There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 198

[Cheonggyecheon is a stream in Seoul, South Korea, that has been revitalized and is now a popular public space.]

“Are you the new recruits assigned to the Crown Prince’s residence?”

I asked, looking at the young men standing awkwardly.

‘Perhaps it’s just the spring season, but they look a bit weary. Youngsters shouldn’t be like this already,’ I thought.

“Y-yes, Your Highness.”

“Work hard from now on.”

As I was about to turn away, someone boldly stepped forward and asked.

“H-Your Highness! What exactly are the duties at the Crown Prince’s residence?”

‘Oh ho.’

To directly question the Crown Prince about the job, they must be passionate and eager to work.

I liked such enthusiastic people, so I decided to overlook the slight impudence.

However, I couldn’t easily answer the question.

Not because I didn’t want to, but because,

“I don’t know either.”

I’m dipping my hands into everything I can get involved in.

The officials assigned to the Crown Prince’s residence have to assist me and be versatile in every way.

“Ah, shall we start with building a bridge over Cheonggyecheon?”

===

Although they are rookies, they’ve been rigorously trained at the training institute, so they should be somewhat useful.

‘Indeed, after receiving the training institute’s report, I could see noticeable improvements,’ I mused.

The results of gathering new officials at the training institute for the first time and having them plan policies were quite good.

At first, when asked to create measures to secure finances, they only came up with ideas like deploying constables to every village to shake them down because taxes weren’t being collected from those without identification tags. But as feedback was repeated, their ideas became more sophisticated. They are truly the talents of Joseon [historical Korean kingdom].

‘They may resent it, but it’s all growing pains,’ I thought.

What particularly caught my eye was the proposal to reconstruct Gwangtong Bridge.

‘Hmm.’

Seeing the suggestion to replace the still-earthen Gwangtong Bridge with a stone bridge, the emotion I felt was more curiosity than surprise.

‘Gwangtong Bridge is still an earthen bridge?’

Earthen bridges are made by piling and compacting earth over a wooden structure. They are sturdier than one might think, but naturally weaker than stone bridges and at greater risk of being washed away by floods.

Therefore, the plan to reconstruct Gwangtong Bridge had already been established long ago.

Wasn’t one of the five major projects I pushed for when I first took charge of constructing Hanyang [old name for Seoul] the Cheonggyecheon Stream restoration?

The reconstruction of Gwangtong Bridge was planned as part of this restoration project.

‘Of course, the Cheonggyecheon project itself seemed like it would drag on,’ I thought.

The other five major projects—grand avenue construction, fortification of the capital, construction of Changdeok Palace [one of the Five Grand Palaces in Seoul], and creation of the market district—had been completed long ago, but flood control was not so easy.

This was because rivers require continuous management even after initial construction.

Of course, even so, Cheonggyecheon had undergone extensive renovations when Hanyang was built.

At the very least, basic stream improvement projects had to be implemented to prevent flooding around the stream.

‘I suffered quite a bit doing this,’ I recalled.

Embankments were constructed on both sides of the stream using cement and concrete, and willow trees were planted along the embankments to prevent soil erosion.

However, when Hanyang was being built, filling it with various government offices and residential complexes was the priority, so bridge construction was inevitably pushed to the back burner.

But as I thought about this, I suddenly became curious.

“Wait, isn’t Hwang Hee the mayor of Hanseong [another old name for Seoul] right now?”

I scratched my head.

The core projects of the Hanyang construction five-year plan had been completed long ago.

Even though the bridge construction project was sluggish during the Hanyang Construction Bureau days, it should have been completed at least the year before last according to the plan.

However, I was curious as to why the construction of Gwangtong Bridge, in particular, was stubbornly maintaining its earthen structure.

“Ah, are you referring to that matter?”

Hwang Hee, who had been summoned, scratched his cheek and said.

“Why wouldn’t I have thought of it? The Cheonggyecheon Stream restoration is the only project not completed during the Hanyang Construction Bureau days, so it would be the greatest achievement of my tenure as mayor.”

Yet, he left only Gwangtong Bridge, the largest bridge in Hanyang, untouched.

“Then why didn’t you push it forward?”

I asked, and Hwang Hee replied.

“When I reported to His Majesty to proceed with the reconstruction of Gwangtong Bridge, he told me to bring stones from Jeongneung (貞陵) [the tomb of Queen Shindeok].”

At Hwang Hee’s words, my expression soured.

‘This guy······.’

Jeongneung is the tomb of Queen Shindeok Kang, Yi Bang-won’s [King Taejong of Joseon] stepmother.

I was speechless at the suggestion to bring the folding screens and memorial pillars from there to use in building the bridge.

“He said that using existing stones would be better since it would unnecessarily consume labor to carve new stones······.”

“So what did you say?”

“I said that the earthen bridge still seemed usable.”

It must be since the bridge hasn’t washed away yet.

“Please don’t look at me like that. Who wouldn’t be angered if the stones from Jeongneung were used for the bridge?”

‘Well, Grandfather’s wrath would reach the heavens,’ I thought.

“What would His Majesty do to deflect that anger? Would he pass the blame by saying it was something Hanseong did arbitrarily?”

“No, surely he wouldn’t do that.”

“That’s what politics is like, haha. So how could I knowingly walk into a place of certain death?”

It’s quite a skill to make such remarks while wearing a good-natured smile.

“So you’re planning to leave Gwangtong Bridge as it is?”

“Of course not. If a flood comes again and the bridge washes away, then there will truly be no choice, and His Majesty will think differently. I am merely waiting for the right time.”

So that’s why Gwangtong Bridge is still an earthen bridge, even though he’s sending oddballs to rural villages to build bridges.

