He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 117

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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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Breaking the Cartel (2)

About 51% of Korea’s population lives in the Metropolitan Area, including Seoul.

So people sometimes say, half-jokingly and half-seriously, that we’re not living in the Republic of Korea but in the Seoul Republic.

The policy I’m planning to implement will probably be evaluated like this by future generations.

‘Kim Dae-bung turned Joseon into the Hanyang Republic!’

“Chief Minister.”

Hwang Hee gulped after hearing my words.

Admittedly, I am holding a pile of Hanyang Development Project Proposals in my hands right now.

But honestly, Hwang Hee’s reaction of ‘Oh no, what big scheme is he planning now’ feels a bit unfair.

No, people seem to think of me as some kind of demon who mass-produces work.

I’m just a lowly 4th junior rank official, how could I become a demon of overwork?

You’d need to be one of the Three State Councilors to do that, wouldn’t you? Besides, thanks to my advice to Lee Bang-won, all officials are now guaranteed to leave work on time…

‘Haven’t I contributed greatly to improving the quality of life for officials?’

“What on earth are you planning to do that you’ve written so many official reports?”

“I want to develop Hanyang in earnest and establish the foundation for more people to live here.”

After hearing my words, Hwang Hee tilted his head as if incredulous and asked back.

“As Scribe Kim surely knows, 95% of Hanyang’s population is crammed inside the Four Great Gates, and only about 5% live within Seongjeosimni. You know this, right?”

“Yes, I’m well aware of that.”

When I looked at statistics compiled about three years ago, Hanyang’s population was around 103,000, and only about 6,000 people lived outside the Four Great Gates.

This is considering that Seongjeosimni’s area is 3-4 times larger than the area inside Hanyang Fortress.

However, that was three years ago, and the implementation of the Bangwon Method and commercial expansion have completely changed the entire situation.

“But that was three years ago – the situation is completely different now.”

There’s a saying that even mountains and rivers change in ten years.

During the high-growth period that started in the 1960s, tunnels were dug and highways were built, and the landscape actually changed dramatically every ten years.

However, changing even the landscape within 10 years with Joseon’s capabilities is, frankly speaking, impossible. But…

Joseon society right now is changing on a yearly basis, with just a little exaggeration.

Until just the year before last, it was extremely difficult to eat things like apples grown in local provinces like Chungju even in autumn in Hanyang.

Because the effort required for distribution was truly extraordinary.

But now, thanks to active transportation through Chinese Treasure Ships, you can easily buy and eat Chungju apples during their peak season in autumn.

From what I’ve observed, based on Hanyang Market prices, two years ago it was one hop of rice per apple, but now it’s changed to about one hop of rice for three apples.

“As the Chief Minister surely knows, Joseon is now growing rapidly at a level that would have been absolutely unimaginable before.”

“Indeed. An old man like me cannot keep up with today’s rapid pace. These days I often think I’ve become obsolete. So I sometimes think about whether I should submit a resignation memorial for the sake of the Royal Court.”

From what I know, the period when Hwang Hee began submitting resignation memorials was three years from now.

And in the early stages, since he had been in the position of Chief State Councilor for a long time, it was more like ‘Ah, I want to quit my government position, but His Majesty won’t let me resign, so I have no choice but to continue serving as Chief State Councilor a bit longer.’

But looking at his expression and tone now, he seems to be genuinely considering resignation.

My intervention has had such a great impact on history.

Even if that’s his intention, I don’t think Hwang Hee will actually be able to resign.

‘Because King Sejong will refuse his resignation.’

“How could someone as outstanding as the Chief Minister talk about resignation? Please don’t even think such thoughts. You must stay in your position for a long time and guide foolish, young, and inexperienced officials like myself.”

“Scribe Kim just needs to continue exactly as you are now.”

“I will work hard not to lose my original intentions, like Zhuge Liang who submitted his pledge of allegiance.”

“… Do so.”

“Let me continue the story. Isn’t Hanseongbu currently saying that nearly 120,000 people live in Hanyang?”

“That’s right, but since Seongjeosimni is quite spacious, there’s no problem accommodating these newcomers.”

What Hwang Hee is saying is exactly the same as this:

‘If house prices are too expensive, you can just go live in the provinces.’

However, the reason why not only young people but even elderly folks can’t escape from big cities that boast murderous housing prices and living costs is…

For young people, finding places to work is extremely difficult in the provinces, and for the elderly, as they age and their bodies weaken, they need to frequently visit ‘hospitals’…

In the countryside, there are virtually no small hospitals, and to go to a large hospital, with just a little exaggeration, you’d have to spend an entire day.

For these reasons, many people gather and flock to the ‘cities’.

