Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 180

Episode 180: The end of Gyeongjang. (5)

As many peasants throughout Joseon moved to the Samnam region, they became dependent on government offices and barracks in various places.

When the peasants and their families stayed for a day and departed, the relevant government offices and military barracks immediately submitted a report to higher authorities. And the reports collected in this way finally arrived at Ijo in Hanseong, where they were classified and organized.

The reports organized in this way were uploaded to King Sejong every day. After reviewing the report, King Sejong looked back at the ministers.

“It seems to be going smoothly.”

“That is so, Your Majesty.”

“How long do you think the movement of peasants will continue?”

Heojo immediately answered King Sejong’s question.

“It is expected to continue until early March.”

“Then is there enough farmland for them?”

Kim Jeom immediately answered King Sejong’s question.

“If the current trend continues, it will be gone by the end of February.”

“Hmm…”

In response to Kim Jeom’s answer, King Sejong looked at the calendar.

“The end of February is almost here. Then, immediately execute the third precept and immediately prepare to execute the fourth precept so as not to miss the time.”

“I follow your orders!”

As the ministers bowed their heads, King Sejong made another request to the ministers.

“The success of this plan will only be achieved when the fourth step is successfully completed. Please keep all of this in mind and do it with all your heart.”

“I will carry out my will!”

The ministers answered with one voice.

* * *

As the mass migration of peasants progressed, a question began to circulate among peasants across the country.

‘Why do I have to give 50% of the rent to the landlord?’

Questions about the ‘half cropping ratio’, which until then had been like a kind of unwritten rule, began to circulate among many tenant farmers.

* * *

Traditional military farming has been practiced since the Goryeo Dynasty.

Half of the grain harvested at the end of a year’s farming was to be shared between the landowner and the tenant farmers, which was a reasonable system under the rice paddy farming system where production was irregular due to inadequate irrigation facilities.

However, as time passed, various problems began to emerge.

In the event of a poor harvest, rents could be reduced or even nonexistent, but the standard was a decrease of more than 70% compared to the average year. To put it simply, the rent would be reduced only if the situation was truly starving.

There was also the problem of by-products generated after harvest. The most representative one was straw. Rice straw was usefully used in many areas of farmers’ lives, such as covering roofs, braiding ropes, and weaving bales. However, if the landowner provided seeds, the landowner swept up all the rice straw.

Another problem was the issue of taxes.

Originally, tenant farmers were exempt from taxes. However, for various reasons, taxes were levied, and in the northern region, landowners were responsible for paying this tax, but in the southern region, which was the breadbasket, tenant farmers had to pay the tax.

Lastly, there was excessive interference from landowners.

From the tenants’ point of view, split cropping was advantageous during times of poor harvest, but was detrimental during times of good harvest. From the landowners’ perspective, there were also cases where the tenants became lazy or stole the harvest in advance due to the pre-determined distribution rate.

For this reason, landowners either took the initiative themselves or used their representatives to manage and supervise the tenants. However, because the management and supervision were harsh, there were constant complaints among the tenants. (Note 1)

* * *

The background to the dissonance that had been building up little by little was revealed to the surface because of Sejong’s flood control work.

Droughts and floods were reduced through flood control work carried out when King Sejong began his administration in earnest. Every year, the crops remained consistently flat, and as the number of years with good harvests increased, these complaints gradually came to the surface.

The biggest driving force that brought these complaints to the surface was the enormous amount of land confiscated by the country through the Giyu Rebellion.

Nearly 60% of the farmland in the Samnam region was handed over to the government, and it was a great stimulus to those who rented the land to pay only 30%.

“no! Does it make sense that if you go over just one ditch, some people only have to pay 30% and others have to pay 50%?”

Landowners who did not participate in the rebellion were sighing with relief at the fact that they had survived, but a contradictory situation was created in which the peasants were dissatisfied.

And another factor stimulated the peasants: the development of commerce and industry.

– I heard that if you participate in road construction, you will receive a fixed salary every month! But the pay is better than cauterization if done properly!

-They say that even if you go out to the city and work as a day laborer, you can earn as much as renting a farm!

-I heard that the country will soon create a school where everyone, unless they are a slave, can send their children to learn!

As rumors began to circulate, the peasants began to ponder the topic of migration.

* * *

This was the ‘third precept’ that King Sejong commanded his ministers.

-Until now, too many people were obsessed with agriculture alone. To solve this problem, the migration of smallholder farmers is encouraged.

People sent by the government secretly spread rumors to ensure the success of the ‘Third World’ planned for this purpose.

Eventually, many peasants began to make decisions.

A small farming village near Anseong, Gyeonggi-do.

“owner! Let’s talk!”

Hearing his wife’s words, Gapseong sat down on the veranda again.

“What’s going on?”

“Let’s move too.”

Gapseong made a sad expression at his wife’s words.

“no? “What are you talking about after eating hot rice?”

“I heard a rumor about myself, not a rumor. We are planning to expand the herb field at the upper level in Suwon this time. “They sell medicinal herbs to Ming and Japanese countries.”

When Gap-seong realized that his wife’s words were not nonsense, his face became serious.

“however?”

“The herb garden is very large, so we are looking for someone to manage it. A stipend is also provided every month. That’s 2 cat of silver too!”

At his wife’s words, the curiosity disappeared from Gapseong’s face.

“If the conditions were that good, it would have already been snapped up somewhere nearby.”

“They say that’s not true. “What we are looking for at the top is people who have experience growing medicinal herbs.”

“okay?”

Gapseong’s expression changed again at his wife’s words.

Gapseong’s wife added strength to her voice as she noticed her husband’s change in mood.

