He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 98

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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 (5)

For someone like me, a mere 4th rank junior inspector, Pyeonjeon Hall is extremely overwhelming.

As soon as I entered Pyeonjeon Hall, I felt as if gravity had suddenly increased nearly tenfold.

It must be because of the intimidating presence emanating from King Sejong, the Three Chief Ministers, the ministers of the Six Ministries, and other high-ranking officials.

Inside, the ministers and King Sejong were discussing, saying this is right, no that’s wrong, this is excessive…

None of that matters – I just want to go home quickly and see Gyeoul-i.

And tomorrow I should take sick leave, even if I have to make up an excuse about being ill.

In the midst of this, Heo Jo looked at me with sharp eyes like a hawk trying to snatch prey and asked.

“Unlike Ming, Joseon doesn’t issue maritime bans to relocate all coastal village residents inland, nor do we prohibit shipbuilding. We have neither reason nor need for such measures. Also, to widely implement the Bangwon Method, we need ships to transport tax grain, so I agree with expanding the scale of Jeonhamsa. However, I think the level of Jeonhamsa expansion you’ve proposed is excessive. What are your thoughts, Inspector Kim?”

“I believe even this is insufficient.”

In fact, even producing 100 ships annually would be insufficient.

If Joseon’s merchant ships could carry tens of thousands of tons at once like 21st-century vessels, building just a few ships each year would suffice.

However, the multi-masted ships currently built in Joseon are small vessels with a displacement of only about 400 tons…

To meet the nationwide demand for ships, even operating twice the shipyard scale I proposed would be insufficient.

“I know well that Inspector Kim is not one to speak falsely. But excess is as bad as deficiency – too much can be worse than doing nothing at all.”

I was about to explain the reason, but Minister of Public Works Lee Cheon stepped forward first.

“Minister Heo’s words have merit, but Joseon before the Bangwon Method and after are completely different. It’s not just that tax revenue has increased, but the scale of commerce has grown absurdly large.”

“Knowing that, I acknowledge Inspector Kim’s intent to greatly expand the shipyards. Wouldn’t this have been unimaginable in the old Joseon?”

“In Pyeongan Province and Hamgyeong Province, tiger pelts and leather are very common goods, but rice is extremely precious. Therefore, one tiger pelt trades for about two seom and five mal of white rice there. This is because the cold northern climate makes rice farming impossible. In contrast, in Hanyang one tiger pelt trades for 10 seom of white rice, and in Jeolla Province about 13 seom of white rice, because tiger pelts are rare and rice is abundant. Given this, if we build many ships to facilitate the exchange of white rice and tiger pelts, each region can supplement what it lacks, which would benefit all the people.”

“That may be true, but…”

Here, Minister of War Jo Mal-saeng, who desperately wanted to become one of the Three Chief Ministers as soon as possible, stepped forward.

“Inspector Kim’s petition may seem somewhat excessive, but the person who knows the Bangwon Method best is none other than Inspector Kim himself. Moreover, he has assisted with the overall work of the Six Ministries and knows the practical affairs of the Royal Court better than anyone. And among all the things Inspector Kim has advocated so far, what hasn’t helped Joseon’s development?”

Jo Mal-saeng gave me a signal with his eyes.

He didn’t say anything, but the meaning came through.

‘Come join the State Council with me quickly, I’ll push out all the opposition and get you promoted to 4th rank secretary.’

“Your Majesty, I believe we should first proceed with the work as outlined in the petition submitted by Kim Dae-bung, Inspector of Jeonhamsa.”

“First… then you mean we should expand the scale even more later?”

“Yes, that is correct. As the Minister of Public Works said, it is absolutely necessary for the true completion of the Bangwon Method that contains the beautiful heart of His Retired Majesty.”

Come to think of it, Right State Councilor Lee Won, who had little presence, was caught in corruption and dismissed somewhat earlier than in the original history…

He’ll definitely be promoted to the next state councilor position.

I really hope he gets promoted before the Kim Do-ryeon incident breaks out.

If he doesn’t get promoted now, he’ll never reach a state councilor position for the rest of his life.

“I shall ask Kim Dae-bung, Inspector of Jeonhamsa.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I do not doubt your loyalty and patriotism. Therefore, this petition you submitted must also have been written purely for Joseon, abandoning personal interests. However, as the Minister of Rites said, I wonder if you are trying to proceed with things too hastily.”

Before I took office, Jeonhamsa built fewer than 10 ships each year.

And those 10 ships weren’t all large ships, the biggest in Joseon, but included the smallest vessels and medium-sized ships as well.

In such circumstances, proposing to build 50 ships in half a year and about 100 turtle ships per year (sized equal to or larger than panokseon) was indeed a very rapidly expanded measure.

However, this is something that must be done because it’s absolutely necessary.

“I understand Your Majesty’s concerns, but I believe that in the future Joseon, even building 100 ships per year will not be enough.”

“What is the reason for this?”

