He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 96

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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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Transportation Reform (3)

 

There’s a joke that even someone who can barely speak English would become a master of English in just three months if thrown somewhere in America where there are no Koreans.

 

However, you can’t just dismiss this as complete nonsense because it’s a joke…

 

Even someone with severe English phobia, if thrown alone into America where Korean doesn’t work at all, would need to earn money immediately, buy food, and find lodging to survive.

 

Whether using Body Language or Survival English combining only words, they’d be forced into a situation where they have no choice but to use English.

 

So they say that struggling to survive gradually leads to adapting to English.

 

The craftsmen who came from the Ming Dynasty are also ‘people’ just like us, so this process and method should work on them.

 

“Congratulations on voluntarily coming from the Ming Dynasty to Joseon. By His Majesty’s grace, you have now become people of Joseon.”

 

The gathered craftsmen tilted their heads in confusion.

 

What I said was something they must have heard countless times during their journey from the Ming Dynasty to Joseon, and probably several times after arriving in Joseon as well.

 

Since I was stepping forward to repeat what they’d heard so many times, they must be wondering what my intention was.

 

“His Majesty has given you Rice Meal when you could barely afford gruel in the Ming Dynasty, and has also given you houses to live in. As human beings, shouldn’t you always be grateful for this and strive to repay His Majesty’s grace?”

 

The shipbuilding craftsmen from the Ming Dynasty, before coming to Joseon, would have done all kinds of rough work without discrimination but still often went hungry.

 

Or they were people who barely managed to put food in their mouths.

 

Having been driven to such desperate circumstances, they risked their lives to defect at just one promise that they’d be able to make a living.

 

Even though they couldn’t know for certain whether our promise that they’d be able to make a living if they came to Joseon was a lie or not, they had no choice but to come to Joseon.

 

Because living in the Ming Dynasty was literally Hell.

 

I pointed to the oldest person among those gathered and asked.

 

“Isn’t that right?”

 

“Yes, that’s correct. We will work hard to repay His Majesty’s grace.”

 

“Good. You are those who voluntarily came to Joseon, and now you have developed hearts that want to repay His Majesty’s grace without anyone telling you to, which is truly good to see. However, unfortunately, you are not yet prepared to repay His Majesty’s grace.”

 

If I were to provide these guys with plenty of tools and materials right now, they would be able to quickly build Ming Ships.

 

However, the reason I had Hwang Su-sin bring them here wasn’t just to build Ming Bokson.

 

Then what’s the real purpose?

 

That is to spread the technology for making Ming Bokson throughout all of Joseon.

 

However, in the current state, spreading the technology is difficult.

 

To achieve the goal I’ve set, Ming craftsmen must directly pass on their techniques to Joseon craftsmen…

 

How can they pass on techniques when they can’t communicate?

 

This isn’t some university where foreign language classes are conducted entirely in that country’s language from the start – how would Joseon craftsmen understand Ming language?

 

‘These guys need to speak Joseon.’

 

“In Ming, one follows Ming laws and speaks Ming language as basic principle. Then, having come to Joseon, shouldn’t you naturally speak Joseon and follow Joseon laws?”

 

“Yes, that is correct.”

 

Joseon is a very tolerant country toward foreigners.

 

Park Yeon (Weltevree), who worked for the Dutch East India Company, came to Joseon, learned Joseon language, and followed Joseon culture as well.

 

King Injo gave him an Official Position, and all Joseon people regarded him not as a naturalized citizen but as one of their own Joseon people.

 

However, if we look at this matter in reverse, it becomes like this.

 

If you live in Joseon but cannot speak Joseon and do not follow Joseon culture, you will be treated as ‘Northern Barbarians.’

 

Especially King Sejong once forced Arabs who settled in Joseon but still believed in Allah and refused ancestral rites to accept Joseon culture through forceful methods.

 

“Yet you claim to have become Joseon people while being unable to speak Joseon. Do you think this makes sense?”

 

At my words, the Ming craftsmen could not offer a single retort.

 

Because it’s only natural common sense for Joseon people to speak Joseon.

 

“Right now you are Joseon people, but since you cannot speak Joseon, you are only half-Joseon people. Therefore, I will cut your Monthly Stipend in half, giving you only 8 mal of White Rice each month.”

 

8 mal of White Rice is actually much more than what they received when they were in Ming.

 

However, this amount is not enough to feed their wives and children to satisfaction.

 

They would need at least double that 8 mal to provide three meals a day.

 

In other words, these guys will have to learn Joseon as quickly as possible, if only to feed their wives and children.

 

‘Since the treatment is still better than when they lived in the Ming Dynasty, they won’t be able to complain.’

 

“However, if you become able to converse in Joseon language, I will give you 1 seom and 6 mal of white rice monthly, 19 seom of white rice annually. I will also build houses for you near the shipyard close to Jeonhamsa.”

 

An annual salary of 19 seom of white rice is absolutely not a small income, whether in the Ming Dynasty or Joseon.

 

With that level of income, it would be fair to compare it to a production worker at a first-class large corporation in Korea.

 

Probably even when Emperor Yongle was doing Zheng He’s great voyages and whatnot, he didn’t give this level of compensation.

 

“Will you really give us 19 seom of white rice?”

 

“Depending on the skills and experience you possess, there will be differences… but I’m thinking of letting those who receive the most get up to 30 seom maximum. Additionally, I will give 2 seom of white rice to those who quickly learn Joseon language, and 10 seom of white rice to those who teach shipbuilding techniques well to Joseon craftsmen…”

 

I brought forward Jang Yeong-sil who was standing beside me.

