Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 655

Episode 655: This time we also brought firewood, and a lot of it. (1)

Gyeong-oh year (1450, 32nd year of King Sejong). winter.

From around the time of the spring equinox at the beginning of the year until the Mid-Autumn Festival, there was a lot of commotion due to large-scale expulsions from the north, and after the Mid-Autumn Festival, while the villagers from Europe were preoccupied with sightseeing in Hanyang, the township made one big decision.

“Let’s finish it before the year is over!”

The era name was abolished.

After the victory over the Ming Dynasty, the Qingje Jianyuan was a natural step. Therefore, the local government and ministers began preparations.

In this process, it was Yeonho who caused headaches for the Hyang and ministers.

It was common to select words from old books to metaphorically express the new emperor’s policy stance or to comfort the people. Otherwise, in order to proclaim a new beginning, a word combined with the letter ‘won (元)’ was used as the era name.

However, the prerequisites of the scent were problematic.

-Now that we have left the central plains and are taking our own steps, we must eliminate all things that have already been used or are similar to those used by the emperors of the central plains.

As a result, many of the candidate words that had been nominated began to be filtered out, starting with all words containing the word ‘won (元)’ being filtered out.

“This is why the one world one won system was created…”

The ministers who were searching for words at Hwang Hee’s complaint all nodded.

Since Emperor Wu of Han used the era name system, more era names have been recorded in historical records than the countries that appeared and disappeared in the central plains.

This happened because there were no set rules for changing the era name. Thanks to this, there were more than one monarch who used multiple era names during their reign, and during the period when many countries were divided, each country often used its own era name, so all the words that seemed acceptable were used at least once.

Among them, there was one word that the ministers most regretted: ‘Yeongrak (永樂).’

The era name used by King Gwanggaeto the Great, who was a loser in the early Three Han Dynasties, was Yeongrak. However, as Emperor Yongle of Ming used it, it became an era name that became difficult to rewrite.

“You can write it if you want to, but considering the habits of the people in the middle of the country, it would be worse than not doing it…” Hearing

Hwang Hee’s words, Kim Jong-seo secretly brought up a conspiracy theory.

“Could it be that you wrote it knowingly?”

“Did you know it when you wrote it?”

At Kim Jong-seo’s words, all the ministers’ eyes lit up and their ears perked up. Since ancient times, there was nothing more fun than doing something else when work was difficult.

Kim Jong-seo presented the basis for the conspiracy theory he came up with.

“Where did the Yongle Emperor receive Wangji before he ascended to the throne? It’s a kite. It’s a stone’s throw away from the Liaohe River. There, the traditions of old Goguryeo would have continued to be passed down. Consider the stone monument discovered not long ago in Bukji. It’s quite possible.”

The ministers all pretended to know what Kim Jong-seo said.

“Ah… that stone monument!”

* * *

After taking control of Northern Territory, the government conducted a thorough investigation to properly organize the administrative organization of Northern Territory.

Although it was not yet complete, a huge amount of human and material information was being updated, and unexpected historical materials were also discovered.

Among them, there was a discovery that made everyone’s eyes roll, not only in the royal court but also in the ruling elite.

It was the discovery of the tombstone of King Gwanggaeto the Great.

At first, it was thought to be from the Jin or Jurchen tribes. However, after receiving the report, Hyang gave a firm command.

“Don’t just assume it’s from Jin or Jurchen, but investigate it closely!”

“It will consume a lot of time and budget.”

“Who ruled that land before Jin and Jurchen? “It’s Goguryeo!”

Hwang Hui and the ministers immediately responded to Hyang’s point by bowing their heads.

“If I did something wrong, I would have suffered the wrath of heaven and earth! “I will immediately send someone to take a closer look!”

In this way, the true identity of the tombstone of King Gwanggaeto was revealed.

The scent that gave the command muttered to itself.

‘Although there are many librarians left compared to the 21st century, the Three Kingdoms period is no longer an era that can be called a legend.’

* * *

In any case, due to these various circumstances, the name of the era was undecided even after the opening of the empire.

In a situation where there were not many words left suitable for use as an era name, Hyangdo became a headache.

“Why are the only remaining words like ‘Myeongchi (明治)’ or ‘Yusin (維新)’?…” Both

Myeongchi and Yushin were good in their meanings. However, in Hyang’s memory, these words were very unpleasant words.

In the end, Hyang came to a conclusion.

“Let’s abolish the Yeonho system!”

“yes?”

The ministers all looked perplexed at Hyang’s decision.

“Yes, Your Majesty. According to the law….”

Hwang Hee tried to argue that it was not possible, but Hyang cut him off.

“Which country’s law is that law from?”

“yes?”

“Isn’t the use of era names and the law of one world, one world, also of the Central Plains? Now, you have declared that you will escape from the shadow of the Central Plains and take the path of independence and self-strength. How long will you follow the laws of the Central Plains? Think about the habits of the people of Central Plains. “They are the ones who exaggerate every single thing, but if they follow the era name system, they will definitely say something different in the future.”

Hwang Hee, who thought about Hyang’s comment for a moment, came forward and answered.

“What your Majesty said is truly reasonable, but there will be people who do not understand its meaning and will object. “I will devise a way to persuade them.”

“What need do you think? Just tell me to discuss it.”

In this way, rooms were again added to government offices throughout the district.

