Akatsuki no Yona - Vol. 32 Ch. 186 - What Must Be Faced

[Kaarme]

@Purplelibraryguy You had plenty of good points yourself that made me adjust my views a bit. Anymore than this, though, and we would start to repeat ourselves, no doubt. Let's leave it at this, like you suggested.

 

[Kendama]

@Kaarme Having been on the same side of this issue as PLG, I can only add one thing.

Kouka, Xing, Sei and Kai are a cultural continuum. Same language and similar customs.

Suppose Kouka got invaded or peacefully annexed by Kai due to King Il's inaction. If it were for the sake of peace, so what? You talk of poor foreign policy on Il's part, but poor for whom? The people in the former province of Kouka that Soo-won retook in chapters 95-100 didn't give a damn to who ruled over their lands, so long as there was no war. Ditto for the villages in Sen Province where Yona and co. found the Iza seeds. They had belonged to the Fire Tribe and yet their festival was meant to appease the ire of the Fire Tribe. And they got the Iza seeds from Kai. So they were better off under Kai than under Kouka.

See what I mean? The worst peace is better than the best war. Soo-won's warmongering only serves his own mental construct of Kouka as an indivisible unity. But even the dissolution of a country, or its annexation, if by peaceful means, are better than wars to maintain national unity. The examples in the story show that the people abhor war more than anything else, and that a change in overlords doesn't necessarily change the commoner's lives for the worse. So yeah, Il's meek peace ideal probably cost fewer lives in his reign of about ten years than Soo-won's ten months or so of war and strife, especially if we include soldiers, who also happen to be humans.

In fact, the scorched earth wars we're used to are relatively recent. There have always been exceptions, like the Mongol invasion of Persia, but before standing national armies appeared, war was a business of greedy nobles and the people just wanted it to be over. Total war is an invention of crazy European elites.

I'd also add that Geun-tae, Joon-gi and Soo-jin held as much responsibility by the decadence of their tribes during Il's reign as the king himself. Kouka is described as a federation. Soo-won having to tell Geun-tae about the commercial potential of his own wife's tea (!!) tells us more about Geun-tae's incompetence than about Il's, or Soo-won's competence.

So yeah, I see no evidence that Soo-won would have led Kouka down a better path had it not been for his failure to kill Yona. He was extraordinarily lucky in her survival. But of course, neither you nor I can be sure of that, because it's a counterfactual. I'm just pointing out that just as you can choose to believe he'd be able to sort all these problems out even if Yona had died, I choose to believe Kouka would have become a meal for the dogs of war had she not been there to steer the country towards peace. What we have that is not counterfactual are the facts of the story so far, which show that she's been the only force for peace in this country after Soo-won usurped the throne. And that trumps every single domestic policy point he has score, in my opinion.

Last but not least, as I always suspected he would, he's now playing to attack Kai for no reason. That's one brutal and unnecessary war, much like the one he waged first. I really hope he kicks the bucket before that happens. That illness is more than welcome, though I'd prefer Hak to split him in two.

 

[Kaarme]

@Kendama I'll only make a single post to address some of your points.

See what I mean? The worst peace is better than the best war. Soo-won's warmongering only serves his own mental construct of Kouka as an indivisible unity. But even the dissolution of a country, or its annexation, if by peaceful means, are better than wars to maintain national unity. The examples in the story show that the people abhor war more than anything else, and that a change in overlords doesn't necessarily change the commoner's lives for the worse. So yeah, Il's meek peace ideal probably cost fewer lives in his reign of about ten years than Soo-won's ten months or so of war and strife, especially if we include soldiers, who also happen to be humans.

Kai was running state sponsored slave and drug businesses in the neighbouring country, Kouka. King Il didn't do anything to stop it, in the name of his ultimate appease policy. He also handed over land area when demanded by the neighbours. This will only lead to being exloited more and more as time goes by. None of Soo-Won's actions have cost that much lives. It's in large part thanks to Yona, but it doesn't change the fact it happened during Soo-Won's reign. In fact Yona wouldn't have been out there to solve conflict without Soo-Won, even though she didn't leave voluntarily to be a crisis manager and conflict solver. King Il'ls reign, however, was a period of slow withering that had famines and whatnot. They kill and affect far more people than a battle or two.

