He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 79

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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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Gunpowder and Hygiene (8)

 

The military is an organization where you must obey orders without question, regardless of the era.

 

To solve military camp corruption, you must believe that simply installing a bell that everyone must laugh at when it rings will completely solve all “military camp corruption” and create a happy camp for everyone.

 

It’s also an organization where if some sergeant warns a private that mixing rice with soup is a serious violation of military discipline, and one day the private violates this rule, then when the company gathers all soldiers with less seniority to harass them to death, it becomes “the private’s fault.”

 

Therefore, in the Chungmu Guard as well, since the Minister of War ordered it, even though it’s an instruction they can’t comprehend with their own minds, what choice do they have… they must follow it.

 

Daejeong Kim Han-mo, who belongs to the Chungmu Guard, is now hearing instructions that he cannot comprehend with his common sense.

 

“The Minister of War has ordered that all troops must bathe once every three days, and must wash their hands clean with water before eating. Additionally, he has instructed that military uniforms must be washed once every seven days, and the military camps where soldiers live must be kept clean at all times.”

 

A daejeong (platoon-level officer, risen from the ranks) cannot object to or disobey the instructions of a tongjang (battalion-level officer).

 

No, this is an instruction from the Minister of War himself, so if he rebels against this, something very sad will happen.

 

So even if this is an order as absurd as a rolling pin in the middle of the night, he has no choice but to follow it.

 

It’s not even asking him to lead soldiers to a meaningless death, just to suffer a bit more alongside the soldiers, so what choice does he have.

 

To serve as a daejeong and receive a salary that can feed his wife and children rice meals without starving, he must endure and accomplish this through sheer determination.

 

“The Minister of War has strictly ordered not to apply the crime of disobeying military orders to those who do not follow this difficult command he is issuing. So no one will lose their head for violating this.”

 

And the tongjang paused for a moment before speaking in a stern voice.

 

“However, if you disobey the instructions and do not wash properly, and only our Chungmu Guard develops patients with colds, fevers, and infectious diseases, the general will have no face to meet His Majesty.”

 

If the general has no face to meet His Majesty, they will have to deal with the consequences.

 

Not only will all kinds of harsh training follow, but terrible punishment from above will also occur.

 

Even Daejeong Kim Han-mo, who was able to reach this position only because he served 100 times more faithfully than others when he was a common soldier doing military service, could be stripped of his rank…

 

He thought he must wash the soldiers with the resolve to die.

 

“I won’t say much.”

 

The tongjang looked at the yeojang (company commanders) and daejeong under his command and declared.

 

“By sinsi today (5 PM), thoroughly clean all buildings including the military camps and kitchens where soldiers eat and sleep, have all military uniforms the soldiers are wearing washed, and make them wash their bodies clean. If my eyes see anyone who has not carried out this simple instruction after sinsi today, I will immediately engrave the spirit of loyalty and patriotism into their body and mind.”

 

In other words, if they didn’t want to die, they should immediately drive the soldiers to do cleaning and hygiene management.

 

Kim Han-mo answered in a rigid posture with strict military discipline.

 

“Yes, Commander My Lord!”

 

**

 

Captain Kim Han-mo went to find the soldiers who were eating and taking afternoon naps in the Military Camp on their day off.

 

Most other captains were from elite cavalry backgrounds, so when they saw soldiers lounging around like this, they would make them cut grass at the very least…

 

But having risen from the ranks himself, he knew well the hardships and pain of military service, so on rest days he usually let everyone except those on duty take a break.

 

However, now was not the time for that, so he forcefully kicked open the door to the room where the soldiers were staying.

 

“Wake up! Wake up immediately!”

 

At the word “wake up,” everyone jumped up and sat in place, and among them the most senior soldier stood up abruptly and asked.

 

“Captain My Lord, what on earth is happening?”

 

“Get up from your spots right now and prepare to wash everything – starting with the Blanket and Pillow you’re using, and even your clothes – and start cleaning!”

 

“… But they’re still clean, what are you talking about?”

 

The room had quite a bit of dust, and old grime was also caked up here and there.

 

However, by Joseon Period standards, this level was sufficiently clean.

 

Unless the commander – no, the division commander (regiment-level commander) My Lord was coming, it would be impossible to give orders to clean a room that was already this clean.

 

“Don’t tell me some high-ranking official is coming for an inspection?”

 

“The Minister of War has given a direct order to the General.”

 

The soldiers’ faces turned deathly pale.

 

A direct order from the Defense Minister to the division commander – this meant a matter had come down that would make the division commander’s eyes burn with intensity.

 

In such a critical situation, if even the smallest mistake occurred, they began to think in extremes that they might receive a Beating Stick.

 

Even if they didn’t get beaten with the Beating Stick, they didn’t even want to imagine what other terrible things might happen.

 

“Makdong’s squad and Dongsu’s squad, immediately take out the Rice Straw from inside the Blanket and Pillow, take off the clothes you’re wearing, and go wash them at the nearby Stream. The rest of you sweep and scrub the Military Camp interior, Kitchen, and even the Courtyard until they’re spotless!”