“As the Chief Minister said, building houses for people to live in shouldn’t be much of a problem. However, the employment issue is different. For those who have flocked to Hanyang to make a living, they need to find jobs, but finding employment will never be easy for them. Not being able to find work means they cannot secure stable property. Then they won’t be able to maintain a constant heart, and eventually they’ll commit crimes without hesitation, just like those who set fire to Hanyang. Isn’t there a saying that even a gentleman who can maintain a constant heart without stable property will climb over another’s fence when his wives and children starve for three days?”

In poor countries, the very concept of human rights is scarce, and to earn even a single coin needed for survival, people won’t hesitate to kill.

So as a joke, if you have a boss at work you really want to kill, they say to take that person on a business trip to the Philippines.

The reason being that in such poor countries, it’s easy to find someone who will kill people for you if you just pay them.

‘It’s actually quite possible in reality.’

Since it’s a country where firearm possession is legal, they say they’ll kill for about 10 million won.

Those who came from their hometown to Seoul without any plan will also fall into the temptation of doing such bad things when driven by poverty.

“So we shouldn’t think there won’t be big problems just because there’s plenty of space to build houses. But Hanyang is also a place where all goods gather, and isn’t it also a place where many people congregate? We need to build workshops here that can make various tools like farming tools essential to the people’s lives, construct markets that sell various specialties, food shops, and fabric stores that make and sell cloth – we need to create many such places so that the common people who came to Hanyang without a plan can have places to work. Only then will the countless people who have gathered in Hanyang be able to find employment.”

“Listening to Scribe Kim’s words, it sounds like you’re saying we should give the common people choices other than farming… Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right. However, no matter how much the number of people entering commerce increases, and even if those working as craftsmen in cities increase several-fold… it won’t interfere with farming.”

Unless agricultural machinery is invented in earnest and the industrial revolution begins, creating a situation where supply exceeds demand…

80% of Joseon people will live as farmers for their entire lives.

Having a different occupation doesn’t guarantee a better life, so it’s human instinct to want to continue doing what one has been doing.

Indeed, when the industrial revolution occurred, factory workers did surge dramatically, but the majority of the population still lived as farmers.

Ah, but there is this.

Since the common people will be given choices other than farming, farmers will come to avoid landlords who offer ‘excessively poor tenant conditions’.

Previously, even when forced to pay half the crop as rent, taxes under the Bangwon Method, and even land taxes, farmers with no other alternatives had to pay everything with tears in their eyes.

But when Hanyang is developed first and other cities follow suit, with commerce and industry developing, jobs will naturally increase…

‘Rather than pay those tenant fees, I’ll just go work at a factory.’

People will start thinking this way and quit tenant farming.

As this happens, tenant conditions will change in favor of farmers, and farmers’ actual income will increase.

But I will keep this fact thoroughly to myself.

Hwang Hee is a major landowner, Jo Mal-saeng is also a major landowner, and all the yangban officials are major landowners – would they like this policy I proposed if they heard such talk?

“As long as it doesn’t interfere with farming, there’s nothing bad about it. If the many people gathered in Seongjeosimni can produce various farming tools and quality goods with their hands, commerce will develop further and the country will be able to collect more taxes.”

“Yes, Chief Minister.”

I selected one from the pile of official reports and spread it before him.

“And among the Han River ferry crossings, Yongsan is connected almost in a straight line to Hanyang Market. So if we build a large new road from Yongsan to Hanyang Market and make it easy for ships to come and go, massive amounts of goods will circulate more easily in Hanyang. Similarly, if we develop various harbors like Noryangjin, Yanghwajin, Gwangjin, and so on in the same way…”

Hwang Hee interrupted me mid-sentence.

“Goods from all over the country would spread widely throughout Hanyang and Gyeonggi Province. And items produced in workshops and various specialty products would quickly spread nationwide through Hanyang. How much tax would be collected in this process? Just thinking about it is quite pleasing.”

“At least the equivalent of 100,000 to 200,000 seom of white rice in taxes would increase.”

As I said “at least,” this is merely the minimum amount.

With all kinds of goods circulating here and there, and adding even minimal tariffs, we could collect 500,000 seom.

“And as I previously submitted in an official report, if we build ice storage houses in places like Incheon and engage in fishing using ice ships loaded with ice, we could eat fresh fish even in Hanyang.”

“… Fresh fish is almost like medicine.”

“Isn’t it treated as medicine not because it has medicinal effects, but simply because it’s rare?”

“That’s also true. Good. Do everything you want to do. But would the market guild merchants welcome this plan?”

Of course they’d hate it.

It would mean losing the commercial rights of Hanyang and Gyeonggi Province, which they wouldn’t be satisfied with even if they monopolized everything.

But I have alternatives for everything.

“Why do you think I earnestly petitioned His Majesty to bring my father-in-law to the State Council, knowing full well that I would be subject to the avoidance system?”

“I see.”

The market guild merchants are a kind of economic cartel.

Cartels, except in special cases, are almost always parasites that eat away at society.

In other words, they’re the kind of people on whom I can use Hyeomseong Kingdom’s wisdom of ‘Divide and Rule.’

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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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