Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 39: Laughing and Crying in Devotion (4)

“A ship has arrived in Jemulpo!”

“is it? “Did everyone come in without any problems?”

“That’s right.”

King Sejong, who obtained a falcon for hunting by order of Emperor Yeongnak, dispatched Jineungsa (進鷹使). Naturally, merchants followed the envoys, and they returned with great pleasure.

Of course, the gift in return for the falcon offered as tribute was torn off in large chunks. And as always, half of the money received from the top was used to purchase rice. As a large amount of money was invested, the rice was brought to Jemulpo using ships from the Ming Dynasty.

“Have the books and supplies arrived?”

“Yes, Crown Prince.”

If King Sejong and his ministers were interested in grains, Hyang’s interest lay elsewhere.

What Hyang was interested in was the books that recorded Jeong-hwa’s expeditions and the best items for resale.

Two days later, a huge number of chests entered the palace.

Chests were placed in the front yard of Geunjeongjeon, and not only the ministers and ministers but even King Sejong came out to the yard to check the contents.

The chests were opened and the scholars of Jiphyeonjeon, who were checking the contents, looked at King Sejong in surprise.

“Well, Your Highness. “These all appear to be originals, not copies.”

“what?”

* * *

Although the coordination was noisy due to the issue of nationwide expansion of cowpox vaccination, there were a lot of things that needed to be done separately, and King Sejong and the ministers handled them through discussion.

“How were the issues to be sent to the Ming Dynasty resolved?”

“The eungsang (鷹師) of the eungbang (鷹坊) have caught five of them and are moving them.”

King Sejong frowned and responded to the ministers’ answers.

“There are five… It must have been a lot of hardship for the responders and the people.”

“I am devastated.”

“Let’s study the compensation system for this.”

“I follow your orders.”

After resolving the issue of the falcon to be offered as tribute, King Sejong and the ministers moved on to the next item on the agenda.

“What would you like to receive in return for offering a falcon as tribute?”

“First of all, sulfur and copper would be best.”

The Minister of Military Affairs did not want to miss the moment and mentioned sulfur. In a situation where gunpowder weapons became increasingly important, the supply of sulfur and copper was essential.

However, since sulfur was not produced in Joseon, most of it had to be obtained from China and Japan, making supply difficult.

The same was true for copper. No, copper was more difficult than sulfur. Copper was also not produced in Joseon, and the problem was that copper was a mineral that was not easy to export because of the large amount of internal consumption in the Ming and Japanese countries.

In the end, copper and sulfur accounted for the largest portion of the tribute trade between Ming and Joseon, with books and cotton cloth accounting for the remainder.

After continued discussion, a major consensus was reached by requesting sulfur and copper according to the opinion of the Minister of Defense.

“And what else would you like?”

As soon as King Sejong spoke, a scent came out.

“There is a book you must get!”

“A book you must get?”

Hyang’s remarks attracted the attention of King Sejong and the ministers.

“So what book was it? “Aren’t there a lot of scriptures in Joseon as well?”

“It is not scripture. “Here is Jeonghwa’s voyage record.”

“Jeonghwa’s voyage record?”

When King Sejong expressed doubt, Yejo Panseo pretended to know.

“ah! “Among the emperor’s eunuchs, there is a man named Jeonghwa.”

“But what are the sailing records?”

“They say he went on an expedition with a fleet under the emperor’s orders.”

“ah! Gwain also heard the rumor.”

King Sejong nodded at Yejo Panseo’s answer. It wasn’t just Sejong. Most ministers also nodded.

In the 5th year of King Taejong’s reign, the government was in an uproar due to rumors that a eunuch who had received orders from Emperor Yongle was going on an expedition with an extremely large fleet of ships.

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At that time, the Joseon Dynasty government was on high alert when it received information that such a huge fleet was to be launched.

-What is the destination of that great fleet? Is it Joseon? Or is it Waeguk?

While Taejong and the royal court were keeping watchful eyes, word was heard that the fleet in question was heading for a place farther out in the open ocean, neither Joseon nor Japan. Only after confirming that the rumor was true were King Taejong and the government able to relax.

