Black Corporation: Joseon

Episode 325: Those who wait, those who move. (2)

The person in charge of making the conclusion reported it to Emperor Seondeok together with the Cabinet Secretary.

“Let’s borrow Joseon’s help? “Is this the only answer?”

“That is the case for now.”

In response to the assistant cabinet secretary’s answer, Emperor Seondeok let out a long sigh and stamped the royal seal.

“Whoa~. “Please appoint an envoy to be sent to Joseon as soon as possible.”

“I follow your orders!”

* * *

As soon as Seondeokje’s permission was given, the officials increased their speed.

“It hasn’t even been that long since a messenger came and went, but now he’s a messenger again? “What’s going on?”

The envoy answered King Sejong’s question politely.

“I have come here because there is something that needs help from Joseon. Here is His Majesty’s edict.”

According to etiquette, King Sejong knelt in the garden of Geunjeongjeon, and the envoy broke the seal of the edict sent by Emperor Seondeok and read its contents.

“… So. “The king of Joseon hopes to resolve the problem through consultation with the envoy.”

After finishing the reading, the envoy carefully rolled up the scroll containing the edict and then politely handed it to King Sejong.

After receiving the royal decree scroll from the envoy, King Sejong looked back.

“Is it possible?”

Hyang shook her head in response to Sejong’s question.

“It’s impossible. His Majesty’s orders must be strictly followed, but currency printing is not something that can be easily made. To explain in detail, not only do you need craftsmen, you also need dedicated facilities.”

The envoy, who had heard Hyang’s words through an interpreter, intervened in the conversation.

“Just tell me and I will build a facility in Beijing.”

Hyang’s expression became sharp at the reaper’s words.

“Making the printing press of currency is a secret technique, so are you telling us to leak it? “No matter how bad the situation is, isn’t this too much action?”

When the fragrance was raised, King Sejong also joined in next to him.

“The messenger’s words were excessive. Making typefaces that cannot be counterfeited is a secret skill, so why do they allow them to be released without permission? “No matter how much we, Joseon, are in a position of self-respect, this is too much.”

“Song, I’m sorry!”

When King Sejong was questioned, the envoy immediately bowed his head.

Joseon was not an easy country. If Joseon raised an issue about this, it was certain that the emperor would settle the situation by beheading the envoy.

“God forgive my rudeness. However, because the matter is so serious… .”

Seeing the envoy’s discouraged appearance, King Sejong slowly began to calm the envoy.

“It’s not that I don’t know your Majesty’s concerns. So, I would like to propose an arbitration plan, so please consider it.”

“What if you say it’s an arbitration plan?”

“Send me the design. Then, let’s build a letterpress and printing facility and pay tribute.”

“ah!”

The envoy, who was pleased with King Sejong’s words, soon turned into an embarrassed face.

“The plan given by His Highness is good, but entrusting the manufacturing of typesetting to it is a security issue… .”

The messenger’s words were slurred, but the meaning was clear.

-Thank you for making counterfeit bills, but it becomes more of a problem if you make counterfeit bills.

Sejong, who understood what the envoy did not say, promised to guarantee that part.

“I know very well what the Shinigami is worried about. But I want you to know that there is no benefit to us by doing something like that.”

The envoy, who thought for a moment about King Sejong’s words, eventually chose the easiest solution.

“This goes beyond the discretion of one’s convictions. So, I will report it to Your Majesty.”

“Let me ask you a favor.”

After that conversation, the envoy immediately packed his bags and returned to Beijing.

* * *

“… So, the King of Joseon proposed an arbitration plan.”

“Good work.”

“Hwang Eun is devastated.”

Emperor Seondeok gave a brief compliment to the envoy and muttered while stroking his beard.

“It’s a tribute… . It’s a tribute… .”

Emperor Seondeok, who was muttering while tapping his fingers on the armrests of the throne, burst into laughter. He was the king of Joseon and Joseon who never moved for free.

