Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 103

After seeing off the tribal chiefs who had received generous gifts in addition to the promised salt, King Sejong turned to his ministers.

“Now we can breathe a sigh of relief. Let’s pick up the pace! Right State Councilor.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Since you have been appointed as the administrative officer, proceed with the final selection of personnel immediately. I expect the results within three days. Given your capabilities that I’ve heard from the Crown Prince, this should be feasible, right?”

Upon hearing Sejong’s words, Hwang Hui’s face paled.

That malicious king was already plotting to send him to the Office of Records!

“Why? Doubtful? Then, let’s go with someone else…”

“I will definitely finish it within three days!”

“Good, I look forward to it.”

Hwang Hui returned alone to the Council of Ministers’ building and began sifting through the list of personnel records.

While going through the list, Hwang Hui ground his teeth.

“I am Hwang Hui! It’s me, Hwang Hui! Even King Taejong valued me!”

Although he had been exiled for some time due to the Crown Prince Yangnyeong affair, as soon as Sejong ascended the throne, the king had immediately lifted his exile and summoned him to the court. He was that trusted.

“I’ll make them all understand why King Taejong acknowledged me! Why I am Hwang Hui!”

Grinding his teeth, Hwang Hui sifted through the personnel names one by one.

“Eliminate those who put themselves in! We must select from other departments! We need to find people who work well but are reluctant to move!”

After going through the list of hundreds of personnels, Hwang Hui first picked one from the Ministry of Personnel.

“This guy will do! Kim Jong-seo from the Ministry of Personnel!”

As for the colleagues’ and supervisors’ evaluations of Kim Jong-seo:

“He’s a cow who doesn’t want to leave the barn.”

“He thinks anywhere outside the capital is hell.”

“He does his job well but loves the capital too much.”

Kim Jong-seo adored the capital, Hanseong.

In Taejong’s fifth year (1405), he had passed the civil service exam at the youngest age (13th rank) and had been walking the path of an orthodox scholar-official. His rank had increased while handling various duties both within and outside the palace, yet he had never received a bad evaluation.

Everyone who knew Kim Jong-seo therefore added this after their evaluations:

“Although he loves Hanseong too much, he’ll likely be in a high-ranking official’s position no less than ten years from now.”

However, as evident from the nicknames, Kim Jong-seo loved Hanseong too much.

Originally from Suncheon in Jeolla Province, and having spent his childhood in Chungju and Suncheon, Kim Jong-seo was enamored by the grandeur of the large city of Hanseong.

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Some said that when he was assigned tasks in the provincial areas, he worked diligently and meticulously solely to return to Hanseong quickly and to avoid being sent out again.

Even in a history unaltered by scents, when a situation known as the “Change of the Earth” occurred causing chaos in the Northeastern region, he had sent petitions filled with content expressing his wish to return to Hanseong as soon as possible after being dispatched as an inspector to Pyeong-an Province.

“If it’s him, he’ll work himself to death just to return to Hanseong that he loves so much! He’s perfect for middle management!”

Hwang Hui, who had taken a liking to Kim Jong-seo, chose administrators with similar tendencies.

Thinking they were the best choices, Hwang Hui summoned his adjutants and gathered the people he had selected.

“…So you all will go north with me. If you do well, a new path will open up before your eyes. First off, most of you, like Kim Jong-seo, hold the rank of lower-5th-rank. However, the moment you become part of the frontier administration, you will be promoted by one rank. Then you’ll at least reach a higher-5th-rank, right?”

“Yes!”

“If you work hard in the North for about five years and come back, His Royal Majesty will grant you at least the rank of lower-4th-rank, if not higher. That means you would have advanced at least two ranks. Do you think that’s possible if you just work here in Hanseong for 5 years?”

“…”

“Probably difficult, right?”

At Hwang Hui’s question, everyone nodded without even realizing it. Except for one person.

“I think it’s possible?”

It was Kim Jong-seo.

At Kim Jong-seo’s words, Hwang Hui angrily retorted.

“You brat! You have to go with me, no matter what! Don’t even think about slipping away!”

