Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 606

606. The Opening of Heaven – The Foundation Law Debate (9)

Many people worked busily to prepare for the historic event of Joseon transforming into the Korean Federal Empire.

Among them was the Sanguiwon [Royal Costume Department], which was in charge of the clothing worn by the King and the royal family.

“We have to make everything new!”

At the order of the Sanguiwon’s director, the artisans all screamed.

“Kkyaaaak!”

* * *

There was a reason why the artisans were screaming.

They had to make new ceremonial robes and a 冕旒冠 (myeonryugwan, coronet and robes) for Sejong to wear at the Opening of Heaven ceremony and the enthronement ceremony.

Until then, Joseon had been a state that served Ming, so according to the etiquette, he had to wear a 9-tasseled coronet with 12 jade beads—red, blue, and white—on each tassel. However, now that he was becoming an emperor, they had to make a new 12-tasseled coronet with 12 jade beads on each tassel.

The ceremonial robes were the same.

Previously, they were 9-章 (jang, patterns) robes, excluding the sun, moon, and stars from the 12 symbols, but this time they had to make ceremonial robes with all 12 symbols.

“If we follow the etiquette, shouldn’t the Crown Prince wear 9-章 robes? Can’t we just recycle those?”

An opinion was raised to recycle them in order to reduce the workload, but this suggestion was rejected as soon as it was made.

“No! The ceremonial robes we have now were given to us by Ming! This is a glorious occasion for our Joseon to break away from serving Ming and declare itself an empire. How can we wear clothes given to us by Ming! And the abdication will follow soon after the enthronement ceremony, so what are we going to do then?”

“….”

“Shut up and make new ones!”

“Yes.”

The problem was that it wasn’t just the ceremonial robes that had to be made new for that reason.

Not only the grand ceremonial dress worn by the Queen and the Crown Princess but also the Dansam (a type of robe) had to be made new.

This was also because they were ‘gifts bestowed by Ming.’

In addition, the grand ceremonial dress that all the court officials had to wear also had patterns and decorations that conformed to the regulations of a state that served Ming, so they all had to be changed.

Thanks to this, not only the 침장 (chimjang, needleworkers) of the Sanguiwon but also artisans from Hanyang and the nearby Giho region who were known for making clothes were all mobilized.

* * *

Hyang, after receiving the report, smacked his lips with a face full of regret.

“I really wanted to change all the designs….”

No matter what, things like ceremonial robes and coronets were all influenced by China. As for Danryeong (a type of robe) and Dansam, they were a combination of the clothing of the northern nomadic peoples and Chinese clothing. Of course, there had been many changes since they were introduced during the Three Kingdoms period, and they could be said to be common clothing in the East Asian region, as they were also worn by officials of the Wa Kingdom’s court and Đại Việt.

However, he didn’t like what he didn’t like.

“I really want to change them all like military uniforms… Tsk!”

Hyang couldn’t hide his disappointment, but it couldn’t be helped.

Unfortunately, Hyang had no talent related to clothing design.

The military uniforms were the result of his 덕질 (deokjil, obsessive enthusiasm/fangirling), and the riding pants, which are now commonly worn by women in ordinary households, were a fluke.

* * *

It was made at the request of Queen Soheon to create something to replace the skirt that fluttered and revealed underwear whenever she jumped rope.

“They’re also good for riding!”

Queen Soheon, who heard Hyang’s explanation at the time, nodded as she examined the riding pants.

“They certainly look better than 말군 (malgun, a type of skirt worn over pants for riding).”

At that time, women wore a type of pants called 말군 (malgun) over their skirts when riding.

It was a garment that women of the royal family or noble families had to wear when riding a horse, and there was even an anecdote that they were treated like 기생 (gisaeng, female entertainers) if they rode a horse without wearing it.

However, if you only looked at the fit, it was impossible to say that it was pretty. The Hanboks worn by women in the royal family, as well as those in noble families or wealthy households, were the epitome of 하후상박 (hahu-sangbak, bottom-heavy). There was no way that the fit of pants worn over such a voluminous skirt could be good.

* * *

That’s why Hyang couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“If I touch it now, all I’ll get is that damn 민방위복 (Minbangwi uniform, Civil Defense uniform)….”

Hyang, recalling the yellow 점퍼 (jeompeo, jumper) that all public officials had to wear from top to bottom in the 21st century in the event of a national disaster or similar event, shook his head from side to side.

“But to go straight to men’s suits is also not right….”

The clothing of the upper-class men of Joseon was gradually changing under the influence of military uniforms, especially trench coats and cavalry boots, but it was too much to jump straight to men’s suits.

“And it’s too Western, so there are many things that bother me….”

In the end, Hyang had no choice but to wave the white flag.

“First of all, let’s just gradually modify the clothes I wear in a way that’s comfortable for me. If I do that, something interesting hybrid will come out. But a terrible hybrid might come out… You can tell by looking at the 갓 (gat, traditional Korean hat), right?”

As Hyang said, the heads of Joseon men were in the Warring States period [a time of constant conflict and diverse ideologies].

* * *

Since ancient times, it has been rude for an adult man to go around with his head uncovered.

Of course, it didn’t matter when working or when with close friends, but when going to a place where proper etiquette was required or when going on a long journey, both 양반 (yangban, nobles) and 상민 (sangmin, commoners) always brought a hat.

