Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 531

531. Rolling, Rolling… (12)

As Hwang Hee had suggested, a meeting was held in Seungwha Hall to discuss the letter sent by the Regent of Portugal.

“Hmm… 3,000 arquebuses. If we’re talking about 3,000 arquebusiers, what do you estimate the overall troop size to be?” Hyang asked.

Jo Mal-saeng paused to calculate before answering, “Based on the information we’ve gathered so far, I’d say at least 30,000, possibly up to 60,000.”

“And in terms of our Joseon standards?”

Jo Mal-saeng answered immediately, “With the new organization, the number of arquebusiers in a fully staffed company is 1,500, so it would be a force capable of forming two companies.”

“Hmm….”

Listening to Jo Mal-saeng’s answer, the ministers did some mental calculations.

* * *

From the early stages of Gyeongjang’s military reforms, the army was organized in multiples of five, starting with the *o* (伍) [a unit of five men], the smallest unit.

However, due to a lack of economic resources and incomplete census records, there were hardly any units that were fully staffed, except in the north.

This problem was resolved as Gyeongjang entered its final phase.

The size of a fully staffed company was about 3,000, which was the size of the forces deployed in the *bo* (堡) [fortified village] and *jin* (鎭) [garrison post] established in key strategic locations in the north.

* * *

“Isn’t a troop size of 30,000 to 60,000 too small for a country?” Heo Hoo asked, a puzzled expression on his face, after doing calculations while listening to Jo Mal-saeng and Hyang’s conversation.

All the other ministers nodded at Heo Hoo’s remark.

When Joseon was founded, the legally mandated troop size was 300,000. It was believed that this was necessary to protect Joseon’s safety even in the face of significant foreign disturbances.

Jo Mal-saeng answered Heo Hoo’s question immediately, “From what I understand of their methods of employing troops, they don’t organize and operate armies directly from the state. When a war breaks out, they mobilize the private armies of the nobles and make heavy use of mercenaries.”

“Then who protects the monarch?”

“The monarch also employs a separate army just for themselves.”

At Jo Mal-saeng’s answer, Heo Hoo clicked his tongue.

“Tsk! Is that even a proper country?”

Hyang interjected at Heo Hoo’s words, “That’s not something we can judge as superior or inferior, as our history and customs differ from theirs. What we need to do now is study their military tactics and find openings to exploit.”

Heo Hoo bowed his head at Hyang’s sharp words.

“Please forgive my indiscretion.”

“Please be mindful.”

Having cautioned Heo Hoo, Hyang moved on to the next topic.

“Thanks to the funds coming in from Portugal and the Oirat, supporting Shinji next year should be a bit easier. And the same goes for accumulating reserve funds.”

“That is indeed fortunate. I will revise the budget accordingly,” the Minister of Finance responded.

Hyang nodded lightly and added, “Please do. Ah! And starting with the Lord of Tsushima, the Japanese people of Tsushima will be pledging allegiance next spring, so please also consider the funds needed to support them.”

“Yes. I will engrave it in my heart,” the Minister of Finance bowed his head and replied to Hyang’s request.

* * *

The meeting continued for a bit longer after that. Most of the content concerned the budget to be executed next year.

The main speakers were Hyang, Hwang Hee, Kim Jeom, and the Minister of Finance, with the other ministers becoming mere spectators. Most of what they could do was listen to the conversation and gauge the events of the coming year.

After the meeting, the ministers gathered again in the Prime Minister’s conference room, as always.

As soon as they took their seats, Jo Mal-saeng was the first to speak.

“Minister Yi-chon.”

“If it’s about the defense budget, it has already been increased sufficiently,” Kim Jeom preemptively responded.

Jo Mal-saeng pursed his lips and grumbled inwardly, but he spoke again, “Still, I must say what needs to be said. Don’t you think His Majesty and the Crown Prince are focusing excessively on Shinji? The budget going into Shinji is increasing more and more.”

“Consider the size of Shinji. Considering its size, even the current budget is insufficient.”

Jo Mal-saeng nodded at Kim Jeom’s answer but continued his rebuttal.

“Of course, considering the size of Shinji, that is true. However, that *size* of Shinji is the problem. Digesting that vast territory, which is practically a continent, isn’t something that can be done overnight. Yet, the budget continues to increase, disrupting the balance of budget execution. No matter how much of the work being done in Shinji is His Majesty’s exercise of authority, this is a serious problem.”

All the ministers present nodded at Jo Mal-saeng’s point.

They, too, had experienced losing arguments with the Ministry of Finance during the budget allocation process. However, when it came to Shinji, the budget was allocated without much disagreement. As a result, complaints, mixed with dissatisfaction, were slowly emerging from the ministers, who were heads of each department, down to the lower-level officials.

“Even if His Majesty is personally leading the work, isn’t this too much!” Seeing the ministers nodding slightly at his words, Jo Mal-saeng continued.

“Looking at the current situation, we cannot afford to only focus on Shinji.

First, let’s look at our relationship with the suzerain state [Ming China]. We are serving them, and the suzerain state isn’t saying anything in particular. However, even a child knows that our relationship isn’t very good. The problem is that this uncomfortable relationship could turn hostile at any moment, to the point where we might clash to the bitter end.

Next, let’s look at the situation in Japan. The Ouchi clan has seized power, but they know, and we know, that this is just the beginning. The Ouchi clan also knows that in order for their regime to stabilize and maintain long-term power, they must move away from the martial rule of the samurai class that has been in place until now and shift to civil rule. Everything they have learned and practiced in our Joseon is related to that. And they are still learning.

