Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 178
Episode 178: The end of Gyeongjang. (3)
The employee pointed out the harsh reality.
“If I live like that, how will it end? Other people save money to buy a house, open a store, or buy a farm, but what are you going to do with your money? While others are getting married, having children, and raising grandchildren, do you want to be alone in a small rented room, holding a bottle in your arms, scratching your crotch, and shaking in despair? “I’ve already become a nobleman and a nobleman. Shouldn’t I buy a house, get married, and start a family?”
The slaves nodded with blank, fascinated faces at the employee’s words.
“But what do you think if we save up the wages we get? Are you worried about thieves and can’t sleep well at any time of the day or night? is not it?”
“I guess…”
As the slaves nodded, the battlefield staff raised their voices.
“therefore! Create an account on the battlefield! Create an account and put in all the wages you earn from working! Take out money only when you need it! Then the money will accumulate! As you know, the battlefield is fought in the country! No need to waste your money! Not only that, but also charge interest! If you put in 1 nyang of silver, you get 12 won of interest per year! How great is this? Go out now and search the ground! “I wonder if 12 won just happens!”
The slaves shook their heads in frustration at the employee’s words. Looking at the slaves like that, the employee spoke in a soft voice.
“This is all how His Majesty the Lord and the government, who felt sorry for you, thought of it. Think carefully! You became a sheep thanks to the grace given by His Majesty the Lord! “If you become a Yangin, shouldn’t you live a decent life?”
That day, dozens of accounts were created at the Joseon battlefield located in Gijang-gun.
* * *
Incidents similar to what happened in Gijang-gun were reported throughout Joseon.
After checking the report compiled by Hojo, King Sejong looked back at the ministers with a happy face.
“They say ‘100,000,000 meals.’… A lot of money is made by collecting the funds of those who received exemptions. “It also makes it easier to secure manpower for road construction.”
“That’s right.”
“In addition, it has become easier to recruit manpower to be deployed to the weaving mill.”
All the ministers bowed their heads in response to King Sejong’s words.
Funny enough, it was Sejong, not Hyang, who first thought of this.
* * *
Sejong, who was looking at reports on what would happen in the future after overhauling the ‘Tax Act’ and ‘Slave Act’, suddenly had an idea.
‘I don’t think the amount of wealth you receive when you receive the cotton cloth is at all a small amount?’
After coming up with an idea, King Sejong immediately told Hojo and ordered him to estimate how much wealth would come out of Myeoncheon.
“Is this happening again?…”
Although he complained to Hojo’s officials, he faithfully followed their orders.
The faces of the Hojo officials who were calculating the expected amount became increasingly serious.
“Is this quite a lot?”
“If these assets are released all at once, there will be a problem with prices…”
Hojo’s officials wrote a report with serious faces and submitted it to Kim Jeom.
After receiving and reading the report, Kim Jeom looked serious.
“If I do something wrong, something big will happen.”
Kim Jeom ran straight to Uijeongbu.
The officials of Uijeongbu also realized the seriousness of the situation and put their heads together.
“If slaves are exempted all at once like this, it is definitely a problem. “Not only will there be a price issue, but crime and housing issues will also become a big issue.”
“Hmm… Then should we limit the number of people who can be exempted from the military in a year?”
“It’s a pretty good method. Then, the burden on officials will be less.”
The ministers who reached a consensus submitted the agenda and Uijeongbu’s opinion on it to King Sejong.
Seeing this, Kim Jeom felt something ominous.
“what? “What is this feeling of discomfort?”
* * *
His ominous premonition was right on target. This was because King Sejong became furious after receiving the reports from the officials.
“Limit the number of people receiving exemptions? Do the sutras have thoughts or not? Do you think the landowners, who are obviously desperate to reduce their tax burden, will accept this order! “The people who worked right next to me got the exemption, but those who didn’t get the exemption don’t know what to think!”
The ministers had to urgently bow their heads in response to King Sejong’s reprimand.
“Here comes the Emperor!”
“The gods were short-thinking! Please kill me!”
King Sejong continued speaking as he looked at the nobles and ministers bowing their heads.
“It is natural for people, when they receive one thing, to want to receive one more. In that case, I think it is better to think of a plan that we can both agree on rather than restricting it. Think again and come up with an answer!”
The ministers repeatedly had to bow their heads in response to King Sejong’s strict orders.
* * *
Sejong did not stop by giving orders to his ministers. King Sejong himself continued to think and think to find the right answer.
“Hmm… there is some good answer…”
King Sejong, who was looking through the scriptures he had made as well as the political views that Hyang had made, stopped at the ‘Joseon battlefield’ section.
“Creating savings and loan accounts for ordinary people on the battlefield?”
Sejong, who had been reading the part over and over again, hit his knee with his hand.
“This is it!”
The next day, King Sejong shared his thoughts with his ministers.
“… So, let’s supply people to road construction sites and textile mills by plaguing as much as possible the oars and workers who have become farmers by receiving cotton cloth. “This part is helpful to the upper management, so they will not have any complaints.”
The ministers all nodded at Sejong’s words.
“I am just amazed by your wisdom!”
When the ministers did not object, King Sejong continued speaking.
“And let’s send a battlefield official to the location to check the Myeoncheon and absorb as much of the wealth brought by those who received the Myeoncheon into the battlefield as possible. Anyway, if we look at the progress of the battlefield, aren’t we supposed to create savings and loan accounts for the general public on the battlefield?”
