Chapter 202
Chapter 202
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 202
Chapter Title: The Righteousness of the Martial World (2)
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The king had said it wouldn't be noisy, but high-ranking officials have always been out of touch with the nitty-gritty of actual work.
Minister of Rites Hong Gyehui spoke with a troubled expression.
"If we send your nephew to Pyeongando, there's talk that His Majesty the Yeongjo will wipe out the army he's barely managed to rebuild while dodging the Jurchens' eyes. They've already dismantled the Sok-o Army and the Su-eo Agency, so why not the northern forces too?"
Uncle, I'm disappointed. Can't you even handle these petty conspiracy theorists and their fake news? If there's one among them who's a real hotshot like Song Deokbi, tell him to step up.
I'd been wondering if Censorate member Chae Je-gong, still in mourning for his mother, had forgotten his filial duties and submitted a memorial. Then it hit me.
Hong Gyehui hadn't named who was saying this. There was no point in hiding it anyway—figuring it out and getting revenge would be a piece of cake for me.
I decided to test Hong Gyehui a little.
"In that case, I shall withdraw from office. How could I possibly carry out my duties under impeachment?"
"Ahem. Who said anything about impeachment? It's just that people are talking, so be especially cautious about this."
......The king himself.
Got it. As long as I don't disband it, we're good?
Time for a little 'reform'.
It'd be a shame if an otherworld hero like me didn't overhaul the military system at least once.
On my way to take up my post, Shin Heop, the Pyongan Jung-gun who came out to greet me at the head of his cavalry, seemed like just the man to involve in my military reforms.
As per custom, he bowed to me fully armored, helmet and all.
"It's been too long, Excellency. It feels like only yesterday we were working together at the Equal Service Agency, and now you've come as Inspector General. It's as if I've been promoted myself—I'm thrilled."
Shin Heop wasn't a literary exam graduate. But King Yeongjo, who was dead set on the equal service law, had kept him on as a clerk despite his low rank because he was so competent. That's how we knew each other.
"With men like you in charge, Pyongyangs defenses must be solid. How are things these days?"
I was asking about the army's finances, but Shin Heop seemed to misunderstand.
"What have I done that's worth mentioning? The Hun-guk soldiers you trained have already crossed into Pyeongando and are teaching the hunters well. The troops' morale improves by the day, so it seems the scholars' long-cherished dream of a strong nation will soon come true."
What are you even talking about? That's not the dream of the upright scholar standing right in front of you.
I tried to steer the conversation.
"You must have the local corvée records in both the garrison and the provincial office, right?"
"Pardon? We don't have comprehensive corvée totals here in Pyongan. Just the compiled ledgers from the counties and arsenals."
"What? So the court doesn't even know the corvée situation in this vital western region?"
I couldn't believe it, no matter how rushed my appointment was. Is this a country?
The central government doesn't know the corvée status—their most important revenue source—in Pyeongando, the most populous of the eight provinces? What is this, some northern frontier duchy?
Shin Heop stared at me blankly for a moment before composing himself.
"As Your Excellency wisely points out, that's been an issue since ancient times. Last year of the Jeongchuk cycle, the then-governor proposed creating corvée totals here too and was surveying the areas when he got implicated in a rebellion..."
Jeongchuk year? What happened then? Injo's hot yoga? That's ancient history.
Only when I saw Shin Heop glancing at me nervously did it click.
Oh, right. Yeah.
The Spring in Seoul was Jeongchuk year too. And the one who locked up Pyeongando Governor Min Baek-sang back then...
Was me.
Pyeongando had particularly high military rice revenues.
Right after the Manchu invasion, the Qing had banned troops from stationing there. The disbanded regulars were, like those in the Su-eo Agency under my watch, all turned into corvée payers.
Of course, Joseon had been gradually rebuilding active forces over the past century, all while watching the Qing.
But that ran into internal resistance.
Once an bureaucracy gets used to slush funds, it can't function without them. And that was even more true in the 18th century than in the 21st.
Every king who tried to properly staff Pyeongando's forces faced fierce local opposition. King Sukjong's contradictory demands—expand the army and keep playing ATM for the rest of Joseon—didn't help.
Demands from the Treasury and Equal Service Agency to squeeze out some cash were almost always ignored. Even royal orders were flouted so often that they had to send prime ministers as special envoys. The king himself begging one province for money.