For such a change, it is essential to eliminate the military power of the samurai class, symbolized by those called *daimyo* (大名) [feudal lords].

It would be fortunate if this process is resolved through internal strife, but then there is the problem that their own losses would be great. Therefore, the most likely method is to expend that military power against an external enemy.”

“Are you saying… that Japan will use force against our Joseon?” Hwang Hee, who had been listening to the story, interjected and asked Jo Mal-saeng. Jo Mal-saeng answered immediately.

“The most likely scenario is to disguise themselves as Japanese pirates and disrupt the Ming coastline, but I cannot guarantee that they will not turn to our Joseon. Of course, I think it is most likely that they will target Daeseol Island, not our Joseon mainland.”

“Are they assuming that our Joseon will stand idly by?” Kim Jeom remarked.

Heo Hoo stepped forward to answer, “They would probably answer like this: ‘It was a sudden act by those who are dissatisfied with our policies. We know nothing about it. If necessary, we will participate in the suppression.’ It’s not a losing proposition for them, is it?”

“Hmm….”

Kim Jeom and Hwang Hee looked serious at Jo Mal-saeng and Heo Hoo’s answers.

Seeing their faces, Jo Mal-saeng continued, “Given this situation, I am speaking out because more and more of the budget is going into Shinji. Of course, ‘the more, the better,’ but I am not arguing that we should unconditionally increase it. However, I would like some adjustments to be made to the portion of the budget allocated to the military that is flowing into Shinji. Challenger-class battleships and *gibeomseon* ships [turtle ships] are steadily coming out of the shipyards in Wonsan and Dongbinghang, but the size of the fleet remains almost unchanged. Why? Because two-thirds of those newly built ships are being put into service on the Shinji route with less than half of their armaments loaded. The rest are only replacing ships that have reached the end of their lifespan or have been lost due to natural disasters. In this situation, even if the budget has increased, complaints continue to arise.”

Jo Mal-saeng’s statement ended, but the conference room was silent. The other ministers were nodding at Jo Mal-saeng’s words, putting unspoken pressure on Kim Jeom, the Minister of Finance, and Hwang Hee.

What was unexpected was Kim Jeom’s reaction.

He, who would have grabbed Jo Mal-saeng by the collar or shouted at the top of his lungs, spitting as he spoke, was quietly silent.

“Hoo~.”

Kim Jeom let out a long sigh and turned to Hwang Hee. “I suppose we must speak now.”

“That would be the right thing to do.”

Listening to Hwang Hee’s words, Kim Jeom rose from his seat.

“Please wait a moment.”

“Huh?”

Leaving behind incomprehensible words, Kim Jeom left the conference room and returned shortly after with several thick books.

Sitting down, Kim Jeom slowly opened his mouth. “In fact, around the second half of last year, the Crown Prince detected signs of instability. And it was something that was being done with written approval from His Majesty, who was succeeding him in Shinji.”

“Signs of instability? Written approval?” As more and more incomprehensible words continued, the eyes and ears of the ministers were all focused on Kim Jeom.

Kim Jeom picked up one of the books he had brought and opened it. “This chart here shows the scale of the amount of money exported to the West through Alexandria over the past 10 years.”

Jo Mal-saeng, who saw the bar graph that Kim Jeom had opened, answered immediately, “It’s been steadily increasing, so what’s the problem?”

“If you connect the highest points of these bars with a line…,” Kim Jeom turned to the next page while explaining and continued, “The scale is increasing, but the rate of increase is gradually decreasing. This means that it may soon stagnate or decrease.”

“Is that what you mean by signs of instability?”

Kim Jeom nodded at Jo Mal-saeng’s question. “That’s right.”

Jo Mal-saeng immediately retorted, “Even if it stagnates or decreases a little, isn’t it still a considerable scale? It seems like speculation to me.”

Kim Jeom asked again, “Minister Sagok [Jo Mal-saeng’s pen name]. Let’s say you are the monarch of some country in the West. Looking at how the country is doing, you see that the nation’s wealth is being sucked into another country. Would you just stand by and watch this happen?”

Jo Mal-saeng, who had been thinking for a moment at Kim Jeom’s words, replied in a somber voice, “I would close the borders immediately.”

Kim Jeom nodded and continued, “Most of the goods we sell to the West are expensive luxury goods. If the Western countries close their doors, do you think our Joseon’s internal market alone can absorb all those goods?”

“It would be impossible.”

“If that happens, the number of people who have problems making a living will skyrocket, and vagrants will once again cover the mountains and rivers of this Joseon.”

Heo Hoo interjected, “Would such a situation arise simply because we can’t sell luxury goods? This time, it really seems like speculation?”

At Heo Hoo’s words, Kim Jeom picked up another book and opened it. “This is a review of trade with the Ming Dynasty. As you can see from the contents, exports of luxury goods are still increasing, but items that are produced and consumed in large quantities, such as cotton cloth, are actually decreasing. This means that the number of people using goods produced in their own country is increasing for items that can only make money if sold in large quantities.”

At Kim Jeom’s words, Heo Hoo muttered to himself without realizing it, “Self-production, self-consumption (*jasan jamae* 自産自買)?”

As soon as Heo Hoo’s words came out, Kim Jeom nodded his head. “Exactly.”