Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: Joseon Steelworks (1)
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I'd tossed out the necessary plans for pioneering the Haesam Guard to the State Council.
I'd also submitted plans to the Ministry of Defense for securing and maintaining supply routes through the Haesam Guard, Pyeongan Province, and Hamgyong Province.
Having roughly wrapped up the immediate tasks, I headed to the Ministry of Rites for another job.
Jo Mal-saeng, who was serving concurrently as Right Deputy Prime Minister and still acting as Minister of Defense, offered me tea, saying now that the work was done, I should take a rest...
'Since we've succeeded in driving out the Jurchens, it's time to handle diplomatic matters.'
That's why I'd gotten permission from Jo Mal-saeng and come to the Ministry of Rites.
Heo Jo looked at me and spoke as if it was utterly ridiculous.
"Kim Ho-gun, have you finished all your tasks before coming here?"
"I completed everything the Right Deputy Prime Minister assigned and then got his permission."
"I see. Well, in that case, I won't nag. If Kim Ho-gun has gone out of his way to visit the Ministry of Rites, it must be for some important business."
"Yes, exactly."
"In the past, even if Kim Ho-gun came to see me on urgent business, I'd have scolded him harshly for not following procedure properly... Lately, though, I've changed my mind quite a bit after watching you."
If there were an anonymous site or community just for Joseon officials, Heo Jo would top the list as the most old-school boss.
Because he nitpicks every single pointless rule and etiquette to the letter, officials subtly avoid him whenever he shows up.
Even when King Taejong said he'd shower Winter with lavish betrothal gifts, Heo Jo was the type who'd say, 'Yeah, no. I'd drag in the Office of Inspectors and the Office of Remonstrants to petition that it's improper.'
That's the kind of guy he is.
And now this man was saying he'd changed his mind?
It'd be quicker for King Sejong the Great to go vegetarian.
Or for King Taejong to give up hunting.
"I used to chew out young officials harshly if they bowed at the wrong angle, but these days I just advise them on the proper degree according to etiquette. If you reprimand someone too severely for a minor breach of manners, they might feel unjustly treated."
No, Prime Minister Hwang Hui still tears into Kim Jong-seo for all sorts of reasons whenever he sees him, but even he doesn't nitpick the angle of his bow...
You're still the ultimate old-school boss, sir.
If I said that, this guy would probably respond like this.
'My older brother is the kind who threatened to disown me from the family register just for slightly changing the ritual procedure. Compared to him, I'm practically open-minded.'
"I'm ashamed, my lord."
"So, Kim Ho-gun, how about working in the Ministry of Rites from now on?"
If I ended up under you, the king of old-school bosses, it'd be hell from day one.
If you spotted even a single misplaced period while reviewing an official document, you'd make them rewrite the whole thing from scratch.
"I'll think about it, my lord."
"That's a shame. Anyway, let's hear why you've come to see me today. What do you want?"
"Couldn't you send me as the Vice Envoy for this year's New Year's Tribute Mission?"
"If anyone else said that, I'd suspect they were blinded by ambition and chasing glory. But you've already earned enough merit that becoming a third-rank official right now wouldn't be out of place. No, it's no exaggeration to say you've done even more than that. So it can't be that you're asking for the Vice Envoy post just to rack up more achievements. What's your reason?"
"The Ming court must view me very favorably right now. Plus, I maintain a very close relationship with the Ming eunuch Wang Jin."
Heo Jo, who handled Ministry of Rites affairs, would know well that Wang Jin might be just a lowly eunuch without any official rank yet, but as the one overseeing the eunuchs' master, he was a real power player.
So no need to spell that out.
"The Ming Emperor hasn't said a word yet about Joseon's major campaign against the Jurchens, but honestly, we can't know his true feelings, can we?"
"That's true."
"The Ming call us a polite vassal state and treat us with outward favor and respect, but deep down, they see us as utter barbarians. So when they hear we've subjugated all of Manchuria, they might arbitrarily assume we're expanding our territory and power to eventually attack the Ming someday."
The alliance-level closeness between Ming and Joseon that we commonly know came after the mid-Joseon coup.
Right now, the Ming-Joseon relationship looks friendly on the surface, but they don't trust each other at all—each side suspects the other of plotting a betrayal at any moment.
If such a Joseon invaded and occupied Jurchen territory in Manchuria...
