Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 509

Episode 509: Far and near. (2)

The ministers’ faces brightened at Kim Jong-seo’s words and they actively exchanged opinions.

“yes! “If you think about Jinpo’s life and death, it is definitely not an easy sea.”

“The presidential election is literally a grand ship. That means we have to carry more people than our challenger-level front lines…”

“That means we’re running out of food and water quickly.”

“cancer! cancer!”

The ministers who saw the consensus nodded their heads.

* * *

The ships that Jeonghwa’s fleet dragged out were so large that it was appropriate to call them ‘unprecedented’.

Joseon, which received the original copy of Jeonghwa’s voyage log in the early days of Gyeongjang, sent someone to inspect the ships of Jeonghwa’s fleet that returned from the voyage.

Although I couldn’t go in properly and only looked at the exterior, I was able to confirm its approximate size and analyze its approximate capabilities through the navigation log.

As a result of that analysis, Joseon came to the following conclusion.

-The size of the ship is unexpectedly large, and the number of crew members who will operate it is also unexpectedly large.

-A huge amount of food and drinking water consumed by the crew must be loaded, but there is a limit when considering the space onboard for other supplies.

-Therefore, many ports of call are needed where food and water can be supplied during the voyage.

-The frequent port calls recorded in the voyage log have the purpose of establishing diplomatic relations between the Ming and the relevant countries, but the issue of supply cannot be ignored.

-Conclusion: Long-distance voyages to ports longer than necessary are impossible.

* * *

“To put it simply, can we say that sailing east from Luzon, Luzon, or Daewol is difficult for the Ming Dynasty’s current capabilities?”

Jo Mal-saeng nodded to Hwang Hee’s question.

“That’s right. Of course, there are Chinese merchants in Luzon as well as in neighboring sultanates, but it would be difficult to rely on them.”

“Are you sure?”

“According to the information obtained, not only the villagers but also the natives say that the sea to the east is hell. “Even the natives have no intention of going east.”

In response to Jo Mal-saeng’s answer, Hwang Hui and the ministers looked at the Joseon missionaries hanging on the wall.

“It is impossible for either the Ming or the Japanese to advance directly east, so the conclusion is that they must move north, but we are in control of that area.”

“That’s right.”

Hwang Hee summarized the situation by looking at the map and came to a conclusion.

“I understand that Your Highness first ruled out anything related to the western coast of Shinji. “It’s still too much for Joseon’s capabilities.”

“It’s truly a shame.”

The ministers all nodded at Ki Jong-seo’s evaluation.

The discussion, which began with Kim Jeom’s point, ended with the conclusion that ‘We actively support Sejong’s sea defense plan.’

“Then, let’s report this to the crown prince and move on to the next point, saying that it would be better to follow the conclusion we just reached.”

Following Hwang Hee’s lead, the ministers moved on to the next agenda.

The second item of the amendment sent by King Sejong was to send a large increase in the number of lawmakers, especially those who could make disinfectant and those who were skilled at inoculating cowpox.

* * *

In the report sent by King Sejong this time, unlike the last time, there were significantly more records about the indigenous people living near Daehogun (a group of large lakes).

-According to Shin Sook-ju’s report and what I have observed so far, the indigenous people living around this Daeho County are divided into five major tribes and have a population of tens of thousands.

-They are very primitive compared to the administrative structure of our Joseon Dynasty, but they are said to have a fairly efficient political structure.

-Also, they are mainly engaged in agriculture and maintain a very stable lifestyle. However, they also do a lot of hunting to make clothing and living space.

-This is a significant difference from the indigenous people of Daeseoldo Island, Jongjangdo Island, and nearby areas that we have encountered so far.

– Therefore, it is expected that a considerable amount of time and effort will be spent to bring them to Joseon. In the case of Daeseoldo and Jongjangdo, with very few exceptions, survival, not living, was the priority, whereas these people have their own way of life.

This is because people with an independent and stable lifestyle have a strong aversion to external entities and have a strong tendency to stick to their own lifestyle.

– It takes time to make these conservatives join Joseon, and at the same time, we must make them aware that joining our country will not infringe on their interests and can actually increase them.

-The best way to understand profit preservation is through medical trade education.

Among these, trade has just begun, but it is believed that medicine is more effective.

-This is based on reports from the beachhead and information obtained from Daehogun. Most of the indigenous people of Shinji have no experience with diseases that we Koreans are familiar with.

It is my personal opinion, but as our contact with Koreans increases, there is a high possibility that they will suffer from diseases that they have suffered for the first time in their lives.

In this case, Joseon’s advancement into new areas will face both opportunities and crises.

-The crisis is that there is a high possibility that people will become hostile towards our Joseon Dynasty due to a disease they are experiencing for the first time in their lives. And if this hostility arises as an exercise of power, it is very likely that Joseon will have to give up absorbing the indigenous people of Shinji.

-On the other hand, if our country, Joseon, has the means to treat these diseases and actively utilizes these means, it could be a good opportunity.

They will maintain very friendly relations with us and will find our Korean way of life more convenient and useful.

-If you can take advantage of this opportunity and establish friendly relations with them, use education.

