Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 50
Episode 50: Laughing at virtue, crying at virtue. (15)
As promised, five days passed and the government officials flocked to the East Palace with the purpose of checking the current status of the research institute. It wasn’t just the ministers who came. Sejong was also with the ministers.
“I will also go with you.”
“There is no need for you to go to His Highness…”
Hwang Hee stepped forward to stop him, but King Sejong stopped him.
“I am moving because I am curious about what the Crown Prince and those led by the Crown Prince have been creating.”
“Oh yeah…”
“Come on, let’s move! ”
When King Sejong moved ahead, the ministers followed him with an expression of helplessness.
When King Sejong and the ministers arrived at the annex of the East Palace, the crown prince and the officials of the research institute who had come out ahead of time and were waiting politely bowed.
“His Majesty the Lord . Nice to meet you.”
“Thank you for your hard work. Where…”
Sejong looked carefully at the people standing in front of the research institute. When I first visited Sejong, I started with Jeongin or Icheon at the beginning of the New Year, but now there were quite a few people standing behind them.
“The number of people has increased a lot? ”
“It’s still not enough.”
“Still? ”
Sejong shook his head in response to Hyang’s answer. The number of people standing in front of him now seemed to be at least twenty. However, his son was saying that it was not enough. “The problem of
personnel and budget is the result. Let’s take a look and discuss again.”
“Yes, Abama. This way.”
Hyang guided Sejong to the door of the research institute.
* * *
“Ho? ”
Entering the inside of the lab, King Sejong let out an exclamation full of curiosity. Instead of books, various objects were displayed on the bookshelf built on one wall along the corridor of the lab.
“Let’s see… Daegan and Sogan… .“
The three servants who had been examining the items on display looked at the nameplates in front of them and looked back.
“Is this all? Compared to the budget spent….”
“All the things placed there are exhibition specimens.”
Grumble!
While answering Sejong’s question, Hyang opened the sliding door of a nearby room – there was a sign saying ‘Equipment Rental Room’ on it.
Inside the sliding door, chests of drawers stood in rows. Each drawer was locked with a thick lock. Hyang continued his explanation.
“The actual equipment used is in that drawer.”
“What about the officials?”
As King Sejong cried, Hyang pointed to the eunuchs standing at the entrance of the door.
“There are people assigned to each group of two in charge of entry and exit.”
“You’re meticulous.”
Sejong looked at the ledger on the desk and nodded. In the ledger, the date, the name of the person visiting, the equipment taken out, and the date of return were meticulously recorded.
“I have also heard that I am meticulous…”
Nodding his head repeatedly, King Sejong praised the local government officials.
“You really put in a lot of effort. Your hard work is for this country, so try harder.”
“I am devastated!”
After leaving the equipment rental room, Sejong looked again at the items decorated on the bookshelf.
“Hmm… hold on. Level and plumb?”
“Here comes an object that measures the horizontal and vertical.”
“Hmm?”
King Sejong, curious, picked up the level. There was a part made of iron in the middle of the long wooden board. Inside the iron plate with a long hole in the middle was a cylinder made of iron.
Road lock. Road lock.
Every time King Sejong moved the wooden board around, the cylinder in the middle made a sound and moved left and right.
“When the cylinder stops at the exact center, it becomes horizontal and vertical.”
“I see!”
After learning how to use the horizontal and vertical scales, King Sejong became even more curious.
“So, what is this used for? ”
“It’s used in architecture.”
“In architecture? ”
“yes. The most important thing when installing equipment for astronomical surveying is that the base must be accurately horizontal and vertical. If you use a level and plumb level, you can adjust this easily and accurately.”
“Aha! ”
In response to Hyang’s response, King Sejong nodded his head loudly and let out an exclamation. This was also true of the ministers standing behind him.
In particular, the Minister of Public Works was burning with greed and immediately made a mantra to King Sejong.
