Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 145

‘A royal edict of significant importance has been issued, summoning the leaders of all merchant associations throughout Joseon. It is imperative that each leader attends.’

Such was the content of the edict that soon spread to every major and minor merchant association across Joseon.

“…therefore, this edict has been issued, so do not forget and ensure your attendance.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The leader of a merchant association, bowing respectfully, received the edict from the Minister of Taxation official and cautiously asked a question.

“May I inquire what this ‘important issue’ might be?”

To the leader’s query, the Minister of Taxation official replied with an awkward expression.

“How would a low-ranking official like myself know? If there’s anything I’ve heard, it’s that His Majesty is conducting some kind of test involving the merchant associations.”

“A test… you say?”

“It’s not certain. Just make sure to come to the palace on the appointed day without delay.”

“Take care on your journey!”

After seeing off the Minister of Taxation official, the leader of the merchant association gathered the subordinate leaders and managers.

“…so, we must travel to Hanyang by the appointed date.”

The subordinate leaders and managers, passing around the royal edict stamped with King Sejong’s official seal, looked at each other with serious expressions.

“Do any of you know why the king has summoned us and the details of the matter?”

“That’s the problem. We only know it’s ‘His Majesty’s test.'”

“A test, you say?”

“A test… Look here, manager, have you heard anything from Area 51?”

A middle-aged manager, scratching his head upon being questioned, responded.

“Indeed, I have. A contact placed near Area 51 informed me that a few days ago, the king visited Area 51 along with some ministers.”

“Hmm…”

Upon hearing this report from manager, not only the Merchant Leader but also the subordinate leaders and managers grew more solemn.

It was a well-known fact among the people of Joseon that whenever King Sejong visited Area 51, something world-shaking would soon emerge.

Consequently, every prominent merchant in Joseon had placed informants around Area 51. Many had expanded their businesses several times over by being the first to hear and act on such news.

Some had obtained the recipe for the rations consumed by soldiers for long journeys or emergency food during disasters, while others manufactured and sold Gami-bun (added flavor powder) used in cooking emergency food ration.

Of course, they had to pay a significant amount to the government under the newly created ‘Intellectual Property Management Law’, but the profit they gained was much larger.

Despite much contemplation, those who couldn’t discern the reason for King Sejong’s summon eventually had to opt for a temporary solution.

“If it’s a test conducted by His Majesty for merchants, wouldn’t it likely involve wealth? Let’s first check how much resources our merchant association can immediately mobilize before we set off.”

“Yes, Merchant Leader.”

The Merchant Leader, having issued the order, seemed somewhat relieved.

“It’s fortunate that our association is located in Gyeonggi-do, close to Hanyang.”

“Indeed.”

* * *

While the merchant associations of Joseon were preparing in response to King Sejong’s command, the court promulgated a new law that shook the rural villages of Joseon – the Sharecropping Law.

– The rent collected by landlords (Jeonju) from sharecroppers must not exceed half of the harvest.

– Landlords are not allowed to collect seed and fertilizer costs (Sibi-dae).

“This is absurd! Why should we even sharecrop then!”

Many landlords were outraged by these provisions, as it was common for them to charge extra for seeds and fertilizers, practices now explicitly prohibited by the court.

– Sharecroppers must bring all the grains harvested from their fields and paddies to the government-controlled marketplaces.

– At the marketplace, Hojo officials will verify the exact amount of the harvest. Afterward, taxes levied by the state are to be paid, followed by the payment of rent to the landlords.

– All these processes are to be supervised by Hojo officials.

– Secretly extorting additional rent before or after this collection process will be considered as deceiving the king and punishable accordingly.

Despite many landlords submitting petitions and rebelling against the Sharecropping Law, the court remained unmoved.

– It is written in the “Book of Songs” that ‘Under the heavens, there is no land that is not the king’s; to the ends of the earth, there is no one who is not the king’s subject.’

– All land in Joseon belongs to the king, but concessions have been made to allow those studying Confucianism to do so without the worry of land management.

– Just as landlords are subjects of the king, so are the sharecroppers.

– Therefore, it is the king’s duty to ensure that sharecroppers live without the fear of starvation.

The court’s justification based on the ‘King’s Land Theory’ left the landlords’ rebellion with dwindling momentum.

“Damn it all…”

“What choice do we have…”

This was due in part to the court’s invocation of the ‘deceiving the king’ principle.

“If the heavens are not on our side, then we must change the heavens!”

“Quiet! Keep it down!”

While some extremists suggested rebellion, those nearby quickly silenced and buried their claims deep.

Their power, built during the prolonged famine at the end of Taejong’s reign and early in Sejong’s reign, had no chance against the Joseon military, which remained fiercely loyal to King Sejong.

* * *

The greatest beneficiaries of Sejong’s military reform were the military itself.

Although there was a civilian-led administrative body, the Byungjo, the actual positions (Siljik) in the military were all assigned to military officers.

This meant double trouble for the military officers, who now had to be skilled both in martial arts and scholarly pursuits.

But the officers preferred it this way. Before the military reforms, high-ranking posts in the military were exclusively occupied by civilian officials.

A clear example of this civilian dominance was the position of Hyunryeong, which, by structure, was a military post. However, most Hyunryeongs were held by civilian officials.

According to rumors, with the upcoming reorganization of the local administrative bodies, the position of Hyunryeong was expected to return to the military.

Moreover, the soldiers, including the Gapsa, were now receiving proper salaries and supplies from the court, resolving their living concerns.

As a result, the entire military showed absolute loyalty to King Sejong from top to bottom.

King Sejong and his ministers didn’t just rely on this loyalty. Opening official positions to people from the northwest and Serfs was a strategy to counterbalance the power of landlords from the southern regions, serving dual purposes of talent recruitment and power check.

