Innovation and Revolution (1)
I Yeon offered a greeting to his mother and strolled through the snow along the Kyongho-ru pavilion, crunching loudly with each step.
"Was today the Start of Spring?"
"It was, Your Majesty."
Although the snow this year was lighter than last, it still fell in respectable amounts.
'It's only going to get thinner from here...'
I Yeon remembered seeing records of bountiful harvests right after King Seonjo ascended the throne.
'After that, the people starved to death in droughts...'
He had no idea when that had happened.
There was an old saying that heavy snowfall in winter meant a good harvest, and it seemed to be true.
The thick layers of snow.
Protected the soil,
and when spring came, it would melt into water resources.
Freeze and kill the pests hidden underground,
and even when the weather warmed, the sticky ground would trap them so they couldn't multiply.
Two years in a row of bountiful harvests.
But who knew what the future held?
That's why he had reinforced the reservoirs during the winter and increased their capacity.
Young men recruited by the Ministry of Defense as militia were being sent to marshes and wastelands to reclaim land, just like around Ganghwado.
'Once that's done, we'll have more food than we can eat.'
He had developed every potential farmland along the West Sea coast, South Sea coast, and even the East Sea coast, so food production would more than double if they waited.
Plus, the plump chickens and massive pigs from Ming were growing fat and healthy.
Potatoes, sweet potatoes, and various other crops were steadily undergoing quality testing.
'Damn it!'
Everyone was working hard to eat well and live well, yet there were still those who only wasted their time.
They had no official positions but still acted like yangban, lounging about.
And among them, one man in particular was giving him a headache.
This was Yi Hwang, who went by the pen name Toegye, a man who owned so much that if necessary he could submit his resignation and retire.
"That damned bastard."
Yi Hwang had been bombarding the throne with memorials nonstop.
He demanded that taxes not be levied on the Soyo Seowon (Sho-shu Academy), where King Myeongjong had bestowed an imperial plaque and exempted land, and that support be provided instead.
'When exactly did I ever tell them to pay taxes there?'
Never.
Not once.
Yet he kept sending memorials day and night.
They had to support the Soyo Seowon because it was vital to developing Neo-Confucianism, the very foundation of Joseon.
I Yeon had ignored him.
Not even bothering to read it, he had it burned as kindling.
That only made Yi Hwang submit a Wanmin-so, a massive memorial.
I have no idea how he scraped together a thousand names, but it claimed over ten thousand signatures.
So he called the man in.
He couldn't just leave it alone.
Then, instead of sulking over the lack of an official post, the very same man had come swaggering in.
"Hmph!"
I Yeon thought the fellow had less conscience than the width of a mosquito's eye.
So he decided to finish him off completely.
Based on his actual conduct, he would crush him without mercy.
'Luckily, it all worked out.'
One of the two great mountain ranges of Joseon Neo-Confucianism was Yi I, who was so obsessed with steam engines that...
Otherwise, the debate over whether ri (principle, fundamental principle) and gi (vital energy, fundamental material) were the same thing would still be raging.
'I need to go check on that place...'
A good report had arrived from Ganghwado, so he was on his way.
But his mother had pleaded so fiercely that he couldn't go.
Winter was too dangerous.
After the news that the Bessemer converter, renamed from the "Yulgok converter" to the "Bessemer converter," was completed, things had been quiet for a while.
But starting from the New Year, one happy report after another had come in.
The first was that after countless experiments, he had obtained a tough, ductile manganese-alloyed iron.
The second was that it had been processed into piston rings.
Moreover, he had received an excited letter from Yi I about completing a steam engine with almost no visible smoke.
It didn't stop there.
They had also made rod bearings from the manganese alloy.
Now they were challenging themselves with ball bearings.
'Soon I'll be making real, usable machine tools too.'
Without bearings, precision machine tools were impossible.
They couldn't balance loads, friction would be too high, and alignment would be impossible to maintain.
Yet they had done it.
Even if it was just rod bearings for now.
'Incredible.'
Yi I had been given a hundred skilled craftsmen and over a thousand laborers, yet I Yeon hadn't expected him to finish so easily.
'I figured it would take at least three years.'
But no.
Yi I had finished it in just one year.
Even the Joseon genius had been telling the truth.
'Then the Gongdan problem might also be solvable.'
Park Sun, the Governor of Hanseong-bu, had come apologizing profusely.
To secure enough space for fifty thousand people, they would have to cut down mountains, and that would take far too long, so he had planned for thirty thousand.
