Black Corporation: Joseon Chapter 77

Episode 77 SimCity Hanseong, SimCity Joseon (1)

As the situation between Joseon and the Ming Dynasty became unclear due to the death of Emperor Hongxi, the event to invite the tribal leaders of the Yain Jurchen, which was scheduled to be held in the fall of the first year of the year, had to be postponed.

“It’s really unfortunate. It’s such a shame. Tsk!”

“That’s right.”

As King Sejong regained his appetite, unable to hide his disappointment, the ministers also nodded with the same feeling.

“I have no choice but to call the Jurchen tribe until next year. “Then let’s take care of other matters first.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I told you to look into the transplanting method. How did you get the results?”

* * *

As the nationwide flood control project was carried out over two years, concerns about floods and droughts have significantly decreased.

Gaining confidence, King Sejong ordered to begin research on rice transplanting methods.

“It is said that the reason why rice is grown in abundance in Ming is due to the climate, but the transplanting method is also a big help. “Our staple food in Joseon is rice, so do research on rice transplanting methods.”

“I follow your orders!”

Under King Sejong’s orders, rice farming using the rice transplanting method began openly in the Hasam Island region, which had been farming using the rice transplanting method in secret.

Officials from the Ijo and Gongjo were dispatched to areas selected for rice farming using the transplanting method and conducted a thorough investigation.

* * *

Judge Heo Jo answered immediately when King Sejong asked about the results of the investigation.

“If you look at just the yield, the lowest yield has increased by 10.5 percent compared to the direct seeding method, and the highest yield has increased by 20.5 percent. “If you average it out, production increased at a rate of about 10.98 li.”

“Is that a lot?”

Hwang Hee answered King Sejong’s question.

“It’s not a lot compared to the rumors.”

“what is the reason?”

“We need sufficient fertilizer and sturdy farming equipment, and above all, we need to have high-yielding varieties.”

In response to Hwang Hee, King Sejong stroked his beard.

“Then do we have to seek seeds from the Ming?”

“Even rice from famous countries has problems.”

“What’s the problem?”

“It is less sticky than our Joseon rice. Therefore, there are cases where Ming Dynasty rice distributed as relief or compensation is collected and exchanged for Joseon rice. If you look at the exchange ratio, the most common case is that 3 doe of Myeong Province rice is exchanged for 2 doe of Joseon rice.”

Sejong looked troubled at Hwang Hee’s answer.

“I thought we could solve the problem of transplanting by simply expanding irrigation facilities, but that’s not the case.”

“However, if the infrastructure is secured and the seed issue is resolved, it is a very good method.”

“is it? In some aspects?”

“We can reduce the number of people who engage in farming as a profession.”

“Hoo?”

King Sejong showed strong interest in Hwang Hee’s words.

* * *

The biggest part of carrying out the renovation was strengthening the capabilities of commerce and industry.

A big part of this was strengthening the capabilities of commerce and industry and proceeding with urbanization based on this.

For King Sejong, urbanization was important in many ways.

As commerce and industry developed, people would gather in the center of commerce and industry, and when people gathered like that, a city would be created.

If the city was created in that way, the monetary economy that successive kings had made a priority could be quickly established.

Also, if people gathered in the city like that, the landowners would lose control and the royal power could be strengthened.

Strengthen Joseon’s capabilities and strengthen its royal authority.

This was the core of the lighthouse pursued by King Sejong.

Of course, Hyang, who analyzed King Sejong’s plan, immediately pointed out the problem to King Sejong.

“Urbanization can strengthen royal authority, but on the other hand, it can also be its greatest enemy.”

“Father knows too. “If the Hangsan Mountain of those gathered in the city is threatened, the royal authority will be in danger.”

“That’s right.”

Hyang nodded with a face full of worry.

‘The French Revolution also took place in Paris! The birth of communism was also a problem of workers’ poverty!’

Sejong smiled as he looked at Hyang’s face full of worry.

“How long will it take for the lives of those gathered in the city to become threatened?”

“yes? “Eh….”

“How many people will abandon their rice paddies and fields before urbanization takes place to that extent?”

“… it won’t be much.”

“Then who will be the first to flock to the urbanization that has just begun?”