“That means we have to move quickly! Where are the 2 cat of silver every month? Even if you rent a farm now, you can barely survive for a year by harvesting, paying rent, and paying taxes, right? “And that’s because we sold off all the white rice and replaced it with mixed grains.”

“That’s right…”

Gapseong nodded at his wife’s words.

“At least, aren’t you able to hold on a little longer thanks to the herbs you grew in the garden you made back there? So, let’s take care of the herb garden instead!”

“It’s okay, but…”

At his wife’s words, Gapseong was shocked on the one hand, but also scared on the other. When the husband hesitated, Gapseong’s wife mentioned her children.

“This spring, we should send Gap-sik and Byeong-sik to the academy too! “We can’t have children farming or cooking food like we do!”

“That’s not true.”

When the wife mentioned the children, Gapseong nodded.

* * *

At that time, there were quite a few people, excluding the nobility, who knew Chinese characters well.

Although they were not able to read and write Chinese characters perfectly like the noblemen, many of them still had some knowledge of Chinese characters.

Most of these people were merchants. This was because in the process of writing contracts, making ledgers, making bills, and making transactions, if you do not know the letters, the work will not be completed at all.

And next were the lawmakers. This was because knowledge of Chinese characters was essential to properly read medical books written in Chinese characters.

Next were the artisans, especially those connected to the coffin. This was because in order to produce on time the items requested by the government or local barracks and swimming halls, one had to be able to read official documents.

The situation of the last remaining farmers and fishermen was somewhat unusual. There were quite a few people who could read, but those who could write were extremely rare.

The reason for this was the decree issued to the government office. Since most of the proclamations issued by the government were closely related to their daily lives, many farmers could read the thousand-character text sparsely.

Of course, when the proclamation was issued, if there was a nobleman nearby, he could be asked to read it. But every time that happened, I had to feel a great sense of humiliation. There were some gentlemen who read it happily, but many noblemen read it with a sneer on their faces.

Because of such sorrow, even lower-class farmers showed considerable enthusiasm for educating their children. Of course, in the early Joseon Dynasty, people could not even dream of poor harvests, which were a daily occurrence, but as they became able to make a living, the enthusiasm for education began to increase again.

And as the rumors about the ‘Social Democratic School’ secretly spread by the government spread, the skirts of women with children began to flutter softly.

* * *

When his wife mentioned children, Gapseong was seriously worried.

To the Gapseong couple, their two sons were like golden blood. Originally, he had three brothers, but lost one due to a poor harvest and a series of epidemics.

After pondering over and over again, Gapseong finally made a decision.

“What kind of top is it in Suwon?”

“It was said to be the top of Daejin in Suwon.”

“If it’s Suwon, it’s about 50 (about 20km) miles from here… Come on! Pack some rice balls! Because you can go there in two days! “Please bring some coins too!”

“yes!”

At Gapseong’s words, the wife became excited and ran to the kitchen.

* * *

Landowners also responded to this movement of peasants.

“No, Mansik! “It’s planting time soon, so what are you doing?”

A fight was taking place between noblemen and farmers in a rural area in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do.

The peasant answered the question of the nobleman, who appeared to be a landowner, in a blunt tone.

“Don’t you know it when you see it? “Aren’t you packing your bags?”

The nobleman must have felt frustrated at the sight of the peasants loading large and small household goods and bundles of clothes into large carts, so he beat his chest and raised his voice again.

“So why are you packing your bags?”

“I’m packing it up to move!”

“move? Where?”

“I’m going to Suwon! “I’m thinking of moving there because a workshop has opened up there and they’re hiring people!”

“no! “If you go, who will take care of the farming?”

“What do you know? “No matter how hard you try to farm, half of it will just fly away, so what’s the point of farming?”

“Still, we still have the affection we’ve had all this time! “What if I leave without saying anything?”

“affection? You sound like you! So affectionate! They say it’s a feast day or a memorial day, and my wife and I are taken away for a day to live in the kitchen, and I have to gather firewood and carry it away, and if the big brother wants to hunt, I have to go to a stream instead of working and throw nets… Is that all affection? yes!”

“No, that’s…”

Jiju’s face turned into a disappointment at Mansik’s words. Instead of hiring fewer slaves, landowners often hired tenant farmers. Of course, he knew that the peasants were very dissatisfied, but the landowner was confident.

“Those guys are dissatisfied! “What are you going to do if you don’t eat my crops?”

This was the landowner who always said that to nearby landowners.

“What!”

When Man-sik, who was putting his young children on the cart, grabbed the handle of the cart and tried to leave, the landowner urgently blocked Man-sik’s path.

“Okay, okay! “If you just accept 30% of my money, it’ll be fine!”

“joy! That’s it!”

As Man-sik bounced, Ji-ju became desperate. Almost half of the peasants had already left. In addition, Mansik was followed by many peasants around him. It was obvious that if Mansik left, there would be very few tenant farmers left.

In the end, the landowner presented another condition.

“For 30%! “I will pay you every time I call you in for work!”

“How much will you pay me?”

“I’ll give you 50 won every time you call! “How is it?”

“100 won!”

“100 won is too much, I’ll give you 60 won!”

Mansik, who thought for a moment about Jiju’s words, nodded.

“great. “Go to the reseller and sign a contract!”

“Should I even write a contract?”

Mansik responded briefly to those words.

“It is the law of the country, so we must follow it!”

* * *

Similar things happened across the country, and eventually most landowners lowered the rent to 30% and imposed various additional conditions.

All of these changes were written down in a contract and a report regarding them was sent to Hanseong.

Sejong, who looked at the generals, smiled and looked at the ministers.

“The Third Realm seems to have been somewhat successful.”

“That’s right.”

“Then execute the fourth precept!”

“I follow your orders!”

* * *

Note 1) Encyclopedia of Korean Culture http://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Contents/Item/E0058714