“Heh! Even the merchants would cry in front of the king of Joseon. “What a feat.”

“Your Majesty, why don’t you send an envoy to the King of Joseon right away and point out his rudeness?”

Emperor Seondeok shook his head at the words of the assistant cabinet secretary.

“No, let’s accept the King of Joseon’s offer. This is because the words of the King of Joseon are reasonable. “No matter how much we are a superior nation, it is against custom to carelessly order that we display the secret flag of a vassal state.”

“Haona… .”

As the Assistant Cabinet Secretary was about to say something, Emperor Seondeok lightly raised his hand to stop the Assistant Cabinet Secretary.

“Of course, Joseon’s claims tend to downplay the majesty of the Shang Dynasty. However, putting pressure on Joseon or forcing it to follow my orders would do more harm than good. This is because dissatisfaction in Joseon is growing. Assistant Cabinet Secretary, is there one or two things our people can gain from Joseon in the future? In preparation for that time, it is better to listen to their wishes now. Therefore, hand over the currency designs to Joseon.”

The Assistant Cabinet Secretary responded to Emperor Seondeok’s conclusion with a smile.

“I follow your orders.”

* * *

After returning to his office, the Cabinet Secretary gathered academics and practitioners and began to carry out Emperor Seondeok’s orders.

Various reports and orders were exchanged, and the Assistant Cabinet Secretary, who had sorted out the situation to some extent, asked the envoy with a teacup in his hand.

“Come to think of it… . “Have you seen the Iron Horse too?”

“Yes, Subo.”

“How is it?”

The envoy responded to the Assistant Cabinet Secretary’s words, choosing his words carefully.

“As your Majesty said, it still seemed like we were lacking a lot. However, the clever structure seemed quite difficult.”

“Does that mean it doesn’t seem easy to replicate?”

“That’s right. “I think we should bring it in now and think about it.”

Upon hearing the envoy’s report, the faces of the Cabinet Secretary and academics became serious. A bachelor who was listening to the story next to him asked the messenger harshly.

“Then, shouldn’t you have told your Majesty? If you are a god… .”

When a principled point was made, the envoy interrupted the scholar and protested.

“Haven’t Your Majesty already reached a conclusion? “Are you telling me to break Your Majesty’s will?”

“What… .”

“Then you can come forward and see!”

The bachelor, who was about to speak to the envoy’s words, kept his mouth shut.

* * *

It was a serious crime, close to high treason, for a subject to ask the emperor to overturn his decision. No, the moment he said that, he was creating a place for himself to die.

The emperor made a decision based on the opinions of his subjects, but if he tried to overturn it, his subjects had no choice but to see blood. The reason was that he could not properly assist the emperor.

Conversely, if the emperor tried to overturn a decision he had made on his own, he would be punished for intimidating the emperor.

Therefore, unless you were a subject who was extremely favored by the emperor, it was unthinkable to overturn the emperor’s decision.

* * *

“Oh bachelor. “You made a mistake.”

“Haona. “If you are a subject…”

“Uh-huh!”

The bachelor, who was about to open his mouth again to rebut the envoy, immediately shut his mouth when the assistant cabinet secretary shouted at him.

The head of the cabinet glared at Bachelor Oh with a pitiful expression on his face.

“I can’t believe such a small person is a member of the cabinet… .”

“Subo! I am!”

“I told you to shut up! “Get out now!”

Hearing the Cabinet Secretary’s scolding, Bachelor Oh left the room with a white face. Once he was recognized by the assistant cabinet secretary, his career was over.

The assistant cabinet secretary, who had kicked out the foolish bachelor Oh, looked back at the envoys and the bachelors and continued speaking.

“The decision made by His Majesty cannot be arbitrarily overturned. However, it is up to us whether we will be a wise waiter like Taigong Mang, or a foolish farmer like Suzhou Daeto. So, you should prepare well.”