“…”

Unhappy with Hwang Hui’s scolding, Kim Jong-seo closed his mouth.

Hwang Hui, who had glared at Kim Jong-seo, continued to explain to the others.

“And there’s another important point. According to the current plan, the area we will acquire is about one and a half times the size of Hamgyeong Province.”

“That’s vast…”

“Ha…”

Upon hearing Hwang Hui’s words, the gathered administrators all sighed.

“Do you have any idea how many Jurchen tribes will be there?”

“Huh?”

Just as everyone’s ears perked up at Hwang Hui’s words, Kim Jong-seo interjected.

“But won’t there be a policy of moving people anyway? Wouldn’t the workload be not small? Why not just stay in Hanseong…”

“You’re going with me, no matter what!”

“I’m…”

“Thinking of resigning? Just try it! I’ll report you to His Royal Majesty and have you recorded at the royal archives!”

“…”

At Hwang Hui’s warning, Kim Jong-seo’s mouth closed again.

Having silenced Kim Jong-seo, Hwang Hui continued.

“As that guy mentioned, there will definitely be a relocation policy, so the work won’t be easy. But think about it. Even if the frontier is vast, is it as big as the entire Korean peninsula? Would you rather be swamped with work coming from all over the peninsula here in Hanseong, or handle the work of just one province?”

At Hwang Hui’s words, everyone except Kim Jong-seo responded in unison.

“We will go north!”

“I…”

“You’re going north with me, no matter what!”

Hwang Hui’s stern words left Kim Jong-seo disheartened.

Having received unanimous agreement from the first round of selected personnel, Hwang Hui moved on to the next point.

“Alright, you can’t handle everything from start to finish, right? So, you’ll need to select people to work under you. How many would be good? Of course, the more the merrier, but having too many could make it unmanageable, so choose a reasonable number.”

At Hwang Hui’s command, the administrators began calculating in their heads what a reasonable number would be.

Just then, Kim Jong-seo spoke up.

“For personnel, we’ll need about 5 6th-rank local magistrates or police chiefs to manage the villages in the frontier. And their aides would number around 10, plus another 5 to analyze administrative issues arising from the frontier. That makes a total of 20 people. Ah! We’ll also need about 20 physicians, especially to prevent diseases like smallpox. And within that, we should have about five nurses. In the case of the military affairs, most tasks will be handled by the military force expanding into the frontier, so about 6 people should suffice. For the public works, around 8 people. The Law and Enforcement office will also mostly rely on the military for public safety, so 6 people should be enough,” Kim Jong-seo began to pour out.

Hwang Hui looked at him with disbelief.

Kim Jong-seo continued his explanation, seemingly unaware of Hwang Hui’s gaze.

“As for officials handling rites, we should prepare for any possible encounter with Ming China, so including the deputy officials, 4 people should suffice. The biggest problem is with officials from the Ministry of Taxation. We must organize the household registries of the newly appointed civilians, as well as resolve land disputes among the Jurchens and migrants, and also create new land ledgers. We will likely continue to provide tax exemptions to promote civilian settlement, but we also have to resolve financial expenditure issues such as construction, so ideally we should have 48 people. However, given the current situation, that’s not feasible. So, 30 people would be optimal and 24 would be the minimum to last for about 5 years.”

Everyone blinked at Kim Jong-seo’s rapid-fire response, including Hwang Hui. 

Hwang Hui was the first to snap out of it. 

‘Just as I thought! When it’s urgent, things go smoothly! I picked the right man!’

The other officials who came to their senses then began to review Kim Jong-seo’s suggestions. 

They all nodded their heads, recognizing the merits of each other’s expertise.

“Kim Jong-seo’s suggestion seems the best.”

“Alright, then. Start by selecting one and a half times the number of candidates and bring them to hort-term meeting. You all better pick wisely if you want to make your lives easier. You have one day. Get moving!”

“Yes!”

