Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 531

Episode 531 Roll, roll… (12)

As Hwang Hee said, a meeting was held at Seunghwadang on the topic of the letter sent by the Portuguese regent.

“Hmm… If there are 3,000 guns and 3,000 guns, what do you think the overall size of the army is?”

In response to Hyang’s question, Jo Mal-saeng calculated for a moment and then answered the question.

“If you calculate it based on the information you have heard so far, the minimum is 30,000 and the maximum is 60,000.”

“What if we use Joseon as the standard?”

Jo Mal-saeng answered Hyang’s question right away.

“The number of soldiers belonging to one company that has reached the maximum number according to the new organization is 1,500, so it is enough to form two companies.”

“Hmm…”

Listening to Jo Mal-saeng’s answer, the ministers did the math.

* * *

From the time of military reform in the early days of the Gyeongjang era, the military was organized by increasing its size in multiples of five, starting with the smallest unit, O (?), consisting of five people.

However, due to lack of economic ability and incomplete family registration, there were almost no units that were fully filled except in the north.

This problem was solved after the captain entered the final stage.

The size of the company that was filled in this way was about 3,000 troops, which was the size of the troops deployed in the forts and camps installed at key strategic points in the north.

* * *

“Isn’t the size of a country’s army of 30,000 to 60,000 too small?”

Heo Hu, who was doing the math while listening to the conversation between Jo Mal-saeng and Hyang, asked a question with an expression on his face that something didn’t seem right.

All the other ministers nodded at Heo Hu’s point.

When Joseon was founded, the size of the military determined by law was 300,000. It was thought that at that level, the safety of Joseon could be maintained even in the event of a considerable disturbance.

Jo Mal-saeng immediately responded to Heo Hu’s point.

“If you look at the way they operate as mercenaries, it is not like the country directly organizes and operates an army. It is said that when war breaks out, private soldiers from nobles are mobilized and mercenaries are used a lot.”

“Then who protects the monarch?”

“It is said that the monarch also commands his own army.”

Heo Hu clicked his tongue at Jo Mal-saeng’s answer.

“Tsk! “Is this really your country?”

Hyang intervened in Heo Hu’s words.

“That is an area where superiority and inferiority cannot be determined between us and them because our history and customs are different. “What we need to do now is study their military tactics and find an opening.”

Heo Hu bowed his head at the thorny words of Hyang.

“Please forgive my slip of the tongue.”

“Please be careful.”

After giving Heo Hu his attention, Hyang moved on to the next step.

“Thanks to the funds coming from Portugal and Oirat, it will be easier to support Shinji next year. And the same goes for accumulating reserves.”

“That’s right. It is truly a blessing in disguise. “We will re-adjust our budget accordingly.”

In response to the Minister of Finance and Economy’s answer, Hyang slightly nodded and added.

“Please. ah! And, starting with Tsushima Island, the Japanese in Tsushima Island will return home next spring, so please pay attention to the funds that will be used to support them.”

“yes. “I will keep this in mind.”

The Minister of Finance and Economy responded to Hyang’s request by bowing his head.

* * *

After that, the meeting continued a little longer. Most of the content of the meeting that followed was about the budget to be executed next year.

The main subjects of the conversation were Hyang, Hwang Hee, Kim Jeom, and the Minister of Finance and Economy, and the other ministers were almost spectators. Most of what they could do was listen to the conversation and guess what the next year would bring.

After the meeting, the ministers gathered again in the Prime Minister’s conference room as always.

As soon as we took our seats, the first person to speak was Jo Mal-saeng.

“Daegam Uichon.”

“When it comes to the defense budget, sufficient increases have already been made.”

Jo Mal-saeng twitched his lips and grumbled inwardly at Kim Jeom’s answer, which was to nip it in the bud in the first place, but he opened his mouth again.

“Still, I have to say something. Don’t you think that His Majesty the Lord and the Crown Prince are focusing too much on God? “The budget for new sites is increasing.”

“Think of Shinji’s size. Considering its size, the current budget is insufficient.”

In response to Kim Jeom’s answer, Jo Mal-saeng nodded and continued his counterargument.

“Of course, considering Shinji’s size, that’s true. But Shinji’s size is the problem. Isn’t it possible to digest such a huge river area that can be called a continent all at once? However, the budget continues to increase. This breaks the harmony of budget execution. “Even if most of what is done in Shinji is under the direction of the Chief Minister, this is a serious problem.”

The ministers present all nodded to Jo Mal-saeng’s point.

They also had the experience of losing a war of words with the Ministry of Finance and Economy during the budget preparation process. However, regarding Shinji, the budget was set without any disagreement. Because of this, voices mixed with dissatisfaction were secretly coming out from ministers of each department to low-ranking officials.

“No matter how much the work is personally led by His Majesty the Prime Minister, isn’t this too much?”

Jo Mal-saeng continued speaking as he watched the reactions of the ministers who nodded slightly to his words.

“Looking at the current situation, it is not a situation where we should only focus on Shinji.

First, let’s look at the relationship with Sang-guk. We are making a fuss and the Shangguk is not saying anything. But doesn’t even you know that it’s not a very good relationship? The problem is that this uncomfortable relationship may not only turn into a hostile relationship tomorrow, but may even confront each other to see the end.

Next, let’s look at the situation in Japan. Although Mr. Daenae has taken power, they and we both know that this is just the beginning. Mr. Daenae must also be well aware that in order for his regime to remain in power stably for a long period of time, it must break away from the military rule that has been maintained until now and change to civil rule. Because everything we learned and practiced in Joseon was related to that. ah! I’m still learning it now.

