Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 357
Episode 357: People are the problem. In many ways. (3)
Lee Maeng-gyun, who had been thinking about Heo Jo’s explanation for a moment, came forward and asked a question.
“Hmm…. Look here, Captain Heo. Aren’t the numbers a little bit wrong? Out of 6.8 million, 1.8 million are under the age of 7… Aren’t people like cows? It is not a cow that can give birth in about 2 years, and if you subtract 1.8 million from 6.8 million, you get 5 million. Even if all 5 million of those mates were mated, it is not like a cow can get pregnant right away just because she wants to….”
‘What? Heo Jo immediately answered Lee Maeng-gyun’s question, asking indirectly, ‘Isn’t there an error in the authorization?’
“Why are you calculating it as 5 million? You have to calculate it properly. “It’s not like slaves can’t have children, and Jurjin people give birth to colts, not people?”
“….”
Lee Maeng-gyun kept his mouth shut at Heo Jo’s point. Looking at Lee Maeng-gyun like that, Heo Jo continued.
“There is a lot of bad history in between, but no matter what, the Jurchen people have lived like brothers since the Three Han Dynasties. Since they are noble and have decided to live as Koreans, shouldn’t they be counted as Koreans?”
Sejong came to a conclusion based on Heo Jo’s words.
“The Secretary-General is right. Since they came into Joseon’s arms and lived as citizens, how can we treat them differently? “We must allow you to live comfortably and make the most of your natural grace.”
The ministers responded to King Sejong’s decision by bowing their heads in unison.
“Since your Majesty is like this, the future of our Joseon is truly bright!”
The officer who recorded all of this later added:
-…Because. As the Sang spoke, all the ministers, large and small, were amazed and praised the Sang’s wisdom.
The officer says:
Almost 10 years have passed since the Jurchen people became wealthy, and the number of slaves is gradually decreasing.
I think those who will remain as slaves from now on will receive a type of punishment that only those who are guilty of high treason can receive.
As the saying goes, ‘There is no one below people and no one above people,’ slaves are also people, so it is extremely unfair to look down on them.
Most importantly, there are no people! We are already in a situation where there is a lot of weeping due to lack of manpower. Is this a situation where people should be concerned about their origins?
All the people who say such carefree things should be dragged to the record office… (sigh).
* * *
Afterwards, the subsequent meeting proceeded with discussions on solutions to various problems arising from a lack of talent.
The first to speak was Heo Jo, the Minister of General Affairs.
“The first thing is to prioritize the policies and projects that are currently being implemented or that will be newly launched.”
“Are you referring to the ‘selection and concentration’ that the crown prince likes to talk about?”
“That’s right.”
Sejong, who was stroking his beard and pondering Heo Jo’s answer, came to a conclusion.
“These are all policies and projects that are unparalleled in their importance, but there is nothing we can do because the circumstances are not favorable. “Then let’s figure it out and think about it.”
Following King Sejong’s decision, ministers began a bloody war of words over policies and projects that had been implemented and would be launched in the future.
The person who went crazy in this war of words was Kim Jeom.
“Policies related to governance require special attention! If anything goes wrong, there will be major problems for the people’s lives and the country’s finances! In particular, don’t even think about touching anything related to the entertainment industry regulation office! Please keep in mind that even now, there are many people who squander their family wealth on gambling!”
Jo Gye-saeng grumbled at Kim Jeom’s words.
“It’s not the people’s problem, but the wealth that will be siphoned from them.”
“So what? “I think the bonus that a captain receives just falls from the sky!”
Jo Gye-saeng immediately shut his mouth at Kim Jeom’s scolding. But inside, I was pouring out a bunch of curses at Kim Jeom.
‘What a sight! ‘How can a person be so self-informed!’
‘People have changed!’
‘How could that author’s parents give birth to a child like that…’
‘This is why people shouldn’t come from a dark place!’
Because King Sejong strictly prohibited personal slander, the ministers were unable to speak outwardly, but inwardly they cursed at him in all kinds of ways, starting with asking about Kim Jeom’s parents.
* * *
The process of adjusting the priorities of various policies and coordinating personnel allocation continued for almost 15 days.
Most of the policies that have been implemented so far were policies that were born out of strong necessity. And since the policies were progressing and showing visible results, it was inevitable that they would suffer.
Therefore, the war of words was fierce, and even ministers appeared to be at peace with King Sejong for the first time in a long time.
Thanks to this, the officers recorded about three volumes of sedge per day, and several pots of tea had to be prepared for the ministers who became thirsty from time to time.
Amidst this fierce war of words, the outlines began to emerge step by step.
“First of all, let’s move toward maintaining the current pace of progress. And I hope that the Ministry of Finance and Economy will create a candidate group of projects that can be safely transferred to the private sector among the projects being implemented by the government and newly implemented projects.”
“I follow your orders.”
After listening to Kim Jeom and Heo Jo’s answers, King Sejong moved on to the next item on the agenda.
“The problem is the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of National Defense. We continue to need more and more people. Have you thought about how to supply these people?”
As the birth rate increased, more and more children entered social democratic schools. Therefore, there was a demand for additional teachers to teach them.
Jo Gye-saeng immediately answered King Sejong’s question.
“First of all, we will temporarily recruit retired officials with high reputation, and we will add women with high knowledge and virtue as teachers.”
“There are probably many children in their prime learning period who are wild and reckless. Will women be able to control them?”
“That’s what I was thinking. If there are children who are so uncontrollable and unruly, we will officially call the child’s parents to the school.”
In response to Jo Gye-saeng’s answer, King Sejong muttered without even realizing it.
“If you make a mistake, you’ll make a loud noise.”