‘Taegongmang’ refers to the time when Kang Tai-gong, who was a soldier of King Wu of Zhou and later became the founder of the Qi Dynasty, spent 80 years fishing while waiting for an opportunity. ‘Suju Daeto’ ridicules the foolishness of a farmer who only looked at the tree stump after accidentally hitting his head on a tree stump and finding a dead rabbit.

Emperor Seondeok’s decision to ‘wait until a usable iron horse appears’ was certain to bring about one of two outcomes. However, if you just wait without any preparation, the latter will happen.

This was the thought of not only the Cabinet Secretary but also all academics and officials.

“Then shall we bring in artisans from the private sector?”

When a bachelor who heard the story suggested an alternative, the assistant cabinet secretary shook his head.

“Do you think those damn merchants will give up their father-in-law? “Even if I give it away, it will eventually take away the results of my hard work.”

* * *

After Ming established a solid foundation, commerce in the central plains developed greatly.

This was thanks to the large land, large population, and water transportation that had continued to develop since the Sui Dynasty.

Thanks to this, technology for making things needed by ordinary people has developed rapidly.

Thanks to this, at some point, I looked back and realized that the skill level of the artisans employed by merchants had surpassed that of the artisans employed by the imperial family and government officials.

What fueled this was trade with Joseon. As all kinds of items made in Joseon became a huge hit, craftsmen from famous countries also began to sharpen their skills to keep up.

However, Joseon was still at least one step ahead.

When the Ming imperial family and government learned of this, they tried to absorb civilian craftsmen, but their attempts were always blocked by the wall created by merchants.

Most competent craftsmen were employed by large merchants and were provided with high wages and convenience. Merchants at large merchants were ‘making money’ to protect the artisans they were raising and to attract talented craftsmen from other merchants.

The imperial family and government also participated in this competition, but they failed every time. Ironically, the financial power of merchants was stronger than that of the imperial family and government.

It seemed like a ridiculous story, but it was something that could not be helped. The Ming imperial family and court had enormous revenues collected from the entire empire, but their expenditures were also enormous. In addition, there was a huge hole in the finances due to the Northern Expedition and the Great Expedition that were carried out during the reign of Emperor Yeongnak.

After Emperor Seondeok ascended to the throne, this hole was filled to some extent thanks to constant efforts from Emperor Seondeok to the lowest officials, but a large hole still existed. And, as long as that hole existed, there were limits to the imperial family and government.

Of course, if the emperor wanted to, he could suppress the merchant power by force.

However, they were merchants called ‘descendants of Yeobulwi’. Before we knew it, many of the officials were tied up with merchants. If he thought the emperor’s pressure had crossed the line, the emperor could be divided. There was bound to be someone who dreamed of becoming the king of Qin, King Zheng, who established him as the first emperor.

* * *

For this reason, the Cabinet Secretary reacted negatively to the idea of ??attracting craftsmen from the upper private sector.

“It’s funny, but when it comes to iron horses, our biggest competitors are our merchants. They would also know of the existence of the Iron Horse and realize its usefulness. So, there are two things we need to do. “One is standard, and the other is an anomaly.”

One of the bachelors pretended to understand the explanation of the Assistant Cabinet Secretary.

“Do you mean to send your father-in-law to Joseon?”

“It is as the King said.”

When the Assistant Cabinet Secretary nodded in agreement, Bachelor Wang expressed concern.

“Joseon is a country that does not overlook type production technology, calling it a secret. Will you really accept it?”

“It won’t be easy. But, shouldn’t we try? Only then can there be justification. What is most needed in politics is a cause. and… .”

The Cabinet Secretary quenched his thirst with a teacup and continued.

“We should also think about irregularities. Find someone who is from Joseon or speaks Korean as well as a Korean. “If necessary, try adding a line to the same section.”

The academics and officials who realized what the Assistant Cabinet Secretary meant immediately lowered their heads.

“We’ll find out right away.”

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