 

“Yes, understood.”

 

“If anyone is even slightly negligent, we’ll all die! We’ll die!”

 

The rank of a company commander is junior 7th grade.

 

If he goes up just one level from here, he would become a true senior official, but he slipped in promotion because he received a “poor” rating once in his last performance evaluation.

 

All his peers who passed the military examination have long since become senior officials, but he alone failed to get promoted…

 

He’s filled with as much resentment and bitterness as the ghost of an unmarried maiden who died without ever getting married.

 

And such a person receives a dressing-down starting from the general?

 

It’s impossible to even predict what might happen.

 

“Start cleaning!”

 

After saying that, Kim Han-mo found a broom, grabbed it, and began sweeping, leading by example.

 

Though he was only a half-rate military officer due to his miscellaneous position, he had a rank in name, so he had always naturally excused himself from all manual labor.

 

When such a person directly picked up a broom and started sweeping, the soldiers couldn’t afford to be careless either.

 

Even Dongsu, the squad leader who was 50 years old but conscripted as a regular soldier and found everything bothersome, had no choice but to put strength into his broom-holding hand and sweep desperately.

 

“Not even a speck of dust should remain! Sweep it all away without leaving a single speck!”

 

Perhaps it was the power of Kim Han-mo directly supervising the cleaning, but the space used by the soldiers of the company he led instantly regained the appearance it had when the building was first constructed.

 

If this had been their own homes, they might have felt proud… but this is the military.

 

Therefore, far from feeling proud, everyone inwardly prayed that their superiors wouldn’t find fault with the cleaning.

 

Because if fault was found, deadly difficult times would follow.

 

“Now go to the well near our military camp and fetch water!”

 

“Yes, My Lord. But why are you telling us to fetch water?”

 

“From now on, we will wash our bodies.”

 

In Joseon, there was no custom of regular bathing.

 

So washing the body was limited to holidays like Chuseok and New Year, or occasionally washing hair or bathing in streams to escape the heat… they washed very rarely.

 

In winter, it’s safe to say they hardly washed at all.

 

“What’s so dirty about our bodies that we need to wash them?”

 

“This is an order from the Minister of War. Quickly tear up some cotton cloth we received as taxes according to the number of people and bring it. We need to soak the cotton cloth in warm water and wipe our bodies.”

 

While establishing hygiene policies, Kim Dae-bung would have liked to create bathtubs for bathing and washing bodies if he had his way…

 

Due to various realistic constraints in Joseon, it was still difficult to create something like ‘public bathhouses’.

 

Supplying the water needed for people to wash was no ordinary task, and obtaining firewood to heat the water was also no easy matter.

 

Since showering was even more impossible, the best means of maintaining bodily cleanliness was naturally to wipe the body with wet cloth.

 

“Yes, My Lord Daejeong.”

 

And Kim Han-mo demonstrated vigorously scrubbing the soldiers’ bodies like someone possessed by a ghost that died from filth.

 

He naturally scrubbed his own body vigorously as well.

 

His body became cleaner than the occasional back-washing or bathing.

 

When they wiped their bodies with Lye Water, black dirty water flowed where they had bathed.

 

Kim Han-mo and the soldiers who saw this were left speechless.

 

“… Good heavens, were we this dirty?”

 

The soldiers and military officers belonging to Sipsa of Joseon’s Central Army all felt similar impressions after bathing according to the guidelines.

 

And after thorough hygiene management was introduced, Sipsa was able to stay safe from various waterborne infectious diseases that would typically break out once in a while.

 

Throughout this entire process, the reputation of Minister of War Jo Mal-saeng, who listened to the ‘supernatural’ stories that Kim Dae-bung brought and forcibly pushed them through, rose sky-high.

 

**

 

The way Jo Mal-saeng looks at me is very sticky.

 

It’s quite burdensome.

 

“Our Kim Jeongrang, if you work so diligently like that, your body will be damaged. If there’s no urgent business, let’s rest for a while and eat some Ginseng Confection together.”

 

“Thank you, Your Excellency.”

 

Joseon’s Ginseng Confection is not ginseng candy made with Sugar but made with honey.

 

Since it’s a combination of honey + ginseng, it’s an incredibly expensive health-boosting snack.

 

“You should have finished all the work assigned to you, so what exactly were you working on?”

 

“It’s nothing much, I was trying to submit a petition.”

 

“Hehe, if you ever need my help, just let me know anytime. What kind of relationship do Kim Jeongnang and I have?”

 

… You’re my boss and I’m your subordinate.

 

He’s talking in such a clingy way, like some girl with a crush asking “what’s our relationship, oppa?”

 

Has this man lost his mind now that he’s being mentioned as the most likely candidate among current Six Ministries ministers to be promoted to State Councilor?

 

“Thank you, Your Excellency.”

 

“By the way, Kim Jeongnang, you really don’t seem to have any ambition for promotion.”

 

“If I work hard, won’t promotion come naturally?”

 

After hearing my words, Jo Mal-saeng asked a puzzling question.

 

“If I rise to the position of Three Chief Ministers, would you come with me to the State Council?”

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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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