In response to King Sejong’s muttering, the ministers added words in their minds.
‘Will it just make a sound? If you do something wrong, there will be bloodshed.’
Calling ‘officially’ was a warning that he would spread rumors about the neighborhood. In Joseon Dynasty, this was a more certain and harsh punishment of honor than simply carrying a cane.
Hyang, who was attending the meeting because he was worried that sparks might fly in Area 51 and the research institute, asked Jo Gye-saeng a question.
“But if teachers and parents meet like that, scandals (ugly rumors) may spread. “Is there a solution?”
‘Even in the 21st century, when teachers and parents meet, there are always rumors about kinship, right?’
Jo Gye-saeng immediately answered Hyang’s question while recalling memories of the 21st century.
“yes. To be honest, there is no way something like that would not happen, so I thought about it. First, before calling the parents, four or more teachers hold a formal discussion to decide whether to accept or reject the request and record it. “Afterwards, even if parents are called, at least three teachers will be present and the entire process will be recorded and a report submitted.”
“okay. That is all.”
In response to Jo Gye-saeng’s answer, Hyang nodded and walked away.
‘Chosun, the country of records indeed!’
* * *
“I think the Ministry of Education’s opinion is okay. “Has the Ministry of National Defense thought of countermeasures?”
Jo Mal-saeng immediately answered King Sejong’s question.
“After the officials of the Ministry of National Defense and the commanders of the Chief of Staff came together, the first alternative was to increase the ratio of riflemen and artillerymen instead of reducing the ratio of bayonets.
The second alternative is to select talented people from among the noble Jurchen tribe and recruit them into the military.”
“Do you want to increase the cavalry?”
Jo Mal-saeng added to Sejong’s question.
“No. “The navy is coming.”
Lee Maeng-gyun intervened in Jo Mal-saeng’s answer.
“Do you think the Jurchen people can drive a boat? “It’s good to fill up the workforce, but wouldn’t the training process cost a lot of time and money?”
The ministers nodded in response to Lee Maeng-gyun’s question. Maeng Sa-seong stepped forward to answer Lee Maeng-gyun’s question instead of Jo Mal-saeng.
“If you look at the records of the previous dynasties, there are many records of the Jurchen people engaging in piracy.”
“Are you saying the Jurchen people engaged in piracy?”
In response to Lee Maeng-gyun’s disbelief, Jo Mal-saeng added.
“There is a record that the Japanese, who are famous for their pirate ships, were also outraged.”
* * *
From the 11th century to the first half of the 12th century, it was recorded in Goryeo History and Goryeo History that the Jurchen tribe plundered the eastern coastal region of the Korean peninsula by boat.
At this time, the Jurchen people who started from Hamheung, which was the territory of the Jurchen people, advanced to Gyeongju and plundered. (Note 1)
These raids by the Jurchen pirates extended to Japan.
It was an incident in which Jurchen pirates during the Heian period invaded and plundered Iki, Tsushima, and Chikuzen.
In the Japanese Empire, this was called ‘Doi’s entrance (刀伊の入寇)’ or ‘Doi’s inner section (刀伊の来寇)’.
At that time, there was a record that the Jurchen pirates used the tactic of bringing horses on a ship, landing, then immediately turning into cavalry, quickly robbing the inland region, and then retreating. (Note 2) * * * “They are
the
Jurchen people…. It’s okay. Please give it a try.”
“I follow your orders! “I will do my best!”
When King Sejong made his decision, Jo Mal-saeng immediately bowed his head and responded.
Heo Jo, who was watching the scene from the side, expressed his opinion to King Sejong.
“majesty. “How about mobilizing Japanese people for administrative work?”
“Let’s mobilize Japanese people for administrative work?”
“yes.”
Sejong, who had been thinking about Heo Jo’s words for a while, asked Heo Jo again.
“Are you trying to use the Japanese sent by Mr. Daenae?”
“That’s right.”
* * *
Ouchi, who was keeping an eye on the revival of Joseon, sent an envoy to Joseon.
– I would like to create an educational institution like a social school in Ouchi’s territory, so please send teachers.
After discussing the request brought by the envoy, King Sejong and the ministers delivered the following answer to Ouchi.
-Because there is diplomatic relations with the shogunate, teachers cannot be dispatched without permission from the shogunate. However, we are willing to accept and educate up to 100 people as long as they have learned at least elementary school and the Korean language.
Afterwards, envoys for coordination were busy going back and forth between Ouchi and Joseon. After all that coordination, the decisions that were made were as follows.
-Know at least 1,000 characters. It would be even better if you have studied elementary school.
-A person who can converse in Korean. This is required.
-The maximum number of people who can teach at one time is not more than 120.
* * *
The Japanese mentioned by Heo Jo were the 120 Japanese from Ouchi who are currently studying in Hanseong.
In response to Heo Jo’s suggestion, King Sejong immediately asked about their achievements.
“Are they worth using?”
“I think it will be possible to achieve low-level practical training in the next 2 to 3 years.”
“Hmm….”
King Sejong, who was stroking his beard and thinking for a moment, looked back at Lee Maeng-gyun.
“It’s somewhat tempting, but won’t there be a problem with Daenae?”
Lee Maeng-gyun immediately answered King Sejong’s question.
“If you use it unconditionally and indefinitely, there will be problems, but I think it will be okay if you make a contract for a reasonable period of time, about 5 years. If you say, ‘I’ll teach you practical work,’ Daenae won’t hate it either.”
“Hmm…”
Sejong thought for a moment and soon came to a conclusion.
“Send a messenger to Ms. Daenae.”
“I follow your orders!”
* * *
Note 1) http://www.atlasnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=409
Note 2) https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrance of Doi