Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Sowing Chaos in the Ming Dynasty (1)
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They say that when the U.S. president changes, international relations and economic structures shift across every country on Earth.
That’s why, after passing the civil service exam, I constantly racked my brain over questions like who the next U.S. president would be and what impact Candidate A’s election would have on our country.
Now, with the emperor of the Ming Dynasty—the world’s greatest power at the moment—dropping dead, it’s as if a fire has broken out on Joseon’s doorstep.
The situation was so dire that Minister of War Jo Mal-saeng, summoned to the State Council, could barely make it to his office at the Ministry, and an imperial edict even came down allowing the Six Ministries to work overtime.
From what the eunuchs said, King Sejong the Great was lamenting that he couldn’t go mountain climbing these days...
Would he really be sad about not being able to hike?
Not a chance. He’s probably thrilled inside that he doesn’t have to exercise.
"Director of the Military Armory."
"...In this situation, you’re thinking of developing new weapons?"
There’s an old saying like this:
"The worse life seems, the calmer you must stay."
If I’d invested the 20 million won I’d saved in my twenties into crypto and lost half of it, I’d treat that as a sign to cut my losses and walk away.
Ten million won isn’t pocket change by any means, but it wouldn’t ruin my life.
I’d chalk it up to a painful lesson, swear off crypto forever, save up steadily, and live honestly. End of story.
But if I thought, Well, it’s already gone, might as well go all-in to win it back, and dumped everything into another reckless bet, that’s when things would spiral into true disaster.
Along the same lines, the Ming emperor is dead, and that’s that. My job is my job, so I just need to do it right, whatever it takes.
"Isn’t it true that preparing ahead of a crisis leaves no room for worry? The previous emperor’s passing is what it is, and who knows what the newly ascended one will do. All we can do is give our all from our own posts and pray heaven makes it work out."
"Spoken like true Kim Jeong-rang. But why the sudden push for new weapons? Does it relate to the emperor’s death?"
The new Ming emperor who ascended the throne is the Hongxi Emperor.
He enjoyed immense favor from the Yongle Emperor and participated in many of his campaigns, receiving personal instruction. In every way, he’s an exceptional ruler.
Historians even call his reign the Ming Dynasty’s absolute peak.
The unfortunate part? If he governs the Ming well, Joseon’s northern borders get chaotic.
When the Ming is a mess, most Jurchen forces are too busy raiding Ming territory to bother Joseon much, especially the big players.
But when the Ming strengthens, those barbarians turn their arrows toward the softer target: Joseon.
It’s like how, after I opened trade with Tsushima and the Japanese, the wokou pirates harassing Joseon shifted to the Ming coast.
"I’ve heard the current emperor embodies the Yongle Emperor’s grandeur and is deeply versed in scholarship. Doesn’t that mean Ming politics will stabilize?"
"Indeed."
"A stable Ming will cunningly deploy divide-and-conquer tactics to pit barbarians against each other and fortify its northern defenses. In turn, some of those starving barbarians will eye Joseon."
People, when pushed to the brink, will do anything.
Not just theft, but wielding knives to threaten or kill.
And barbarians, who never knew order and only hold to not stabbing their own? No need to say more.
"The best way to counter them is with gunpowder weapons. A spear phalanx can hold off cavalry, but counterattacking properly is tough."
"You’re right, Kim Jeong-rang. But looking at this musket blueprint and description you’ve submitted, it seems similar to the individual hand cannon. Wouldn’t mass-producing those suffice?"
Before muskets were developed, Joseon relied heavily on personal firearms like the single-barreled hand cannon, double-barreled, and four-shot variants.
What are they? Hand cannons designed to fire arrows at the enemy.
These small personal cannons are usable enough, but here’s the problem: they’re terribly inefficient compared to matchlocks.
Improving efficiency even a little would be ideal.
"The musket I want to create has several major advantages over the hand cannon."
"Several advantages as a weapon? Tell me."
"First, the ammunition is easy to make. For hand cannons like the single-, double-, or four-shot, crafting the arrows to load and fire takes significant labor and cost. But musket lead balls? Just melt lead, pour into a mold, and solidify. Even a common soldier can do it easily. With a slight exaggeration, the cost of one arrow could make a hundred musket balls."
Lead balls are just beads made from melted lead.
That’s why, as soon as matchlocks appeared, medieval soldiers and line infantry alike melted lead to make their own ammo when supplies ran low.
Arrows for cannons require fletchers to source precious feathers, whittle bamboo shafts, and forge iron tips.
Which is better as a weapon? Obvious from this alone.
When possible, sheer overwhelming numbers per cost wins every time.
"The second advantage is that soldiers can easily control when to fire. Pulling this trigger ignites the match against the priming pan, launching the ball."
"Hand cannons definitely go off unpredictably once you light the fuse. Even generals complain that while they pack a punch, it’s hard to drop multiple barbarians at once."
"Bows and spears work against barbarian cavalry because everyone moves as one. Hundreds or thousands of arrows fly like a net, while the phalanx holds like an iron wall."
A phalanx of 1,000 soldiers can crush thousands of charging infantry.
Because they move as a single body, boosting defense and offense immensely.
Infantry without a proper phalanx? Cavalry fodder.
Records say 2,000 Song infantry got wiped by 17 Jin cavalry.
So, if military scholars’ “one-minute poke”—the matchlock—could form a phalanx...
Joseon forces would devour the Jurchens and have leftovers.
"Everything sounds great, but does this matchlock absolutely need iron?"
"Iron, to make them as cheap as possible. Copper’s precious, but iron’s far cheaper, right?"
Iron’s a metal, but copper’s still treated as a precious one even today.
One reason Yi Bang-won and King Sejong failed at currency distribution was failing to secure enough copper...
To arm every soldier with muskets instead of spears and swords, iron’s the only way.
Oh, right—time to visit the Ministry of Works too.
If I could get them to build a steel mill...
And overhaul the utter mess of a iron production system while at it.
"Understood. As you say, what should our Military Armory do now? Make better weapons, and more of them."
"Thank you for your cooperation."
"No need. But in this situation, the Ministry of War’s probably desperate for you..."
Right now, the Ministry’s locked in heated debates and finger-pointing over northern troop deployments and military service exemptions.
While everyone else gets grilled, I proudly showed the director my blueprints and legally slipped out.
"A gentleman avoids danger."
Best not to go near risky places.
Or you might get dragged in too.
"And if I were there, you’d compare me to the others. I judged that unwise."
The most hated guy in the world is the one praised while everyone else gets chewed out.
The U.S. military uses this psychology to reform problem recruits.
Let the troublemaker relax while his peers get reamed, and peer pressure fixes most bad habits.
If not, they’re hopeless anyway.
"Then I’ll take my leave."
The Hongxi Emperor is one of Ming’s greats.
But his successor? Utterly incompetent, rivaling Won Gyun.
Like a mashup of King Injo and Won Gyun’s worst traits?
If Joseon birthed that combo, it’d be tragic...
But in diplomacy, others’ fortune is your misfortune, and vice versa. A crumbling Ming only benefits Joseon.
So, in about ten years, I’ll head to Ming myself to meet that future “Won Gyun.”
While his price is low, plant some Joseon loyalty in him, and he’ll repay it thousands, millions-fold later.