Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 816

Episode 816: Siege and Defense of Tenochtitlan (2)

The momentum of the conquering army heading towards Tenochtitlan was very fierce and rough.

The momentum of the conquering army was generated by hostility toward the Messicans rather than by confidence in victory.

This was because I saw with my own eyes the tragic scene of ‘people eating people’.

‘Cannibalism’ was a ‘thing of the distant past’ not only for the volunteer soldiers who made up most of the conquest army, but also for the professional soldiers who commanded them.

* * *

There were records of cannibalism in the empire as well.

Starting with the Gojoseon period, the old Three Kingdoms period, the period of the North and South kingdoms of unified Silla and Balhae, the Later Three Kingdoms period and Goryeo, to the period of chaos that occurred in the late Goryeo Dynasty and early Seon Dynasty.

People who were unable to farm due to civil war or civil war due to famine or plague resorted to cannibalism as a last resort.

And most of those who recorded this added sentences like this at the end of the record.

-I can’t help but feel devastated that parents eat their children and the children eat their caregivers.

The only way to survive was cannibalism, and he could not help but feel devastated because he knew that this was a great sin.

However, for the generation that went through Gyeongjang and the generations that followed, famine and disturbances were something only recorded.

Through the flood control project, weirs and reservoirs were properly built across the country. Dredging projects were carried out on large and small rivers, deepening the water depth and reducing flood damage.

As water resources were managed systematically, the supply of waterways and water wheels, which were previously unthinkable, increased significantly.

As water was supplied sufficiently through canals and water wheels, transplanting became popular and rice production increased significantly.

This wasn’t the end.

In the early years of King Sejong’s reign, there were frequent harvests. However, through the active intervention of the township, the government’s response was different from before.

He sent an envoy to the Ming to ask for their understanding and then purchased a large quantity of grain from the Gangnam area of the Ming.

And the grain purchased in this way was not just released.

Only those whose family register was registered with the government office were eligible to receive relief funds.

It was to prevent the occurrence of refugees.

Even those whose family register was registered did not just receive it. It was to be received in return for working on various civil engineering projects carried out by the country.

In this way, the government was able to quickly proceed with the flood control project, which required a lot of manpower.

As a stable food supply became possible through this method, ‘cannibalism’ for the people of the empire only existed in records.

* * *

The conquest army, united in hostility toward the Messicans, who were ‘not even human and should not be treated as human beings’, headed toward Tenochtitlan without hesitation.

It seemed like it was going to crush everything that was in front of it, but it had its own twists and turns.

The cause was a dispute with indigenous tribes encountered on the way to Tenochtitlan.

The native tribes who saw the large conquering army advancing chose one of two options.

Run away or fight.

To the natives who had been suffering from the Messicans for a while, the conquering army they saw for the first time seemed like another Messican.

“They will eat us too!”

The indigenous tribes who made this misjudgment fled or attacked the conquering army.

To avoid an unexpected conflict, Lee Jing-ok mobilized native defectors and persuaded them.

However, there were not many indigenous tribes who believed the words of the conquering army.

The natives, full of distrust, attacked the conquering army, and the conquering army mercilessly suppressed them.

In front of the overwhelming firepower of the conquering army, native warriors died senselessly, and the surviving natives scattered in all directions and fled.

And through those who fled like this, the fear of the conquering army spread to all directions.

Through the rumors that spread, more and more tribes, especially larger tribes and leaders of tribal unions, became deeply troubled.

-Resistance or surrender?

If the rumors were true, resistance was meaningless. However, if they surrendered, they would have to suffer from other cannibals besides the Messicans.

“What should we do with this?…”

While the tribal leaders were pondering, messengers sent by Lee Jing-ok visited with the native defectors.

“What is their business?”

The defectors answered the leaders’ questions on behalf of the messenger.

“To punish the Messicans along with the empire.”

“Is that the end?”

“no. All human sacrifices must be stopped and cannibalism must be banned. You must also follow the laws and institutions of the empire.”

“Stop human sacrifice and cannibalism?”

“That’s right. Human sacrifice and cannibalism are prohibited under any circumstances.”

“Hmm…”

The defector’s answer made the leaders look embarrassed.

Those who believed in the same gods as the Mesicaans could not escape human sacrifice.

The only difference was that they did not sacrifice people and cannibalize on a large scale like the Mesicas.

Perhaps aware of the leaders’ concerns, the defector relayed the messenger’s message.

“The emperor of the empire said, ‘How can a god who accepts humans as sacrifices and tolerates humans eating humans be a good god?”

“Hmm…”

“Also, His Majesty’s father, Sang Sang, said this. He said, ‘It is said that the sun will rise the next day thanks to the Mesica people offering human sacrifices, but even though the empire does not believe in such gods, the sun rises just fine.’”

“The sun rises well…”

Listening to Wan’s words from the defector, the leaders became even more worried.

“How long do I have to give you an answer?”

“I will wait three days.”

“I understand.”