"Why didn't you report this?"
"Your Majesty! This servant has committed a capital crime. This servant simply did not want to burden Your Majesty, who has so many things to handle. Besides, I believed the space would be sufficient."
There was logic in it, so I Yeon didn't press the charge.
It was also a projection for five years later.
He ordered the man to plan for additional Gongdan in the areas he had already anticipated.
Park Sun was handling the work far better than expected and being honest, so I Yeon had simply handed over all Gongdan matters to him.
Meanwhile, reports had come in that steel was being pulled straight from both the First and Second Steel Mills.
They were also making rollers capable of producing rolled steel plates.
'Then thirty thousand people aren't even enough. We'll be able to support more than fifty thousand.'
The large rollers were made by pouring ductile iron into a rotating furnace connected to the steam engine.
The smaller rollers were being created by taking glowing-hot iron ingots and hammering them into shape with a steam-engine-powered sledgehammer.
'Once that's finished, we can make galvanized steel plates.'
Tinplate, coated with tin, heats up and cools down quickly.
But zinc-coated steel, or galvanised steel, has excellent heat-shielding properties.
'It also resists corrosion and is durable, which is why it's commonly used for roofs in Southeast Asia, Central America, and Africa.'
Tin, the material for bronze, was always in short supply, but zinc, the material for brass, was abundant.
So they had decided to mass-produce galvanized steel plates.
'Then we can build houses with two or more stories.'
Joseon houses were covered in clay on the roof, making them extremely heavy.
They needed thick wood to support it, but there wasn't enough.
That's why the roofs were low and no one had even thought of adding a second story.
But with lightweight galvanized steel, a spacious, high two-story house could be built even with thin wood.
'Everything is perfect except for the cold winter.'
Galvanized steel roofs were excellent in hot, humid summers, reflecting and blocking heat perfectly.
But in the heavy-snow winter, they actually became a liability.
'No choice. We'll just have to use straw.'
For aesthetics,
fire hazard,
and hygiene reasons, they had wanted to tear down all the thatched houses, but they couldn't do it right now.
On the second floor, the ondol couldn't be installed, so they had considered using chimneys, but that was also impossible at the moment.
'They'll figure it out themselves.'
I Yeon had decided to provide only the galvanized steel roofs.
It would be better for them to develop naturally rather than have everything handed to them.
As he walked along, thinking all these things, he suddenly arrived at Cheonchujeon.
The eunuch guarding the hall bowed his head as I Yeon approached.
"Your Majesty, Gyeong-ho is waiting for you."
"Since when?"
"About an hour ago, Your Majesty."
"Hmph..."
Yi I was said to be residing at the home of his disciple Kim Seong-il.
'I wonder if he's doing well?'
I Yeon knew the man had an outrageous personality, yet he had still sent Kim Seong-il to Li Chengliang.
Even if he caused trouble, it wouldn't have been a loss, he thought.
But the man had come back and caused plenty of trouble.
Very satisfactory trouble.
So instead of scolding him to "behave," I Yeon had simply sent him to Daemado Island.
'The real problem is Yi Hwang...'
If he had only pursued Neo-Confucianism, it wouldn't have been so bad.
He had thought there should be at least one such person.
But Yi Hwang had become obsessed with wealth.
According to Suhoguk investigations, he owned more than three hundred sixty thousand pyeong of rice fields and had three hundred seventy slaves.
'He said he increased the assets his wives brought with them.'
In a way, Yi Hwang was a master of financial management.
But there was a problem.
He wasn't satisfied with that alone.
He was teaching his children the method of increasing slaves by marrying yangban to them and making their offspring slaves.
Meanwhile, the man himself lived in abject poverty.
'He must not realize how mean that is, which is why people follow his claim of being righteous.'
I Yeon shook his head and entered Cheonchujeon.
"This servant greets Your Majesty."
Yi Hwang dropped to his knees and bowed deeply.
His eyes, however, flickered upward slightly.
"Yes, why did you call for me?"
"What?"
Yi Hwang blinked in obvious confusion.
'There were dozens of memorials from me alone...'
"Didn't you hear?"
"No, Your Majesty. This servant submitted a memorial..."
"Hmph... If I didn't receive it, I probably had it burned as kindling."
"What?"
"If it doesn't help the kingdom's development, that's what I ordered."
"What?!"
Yi Hwang's expression was one of utter bewilderment.
He couldn't believe his earnestly written memorial had been burned.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
The king had announced across the country that any memorial not concerning national development would be burned as kindling.
