Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 313

313. Hanyang (2)

After the ‘Hanyang Circular Railway’ officially opened, it was fully booked every day for a while.

“This is really amazing!”

“Isn’t it? A carriage that moves without oxen or horses!”

“Look at the windows on the wall! They’re all made of glass!”

“Wow! Look at the scenery outside the window! It’s passing by so fast!”

The residents of Hanyang who boarded the train were amazed by the interior, the exterior, and the quickly passing scenery.

In the meantime, it was inevitable that various problems would arise.

“Hey there! Come here! There’s a seat here!”

“Hey! I was here first!”

“Well, well! Did you have a drink in broad daylight? Anyone can see that I came first!”

Whenever a seat became available, a fight broke out to claim it. Then, the car manager (車吏) [train attendant] on the train stepped in.

“Choose. Will you go quietly, or will you get off? Or should we go to the government office?”

“Ahem! Cough!”

At the manager’s warning, those who started the seat fight cleared their throats and sat down.

“Look here! How can I, a nobleman, sit with commoners!”

Occasionally, some people flaunted their status as nobles and demanded separate seats. Each time, the manager raised a finger and pointed to the sign hanging at the front of the car.

-Seats are to be occupied without distinction of class. – King of Joseon.

Next to the sentence, which was written large enough to be clearly read from the other end, was the royal seal.

“If you’re not satisfied, write a petition. Who knows? You might even get a special appointment?”

“Ahem! Cough!”

“Pfft!”

At the manager’s words, the nobles who raised the issue coughed and sat back down. And those around them chuckled softly.

-When writing a petition, be prepared. Will you be embarrassed throughout Joseon, or will you be summoned to Gyeongbok Palace?

This was a fact that everyone in Hanyang, as well as the people of Joseon, knew.

And the residents of Hanyang knew one more fact.

-The truly rich and powerful nobles ride horses and carriages, or at least rickshaws.

Even the esteemed and upright Maeng Sa-seong rode a donkey or an ox. Those who paid one copper coin to ride the train were insignificant nobles.

* * *

After about a month, the initial excitement subsided.

Many people still used it, but they were people who rode the train out of genuine need, not curiosity.

From the time autumn passed and winter began, the train began to be fully occupied again.

The people of the provinces, who had become economically and temporally free after the harvest, flocked to Hanyang to see the train, which they had only heard rumors about.

“Wow~.”

“Oh my! Look at that thing running! I’m gonna be sick.”

“Awesome!”

As people exclaimed in all sorts of dialects, the residents of Hanyang muttered to themselves.

“Country bumpkins….”

* * *

Meanwhile, in Daejeon, a heated debate was taking place regarding the expansion of train operations.

“Even if it’s impossible for all the cities in Joseon, we should at least install them up to the Dohobu (都護府) [regional administrative centers]!”

“That’s right! Petitions are already flooding in, asking for trains to be laid in their towns! The operating results of the past few months have already proven that we can make a profit!”

“It is also necessary for the balanced development of the entire Joseon! It is said that the saying ‘If you want to live like a human being, go to Hanyang’ is common among the people living in the provinces!”

The ministers and vice ministers of the Ministry of General Affairs and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport were strongly advocating for the expansion of the train.

This was a natural argument for those in charge of the administration of the entire country and those in charge of the development of the land and transportation policies.

However, starting with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, there were many who opposed this.

“We made a profit, but we haven’t even recovered the initial construction costs yet! That profit is just a comparison of the monthly fuel costs, maintenance costs, salaries, and collected fares! We still have a long way to go before we can truly get out of the red!”

“Think about the cost of producing, transporting, and installing the railroad tracks, and the cost of producing and transporting the iron horses [locomotives] and passenger cars! Those aren’t cheap! And think about the cost of training the stokers to operate the iron horses and the car managers to manage the passenger cars! But you’re saying we should lay them all the way to the Dohobu? Are you making any sense?”

“The production capacity of the 1st and 2nd Ironworks is already saturated! The demand for iron is still increasing, but the output is limited! Should we start shooting arrows again instead of guns and cannons?”

The power and arguments of those who opposed, mainly from the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of National Defense, were also considerable.

As the debate heated up, the conversation began to devolve into personal attacks again.

“How did you pass the civil service exam with that brain?”

“What? If it weren’t for your family background, you wouldn’t even be able to work as a local clerk!”

“What! You little…!”

“Hey!”

When the level of personal attacks exceeded the limit, mentioning not only the civil service exam scores that were taken to become officials, but also whether they entered through family background, Sejong slammed the armrest.

Bang!

“Stop! Be quiet!”

At Sejong’s roar, the Daejeon [council chamber] became quiet in an instant.

Sejong did not hide his anger and rebuked the officials.

“There may be differences of opinion in deciding the policies of the country! This is a natural thing! When such differences arise, it is reasonable to persuade the other party with reasonable grounds! Why are you engaging in personal attacks! There is a mountain of things to be done, but what are we going to do if there is no cooperation like this! Are you still the officials who lead this Joseon!”

“Please forgive our disgraceful behavior!”

“Please forgive us!”

The officials bowed their heads and asked for forgiveness, but Sejong’s rebuke did not stop.

“Is the only time you are united when you are gossiping about someone at a juseok (酒席, drinking party)? Is that so?”

The faces of the officials, who had been pale, turned even paler at Sejong’s words.

“That, that’s not true at all.”

“How could such an outrageous thing happen!”

The officials vehemently denied it, but Sejong, seizing the opportunity, fiercely drove the officials.