In that context, Min Baek-sang was the one who strongly pushed—and succeeded—in creating corvée ledgers in Pyeongando, which hadn't had them before.
Depending on your view, this was when Pyeongando was finally fully integrated into Joseon as an administrative province.
In other words, if coup leader Kim Unhaeng hadn't imprisoned the righteous Min Baek-sang—who was supposed to do just that—Joseon might have taken a step toward modernity.
Looked like the king had tricked me, but there was no helping it.
A general who starts a war without knowing the enemy's size isn't even worth calling incompetent.
Likewise, anyone trying to siphon funds without knowing the budget is a rank amateur.
Unless you're some regimental crook pocketing oil bottles or rice sacks from the warehouse, you need the full picture to know how much you can skim safely.
The moment I arrived in Pyongan, I launched a full inventory audit like Mok Cheon-hyeon.
I should climb Bubu Pavilion to compose poetry for the locals gawking at the governor's procession, hand out drinks to the drummers, pay respects at Gija Shrine and share rice cakes—but no time for that now.
The clerks in the Pyongan Governor's office—stronger than the court, per Yeongjo's own words—made Mok Cheon-hyeon's bunch look tame.
To intimidate them, I created a reign of terror.
Eoji stood behind me holding the great staff of discipline. Not enough, so I summoned Yoon Pil-deok's Hun-guk soldiers who'd served as instructors. In no time, the compound felt under martial law.
Lim Uijung, a 5th-grade capital official dispatched to monitor and assist the governor, hesitated as he spoke.
"Forgive me, but I haven't heard of any special orders from Seoul..."
"What nonsense is this? Auditing the offices is a mandatory duty for any new official. Bring all ledgers, reports, and documents at once. Any discrepancies, and the staff comes down!"
Lim Uijung shut his mouth briefly, then retreated with the look of someone who'd seen a flash of lightning overhead.
And soon after, as impeccably prepared Pyongan gisaeng paraded in, I nearly collapsed.
While I stood there dumbfounded, a guy who looked like they'd dressed a singer in clerk's robes for the gisaeng inspection belted out.
"Greetings to the Inspector General! First, the pride of Yujing—Pyongyang! None other than the willows Kija planted to civilize the rough local customs. Has the rain-freshened willow branch of spring passion appeared?"
One gisaeng glided forward gracefully, knelt, and bowed her head.
"Yes. I have presented myself."
I hurled my inspection tablet away.
"Scram!"
Yeah. Lim Uijung wasn't wrong. I get it. This is Pyongan, Joseon's top pleasure district—even Crown Prince Sado snuck out of the palace to party here.
Plus, gisaeng inspections are legal—no, more than legal; they're obligatory.
Joseon is a military-bureaucratic state. All administration runs like the army.
Gisaeng are managed like soldiers. Just as I must inspect clerks, slaves, and troops, so too the gisaeng—as 'official property.' I'd overlooked it since there were only a couple listed in Mok Cheon-hyeon's ledgers.
Byeonsatto's problem wasn't the inspection; it was raping them privately.
Like turning state troops into private soldiers. Though groping the secret royal inspector candidate was the real crime.
So I did the gisaeng inspection too.
Disappointingly for 'Joseon's finest beauties,' none could hold a candle to Se-hwa's toes, and their dances and music did nothing for a modern guy like me.
As with soldiers, gisaeng bear corvée duties, funded by their patrons.
Thus, local officials often forge documents to buy favorites from Seoul using another gisaeng's patron slot, taking them as concubines.
Everyone does it, but it's strictly illegal. Rarely punished alone—usually tacked on to other crimes like insolence—but if caught, it's 'disobeying royal orders,' no light matter.
Perfect hook to grab. Can't give the king more leverage.
But then a great idea struck.
I can't take them myself, but shifting them to a Seoul office under my influence? Possible. And in Joseon, few businesses rival entertainment for value.
Dalmun's Chunsik Entertainment would treasure talents like these. I started scrutinizing the gisaeng closely.
Of course, there was zero corruption. Even without Se-hwa and the kids in the inner residence just steps away, it'd be the same.
Yet despite my clear conscience, when I left the office, Se-hwa's line was a spell to make any innocent man sweat.
"You, sit down here."
I flinched despite doing nothing wrong.
"W-why?"
"Oh my. Why so startled?"
"Must be exhaustion from the workload. What's up?"
