Six Chickens Nestling (Part 3)
Yi Yeon had a very good reason for creating his own organization—the Six Chickens. In a farming nation like Joseon, the Six Boards formed a truly magnificent administrative system. At this era, with this level of government structure, there was no need to make any further changes. But to become an industrial nation, they needed even more departments. If a farming-focused organization couldn’t handle mass population movement, it would be overwhelmed. Still, they couldn’t expand the Six Boards right now. The managers alone numbered only about five hundred fifty, and they were already struggling with personnel shortages everywhere. Splitting them to form separate organizations seemed difficult. Of course, the people working under the managers were plenty. But they simply couldn’t read or write. Writing was the real problem. They couldn’t just hire more managers either, because the country only collected rice and a bit of tax in kind, leaving the treasury dangerously fragile. Nor would they allow the gentry or slaves to be taxed. The Six Chambers underlings in the provincial offices weren’t even paid a salary. That was why the Six Chambers servants got away with corruption. In the early days of the founding, things had been different, but anyway. Because of this situation, Yi Yeon announced he would create separate organizations for the salt business, mine development, and currency issuance, and the ministers didn’t object. That was exactly what they wanted. They also viewed the work as beneath them and unrelated to their status, and they expected that as soon as the treasury was secured, the court would add more personnel. In truth, the real goal was securing funds to transition to an industrial nation, but Yi Yeon kept that thought locked safely in his mind. Yi Yeon was already in trouble. How should he structure it? He had never done this before, so no ideas were coming to him. Damn it! With no one to consult, it was driving him insane. He was handling everything by himself, and it was making him lose his mind. That was why the chicken shop owners had said it wasn’t easy. After he retired, the senior who opened a chicken restaurant had complained about it. He hadn’t understood back then because he’d never started a business alone, but now he finally got the feeling. Still, he worked hard to organize the structure. The sticking point this time was division. Too small and it was a problem; too big and it was a problem too. So he decided on a simple approach. Since the Six Boards were the standard, splitting them into six would work. That organization was called the Six Chickens. Among them, he summoned the fifth one—the Earth Contract Master, or Togeju. “Togeju, report.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” The Earth Contract Master’s duty was to drill through Joseon’s veins. To do that, he would need a map first. Making a map turned out to be far harder and took longer than expected. So Yi Yeon decided to use an existing map. What was this? The so-called World Map of the Unified Terrains of All Historical Capitals, the first ever in East Asia, was hopelessly complex. It had been made in the reign of King Taejong in 1402. The map’s center was China, which meant it shouldn’t be used. The shape was also strange. Yi Yeon ordered Kim Yang-bo to bring every map in Gyeongseokgak Palace. From them, he picked the “Joseon Border Map,” created ten years earlier. This one could be used. Yi Yeon used the map as a base, added the memories that had carried over from his previous life, refined it further, then drew the lines. He handed the finished map and a compass that the Earth Contract Master had rushed to bring to the Togeju. He was to survey the fastest routes to every region, drawing the lines as clearly as possible. Since the Togeju knew modern map notation, he taught him that too. The Togeju’s lips were cracked from the effort of making the map, but he still reported, “As Your Majesty commanded, the survey from Han-yang to Cheonan is complete. We are currently exploring the route from Cheonan to Jeonju and the route from Cheonan to Sangju.” The Togeju bowed deeply, then presented two scrolls he had carried. “All the information gathered so far is here, Your Majesty.” Yi Yeon examined the map the Togeju had created. Impressive. The map was roughly sketched, yet it was far more detailed than expected. The only oddity was that the route from Cheonan to Daegu went via Cheonan instead of passing through Daejeon. It routed through Cheongju to Sangju. At the time, Sangju had been the largest city. Yi Yeon stared at the three overlapping circles on Sangju and finally understood why the region was called Gyeongsang-do. Right! It had been named after Gyeongju and Sangju. Just as Jeolla-do had been named after Jeonju and Naju, Chungcheong-do had been named after Chungju and Cheongju. Sangju was populous and had vast farmland, surrounded by the Nakdong River, the Geumgang River, and the Han River. Yi Yeon smiled with satisfaction and praised the Togeju. “It was no easy task, but you worked hard.” “It is an honor, Your Majesty.” Yi Yeon handed over the official directives he had prepared in advance. “As the days grow colder, prepare everything exactly as written here.” “Your will is received, Your Majesty.” Yi Yeon examined the map once more, then smiled. Next year, when the weather warmed, he would order the Public Works Office to build the roads. Right now, Joseon’s roads were a complete mess. That was why the grain collected as tax had been transported by a special grain ship called the Segyeon, not overland. But Yi Yeon had heard reports that the Segyeon kept sinking from reefs and storms. It happened especially often along the southern coast, where islands were abundant. The ships themselves were weak, and it was hard to maintain them. Some claimed the captains had been falsifying reports to steal the grain. From now on, they wouldn’t have to hear those excuses. * Several days earlier, in the Daejeon assembly, Yi Yeon had used the bumper harvest as an excuse and ordered that no grain be sent up from Jeolla-do and Gyeongsang-do this year. He had laid the groundwork first for road construction and coin circulation, but there was another reason. “The harvest has come, and from next year eggs will be supplied, so ship the grain only from Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheong-do. Build warehouses beside the provincial offices in the other regions to store it.” The ministers accepted this at first. If all the grain reached Han-yang, the rice price that had already collapsed would plummet to nothing. But the next line caused a fierce reaction from some. “Next year we will fully permit the transplanting method, so prioritize repairs to reservoirs and irrigation facilities.” “Your