Upon Hwang Hui’s command, the officials scattered quickly. Watching them disappear into the six ministries, Hwang Hui muttered to himself, “If it takes one day to select the candidates and another day for screening to finalize the team, it’ll be done in two days. Then, His Majesty  shouldn’t have anything more to say.”

Just as Hwang Hui was nodding in satisfaction, the door burst open and Maeng Sae-seong rushed in.

“Your Excellency, how could this happen!”

“What are you talking about?”

Maeng Sae-seong shouted in response to Hwang Hui’s question.

“You bribed His Majesty! Is this even possible!”

“It’s not a bribe! I was just showing my resolve! Besides, how did you find out?”

“I found out from a scribe who recorded the private meeting last night… No, that’s not the point right now! What am I to do if you also escape? Before long, Younguijeong will send for me as an envoy! Then, I’ll be the only remaining government official!”

“Don’t worry. The Left Right Councilor will return soon and my position will be promptly filled. What’s there to worry about?”

“You, seriously!”

Maeng Sae-seong was about to grab him by the collar but restrained himself.

“I apologize. I’m also desperate! Ever since the days of King Taejong, I’ve been recognized for my abilities, but do you know what I hear most often from His Majesty nowadays? This is my chance to get the recognition I deserve! Otherwise, it negates my entire life!”

“Ah…”

Upon hearing Hwang Hui’s words, Maeng Sae-seong sat down on the chair with a disappointed expression. This was because he somewhat understood Hwang Hui’s feelings.

Eventually, as time passed, Maeng Sae-seong had to face reality.

“Please take care.”

“Thank you.”

Two days later, Hwang Hui prepared a list of officials who would accompany him and submitted it to King Sejong.

“Very well. Proceed.”

“Yes.”

“Also, take care. If you lose your life, it would be a great loss.”

At King Sejong’s words, Hwang Hui deeply bowed.

“I am infinitely grateful to Your Majesty!”

“Ah! I almost forgot. The administrative staff going north this time should learn horseback musketry at the training center before departure.”

“Musketry, you say?”

Answering Hwang Hui’s question, Sejong explained the reason.

“The cunning of the Jurchen tribes is well-known, isn’t it? Shouldn’t we at least prepare a minimum level of self-defense? It’s all for the safety of the expedition members.”

‘Good heavens, if even the civil officials have to carry muskets, aren’t we done for?’

Suppressing the urge to argue as such, Hwang Hui bowed again.

“Your Majesty’s concern for the gods is truly immense!”

Thus, Hwang Hui and the officials had to learn horseback musketry, shooting techniques, and management at the training center until two days before departure.

***

Soldiers who were to pioneer the Jurchen territories gathered in Hanyang and conducted a departure ceremony.

At the ceremony, King Sejong alerted the soldiers to the gravity of their task.

“Everyone knows that moving in winter is no small feat! However, this is the grand plan of our Joseon! Do not forget that the future of Joseon rests on your shoulders! Go forth with valor!”

At King Sejong’s exhortation, the soldiers raised their arms and shouted, “Long live His Majesty! Long live His Majesty!”

After completing the departure ceremony, the soldiers passed through Heunginjimun Gate and headed north.

***

The development of the Tumen River area went fairly smoothly. Most Jurchen tribe chiefs kept their earlier promises and willingly submitted to Joseon rule.

Occasionally, some tribes broke their promises and resisted with force, but they were annihilated by the overwhelming firepower of the Joseon army.

While the Joseon troops were gradually expanding their territory at the front, administrative officials led by Hwang Hui were swiftly adjusting administrative districts at the rear.

Farmland was allocated to the submitted Jurchen tribes and peasants who had moved up, and local officials were appointed.

“Appointing our people to key points and tribal chiefs as leaders in other areas seems to be the best course of action,” suggested Kim Jong-seo.

“That would be the best,” agreed Hwang Hui.

And so, Hwang Hui kept nodding in agreement as Kim Jong-seo reported on suitable local officials and the areas they would govern, appearing pleased.

‘I chose well! He’s trying to get this done as quickly as possible to return to Hanyang!’

Just when everything seemed to be going smoothly, a major accident erupted in Hanyang.