Therefore, various kinds of 건 (geon, hats), as well as 초립 (chollip, a type of hat), 죽립 (jungnip, a bamboo hat), and 갓 (gat), were circulating.

In the history before Hyang’s intervention, foreigners who visited Joseon commented that ‘Joseon is a country of hats,’ and that was the case in this period as well.

In this situation, even hats that imitated the military hats made by Hyang were coming out on the market, and various decorations that went well with those hats were being sold in the marketplace, creating a Warring States period.

* * *

There were more than one or two places that were busy with D-Day just around the corner.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was one of them.

Every morning until evening, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were constantly coming and going from the office of Minister Heo Hu.

“Which countries have arrived or have said they will send envoys so far?”

At Heo Hu’s question, the person in charge quickly checked the list and answered.

“The envoys from Daenei [Great Ming/China] and the Ryukyu Kingdom have already arrived, and Đại Việt, Siam [Thailand], Melaka [Malacca], and 천축 (Cheonchuk, India) have responded that they will send envoys. Ah! Aden also said that they will send a delegation.”

“What about Portugal?”

At Heo Hu’s words, the person in charge answered with a slightly embarrassed expression.

“Portugal is still at war, so they only replied that they would try their best.”

“Tsk!”

Heo Hu, who clicked his tongue at the person in charge’s answer, frowned and grumbled.

“Why are they fighting a war… They’re just increasing my workload.”

The reason why Heo Hu was grumbling was precisely this:

-The economy of our Joseon will only be stable if trade with the West is properly maintained. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must do its best to find out the situation of the war in the West!

Not only Hyang but also Sejong gave the same order, so the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was observing the progress of the war in Africa and Europe by mobilizing as much manpower and connections as possible.

“How many years has it been already?”

“It’s been three years in total, hasn’t it?”

“Is three years a short time?”

“….”

Heo Hu, who scolded his subordinate, looked at the world map hanging on the wall and grumbled.

“What kind of situation is this… Is it a patchwork?”

* * *

As Heo Hu evaluated, the situation of the war in Europe and Africa was a patchwork of intertwined situations.

On the surface, there were six countries involved in the war.

Portugal, France, Ottoman

VS.

Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, Mamluk

However, if you look closely, the above six countries were not the only ones involved. First of all, the city-states of Italy were supplying military funds and mercenaries to one side or the other, pursuing their respective interests.

The Byzantine Empire, which had signed a truce with the Ottoman Empire, was diligently trying to recover its strength, but it was not easy.

The Vatican was also in a difficult situation.

“To join hands with infidels for the sake of mere worldly gain!”

They tried to mediate the war by putting forward religious justifications, but the parties involved did not even listen.

There were economic problems, but there were also issues of borderlines and securing influence in the European continent.

In addition, there was constant noise within Christianity, which was symbolized by the Vatican.

There was still a war of words between the Pope and the council, and bloody conflicts continued between reformists and conservatives, fundamentalists and moderates.

These divided people approached either the Portuguese camp or the Spanish camp in order to increase their power.

This was because they had the most solid financial power, having secured funds through overseas trade and receiving support from Italian city-states.

Those who found both camps requested that they be supported. In return, they promised free entry and tax cuts only to Portuguese or Spanish merchants.

It was not a bad thing at all for Portugal or Spain, so they provided appropriate funding, and as a result, Europe became even more chaotic.

Of course, the people who suffered the most in this chaos were the most powerless commoners.

The people, who were suffering from the lords and the church, began to yearn for the emergence of a powerful figure who would suppress them.

The country that reacted to this movement first was France.

* * *

Through the Hundred Years’ War, the national sentiment of ‘French people’ had taken root.

In addition, Charles VII’s situation was also appropriate.

After the truce in 1444, Charles VII’s biggest task was to rebuild the country, which had been devastated by the war.

However, he faced a rebellion by nobles who were hostile to him. In the process of suppressing this, Charles VII realized the need to suppress the power of the nobles.

In this situation, the people’s desire for a strong leader was the best weapon for Charles VII.

‘Peace to the people!’

‘One France! One monarch!’

Charles VII, who put forward slogans such as the above, began to pressure the nobles and the church. The nobles, who had to be aware of Charles VII’s eyes due to the previous rebellion, had to give up more and more.

It was the prelude to the emergence of absolute monarchy, which was much faster than in the history before Hyang’s intervention.

* * *

Thanks to the situation in Europe, which was nothing short of a mess, Portugal and the Ottoman Empire mobilized their forces to attack the North African region.

Mamluk and Spain also mobilized their forces to counter this.

In addition, geographical problems also played a part. Both the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, and Spain had the problem of maintaining long supply lines.

Thanks to this, the war had continued for nearly three years.

However, the war was slowly coming to an end. And that was also evidence that the main players in the battlefield were shifting from cold weapons to gunpowder weapons.

The Portuguese infantry, which directly borrowed the combination of pikemen and musketeers that Joseon had favored, began to dominate the battlefield.

The ‘Tercio,’ which Spain developed and used in the history before Hyang’s intervention, came out first in Joseon due to Hyang’s intervention, and paradoxically flowed into Portugal.

Hearing the story through Mansur and other routes, Hyang pondered for a while before coming to a conclusion.

“Who cares!”