Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 823

Episode 823 Ming and Japan – Internal stability and expansion (2)

The great purge initiated by Dongchang and Jinuiwi was the opportunity that Emperor Seonghwa was aiming for.

“Reform cannot be successful with the current system and personnel.”

“That’s right.”

“A great purge is needed. Just like Emperor Wen purged the elder ministers before starting the scriptures.”

At Seonghwaje’s words, the comrades of the Jamryonghoe and Wang Chong looked serious.

“A lot of blood will be shed.”

The great purges carried out in China’s previous dynasties differed in scale from those of Joseon.

Excluding the Giyu Rebellion, which attempted to restore everything except the king, the number of people involved in the Great Purge in Joseon who died or was exiled did not exceed 100 at most. However, in the case of people, the default was 10,000 units.

This is why the comrades of the Jamryonghoe and Wang Chong had serious faces.

However, Seong Hwa-je seemed unconcerned about this.

“It was something I was prepared to do. Reform bleeds. You shouldn’t be afraid of that blood. “Keep in mind that Emperor Wen, who is a saint, resolutely saw blood when it was necessary.”

After confirming that Sanghwaje had made his decision, his comrades in the Jamryonghoe and Wang Chung bowed their heads and responded.

“I will make every preparation to meet Your Majesty’s expectations.”

After finishing the meeting, Wang Chong let out a long sigh.

“Whoa~. This is why there are rumors going around that he is the ‘Chairman of Joseon’ or ‘the Emperor of Goryeo’… If only he had followed the example of Emperor Hongwu or Emperor Yongle….”

Emperor Seonghwa’s way of thinking and standards of judgment were all imperial-style. No, except for what they wore, everything they did, including eating and drinking, was imperial style.

Moreover, the person whom Seonghwaje regarded as a monarch whom he could emulate was King Sejong, the original emperor of the empire.

However, Wang Chong was able to understand Seonghwaje’s actions.

“You have been living in the empire since you were a baby… And the Emperor Wen of the empire is a holy prince. And because he is the one who founded the empire in a situation similar to the present.”

* * *

Because the Seonghwaje’s decision was thus established, Wang Chung and the Jamryonghoe secretly began preparations.

My classmate secretly conducted an internal investigation to determine which ministers had committed corruption and the political inclinations of those with whom they were close friends.

It wasn’t just the ministers.

The every move of the royal family living in the province was monitored more carefully.

The Jamryonghoe also did not sit still.

The comrades of Jamryonghoe carefully examined administrative documents from all over the Ming Dynasty.

The most important thing to look into during the process was family registration and cleansing.

It was a huge task to check all the documents submitted by the prefecture, the smallest unit of local administrative organization. The Jamryonghoe comrades meticulously compared the population size and records of the town’s revenue and expenditure to determine whether there was any corruption.

If there was any abnormality, the local officer in question was separately recorded and reported to Seonghwaje.

On the contrary, if there were local officials who were honest and competent, they were also selected separately and reported to Emperor Seonghwa.

“Good job. I’m sorry, but please work a little harder. “For reform to be successful, this department of killing must be properly created.”

“I will do my best.”

* * *

While preparations were proceeding step by step like this, a major incident occurred that put the ‘qualities of the empress and prince’ at stake.

According to the orders of the greatly angered Seonghwaje, all those who were even slightly involved, starting with the ministers who made the remarks, were arrested and imprisoned.

“What they said was a bit harsh, but wasn’t it too much for Your Majesty?”

Some ministers were concerned that Seonghwaje might be making too big a deal, but many other ministers shook their heads.

“I can’t believe I’m messing with the dragon’s evil spirit because

I have nothing to touch…” “At this time, it’s best to keep your mouth shut and just pay attention.”

As many ministers expected, mentioning the empress and the prince would offend the Emperor Seonghwa.

He had already taken in concubines and would continue to take in concubines in the future. There were many beautiful women walking around in front of his eyes, but it was not possible to guarantee that Emperor Seonghwa would continue to favor only the current empress.

“Why step forward when you can just wait for your time like Kang Tae-gong!”

They were the ones blaming the ministers who were imprisoned for causing this incident.

Those who were more thoughtful there looked at the military with eyes full of worry.

“The army should remain still…”

But the Ming army was not moving.

* * *

As Emperor Seong Hwa struggled every day to reform the internal affairs of the Ming Dynasty, the first thing he paid most attention to was the military.

“Even now, after defeat in the last war, the fact that we are still in a difficult situation at the border means that there is a problem with the military!”

Following this conclusion, Emperor Seong Hwa began a large-scale crackdown on the military.

The first thing to do was to organize the military records managed by the military department on a large scale.

Next, we inspected units scattered across the country to determine whether there was any corruption.

Whenever irregularities were discovered, such as embezzlement of budget by making up accounts to make it look like there were more soldiers than there actually were, the commander in question was severely punished and his family assets were confiscated.

It wasn’t just punishment. Opportunities for those who entered the military gate with the dream of achieving good fortune have also increased.

Military officers who entered the military gate gathered in Nanjing periodically every year to compete in their respective martial arts and discuss military strategies.

Those who achieved good results at this event, directly observed by the Seonghwaje, could immediately rise to the ranks of success.

This wasn’t the only thing.

“We are well because there are those who guard the great walls and the desert fortresses. Jim has not forgotten your hard work.”

Seong Hwa-je, who said this, personally took care of the situation of the troops guarding the border area.

