Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 440

Episode 440: Paving stones (2)

Even though Kim Jeom was promoted to left deputy prime minister, his work did not decrease at all. This is because the work area he was responsible for included the Ministry of Finance and Economy’s work direction and budget deliberation and adjustment.

“We already have so much work piled up, so what are we going to do if we create more work? “People must have a conscience!”

Kim Jeom, unable to overcome his temper, raised his voice loudly.

“The Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, come out!”

* * *

In the end, the situation was resolved only after Hwang Hee and the Chief of Staff intervened.

“Isn’t this what the navy was sure about? “Shouldn’t you understand that things happened to overlap?”

As Hwang Hee defended the military, the Chief of Staff quickly responded.

“That’s right. “I didn’t know that they would come to Aden so quickly, and I didn’t know that they would discover a landless land, presumed to be a continent, during their exploration to the east.”

Following Hwang Hee, the Chief of Staff stepped in to help, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy concluded the meeting.

“That’s right. Could it be that our naval forces did this by pretending not to know? “This was force majeure even for our navy.”

Kim Jeom screamed at the sight of the military fervently insisting, ‘I am innocent!’

“These guys! So what are you going to do with your budget? Budget! “If you did something wrong, you have to get an answer!”

Hearing Kim Jeom’s shout, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy quietly opened his mouth.

“Of course, we have to increase the amount significantly…”

“You idiot! Then taxes will increase! You think the people will stay still! “The current state of affairs is such that even the simpletons who plow in the fields are thinking about how to reduce taxes!”

The Commander-in-Chief of the Navy’s mouth closed like a clam due to Kim Jeom’s beating.

* * *

As Kim Jeom said, the people of Joseon, who were now addicted to the sweet taste of money, were making every effort to save taxes, not evade taxes.

And the easiest way to save money was to have multiple births. In order to properly increase the insufficient population, the government provided not only financial support but also tax benefits to families with many children – at least five.

No, it was not just economic support, but the trend was to establish communal daycare facilities in more and more areas.

With this cooperation between the government and the people, the population of Joseon began to increase explosively.

* * *

“How about releasing the gold and silver that we have been mining and collecting?”

At Hwang Hee’s words, Kim Jeom’s expression became even more fierce.

“Don’t you know what will happen if you loose it carelessly? Do you want to see the country turned upside down because of prices?”

“If we solve it appropriately….”

“Do you think it will be ‘adequate’ in resolving the current situation?”

“….”

Hwang Hee’s mouth closed at Kim Jeom’s point. Among those gathered here, Kim Jeom was the most expert in matters of governance. He was usually the type of person who would tremble whenever the topic of money was mentioned, but since he had never caused such a fuss before, Hwang Hee kept quiet.

“If you do something wrong, the currency circulation that you worked so hard to establish will be destroyed! “If things happen like that, that woman in Geunjeongjeon…”

At that moment, Hwang Hee suddenly kicked Kim Jeom’s shin.

“Aww!”

“greatness! “Keuhum!”

“Hehehe!”

When Kim Jeom came to his senses with a scream, the people around him, including Hwang Hee, all cleared their throats and pretended not to notice.

After coming to his senses, Kim Jeom cleared his throat and organized his thoughts.

“greatness! Huh! The conclusion is that all policies regarding naval expansion must be canceled as of now! We need to inspect and adjust everything, starting with the installation of offshore naval bases. And the most smooth way to proceed with this is to report it to His Majesty the Prime Minister and then follow His Majesty’s decision.”

“Let’s do that.”

Hwang Hee’s words concluded that the situation was waiting for King Sejong’s decision.

When the meeting ended, Hwang Hee took Kim Jeom aside and said something.

“There is a saying that goes around in the author, ‘In places where there are no people, even the Lord criticizes you.’ But let’s be careful. “Of course, I know why the captain is angry, but shouldn’t we still be careful?”

“joy! Don’t be scared! Even if you get caught, you will either be dismissed or exiled. Compared to struggling with a budget, that’s a piece of cake! “Speaking of which, I have to write a letter of resignation!”

Kim Jeom, who was in high spirits, became tearful after hearing Hwang Hee’s next words.

“It would be fortunate if I was exiled and sent to the Record Office. “You didn’t expect me to look like shit, did you?”

“Shit….”

* * *

As the issue was an issue, the issue immediately went up to King Sejong along with Jang-gye of Gangnam-gil.

“Hmm… It’s definitely good news, but it’s also bad news.”

Kim Jeom immediately opened his mouth in response to Sejong’s assessment of understanding the core of the problem.

“That’s right. I wish I had hidden Mujuji’s discovery deeply…”

“Absolutely not!”

At that moment, Hyang interrupted Kim Jeom in an urgent voice. The attention of everyone in Geunjeongjeon was focused on the incense as it looked completely different from usual.

“I was just thinking that?”

Hyang immediately responded to Kim Jeom’s words.

“Don’t even think about it! Isn’t there a precedent for such an idea actually taking place? “The empty island policy.”

When Hyang mentioned the public road policy, Kim Jeom kept his mouth shut.

During the reign of King Taejong, the residents of Mureungdo (Ulleungdo) and other inhabited islands were relocated to the mainland due to damage from Japanese pirates and the escape of criminals.

