He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 102

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Great Fire of Hanyang (1)

Where there is light, shadows are also cast.

While it was an undeniable fact that Joseon had greatly prospered under the economic and tax order led by Kim Dae-bung, not everyone rejoiced in or enjoyed this prosperity.

Merchants who couldn’t keep up with the times began to be pushed out as they failed in large numbers in the competition, and among the Yangban, some began grinding their teeth at the Royal Court, asking why the Yangban should pay taxes that poor Common People used to pay.

Besides those mentioned above, there were others who absolutely despised the current prosperity.

“Dolsoe, is it right for the world to be like this? I mean, what did we do so wrong that the world is giving us this shit?”

Dolsoe answered.

“Has it been just a day or two that people like us butchers haven’t been treated as human beings?”

“In the past, even the commoner lords lived hard lives unless they were rich, so I could live thinking that’s just how it was. But these days, all those commoner lords have become so well-off. Watching that makes me both envious and so angry I can’t stand living. I mean, what did we do wrong to become butchers? We were born as butchers, and just for that reason we have to live in poverty and be looked down upon? Why is the world so harsh only to us?”

King Sejong spared no effort to embrace the butchers as commoners of Joseon.

Not only did he give butchers wasteland that could be cultivated for free, but he also provided food to sustain them while they cleared the land, and had the local commoners teach them Farming Techniques.

Kim Dae-bung evaluated this policy as follows.

He said it was like the country giving each butcher an apartment that could be used immediately with just a little remodeling, all in an effort to make them into proper people.

If they complied with the policy and lived without problems for three generations, their records as butchers would be deleted, and the country even arranged marriages for them.

Additionally, those with talent in Martial Arts were hired for positions like Gyeomsabok or Gapsa.

With the country providing such generous support, most good-natured butchers somehow managed to become good commoners of Joseon, but among them, there were quite a few butchers who refused to accept Joseon’s support and become commoners.

“Did we demand something unreasonable? Slaughtering Cattle and horses to sell meat for a living is our job. But when Goryeo fell and Joseon was established, suddenly they’re making a fuss saying we can’t slaughter cattle or horses.”

“It really is unreasonable.”

“When we were selling Beef and pork, we were looked down upon but at least we could afford three Rice Meals a day. But these days, they say we can’t slaughter horses because it destroys military supplies, and we can’t slaughter cattle because it destroys livestock needed for farming. With all these restrictions, how can we even put food on the table? The country says we should quit being butchers and farm instead, but a pine caterpillar must eat pine needles – it dies if it eats other leaves, right? How does it make sense to tell us to abandon what we’ve been doing and just farm?”

When they went to Local Provinces because the country offered them cultivable land, even if it was wasteland, they actually faced all kinds of discrimination.

To those who had been engaged in the butchering industry, which was despised and called lowly, the country was suddenly giving free land that even the commoners themselves didn’t have…

And telling them to live together and even teach them how to farm.

It was natural for the farmers to think, ‘What’s so special about those lowly butchers that the country gives them free land and we have to pamper them by teaching them how to farm?’

So the farmers pointed fingers at the butchers and discriminated against them.

Among the butchers, those who assimilated into the common people are the ones who somehow endured this contempt and discrimination, succeeded in clearing the wasteland, and came to own their own land.

“Damn it, our lives are so hard. Why do others get to live so well? The more I think about it, the more my anger boils over and I can’t stand it.”

In this world, there are many rotten-to-the-core pieces of trash who might endure their own hunger, but can’t bear to see others doing well.

The butcher Dolsoe was that type of human being.

Although the Royal Court prohibited butchers from slaughtering cattle and horses, and also banned them from hunting around and causing trouble as they pleased.

When most of Joseon’s common people don’t own their own land and live as tenant farmers, giving them fields for free and helping them live new lives.

This is truly giving them special benefits, so it would be normal to accept this with gratitude and live diligently.

However, the butcher Dolsoe just complained about not being able to do his old work and went around drinking, so he absolutely cannot be called a decent human being.

“Hey, let’s pull off a job. Let’s rob someone.”

“Are you talking about robbing a rich house? Rich houses have slaves and high walls, so it won’t be easy.”

“What nonsense are you talking? Robbing a nobleman’s house or some rich house is dangerous.”

A brilliant idea came to mind for Dolsoe, who had a rotten character and had done some thuggish work around Hanyang.

“Robbing rich houses is dangerous. So let’s rob Namchon where people who live moderately well are gathered. We’ll skip where the interpreters live too.”

“As expected, big brother, you’re really good at scheming.”

“Another thing we need to be careful about is if we sneak in at night and get caught while taking valuable jewelry or rice, people will scream and come out with clubs and cause a huge commotion, right?”

Dolsoe’s subordinate, who had been listening intently to his words, tilted his head in confusion.

