Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Transportation Reform (5)
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As a lowly Junior Fourth Rank Inspector, the inner audience hall felt overwhelmingly burdensome to me.
The moment I stepped inside, it was as if the gravity had suddenly increased nearly tenfold.
It must have been due to the intimidating presence emanating from King Sejong the Great, the Three Chief Ministers, and the ministers of the Six Ministries.
Inside, the ministers and King Sejong were debating whether something was right or wrong, excessive or not...
I didn't care about any of that. I just wanted to hurry home and see Gyeol.
And tomorrow, I'd fake being sick and take a day off to rest.
In the midst of all this, Heo Jo fixed me with a sharp gaze, like a hawk swooping for prey, and asked,
"Unlike Ming, Joseon doesn't issue maritime bans, forcibly relocating coastal villagers inland or prohibiting shipbuilding. We have no reason or need for that. Moreover, to widely implement the Distribution Law, we'll need ships to transport tribute grain, so I'm in favor of expanding the Naval Shipyard. Even so, the scale of expansion you've proposed feels excessive. What are your thoughts, Inspector Kim?"
"I believe even this is insufficient."
In truth, producing a hundred ships a year would still fall short.
If Joseon's merchant ships could carry tens of thousands of tons at a time like those in the 21st century, a few ships per year would suffice.
But the double-masted ships built in Joseon now displaced only around four hundred tons—small vessels...
To meet the nationwide demand for ships, we'd need twice the scale of shipyard I proposed, and even that might not be enough.
"I know you're not one to speak empty words, Inspector Kim. But excess is as bad as deficiency—going too far can be worse than not doing it at all."
I was about to explain my reasoning, but before I could, Minister of Works Yi Cheon stepped forward.
"The Minister of Rites has a point, but Joseon before the Distribution Law and after are entirely different. It's not just that tax revenues have grown; commerce has expanded beyond measure."
"That's precisely why I acknowledge Inspector Kim's intent to greatly expand the shipyards—something unimaginable in the old Joseon, isn't it?"
"In Pyeongan and Hamgyong Provinces, furs and hides are commonplace, while rice is scarce. There, a single tiger skin trades for about two geom and five seok of white rice. That's because the cold northern climate makes rice farming impossible. In contrast, in Hanyang, a tiger skin fetches ten geom of rice, and in Jeolla, thirteen geom. This is because furs are rare there, while rice is abundant. If we build more ships to facilitate exchanges of rice and furs, regions can supply each other's shortages. This would benefit all the people."
"That's true, but..."
Here, Minister of Military Affairs Jo Mal-saeng, eager to join the Three Chief Ministers as soon as possible, chimed in.
"Inspector Kim's memorial may seem a bit excessive, but no one knows the Distribution Law better than he does. He's assisted with the overall duties of the Six Ministries and understands court administration better than anyone. Has any proposal from Inspector Kim ever failed to aid Joseon's development?"
Jo Mal-saeng gave me a knowing glance.
He hadn't said a word, but the message was clear.
'Come join the Executive Office with me. I'll push out all the opposition and get you a Senior Fourth Rank position.'
"Your Highness, I believe we should proceed exactly as outlined in the memorial submitted by Naval Shipyard Inspector Kim Dae-bung."
"'Exactly as outlined' ... Does that mean we'll need to expand further later?"
"Yes, Your Highness. As the Minister of Works said, and to truly complete the Distribution Law, which embodies the noble intentions of His Highness the Former King, it is essential."
Come to think of it, the usually low-profile Right State Councillor Yi Won had been ousted earlier than in original history due to some scandal...
He was definitely climbing to Chief State Councillor next.
I hoped he'd make it before the Kim Dor-yeon incident blew up.
If he didn't rise now, he'd never get another shot at the position.
"I will ask Naval Shipyard Inspector Kim Dae-bung."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"I have no doubt about your loyal heart for king and country. Thus, this memorial must stem purely from devotion to Joseon, untainted by personal gain. Yet, as the Minister of Rites suggests, doesn't it seem you're pushing too hastily?"
