He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 113

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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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Butcher Resocialization (4)

Even though I proposed it myself, honestly it’s quite an extreme choice.

Become a citizen of Joseon or die – it’s like threatening them with a sword to their throat.

But it’s acceptable to do this to the Butchers here.

‘If I don’t go this far, they’ll remain as beings outside Joseon’s order.’

If they remain like illegal residents, not paying taxes in Joseon and living without being registered in the census, they’ll ultimately be unable to obtain proper livelihoods.

Until now, there were many Butchers who lived raising livestock in places where centralization was relatively lacking, staying away from serious crimes…

But as soon as Joseon starts tightening their grip on them, they’ll struggle to survive and set fires like last time.

This isn’t because the Butchers, as Jeong Chang-son said, are born with lowly origins and have DNA that compels them to commit crimes, but because anyone would act this way when cornered.

One of them boldly challenged my terrifying threat.

“My Lord, what do you mean by that? We are already Common People of Joseon who have taken root and lived here.”

When one mustered courage, other Butchers nearby also began protesting.

“Our grandfather was a citizen of Joseon, and our Father was also a citizen of Joseon.”

“Our work may be lowly, but if we live in Joseon speaking the Joseon language, aren’t we Joseon people?”

“What exactly have we done wrong that we must choose between life and death?”

If the Arsonists had said those words, I would have torn their mouths apart immediately.

Or I would have made them regret being born into this world.

But these people, though they’ve caused various problems while living in Joseon, are clearly those who have the right to live as Joseon people.

They’re also people who will be directly affected by the policies I’ll implement.

‘Well, that doesn’t mean those guys have lived virtuously.’

The Butchers here are alive and well because they didn’t commit serious crimes, but they must have done all sorts of strange things.

Shooting arrows while riding horses on the plains, slaughtering Cattle and horses despite being told not to, using their strength to threaten innocent Common People of Joseon, and so on…

It would be hard to find a Butcher who hasn’t done such things.

Nevertheless, I intend to explain to them why I’m forcing this choice upon them.

Instead, since those bastards aren’t good Common People, I’ll only do this once.

And they’re not in the mood to talk, when all the guys here have committed crimes at the level of petty thieves when you really look into it.

How insolent. I should scare them a little and have an efficient conversation.

“Kim Bu-sa-maeng, just scare them a little. Shoot a pyeonjeon near the feet of one of those guys over there.”

“Should I not hit his foot?”

“If you do that, there’ll be bloodshed. Don’t they say Butcher men are so belligerent that even if you stuck them in Hamgyeong Province, you could use them as excellent soldiers?”

Butchers are the most discriminated against and despised people in Joseon.

These kinds of minority groups tend to care for each other terribly and stick together tightly.

When the Government Office called 6 Butchers and tried to force them to carry out executions, the Butchers protested by occupying Bonghwa and lighting signal fires, claiming it was unfair.

When those who protested were sent into exile (in this case, close to life imprisonment) for the crime of occupying what would be our frontline outposts and communication facilities, 500 Butchers came out and saw them off, feeding the protesters alcohol and meat to their hearts’ content.

Moreover, there was also a case where Butchers formed a group and went with Swords to threaten because they thought the Magistrate would be lenient about an incident where a government slave beat a Butcher to death.

Shoot them dead here? There would be war with Butchers throughout all of Joseon.

“Understood.”

Kim Bu-sa-maeng, a Gapsa, drew his Bow and shot a pyeonjeon near one Butcher’s feet.

The Butchers in the vicinity where the pyeonjeon fell pissed themselves.

When someone nearly died for real, they all became quiet.

Now they were ready for conversation.

“Now you finally seem ready to listen to what I have to say.”

When I signaled with my hand, Kim Bu-sa-maeng and the other soldiers drew their bows and aimed their spears.

It was a situation where regular troops properly equipped with Armor and weapons were in battle readiness.

“Goryeo called you hwacheok and treated you not as people but as talking beasts. Both Goryeo and Joseon severely punished those who raped women with hanging or beheading regardless of the rapist’s status, but I heard that in Goryeo, raping a Butcher’s woman was considered violating a ‘beast’ and they would just beat them a little and let them go.”

My words actually have some inconsistency.

Because Joseon has Prince Yangnyeong who is crazy about women. Prince Yangnyeong is a madman who raped an enormous number of women and married someone else’s concubine after having an affair with her, yet he’s still living well.

Also, I’m not sure if there was actually someone in Goryeo who was ‘executed’ for raping a Butcher’s daughter.

But what’s important is that what I don’t know, those bastards won’t know either.