If the owner notices while robbing a house, they’ll scream first and grab even a broom.

It’s natural for them to desperately try to catch the guy who came to steal their house’s property.

He couldn’t understand why Dolsoe was stating such obvious things that would only waste breath to mention.

“So let’s set fires.”

“What?”

Dolsoe smacked his stupid subordinate’s head once.

“Think about it carefully. If we set fire to wooden houses, they’ll definitely burn well, right? And when there’s a fire, the homeowners will abandon their jewelry and everything else and run away.”

“Yes, that’s right. They won’t have any presence of mind, will they?”

“Taking advantage of that opportunity, we can easily rob the houses by looting them. The people who lived there will be frantically busy putting out the fire.”

“Dolsoe, big brother, your mind is really sharp indeed.”

“Yeah, you bastard. And since we’re doing this anyway, let’s make it really big.”

“Wouldn’t it be more profitable to do this kind of thing with just a few people?”

Theft and bad deeds cause great losses when done with many people.

The more people involved, the easier it is to get noticed.

“You idiot, that’s only true when you’re doing it half-heartedly with 10 or 20 people. Try mobilizing dozens of people at once and setting fires in multiple parts of the village. Then whether it’s the Royal Court, Hanseongbu, or the Chungmu Guards, do you think they could catch us? They won’t be able to catch us even if they’re in complete chaos.”

“Big brother, I truly respect you. Your mind is really exceptional.”

“Let’s call Mireuk and Jae-geuk first, and also call all the guys we can contact in Hanyang to pull off something big. We’ll hit the Namchon area where the market guild merchants live, and tell the other guys to set fire to and rob that neighborhood where the doctors live. The world torments us so we can’t live, while letting them eat well and live well – that’s not right. Poor and pitiful bastards like us need to make a living too.”

These were wicked words that made fools of people like Sundeok Mother from Jinhae County, who despite their poor circumstances had never committed a single crime and lived diligently.

However, these people thought it was perfectly natural for poor people with nothing like themselves to set fires and steal.

Their logic was that since poor people like them also needed money, it was natural to take a share from the ‘wealthy rich’ and ‘Seoul people’ to live, and what was wrong with that?

**

“Governor of Hanseong, Hanyang is extremely vulnerable to fires.”

The Governor of Hanseong shook his head back and forth.

“Do you think I don’t know that? That’s why I had wells dug and ordered sand to be prepared. There are also things prepared for emergency mobilization.”

“Just digging wells and preparing sand is not enough. Teaching citizens how to respond is even more important.”

The Governor of Hanseong became irritated after hearing my words.

“Inspector Kim is truly unmatched in arrogance. Just because you receive favor from His Majesty and Retired King, do you think you’re some kind of minister?”

“I am the head of Jeonhamsa, but right now I’m speaking about concerns that the Minister of Public Works also worries about. Hanyang’s population has rapidly increased in a short period, and hastily built shacks have also dramatically increased, making it even more vulnerable to fires.”

“So I know that too. But how can everything be done all at once? We do things one by one. Right now, even just Jongno Market is completely overwhelming. There are over 500 street stalls near ferry crossings including Noryangjin and Yanghwajin. That’s counting only the reasonably well-equipped shops.”

“If you would permit it, I will seek help not only from the Ministry of Public Works, but also from the Ten Guards including the Chungmu Guards.”

Right now, Joseon is developing at tremendous speed.

Especially Hanyang, the center of politics and commerce, is changing noticeably in appearance and population every year.

In the process of commerce being activated due to the influence of the Bangwon Method, what if I build a system that enables factory-style handicraft production?

Hanyang will expand at least several times more than now.

Even in preparation for that time, fire response guidelines must be established and training conducted from now.

Otherwise, a disaster like the ‘Great Fire of Meireki’ that killed over 100,000 people in Japan and burned half of Edo will occur.

“This Magistrate thinks there’s no need to go that far. Instead, I’ll order the patrolling Patrol Guards to watch more carefully and strictly. And I’ll also order them to proceed as quickly as possible with digging wells and stockpiling sand. Now go on your way.”

I am not the king of Joseon.

So I cannot proceed with everything as I wish.

For now, this would be the best course of action.

“Yes, I understand.”

**

Dolsoe, a ruffian of Hanyang, quietly went to Namchon where merchants lived in clusters.

And there, he secretly scouted for a house worth robbing.

“Which one would be good?”

While scouting, he easily found a suitable house.

A house of the size he was looking for, with a roof covered in roof tiles and apparently no slaves.

This kind of house was perfect for robbing.

“Hey, set fire to the house next door first.”

“Yes, boss.”

The subordinate who followed Dolsoe secretly threw in fire starter and lit a fire.

On this day, in Hanseongbu, evil men who were determined to cause trouble simultaneously set fires everywhere.

Kim Dae-bung’s concerns had come true exactly as he feared.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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