• Ryu Songnyong, Chancellor of Choson Korea
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Ryu Songnyong, Chancellor of Choson Korea

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With the Japanese invasion of Chosŏn, King Sŏnjo’s court was thrown into panic and disarray. Ryu Sŏngnyong alone stood out,  negotiating with Ming China for military aid and leading the Korean peop...
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  • 01 December 2022
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With the Japanese invasion of Chosŏn, King Sŏnjo’s court was thrown into panic and disarray. Ryu Sŏngnyong alone stood out,  negotiating with Ming China for military aid and leading the Korean people through the crisis. Sŏnjo was the king, but Sŏngnyong was the leader. His mission could be described thus: “Though horses are lost, the stable must be repaired.” Ryu’s last battle was to put the war on record so that its bitter memory could survive. His agonizingly detailed records and admonitions for posterity were no less fierce and stirring than Yi Sunsin’s last battle at the Noryang strait. Yi’s tragic death made his star shine bright, but Ryu had to choose a different path to recognition than that of a warrior. His sacrifice was to persevere until he could finish recording his history. 
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Price: $50.00
Pages: 606
Publisher: Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley
Imprint: Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley
Series: Korea Research Monograph
Publication Date: 01 December 2022
Trim Size: 9.00 X 6.00 in
ISBN: 9781557291998
Format: Paperback
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Choi Byonghyon is professor of American literature at Honam University, Korea.

Preface ix
Acknowledgments xv
Author’s Note xvii
Ryu Family Tree xxi
Maps xxiii
BOOK I. DRAGON IN THE DEEP—PREPARING FOR A CAREER
1. A Child Named “Accomplished Dragon” 3
2. Ancestral Lineage 7
3. Family Portraits 9
4. Learning and Growing 12
5. The Grand Tour 19
6. Excursion into Practical Rationality 29
7. Humble Hut and Western Cliff 35
8. Reading the Classics 41
9. Master T’oegye 48
BOOK II. DRAGON ARISING IN THE FIELD—PUBLIC SERVICE
1. A Heart Divided 59
2. Entering the Service 66
3. Diplomatic Mission to China 79
4. Lecturing to the King 92
5. Factional Strife 100
6. Reluctant Partisans 109
7. Leave-takings 120
8. Riptides 131
9. Downfall of the Easterners 142
10. The Man in Command 154
BOOK III. DRAGON ON THE WING—LEADING THE WAR
WITH JAPAN
1. Scholars and Warriors 161
2. Japanese Envoys 163
3. Contradictory Reports 169
4. Sharing Information with China 173
5. Recommending Yi Sunsin 176
6. Generals Unable to Foresee War 179
7. The Japanese Invade 183
8. Fortresses Fall One after Another 186
9. Criminal Charges against Kim Sŏngil 191
10. Commander Yi Il Flees as Sangju Falls 194
11. Sin Rip and the Fall of Ch’ungju 197
12. Get the Horses Ready 202
13. A Day of Wailing 210
14. The Fall of Seoul 218
15. The Defenses Collapse 223
16. Reinstatement 229
17. The Royal Party Leaves P’yŏngyang 237
18. The Fall of P’yŏngyang 244
19. The King Arrives in Ŭiju 249
20. The Shocking Defeat of the Celestial Army 255
21. Yi Sunsin’s Victories at Sea 262
22. The Righteous Armies 270
23. China Negotiates 277
24. The Ming Army Recaptures P’yŏngyang 282
25. A Setback at Pyŏkchegwan 290
26. Korea Fights on Its Own 300
27. A Painful Stalemate 307
28. No Retribution 317
29. A Rare Opportunity 327
30. Saving the Throne 343
31. A Precarious Calm 355
32. Caught in the Crossfire 361
33. Breakdown of Negotiations and the Second Invasion 382
BOOK IV. DRAGON WITHOUT A HEAD—THE LAST DAYS
1. Yi Sunsin’s Trials 393
2. The Fall of Namwŏn 409
3. Arrogant Generals, Servile King 412
4. Loyalty and Filial Piety 422
5. Fall of the Dragon 429
6. Chingbirok: Admonitions for Future Generations 444
7. Turning Down Royal Favors 450
8. A Nation in Mourning 461
BOOK V. HISTORICAL JUDGMENTS
1. Disciples and Descendants 469
2. History Written by Adversaries 475
3. Sŏngnyong’s Legacy 489
Notes 493
Bibliography 525
Glossary-Index 533