“Your Majesty! When constructing castle walls and government offices or constructing dams and reservoirs, the most important thing is to get the horizontal and vertical lines right! Using these items will make the task easier, so you should immediately produce them in large quantities and distribute them! ”
“Gwain thinks so too. “Seja.”
When King Sejong called, Hyang shook her head.
“I’m sorry, but what is being made now is not yet a finished product.”
“It is not a finished product? ”
“Yes Abama. The things you see now are made using iron and copper. Iron and copper rust easily. To prevent this, you need to oil every crevice and carefully manage it to prevent rust, which is a hassle. We have now created a plan to solve this problem, and an improved product will be available soon.”
“You! When will that improved product be released? ”
“I’m curious too.”
The air-conditioned inspector asked as if he was going to eat him. Hyang, who saw Sejong making a similar expression, answered briefly.
“Do you remember the business trip report Soja posted a while ago? ”
“Business trip report? Wait… Are you saying you sent those Muslims to Shandong? The purpose was to recruit talent? ”
“yes. It depends on how quickly they complete the task.”
“What kind of talent are they? ”
Hyang immediately answered King Sejong’s question.
“Glass craftsmen are coming.”
“Glass? ”
“yes. If there is glass, management becomes easier.”
In response to Hyang’s response, Sejong looked back at the public official.
“I’m sorry, but I think it would be better to wait.”
“No! Even as it is now made, it is useful enough in the field! ”
The expression and statement of the Public Relations Officer were simple.
‘Noisy! Stop talking nonsense and give it to me right away! ‘
“What should I do with this….“
* * *
Sejong was troubled. What the Hyang said made sense, and what the Minister of Public Works said also made sense.
During the last spring crisis, when construction work was taking place across the country, King Sejong left the palace and inspected the construction site near Hanseong under the pretext of comforting the people.
“See you, His Majesty!”
When the officials supervising the construction site bowed, the people who were working on the construction stopped what they were doing and bowed down on the ground or bent their waists to 90 degrees to bow.
“Thank you for your hard work. It may be a little difficult now, but once this construction is completed, it will be a great help to farming, so the people should work a little harder.”
“I obey your command!”
“Your Majesty, a thousand years! A thousand years! A thousand years!”
Under King Sejong, the people shouted for a thousand years. King Sejong, who was comforting the people and inspecting the scene, asked a question to the official in charge of supervision.
“What is the most difficult thing about construction?”
The official immediately answered King Sejong’s question.
“It comes down to aligning the horizontal and vertical.”
“Why?”
“To put it simply, it’s a simple matter of digging deep into a reservoir to trap water. However, the water gates and waterways connected to it are not that easy. A water gate that is not properly vertical makes it difficult to open and close the gate and block the water. “Water does not flow well in waterways that are not properly leveled and sloped.”
“Right.”
Sejong nodded at the official’s answer.
Afterwards, I took a brief look around when the construction to build the outbuildings of the Donggungjeon was in progress, and the part that Dopyeonsu put the most effort into was aligning the pillars and rafters horizontally and vertically.
* * *
Because of the information he had heard and seen, King Sejong was able to know why the Public Relations Officer was making such a fuss.
Sejong, who had been pondering over and over again,
“What should I do with this?”, came to a conclusion.
“Crown, you may not have completed it yet, but it seems to me that you have already done your part well. Provide the related technology to the government.”
“… I understand. I follow Abamama’s orders. If you do, there are a few more items related to this. Would you like to take a look?”
“Okay, let’s take a look.”
Hyang presented several items to King Sejong and the ministers. The objects presented by Hyang were a compass, a triangle, a circular protractor that can measure 360 degrees, and a protractor that can adjust the angle up to 180 degrees. In particular, the angle angler has a locking device using screws, so it has the function of adjusting to the desired angle and then fixing it firmly.
“Sculptors and other craftsmen have already been using similar-looking objects for generations. These are objects made to enable them to be used more accurately. These are items made with the heart and soul of those working at the research institute.” “This is
truly amazing!
” Sejong, who understood the value, was truly impressed. The scent said something, but it was clear who the thought came from.