The Ming bastards would think King Sejong the Great took Manchuria this time, so he'll come for our land next, and delude themselves accordingly.
What ridiculous, nose-blocking nonsense.
King Sejong the Great grits his teeth at the Ming inwardly but does everything to maintain the tributary relationship...
Why on earth would they entertain such delusions?
Well, their founder, that thief Zhu Yuanzhang, killed over 10,000 people including founding merit subjects and their families because he couldn't trust his own vassals.
That bastard's paranoia is a family curse passed down from their ancestors.
Right now, Joseon has to bow low to avoid becoming the target of that damned suspicion.
"If I go as Vice Envoy, I'll ask Wang Jin what Joseon should do. He'll explain in far more detail than Eunuch Yoon ever could."
Yoon Bong might be the head of the Ming's Emissary Eunuchs, but he's Joseon-born through and through, and a peculiar fellow who looks after his parents and family every time he visits.
This guy threw tantrums at King Taejong and King Sejong the Great, demanding titles and land for his family, even insisting on upgrading his hometown's status—and he actually got it done.
In return, he did resolve quite a few diplomatic issues between Ming and Joseon.
But he only made minor concessions for the sake of his family living in Joseon.
My bond with Wang Jin, however, is on a whole different level.
"I'm the first one who reached out to him—the man who castrated himself to become a eunuch in desperate pursuit of recognition after a lifetime of rejection—and acknowledged him, my lord."
"So you think, since you gave him that recognition, he'll repay the favor by providing solid information related to the Emperor?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Understood. I'll petition His Highness directly on your behalf."
"Thank you."
By the time the New Year's mission is dispatched, there's a high chance he'll have become the Crown Prince's tutor.
At that position, he'd lack only an official rank among eunuchs but wield even greater influence than the Emissary Eunuchs.
If I convey Joseon's true intentions to a Wang Jin at that level, the message would naturally reach the Emperor directly.
And this time too, I'll prepare the ultimate bribe to ensure he has no choice but to side with Joseon.
"Anything else you want to request?"
"Nothing in particular."
"Then withdraw. The mission will depart around November this year, arriving in Beijing by about February next year."
With that, Heo Jo issued his dismissal.
I headed straight to the Ministry of Works as soon as I left the Ministry of Rites.
Participating in the envoy mission is one thing, but with a full seven months in between, I couldn't just sit idle.
The one flaw in this expedition was the iron shortage that left our soldiers without proper armor...
I needed to boost iron production to fix that.
**
Upon arriving at the Ministry of Works, I went straight to Minister Yi Cheon.
"Minister of Works, how do you do?"
"Shouldn't Kim Ho-gun be busy at the Ministry of Defense? What's brought you here?"
"I've come because the Ministry of Works' help is needed to handle Ministry of Defense business."
"Our help is needed? Alright, what can we assist with?"
Yi Cheon used to be somewhat distant with me before, but ever since learning how much the standardized training helped in the Manchuria campaign, he'd become extremely favorable toward me.
That's why he immediately offered help even for my sudden request.
People really should live kindly.
And maintaining smooth relationships is key too.
If my relationship with Yi Cheon had been rocky, would he have responded positively to me showing up out of the blue asking for a favor?
"The Office of Mines and Forests handles everything from iron smelting to logging and forestry management... Honestly, isn't that an excessive burden on the Ministry of Works?"
The Ministry of Works' direct subordinate offices include the Construction Office for buildings, the Arsenal for manufacturing goods, and the Office of Mines and Forests.
They can manage the Arsenal and Construction Office somehow...
But transportation duties had already multiplied several times over thanks to my introduction of railways and commercial activation.
And if I piled on even more mining duties like iron...
The Ministry of Works would grind to a halt under the explosive workload.
"I'd like to split the Office of Mines and Forests into several sub-offices. And send more officials too. The other ministries barely do overtime, but we have to pull all-nighters every four days like clockwork. Then His Highness sends down meals implying we're slacking and need to work harder... The pressure is immense."
"I can imagine. So help me out this time."
Yi Cheon blinked at my words.
"If you just give me a little support, I'll help split the Office into sub-offices and increase the Ministry's officials."
Poor Yi Cheon—this man was about to escape paperwork hell.
In exchange, I'd borrow the civil engineering maniac Jeong Bin and the human tool Jang Yeong-sil.
Yi Cheon would agree without hesitation.
Since it wasn't him getting loaned out.