Black Corporation: Joseon

“Naval forces?”

“That’s right!” Hyang’s voice grew stronger as he explained. “When I first talked about the establishment of a trade port, I briefly considered the Shandong Peninsula. But later, I deeply regretted it, and eventually, I despaired.”

“You despaired? Why?”

“The trade port built in Shandong wouldn’t just be used by the Ming and Joseon. When the products of Ming and Joseon gather there, countries wanting to trade will inevitably flock to the port. Nearby country of Japan would head there, as well as faraway countries like the Dai Viet and even further places to trade. Think about the wealth we could obtain from those people.”

At Hyang’s words, King Sejong thought of the customs duties he had promised to the Ming during the negotiation. The amount anticipated at that time by the Ministry of Finance was by no means small. If you add Japan and Dai Viet, and even nameless other countries on top of the Ming and Joseon trade?

King Sejong grew anxious. “What if we also build a trade port? It might be a bit late, but it seems like there could be competition.”

“It’s exactly at that point where I despaired. Our Joseon…” Hyang answered with a gloomy expression, before adding, “We do not have a navy capable of seizing control of the seas.”

King Sejong looked puzzled at Hyang’s words. “We don’t have a navy? I don’t understand.”

“We do have a navy in name, but its capability is truly pitiful.”

“Pitiful? Have you forgotten that our navy made it possible to conquer Tsushima Island1 last time?”

“Why wouldn’t I know?” Hyang stood up and walked over to the bookshelf. He pulled out a book from among various other books and explained its contents to King Sejong. “This is the record of the last Tsushima conquest. As you know, the number of troops mobilized for the last Tsushima conquest was a total of 17,285. The number of warships mobilized was 227.”

“I see.”

“If we do a simple calculation, it means that each ship carried 70 to 80 people, but more than half of these were rowers. That means that our actual strength is only half of that.”

“I see.”

“Moreover, there is another problem. The number 227 might seem like a lot of ships, but a significant number of these are small boats that had to risk their lives just to cross the strait between Busan and Tsushima (Island).”

“That’s right.”

“It is a well-known fact that our Joseon forces are weak in hand-to-hand combat compared to the Japanese pirates. To compensate for this, firearms are essential, but such small boats cannot carry them. Is this problem only limited to the navy of the three provinces that participated in the expedition?”

King Sejong’s face turned serious as he listened to Hyang’s explanation. “It is indeed a problem.”

“If we build a trading port, Japanese pirates and water pirates will flock to it. Ming can immediately gather the forces to defend it, but we Joseon cannot. Look at the past invasion of Tsushima. No matter how much it is a conquest, if you look at the way you recruit soldiers, you have to scrape together everyone, including the lower-ranking soldiers and the farmers who are not farming. If the Japanese pirates had taken advantage of the gap left by the conquest, what would have happened? Look at the recruitment criteria. Not only did they2 gather combat troops, but they also gathered people who could sail ships. In other words, the navy itself is also insufficient.”

King Sejong nodded at Hyang’s point. At the time of the Tsushima invasion, it was reported that the southern coast of Ming was being raided by Japanese pirates. At that time, King Taejong breathed a sigh of relief when he received the report.

“It is truly a blessing from heaven!”

Recalling the past, Sejong nodded, “That’s right.” His  face was more serious than ever when he answered. It was because the memory of that time was vivid.

As a result of the Tsushima invasion, the lord of Tsushima promised to submit, and at a similar time, the Japanese pirates in Ming suffered a great loss. As a result, the Japanese pirates have been quiet in recent times, but no one can say for sure that they will continue to be quiet.

Hyang continued to speak, assuming the worst-case scenario: “If the Japanese pirates and water pirates become so active that they cannot be controlled, Ming may issue a sea ban. This means blocking the sea route and moving the residents living on the coast to the inland. Ming has a lot of land, so it can move the people to the inland, and their inland waterways are also developed, so there will be no big worries. But what about us Joseon? Do the people have any place to move to? We can also implement the policy of vacating the islands, but this will result in tying our own hands and feet.