‘It definitely didn’t come from the heads of hardened bureaucrats! ‘
Sejong looked at the cooperation report. The Minister of Public Works could not hide his desire to create those objects right now. With a proud expression, King Sejong made a joke to the ministers who followed him.
“Do you know how he feels right now?”
“I don’t know.”
“The Crown Prince is so outstanding that I would like to at least issue a pardon to commemorate this.”
“Your Highness!”
“Nong-i-o-nong.”
They said it was a joke, but King Sejong’s expression said otherwise.
‘Look! My baby is so smart! Do you guys have such smart kids? ‘
After making a decision about the objects related to architecture and civil engineering, King Sejong began to look at the objects placed in the next section.
“Is this a ship?”
“Yes. What you are looking at now is the Byeongjoseon, the largest ship among the front lines currently used by our Joseon navy. Next come the ships that are newly being studied.”
“Hmm”? The sizes are all different, right? ”
“They are all models made with the same proportions.”
“Huh? Then…”
King Sejong’s gaze, as he examined the models once again, stopped at the sailboat model at the end.
“It’s quite big, isn’t it? ”
“This is a model of the sailing ship that the scholars are studying.”
The sailing ship model that caught King Sejong’s attention was a battleship.
“A battleship? Can’t you see the paddle? ”
“It moves purely by wind power.”
“What about the armament? ”
“The main armament is artillery. According to our calculations, we can load at least 80 artillery pieces.”
“80 pieces! ”
Hyang explained about the battleships.
“… So, in order to exert maximum power, these sailing ships form a straight line and then fire their guns. That is why it was given the name Battleship.”
“It is truly a noble name. So, according to the research results of you and the researchers at the institute, you are saying that we should use those panokseons in the coastal waters of Joseon, and that ships sailing in the ocean should use those battleships? ”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm.”
In response to Hyang’s response, King Sejong stroked his beard.
“So, come to think of it.”
King Sejong recalled a report that had been posted through the Military Provision Office not long ago.
Due to changes in the international situation, the newly created Joseon Army General Assembly It was a joint report submitted by the Chief of Staff and the Training Center, and it contained a request for reform of the naval forces and the need to create a plan for this. King Sejong read the report at the time and immediately gave his approval.
“It is true that the six directions are important, but liberation (sea defense) is also important, so I allow it.”
Of course, the ministers at the time, excluding the Byeongjo, expressed opposition, citing budgetary issues. However, King Sejong did not back down from his decision.
“It would be foolish to not even make a plan just because the budget is insufficient! The budget is gradually increasing, so this is not a problem!” As
King Sejong pushed hard, the ministers became confused. This was because they did not want to follow in Ryu Jeong-hyeon’s footsteps.
Sejong, who was examining the models while listening to Hyang’s explanation, expressed doubt. This was because there was a cold noodle bowl at the very end of the ship model.
“Why is this noodle bowl here?”
“It symbolizes a ship made of iron, not a wooden ship.”
“Making a ship out of iron?”
King Sejong and the ministers all looked at the incense in amazement.
* * *
“Did you say you were going to make a boat out of iron?”
“That’s right.”
Everyone gathered at Hyang’s answer, from New Year’s Day to Jang Yeong-sil, shook their heads.
“It becomes impossible.”
“Even a child knows that iron sinks in water.”
“That’s right. It’s impossible to make a ship out of iron.”
When everyone gave a negative answer, Hyang accepted.
“You guys are wrong. It’s not impossible. We just haven’t found a way.”
“You mean you haven’t found a way?”
“Yes.”
After answering briefly, Hyang called the eunuch and gave an order.
“Go to Suragan and bring back a bowl made of brass and a basin full of water.”
“Yes sir.”
After a while, the eunuchs brought a basin full of water and a bowl of cold noodles.
“Put the basin on top.”
“Yes sir.”
As the eunuchs placed the basin on the table, Hyang floated a bowl of cold noodles on top.
As the bowl of cold noodles floated on the water, Hyang looked at the people.
“Is it floating?“