Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 52
Episode 52: Laughing at virtue, crying at virtue. (17)
“Oh! It’s moving!”
Sejong clapped and loved the sight of the train moving.
Hyang, who was looking at this with a proud face, opened his mouth.
“This is land transportation using a steam engine that Soja envisioned. If the research is successful, we can travel from Hanseong to Busan in one day. No, we can travel from Hanseong to the southern end of Joseon and the northern end of Joseon in one day. If that happens…”
When Hyang stopped talking, King Sejong and the ministers’ attention focused on Hyang. Hyang spoke his conclusion while receiving the gaze of King Sejong and the ministers.
“If that happens, the pulse of Joseon, which had stopped, will start beating again.”
“Is the pulse of Joseon beating again?”
“Yes. That’s right. If you look at the current situation, the pulse of Joseon has stopped. There is almost no movement of products, and the people cannot escape from the land where they were born, and live and die in that land.
As a result, unless there is a very big incident, we do not know what is happening outside and lead a life without change.
So who will benefit the most? Only the landowner who controls the village will benefit. Isn’t that still the case today? “Why did Abama prohibit filing complaints against wealthy people? Even though there are as many disadvantages as benefits.”
When Hyang mentioned the ‘Prohibition of Complaints Against Citizens’ Act, King Sejong and the ministers’ faces hardened.
Joseon strengthened centralization immediately after its founding. In the process, it was inevitable that a conflict would arise between local indigenous forces and officials from the central government.
When a conflict like this occurred, it was natural for a flood of appeals to come in. On more than one occasion, King Sejong’s books were filled with appeals posted individually or jointly by local noblemen who had written down records at the yummati of the town in question.
In the end, Sejong made a decision.
“The sage said, ‘The military and the government are all in one!’ Local officials are people who go out on behalf of the person to carry out the will of the person! Just as it is not right for a child to criticize his or her parents, it is also not right to criticize them!”
Sutra Mentioning this, King Sejong created a law banning complaints from wealthy people, and this was put into practice with the consent of King Taejong, who was the first king.
However, the ‘pros and cons’ statement made by the crown prince was that there was a problem with the ‘Prosecution Prevention Act’.
“Are you saying that it is not right for the crown prince to ban residents from filing complaints?”
“In the current situation, preventing residents from filing complaints is an unavoidable choice. However, as time passes, those who take advantage of this to satisfy their own greed will be better off.” “Aren’t you going to go to the police station to prevent that?”
“That’s right.”
“Soja thinks that all things in this world have a beginning and an end. People also have a lifespan, so wouldn’t the law have a lifespan?” “
That’s right.”
Sejong nodded at Hyang’s words. Hyang continued speaking while looking at Judge Lee Jo, who was standing behind King Sejong.
“I believe that what is important about the law is not the content of the law, but the principles expressed by the law. The reason Abamama blocked the complaint by local residents was because she wanted Abamama’s will to be properly spread all the way to the mountains of Dume, so there will be no need for it once the law is completed. “Isn’t that true?”
“That’s true.”
King Sejong kept nodding his head, and Heo Jo, who was known to be a strict man of principles, also nodded.
The first time Hyang learned of Heojo was when Heojo moved from the Yeonguijeong faction to the Sejong faction. Hyang, who expected that if a purge took place, would be swept away along with the Younguijeong, he tilted his head at Heo Jo’s change of course.
“You say you are a principled person? Why do you go back and forth like this?” As
time passed and Hyang compiled rumors coming in through various channels, he revised his evaluation of Heo Jo.
“This nobleman was a royalist Neo-Confucian Taliban who was faithful to the rule of kings. That’s breathtaking…”
Hyang trailed off as he adjusted his assessment of Heo Jo.
‘This will be a card I can use if problems arise with the Avengers in the future.’
In this way, Hyang, who had overcome a critical juncture regarding the ‘Prohibition of Complaints against Citizens’ Complaints Act’, continued his explanation.
“The roads in Joseon are so blocked now that even if there is a town famous for apples and pears, it’s difficult to see it if you go over just one mountain, and if you go over two mountains, it’s safe to say, ‘I heard there’s such a thing.’”
