up around the city, critical of the king (and written in Hangul, which King Yanseon hated).
-1506- A group of courtiers (Park Won-jong, Seong Hui-an, Yoo Soon-jeong, and Hong Gyeong-ju) plotted to overthrow the king.
   -They initially plotted to surprise the king outside the palace gates, but I guess somehow people sensed what was up, and there was soon a huge mob that had gathered demanding the ousting of the king.  The mob broke down the gates and stormed the palace.
      -The king's inner circle was executed, political prisoners were set free, and there was little overall resistance against this revolution since King Yeonsan was a such a shitbag.
         -King Yeonsan was captured, exiled to Ganghwa Island, and eventually died of illness.  He was replaced by his half-brother, King Jungjong.

Joseon - Part 5

-1450- King Munjong is enthroned.
   -Sickly, perhaps also broken mentally by the death of his father (King Sejong).
-1452- King Munjong dies, replaced by his son, King Danjong (age 11).
   -Only ruled in name, as the real power lay with 2 generals- Hwangbo In and Kim Jongseo.
   -Another problem for King Danjong was his uncle, Yi Yu (the future King Sejo), who was a charismatic leader, a powerful archer, and a Buddhist.  He also believed that the king should have all the power, contrary to the Confucian belief that a king should be a benevolent ruler who allocated governmental responsibilities to his courtiers.
-1453- possibly believing that the elite had too much power, Yi Yu uncovered an alleged plot by the 2 generals to take over the throne, so he organized a band of warriors to go to the house of Hwangbo In and killed him, then they went back to the palace to inform the king about what had happened.
   -King Danjong realized that Yi Yu was making a power grab, seeing through his ruse, but begged for his life.
      -Yi Yu let the king live, but used him to lure the other courtiers back to the palace, where they were ambushed and murdered (along with, eventually, their families).  This included the murder of Kim Jongseo.  Yi Yu also killed Kim Jongseo's younger brother, exiling him to Ganghwa Island and then poisoning him.
   -The rival courtiers executed, the Hall of Worthies brought under control, and the king's power completely neutered, Yi Yu sent King Danjong to another palace, from the main Gyeongbeok Palace to Changdeok Palace.
      -Yi Yu then rewarded all of his own flunkies with land and slaves.
-Eventually Yi Yu completely stripped King Danjong of his royal title, and then crowned himself as King Sejo!
   -He immediately consolidated power by demoting officials and centralized the six main ministries to be under his control.
   -King Sejo also sent out many officials as "governors" of provinces, but really this was just to get them out of Seoul.
      -Of course, during this time many plots to overthrow King Sejo began to form, but they never got off the ground and were always busted.
      -Many officials and their families were either killed or exiled.  As a final precaution, (King?) Danjong was stripped of all of his titles and exiled to Gangwon-do, but this still proved to be troublesome to King Sejo, so he finally just had him killed!
-As king, King Sejo reorganized the military and made it more professional, and also cut down on excesses in the court to make more money and cut overall waste.
   -Also tried to streamline the cumbersome legal code.
   -Also established a government bureau of medicine, and set up pharmacies.
   -Also set up a historical records system.
-During this time there were some clashes with the Jurchen as well, who were sometimes accompanied by allied Ming forces.
   -Sometimes the Ming dynasty felt that Joseon was getting too authoritative towards the Jurchen, and would attack Joseon in order to warn them to back off of Manchuria since China considered this region to be Chinese territory.
-1467- a rebellion broke out in Hamgyeong Province, but this was quickly quelled.
-1468- King Sejo dies, replaced by his son, King Yejong.
   -However, King Yejong was sickly and weak, so his mother, Queen Jeonghee, ruled in his stead.
-1469- King Yejong dies, replaced by his nephew, King Seongjong.

