Day 31 year 1597
"Do not tell my death to the enemy" is my favorite quote spoken by a general in the Lim Jin We Ran period.. Based on the history (including the following events that were happening since I had arrived) I learned during class, I could calculate the time period of this era. This was the period of Lim Jin We Ran (임진왜란 [壬辰倭亂]), which is when the emperor was having a hard time due to the fights amongst different parties of the supporters of the emperor. Not being able to secure the center of the country the country was becoming weak and thus started the invasion of Japan( Do Yo To Mi He De Yo Shi united Japan도요토미 히데요시[豊臣秀吉] and stretched his ambitions towards Josun (Korea). I am getting used to the living conditions of this time period. There is no cell-phone, electricity, or auto mobile except for the use of horses. I have not said anything about coming from the past (to the villagers) since I would be thought as a crazy person, so I have been living as an assistant of a boat craft’s man. It took some time to get alone in the village and the different customs including the use of tone in the languages. Nothing particular happened today and I have been learning a lot of skills from my master. Today I got to build a mast for a big boat for a merchant ship.
Just when I was wondering about when the war was going to happen, posts were posted by soldiers sent by the emperor himself warning the citizens about the war and also having a draft to prepare the fight. By now I was accepted as a villager amongst the citizens and villagers that I was staying in. I had to go to the office and say that I would like to participate in the navy (participate in the draft) to secure my identity before they find out I am not listed in as a citizen of Josun (조선) (before it was called Korea).
I have been having hard trainings that I would never have taken in my life. We started off with the control of the ships which were much harder compared to the modern way of sailing, since we could only rely on wind. The power source moving the ship was coming solely from human paddle force. This was the 5th day since the hard training had started and we had started the practice of firing cannons. Unlike the year 2010, the aiming was done only through angles and also the fire was lit by the soldiers themselves. General Lee soon shin (이순신) is the most famous generals amongst Koreans; he was famous for many of his achievements. And today I got the chance to see him!
Day140 year 1598
Unlike what I had expected, General Lee soon shin (이순신)was not the man we learned about during history class. He would always drink, gamble, and be lazy for all his duties. As time passed the situation got worse. This is the day from when I started to help out with hints in what to do for the General. First I needed to help him understand the serious situation he was dealing with. He had no pride in his country and also no information of what he was doing. I knew that a strong navy is extremely important for this country. This is because Josun (Korea) is a land which is surrounded by the ocean on 3 sides of the country. So I advised him to strengthen the navel army and prepare for battle. I remembered the fact that Lee soon shin’s greatest achievements aside his battles were the creation of the Gubooksun (거북선). This was a boat that looks like a turtle which had a cover on top of the deck making it protect from arrows and so on. Now knowing that this was not done by the general, I went into action making the boat myself. I am feeling very anxious and scarred for the upcoming battles that I need to fight without the famous general whom I was taught that was undefeatable.
Day 200 year 1598
Being in so many wars, I have been completely accustomed with the nature and culture of this time period. I have also ranked up to become the second general right under the influence of general Lee soon shin (이순신) due to my knowledge of knowing the future in what will happen. Unlike what I had feared the most, Lee soon shin was gaining back his reputation. Due to my help he has been living up to what we had been learning in history class. This was the day when I fought the Mung lang De Chup (명량대첩), where we won the battle with only 5000 men against 141,500 enemy troops. The war was over and it ended as a successful securing of the country. But that was not the end of my journey, it had only begun. What was I to do when I was called to see the New king?
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