And for such change, it is essential to eliminate the power of the samurai group symbolized by those called daimyo.

It would be fortunate if this process was resolved through self-reliance, but then the problem of their own loss would be great. Therefore, the most likely method is to use up that force against external enemies.”

“You mean… that the Japanese government will use force against our Joseon?”

Hwang Hee, who was listening to the story, intervened and asked Jo Mal-saeng a question. Jo Mal-saeng answered Hwang Hee’s question right away.

“The most likely thing is to disguise themselves as Japanese pirates and disturb the Ming coastline, but we can’t guarantee that they won’t head to Joseon. Of course, I think it is most likely to target Daeseol Island, not our Joseon headquarters.”

“Do you think our Joseon will remain silent?”

Heo Hu stepped forward and responded to Kim Jeom’s point.

“You would probably answer like this. ‘This is an unexpected action by those who are dissatisfied with our policy. We don’t know. If necessary, I will participate in the subjugation.’ “Isn’t it a loss for them?”

“Hmm…”

At Jo Mal-saeng and Heo Hu’s answer, Kim Jeom and Hwang Hee looked serious.

Looking at the faces of the two, Jo Mal-saeng continued speaking.

“The situation is like this, but I am saying that more and more budget is being spent on new land. Of course, it is ‘more is better’, but I am not claiming that it must be increased unconditionally. However, the only request is to adjust the portion of the budget allocated to the military that flows to Shinji. Challenger-class battleships and flagship ships are steadily coming out of the shipyards of Wonsan and Dongbing Port, but the size of the fleet remains virtually unchanged. because? Two-thirds of the new ships are being deployed on the New Earth route with less than half of their armament. The rest is to replace ships that have reached the end of their useful life or have been lost to natural disasters. “In this situation, even if the budget has increased, complaints will continue to arise.”

Although Jo Mal-saeng finished his remarks, the conference room was quiet. Other ministers were nodding to Jo Mal-saeng’s words, putting silent pressure on Kim Jeom and Minister of Finance and Economy Hwang Hee.

What was surprising was Kim Jeom’s reaction.

At any other time, the person who would have immediately grabbed Jo Mal-saeng by the collar or screamed with spit flying from his mouth remained silent.

“Whoa~.”

Kim Jeom let out a long sigh and looked back at Hwang Hee.

“I guess I have to tell you now.”

“That would be correct.”

After hearing Hwang Hee’s words, Kim Jeom stood up.

“Wait a moment.”

“huh?”

Kim Jeom left the conference room without saying anything, and soon returned to the conference room carrying several thick books.

Kim Jeom sat down and slowly opened his mouth.

“Actually, around the second half of last year, the crown prince noticed signs of anxiety. And this was done after receiving written approval from His Majesty the Lord, the successor to Shinji.”

“Signs of anxiety? Seomyeon Jae?”

As more and more strange sounds continued, the eyes and ears of the ministers were all focused on Kim Jeom.

Kim Jeom picked up one of the books he had brought and opened it.

“This chart here expresses the amount of money exported to the West through Alexandria over the past 10 years.”

Jo Mal-saeng, who looked at the bar graph that Kim Jeom held out, answered right away.

“It’s steadily increasing. What’s the problem?”

“If we connect the highest points of these sticks with a line…”

Kim Jeom, who opened the next page at the same time as he explained, continued.

“The scale is increasing, but the rate of increase is decreasing. This means that it may not be long before it stagnates or decreases.”

“Are those signs of anxiety?”

Kim Jeom nodded to Jo Mal-saeng’s question.

“exactly.”

Jo Mal-saeng immediately refuted Kim Jeom’s answer.

“Even if it stagnates or decreases, isn’t it still a significant amount? “It seems like a guess, doesn’t it?”

In response to Jo Mal-saeng’s rebuttal, Kim Jeom asked again.

“Dae-gam Sagok (Jo Mal-saeng’s pen name). Let’s say the governor is the monarch of a country in the western region. Looking at the way the country is going, all of its national wealth is being sucked out to other countries. If you were a captain, would you just watch this?”

Jo Mal-saeng, who thought about Kim Jeom’s words for a moment, answered in a somber voice.

“They will close the border immediately.”

At Jo Mal-saeng’s answer, Kim Jeom nodded and continued speaking.

“Most of the products sold in the western region are expensive luxury goods. “If the countries in the western region close their doors, do you think we can handle all of those goods through our internal market alone?”

“It would be impossible.”

“If that happens, the number of people having problems with their livelihood will increase dramatically, and glass begging will once again cover the mountains and streams of Joseon.”

Heo Hu intervened in Kim Jeom’s answer.

“Is that going to happen just because we can’t sell luxury goods? “It really seems like a guess this time, doesn’t it?”

Hearing Heo Hu’s words, Kim Jeom picked up another book and opened it.

“This is an examination of trade with the Ming Dynasty. As you can see from the content, exports of luxury goods are still increasing, but goods produced in large quantities and consumed in large quantities, such as cotton, are actually decreasing. What this means is that an increasing number of people are using products produced in their own country that can only be made by selling in large quantities.”

At Kim Jeom’s words, Heo Hu muttered without realizing it.

“Jasan sisters?”

As soon as Heo Hu said anything, Kim Jeom nodded.

“That’s it.”