Before I took office, the Naval Shipyard built fewer than ten ships a year.
That included not just the largest great ships, but also the smallest light ships and mid-sized medium ships.
Now, proposing fifty large merchant ships in half a year—a hundred per year—was indeed a rapid expansion.
But it was absolutely necessary.
"I understand Your Highness's concerns, but I believe that in the future Joseon, even a hundred ships a year will not suffice."
"What is the reason?"
"Right now, in the early days of the Distribution Law, even with surging special product output, there's no rotting surplus in the villages yet... But according to my brother-in-law who runs a merchant guild in Jinhae, persimmon prices at the Jinhae market have dropped by about twenty percent compared to before. This is because, despite increased production, not enough is shipped to other regions, leaving a glut locally."
Since the Distribution Law's implementation, the people's lives have become abundantly prosperous.
With new farming tools spreading, yields will rise sharply, but taxes won't, so disposable income will grow even more.
Merchants sensitive to markets and economic shifts have noticed this and ramped up specialty production.
But the problem is, if Jinhae's specialty—dried persimmons—is only consumed locally while production explodes...
They'll become as common as Jeju oranges, where locals buying them would be called fools, and prices will crash to worthless levels.
"Moreover, Jinhae's merchants have planted about two thousand more persimmon trees this year. With persimmons already glutting the market and prices falling, what will happen when production surges further?"
"They'll rot away like rice spoiling in a rich man's granary."
Sejong's brow furrowed.
In modern society, where food waste is routine, we'd accept this to some degree, but in Joseon, letting food rot was intolerable.
It was heartbreaking to think of starving children in Africa; how much more so when it was one's own people starving while food rotted elsewhere?
"But if we ship the surplus dried persimmons from Jinhae by sea to other regions, people across all eight provinces can enjoy them."
In economics, there's the concept of comparative advantage.
Suppose City A produces 150 bottles of wine and 60 sacks of wheat annually, while City B produces 60 bottles of wine and 150 sacks of wheat.
If they specialize—A in wine, B in wheat—and trade, A can produce 300 bottles of wine, B 300 sacks of wheat.
Splitting evenly, both get 150 bottles and 150 sacks.
If this spreads nationwide in Joseon, productivity will skyrocket, benefiting everyone.
"In the past, people had nothing left after taxes, so luxuries like dried persimmons were rare. Now, with surplus, they'll seek tasty treats like them. Commerce will boom, and the court can levy substantial taxes on merchants."
Even with comparative advantage, without rising incomes among the masses—who make up most consumption—it's pointless, as Sejong noted.
But if incomes rise and thousands or tens of thousands seek them, even one per person demands thousands or more.
This creates persimmon farmers who specialize, ultimately making them affordable for all.
"Exactly. Thus, I plan to sell all my assets—excluding living expenses and my house—and commission ships from the Naval Shipyard."
The ministers all tilted their heads at my words.
One more push.
"My father-in-law will likewise liquidate all disposable assets to build ships. It's for the nation and promises great profit."
I've lived cleanly by Joseon standards.
But I have no qualms using official insights to make money.
That's how you survive in Joseon.
I plan to secure a share of the logistics for Hanyang's specialties by building ships.
Once they see my massive profits, others will rush to build ships too.
A maritime transport boom will supercharge Joseon's economy—this is self-interest that aids the nation.
"Are you that certain?"
"I am confident that soon, even in Hanyang, people will casually eat fresh-caught fish from the sea."
Thinking about it, the ice business is hugely profitable.
Load fishing boats with preserved ice, chill the catch, transport, and sell for a fortune.
Once they see my trial run rake in huge profits, everyone will follow.
21st-century civil servants can't profit from job info, but in Joseon, as long as it's not direct bribes for wrongdoing, it's encouraged...
'Self-interest leading to national development.'
"Very well, I understand."
Sejong concluded the debate.
"Build a shipyard in Incheon capable of producing fifty ships every half-year, as Kim Dae-bung proposes. Monitor progress, and if favorable, construct similar ones at naval stations nationwide."
And two months later, the first large merchant ship from the Naval Shipyard finally began operations.