"Since time is short, tell me quickly. Why did you summon me?"
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty."
Yi Hwang steadied his rough breathing and opened his mouth with a solemn voice.
"Your Majesty, Neo-Confucianism is the foundation of Joseon. To reject it is an unthinkable act."
I Yeon was stunned.
He had never done such a thing.
But he didn't get angry.
There were still matters for him to assign.
"When did I ever reject it?"
"Did Your Majesty not order taxes to be paid on the Soyo Seowon, where you bestowed an imperial plaque and even changed the name?"
"Paying taxes when you have income is only natural. What was wrong with that?"
"Your Majesty! Imposing taxes on an academy that develops Neo-Confucianism to strengthen the kingdom's foundation is tantamount to shaking the very roots of the nation."
"I never did that. If you thought that way, you could have simply not paid."
"What?"
I Yeon smirked.
"When did I ever force you to pay taxes?"
"Th-that is not the case, but because of that, the scholars have stopped coming."
'Since the announcement that those who do not pay taxes cannot attend past examinations, not only the Soyo Seowon but even the Daosan Seodang he ran has seen no scholars.'
It wasn't just that.
When villagers asked for help, he made all sorts of excuses and turned them away.
So last fall, they hadn't even been able to harvest what they grew, and this year they couldn't even plant seeds.
"So you're asking me to send scholars right now?"
"No, that is not what this servant means."
"Then what?"
"This servant merely asks that Your Majesty not link past examinations to the Soyo Seowon."
"Why should I do that?"
"The Soyo Seowon is not only a shrine honoring the late Mr. An Hyang, who first introduced Neo-Confucianism to the nation, but also a place that studies and teaches the foundation of the kingdom."
"Hmph... Now that I hear it, it is indeed a very important place."
"It is, Your Majesty. The Soyo Seowon is truly precious."
Yi Hwang's expression brightened.
The king seemed to be accepting his proposal.
But the words that came from I Yeon's mouth were unexpected.
"Then you can support it with your considerable wealth."
"What?"
"I heard you are an extraordinarily wealthy man. According to the reports, you have three thousand two hundred fields. Where did you hide all that wealth?"
"What?!"
Yi Hwang's eyes trembled violently.
Because he managed his own property, even his children didn't know the full scale.
Yet the king knew.
And it was very precisely.
"You also have three hundred seventy slaves. If you donated them all to the academy you value so much, that would do."
"What?"
"After all, you claim to live righteously, don't you?"
"Yes, yes."
"Then donate all that wealth to the Soyo Seowon, which you hold so dear."
"A-ah, yes..."
Yi Hwang let out a long sigh, as if he had lost everything.
But I Yeon wasn't finished.
"I heard you had encounters with Japanese pirates this early in the year?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The silent Japanese pirates had suddenly appeared on the South Sea coast.
There weren't many of them, but they were extremely swift.
Luckily, they were spotted by the militia youths doing reclamation work along the coast, and when they tried to flee, the navy caught them. All drowned, the report said.
During the incident, two young men were killed by Japanese arquebuses, and countless others were wounded.
"Yet there are still people who hide their own wealth, refuse to pay taxes to the kingdom, and even demand support. What is to be done?"
"Your Majesty! This servant has committed a capital crime."
Yi Hwang prostrated himself, slamming his forehead to the ground and weeping as he cried out.
His shameful secrets had been exposed, so there was nothing he could say even if he was executed right then.
Seeing the man, I Yeon sighed deeply.
He could simply expose his flaws.
They would bury him themselves.
But the problem was the ministers who followed and revered him.
He feared it would shake the mood.
'If that happened, it would ruin the good atmosphere.'
Ever since the military demonstration of the Hwaryeokgun, all ministers had been working with genuine enthusiasm.
It seemed to be born from pride in becoming a great power.
'We can't pour cold water on that atmosphere.'
So he had decided to use Yi Hwang after all.
It was something he had to do sooner or later.
Plus, the man seemed suitable for the role.
"I heard you lived in poverty and lusted after wealth when you were young. But there is no one starving to death now, is there?"
"That is correct, Your Majesty."
"Then stop being greedy."
"I understand, Your Majesty."
Only now did Yi Hwang seem to be answering with sincerity.
So I Yeon asked his final question.
"There is one request. Can you grant it?"
"This servant will obey anything."
"Lead the abolition of the slave system yourself."
"What?!"
Yi Hwang startled and lifted his head sharply at the king's completely unexpected words.