King Sejong nodded silently at Hyang’s words. After a while, Hyang took a sip of water and continued, “In the end, the best means of maritime defense that our Joseon must choose is nothing but offensive defense. The Tsushima invasion was also executed for the same reason, wasn’t it? We need to build bigger ships and strengthen our firepower.”

King Sejong nodded at Hyang’s words. “Your words are true. The problem is··· the budget.”

“Yes, the budget is a problem. To increase the budget, we need to expand the tax revenue, but if we rely only on agriculture, the people will suffer. In the end, as I said before, we need to increase trade to expand the tax source.”

“That’s right. Phew~.” King Sejong having let out a long sigh, rose from his chair. “I came here to cool my head for a while, but it feels like I’ve just added more weight.”

“I am sorry.”

“No. For the sake of the wealth and strength of this Joseon, I, the king, must suffer.”

◈◈◈

Ultimately, Sejong, who was reviewing various problems, made a conclusion.

“No matter how you look at it, it is possible only if we have wealth! Without wealth, its all castles in the sand!”

Sejong, who made a conclusion, sent a letter to the provincial governors all over the country.

‘Find those who are proficient in mining immediately and send them to the palace!’

Accordingly, the provincial governors began to search for those who were proficient in mining in the villages they governed, and sent them to Hanyang.

Meanwhile, at the court, Sejong, Hyang, and the ministers exchanged opinions on what should be sought first.

“We must look for gold and silver.”

“We must not seek gold and silver! It can be demanded as tribute from Ming!”

“But we need gold and silver to secure the funds! If Ming makes a demand for it, we should negotiate diplomatically!”

As the debate went on tediously, Sejong drew a conclusion, “For the success of our Joseon’s policies, we must mine gold and silver. If Ming makes a demand, we will solve it through diplomacy.”

“We accept your command.”

Once the issue of mining gold and silver was resolved, the topic moved on.

“Well then, let’s proceed with gold and silver, what else should we look for?”

In response to Sejong’s question, the ministers answered in unison.

“Copper! It’s essential for making weapons and minting coins!”

Upon hearing the ministers’ answer, Sejong, with a golden pen, wrote down gold, silver, and copper, and opened his mouth.

“And what else might there be?”

At Sejong’s question, the ministers were deep in thought. After observing this, Hyang interjected, “In my opinion, we need iron, coal, limestone, and sulfur.”

“What is coal?”

“Simply put, it’s a stone that burns. The Mings has been using it as fuel since the Song Dynasty.”

Hyang explained about coal in response to Sejong’s question. Sejong and the other ministers nodded in agreement.

“If we use this kind of stone instead of firewood, we could prevent deforestation.”

“Indeed. We’ve made a lot of efforts to prevent deforestation, but it hasn’t been easy. The reason was because it was used as fuel, but if we use coal, we can prevent deforestation.”

Following the ministers’ answers, Hyang then continued, “If the state monopolizes the supply of coal, it could also become a sufficient source of revenue.”

“I see!”

“I understand about coal, and I understand about iron, but why do we need limestone?”

“It’s necessary for refining iron and also for construction.”

“For construction?”

“I only know the theory…”

At Hyang’s words, Sejong made a decision, “Then let’s postpone the priority of limestone.”

“Yes.”

Although Sejong postponed the priority, Hyang wasn’t particularly upset. ‘Limestone is the most common thing on this Korean Peninsula!’

Listening to the conversation between Sejong and the ministers, Hyang then recalled the words of Teacher Samcheonpo.

“Iron, coal, sulphur! These are the essentials for the Industrial Revolution! Simply put, the basic set for the Industrial Revolution is these three! Capital? Yeah! Could the Industrial Revolution happen without it?”

However, the most controversial was sulfur.

“Your Highness, sulfur is not produced in our Joseon.”

“That’s right. Sulfur can only be obtained from Ming or Japan.”

“That’s true. Crown Prince, sulfur is not produced in our Joseon.”

