Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 123

Episode 123: To Arab (2)

Meanwhile, a storm was brewing in the military.

“From Chamui to Champan, everyone come here!”

In response to Jo Mal-saeng’s call to ‘Everyone below me and above you’, the officials hurriedly gathered in front of Jo Mal-saeng’s desk.

“Is everyone gathered?”

“yes! “Thank you!”

Upon hearing that everyone had gathered, Jo Mal-saeng threw the report on the desk and shouted.

“If you guys are going to do things like this, resign immediately!”

“yes? Suddenly…”

“The report on the Huaihui people’s ship was submitted to the Chief Minister! Is this really the only way you can make it? Where is the report on the structure and pros and cons of the ships used by Huihoe people?”

“I still have orders for the craftsmen to write…”

“That’s the problem! If you’re just going to do what you’re told, why are you sitting in the position of superior? What is the benefit of preparing in advance before His Majesty the Lord gives His order? “If you guys just think a little more, you won’t have to do things twice!”

“I’m sorry!”

“If you apologize, you shouldn’t create something to apologize for! “How embarrassed I was at the assembly!”

* * *

The incident started because of Hyang’s remarks at the assembly.

“By the way, can I see the report on the rescue of the boat the Huihoe people came on?”

Jo Mal-saeng stuttered and answered Hyang’s question.

“Are you talking about the report on the rescue of the Hohoehoe people’s ship? That’s not yet…”

“As you know, Byeongpan is also researching ships to be used for ocean voyages, isn’t he? So, you probably know that Byeongpan purchased and inspected one ship each from the Ming Dynasty and the Japanese Empire.”

“I know.”

“But is it okay for work to be this slow when there is an opportunity that cannot be obtained even if money is paid? “Aren’t we going to be able to analyze it only after the report comes out, and we’ll make up for any shortcomings later in the process of loading the guns onto the ship?”

“Okay.”

* * *

As exchanges between the Ming and Japanese countries, especially the Ouchi family, became more active, the county urged King Sejong to purchase large ships from the Ming and Japanese countries one by one.

“If we had enough budget, we could have even bought Yugu’s ship and looked into it… That damn budget is the problem.”

‘Are pears something you can just buy at the market? Do you think the budget just comes out? Get out you bastard!’

Hyang, grumbling as he thought about the insults he received when he asked for additional budget for the purchase of a ship, completely disassembled the ship he had purchased with his craftsmen and examined every nook and cranny.

I didn’t know about the scent, but this was what Shin Suk-ju did during the reign of King Sejo.

* * *

As soon as Jo Mal-saeng made a sound of pain, Hyang continued speaking.

“I’ll say it again, since the Huaihoe people brought a new ship and were able to thoroughly look into the issue of mounting artillery, isn’t this a heaven-sent opportunity?”

“That’s right….”

Hyang’s face hardened at the sight of Jo Mal-saeng stuttering.

“Surely there is no report?”

“That’s not it…”

As Jo Mal-saeng trailed off, Sejong joined in the conversation.

“Is there no report?”

When we went to Sejong, Jo Mal-saeng answered urgently.

“Oh no! I’m organizing it now. Organizing! “I thought reporting whether the artillery was mounted or not was an urgent matter, so I wrote only that part first!”

“is it?”

Sejong, who nodded to Jo Mal-saeng’s answer, added.

“I thought you had forgotten your days as a recorder and become lax.”

“How could you forget that!”

Jo Mal-saeng broke into a cold sweat and vehemently denied what King Sejong said.

“Then when can I receive it?”

“I will upload it within five days.”

“You said all you have to do is clean it up? “I want to see you in three days.”

“I will!”

In this way, a storm broke out in the military.

* * *

“Why! why! What makes you do something twice that could have been done once? why!”

“I apologize.”

“If you apologize, don’t apologize! Do you know how much more records you have to sort out every time you do something stupid? Do you even know! Didn’t I tell you my sister! “Don’t increase unnecessary records!”

As Jo Mal-saeng returned to the military service, several new rules were introduced to the military service.

-Do not create useless documents.