With Seonghwaje taking care of it himself, the strength of the border troops was greatly improved. And the Jingun began to be absolutely loyal to Emperor Seonghwa.

Although the military was absolutely loyal to Emperor Seonghwa, there were also dissatisfaction.

“I wish it was a little bigger…”

It was a complaint about Seonghwaje’s reduction of the size of the army.

Emperor Seonghwa reduced the army for an unavoidable reason.

The Ming economy was severely damaged by the civil war in Gangnam that followed the defeat in the Battle of Liaodong.

The previous emperor, Emperor Gyeongtae, tried hard to recover, but was once again deeply wounded by the defeat in the Battle of the Yellow Sea.

Accordingly, Emperor Seonghwa reduced the size of the army.

“For the time being, we are only focusing on Mercury! There’s no need to make yourself bigger than you need to be! But make sure you secure enough power for defense!”

According to Seonghwaje’s decision, the King’s army was reduced in size. However, it was not an unconditional reduction, but a reduction through selection and concentration based on rational judgment.

First, the troops organized for the purpose of a large-scale expedition were disbanded.

Instead, as above, the power of the troops defending the border was strengthened.

The same was true for the navy.

The number of large ships built for battle with the empire was reduced, and instead a large number of small and medium-sized ships with adequate firepower and excellent mobility were supplied.

Their mission was to patrol major ports and coastal shipping routes and prevent pirates from moving around.

“Maintaining the well-being of the people and stable trade routes is the top priority!”

According to Seonghwaje’s orders, the basic strategy of the Myeongsu army itself had changed.

Although he was slightly dissatisfied with this reduction in the size of his army, his loyalty to Emperor Seonghwa remained firm.

This was because there were many opportunities for success, personal success was certain, and there were no problems with supply.

* * *

Seonghwaje, who secured the loyalty of the military, continued the bloody purge.

In the process of purging those who questioned the qualifications of the princes, he grouped together and purged all nobles who were dissatisfied with him.

It wasn’t just intellectuals.

Among the royal family residing in the provinces, he identified and purged those who had a high succession rank or were hostile to him.

It was a period of great purges, called the ‘Age of Blood and Terror’.

However, the people’s reaction was surprisingly calm.

This was because since Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, and even in previous dynasties, there had been more than one or two bloody incidents to strengthen the royal authority.

Even after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang carried out large-scale purges and Emperor Yongle carried out purges.

Even Emperor Seondeok, who ushered in the Great Peaceful Era known as the ‘Government of Inseon’, purged the disobedient nobles and superiors.

Therefore, such large-scale purges were not unfamiliar to the people of the Ming Dynasty. It didn’t really matter as long as it didn’t hurt only him.

In addition, like the military, the people also supported the Holy Fire Festival.

This was different from calling him ‘the Emperor of Joseon’ or ‘the Emperor of Goryeo’.

The reason why the people of Ming supported Emperor Seonghwa was because Emperor Seonghwa also cared about stabilizing the lives of the people.

* * *

Emperor Seonghwa did his best to stabilize the lives of his people.

The first thing to do was to reexamine tax administration to prevent unfair tax collection and stop tax leaks.

In this process, the heads of officials who committed corruption were executed, and their family assets were confiscated and returned to the national treasury.

Seonghwaje, who confirmed the amount of wealth confiscated from the national treasury, called together the ministers and reported them.

“What on earth did the police do? Look at the wealth of the dignitaries returned to the national treasury! It’s equivalent to two years’ worth of our budget! “What did the ministers do when those raiders were eating away at the people and the country like that?”

“Please punish the gods for their incompetence!”

“Shut up the nonsense and do your job properly! Otherwise, the Lords will punish you however you wish!”

As if the threat of the Seonghwaje had worked, ministers and officials began to properly manage the ablutions, and the burden on the people was greatly reduced.

This alone greatly increased the people’s support, but the Seonghwaje did not stop there.

“Create an ‘Intellectual Property Management Office’!”

“yes?”

Seeing the ministers with blank expressions, Seong Hwa-je continued.

“Aren’t our people all farmers who only farm? There are many fishermen, merchants, and artisans. is not it?”

“I’ll buy it back.”

“But look at the artisans and merchants. We put a lot of effort into creating new objects and products, but we are losing money because of those who secretly copied our products. “How do we get over this?”

The ministers nodded at Seonghwaje’s words.

Chinese imitation and counterfeiting has a long and famous history.

Even during the Song Dynasty, it was famous for selling counterfeit antiques from the Han or Tang Dynasties, and even now, it is common for people to get into trouble for selling fake medicines or foods.

However, the ministers nodded and looked perplexed.

“Your Majesty, you are well aware of this problem… It is a behavior that has been going on for a very long time…”

“So are you going to ignore it?”

“But it’s such a difficult task…”

“So you’re saying we’re just going to give it up!”

As Seong Hwa-je’s voice rose again, the Cabinet Secretary responded urgently.

“Oh no! “I will find an answer and let you know as quickly as possible!”

This was the beginning of something that would give Seonghwa Emperor headaches throughout his reign.

The so-called ‘war against imitation’ had begun.

——

hello?

This is Gukppong, who writes ‘Black Enterprise Chosun’.

After the serial was uploaded yesterday, there were comments saying that there was a problem with the change in perspective.

I found out later that an error occurred while uploading somewhere else and the files were mixed up.

However, I took this opportunity to reflect on myself once again.

It is true that my skills are not good yet and I am rough and immature in many areas.

In the future, I will work harder on this part and post a better article.

thank you

I hope you continue to love me even more in the future.