This policy could be abolished as King Sejong’s military regime progressed and the Joseon navy secured control of the sea.

“Crown, I know what you want to say, but you must not forget to follow the procedures.”

Hyang immediately bowed her head at Sejong’s harsh criticism.

“I’m sorry. But the matter was so urgent…”

Sejong’s eyes lit up at Hyang’s answer.

“You didn’t look like this even when urgent news came that the Seo-i had appeared in Aden last time. But it’s really strange that he looks so devastated this time. “What is the reason?”

In response to Sejong’s question, Hyang immediately explained the reason.

“Just as our navy was thinking of going east, there will be people in the West who have similar thoughts. This means that in the near future, these people will also learn about Mujuji. We must take the lead in both the administrative and military aspects. “Only then will it benefit our country.”

‘If you have a chance to take advantage of a land whose very existence is a fraud, wouldn’t you be a fool if you missed it?’

While Hyang was shouting inside, Sejong stroked his beard and muttered.

“Right. People’s thoughts are said to be there, so if you think about time and cost, it would be natural for people to have similar thoughts…”

Sejong, who was shaking his head while pondering Hyang’s words, looked back at Kim Jeom.

“The left deputy prime minister will have to suffer a bit.”

With those words, everything was decided.

In the end, Kim Jeom answered in a voice full of moisture.

“I follow your orders.”

King Sejong, who was looking at Kim Jeom with tears in his eyes with a sad expression, turned his attention to Jo Mal-saeng, the Chief of Staff, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy.

“The situation has become this way, and since Joseon’s capabilities are limited, I think the navy will have to make a choice as well. Among the naval military camps to be installed offshore, please select two locations that are absolutely necessary. Where would you like it?”

“They are also places where the minimum is set.”

“Please reduce it further.”

The Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, who had been thinking for a while about King Sejong’s firm request, responded.

“Chittagong and Temasek are coming.”

“That’s exactly what I thought. So, let’s first install it only in those two places. “Let’s add other places later when the situation improves.”

“I follow your orders.”

Once the situation was resolved, Sejong moved on.

“I think we’ll need more challenger-class fronts to facilitate exploration of the newly discovered terra incognita, right?”

“So it is.”

“Then discuss that with the Ministry of Finance and Economy and adjust the ratio.”

* * *

“Crown, please stay for a while.”

After the meeting regarding Mujuji, Hyang was trying to leave Geunjeongjeon but was stopped by King Sejong.

When Hyang sat down again, Sejong asked her.

“The situation is like this, so I have no choice but to hire you. What happened to the steam engines that were to be installed on the wires?”

“The engine itself has been developed to a point where it is a bit lacking, but problems with the propulsion engine are still holding us back.”

“Thrusters? “Didn’t you say that the spiral thruster was the fastest way to put it into practical use?”

“Trial and error is ongoing to find the optimal size ratio.”

“I’ll give you one year. Present the results within it.”

“Time and budget…”

“Use…”

As soon as the pronunciation of double coat came out of Sejong’s mouth, Hyang immediately closed her mouth.

Sejong, who stared at Hyang for a moment, soon adjusted his expression and continued speaking.

“And as you can see from this chapter, going back and forth to Muju, where we haven’t even decided on a name yet, takes a lot of time. Therefore, it is certain that making the terra nullius land into Joseon’s territory will require a different method from what has been done so far. Think about it and report it in writing.”

“I follow your orders.”

“I’ll give you three days.”

With the three-day time limit, Hyang looked at Sejong in confusion.

“Instead of increasing the budget by one day, should we cut the budget by 10%?”

“I will finish it and upload it within three days!”

Sejong hurriedly bowed and muttered with a grin as he watched the scent disappear.

“Well, the conclusion is either a proxy purge or abdication…. What I want is what you think about the intermediate process. The problem is how to run Joseon, which will expand significantly in the future. “If you know that, you can know and refine the kind of Joseon you will lead.”

Sejong, who had been talking up to that point, laughed once again.

“But is there anything I can help you refine?”

* * *

After leaving Geunjeongjeon, Hyang looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh.

“Whoa~. I dug my own grave…. Even if we skip the intermediate process, the final choice is abdication or proxy purification…. No? “Do you think there is the highest chance of abdication?”

‘Abdication or proxy administration’.

Both Sejong and Hyang knew very well that the final choice was one of the two.

As the distance was large, it was certain that the person dispatched to the New World to lead colonization would be guaranteed considerable authority.

In this case, there was a very high probability that it would lead to rebellion or independence over time. In particular, anyone who had the power to control that continent, whose very existence was a fraud, would definitely become independent.

Therefore, King Sejong was the only one who went to the New World and commanded everything without any problems.

Of course, you could choose how the scent goes. However, it was unreasonable to send the next Crown Prince to a land where one did not know what would exist.

In the end, the only answer was abdication or proxy administration.

Hyang continued walking and organized his thoughts.

“I’m sure Abama knows this too. But did you give this order? In that case, what Abamama is asking for is the intermediate process. In other words….”

Hyang stopped talking and walking at the same time, looked towards the direction of Geunjeongjeon, and came to a conclusion.

“What Abama wants is a picture of the future Joseon. “You want to know what the future Joseon that I and my descendants will lead will look like.”