-Use tickets actively.

-Keep sentences concise!

Accordingly, the documents produced by the military service were truly concise and clear.

Thanks to this, King Sejong praised him like this.

“The documents coming from the military service these days are really nice to look at and read. “The sentences are simple and clear and the main point can be understood right away, so it would be good for other ministries to do this as well.”

“I follow your orders!”

Jo Mal-saeng, who had been scolding his subordinates for a while, finally shouted.

“What are you doing! Write a report right now and bring it to me! If it isn’t on my desk within two days, I will die and you will too! “I will never die alone!”

“Yes old!”

* * *

The military officers and craftsmen who wrote the report looked puzzled when asked to write the report again.

“Would you like me to rewrite the report?”

The official nodded to the question asked again by the craftsmen who could not hide their bewildered expressions.

“That’s right. “If the report you posted last time was about whether or not the Huaihoe people’s ship could use artillery, this time it is to report on the structural strengths and weaknesses.”

“Structural pros and cons?”

“okay. Are there any reports you wrote some time ago using the Myeongguk-seon and the Japanese-Japanese? “You can make it like that.”

The head craftsman scratched his head and answered the official’s words.

“All right. “Then when do I have to write it?”

“I should receive it within two days.”

“I knew.”

“Then I’m going. “Don’t forget that it’s only two days!”

“Yes, I understand! Take a look!”

The leader, who saw off the pacing official, swore as soon as the official disappeared.

“Damn it! If we handled this together last time, we won’t have to do it again! What are officials? “They always say that they are the only ones having a hard time!”

The leader, who cursed at being asked to do work that he would not have had to do if he had paid a little more attention, gathered his subordinate craftsmen.

“Gather together! Gap-sik, take it and prepare your enemy!”

* * *

While a storm was raging in the military camp. Hojo Judge Kim Jeom was reporting to King Sejong.

“… So a merchant named Mansour chose the product.”

“Hmm…”

After receiving Kim’s report, Sejong looked at the list of products selected by Mansour.

“As expected, porcelain and spices are popular.”

King Sejong smiled and liked the idea of purchasing large quantities of porcelain, the most cutting-edge high value-added product at the time in the 15th century, and spices, a traditional luxury item.

I don’t know about fragrances, but porcelain was produced exclusively in the royal workshop. Therefore, most of the profits were contributing to enriching the national treasury.

Following King Sejong’s words, Kim Jeom gave a supplementary explanation.

“Diversifying the shape of the porcelain is what increased sales. “The crown prince’s idea worked.”

“is it?”

Sejong nodded with a happy face at Kim Jeom’s words.

* * *

“Traditional china is boring! Competitiveness is weak! If things continue like this, your life will be short!”

After seeing the familiar-shaped pottery, Hyang soon sketched a modern design and handed it over to his craftsmen.

“The shape is a bit unusual, sir.”

“They did it that way on purpose. “Isn’t the older brother of the pottery we are making now also making Myeongguk?”

“But isn’t it a situation where people from the Ming Dynasty, as well as the Japanese people, can’t survive because they don’t have them?”

Hyang nodded and answered the words of Sagijang, the head of the government.

“Not really. However, although it may be difficult for the Japanese, the Minguk people will soon make it similar. So, let’s go one step ahead.”

“okay.”

Hyang continued to explain additionally as he nodded his head with an ambiguous expression, as if he didn’t understand.

“And the people in the far west also like him. But since their eating and drinking habits are different from ours, wouldn’t something that caters to them sell well?”

“ah! understand!”

It was the head fraudster who immediately nodded at Hyang’s words.

* * *

“Hoo?”

Sejong, who was looking at the list with a happy face, stopped at one item.

“You bought this much glassware? “Isn’t the glass originally from them?”

Kim Jeom immediately answered King Sejong’s question.

“They share the same origins, but the beauty and usefulness of our Joseon Dynasty precedes it.”

“is it?”

“As expected, the crown prince….”

When Kim Jeom secretly mentioned incense, King Sejong burst out laughing.

“ha ha ha! “The Crown Prince has done so much!”

