Chapter 192
Chapter 192
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 192
Chapter Title: Joseon-Style Standing Army (2)
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King Sejong addressed the ministers gathered in the antechamber.
"What do you all think of the new military service proposal submitted by Jiphyeonjeon Lecturer Kim Dae-bung? Speak your minds freely."
Minister of War Choi Yun-deok was the first to step forward and respond.
"Your servant, Minister of War Choi Yun-deok, reports. I believe it would be best to follow the memorial submitted by Lecturer Kim Dae-bung if we wish to reduce the burden on the people while securing the soldiers needed to defend Joseon."
"Why do you think so?"
"Because this new military service plan minimizes the soldiers' hardships."
King Sejong was well aware, just as Choi Yun-deok had said, that Kim Dae-bung's proposed conscription system could alleviate the suffering of those buying out their military service.
No, this was the part of Kim Dae-bung's policy that pleased him the most.
Now that even Choi Yun-deok, recognized as Joseon's foremost military expert, agreed, Sejong's heart was filled with satisfaction.
Yet Sejong continued to react as if he had never heard such a story before.
"What exactly do you mean by the soldiers' hardships?"
"The greatest pain for those buying out their service isn't the physical toil or the fear of being sent to war and dying at any moment. It's the heartbreaking fact that their families left behind in their hometowns have no means to sustain themselves while they're away."
As Choi Yun-deok described, the biggest reason soldiers dreaded military service was the labor shortage created when the family breadwinner was dragged off to the army.
They could scrape by during the slack farming season when little manpower was needed, but if the strongest able-bodied man in the household was absent during the busy planting or harvest seasons...
They would miss the sowing or reaping times, ruining that year's crop.
Then the soldier's family would face starvation or be forced to sell themselves into slavery to the local yangban households.
"When I followed my father to war to suppress the Japanese invaders, dozens of soldiers under my command deserted despite knowing they'd be executed if caught. Half succeeded in deserting, while those captured were interrogated harshly and then beheaded. When I asked those about to be executed why they had deserted, only a few said it was out of fear of dying in battle. Far more said they had no choice but to return home because their children and elderly parents would starve to death if they stayed away fulfilling their service."
"Is that true?"
"Yes, it is, Your Majesty. Though military law required me to execute them without mercy, my heart ached all the same."
Regardless of the circumstances, soldiers who deserted during wartime or active duty could not be spared.
Especially before a battle—if those attempting to desert were spared out of pity, other soldiers would think they wouldn't die even if caught trying...
And they'd all line up to desert one after another.
The army's discipline would collapse entirely before they even marched out against the pirates.
Thus, harsh punishments were unavoidable.
Even in peacetime, the conscripted men all had families to support, and deep down, they all yearned to rush home and care for their loved ones...
Showing leniency due to their plight would only lead to more desertions here too.
'The fault lies first with the system, but there's no helping it.'
And when those who had faithfully paid their taxes on time throughout their lives protested that it wasn't fair to drag them into service now, leaving their families to starve while defending the nation, Choi Yun-deok could only avert his gaze, unable to respond.
That memory lingered indelibly, tucked away in a corner of his heart even now.
"I've long known that rotating soldiers through duty inflicts unbearable suffering on them, but I thought it was unavoidable for the needs of the state... However, as Lecturer Kim Dae-bung suggests, conscripting unmarried men of 15 who have yet to start families for three years of service, then exempting them from rotation duty forever afterward, would spare them the immense burdens they've faced until now. That's why I gladly recommend this plan."
"Once they've become heads of households responsible for their own families, the burden is heavy, but before that, they're only responsible for themselves. If the state provides food, their load lightens considerably. Moreover, conscripting able-bodied men nationwide would maintain a substantial standing force, making it easier to prepare for emergencies."
The biggest headache in preparing for war was conscripting soldiers.
Current serving soldiers could simply be deployed to the front lines, but if numbers fell short, additional levies from civilians were needed...
The administrative effort, time, and resources consumed were enormous.
However, maintaining a standing force above a certain number at all times would eliminate the need for extra conscription, simplifying preparations for threats like war.
"Furthermore, rather than just military training, we can have them build necessary facilities in their locales. This way, we maintain forces to defend Joseon while also contributing to the nation's prosperity. The only issue is the immense cost of sustaining so many soldiers—whether the national budget can bear it... What does the Minister of Finance think?"
At Sejong's question, Minister of Finance Jo Gye-saeng immediately replied.
"Thanks to the implementation of the Hidden Silver Law and the recovery of all concealed silver across the nation, the court's and local offices' budgets are now exceedingly abundant. Maintaining around 100,000 troops should pose no great problem."
The 100,000 troops mentioned here weren't fully armed soldiers.
It meant sustaining 100,000 like the Yellow Turbans in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, armed only with hoes, bamboo spears, sickles, or crude lances.
With Joseon's current productivity and budget, equipping 100,000 with proper weapons and armor was impossible.
Of course, per Kim Dae-bung's predictions, it might become feasible with a bit more time...
But for now, full armament was out of reach.
"Moreover, if all commoners must serve to defend the nation, how could yangban be completely exempt from military service?"
Jo Gye-saeng's bombshell declaration nearly turned the court upside down in an instant.
In the ensuing chaos, Sejong tilted his head and asked.
"Are you saying yangban should serve as soldiers just like the common people?"
Jo Gye-saeng denied it with a straight face.
"With distinctions of status, how could yangban sons serve identically to commoners? However, since yangban possess considerable wealth, they should bear the obligation of contributing a portion as taxes to maintain their local soldiers. Lecturer Kim Dae-bung's memorial states as much, and I agree."
Implementing full universal conscription in Joseon was unrealistic.
Putting a yangban house slave like Dol-soe, a tenant farmer like Gap-doli, a merchant's son like Kim Mal-dong, and a highborn young master in the same unit would inevitably spark endless fights.
The yangban young master would disdain lower-status seniors, and even officers wouldn't dare intervene.
The chain of command essential to the military would dissolve into chaos, with disputes and protests erupting endlessly across every unit.
Thus, Kim Dae-bung had excluded slaves from conscription and had yangban pay taxes instead of serving, balancing the defense burden fairly.
"If we levy just 10 seom of white rice annually from each yangban household in a county, small ones could gather 1,000 seom, larger ones up to 10,000. Of course, we'd adjust for those who can't afford 10 seom... But wouldn't that cover uniforms, provisions, and even weapons for the soldiers?"
"Does anyone oppose the Minister of Finance's view?"
None of the ministers present had grounds or reason to object.
Had it been a percentage of income, they might have protested as overly burdensome.
But 10 seom of white rice was no heavy load for Hwang Hui or the others.
Chief State Councillor Hwang Hui spoke on behalf of all.
"If Your Majesty commands the yangban to fulfill their duty as yangban, who would dare oppose? However, I would suggest posting the list of those contributing 10 seom inside the barracks where soldiers can see it, to honor their names."
Soldiers wouldn't be overwhelmingly grateful for yangban rice donations.
But refusing such public 'praise' would mark one as less than human—possessed by the ghost of Goryeo.
It was a form of pressure to compel yangban participation in military support.
"Very well. It shall be done. And the one to oversee all this..."
Hwang Hui hurriedly interjected into Sejong's words.
"There is no fitter candidate than Jiphyeonjeon Lecturer Kim Dae-bung. Though young, all court officials acknowledge his abilities... Please entrust him with this heavy responsibility yourself, Your Majesty, and groom him to replace this old rice-guzzler on the council."
Sejong accepted Hwang Hui's request.
However, the bit about resigning grated on his ears, so he pretended not to hear it.