"I was worried about your health with such heavy duties, so I sorted the household accounts. Look at this—the governor's official expense allowance is a thousand yang a month! I was fretting over setting up in a strange place, but now I can breathe."
Whoops. So focused on national budgets, I forgot the sweetest pot: official expenses.
And this isn't like Korea's report-required business funds (240); it's no-questions-asked special activity funds (230).
How vital they are? I heard from a friend who passed before me. Incredibly convenient for both bosses and staff. Should've checked this first.
A thousand yang a month is 12,000 a year. Extend the term via the king, and that's over 12 billion in perceived value.
Truly admirable. How could I stray with a wife like this? I gently took Se-hwa's hand.
"You've done wonders."
"And this, I'll give you whenever you need. You're so busy, right?"
"No, not that busy. To avoid rumors, I'll handle it..."
"You're busy, right? With the gisaeng inspection."
That punk. Whining for pocket money lately, but he's been earning like this? Sneaking into daddy's office when?
Too busy plotting how to punish the unfilial brat, I missed my excuse window. Se-hwa smiled slyly.
"If you wanted gisaeng fun, you'd have done it in Seoul. But a woman knows women's wiles—I'll manage the household to keep you from falling for scheming crowds."
"......Very well."
Kim Unhaeng naturally assumes the military authority in Pyongan is his, but technically it belongs to the Pyongan Defense Commander.
As Kim Unhaeng said, Joseon fuses military and administration. Governors hold some power, especially over military finances, but only the Defense Commander can order combat.
And current Pyongan Defense Commander Kim Seong-u was highly displeased with the governor's massive audit.
"Is he using the king's name to steal the garrison's profits for the provincial office?"
Pyongan Jung-gun Shin Heop, reporting military affairs to the commander, dreaded this notoriously greedy man.
But he was a talent who'd propped up the Equal Service Agency. Shin Heop advised rationally.
"His Majesty now seeks to wash away a century of humiliation against the barbarians. Sending Kim Dog-Beater—prodigy in arms and arts—for that very reason. Pyongan's corvée was bound to be audited eventually."
In short: compromise with Kim Unhaeng to save some, or cooperate fully to make your mark and rise.
But Kim Seong-u wanted neither. Why lose his fortune?
If Kim Unhaeng were some upright forest scholar incorruptible, he'd be scared.
But Kim Seong-u had no clue what 'Kim Chunsik's financial audit' meant. Pot calling kettle black.
And unbeknownst to Shin Heop, Kim Seong-u's schemes went beyond petty embezzlement—light compromise would mean instant ruin.
So Kim Seong-u dismissed Shin Heop and pondered.
The Pyongan Defense Commander also doubles as Naval Commander—or Marine Commander now. He summoned an officer and sent a letter via the Haebang Unit.
Just because someone's a dirty character doesn't mean they're dumb—odds favor it, but not guaranteed.
White Lotus Cult Leader Wang Lun was the same. He already knew about the qualitative issues with his cult's army that Meng Chan mentioned.
And Wang Lun wasn't fool enough to think spirit or training alone would fix it. He decided to give his followers the strongest fist technique they could master quickly.
Kenpo.
Recent international trade booms aren't all sunshine for Joseon or Kim Unhaeng. Others have brains too.
And Shandong to Pyongyang? A quick ship ride. Wang Lun had been cautiously trading weapons with Pyongan for ages.
Joseon's western naval officers often smuggled with Chinese poachers—not new, just massively scaled up now.
Given their closeness, Wang Lun couldn't refuse friend Kim Seong-u's request. It was the righteousness of the martial world.
Wang Lun stroked his beard.
"Hmm. Fine. Someone should head to Joseon."
"Shall I?"
Oh Sam-rang asked, but Wang Lun shook his head.
"How could I send my precious foster daughter alone so far? Meng Chan, our top expert, is perfect. He'll listen if you tell him."
"Understood."
Wang Lun smiled, certain Meng Chan would leap at the chance. Might even dispatch the punk eyeing his foster daughter.
He gazed fondly at her.
'Heaven aids the righteous in wondrous ways.'
Wang Lun was convinced the world revolved around him—Jami Castle.
Clive, hearing Joseon's army commander-in-chief posted to the Chinese border (Pyongan), doubled down on allying with rebels inside China.
Wang Lun got plenty from British via Shanghai merchants who hated the Qing.
If not Heaven's mandate, what is? Soon, stars realign, skies flip.