Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 501

501. The Earning One, The Spending One (3)

By order of Sejong, and because the reasons were valid, ships were assigned to handle communication exchanges.

Of course, some friction during the process was unavoidable.

“Isn’t it inefficient to dedicate all those precious Gibeom ships for communication purposes?”

“Gibeom ships are faster than regular sailing ships, so what choice do we have?”

“But Gibeom ships have reduced cargo capacity due to the space taken up by fuel and fresh water. It’s not efficient.”

“Even with reduced capacity, it’s still a considerable amount!”

“Are you suggesting we assign the existing Challenger-class battleships to communication duties? If we did that, we’d end up carrying dignitaries instead of cargo and hear nothing but complaints.”

As the debate continued, Hyang had to step in to mediate.

“For communication purposes, Gibeom ships are indeed more useful than the existing Challenger-class battleships. However, dedicating Gibeom ships solely for this purpose isn’t the best solution either. Therefore, we will aim to develop dedicated communication ships as quickly as possible.”

“But the shipyards are already stretched thin….”

Jo Mal-saeng, worried that the construction of battleships might be delayed, tried to object, but Hyang raised his hand to stop him.

“The design will take time, and construction will take time, so there’s plenty of leeway. We’ll build one ship here as a test, and then build more at the shipyard in Shinji. By the time the design is transferred, Area 51 in Shinji will have sufficient capacity.”

“However….”

As Jo Mal-saeng continued to persist, Hyang delivered the decisive blow.

“Then you can go to Shinji yourself and persuade Father.”

No sooner had Hyang’s words left his mouth than Jo Mal-saeng changed his tune.

“Your Highness’s plan is truly reasonable!”

After that, Jo Mal-saeng’s mouth remained shut.

Having settled the matter, Hyang picked up his compass and dividers again that night.

“Hmm…. For speed, expanding the Haeung-class to its original size and adding a steam engine… that’s the answer, isn’t it?”

However, before long, Hyang had to change his plans.

* * *

“A letter from His Majesty.”

“I see.”

Composing himself according to protocol, Hyang respectfully received the letter from Sejong.

Tearing open the envelope’s seal, he unfolded the letter and calmly read its contents.

After carefully reading the letter for some time, Hyang put it down and sighed deeply.

“Hoo~.”

Sighing repeatedly, Hyang reviewed the contents of the letter and then ordered the eunuch.

“Summon the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Soon after, Hwang Hee and Kim Jeom, having been summoned, arrived at Sunghwa Hall.

“Did you call for us?”

“Yes, Father has sent a letter.”

“Perhaps….”

Kim Jeom’s face turned pale at Hyang’s mention of Sejong. Hyang, seeing Kim Jeom’s face, opened his mouth.

“To get straight to the point, we’ll have to open the coffers.”

As he spoke, Hyang handed over Sejong’s letter, and Hwang Hee took it with trembling hands.

“Hoo~.”

“Haa~.”

Hwang Hee and Kim Jeom, after passing Sejong’s letter back and forth, sighed deeply.

The contents of Sejong’s letter could be summarized as follows:

-I hear money has come in? I need this, that, and the other thing, so pack it up and send it. Send it quickly.

The three men sighed repeatedly, but the outcome was already determined.

“Since His Majesty has commanded it, we must send it.”

“Indeed.”

“We will prepare it.”

“I’m in your capable hands.”

“It’s nothing. It is the duty of us as subjects to do what we must.”

* * *

“Hoo~.”

“Haa~.”

Hwang Hee and Kim Jeom, having left Sunghwa Hall, sighed deeply once more.

“I thought we could finally worry about prices instead of expenditures for once….”

At Kim Jeom’s tearful lament, Hwang Hee silently patted Kim Jeom’s shoulder.

* * *

At this time, if you were to pick the best group of professional bureaucrats related to balanced finances, it would be the Joseon court, especially the officials belonging to the Ministry of Finance.

They had been relentlessly drilled by Hyang since the early days of the Gyeongjang [economic reform], and they had taken on the heavy responsibility of changing Joseon’s economic structure from an agricultural nation to an industrial nation. They had gone through all sorts of trials and errors in the process of the Gyeongjang, accumulating experience and leveling up.

As these trained individuals trained the newly arrived ones, the Ministry of Finance officials were praised as the best of the best. Of course, there was something else that followed.

‘Their personalities are as bad as their abilities.’

In any case, these trained individuals were doing their best to grow Joseon’s economic situation stably.

For them, the funds coming in from Waeguk [historical Japanese name for Japan] were an unexpected variable and a subject of close attention.

‘If we don’t manage it properly, it’ll all be for nothing!’

* * *

“Still, we were worried about prices because too much silver was coming in, so isn’t this a breath of fresh air?”

Kim Jeom nodded at Hwang Hee’s words.

“That’s true. Many of the items His Majesty requested are made in Area 51 or the royal workshops, so we can prevent more goods than necessary from being released into the market. The problem is…. Why didn’t he just call the Minister of Finance and talk to him? Why call me?”

Hwang Hee smiled bitterly at Kim Jeom’s grumbling.

“Wouldn’t the Prime Minister’s office become a mere figurehead if he did that? You have to follow the chain of command, or there will be problems later.”

“I know that, but I feel like I’m the only one taking the blame.”

“That’s how it is for those caught in the middle. Anyway….”

Hwang Hee paused for a moment, his expression uneasy.

“No matter how I think about it, the last part of the letter bothers me.”

At Hwang Hee’s words, Kim Jeom also nodded.

“You too, Governor? Me too. The last letter was the same….”