“But why do you need those navigation records?”

In response to Sejong’s question, Hyang looked rather confused.

“yes? Why do you need it? “It is worth a thousand pounds!”

Sejong asked the question, but Hyang’s blood pressure rose when he saw that the ministers were also making similar expressions.

‘This guy, no! These guys are real!’

Hyang, who realized the seriousness of the situation, explained why Jeonghwa’s navigation records were important.

-Jeonghwa visited countries that our Joseon Dynasty could not go to, and that record is the voyage record.

-If we get the records, we can find out which countries have what our country needs.

-It’s not just countries that know. You can reduce trial and error by knowing in advance the route to get there, the time required, and the risks.

“Hmm… Is that so? Hmm… maybe so…”

“Hmm… kkuh…”

After hearing Hyang’s explanation, King Sejong shook his head and showed little understanding, but the other ministers showed that they were still not sure.

At that sight, Hyang’s blood pressure rose and he became depressed.

‘These guys are really… they’re not old men from the countryside who don’t know what’s going on in the world…’

Hyang regained his composure and gave an easily understandable example.

“Think of the Gakgung (角弓), the most important weapon of our Joseon soldiers. The most important material used in gakgung is water buffalo horn. But where can I get this ox shell now? It is mainly obtained from Mingguk. But is Myungguk giving it away easily?”

“Not at all.”

To Hyang’s question, all the ministers answered with one voice. Joseon’s Gakgung was famous for its powerful power. Because of this, the Ming Dynasty did not sell many buffalo horns, the main material for the horn bow. Because of this, Joseon even talked about selling the water buffalo, but there was no response until now.

Therefore, although the Joseon government strictly prohibited smuggling, it actively encouraged smuggling only for buffalo horns.

In the end, many of the buffalo horns that Joseon needed had to be imported through Japan and Yugu.

When the ministers immediately understood, Hyang added.

“Are there water buffaloes only found in Gangnam? Although they exist in the southern region of Japan and Yugu, I heard that water buffalo are common in Daewol (大越) and Seomragok (Thailand’s old name). In particular, in the case of Seomra Gok-guk, envoys came during the reign of King Taejo, but there was no proper trade after that. what’s the reason? “Isn’t it because you didn’t know the way to get there?”

“ah!”

At Hyang’s words, all the ministers gasped in exclamation. It was something that was also in their memories.

* * *

During the reign of King Taejo, an envoy came from Thailand and offered tribute, and although King Taejo was also interested in trade, he did not achieve any significant results, and in the end, it ended with Yuyamuya (有耶無耶). No, Yuyamuya was also a good expression. At the time, most of the ministers thought, ‘I’ve been scammed!’

In addition, most of the ministers who ran the government from King Taejo to King Sejong believed that commerce was one of the biggest causes of Goryeo’s collapse.

– The government became corrupted as powerful families in league with merchants indulged in extravagance, and all of the damage fell on the powerless ordinary people.

Thanks to sharing such thoughts, the ministers of the government and the nobles of the private family moved as follows based on Neo-Confucianism.

-In order to avoid such a situation, noblemen must be frugal, and the country must be based on the principle of no effort, no effort, no effort.

As they said, the main source of income for the noble class, who were intellectuals and landowners, was crops produced by farmers.

In the end, the hardships of life for ordinary people, including farmers, did not change much.

In the end, there was a conflict between the ministers and the government who ran the government based on that way of thinking, which led to the purge of the ministers, ambassadors, and ministers.

In the end, Hyang’s claim was accepted and it was decided to obtain Jeonghwa’s navigation records.

Then, the envoy departed for Beijing with a cage containing falcons.

* * *

“Thank you for coming.”

“The Emperor’s favor is in ruin.”

Under the reign of Emperor Yongle, the magistrates and subordinate magistrates bowed their heads with words of gratitude.

Emperor Yongle, who was looking at the falcons in the cage with happy eyes, opened his mouth.

“okay. “I received something precious, so I have to repay it, but what does Joseon want?”

“I want sulfur and copper.”

In response to the official’s reply, Emperor Yongle looked back at the cabinet minister who had established the city.