‘pair! I want to eat Andong’s ground mackerel… Oh! It leaked onto a side road again! ‘
Hyang quickly gathered his thoughts and continued speaking.
“But if we lay a railroad like this and allow trains to run, we can move a lot of people and products at once, so Joseon, which had been stagnant like a pond, will flow freely like the cold water.” “
Hmm….”
After Hyang’s explanation, King Sejong said. “I was deep in thought as I stroked my beard.”
“Look, Captain Jeong.”
While King Sejong was pondering, Hwang Hee called out to Jeong Cho in a low voice.
“What’s going on, Captain Hwang? ”
When asked about the reason for New Year’s Day, Hwang Hee pointed to model locomotives and trains with the tip of her tick and asked,
“Are toys like that actually useful? ”
At Hwang Hui’s words, Jeong Cho smiled and accepted the words.
“I guess you think this is just entertainment for the lower class? ”
“That’s not it. I’m just wondering if it’s really useful.”
“Do you see the pieces of metal on top of the cart being pulled behind there? ”
“See.”
“If you add it all up, it’s 10 geun (6 kg). Including the weight of the cart, the toy that the superintendent mentioned is dragged and moved by 15 pounds. Do you feel it? ”
Hwang Hui was silent at the words of New Year’s Day. The other ministers around him did the same.
Meanwhile, King Sejong, who was contemplating this, asked Hyang a question.
“It is a well-known fact from the beginning that our Joseon’s path is a mess. Therefore, not only Jeonjo but also our Joseon Dynasty mainly used ships to transport products. Will that railroad be capable of replacing him? ”
“There will be a lot of money that goes into the construction process, but over time, not only that money but more can be recovered. And if we talk about water transport, whenever the three grains harvested in the Samnam region below (Jungcheong-do, Jeolla-do, and Gyeongsang-do) are transported by ship, a considerable amount is lost every year. It is common for the amount of three grains lost each year to be about 10% of the amount brought in each year due to reasons such as ships sinking in a storm or being stranded on a reef in a room. No. Isn’t this a situation where even if it’s only 100%, it’s considered a success? ”
“Yes.”
“Is it true? ”
“huh? ”
King Sejong and the ministers’ ears perked up at Hyang’s question. Hyang looked at King Sejong and the ministers and continued speaking.
“The captains of the ship that move the three grains are very experienced. Don’t they know the signs of a storm? Or maybe you go back and forth every time and don’t know the location of the reef? Isn’t it just that we ignore it because there is no solid evidence? ”
“That’s right…”
King Sejong and the ministers nodded at Hyang’s point. As Hyang pointed out, most of the three grains collected from the Samnam region were moved to Hanseong via the ship. In the process, the three grains disappeared due to various accidents. The amount was quite large. The government also came up with various measures to prevent the loss, but no optimal plan was found. Once a ship went out to sea, communication was impossible until it arrived. ‘
No! Even in the days when Cheonan and Wonju were also said to be the metropolitan area. There is! How does it make sense that if you just cross the Han River, it becomes inoperable? This is a country with a land mass the size of your palm!”
Hyang persistently listed the advantages of the railroad.
“It is not only useful for the movement of people and products. It is also very advantageous for communication.”
In response to Hyang’s words, King Sejong stroked his beard and nodded.
“‘It is advantageous for communication. ‘La… I guess that’s true. As you said, if we can get from the southern or northern tip to Hanseong within a day, we will be able to receive urgent information more quickly. Then we will be able to respond more quickly and accurately.”
“That’s right. of course! ”
When Hyang saw Hwang Hee and other ministers trying to speak, Hyang raised his voice. As Hyang’s voice rose, the mouths of the ministers who were about to say something were firmly shut. Hyang, who had silenced the ministers, continued speaking.
“Of course, there is still a beacon tower, so go to the beacon fire . We are providing urgent information. However, the beacon signal can only provide information related to national defense. We can only know that something has happened in some direction, and to find out more information, we have to wait until Jang-gye comes. If you make a mistake, you may miss an important moment while waiting for the general.”
“… That’s right.”
The ministers nodded at Hyang’s point out. Hyang continued.
“Useful dispatch is not limited to war. There are also things like epidemics, floods and droughts. If we could receive news quickly whenever something like this happens, wouldn’t we be able to respond with a little more leeway? ”
“That’s true.”