If there’s someone around them who directly heard of such a case, they’ll add their testimony saying my words are correct, and if not, they’ll believe my words as I’m exercising the full authority of the State Council’s Right State Councilor.

In politics, even lies are originally considered expedient, aren’t they.

“In Joseon, even those who rape your Butcher daughters are sentenced to hanging. Because you too are people living in Joseon.”

Their eyes widened at my words that they were beasts in Goryeo but humans in Joseon.

“Joseon tried to embrace you somehow by calling you Butchers instead of Hwacheok. They gave you fields and food to eat.”

Though the method itself was certainly wrong, I think the spirit of trying to make them human even by giving handouts should be highly evaluated.

“However, because that method was wrong, the Common People of Joseon refused to accept you. Moreover, forcing only farming on you who had never farmed even once was clearly the Royal Court’s mistake. Therefore, His Majesty has issued a royal command to forgive all crimes you have committed up to this point. Furthermore, you are no longer Hwacheok but have legally become commoners, so no one will be able to discriminate against you for having lowly origins.”

Those who act lowly can be discriminated against.

Those who do lowly deeds are criminals, so it’s fine to discriminate against them.

“Is that really true?”

“I am standing here in place of State Council Right State Councilor Jo Mal-saeng. In other words, my words are the same as the Right State Councilor’s words.”

In my pocket is a blank order document stamped with Jo Mal-saeng’s official seal.

Originally, you shouldn’t give out such things, but Hwang Hee said it was fine to give Kim Dae-bung such things, and that he would pretend not to have seen it at the State Council.

“Furthermore, while the slaughter of horses will be prohibited, the slaughter of Cattle will now be permitted… and on the condition that you each register in your respective County household records, raising livestock and cattle ranching in the empty lands of Pyeongan Province and Hamgyeong Province will also be allowed.”

Joseon desperately needs Cattle, horses, Chicken, and pigs.

For pigs, I secretly brought in Ming Dynasty pigs when I went as an envoy to Ming Dynasty in preparation for times like this, and Tsushima Island Merchants who engage in smuggling (Piracy) will solve it by importing large pigs at high prices…

For Chicken, Cattle, and horses, I’ll borrow the wisdom of the English bastards for selective breeding.

For these reasons too, I need those guys’ strength.

“Is that really true?”

“Yes. However, there are conditions to this.”

“What conditions do you mean?”

“From now on, you will have to take on all kinds of dangerous work for Joseon.”

Everyone’s expressions crumpled at my words.

“If you choose to farm, you’ll have to take on hard work for 3 years, and if you choose to raise livestock and do animal husbandry, you’ll have to do it for 5 years.”

“Isn’t this too unfair?”

I also acknowledge that this is unfair treatment.

What I’m doing is essentially forcing them into unpaid labor.

However, to eliminate discrimination against those guys, the Butchers must endure this treatment.

“It is unfair. I won’t deny those words. However, all the Common People of Joseon will see you enduring and bearing this unfairness. Then they too will accept you.”

“What exactly do you mean by that…”

“The Common People of Joseon will overcome droughts and farm using water stored in reservoirs that you built by grinding your bodies down. The fortresses you built directly will protect them. If they realize that your hardships made them prosperous, the Common People will accept you too.”

Even if someone is from Southeast Asia, if they served in the military in Korea, they’re properly recognized as Korean.

Even old men who foam at the mouth when they see foreigners apologize saying, “Ah, you served in the military? Then you’re definitely Korean. I’m sorry.”

Moreover, these Butchers are people who will suffer terribly for 3-5 years to clear the karma of being born as Butchers and help others.

If there’s anyone who won’t accept them…

Well, unless they’re someone who lost family because of Butchers, I have no intention of understanding them.

No wait, if they discriminate for other reasons and get caught, that bastard will probably get beaten up directly by the villagers.

If they do that much, that is.

“Endure it for the rest of your lives and for your descendants.”

During the New Village Movement, everyone endured 6-day weeks with 12-hour workdays.

The reason is simple.

Because they were filled with the desire for their children at Home to do well.

And every few years, the types of food they could feed their children changed.

First it was Rice with Barley and Mixed Grains, then Barley Rice with proper side dishes, and then even meat dishes with Rice Meal.

So the elders who lived through that era say.

Even though it was difficult, when they look back, they would say it was happy times.

The butchers are also people with families, so they would think the same way.

Just because they were born lowly doesn’t mean their character is different.

“Will you accept it?”

At my words, the butchers nodded their heads.

And I immediately deployed them to civil engineering projects in various counties near Hanyang.

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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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