“Why can’t those who passed with such excellent grades speak at the lectures attended by me and the Crown Prince? Even though we have reduced the daily lectures to once a week to give you enough time to prepare, why is that?”

At Sejong’s criticism, the officials who had been boasting about their past exam scores became tight-lipped.

* * *

Sejong’s words were true.

The lectures given to the king were a set tradition. Therefore, Sejong had to conduct lectures twice a day, every day.

This was a system for even mediocre or lesser rulers to operate the government with at least minimal education and administrative knowledge, but the opponent was Sejong. The officials were increasingly pushed back as the lectures continued.

In this situation, even Hyang, who had been appointed as the Crown Prince, joined the lectures, and the balance was completely tilted towards Sejong. When a debate broke out, the officials were always defeated by Sejong and Hyang.

Eventually, after the purge of the veteran officials led by Ryu Jeong-hyeon, the number of lectures gradually decreased.

“There are so many national affairs to be dealt with that I would like to reduce the number of lectures. What do you think?”

“I think it is a very reasonable measure.”

“Then let’s do that.”

With that agreement, the lectures were decided to be held once a week.

* * *

Sejong also said a word to the other side.

“And, you’re saying that those who received official posts through family background have problems with their qualifications? Then what am I, who became king thanks to my father being the king? When you think about it, haven’t I also benefited from family background?”

“Hup!”

At Sejong’s criticism, the officials’ faces turned completely pale.

It was a statement that could definitely be problematic if you started to dig into it.

Looking at the officials’ faces, which had turned ashen, Sejong continued to press them.

“I thought of the things that happened at the drinking party as just complaints from you who were exhausted from your heavy workload and let it go. But, such disgraceful behavior! Do you want me to investigate it properly!”

At Sejong’s threat, the officials all prostrated themselves on the floor of the Daejeon.

“Your Majesty! Please forgive our disgraceful behavior!”

“Please forgive us!”

“Please forgive our disgraceful behavior!”

Sejong, who had been silently glaring at the officials begging for forgiveness, opened his mouth.

“Alright, I’ll just let it go this time. But! If you slander the other party’s parents or attack the other party’s character again in the future, I will never condone it! I will punish you severely, referring to all the things that have happened so far! Do you understand?”

“We will engrave it in our bones!”

“Get up. Let’s work.”

“Your grace is boundless!”

At Sejong’s words, the officials picked themselves up and sat back in their chairs.

* * *

Hyang, who was watching the scene from the side, looked at Sejong with a face full of curiosity.

‘Are we going to double down? That’s exactly what it is? By the way, it seems like the old men had an accident at a drinking party…. When? Where? There haven’t been any official or unofficial banquets recently?’

While Hyang was groping for memories with unresolved questions, the historians who recorded all of this added a word.

– …So, the King severely rebuked and admonished them, and the officials sincerely repented.

The historian says.

As the King pointed out, opinions may differ, and it is appropriate to persuade the other party with reasonable grounds. However, it is not right to engage in personal attacks on the other party without doing so.

This is not what I am saying because I came in through family background.

Anyway, what kind of trouble did the officials cause, and when and where, that they were caught by the King?

As he was recording this, the historian across from him glanced at him and diligently moved his golden pen.

-The historian says.

I think that the position of Dangsanggwan [high-ranking official] is a position that is reached through scholarship and the ability to handle state affairs, not a position that is determined by family background or the grades at the time of passing the exam.

This is not because I came in after passing the civil service exam with Byeonggwa (丙科) [third tier].

Anyway, it seems that the rumor I heard before is true.

* * *

Thanks to Sejong’s outburst, the meeting proceeded quite calmly.

“So, what should we do about operating railroads and iron horses in the cities of the provinces?”

At Sejong’s words, Maeng Sa-seong came forward to summarize the situation.

“It is true that if we lay railroads and iron horses in the cities of the provinces, we can prevent people from concentrating in Hanyang and balance Hanyang and the provinces. However, considering the cost and time it takes to build, transport, and install railroads and iron horses, and the time and cost it takes to train the personnel needed to operate them, this is not an easy task either.”

“Hmm….”

Sejong, listening to Maeng Sa-seong’s explanation, stroked his beard and pondered.

‘I think I can vaguely see the answer…. What was it?’

Sejong became frustrated as he groped for memories to think about the vaguely visible answer.

‘The officials must be frustrated too, so it would be good to have a recess for a while. I’ll ride a horse for the first time in a long time…. Horse? Horse!’

Bang!

“Crown Prince!”

Sejong, who had been pondering, slammed the armrest and called the Crown Prince, and Hyang, as well as the officials, were startled and looked at Sejong.

“Yes, Father! Did you call me?”

“Yes! What do you think about operating the stagecoach that we only planned in the past?”

Hyang, who had been pondering for a while at Sejong’s suggestion, immediately answered.

“It is definitely possible! The cities in the provinces are large, but they are inferior to Hanyang. Stagecoaches can handle it sufficiently!”

At Hyang’s positive answer, Sejong looked back at the officials.

“What do you think?”

“I think it is a reasonable plan!”

“It is the best plan!”

“Then, let’s first deploy stagecoaches to the Bu (府) [major towns] and Daedohobu (大都護府) [larger regional centers] among the cities in the provinces, and then replace them when the iron horses and railroads are ready. After the replacement is completed, let the Mok [smaller towns] and Dohobu operate the stagecoaches. Finally, let’s aim to have the stagecoaches operate up to the Gun [counties].”

“We will do as you say!”

In this way, one of the various policies for the balanced development of Hanyang and the provinces was decided.