“That’s right.”
“So, we are making those who have been exempted from exemption open an account! Then, other people will see this and create accounts on the battlefield. “What do you think?”
The ministers who were pondering King Sejong’s words nodded their heads one by one.
“What a brilliant sight!”
“If done properly, adjustments can secure more funds and control market prices!”
The ministers unanimously approved King Sejong’s plan.
Meanwhile, upon hearing this news, Hyang opened his eyes wide and could not hide his surprise.
“Is this what you think? if. Abamamado?”
Hyang, who continued to think with a ‘what if’ look on his face, soon shook his head.
“Arthur, Arthur. “If you do something wrong, you will be stoned.”
Anyway, I thought it was a good method, but I decided that the scent was slightly lacking. In the end, I decided to secretly add MSG and went to Sejong.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“I saw the plan put forward by Abamama regarding the upcoming Novi Myeoncheon. “It was truly a brilliant idea.”
“I had a hard time.”
“I may be indecent, but would it be okay if I put a spoon on there?”
“you?”
Sejong, who paused for a moment at Hyang’s words, soon nodded.
“Nothing went wrong because you intervened. good night. “I allow it.”
As soon as King Sejong gave permission, Hyang immediately shared her thoughts.
“If those who received exemptions create an account, the wages paid to the workers at the top are deposited directly into this account.”
“Are you going to make the deposit right away?”
“yes. In any case, the money paid to the top is paid by Hojo through the battlefield. Therefore, if you order the top to create a list with the names and accounts of workers and deposit money directly into the workers’ accounts based on this, there is no need to work twice and tax evasion can be prevented as much as possible.”
“Hmm…”
Sejong, who was thinking about Hyang’s words, immediately nodded.
“I see! “That would be great!”
In this way, the first case of a worker’s salary being deposited directly into a bank was created.
* * *
The MSG flavor didn’t end there.
Hyang continued his explanation to the gathering of King Sejong and the ministers.
“If you just force them to create an account, there won’t be a backlash.”
“That’s right.”
“At worst, you may feel robbed.”
King Sejong and the ministers nodded at Hyang’s point. After quenching her thirst for a moment, Hyang continued speaking.
“Therefore, battlefield employees must persuade those who have been exempted to open an account.”
“Persuade? “It is not easy.”
Hyang nodded at Sejong’s point.
“you’re right. That’s why we need to target their most insecure areas.”
Hyang borrowed an advertisement from a 21st century bank and created a persuasive speech.
This was the way Gijang-gun’s battlefield staff bewitched the exempted slaves.
King Sejong and the ministers who saw the demonstration of the incense looked blankly at the incense. After a while, the ministers, still with blank faces, looked at King Sejong.
“Your Majesty, the gods should also open an account.”
“I thought the same thing, too.”
King Sejong and his ministers, who confirmed the effectiveness of the medicine, accepted Hyang’s proposal without hesitation.
Once the method was decided, employees from battlefields across the country were called to Hanseong.
Hyang once again demonstrated the ‘art of persuasion’ to the employees who were brought to the East Palace.
And that day, battlefield employees created accounts in their name on the battlefield.
* * *
“Anyway… I am certain that the Hojo officials and battlefield staff in charge of this matter did their job properly. Therefore, please pay the promised reward.”
The ministers bowed their heads again at King Sejong’s command.
“I follow your orders!”
In this way, Sejong gained another ‘world’s first’ title.
-The first person in the world to use an official incentive system.
Of course, there had been a system of awards in the past in recognition of merit earned on the battlefield, but he was the first person to officially use the award system in general work, not war.
* * *
Amidst all this big and small commotion, nationwide road construction began in the spring of the year of Gyeongsul.
With the rumor that road paving construction was underway to connect the entire Joseon Dynasty, young people who had been forced to leave rural areas and those who could not find jobs in the cities gathered at the construction site.
Those weren’t all of them. Quite a few farmers from nearby villages where construction was taking place also visited the site.
The reason farmers visited construction sites was because of the transplanting method.
As I said before, one of the biggest advantages of the transplanting method was that it required less labor.
Excluding the time of planting and harvesting, this was a transplanting method that did not require that many people.
As a result, farmers who had been idle for just a month or two entered the construction site with the intention of getting a second job.
It wasn’t just farmers. After learning that those participating in the construction would receive regular wages every month, miscellaneous merchants and field workers gathered around the site and a small market was created.
As these events overlapped, more and more people in Joseon began to engage in economic activities in fields other than agriculture.
* * *
If the large-scale Myeoncheon was one axis that brought about the mass migration of Joseon’s population, the other axis was the enormous amount of rice fields that became state-owned land through the ‘Giyu Rebellion’.
-The government is looking for people to farm the confiscated fields. In qualifications, priority is given to those who are raising a family as adoptive parents.
-The rent for state-owned fields is 30%, the same as for Gungbangjeon, and the tax rate imposed on tenant farmers follows the law.
The peasants’ hips shook all at once upon seeing the court’s decree.
“30%! “The rent on the land I am currently farming is 50%!”
“Is there a state-owned field near here?”
“Is that the problem? “If I can go a thousand miles and get a sharecropping, I should go!”
Eventually, many tenant farmers began to move away from where they had lived to take up farming in state-owned fields.