Chapter 150
“Are you really saying you’ll step in and reduce our Ministry of Works’ workload?”
“Because producing things such as weapons and tools is of the utmost importance to Joseon’s development.”
For example, even when cleaning, efficiency differs greatly depending on whether one has cleaning tools such as dustpans, brooms, and rags.
Thus, humans have made and used tools to perform difficult, time-consuming, and laborious tasks more efficiently.
Thanks to this almost instinctive ability, humans—who possess little physical advantage over other animals aside from their throwing power—were able to become the rulers of Earth.
“In fact, from now on, the Ministry of Works’ duties will only continue to increase; they can’t possibly decrease.”
First, I intend to build an ironworks, and after that, I plan to throw designs for all kinds of new machines at the Ministry of Works and tell Jang Yeong-sil to make them.
Manual washing machines, lathes or drilling machines powered by animal traction or water power, flying shuttles, looms, cotton gins, spinning machines, and so on...
If I add a few explanations to rough drawings based on ideas I came up with, Jang Yeong-sil will make all of it himself.
Even the matchlock, although I only gave him a very rough design and idea...
was made perfectly.
With his skill at making even automated water clocks like the Jagyeokru, anything would be possible.
“But isn’t the biggest problem right now that the work keeps increasing while there are far too few officials by comparison?”
Yi Cheon nodded in agreement.
“What good does it do to hold the civil service exams often and recruit many people? Every newly recruited official is completely snatched away by the Ministries of Taxation and War, leaving the Ministry of Works with only about three recruits a year. I know the Ministry of Taxation is busy and its duties have increased, but while it receives nearly 100 officials every year, our Ministry of Works... Hah, would it hurt to give us even one-tenth (10%) of the people sent to the Ministry of Taxation?”
“Actually, I believe the Ministry of Works is just as important as the Ministries of Taxation and War. The fact that its duties have increased so much compared to before is proof of that.”
There was a hierarchy even among the ministers of the Six Ministries.
The Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Taxation, Ministry of Rites, Ministry of War, Ministry of Punishments, and Ministry of Works—in that order.
Of these, the Ministry of Personnel ranked highest and the Ministry of Works lowest.
Thus, when the Minister of Personnel was transferred to become Minister of Works, it was considered an enormous demotion.
Even though both offices were nominally senior second rank.
That was why the Ministry of Works kept being pushed to the bottom of the list for personnel increases, even as its work continued to grow. How difficult must it have been all this time?
“To benefit the country broadly, it is important to collect taxes properly, to train soldiers who can protect the royal shrine and state from dangers at the frontier, and to have officials to manage all of it... But collecting taxes requires building ships for transportation, and protecting the country requires making good weapons and armor for soldiers to use. The Ministry of Works may not attract much attention, but like Xiao He in the Han dynasty, it plays the vital role of supporting everything from behind.”
“The Ministry of Works is like Xiao He...”
Han Gaozu Liu Bang, founder of the Han dynasty, made Xiao He his foremost meritorious subject over the military commanders who had fought alongside him, because Xiao He had been the chief supply administrator who created the conditions that allowed them to fight.
At first, all the officials opposed this, but Liu Bang supposedly silenced them with a single sentence.
‘So can you fight while starving? Can you kill Xiang Yu without weapons?’
“I’ll explain this point properly to the Chief State Councillor—no, to His Majesty.”
“Oh, I had no idea Kim Hogun thought so highly of our Ministry of Works.”
“Then please lend me Jang Pan-gwan (Jang Yeong-sil) and Jeong Pan-gwan (Jeong Bun) for a while.”
“...... What are you planning to do with them?”
Iron is absolutely necessary not only for strengthening Joseon’s military forces but also for improving industrial capacity and agricultural productivity.
We have to make iron, and then make more iron.
In any case, we need to produce a lot of it before industry can take root and establish itself.
Even if I won’t live to see ironclad warships, iron ships, or various steam engines, I had to lay their foundations.
No, I might even get to see steam engines usable in industry.
If I kept Jang Yeong-sil working for another twenty or thirty years and ironmaking technology developed properly as well, it seemed possible.
Steam engines and machines during the early Industrial Revolution were sometimes made directly by skilled blacksmiths.
“I plan to build a massive forge—no, an ironworks solely for producing iron—in Jeryeong, Hwanghae Province. If it succeeds there, I plan to build similar facilities elsewhere in Joseon’s eight provinces.”
“...... Is that why you came to think we needed more officials in the Ministry of Works?”
“We’ve installed shipyards at each naval base for building ships, but shouldn’t the Ministry of Works be responsible for all merchant vessels used by civilians, even if the navy handles warships?”
Yi Cheon tilted his head after hearing me.
“If the Ministry of Works takes sole charge of building civilian merchant vessels, more people will offer the Minister of Works suitable gifts (bribes) while placing orders for merchant ships.”
“Then will the ironworks be the same?”
“Since these are state-built ironworks, wouldn’t the Ministry of Works have the authority to decide how much of the iron produced there to release to private parties and how much the state will use?”
“...... Goodness, it seems my work is going to pile up like a mountain. Hahaha.”