I sighed at the fact that it was all due to unnecessary political considerations.

Yi Bang-won, who sees Queen Shindeok as a thorn in his side, tells him to just use the stones from there, and Hwang Hee postpones the bridge construction until a justification arises, fearing the fallout.

People who are among the most capable in Joseon are acting like children.

In the end, there was only one answer.

If I’m frustrated, I have no choice but to take the lead.

===

“Gwangtong Bridge must be reconstructed.”

“With a stone bridge?”

Yi Bang-won replied promptly when I reported this.

As expected, he remembers it clearly.

“After reviewing the policy plans created by the trainees at the training institute, they all seemed useful in their own way. Adopting even one would make the new officials feel effective.”

“So, after reviewing it, the most realistic project is to build a new Gwangtong Bridge?”

“That is correct.”

“Then shouldn’t you consult with Hanseong and proceed as you wish?”

Then I looked at Yi Bang-won and asked.

“Instead, shall we build the stone bridge with stones from Jeongneung?”

“You are indeed my son. You know your father’s heart perfectly.”

“We can build the bridge without using them, can’t we? Why do something that will invite criticism?”

I don’t think the public will have anything good to say about it either.

Yi Bang-won said with a smile.

“Because I don’t like Hyunbi [Queen Shindeok’s posthumous name].”

“But still, she’s your stepmother······.”

“That’s why I’m doing this. I have to undermine her legitimacy somehow.”

Yi Bang-won’s concept of family is very narrow, and he seems harsh to those who deviate from his standards.

‘If only you showed a tenth of the affection you show to your children and siblings,’ I thought.

Yi Bang-won tapped the desk and said.

“Well, even if that weren’t the case, it’s a good excuse to silence them. If it were urgent, we would have used those stones, but isn’t it just unnecessary fuss since the earthen bridge is still usable? Besides, money is being sucked away by the things you’ve started here and there, so is there any reason to put effort into building a stone bridge that isn’t urgent?”

Yi Bang-won sighed deeply and said.

“It would have been easier for everyone if Hwang Hee had pretended not to notice and used the stones, but he’s too quick-witted.”

There’s no way Hwang Hee, who is so good at finding ways to save his own skin, would do that.

“It will be too late after a flood washes away the bridge.”

The people will suffer all the damage.

“Then, about bringing the stones from Jeongneung······.”

“No?”

I shook my head.

“We have plenty of lime soil and gonggil soil [a type of clay] right now. Why aren’t we thinking of using these?”

Let’s not dance on the grave of someone who’s already dead and drive a stake through Grandfather’s heart. Let’s cherish each other and live well.

We’re family.

===

The winch was busy scooping up sediment from Cheonggyecheon Stream.

It’s only natural to manage the sediment accumulating in the stream, or it will overflow even with a little rain.

‘It seems like it’s not easy to carry out large-scale construction these days,’ I mused.

Paradoxically, as the country’s finances improve, construction projects across the country are sluggish.

In famine years, old rice is released to hire people for various construction projects, but as crop yields increase due to the expansion of various irrigation facilities and the distribution of farming methods and compost, famines have decreased.

Also, many projects have already been completed.

‘The fact that small-scale village projects are entrusted to the Saemaul Association [a rural development program in South Korea] also plays a role,’ I thought.

‘So that’s why I feel like they haven’t been using cement and concrete as much recently,’ I realized.

Since I invented cement and concrete, people in Joseon have naturally paid attention to it and used it effectively in every construction project.

So efforts to utilize it have continued.

The materials for cement and concrete are readily available in Joseon, so production plants have been established in various places, and distribution for the Saemaul Movement continues.

In particular, the person who has been at the forefront of this is Park Ja-cheong, a specialist in construction and civil engineering.

He’s the same person who went with me to estimate the cost of the Taean Canal project.

In the end, the project fell through as we abandoned the canal and turned our attention to offshore navigation.

‘It’s a good thing we didn’t do it. We’d still be digging that canal,’ I thought with relief.

Park Ja-cheong also thought it was an unreasonable project at the time and opposed it, but he must still have some regrets about not having many large projects recently.

I intended to compensate him fully for his disappointment by entrusting him with the Gwangtong Bridge project.

“Bridge-building projects are underway in various parts of the country, and most of them are building stone bridges and reinforcing them with lime soil.”

“That’s because it’s sturdy.”

In county-level projects, they are focusing on efficient work by choosing stones of appropriate size and spreading cement rather than elaborately carving stones to build bridges. But Hanyang is the face of the country, so aesthetics must also be considered, which is the problem.

However, even stone bridges are not invincible.

To facilitate the passage of people and goods more smoothly, it is better to use other materials.

“I also considered filling a wooden bridge with lime soil due to cost issues, but the bridge couldn’t support the weight, and the lime soil easily dissolved.”

“Hmm······.”

Of course, Park Ja-cheong had tried various things.

“You’ve worked hard, but,”

He’s a bit lacking in ideas.

I opened my mouth to Park Ja-cheong.

“How about making the bridge with steel frames and spreading gonggil soil to fill it? Steel frames should be able to support the weight sufficiently.”

“With steel frames, you say?”

Park Ja-cheong’s eyes widened.

“Iron is still expensive, even though iron production is booming along the riverbanks······ Wouldn’t it be much cheaper to build a stone bridge instead?”

I shook my head.

We may be crossing streams with stone bridges, but we also need to build expertise in building larger bridges.

‘We can’t keep crossing the Han River by boat forever,’ I thought.

Although it will cost more, it would be a great opportunity to advance the architectural engineering of Joseon.

‘Father will understand······ right?’

Look at how much money I’ve earned so far.

End of

ⓒ Pitkong