#taejo

Taejo did not demand a lot. He had given up recognition and success, autonomy. He had given up so much, and all he asked, the only thing, was that his dignity be left intact. Being forced to betray his natural skill- to deny himself the victory he deserved- was simply unacceptable. If he didn’t race well enough, it wasn’t just his pride that would suffer; his father’s business could be fractured. And they would lose everything.  Cruncher Block was a cartoon, and Taejo Togokhan was not to be pushed around by a cartoon. It was... genuinely unfortunate that the cartoon was so well equipped. “You really seemed like such a nice guy,” Block sighed, fingers crossed in front of him. “So easy to work with. I just don’t get what the problem is.” He stood up from his fancy oak desk, tossing an apple in one of his thick, scar-covered hands. By his sides were two of his mobsters, and then the big one- the one with the arms that could easily dangle Taejo’s entire body over the edge of some half-finished building- stood just behind the chair they had Taejo tied to. Block straightened his tie. “I just don’t get how much times we have to teach you this lesson.” He set down his apple on the desk, and stooped in front of his bound prisoner’s face. “We told you to pull out of the race, so you’re going to pull out of the race. You understand?” Taejo bared his teeth. His mouth sort of tasted like blood, but that was okay. The entire cramped office kind of smelled like death already. “I do not take orders from apes like you,” he snarled, tugging at the ropes that held him solidly to the chair. Block shook his head. “See? This is what I don’t get.” At once, a meaty hand reached out to grab Taejo’s jaw, tilting it thoughtfully to the side so he could fit a long, silvery blade against the hook of his chin. “X is the only one who’s got your back on this. You know Racer is going to bow out. And no matter what X says he can do to me, I’ll tell you this- before he can even lay a finger, I’ll have cut off your hands and shipped them to your old man in a cardboard box. And I’ll ruin your sister’s pretty face, too- leave Togokhan with two cripple kids to look after and a dying company. I might get caught for it, but that can’t change what I’m going to do to you if you don’t pull out of the Casa Cristo now.“ Taejo squirmed, but the blade was so close to drawing blood that he didn’t get far. Plus, there was no way to deny how he got cold when Block started threatening Horuko- not to mention the fact that he was right. Speed was going to back out of the race. Speed wasn’t going to drive with him. And he needed Speed Racer to drive with him.   “You understand me, Taejo?” Block repeated. “You want your family to be okay? Want to be able to hold a steering wheel next time you drive? Then you’re going to drop out. And I’m going to make sure that if you don’t, your life becomes hell.” He smiled and pulled his knife away, putting it to better use peeling the apple. Taejo watched him make each calculated slice. “I’m glad we’re on the same page, Taejo. You’re a very smart man.” The tone, designed just to get under his skin, was irritatingly effective. “Now I’m going to have some fellows walk you to the registration office, and you’re going to withdraw your team from the running. Okay?” Taejo stared at him in muted anger, but he said nothing. He felt as if this man was trying to bridle his spirit and he was starting to see no choice but to take the bit. To force himself into submission. Giving up his dignity seemed to be the only way to protect his sister and keep his family alive, and he hated that, but he remained silent nonetheless. Not worth the risk. “Very good,” Blocker said, smiling his fake smile. “I knew we’d come to an understanding. I’ll be checking back in soon, yeah?” Taejo was hauled to his feet and dragged quickly and efficiently from the room.

Historia Antigua de la Península Coreana: OCTAVA PARTE

Primera parte

Segunda parte

Tercera parte

Cuarta parte

Quinta parte

Sexta parte

Séptima parte

EL DECLIVE DE SILLA 

A mediados del siglo VIII comenzó el declive del apogeo de Silla debido a varios factores. Por una parte, el extenso clan de la familia real se había fragmentado en familias colaterales que lucharon entre sí por la riqueza y el poder, el sistema de rangos de la aristocracia ya no proporcionaba cohesión y organización a la sociedad, y el grupo de guerreron Hwarang se degeneró en uno de jóvenes que tan sólo disfrutaban de la danza, la música y la poesía. El rígido sistema de estratificación social impedía que las personas más capacitadas y talentosas tuvieran acceso a puestos importantes en el gobierno; por lo tanto, las instituciones políticas no lograron una verdadera eficacia y resultaban ser cada vez más costosas y menos eficientes.

El mal manejo de los asuntos del gobierno, la gradual decadencia de la monarquía, rodeada de lujo y extravagancia, la falta de incentivos y el creciente descontento de los aristócratas, que se oponían constantemente a las reformas gubernamentales, y el pueblo, agobiado por los excesivos impuestos y explotado por los terratenientes, se manifestaron por medio de rebeliones en más de una década y alcanzaron un punto crítico en el año 780 a raíz del asesinato del rey Hyegong (혜공왕). Durante los siguientes 150 años le sucedieron veinte reyes, pertenecientes a familias rivales del linaje Kim, quienes ascendieron por breve tiempo al trono con el apoyo de ambiciosos aristócratas que contaban con su propio ejército. El que lograba la victoria en la batalla por la sucesión ya no representaba a la aristocracia sino a sus partidarios que lo habían elegido, por lo que cada nuevo rey se convertía en blanco de venganzas por parte de las facciones a las que había derrotado y en la mayoría de los casos era asesinado. 

La autoridad central se fue debilitando a la vez que se fortalecía la local, encabezada por terratenientes y mercaderes que tenían el control político y económico en sus respectivos distritos y contaban con ejércitos privados. Hacia finales del siglo IX estallaron levantamientos campesinos y de esclavos a lo largo del país encabezados por líderes regionales rebeldes como Kyonhwon, militar de origen campesino, quién estableció el estado de Baekje tardío, y un hijo ilegítimo del rey Heongang (헌강왕). Kungye (궁예) fue otro rebelde emparentado con el linaje Kim que se unió al grupo rebelde Yanggil para fundar el Koguryo tardío o Taebong. Por lo tanto, Silla quedó rodeado.

El ejército del rey Kungye atacó primero Baekje tardío, al mando de uno de sus generales más destacados, Wang Kon (왕건), cuya familia se dedicaba al comercio marítimo; este tomó control de Taebong en el 918, y tras el éxito sobre sus rivales, logró en el 935 la reunificación de la península bajo la naciente dinastía Korgyo o Goryeo (De donde nace el nombre de “Korea” o “Corea, abreviaturas de Koguryo). 

www.mitoscrenespanol.tumblr.com

Créditos de las imágenes:

1.- Tumba del rey Heongang de Silla.

2.- Representación moderna de Kungye (rey de Baekje tardío) y Wang kon (general de Kungye y fundador de la dinastía Koryo). 

Lee mitología griega aquí

This one gave me flashbacks to joking about a host club lmao pretty sure I still have the url from that saved too