“It must be Yumin.”

Sejong nodded at Hyang’s answer.

“Yes. There are still many refugees wandering aimlessly in our Joseon Dynasty. “Urbanization is necessary to make them settle down.”

Hyang nodded at Sejong’s explanation.

‘Tsk. Because industrialization has a different purpose and process than what I learned….’

The industrial revolution through Gyeongjang promoted by King Sejong at the time had a different cause and process than what Hyang had learned from textbooks.

The Industrial Revolution in the West was a revolutionary development of technology and institutions to pursue ever-increasing wealth as commercial capital grew in size.

However, the economic development plan promoted by Sejong was similar to the economic development plan promoted by the military dictatorship of the Republic of Korea.

* * *

Because it was such a situation, King Sejong showed interest in Hwang Hee’s words.

“Can we reduce the number of people who engage in farming? how?”

“The biggest key to transplanting is transplanting rice. “By planting seedlings in water-filled rice fields, the number of times weeding needs to be significantly reduced.”

“Hmm… I guess so.”

The direct seeding method, which was the farming method used by most Joseon farmers at the time, was a method of growing rice by sowing rice seeds in rice paddies filled with water.

This method required a lot of manpower because it had to be continuously weeded and managed starting from the moment the rice seeds sprouted.

“They say we can reduce manpower…”

When King Sejong showed interest, Hwang Hee gave an actual example.

“There was an old couple in Gyeongsang Province whose sons were all killed by Japanese pirates, and they were living with their two grandchildren. However, this couple was farming using the transplanting method, and except when planting rice and harvesting, the couple managed a single-grain (2,750-11,000 pyeong) rice field together.”

“What did you do when planting and harvesting rice?”

“I borrowed slaves from a nearby landowner to do the planting and harvesting and paid them the wages.”

“Hoo? They say that old ginger is spicy… I guess the old saying is not true.”

“That’s right. “If we use buckets and laborers, most of the people will no longer need to focus on farming like they do now.”

“It is indeed so!”

King Sejong was happy to hear Hwang Hee’s words and slapped his knees.

However, as soon as Hwang Hee finished speaking, the sentencing judge raised a counterargument.

“majesty! Dure and Poomasi may be the answer, but they could also become another problem!”

“Another problem?”

“Please consider why Dure and Poomasi were blocked.”

“Ah…”

Sejong’s complexion darkened at the sentence’s words.

Dure and pumasi were means of uniting the rural community.

The problem is that the local nobles and powerful families used the solidarity created in that way to strengthen their power.

Even if it was not so, most of the civil revolts that occurred at the end of the Joseon Dynasty were caused by farmers gathered through Dure.

Therefore, in Joseon, although local officials mobilized the people, they were prevented from creating private organizations such as Dure and Poomasi.

Funnily enough, the central government blocked Dure and Poomasi, but local nobles insisted on making and using ‘Hyangyak’, which contained Confucian beliefs.

These local noblemen’s claims later subsided as a civil war involving Jo Gwang-jo unfolded, but eventually, as the Sarim came to power, Hyangyak became popular throughout the country.

In the end, King Sejong had no choice but to come to an ambiguous conclusion.

“There is insufficient confirmation that the transplanting method has clearly increased yields, and methods to solve the problem of manpower mobilization are still insufficient, so let’s do a little more research.”

“I follow your orders.”

“Let’s take a short break.”

After declaring an adjournment, King Sejong came outside and let out a long sigh.

“Ha~. Truly, nothing is easy….”

“Abama!”

Sejong, who was frowning at the unresolved problem, turned his head with a smile at Hyang’s lively voice.

“What’s going on?”

In response to Sejong’s question, Hyang shouted with a big smile.

“I made a threshing machine!”

“thresher?”

“yep!”

Sejong’s curiosity arose at Hyang’s proud answer.

“okay. Let’s take a look.”

“I brought it to the front yard of Geunjeongjeon!”

“okay? “Call the merchant marine ministers.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After a while, King Sejong and the ministers gathered in the front yard of Geunjeongjeon.

“Is this the threshing machine the crown prince made?”

“yes!”

While listening to Hyang’s answer, Sejong looked at the threshing machine in front of him.