 

“No matter how well the Ming Dynasty builds ships, they don’t grant official positions, but Joseon is different. If you truly work with all your heart and soul, you can hold an official position in Joseon like Jang Byeoljwa here.”

 

“Is that really true?”

 

“Why would I lie to you? All of this is His Majesty’s grace.”

 

The Joseon craftsmen shouted “Long live His Majesty” in Chinese without me even telling them to.

 

Indeed, money is the best way to win people’s hearts.

 

“However, there is no such thing as free in this world. To enjoy His Majesty’s grace, you must properly become people of Joseon. Therefore, from now on, I will issue an order prohibiting you from using Ming language.”

 

The fastest way to make someone learn a foreign language is to prevent them from hearing or speaking any language other than that ‘foreign language.’

 

It’s an extreme method, but in the case of Koreans, if you make them watch Japanese animation with subtitles day and night for an entire year while extremely reducing Korean conversation and Korean usage, their Japanese speaking ability actually improves significantly.

 

While there are individual differences to some extent, if you study this way after learning hiragana, you can easily develop language skills sufficient to work part-time jobs locally.

 

Daily conversation becomes fully possible as well.

 

At JLPT Level 1 exam sites, there are quite many test-takers who built their Japanese foundation this way, studied a bit more, then came to take the exam.

 

‘There were some strong ones who deliberately brought goods with anime characters drawn on them.’

 

Joseon’s Sayeogwon also uses similar methods when educating interpreters.

 

“From now on, to learn Joseon language, you must absolutely not use Ming language except when comparing Ming words with Joseon words.”

 

Actually, in the process of educating interpreters at Sayeogwon, interpreter candidates receive disciplinary action if they’re caught conversing in Joseon language among themselves.

 

So the educational method I’m providing them would be advanced education that only interpreter candidates receive in Joseon.

 

“Now, what happens if you get caught using Ming Dynasty language instead of Joseon language? I won’t beat you or cut your monthly stipend to make your families starve. However, I will make you bitterly regret carelessly using Ming Dynasty language. I’ll show you directly what kind of experience you’ll have. Military Instructor Kim Jeong-hwa, step forward.”

 

At my words, the military instructor with strict discipline stood before us.

 

“Prepare for Loyalty Calisthenics.”

 

Though I named it Loyalty Calisthenics, this is actually Guerrilla Calisthenics.

 

I’m talking about that terrible calisthenics routine composed of various movements that first come to mind when thinking of guerrilla training.

 

Every time someone uses Ming Dynasty language, they’ll do this Loyalty Calisthenics once using collective responsibility.

 

That way, they’ll develop an aversion to Ming Dynasty language and desperately try to use only Joseon language.

 

“Begin Loyalty Calisthenics numbers 1 through 13.”

 

Military Instructor Kim perfectly executed the guerrilla calisthenics movements with sword-like precision according to my commands.

 

The Ming Dynasty craftsmen watched with curious expressions.

 

Yes, you’ll be doing this soon.

 

And once you experience it, you’ll be terrified just hearing the first syllable of Loyalty Calisthenics.

 

“Now, this is Loyalty Calisthenics. Everyone lie down on the ground. Prepare for Loyalty Calisthenics movement number 1.”

 

Someone who has never eaten a lemon doesn’t know it’s sour even when they see one.

 

So they don’t salivate even when shown a lemon.

 

But someone who has eaten a lemon even once knows well how terribly sour it is… just looking at one makes their mouth water.

 

They’ll be the same – they need to experience it to understand.

 

Ah, that Loyalty Calisthenics is this damn awful.

 

“Begin movement.”

 

In this era, whether in Joseon or Ming Dynasty, high status is everything.

 

These craftsmen have no choice but to follow my orders.

 

If they don’t follow them, they’ll experience very sad things.

 

And so I gifted them exercises 1 through 7.

 

They all look like they’re about to die, but exercise 8 is still left.

 

After the drill instructor demonstrated once, I had them perform the 8th movement.

 

“Begin 8th movement.”

 

As I gave the commands, they all started cursing in Chinese despite my orders not to use Chinese.

 

Pitiful and pathetic fellows.

 

I clearly told them not to speak Chinese…

 

Since they couldn’t understand with words, I have no choice but to make them learn with their bodies.

 

“I told you who have become Joseon people not to use Ming Dynasty language. But seeing how you ignore my words like this, it seems your loyalty and patriotism are still lacking.”

 

“No sir!”

 

“Since you still don’t know how to say ‘no’ in Joseon language, I’ll specially teach you. In Ming Dynasty language it’s ‘bushi’, in Joseon language it’s ‘anibnida’.”

 

“Is your loyalty and patriotism lacking?”

 

“No sir!”

 

“I think you use Ming Dynasty language because your loyalty and patriotism are lacking!”

 

… I need to create an environment where they have no choice but to learn Joseon language, and push them so they’ll abandon Ming Dynasty language.

 

This is something I’m doing for the country out of necessity.

 

It’s absolutely not because I want to vent the resentment from when I received Guerrilla Training to serve as a basic branch officer.

 

“8th movement, 30 repetitions!”

 

On this day, the craftsmen from the Ming Dynasty learned with their bodies the reason why they must use Joseon language.

 

And in just two months, they became capable of basic communication in Joseon language.

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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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