Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 666

Episode 666: Stories from other countries (1)

Emperor Gyeongtae, who took charge of the Ming Dynasty, which was devastated by defeat, did his best to restore it.

-Liaodong and the North focus only on defense!

Based on a strategy that thoroughly prioritized defense, Emperor Gyeongtae and his subjects reorganized the troops in the north.

Although the war was lost, troops who had experience in combat and were especially familiar with the use of gunpowder weapons were deployed to the northern wall, and the remaining gunpowder and artillery were collected and deployed to the wall.

And the troops that had been hastily gathered after being pushed back in the war were deployed to clean up the destroyed canals and transportation networks.

“To calm the chaos in Gangnam and secure proper tax revenue, restoration of the canal and transportation network is an urgent priority!”

It was the Gyeongtae Emperor’s decision to quickly repair the damage. Some officials put the brakes on this.

“your majesty. Joseon can push through Shanhaiguan! “We must prepare!”

However, before the Gyeongtae Emperor could take action, the Assistant Cabinet Secretary came forward and refuted their opinions.

“Joseon is in a difficult situation to digest the area it has secured. There is no need to worry about Joseon! “For now, all I have to think about is the Dalits of the North!”

“The northerners may take a detour.”

“Do you think Joseon will just let the Dalits run amok in the north, where they have gained so much? No, in our current situation, it would be a great thing if Dalja would do that.”

“….”

The situation was resolved as the Cabinet Secretary silenced the worried ministers.

* * *

The ministers’ initial evaluation of Gyeongtaeje was almost similar to that made by Seondeokje.

-A general-purpose monarch.

– It may be okay in a peaceful world, but in difficult times…

However, when people claiming to be Geonmunjae and his son appeared in the Gangnam area and a chaotic situation arose, the ministers revised their evaluation after seeing Emperor Gyeongtae’s reaction.

“Reassemble your troops right now and subdue them!”

Emperor Gyeongtae, who first heard the story, was furious and ordered an immediate subjugation. However, the Ministry of Health and Welfare opposed this.

“It is impossible in the current situation. There is a better plan! All you need is one edict!”

“Tell me.”

And Emperor Gyeongtae, who heard Sangseo’s proposal for illness, immediately accepted his proposal.

There was an unfortunate incident during the last crisis. Jim cannot hide his sadness at this. Accordingly, Jim will restore Jianmun, the name of Emperor Hye’s era, and install Jumun-gyu as the royal king. Therefore, Ju Joon-gyu, please retrieve your luggage.

As the edict with this content was posted throughout Gangnam, those who called themselves Geonmunjae or Jumungyu began to argue, claiming that they were true.

And the ministers who received reports of this situation revised their evaluation of the economic system.

-Knows how to listen. This is the biggest advantage.

-Your judgment is as good as that of your predecessor.

* * *

While people were killing each other and dying in Gangnam, Emperor Gyeongtae and the ministers of Ming did their best to restore the canal.

Funnily enough, those who helped greatly with this restoration project were Joseon merchants.

In addition to conscripts, merchants from the Hebei region also participated in the restoration of the canal.

The merchant owners who participated were in a very difficult situation.

This was because Emperor Gyeongtae and the ministers of the royal court were urging its completion as quickly as possible, saying it was a day away.

The concerns of merchant merchants immediately became the concerns of the merchants under their command, who also complained to the merchants of the empire.

Not long after the war ended, the Joseon Shanghai branch in Shandong reopened.

Trade with Joseon and other empires was also necessary for the Ming imperial family and government.

This was because trade with Joseon was essential to obtain the necessary funds in a situation where tax administration was in disarray due to the chaos in Gangnam and the fractured canal.

In the Gangnam area, where the Ming administrative power was still alive, grain collected through tax collection, large quantities of sulfur, and saltpeter were the Ming’s main sales items, and the empire sold various iron agricultural tools, medicine, cotton, and a few luxury goods.

This trade was also necessary for the empire. Now, stable agriculture has become possible through the flood control project, which has been converted to a management stage. However, there were many regions, including Daeseol Island, where self-sufficiency in food was difficult, so there was still a long way to go before self-sufficiency. There was a situation where they had taken possession of the Bukji. In order to settle the people living in the north as imperial people, sufficient food was needed.

The best way to solve this was to build a large-scale agricultural area in Xinjie in addition to strengthening agricultural production in the North. However, since both tasks required a lot of time and manpower, grain was absolutely necessary.

Of course, it could have been imported from Daewol or Seomla, but those countries were growing a completely different variety of rice from the rice that the people of the empire consumed most. On the other hand, in Gangnam, there were many farmers who specialized in growing rice that suited the tastes of the imperial family. Because it was profitable.

In the case of Hwang and Choseok, it was due to the military aspect. It was an empire that was able to survive by supplying sulfur from Daeseoldo and importing saltpeter from Cheonchuk, but the saltpeter and sulfur sold by the Ming were bought as much as they could provide.

The purpose of this was partly to prepare for unexpected situations, but it was also to control a significant portion of the military power of the Ming Dynasty.

The situation in the past, when the Ming Dynasty controlled the procurement of buffalo horns, an essential material for making horn bows, was reversed.

* * *

Because of this background, the Joseon Dynasty, or even the Imperial Chamber of Commerce, reopened in Shandong, and merchants from both countries began to maintain their friendship again.

“huh? King Daein. Is your complexion not very good? “It’s such a mess?”

“ah! Daein Kim. “Is my complexion that bad?”

“If anyone sees you, you seem like a person who wouldn’t be surprised if they smelled incense from behind a folding screen tomorrow. “Would you like me to give you some of my health medicine?”