It was a wooden frame that looked like a dining table with two broken legs on one side, with thin iron rods nailed tightly at narrow intervals.

King Sejong expressed his impressions after seeing the threshing machine.

“It’s like a comb with legs attached to it.”

“It was made with that in mind!”

Hyang responded with a voice full of pride.

While traveling between the palace and Area 51, Hyang was able to consistently observe the farmers in Hanseong doing their farming.

“Would it be a huge hit if we built at least one tractor?”

Hyang, who had seen farming done purely with axial power and manpower, lightly ate his food.

But the scent did not progress any further from there.

Because there was a lot more to make than that.

It was while watching the harvest and threshing in the fall that I got the idea for the thresher.

“This is the second time I’ve seen it this year… It’s truly a symbol of inefficiency.”

To thresh rice, farmers spread mats in their yards, placed umbilical stones or straws, and hit the rice straw with all their might.

Looking at that scene, I said that incense is the height of inefficiency.

Hitting stones and trees, collecting the rice seeds that fell in all directions while swinging the rice straw, and winnowing the rice seeds that were mixed with the dirt and stones were all inefficient.

“I think there might be something…”

Hyang pondered to find a way to solve the inefficient threshing process.

But Hyang did not find an answer easily.

In the 21st century, the harvest that Hyang saw was completed in one go with a combine.

Hyang, who was struggling to find an answer, found a solution when she was combing her hair after washing it.

When Hyang saw the comb in the court lady’s hand, she clapped her hands.

“This is it!”

What was created through this process was the object in front of King Sejong.

The scent that created the threshing machine was full of pride.

‘So far, I’ve been remaking what others have made, but this is my original!’

However, the threshing machine made by Hyang was a Holtae that had been used since the mid to late Joseon Dynasty.

Even though it was Gwangdeok, it seemed like an ignorant scent in this area.

As a result of testing the incense threshing machine, it boasted far greater efficiency than the existing one.

Encouraged by the results, King Sejong issued an order to his ministers.

“Draw the outline of this threshing machine in detail and spread it throughout the country!”

“I accept your command!”

Cavalrymen rode across the country again.

The farmers who built and tested a threshing machine based on the framework of the one made by Hyang all cheered.

“How comfortable!”

“It’s a mess! Gaeseong pogae! “I’ll have to use it as firewood!”

“But who made this?”

It was such a useful tool that farmers wondered who first made it.

“His Majesty the Crown Prince made it.”

The farmers who heard the answer began to whisper.

“What did you think of this?”

“I know. Is the real seed different?…”

“No matter how different the seed is, it’s true! Someone’s child can make things like this! My son goes around breaking crock pots! You bastard! “You try to die today!”

* * *

February, 8th year of King Sejong’s reign (1426, Byeonggo year).

King Sejong held a martial arts competition and hunting competition in Hoengseong, Gangwon-do.

It was a large event where famous martial artists from all over the country, as well as existing military officers, gathered in Gangwon-do, because if you performed well here, you could be specially selected to the martial arts class.

Additionally, due to the butterfly effect, the bandits who had established themselves in Gangwon-do began to suffer.

– Additional points will be given to those who have meritorious actions in suppressing bandits.

Due to King Sejong’s announcement, the warriors who were moving to participate in the martial arts competition did not move alone, but formed a group and beat the bandits’ wild plants.

So, while the bandits who had set up their base at Gangwon-do’s famous Gosanjun Peak were suffering, the date for departure from Sejong Island arrived.

“The weather is really bad, so why not go….”

“You should go!”

“The decree has already been issued and many people have moved! “We must not allow those who leave home with dreams of prosperity to fall into disappointment!”

“Please inform me!”

As King Sejong hesitated, the ministers unanimously requested that they depart.

Following the ministers, Hyang also appealed to King Sejong.

“Since you have already given your order, I think you should move.”

“Ugh…”

Sejong let out a groan and eventually had to move.

“okay. let’s go! go!”

“I am devastated!”

At King Sejong’s decision, all the ministers said, ‘Seong is devastated!’ shouted.

King Sejong, who saw these ministers, warned them.

“I will come back and check the officers’ work!”