After hearing the leaders’ answer, the messenger and the defectors returned to the main camp of the conquering army.

After the conquest army’s messenger came and went, the leaders engaged in a fierce war of words.

The biggest justifications for those who insisted on resisting the conquering army were the ‘prohibition of cannibalism and human sacrifice’ and ‘questions about God’ put forward by the empire.

“Does it make sense for people who don’t really know the god we believe in to discuss good gods and bad gods?”

“I have lived in peace until now because I sacrificed a human being!”

The justification given by those who opposed this was smallpox, which they called a ‘curse.’

“We sacrificed so hard, but we couldn’t lift the curse! “Is a God who can neither remove nor prevent curses a good God?”

“It is disrespectful to insult God!”

The fierce confrontation between the two sides often resulted in bloodshed.

And when this conflict was severe, something unexpected even happened to the conquering army.

“What…”

The messengers and defectors of the conquering army who returned to the tribe on the appointed date looked bewildered.

This was because the tribe’s residence was overflowing with corpses. Most of them were warriors who could be said to be the core of their power.

Most of those who survived were children, women, and the elderly.

There were two reactions from the warriors who survived the bloody struggle.

“I will accept your offer.”

One was to accept the conquering army’s offer with a tired face, and the other was.

“We will not accept your offer. But I won’t even fight!”

He shouted this with a face full of hatred and left, leading the surviving tribesmen.

The worst case scenario was to approach with a promise of surrender and cooperation and then ambush them.

However, this surprise attack ended with them being annihilated by concentrated fire from military machine guns that had been prepared just in case.

* * *

It was after the contact between the Tlaxcaltec natives and the conquering army that indigenous forces began to participate in earnest in the attack on Tenochtitlan.

When they first heard rumors of the strangers’ approach, the Tlaxcaltec leaders’ reaction was similar to that of other native tribes.

“They are coming to eat us! let’s fight!”

“Even if you just surrender, you will be eaten, and even if you lose, you will be eaten! Let’s fight and die!”

This strong reaction began to slow down as time passed and new rumors about the conquering army began to spread.

“Ban cannibalism?”

“Human sacrifice is also prohibited?”

“You came to punish the Messika guys?”

It was the last rumor that caught the attention of Tlaxcaltec leaders.

-I came to punish the Messika guys.

The people who suffered the most from the Messicans who settled in Tenochtitlan were the Tlaxcaltecs. Therefore, the hostility they had toward the Messicans was beyond imagination.

“I think it would be okay to join hands with foreigners…”

“But…”

The reason they hesitated to join forces with the conquering army was, of course, a religious issue.

Although they suffered the most from the Mesica people’s human sacrifices, they also sacrificed people. The only difference was in scale and frequency.

While the leaders of Tlaxcaltec were worried, a messenger from the conquering army visited them.

The demands delivered by the messenger and the defectors were very similar to those heard through rumor.

The deadline given by the conquering army was getting closer, but the leaders were not able to easily reach a conclusion.

At this, young warriors rose up.

“We must join hands with the Gentiles!”

“We must not miss the opportunity to get revenge on those Messika guys!”

“Is there anything wrong with what they said? “Is there a God who can neither stop nor remove a curse?”

The young warriors were distrusting the gods they had believed in until now.

It was because of the curse that swept through nearby areas, starting with Tenochtitlan.

As the curse spread, the Mesica people of Tenochtitlan sacrificed more people than ever before, but they were unable to stop the curse.

And even in Tlaxcaltec, where they could not avoid the curse that had spread, many people lost their lives or turned into hideous figures.

Young warriors who lost their families and acquaintances to this curse began to doubt the gods they believed in.

And rumors about the conquering army also stimulated them.

It was certain that if they joined hands with the conquering army that had defeated the Mesica people, the strongest people in the area, they would be able to resolve the grudges they had suffered so far.

These factors piled up and young warriors rose up.

The leaders, under pressure from young warriors, eventually decided to form an alliance with the conquering army.

One of the leaders who made the decision muttered with a wry smile.

“’Is the God who can’t even block curses a God?’…. That’s not wrong….” *

* *

As the leaders decided to form an alliance, about 10,000 Tlaxcaltec warriors joined the conquest army.

And these were the beginning.

-Tlaxcaltec joins hands with strangers!

As word of the Tlaxcaltec’s choice spread, many surrounding tribes made similar decisions.

“This is your chance for revenge!”

“It might be possible with those strangers!”

Sensing that an opportunity for revenge had come, the tribes quickly decided to form an alliance with the conquering army and sent warriors.

As the alliance of indigenous tribes accelerated, the conquering army grew in size more and more rapidly.

Lee Jing-ok, who confirmed the situation, turned to his staff and handed them a snack.

“I guess this is why I tell you not to live a life of sin.”

The staff nodded at Lee Jing-ok’s words.

“That’s right.”

This was the same for the soldiers of the conquest army.

“How on earth have you done so crazy for something like this to happen?…”

“If you look at what I saw on the way here….”