The ministers also became more and more inclined to the opinion that the railroad was useful. The township called Jeong Cho.
“Submit the plan to His Majesty the Vice-Director.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As soon as the township’s order was given, Jeong Cho called Jeong Cho and Jeong In-ji. Together, we took out a pile of thick books and laid them out on the table with a model railroad.
“What is this?” Hmm… ‘Comprehensive national development plan? ‘”
“Based on the geography, economic situation, population distribution, and distribution of underground resources reported by the National Resources Agency of Joseon, which I surveyed while traveling around the country to observe astronomical objects, this is a city policy to strengthen Joseon’s capabilities. I wrote it in hopes that it would be of some help to Abamama’s sutra.”
Sejong counted the number of books that Jeong Cho and Jeong In-ji had put up.
“One, two, three… It doesn’t fit the term ’42’, right? ”
“A little bit.”
“Hmm…”
In response to Hyang’s response, King Sejong opened the book and sighed.
“Phew~.”
Inside the book were dense sentences written in small letters. The sentences were written densely. While reading, King Sejong grumbled a little.
“Every time I do this, I hate gold pens.” The
reason officials preferred gold pens over brush pens was because they could write small letters. You can also write small letters using brush pens, but gold pens last much longer than that. It was possible to write smaller. Thanks to this, paper consumption was reduced compared to before, which was good, but it was a hardship for ministers whose eyesight was gradually declining. Therefore, King Sejong had to specify the minimum size of letters to be written in official documents
. After briefly reviewing the contents of the book, King Sejong held it out to Hwang Hee.
“I think it is worth examining. Please take a look with the ministers.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
After handing over the books to Hwang Hui and the ministers, King Sejong looked inside the room where the model railroad was placed. As soon as he opened the door and entered, his eyes were drawn to the model railroad that caught his eye, so he had time to look around. This was because there were no maps.
“There are a lot of maps, right? ”
“yes. This is a map of Joseon created based on a map of the world from Jeonghwa’s voyage record and a survey by researchers who went out to make astronomical measurements to correct the calendar.” ”
Hmm….”
King Sejong, who had been examining the map of Joseon hanging on the wall, looked back.
“It’s much more precise than the old map.”
“It’s thanks to the researchers’ efforts.”
“The hard work is visible. Everyone, please come and take a look.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As soon as King Sejong’s order was given, the ministers approached and began to look at the maps. The person who showed the deepest interest was Jo Mal-saeng. After examining the maps, he asked King Sejong,
“Your Majesty, a precise map is the best. What you need is the military. Now, the military system has been reformed and talented people have been gathered, but there are many shortcomings in carrying out what they want, and guidance is one of them. Please give these maps to the military.”
“The military inspector general said the right thing. The crown prince must hand over these maps to the military.”
“I will follow your orders. But is it okay if it’s not yet a properly completed version? ”
“It’s not a finished copy? ”
“It has now been 7 months since the research center was established. There are not enough people, so there is no way the right results will come out.”
“Not enough people? “
As King Sejong pondered, Jeong Cho made a mantra in a earnest voice:
“The lack of talent is truly a serious problem. Even now, the institute’s officials, including God, cannot even go home properly.” ”
That much? ”
At King Sejong’s words, Jeong Cho nodded with a face that almost looked like he was crying.
“As you can see, there are more than one or two things that have been done just now. How can we be comfortable when there is so much work and so few people? ”
“Couldn’t we just gather a little more people? ”
In response to King Sejong’s question, Jeongcho answered with tears in his eyes,
“There are rumors that the work is hard, so they don’t want to come. At first, I brought them here because they said they would raise my rank, but as the number of people increased, my Majesty increased the work… As you can see, it has only been a little over half a year since the institute was established, and so many objects are being made and tasks are being carried out. And none of those tasks are easy.”
When Jeong Cho remembered the hardships he had endured, his eyes filled with tears and he could not speak properly.
Sejong glared at Hyang after seeing Noh Shin’s pitiful appearance. Hyang, who received Sejong’s sharp gaze, lightly stuck out her tongue and showed cuteness.
“Dehat!”
“You idiot! Don’t do it!”