“Right now, since it’s the early stage of implementing the Bangwon Method, even though special product production has greatly increased, the situation where special products rot away in their counties hasn’t occurred yet… but according to my brother-in-law who operates a trading company in Jinhae, the price of dried persimmons in Jinhae Market has dropped by about 20% compared to before. This phenomenon occurred because many dried persimmons were produced, but insufficient quantities were sent to other counties, leaving them surplus within Jinhae County.”

Since the implementation of the Bangwon Method, the people’s lives have become very prosperous.

Moreover, when new farming tools are distributed, the harvest will greatly increase, but taxes won’t rise. So the income that people can use will increase even more.

Merchants, who are sensitive to market and economic conditions, noticed this change and increased special product production even more.

However, the problem is that if production increases like crazy while Jinhae County’s special product, dried persimmons, is only consumed within Jinhae County…

Like the tangerines of Jeju Island, where locals are treated as fools if they pay money to eat them, dried persimmons would become so common that their price would become dirt cheap.

“But the merchants of Jinhae County planted about 2,000 more persimmon trees this year. When dried persimmons are already surplus and prices are falling, if the amount produced in the future increases even more, what will become of all these?”

“They will rot like rice rotting in rich families’ granaries.”

King Sejong’s brow furrowed.

In modern society where food rotting and being partially discarded is natural, we might consider this phenomenon somewhat inevitable, but in Joseon, food rotting was an unacceptable occurrence.

While it’s heartbreaking that children in Africa are starving, when our own people are hungry, we cannot accept that food is rotting somewhere else.

“However, if we transport the surplus dried persimmons from Jinhae by ship and sell them to other regions, the common people of the Eight Provinces nationwide can eat dried persimmons.”

In economics, there is a concept called absolute advantage.

Let’s say City A can produce 150 bottles of wine and 60 sacks of wheat annually, while City B can produce 60 bottles of wine and 150 sacks of wheat.

And if these two engage in commercial activities to exchange wheat and wine, with City A focusing only on wine production and City B only on wheat production?

City A would be able to produce 300 bottles of wine, and City B would be able to produce 300 sacks of wheat.

If this is divided in half, both Cities A and B can take 150 bottles of wine and 150 sacks of wheat.

If this phenomenon spreads nationwide throughout Joseon, productivity will improve dramatically and all the common people will be able to benefit from it.

“Previously, the common people had nothing left after paying taxes, so they rarely ate precious foods like dried persimmons, but now they have surplus, so they will seek delicious foods like dried persimmons. When that happens, commerce will flourish greatly, and the Royal Court will be able to collect enormous taxes from the merchants engaged in commerce.”

Even with the concept of absolute advantage, it’s useless without increased income for the common people who make up most of the consumption, as King Sejong said.

Frankly speaking, if one person eats dried persimmons to their heart’s content, how many could they possibly eat?

Even if people from the Joseon era were big eaters, they would eat at most around 20 and stop.

However, if the common people’s income increases and thousands or tens of thousands seek dried persimmons, even if each person eats just one, thousands or tens of thousands would be needed.

Then dried persimmon farmers who try to make a living by producing only dried persimmons will emerge, and as a result, everyone will be able to eat dried persimmons at cheap prices.

“That’s right, so I plan to dispose of all my assets except for the costs needed for immediate living and my house, and place a shipbuilding order with the Warship Construction Office.”

At my words, all the ministers tilted their heads in puzzlement.

There’s still one more left.

“My father-in-law will also properly utilize all disposable assets to use for building ships. This is both work for the country and something that can bring great profit.”

I am living as an upright official by Joseon standards.

However, I don’t intend to avoid making money with information learned while serving in office.

Because to survive in Joseon, one must do at least that much.

I plan to build ships with the resolve to take several percent of the logistics for various specialty products supplied to Hanyang.

When they see me making enormous money from that, other people will obviously clamor to hurry up and build ships too.

When a maritime transportation boom occurs, Joseon’s economy will develop even further, so this is truly self-interest that benefits the nation.

“Are you so confident about that?”

“I am confident that before long, even in Hanyang, people will easily be able to eat Fresh Fish caught from the sea.”

Come to think of it, they say the Ice storage business is quite profitable.

If I could load preserved Ice onto Fishing Boats, pack the caught fish with Ice to transport them cold, and sell them, I could make enormous money.

When they see me making a fortune by doing this on a large scale as a test, other people will all follow suit.

21st-century civil servants can’t make money using information learned while performing official duties, but in Joseon, it’s encouraged as long as you’re not directly taking Bribes and doing bad things…

‘Self-interest that leads to national development.’

“For now, I understand.”

King Sejong concluded the discussion.

“As Kim Dae-bung said, build a Shipyard in Incheon that can construct 50 ships every six months. After observing the progress, if it’s concluded to be desirable, build similar shipyards at Naval Commands nationwide as well.”

And when two months had passed, the first Chinese Treasure Ship built by the Warship Construction Office finally began operation.

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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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