-Our Joseon has finally emerged from the shadow of the Central Plains and entered the path of independence. Accordingly, we would like to abolish the era name system in a symbolic sense. Discuss this.

-If the era name is abolished, problems with the era will arise in the future. As a way to solve this problem, it is necessary to decide whether to use the short term of Dangun’s prayer or the first year of the founding of the empire. Discuss this.

The deadline is the end of this month.

As soon as the room was set up like this, for the first time in a long time, complaints started pouring in from all over the Korean Peninsula.

And this image also caught the eyes of European scholars who were still staying in Seoul.

“What is posted on that bulletin board?”

“That is…”

European scholars who heard the explanation through interpreters and monks could not hide their surprise.

“Are you saying that the emperor seeks answers from the people? Is there still no problem?”

“Why does that matter? That too is one of the language routes.”

The innkeepers responded to the European scholars’ questions with expressions of incomprehension, while the monks responded with bitter smiles.

“This is what the monarchs of this country often do. Thanks to this, the top and bottom communicate well. Of course, some say that this is the emperor’s fishing…”

“Fishing?”

The professors who heard the monks’ explanation were all amazed.

“That way!”

“What a smart way to continue to recruit new talent!”

“This is truly an excellent method because you can not only gain talent but also learn about public opinion!”

The professors were so admiring but also confused.

The thing that threw them into confusion was incense.

“I thought he was a sinister person with harsh words and deep arrogance, but does that mean he wasn’t?”

“Is this the closest thing to the philosopher king imagined by Plato? “That vitriol?”

* * *

Most of the appeals filed were positive for the abolition of the Yeonho system.

-Abolishing the era name system is a reasonable move as it is about escaping from the shadow of China, which calls itself Zhonghua (中華).

Because most of the appeals had similar content to the above, the local government officials were able to breathe a sigh of relief. However, there was a part in the appeal that was divided in two, so it was a question of date.

– Since Dangun is the founder, it is correct to consider Dangun as the origin.

– Short term is good, but it is better to start with the founding of an empire. The empire is no longer just an empire for Koreans. Since many residents of foreign regions have already become subjects of the empire, insisting on a short period of time can become a source of discrimination.

In this way, a war of words broke out over the date of the anniversary, and a large-scale argument broke out that resulted in not only an appeal but also a written letter. And at the center of this debate was the Institute of Science.

* * *

– By studying old scriptures, we inform the people living today on the right path.

For the above purpose, the Institute of Science, built in the latter half of the scriptures, was a place where former government officials and those selected from the local nobles gathered to reinterpret and discuss the scriptures.

Naturally, it was a place that caused conflict among its members, so it was famous for fierce debates from the beginning of its establishment.

As an aside. The question of incense that created a firestorm among the intellectual class in Europe also created a similar firestorm here.

-Is Zhu Xi’s interpretation of the old sage’s words truly the correct answer?

A fierce debate took place on this topic, and a new academic style similar to a mixture of classical studies, Yangming studies, and archaeological studies began to be created.

* * *

Among the members of the Institute of Science, those from the nobility supported short term, and those from bureaucrats supported the origin year of the founding of the empire – the so-called Gaecheon.

And as intellectuals from the Jurchen tribe participated in the war with new firewood, the center of gravity slowly began to shift towards ‘Gaecheon’.

– Even if you exclude the Koreans, there are more than one people of the empire from different origins. Insisting on the short term can be a source of discrimination.

-If Dangi is used, Buddhist weapons should also be allowed.

“Why are you blowing?”

“What the Jurchen people believe in is Lama Buddhism. If you do it wrong, the Yeojin people can rise up. If you do that, it will be a headache…”

In the end, Gaecheon, which started with the founding of the empire, became the best way to solve various problems.

* * *

The first month of the 2nd year of Gaecheon (Sinmi Year, 1451).

The ships carrying the European professors back home finally arrived.

“Do I finally have to leave….”

“It’s a shame, it’s a shame!”

While the professors who were selected and had to return couldn’t hide their disappointment, the professors who stayed spoke with excitement.

“It feels new to be learning again at this age.”

“But isn’t it fun to learn new things?”

“That’s right.”

While there was a lot of joy and sorrow among the professors, their images were all conveyed to the local government and ministers.

“Seeing that you enjoy learning, I guess you are a scholar.”

Hyang nodded at Hwang Hee’s words. However, Hyang’s inner thoughts were the opposite.

‘Future test takers will suffer even more.’

He did not know, or was trying to ignore, that his actions had already turned the future field of history, especially history, and especially Oriental history itself, into the worst labor-intensive profession.

“What do I know!”

* * *

Upon arriving in Seoul, Giovanni immediately looked for incense and paid his respects.

“I come to see your Majesty.”

“I am very happy to see you in good health despite having to go on a long voyage every year.”

“I am truly grateful that Your Majesty is so concerned about me.”

“Then I hope you do your job well.”

“Thank you.”

Giovanni came out after smelling the scent and proceeded to hold a meeting with Huhu.

“This is the quantity of Eulsik rifles and freight cars that will be purchased this time. “The payment was made in silver.”

Heohu’s eyes lit up as he checked the items in the documents Giovanni held out.

“Do you have a lot of stock?”

“I plan to end this tiresome war within this year.”

This was the will of Henry and Mehmed II rather than that of Cosimo. And in the background was France.

@KOI