Episode 351 Let’s make a play board! (5)
The scent turned over the paper. The next piece of paper had a floor plan of the third floor drawn on it. Hyang continued his explanation by pointing out various places on the floor plan with a pointing stick.
“The space is divided around the central stage like this.”
Sejong stroked his beard as Hyang explained it, thought for a moment, and then asked a question.
“Are you planning on holding a baduk and janggi competition?”
“That’s right.”
Hyang continued to explain the grades he thought of.
“… Therefore, the person who holds the highest position among these divided grades is called ‘Guksu (國手).’ “Whoever achieves this position of noodle is not only given a prize, but also given the privilege of teaching baduk to the royal family.”
“Those who play baduk must be desperate.”
“That’s right.”
When Hyang said yes, Jo Gye-saeng, among the ministers who were listening, intervened.
“There are two problems. First, as in the old story of King Gaero of Baekje during the Three Han Dynasties, the government can be ruined by being preoccupied with baduk.”
* * *
King Jangsu, who was pursuing a policy of advancing south, devised various methods to attack the Han River basin, which was occupied by Baekje. Meanwhile, King Jangsu, who received information that King Gaero liked baduk, sent the monk Dorim to Baekje.
Dorim, who entered Baekje under the pretense of exile, approached King Gaero using baduk as a means of gaining his trust.
Afterwards, King Gaero, who was tricked by Dorim, forced more civil engineering work than was necessary. Through that process, when Baekje was weakened, King Jangsu was able to move south and take over the Han River.
* * *
Hyang immediately responded to Jo Gye-saeng’s point.
“Have you ever seen Abamama leisurely?”
“….”
At Hyang’s words, not only Jo Gye-saeng but also the ministers all closed their mouths.
Government officials, both high and low, said, ‘I’m dying because there is so much work to do. Although he shouted, ‘I want to leave the office on time,’ Sejong’s labor intensity was also formidable.
There was a time when Hyang saw that middle-level officials who had not seen Hyang were complaining about the intensity of labor and said something.
“Don’t you have a home to go back to and rest in? “Abama’s home is her palace.”
“I apologize!”
Therefore, the meaning of the question of fragrance was simple.
‘Is there enough time left for the king of Joseon to become addicted to baduk?’
The ministers, who knew well the king’s enormous labor intensity, had no choice but to keep quiet.
The first problem was answered that way, but Jo Gye-saeng pointed out the second problem.
“Secondly, you will need to put in a lot of time and effort to improve your Baduk skills to the level where you can be called a noodle player. In that case, someone who may have good skills but lacks personality or knowledge may become a national and become associated with the royal family. “We definitely need to find a solution to this.”
Hyang had no choice but to nod his head at Jo Gye-saeng’s point.
“I acknowledge that that could be a problem.”
‘Even in the 21st century, there are more than one professional athlete with personality problems… No, it’s not just professional athletes. Starting with celebrities, all the way to BJ…’
Hyang immediately continued, recalling examples of celebrities who create scandals due to various personality issues even in the 21st century.
“So, if those who have reached a high level through competition in this way commit a crime related to humanity, they will be stripped of all their positions and expelled from the field.”
“That’s enough…”
“That’s enough!”
As Jo Gye-saeng kept trying to argue, Maeng Sa-seong quickly intervened.
“If ministers and noblemen raise issues, they will be dismissed from office or removed from the provincial government.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s right!”
Strongly affirming Hyang’s words, Maeng Sa-seong glared at Jo Gye-saeng and the other ministers.
‘These people are digging graves right now! There are more than a few people who will cause an uproar if the chief minister decides to rob them!’
The Jo Gye-saeng and ministers who saw Meng Sa-seong’s glance immediately responded by bowing their heads.
“That seems reasonable!”
At the reactions of the ministers, Hyang looked back at King Sejong. King Sejong, who was sitting on the temple and watching the reactions of the ministers, muttered quietly.
“I guess I should thank you sometime. “First of all, Crown Prince, is the explanation over now?”
“no. “If you enjoy gambling in this ‘Shiunru,’ you will be hungry, so you will sell food.”
“Siunru? “Lura, who is trying her luck… It is a very elegant name.”
“thank you. To continue explaining, food will be sold, but alcohol will not be allowed.”
“why?”
“You never know what people who are excited about gambling might do using alcohol as an excuse.”
“You are right!”
Sejong strongly agreed with Hyang’s words, hitting his knees.
* * *
Even during this period, there were criminals who used alcohol as an excuse.
‘Alcohol is bad, not people.’
This was because this common belief was common.
In contrast, King Sejong was making a decision to regulate alcohol-related crimes more strictly.
-It is true that alcohol tends to cloud a person’s mind. However, if the person who committed the sin did not have the intention to sin in the first place, he would not commit the sin even if he drank too much! To add, if you drink too much to the point where you forget your conscience and morals, it becomes difficult to even move your body properly! Therefore, it is absurd to say that alcohol is the cause! No, it is a cunning ploy to avoid punishment using alcohol as an excuse, so he should be punished even more severely!
In response to this, the village wholeheartedly supported Sejong’s decision.
“I don’t know what else to say, but we must root out the harsh punishment of ‘mental and physical weakness due to drinking’ as an excuse!”
* * *
The scent presentation was almost over. Considering the reactions of King Sejong and the ministers, the establishment of a ‘comprehensive entertainment center’ seemed almost certain.
Therefore, the direction changed from taking the lead in explaining the plan to answering questions.