Even Sejong said that sulfur is not produced in Joseon, but Hyang’s will did not bend. “Why are you all so confident? Couldn’t it be something we haven’t discovered yet?”

“We haven’t discovered it?”

“Come on. It can be found in both Ming and Japanese territories, but not in our Joseon? Don’t you think that doesn’t make sense?”

‘Damn! Oil even comes out when you dig for it!’

“Hmm… That seems possible…”

“Hmm…”

At Hyang’s words, both the ministers and Sejong pondered with expressions that seemed to agree.

“Of course, unlike Ming and Japan, it could be in a difficult place to mine. But think about the uses of sulfur. It’s used as a medicinal ingredient, but the most important use is for gunpowder. Gunpowder, the most crucial item for national defense, and sulfur, the most important raw material for making gunpowder; if we depend on imports for sulfur, we could face a big loss someday!”

When Hyang mentioned ‘national defense,’ Sejong and the ministers immediately reached a conclusion.

“Right! Let’s search for it!”

“Your Highness the Crown Prince’s opinion seems correct!”

“I think it’s right to order more attention to exploring this item!”

In the end, sulfur was added to the list of exploration targets.

As skilled miners arrived from all eight provinces of Joseon, Sejong and the ministers created an institution called the ‘Resources Bureau’

“First, establish it as a permanent technical office under the Ministry of Public Works, and have the Minister of Public Works serve as its chief.”

“We accept your command.”

Thus, the miners belonging to the newly created Resources Bureau were given ranks from (senior 8th rank) to (junior 9th rank), and their salaries were determined. The Minister of Public Works informed the prospectors gathered in the courtyard of the audience hall of their duties.

“From now on, your job is to travel around the eight provinces of Joseon and search for the minerals listed here. If you find them properly, there will be a reward, so do your best.”

At the Minister of Public Work’s words, the miners all bowed and responded, “We will do our best!”

“Your Majesty, please take a look.”

Upon hearing the call, the miners immediately prostrated themselves and offered their bows, “We, the commoners, greet Your Majesty!”

“Rise. Who said you were commoners? You are all precious subjects of the kingdom.”

At Sejong’s words, the miners’ faces filled with emotion, and they responded loudly, “Your Majesty’s grace is boundless!”

“We hope you remain strong and healthy forever!”

The miners all cried out in hopes of Sejong’s eternal prosperity until their throats were sore. As Sejong raised his hand with a satisfied smile on his face, the noise subsided.

When the miners quieted down, Sejong began to speak, “I’m sorry for entrusting you with such a challenging task. However, the prosperity and strength of Joseon hinge on the results you produce, so I hope you will do your best in your given tasks.”

At Sejong’s words, all the miners bowed deeply once again and replied, “We will devote our lives!”

After Sejong’s instructions, the miners then scattered across the country. The miners, who packed their belongings and left the palace, checked the list of minerals they needed to find.

“Gold, silver, copper, iron… I get it, but… coal? What’s this?”

“Ah! I’ve heard of that. They say it’s a shiny black stone that burns? They use it for fuel in Ming, right? They use it in blacksmith shops too.”

“A stone that burns? Well, that’s peculiar.”

“Sulfur? Is this even found in our country?”

“We wouldn’t be looking for it if we knew, would we?”

“Limestone? Isn’t this just a common stone? Is there any use for this?”

As they shared their opinions on the list, the miners soon focused their attention on one corner of the list.

“Report immediately upon finding the following ore too? A shiny black stone, similar to coal but does not burn and easily crumbles?”

“What is this?”

“It seems familiar yet unfamiliar…”

The mineral that puzzled the miners was an additional item listed by the royal secretary. That mineral was graphite.

 

Translator’s Notes

Translating this chapter reminds me of Senku in Dr.Stone in his search of finding all kinds of mineral, chemical stuff…

Footnotes

Read more on Tsushima Island and its relationship with wokou (Japanese pirates) HERE.[↩]They here referring to the decisions made by the ministers and King Taejong during his reign.[↩]