The big hit of glassware was not only due to the craftsmen, but scent also played a role.

For artisans who made pottery or pottery, glass was a ‘gift from heaven.’ Unlike pottery, where the result cannot be known for a long time until the clay is beaten, shaped, dried, glazed, and then fired in a kiln, the result of glass can be known as soon as it cools.

The convenience of being able to melt something in a kiln and make it again if something was not to their liking greatly fueled the craftsmen’s desire to create.

Incense quietly added firewood there.

“Can you make something like this?”

“Is something like this even possible?”

“What if you mix clear glass liquid with colored glass liquid?”

Based on the glass products commonly seen in the 21st century, the craftsmen’s desire to create burned more intensely every time a scent was mentioned.

It was natural that products made using the properties of glass and stamped into molds had better designs than European and Arab products of the same period thanks to the interference of scent.

“Because I have a design that has evolved over hundreds of years…”

Stimulated by this scent, Pietro and Raphael, as well as Joseon craftsmen, vigorously blew on their exhalation tubes (blow pipes).

* * *

Sejong, who could not hide his satisfaction at Hyang’s performance, suddenly had a thought and looked around.

“Now that I think about it, I can’t see the crown prince? “What does the Crown Prince do?”

‘The guy who would have come by now and asked for the budget….’

‘Give me the budget.’ If you whine, ‘You bastard, get out!’ King Sejong, who used to say this every day, asked about the fate of the incense with a somewhat empty look on his face.

The Merchant Marine immediately answered King Sejong’s question.

“The Crown Prince says he is now making tea with Qahwa.”

“If it’s Kafuwa… Ah! Black bean tea. Hmm….”

Sejong paused for a moment and immediately stood up.

“I need to rest for a while.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After declaring the suspension of the meeting, King Sejong left Geunjeongjeon and headed to Donggungjeon.

* * *

“Hmm, hmm, hmm… Ah! “It smells just right!”

After finishing roasting the coffee beans that had been swept away from Mansour, Hyang smelled the smell and looked happy.

As he did not like the scent of the coffee beans that had already been roasted for Mansour and the Huihoe people to drink, he decided to roast them himself.

“I heard that the nonsense I did while being criticized like that was so helpful.”

When I watched a drama set in a coffee shop that was popular in the 21st century, I was drawn to coffee instead of the love line between the main characters.

Thanks to this, the scent became, ‘I’d rather open a coffee shop than a blacksmith shop!’ He was also very knowledgeable about coffee, to the point where he was said to have said,

After roasting using a brazier and a griddle (a frying pan from the Joseon Dynasty), Hyang grinded the coffee beans in a small mortar and made coffee.

“Hmm~. Of course it’s this scent. “It occurred to me that I should also make professional tools.”

I was rubbing my hands happily with the thought of drinking coffee and was just about to pour it into my cup when the eunuch outside announced King Sejong’s arrival.

“Your Majesty, please come!”

“this!”

Hyang, who hastily refined the clothing, opened the door and politely welcomed King Sejong as he entered.

“See you Abama.”

“Oh, is that Kahuwa?”

Hyang immediately nodded to Sejong’s question.

“That’s right.”

“Since you guys drink tea, I’ll have a cup too.”

“yes.”

At King Sejong’s words, Hyang politely offered freshly brewed coffee in a coffee cup – a prototype of a tea cup made for Europeans – to King Sejong, along with the candy paper he had left next to him and the tarak (駝酪 milk) paper bag he had brought from Nobeol Island in the morning. They held it out together.

“At first, just try it, and then add the candy and tarax to suit the flavor.”

“Is that so?”

Sejong took a light sip and frowned.

“It uses a lot, but the flavor is good. Then…”

Sejong mixed sugar and milk, tasted it and nodded.

“It’s okay.”

Sejong slowly emptied his coffee and looked at the scent.

“Indeed… it looks like you’ll regain vitality right away.”

“It’s a highly effective tea.”

“The ministers will like it.”

Hyang looked embarrassed at Sejong’s words.

‘Wouldn’t it be nice if I didn’t swear?’