“By the way. Aren’t just bull fighting and wrestling not enough? Of course, there are performances by celebrities and gisaengs, but it feels a bit lacking.”
To Sejong’s point, Hyang gave an answer as if he had been waiting. Hyang flipped through the paper and pointed out possible items with a pointing stick.
“You can add as much to that part as you want. The easiest one is the watermelon competition. Those participating in this competition will also be divided into classes, and the final winner will be recommended as a subak instructor to the Army.”
“It’s okay.”
Sejong nodded at Hyang’s words, and Jo Mal-saeng’s face brightened.
* * *
Although he nodded at Hyang’s answer, Sejong felt that it was a little lacking.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to add a hard ball while we’re at it? I think it would be great to create two teams for each of the eight provinces of Joseon and compete against each other. If riding a horse is difficult, isn’t there also a way to do it while walking?”
“We plan to create a separate facility for racing games together with horse racing.”
As soon as he answered, Hyang flipped over the paper. In the next area, there was an oval-shaped stadium.
“It’s a racetrack. “The idea is to create this when both the private and public sectors have more financial resources than they do now.”
“The reason is?”
“Horses are animals that require a lot of financial burden. In addition, in order to please the eyes of the audience at horse races or competitions, it is more advantageous to use large horses imported from the West rather than ponies. This is an animal that already poses a huge financial burden, but if it is large, the burden will be even greater. Another reason is that the number of horses bred from stallions imported from the West is still insufficient. This requires both time and money, so you should wait until later. That’s why I chose bullfighting first. “There are many households that already raise cows, and it is a game that the private sector is also familiar with.”
“I see. “Then explain the racetrack.”
“yes. “Abama.”
Hyang lightly quenched his thirst and immediately continued his explanation.
-The racing track where horse racing is conducted is modeled after the battlefield environment.
– Install multiple obstacles 2 to 3 feet high and install nails of appropriate depth and width.
-The overall shape of the race track is not a simple combination of curves and straight lines, but rather has many shallow hills and bends.
-In a race track like this, not only the superiority of the horses but also the horsemanship of the jockeys and the skills of those managing the horses are also important.
-Therefore, if this type of horse racing is properly established, it can provide jobs for cavalrymen or Yeojin soldiers who retire after completing their minimum service period.
-And the horses that achieve the best results in horse races that tour the country can be acquired as stallions from the country.
“… This will enable the court to obtain a steady stream of stallions of excellent quality at minimal cost.”
In response to Hyang’s response, Sejong muttered without even realizing it.
“There’s no way I can ignore a guy like you… You’re my baby, but you’re a poisonous guy. “Huh!”
King Sejong, who was surprised and muttered without realizing it, was about to say something to the officer, but closed his mouth.
It was already too late to see them writing in such a hurry.
“Tsk…”
Sejong said after taking a quick bite while looking at the bird’s eye view.
“It’s a pretty big facility, so it’s going to take a lot of money.”
“That’s why I’m thinking of making it when I have more financial resources.”
‘Actually, the time when horse racing began to become popular in the West was during the Victorian era, when money was overflowing through the Industrial Revolution and imperialist management, right?’
“Hmm…”
While Sejong was doing his own calculations, Hyang added.
“I would like to add that this horse race will significantly increase the amount of money that can be bet. “We will allow you to bet from a minimum of 50 dong to a maximum of 5 gold coins per race.”
“I think it’s too much.”
Kim Jeom immediately joined in on Hyang’s words. Hyang immediately responded to Kim Jeom’s rebuttal.
“If you think about profit distribution, that’s not the case. Are horses an expensive animal? “If the distribution ratio is not reasonable, there will be no owners to step forward.”
“That’s true… but still…”
When Kim Jeom still objected, Hyang added.
“Who do you think will mainly enter the third floor of Grand Master Shiunru?”
“That’s right, a rich nobleman….”
Kim Jeom, who had been answering without realizing it, suddenly burst out in exclamation.
“ah! “It is possible to meet people with wealth, and since they will also gamble, it will be more certain to win a large amount of money!”
“That’s right.”
Hyang pointed out the bird’s eye view with a pointing stick.
“Divide the audience into tiers. The lower part is for ordinary people to enter by paying an entrance fee of 10 won, while the upper part costs 3 silver coins. Instead, all food is provided free of charge, and during breaks, you can watch the gisaeng perform songs and dances.”
Lee Jik intervened in Hyang’s explanation.
“Those who have some money will naturally move up to the upper level, and the amount they bet will naturally be large.”
“That’s what we’re aiming for. Usually, 6 to 8 horses are expected to participate in one race. Then the probability is 1/6 to 1/8. “It’s a business that makes a lot of money even after deducting the profits for the owner.”
In the end, King Sejong and the ministers agreed to create a comprehensive entertainment center.
“We need to build a racetrack before a general entertainment center!”
Of course, like Kim Jeom, ‘Shut up and start at the racetrack!’ There were some radical people shouting.
* * *
The decision of King Sejong and the royal court was soon made known throughout the country through Jobo.
-… So we will create ‘comprehensive entertainment venues’ across the country. After the general entertainment center is built, those who are caught gambling or gambling outside the entertainment center will be severely punished.
The reaction of the people who saw Jo Bo was half welcome and half curiosity. And a very small number of people hit the ground and expressed their anger.
“The country is taking action to encourage gambling! “You are heading towards ruin!”
There were some people who were outraged by the existence of a gambling hall called a ‘comprehensive entertainment center’ and wrote petitions, but there were also others who were angry for other reasons.
“Shit! “If the country even runs gambling tables, how can we make a living?”
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