The last part of the letter Sejong sent was like this:

-The situation in Waeguk and Europe is unstable, so even though my body is in this distant Shinji, my heart is in Hanseong [capital of Joseon]. Of course, it’s not that I don’t trust you, Crown Prince, but it’s the unavoidable fate of a ruler, so I hope you understand. I urge you again to report everything without omission.

Hwang Hee and Kim Jeom were both bothered by this part.

“I’m bothered by the fact that he keeps emphasizing it. It feels too excessive for concern….”

“I agree.”

Inside Sunghwa Hall, Hyang was also tilting his head with a similar expression.

“Something’s fishy.”

And as the communication-only ships began to travel on schedule, Sejong’s ulterior motives were revealed.

* * *

“A letter from His Majesty.”

Hyang, receiving the letter and unfolding it, muttered to himself.

“He’s really sticking the straw in properly.”

-I received the report you sent last time. After reading the report, I thought that some of the policies I had prepared could be reduced in scale. Then the budget will be reduced by so much, so deduct that amount from the secured budget and so much from the profits from Waeguk.

And the funds deducted in that way were….

-I saw in the last report that the profits earned in Waeguk were quite large. If we’re not careful, it could become a diplomatic dispute, so how about releasing a significant portion of those funds? It just so happens that Shinji is in great need of cotton cloth and grain for clothing….(omitted)

The letter Sejong sent began with concern and praise, but most of the content was a list of demands.

As Hyang was examining the ‘Sejong’s shopping list,’ he burst out laughing.

“As they say, experience never goes away….”

* * *

Whether it was because the years of managing state affairs for well over 20 years had not disappeared, the purchase list Sejong sent was truly exquisite.

Sejong was using Shinji as a roundabout way to avoid putting a strain on the supply capacity of the court and the people, while at the same time appropriately mitigating the impact of the funds flowing in from Waeguk.

In particular, the paragraph added to the end of the letter requesting cotton cloth and grain for clothing was truly appropriate.

-Purchasing the cotton and grain needed for this cotton cloth from Waeguk will not only alleviate Waeguk’s dissatisfaction that may arise from excessive spending, but will also create an opportunity for our Joseon to control Waeguk’s economy.

Hyang nodded after confirming this last paragraph.

“I wouldn’t have had enough power to push this through anyway, so this is good.”

* * *

‘Subordinating Waeguk’s economy to our Joseon.’

This had been steadily underway since the early days of the Gyeongjang. However, as Waeguk fell into a state of civil war, a debate was gradually brewing among the court officials.

“The current civil war in Waeguk is an opportunity given by heaven! We must thoroughly subjugate them!”

“That’s true, but wouldn’t that be a problem in terms of morality? It doesn’t matter if the lords of Waeguk are fighting each other, but it seems like we’re sucking the blood of their people….”

“Morality? What morality? And what people? Have you forgotten that the Wokou [Japanese pirates] who have been harassing us since the end of the Jeonjo Dynasty are also those fine people of Waeguk?”

“But it’s a bit much to become the same as them….”

“Have I ever seen such a stubborn person!”

In this situation, the letter Sejong sent was the best card.

“This way, we can take care of both justification and practicality.”

* * *

Having gained Sejong’s support, Hyang immediately summoned the ministers.

“Father has sent such a letter, and I also think the same way.”

The ministers, passing around the letter Sejong sent, soon nodded at Hyang’s words.

“It will be a truly exquisite move.”

“That’s right. This way, we can take care of both justification and practicality.”

While the ministers, who had been divided in opinion, were all giving positive reactions, Kim Jeom told Hyang his thoughts.

“To make this plan easier, it would be good to use the Daene clan and the Kyushu Tamje [local investigators]. What do you think?”

Hyang nodded at Kim Jeom’s words.

“I think so too. And I don’t think the Daene clan would dislike it either.”

“That’s right.”

* * *

Looking at the relationship between Joseon and the Ouchi clan, and other Waeguk lords, the Ouchi clan was the stepping stone connecting Joseon and the Waeguk lords.

The starting point of this situation was the ‘Ouchi’s guarantee’ that Joseon demanded.

-We will only sell weapons to lords who have Ouchi’s guarantee!

Through this decision by Joseon, the lords who wanted to purchase Joseon’s weapons had no choice but to go under Ouchi.

In this process, Ouchi not only provided credit guarantees but also payment guarantees.

Guns and cannons, as well as the most important gunpowder, were all expensive items. Therefore, small and medium-sized lords had difficulty purchasing them, and that’s when Ouchi stepped in.

“I will pay the price for you instead.”

“Thank you so much! I and my territory pledge allegiance to the head of the family!”

In this way, Ouchi put small and medium-sized lords under his wing, and Joseon strengthened its influence through Ouchi as a medium.

* * *

However, whatever the intermediate process, the ones who ultimately bore the burden were the people of Waeguk. Naturally, complaints about Joseon began to emerge among the people.

And Han Myeong-hoi visited Ouchi.

“It’s been a while.”

“Oh, Han Gong [a title of respect]! Welcome!”

Motchiyo greeted Han Myeong-hoi with joy, but inside he was full of worries.

‘How much more are they going to take? It’s getting a bit much….’

As if knowing Motchiyo’s feelings, Han Myeong-hoi wore a seemingly apologetic expression.

“I am truly sorry to make such a request to someone who is busy with great undertakings.”

“It’s alright. What is it?”

“Yes, there are things that our Joseon needs, so I would like you to sell them to us. We will definitely pay the price.”

Motchiyo’s face brightened at Han Myeong-hoi’s words.

“Is that so? What is it? Tell me!”