Joseon - Part 4

-King Sejong created the Hall of Worthies, a royal research institute.
-Also created an intelligent, flexible tax system for peasants.
   -Good years were taxed heavily, shitty years were not.
   -Established a surplus of rice reserved for famine.
   -Advanced farming techniques and agriculture planning, and also spread info about this via the printing press.
   -Official Joseon census at the time stated that there were only 4 million people living in the Joseon kingdom at this time, but modern historians think it was probably more like 5-6 million due to slaves, vagrants, illegal immigrants, etc.
-King Sejong's reign was also notable because of the work by genius scientists Jang Yeong-sil, who made advances in astronomy, agriculture, and metallurgy.
   -Close to the king but low-born, he was disliked by the elitist dickhead courtiers of the Neo-Confucian literati.
      -They were even able to get him exiled when King Sejong was involved in a fall or something and blamed it on Jang Yeong-sil.
         -His death wasn't even recorded :(
   -He did other cool shit too: created a celestial globe, improved the printing press, created new metal alloys, and created Korea's first water clock (copied from China).  Also created sundials for people to tell time, and each hour corresponded with one of the 12 zodiac animals.
-1430s- Jurchen tribes were becoming too unruly.
   -After the Jin dynasty collapsed, the Jurchen had reverted back to a loose confederation of tribes.
   -Still nominally allied to the Ming dynasty, but this was highly unstable.
      -Jurchen raiders would raid Joseon lands in the winter, after the rivers froze.
   -Joseon had tried to get the tribes to settle down by offering incentives to come and farm.
      -Set up market villages in Hamgyeong Province to interact with them.
   -Joseon finally decided to send a tactical raid to punish them- this time with gunpowder, and a new weapon: the hwacha (ancient Korean rocket launcher!).
   -Also made a project to "Koreanize" Hamgyeong Province, since so many Chinese immigrants lived there.  Koreans from Gyeongsan Province were uprooted to go live there.
-1440s- Joseon had used Hanja before- Chinese script to represent the Korean language, but this was a mess.  Also, Chinese script was ridiculous and really difficult to read and write, so the peasantry was vastly illiterate.
-1443- Hangul was invented!  King Sejong's greatest triumph!
   -However, Hangul was met with both praise and opposition.  It actually wasn't even used by everyone until the late 19th century!
-King Sejong also published other books as well.
-1448- at this point, King Sejong was going blind and growing worse in health.  He also developed diabetes.
-1450- King Sejong dies, replaced by his eldest son, King Munjong.

Joseon - Part 3

-1418- King Sejong is enthroned!  Arguably Korea's greatest king!
-The political makeup of East Asia at this time:
   -Like a Confucian family:  the father is Heaven, the eldest son is the Emperor of China, and the the younger brothers are China's tributary states (Korea, Japan, and many others).
-During this time, many waegu were based out of Tsushima Island, loosely controlled by the Ashikaga Shogunate (Japan).
   -One of King Sejong's first actions as king was to invade the island (although it's likely that this was a plan originally devised by King Taejeong).
      -Korea's strategy in the past was always to just try and defend itself from the attacks, which was costly and ineffective.
      -King Sejong raised a navy of 800 warships and 60,000 soldiers to go fight the waegu, and to also defend Gyeongsan-do (Busan, Gyeongju, and Geoje Island).
   -Joseon's plan was to start with an attack on Tsushima Island, and then retreat back to Geoje Island, hoping that the pirates would chase them and then fight at the island so that they could have home territory advantage (and cannon support!).
      -It took awhile (for various reasons), but finally in June the fleet set sail!
         -They were able to capture 129 pirate ships, execute 114 pirates, take 21 prisoners, and rescue 131 Chinese slaves.  Unfortunately, Joseon's reinforcement fleet got lost and were ambushed by waegu, resulting in the death of 300 soldiers.
            -The leader of these pirates was also captured, too!  However, Joseon failed to ultimately subdue the waegu as a whole.
   -Overall, this was considered a victory, but still proved that Joseon had a long way to go in terms of having strong national security and defense.
-Joseon then officially decided to annex Tsushima Island, making it a part of Gyeongsan-do.
   -This annexation caused an uproar with the Ashikaga shogunate, and Joseon sent diplomatic relations to Kyoto to try and smooth things over.
      -However, King Sejong refused to back off, but unfortunately, due to a lack of resources caused by a drought (and the death of King Sejong's dad, King Taejeong in 1422), couldn't get it together enough to conquer the island.
-Finally, Joseon reached a diplomatic agreement with the Ashikaga shogunate, and the Japanese agreed to reign in Tsushima Island.  In return, Joseon granted the Japanese exclusive trading rights, which increased trade and made Joseon a bunch of money.
   -They especially made a lot of money selling Buddhist scriptures that had been printed with their movable type.
      -King Sejong wasn't Buddhist, so he didn't really have a problem with making money off of this.
-King Sejong also trimmed spending on celebrations for holidays and stuff like that.
   -Also an intellectual and loved debates and shit.