“The Great Master should consult with the envoys and provide an appropriate amount of sulfur and copper.”

“I accept the Emperor’s command.”

Emperor Yongrak, who gave the order, looked at the Joseon envoys and opened his mouth.

“And is there anything else you want?”

“I apologize, but I would like a copy of the record of the expedition conducted by Eunuch Jeong-hwa.”

“Hoo? Jeonghwa’s expedition records?”

After listening to the interpreter, Emperor Yongle showed curiosity.

“Why does Joseon want it?”

In response to Emperor Yongle’s question, the Emperor bowed deeply and explained the reason.

“We, Joseon, are a small country located in a corner of the vast world, and we do not know how wide the world is. Thanks to your Majesty the Emperor, such a small country came to know that there are many countries in this world. This alone is something to be ashamed of, but I have heard that Zheng He, under Your Majesty’s orders, announced Your Majesty the Emperor and the majesty of the Empire to the Four Seas. We, Joseon, have come to know the wideness of the world thanks to the grace of Your Majesty and the Empire, but we are like a frog that has just escaped from a well and does not know the wideness of the Yangtze River. Therefore, I want a copy of the record so that I can know the extent of the Dead Sea and the majesty of the empire that rested on the Dead Sea.”

It was a statement that made even the interpreter who delivered the words cringe.

Of course, this line was not created by the ministers. This was a line that Hyang came up with during a mock conversation held by ministers and even King Sejong.

Hyang, who came up with that line, went back to his room and scratched his arms and grumbled.

“cadet! It’s so cringy that it makes me want to grow chicken skin! Chicken meat! I sucked it so wonderfully! That’s what I said, oh! “Chicken meat!”

“Fuhahaha!”

After hearing what was said through the interpreter, Emperor Yongle laughed loudly. Emperor Yongle wiped away the tears that had formed from laughing so hard and opened his mouth.

“This king of Joseon is truly virtuous! You don’t know your fractions very well! “Better than your father or grandfather!”

Joseon’s envoys gritted their teeth at Emperor Yongrak’s words. However, the envoys tolerated this and bowed their heads.

“Hwang Eun is devastated!”

“okay! A small country in the corner wants to know the extent of the Dead Sea! “Make a copy and send it to Joseon!”

“I accept the Emperor’s command!”

When the Emperor Yongle’s order was given, Joseon’s envoys raised their arms and shouted.

“Hwang Eun is devastated! Long live, long live, long live!”

* * *

That is how the records written by Jeonghwa came to Joseon.

The problem was that the original came, not a copy.

“Is this an administrative error?”

“Isn’t this a problem?”

When not only King Sejong but also the ministers and ministers were worried about encountering a completely unexpected problem, Jiphyeonjeon’s scholar, who was opening another chest, found a seal.

“Here is the seal!”

The magistrate of Yejo, who received the sealed seal in an expensive silk envelope, opened the seal, read the contents, and tilted his head.

“Something?”

“Here is a letter from the Cabinet Secretary.”

“Give it to me.”

King Sejong, who received the letter from the royal inspector, read the contents and looked even more incomprehensible.

“I don’t know any more.”

Hyang intervened in the reactions of Yejo Panseo and King Sejong.

“Can Soja read it?”

“okay. “I want to read it.”

After receiving the letter, Hyang immediately checked the contents.

The content of the letter was simple.

-This has gone through legal procedures, so Joseon should not be suspicious and should not inquire.

Hyang tilted his head after reading the contents of the letter.

‘No matter how I look at this, I feel…’

No matter how many times I read it, this was the mood the sentence gave off.

-Just leave it there! Uh huh! Because it’s not stolen goods! Just leave it there! And don’t open your mouth! Shh! Shh! Uh huh! I told you to just leave it there!

As Hyang thought over and over again, she recalled a memory from the 21st century and muttered to herself.

“As expected, it was Gye-reuk (鷄肋)?”

“What do you mean? Crown Prince, do you understand what I mean?”

When Sejong, who heard Hyang muttering to himself, asked a question, Hyang nodded.

“Yes, this is my personal opinion, but…”

Hyang began to explain.

end