In fact, the scorched earth wars we're used to are relatively recent. There have always been exceptions, like the Mongol invasion of Persia, but before standing national armies appeared, war was a business of greedy nobles and the people just wanted it to be over. Total war is an invention of crazy European elites.

Civilians have always suffered from wars. It's just that in the more distant past, nobody gave a shit about peasants. They were there to suffer at the nobles' leisure. Passing armies took all of the food, raped the women, killed the men, claimed slaves. Nobody cared. This so called total war is just a thing because in the modern times things were categorised and somebody thought that humans have something called human rights. Go back a couple of hundred of years and there were no human rights. There were only laws, to a varying degree, that said you can't randomly kill people or even assault them or take their possessions, but that's it. Obviously such laws didn't apply to invading armies.

I'd also add that Geun-tae, Joon-gi and Soo-jin held as much responsibility by the decadence of their tribes during Il's reign as the king himself. Kouka is described as a federation. Soo-won having to tell Geun-tae about the commercial potential of his own wife's tea (!!) tells us more about Geun-tae's incompetence than about Il's, or Soo-won's competence.

Yes, it certainly is good to have a competent king who actually pays attention to the country's problems and tries to fix broken things if local governors can't do it by themselves for whatever reason. Not like one King Il in whose opinion everything was perfect in the country as long as the capital was pretty.

So yeah, I see no evidence that Soo-won would have led Kouka down a better path had it not been for his failure to kill Yona. He was extraordinarily lucky in her survival. But of course, neither you nor I can be sure of that, because it's a counterfactual. I'm just pointing out that just as you can choose to believe he'd be able to sort all these problems out even if Yona had died, I choose to believe Kouka would have become a meal for the dogs of war had she not been there to steer the country towards peace. What we have that is not counterfactual are the facts of the story so far, which show that she's been the only force for peace in this country after Soo-won usurped the throne. And that trumps every single domestic policy point he has score, in my opinion.

He obviously had plans. He knew what he was doing. He was prepared on all levels and had sufficient information and experts to help him. Sure, he wasn't as quick to react to all the local problems as Yona, simply because he had to look after the whole kingdom, not just parts of it, unlike Yona who could freely wander wherever she wanted to (and the plot conveniently guided her to).

Last but not least, as I always suspected he would, he's now playing to attack Kai for no reason. That's one brutal and unnecessary war, much like the one he waged first. I really hope he kicks the bucket before that happens. That illness is more than welcome, though I'd prefer Hak to split him in two.

Somebody has to put a stop to Kai's outrageous acts, one way or another. Kai has demonstrated time after time they couldn't care less about Kouka's sovereignty. Whether a war is the best solution, that's another question, but nobody has suggested anything better. If Kai is a country that respects nothing but military power, then ultimately military power is the only way to set them straight.

 

[ViEmlleSzDias]

I don't really want Soo-Won dying because of a illness...
I would like for him to live much more and still be the king or die in battle.
He's one of my faves in here.

 

[Aoixneko]

I really hate this ... Why? Why mangaka-san? Do u have to do this to me ??! TT__TT

@ViEmlleSzDias yes me too I also want that too.

 

[LaDeeDah]

In other words, Soo-won will probs die a tragic death by the end.
Yay!
I'm personally looking forward to Queen Yona.
Less experienced people than her have managed to become good rulers so I have faith in her.

 

[Scyferine]

Wow so many essays in this comment section.. Yona pls don't go back on s*cking Soo Won's d*ck.. Hak's d*ck is more manlier, more sexier, n more loyal

 

[WiseGirl]

Reading the comments is so interesting...personally I don't I'd be able to forgive Soo-Won even if he was dying

 

[nv17]

All the airheaded pussies pitying and forgiving Soowon. You have no sense of value and morale.

 

[Miyono-chan]

King Il wasn't a wuss: being able to face his own death like that... Wow... I agree his methods weren't the best for the country and probably he would have done better as his brother's right hand as prime minister, but I do find strange that someone like him would kill his brother

 

[Vernonlee]

OMG, Guys, it's just a story and why tf are you questioning the author's decisions? Y'all think you can write it better?

Lol anyway I'm also curious on the conflict between King Il and his brother..

 

[xxidiota]

damn ppl really be writing essays in the comments LMFAO couldn’t be me