And the most useful tool in this process will be Hunminjeongeum. This was because this part had already been proven through Daeseoldo and Jongjangdo.

-When a situation arises where communication with native people can be facilitated through education, we actively encourage them to join.

However, in this process, we must avoid unconditionally ignoring or excluding the political methods of indigenous people. Although their institutions and systems are primitive compared to our Joseon Dynasty, they were built over a long period of time. If you ignore this, they will immediately become your enemies.

Therefore, the best thing is to achieve harmony between theirs and our Joseon’s.

To achieve this, we must guarantee the provision of equal opportunities to Koreans, as we have done to many indigenous people, including the Jurchen people.

If Gwibu succeeds through all of these processes, Joseon will secure a base the size of a province with tens of thousands of people in this new land.

And based on this population, it will be possible to more easily digest the entire territory of Shinji as Joseon’s.

* * *

After reading Sejong’s report, Hyang nodded and muttered.

“As expected… we had to send Abamama because of the rebellion problem, but this was the best move.”

From the moment they learned that Shinji was a place large enough to build several countries, everyone concluded that only King Sejong could lead the development of Shinji.

Of course, he could have sent the Crown Prince or the Grand Army. However, because the crown prince was the crown prince, he could not leave Joseon, and it was also a problem for the grand prince to go.

If you were even the slightest bit off, you would be looked at with suspicion, asking, ‘Perhaps?’, and the more you showed results by demonstrating your ability, the stronger the look of suspicion would become. On the contrary, there was a possibility that as soon as the foundation was solidified to a certain extent, the dream of independence would begin.

Therefore, King Sejong was the only person in charge of running Shinji.

And this was the best move.

It was King Sejong who gained stronger royal power than anyone else through the Gyeongjang, which began with the purge of Ryu Jeong-hyeon.

Because King Sejong had such strong royal authority, he was able to choose a flexible method in Shinji.

Anyone other than King Sejong would have been caught up in the issue of political responsibility and would have had no choice but to insist on extremely conservative methods.

* * *

“… Therefore, it is clear that Abama is the best and the best move, but this is the problem.”

What was pointed out as a problem was the ‘guarantee of equal opportunities with Koreans’.

“If it’s an aftershock, I’m less worried… ugh!”

Hyang couldn’t hide his worry as he whetted his appetite.

This was due to the discrimination problem that 21st century fragrances learned and experienced.

What has been a continuing problem since the era of imperialism is the problem of discrimination symbolized by ‘second-class and third-class citizens’ and ‘high-class citizens and low-class citizens’.

“The Jurchen people were able to get away with it because they had been living side by side with each other since the Three Kingdoms period, and the Daeseoldo and other natives were able to get over it easily because their numbers were so small that the military came forward and absorbed them. But that’s not the

case over there…” This was a fragrance that did not have optimistic expectations at all.

* * *

While Hyang was worried, the ministers were also having similar concerns.

“It’s a guarantee of equal opportunity… Is that easy?”

Kim Jeom answered Heo Hu’s question.

“Aren’t the Jurchen people, as well as the natives of Daeseol Island and Jongjang Island, still working here and there?”

“Isn’t it true that the Jurchen people were so familiar and the natives of Daeseol Island and Jongjang Island were so small that they were easily assimilated? But Shinji’s case is very different…”

Many ministers nodded at Heo Hu’s point. Hwang Hee opened her mouth at that sight.

“Didn’t you say that you would give me the opportunity right now, but only after you are noble? Aren’t you saying that you will respect me first, then learn properly, and then give you the opportunity if you want?”

“If you just look at the report, you’re living such a primitive life that I’m not sure if you can learn properly…”

Kim Jeom stepped forward and refuted Heo Hu’s words!

“The natives of Daeseoldo and Jongjangdo also did the same. Good luck learning! “Especially when it comes to taxes, there are often people who are better than most battlefield employees!”

“But…”

When Heo Hu was still hesitant, Kim Jeom argued again.

“But are you going to keep selecting and sending people here from Hanseong? “We need to teach and recruit people there!”

“I chose you that way, but it’s not because I’m worried about whether I’ll do a good job or not!”

Hwang Hee opened her mouth at Heo Hu’s words.

“Once you realize how sweet power is, you will work harder.”

“What if I can’t?”

“You should be kicked out. Since ancient times, isn’t it natural to raise oxen, cows, yellow cows, or black cows by feeding them well if they are good at their work, and if they are not good at it, kill them?”

“Ah…”

The ministers all nodded at Hwang Hee’s words.

As construction progressed, Joseon became acutely aware of the labor shortage in all areas of society.

In particular, as administrative organizations, including the government, expanded significantly, Joseon opened the door to women to enter the civil service.

The reason for this was to secure as many talented individuals as possible.

And those who were selected were all treated cruelly, regardless of gender.

In order to survive in such a harsh work environment, superiors cold-bloodedly conducted personnel evaluations on subordinates.

‘If you do a good job, you are loyal. If you do not do a good job, you are a traitor.’

This was a saying that spread throughout the Joseon Dynasty.

Meanwhile, Hyang, who heard Hwang Hee’s words through various lines, chuckled and muttered.

“Did you upgrade this guy?”