Majesty, the transplanting method? That is impossible.” “If there is a drought, even one paddy using the transplanting method will yield no rice at all.” “It is far too dangerous; I beg you to reconsider.” Yi Yeon explained several times why the transplanting method was good and necessary, but they remained immovable. Then a group stepped forward to oppose them—Sim Tong-won’s faction. “What nonsense is this?” “What did you say? How dare you use such harsh words?” “Your Majesty has repeatedly said that because we have overflowing grain stored in the offices, there is no need to worry.” “That grain is not free. If a drought brings famine, who will compensate us for the loss?” “Where did you hear talk of ‘heavenly punishment’? Are you trying to become the Gwan Sanggam?” As the argument grew heated, other ministers joined in. “The transplanting method is too dangerous; we absolutely cannot use it.” “A method that increases yield by more than fifty percent? If we don’t adopt it, we will see the rice price drop when we have a good harvest like this year?” “That is not what I said.” “Then what? Are you worried that slaves will refuse to work and slack off if we use the transplanting method?” “Then what reason do the supporters have? Are you afraid that if the transplanting method ruins farming, you won’t be able to sell eggs at a high price?” The opponents of the transplanting method were the ones who had always owned vast farmlands in Jeolla-do and Gyeongsang-do. The supporters were the new faction that had just entered the salt business. Both sides fought fiercely in the name of self-interest, but Yi Yeon merely watched. The moment to summon their parents had not yet come. Suddenly, Sim Ui-gyeom, who had been silent, brightened his eyes, raised his head, and shouted, “Listen to me!” No one paid attention. So Sim Ui-gyeom stepped to the center of the Daejeon and shouted even louder. “If you do not wish to become a traitor to the nation, listen to me!” For a moment the chaotic Daejeon fell silent. The word “traitor” stung, so everyone turned to glare at Sim Ui-gyeom. Even so, he forced strength into his voice. “Your Majesty set three lines and commanded us to keep them. Have you already forgotten?” Everyone stared at him with disbelief, but he smiled and continued. “Your Majesty said that if opinions clash, it could lead to factional strife, and if factional strife continues, the nation could fall. Therefore, right now everyone is committing treason by destroying the nation.” At those words, the fighting ministers lowered their heads. In an age where “catch a nose and you get caught by the nose” still applied, they could not contradict Sim Ui-gyeom. Sim Ui-gyeom sounded triumphant. He cleared his throat and addressed Yi Yeon loudly. “Your Majesty, I have a good solution to this problem.” “Speak.” “I heard that Your Majesty only said you would permit the transplanting method, not force it. Did I hear correctly?” “That is correct.” “Then why not let everyone farm the way they prefer?” “That is exactly what I want.” Only then did the ministers realize they had been foolish to fight among themselves all this time. * Yi Yeon, hearing the thought, let out a small laugh. Sim Ui-gyeom, the spark that had ignited factional strife, was about to extinguish it. It was hard to believe, so Yi Yeon shook his head. Thanks to this, he could easily build roads as well as drainage systems. He was still a young king without much power, but since he was the king, he could have simply ordered it. But he no longer needed to. The ministers, having gained wisdom from Sim Ui-gyeom’s simple words, were now trying to find solutions rather than oppose. “Lastly, the Fire Contract Master, report.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” The Fire Contract Master bowed, took out his tools, opened the lid, and poured a small amount of powdery substance that smelled of rotting eggs into a bowl. “The sulfur excavated from the Yulsan mines as Your Majesty commanded is here.” “Bring it closer.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” Yi Yeon held his breath and lightly touched a drop of the bright yellow sulfur to a flame. A vivid blue flame burst forth, instantly turning the liquid blood-red. Perfect! Yi Yeon quickly waved his hand to disperse the strong sulfur gas, then asked the Fire Contract Master, “How much is there?” “I must test it, but it should be enough for a small mountain.” “Well done.” “It is an honor, Your Majesty.” Yi Yeon nodded in satisfaction, then gave a warning. “This sulfur is extremely dangerous. Handle it with great care. Understood?” “I will remember, Your Majesty.” Yi Yeon could not stop smiling. He had obtained sulfur far more easily than expected—the same element that could produce one of the three strong acids, sulfuric acid. He was overjoyed. In chemical industry, people often believed nitric acid and hydrochloric acid were produced in greater quantities, but in reality sulfuric acid was the most produced. In chemistry, the compound used next to water—the flower of the chemical industry—was sulfuric acid. That was why it was said that a nation’s chemical industry could be measured simply by its sulfuric acid output. Now he could extract magnesium from dolomite too. Using the method he had taught Stephen, he planned to produce magnesium and then nodular cast iron. But because he had not found the sulfur mine, he had never tried. He had even considered another approach—melting iron pyrite, known as fool’s gold, to obtain sulfuric acid. Now there was no need. They had found the sulfur mine. A substantial amount of it. “Fire Contract Master, listen.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” Yi Yeon took out the directives he had prepared from his robe. These contained the instructions for black powder and sulfuric acid production. “As you excavate the sulfur, send it all to Ganghwado. There, mass-produce black powder and sulfuric acid according to the method here.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” “This is an extremely dangerous operation. Pay special attention.” “I will remember, Your Majesty.” “It must be. If even a spark falls and it explodes, everyone will die. Understood?” “Yes, Your Majesty.” After receiving all the reports and assigning duties, Yi Yeon felt exhaustion creeping in. His body was bloated with adolescent hormones, but his mental exhaustion was unbearable. Damn it! There was still more to say. But he had to stop. It was already deep in the night, and the other contract masters looked exhausted. “That will be all. Return and rest.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” After sending the contract masters away, Yi Yeon returned to the Gangnyeongjeon and collapsed. He dreamed of marching across battlefields with soldiers armed with slamfire shotguns. * * *