Lastly, there was an entity known only to King Sejong, Hyang, and a very few others – the secret organization.

At least in Hanyang and its surrounding areas, the movements of the powerful families were being reported directly to King Sejong through the secret organization.

And Hyang was not idle either.

Sitting in the Eastern Palace, Hyang opened a long wooden box and examined its contents.

“I hope there will be no need for these, but if there is, I’ll make sure the other side experiences a nightmare. Just try crossing Gwanghwamun.”

Inside the wooden box were five long rifles, reminiscent of those seen in Western movies.

* * *

While the “Sharecropping Law” was causing a stir across the nation, leaders of merchant associations from all over Joseon flocked to Hanyang.

“Long live Your Majesty!”

In the front courtyard of Geunjeongjeon, the merchants prostrated themselves on the ground in unison, shouting out their greetings.

“We, the humble merchants, greet His Majesty, the Supreme Sovereign of Joseon!”

“You have all worked hard to come here. Stand up straight.”

As the merchants straightened up, King Sejong continued.

“Recently, the officials from Area 51 have developed a new device. While this device could be used to establish a royal workshop, I believe it would be more beneficial for our nation’s interests to entrust it to you.”

Upon hearing this, the merchants perked up their ears.

Seeing the merchants’ keen interest, King Sejong gave an order to the Chief Eunuch.

“Bring the Crown Prince.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Shortly after, Hyang appeared in Geunjeongjeon, prompting the merchants to pay their respects once again.

“Stand up.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After the merchants rose, Hyang paid respects to King Sejong.

“Then, Father, I will take them and return.”

“Do so. I look forward to good results.”

“I will do my best.”

After bowing to King Sejong again, Hyang descended the stairs of Geunjeongjeon and stepped onto the courtyard, gesturing to the merchants.

“Follow me.”

Awaiting the merchants who followed Hyang out of Gwanghwamun were large horse-drawn carriages, each pulled by two massive horses.

“The carriages are huge, Your Highness.”

“I’ve never seen such large horses before, Your Highness.”

Merchants, particularly those from the provinces, were amazed, and Hyang explained with a smile.

“These will soon be running on Hanyang’s main roads. Please, get on.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After ensuring that the merchants were seated in three large carriages, Hyang mounted a horse.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

* * *

“Wow…”

“This is truly another world!”

The merchants in the horse-drawn carriages continuously expressed their amazement.

The paved roads were not unfamiliar to them, as some of the larger provincial towns had started to have paved roads.

What amazed the merchants was the scale. The roads in Hanyang were so wide that eight of the large carriages they were in could move side by side without any issues. These broad and straight roads stretched from east to west across Hanyang and extended southward. Rickshaws, the subject of much rumor, were running on these roads, carrying not only the nobility but also daughters of common households and courtesans.

One merchant, observing the courtesans riding in rickshaws with a coquettish air, muttered,

“I heard that flower-patterned parasols (Hwamunsan) are the trend in Hanyang these days… Now I see why.”

Both the courtesans and daughters of common households in the rickshaws were using colorfully flower-patterned parasols to shield themselves from the sun.

* * *

Hyang, guiding the merchants to Area 51, introduced them to the ‘Automatic Loom’.

“This is the device I wanted to show you.”

As the merchants examined the loom powered by an ox, they bombarded Hyang with questions.

“How many looms can one ox operate at maximum?”

“Up to six looms. If more than two oxen are employed and the pulleys are connected properly, it’s possible to operate up to twenty simultaneously.”

“Does it have to be an ox?”

“Horses or donkeys can be used too, and in areas with ample water, water wheels are also feasible.”

“What is the highest thread count it can weave?”

Responding to the merchant’s question, Hyang gestured to someone waiting behind. Following Hyang’s gesture, that person brought a rolled-up cotton cloth.

“Take a look.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The merchants, inspecting the cotton cloth offered by Hyang, then re-examined the cloth woven by the automatic loom with surprised eyes.

“Your Highness! This appears to be at least a 10-thread count?”

“Exactly, it’s 15-thread count. With a bit more attention, even 20-thread count is possible.”

The merchants’ faces grew serious as they scrutinized the cotton cloth after Hyang’s explanation.

“Your Highness, what about regular cloth (Jeongpo)? If this cotton cloth becomes widespread, the value of Jeongpo will…”

“Could it be! Is currency finally going to be reintroduced?”

To the merchants’ inquiries, Hyang nodded.

“Currency will be operational within this year.”

After the explanation about the automatic loom, Hyang broached the main topic.

“I’d like to sell these looms to you. The cost per loom is 35 nyang of silver.”

“It’s a bit expensive…”

“If you order more than 20, I’ll reduce the price to 30 nyang each.”

The merchants fell silent, starting to do their cost-benefit calculations.

‘To truly add value to the product, at least 20 looms need to be operated simultaneously.’

‘The Crown Prince mentioned 20 looms probably for that reason. Moreover, even though it’s automatic, human intervention is necessary. That means we need to hire skilled weavers and pay them…’

While the merchants were pondering over various issues, Hyang added,

“The contract will be limited to the three merchant associations ordering the most looms. Area 51’s production capacity has limits, and there are many projects underway. In return, I’ll grant an exclusive right for five years.”

Upon hearing Hyang’s words, the merchants made up their minds.

‘Let’s go for it! This is an opportunity! Exclusive rights mean a chance to lead the market!’

‘This time it’s too risky! I’ll gather capital for five years and grow bigger! It’s a time for strategic patience!’

The merchants, having decided their course of action, quickly wrote down their association names and the number of looms they desired on paper and submitted them to Hyang.

Thus, the three merchant associations were selected.

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