Wang Deok-gu, a merchant from the Ming Dynasty, was momentarily shocked by the words of Kim Il-su, an imperial merchant. This was because of one of the many meanings of the word ‘health medicine’ in the Joseon Dynasty or the Empire.

At Wang Deok-gu’s reaction, Kim Il-soo smiled and continued.

“What are you thinking? “It’s not because it’s a tonic, it’s because my complexion is really bad.”

Saying that, Kim Il-soo opened a desk drawer, rummaged through it, took out something and held it out to Wang Deok-gu.

“This is the Daeseoldosan bear dam that I found a while ago. Can you see the imperial emblem stamped on the packaging? “It’s genuine.”

“Oops! What a place to be thankful for! “I will never forget the kindness of this great person, Mr. Wang!”

Wang Deok-gu, who bowed while holding his hand, was sincere.

It was a place filled with all kinds of counterfeit products, including medicinal ingredients for human consumption. Thanks to this, imperial medicinal herbs with the imperial emblem stamped on them were being traded at high prices. There was even a rumor going around that the Ming imperial family only used imperial medicinal herbs.

In this situation, if it was a genuine Woongdam, it was worth calling. It would be okay to eat it yourself, but you could also sell it for a share or give it to someone else to benefit.

“What on earth are you worried about? Are you afraid to spend the night with your wife? Or are your children upset?”

Wang Deok-gu sighed and answered Kim Il-soo’s question, which was a mixture of jokes and seriousness.

“It’s none other than the fact that the elderly person I serve is in charge of a big job at the top, and because of that, he loses sleep every day.”

“Big deal? “What kind of big deal are you talking about?”

“I was put in charge of restoring the canal that was damaged in the previous war at the top, but it seemed like no one wanted to take on the job…”

“Civil engineering is the most valuable job, right?”

Kim Il-su tilted his head at Wang Deok-gu’s words.

* * *

As he said, civil engineering work was a job that left a lot to be desired. In the process of recruiting people to work, providing food, clothing, and shelter for field workers, etc., we were able to continuously make money.

Of course, there were people who played around with materials or did shoddy construction in hopes of making a quick buck. However, the moment they caught the attention of the governor, all their property was confiscated and the entire family became government slaves and was taken to Aoji.

To avoid this, there were attempts to bribe the superintendent and ask for favors, but no superintendent accepted this. If something happened later, the property would be confiscated, and if it was severe, it would be life-long labor in Aoji, which was the same for Gyomri.

Well, as it changed into an empire, only the parties became government slaves and worked until they died in Aoji or other rough places. However, because all assets were still confiscated, the moment it was caught, the person’s family had no choice but to sit out on the streets.

* * *

In response to Kim Il-soo’s point, Wang Deok-gu explained the reason.

“That’s because the country is urging us to shorten the air time every day. Don’t you know Daein Kim too? If you make a mistake in a task entrusted to you by the country, wouldn’t the three clans be exterminated?”

“So you’re worried a lot?”

“yes. The size of the site is limited, so wouldn’t it be impossible to cram in an infinite number of workers? It only increases the number of workers working for no reason. “But I am worried because there is no answer other than that.”

Kim Il-su nodded at Wang Deok-gu’s words.

“That’s right. Hmm…. The period needs to be shortened, but there is no proper way, and if the person serving you makes a mistake and suffers misfortune, it will not be good for the king. “Is that why your complexion is like that?”

“That’s right.”

In response to Wang Deok-gu’s answer, Kim Il-soo immediately gave an answer.

“That problem could be solved right away with just a little bit of wealth, right?”

“yes? How? Please give me some wisdom. please.”

Kim Il-soo, who saw Wang Deok-gu earnestly asking for a favor, talked about the ‘reward’.

“…therefore. In that way, we divide the teams into groups, select the group that does the best work, and give appropriate rewards to the team leader and team members. If that happens, everyone will turn on their eyes and attack you from now on, right?”

“ah!”

Wang Deok-gu, who had let out an exclamation without realizing it, bowed down once again.

“I swear to this royal mother, the gods of heaven and earth! I will definitely repay this favor! “If I can’t repay you, I will repay you from generation to generation!”

At Wang Deok-gu’s oath, Kim Il-soo smiled and waved his hand.

“What kind of oath do you have? It’s just a matter of making good deals in the future.”

“Don’t worry!”

Kim Il-soo clicked his tongue as he looked at Wang Deok-gu, who was excited to get an answer to the problem he was worried about.

“Tsk! There has been a reward system in our country for a long time, but how can a country that calls itself a great country…”

Kim Il-soo, who expressed such doubts, soon found his own answer.

“Is it because there are too many people? “I guess so.”

Since ancient times, the country overflowing with people was Ming or Jungwon. The midfield was the country where if one was lacking, ten would be put in, and if ten were not enough, a hundred would be added.

Therefore, there was no need to think about the ‘reward’ itself.

Kim Il-soo, who was clicking his tongue like that, suddenly brightened his eyes.

“wait? Come to think of it? The person who first thought of the ‘bounty’ died, right? Huh~. indeed! “He was a different person from the very beginning!”

Kim Il-soo, who was so impressed by Hyang’s abilities, soon wrote a report to send to the top.

“Anyway… if you do well, you can get a pretty strong rope. “If it is a high-ranking company that is in charge of civil engineering projects carried out by the country, it must also have ties to the Ming Dynasty government.”

* * *

In this way, a ‘bounty system’ was introduced at construction sites to restore the canal. With the ‘reward system’ in operation, the efficiency of construction has improved to a visible degree.

And the fall of the 3rd year of the imperial calendar. The disconnected canal was reconnected.

Emperor Gyeongtae received the report and gave orders to his subjects.

“Think about moving the capital to Nanjing.”