In the early days of Joseon, it would be difficult for private parties to operate ironworks properly.
The capital required was simply too large, while technical expertise was lacking and the enterprise itself was immensely important.
“My workload will increase, hahaha. But how could a man who entered government service to serve the king and love the country refuse difficult work? With that in mind, I’ll lend you those two men, Jang Pan-gwan and Jeong Pan-gwan.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
For the record, Yi Cheon, who currently served as Minister of Works, was a man of the same sort as Hwang Hui and Jo Mal-saeng.
He was highly capable and had accomplished much as a technician, but apparently he had faced severe impeachment because he was quite fond of bribes.
So he must have been delighted at the suggestion that, even if his workload increased, he would have more opportunities to receive “bribes.”
He was already a very wealthy man, yet seeing him harbor such endless greed for money made me think he, too, was going to be subjected to lifelong service.
Yi Cheon, unaware of what I was thinking, flashed me a grin and said.
“Kim Hogun really is a loyal subject.”
Before long, Sejong held an alseongsi (special examination) at Sungkyunkwan and selected more than fifty additional officials.
Every one of the selected officials became slaves of the Ministry of Works...
No, they were assigned to work for the Ministry of Works.
Before long, several officials submitted resignation memorials, saying they could not endure it any longer.
However, Sejong rejected their resignation memorials, bestowing royal food upon them.
**
His Majesty King Sejong had promoted me again.
With his desire to make me a senior court official as soon as possible overflowing.
He created a new subordinate bureau of the Ministry of Works called the Ironworks Office, a senior third-rank office, and appointed me to oversee it.
“Assistant Administrator Jeong, do you think this conforms to proper procedure?”
Jeong Bun laughed as though my question were absurd.
“Isn’t this happening because you, Director of the Ironworks Office, insisted that promoting you too quickly would disrupt the laws of the state?”
“A senior fourth-rank Bongnyeol Daebu serving as Director of the Ironworks Office... Good grief, I don’t even know what to say.”
Joseon had a system called the haengsu system.
If haeng preceded one’s official title, it meant one held the rank of a brigadier general but, for various reasons, remained as a regimental commander, in Korean terms; if su preceded it, one held brigadier rank but was appointed to a division commander’s post that only a two-star general could hold, and so on—that was how the system worked.
By this principle, although I was promoted to senior fourth rank, I was exceptionally allowed to serve in an office that could normally only be held by an official in the lower grade of senior third rank.
“I’ve never seen a single person who dislikes being promoted, apart from you, my lord.”
“When a man rises too far too quickly while young, he cannot die in peace.”
During King Sejong the Great’s reign, the only ministers purged for political reasons were Sim On and Gang Sang-in.
So in reality, I had no reason to fear being politically impeached and dying miserably just because I rose quickly.
The problem was that I would never be able to escape His Majesty King Sejong’s grasp, which squeezed officials dry to a degree that would make university professors marvel.
In short, I was going to get Hwang Hui’d.
I would not even be able to retire, but would have to report for duty and serve in office every day until my life ran out.
How horrifying was that?
“His Majesty has entrusted me with this important responsibility. All that remains is for all of us, myself included, to devote ourselves to our work and repay His Majesty’s grace. Is that not so, Lord Jang Hogun?”
Jang Yeong-sil replied.
“Yes, my lord. If my skills can help Joseon, I should gladly work hard with the resolve to devote my entire self.”
“That is an excellent answer. I like it. Then please make some of these for me from now on.”
While working at the Ministry of War, I had drawn designs for various machines whenever I had spare time, organized them into a book, and handed it to Jang Yeong-sil.
Jang Yeong-sil accepted the book, opened it, and clicked his tongue.
“What is this blast furnace here, and what is the thing labeled a reverberatory furnace?”
“A blast furnace is a huge iron-cauldron furnace used to melt iron ore. A reverberatory furnace is a machine for refining wrought iron into steel.”
“...... Are you saying you want me to make all of this?”
“I intend to build a large ironworks in Jeryeong County, Hwanghae Province. Before that, however, I plan to build one properly functioning blast furnace and reverberatory furnace in Pocheon and test them. His Majesty said he would gladly provide funds from the royal treasury if the budget was insufficient, so don’t worry about the budget and focus only on the work. Make those first, and once you’ve finished, make the other machines listed in this book as well.”
Jeong Bun and Jang Yeong-sil’s faces turned deathly pale.
I had no idea why they were acting like that. It wasn’t as if I were some man-eating demon.
“And, Assistant Administrator Jeong, quickly compile a report on how large the ironworks should be and how the iron ore should be transported, and submit it as soon as possible. Once the preparations are complete, I’d like you to go to the site immediately. Would that be all right?”
“Yes, my lord...”
Now all I had to do was stay here, help with the Ministry of War’s work, and wait until they were ready...
Gapseok suddenly appeared at the temporary government building the Ironworks Office was using.
“My lord, I’m told your wife has been having labor pains for a while now.”
Upon hearing that, I immediately had one of the government slaves here tell the Minister of Works that I was leaving for the day, then left work on my own authority.
Then I immediately conveyed the news to Kim Mandeok as well.