Transportation Reform (2)

I had only gone to the Ministry of Taxation.

It wasn't as if I'd gone there to do anything bad.

I had merely gone to ask the Minister of Taxation for a little more budget.

Jo Gyesaeng, the Minister of Taxation, looked at me and grumbled with a sour expression, as if he found me thoroughly unpleasant.

"His Majesty said to specially allocate a large budget to the Bureau of Warships, so I scraped together nonexistent funds and assigned 5,000 seom of white rice. That's half of the Military Equipment Bureau, half."

"How could I not know of your consideration, my lord? As the head of the Bureau of Warships, I am always grateful to you."

"Your tongue flows as smoothly as water. Still, thanks to you, Joseon's finances have become plentiful. The court's revenue has tripled compared to before. When converted to white rice, that's 600,000 seom. But as revenue increased, didn't the places where the court has to spend money also increase greatly?"

"I know that very well."

Right now in Joseon, even in provincial towns of mok rank or higher, they are collecting feces and urine to make gunpowder.

The residue left after making the gunpowder is mixed with straw and the like to make compost, which is then distributed to the farmers...