# Chapter 128: Civil Engineering
About five days after the establishment of Jeonjang was decided, a report came to Sejong.
"The Crown Prince is staying at the Hall of Records?"
"That is correct, Your Majesty."
"Why?"
At Sangseon's answer, Sejong expressed his puzzlement, and the ministers tensed up.
'What in the world is he plotting again!'
'What kind of accident is he trying to cause this time!'
'Please don't bring us more work! Please!'
While the ministers were all cursing, praying, and supplicating internally, Sangseon answered.
"According to reports from the attending eunuchs, he said it was to supplement the answer regarding the command Your Majesty had given, as the initial response was somewhat lacking."
"Hoh! As expected of the Crown Prince!"
At Sangseon's report, Sejong burst into laughter with a face full of affection and pride, while the ministers squeezed their eyes shut and cursed internally.
'Damn it all!'
At the same time, Hyang, who was organizing documents at the Hall of Records, was spewing curses.
"Damn it! The conclusion is civil engineering after all!"
* * *
Five days after Sangseon's report, or about ten days later, Hyang appeared before Sejong.
"Father, I have brought the second plan regarding the command you gave me."
At Hyang's words, Sejong's face brightened.
"I have been waiting. Announce it quickly."
"Yes, Father."
As Hyang walked to the center of the main hall, the ministers focused their attention on him.
"It has been a while since I last saw you all."
After lightly greeting the ministers, Hyang cleared his throat and spoke.
"The first thing I thought of to carry out Father's command was Jeonjang. My belief that Jeonjang is the optimal solution to break the economic shackles between the local magnates and tenant farmers remains unchanged."
At Hyang's statement, both Sejong and the ministers harbored the same question.
'Then what is the problem?'
As if he knew their questions, Hyang continued speaking.
"However, if only Jeonjang is created, unexpected problems may arise."
"What are these unexpected problems?"
At Sejong's question, Hyang answered immediately.
"It is the problem of transportation."
"Transportation?"
When Hyang mentioned the transportation problem, Sejong and the ministers began to think deeply about why that would be an issue.
The first to figure out the answer was, of course, Sejong.
"Indeed, that is so. The goods that the people need number in the hundreds to thousands, yet there are few places where all those goods are produced. If the local magnates monopolize these goods, it could become another form of shackles."
At Sejong's answer, Hyang blinked and couldn't keep his mouth shut.
'That's something even I didn't think of?'
"Crown Prince?"
Having frozen at the completely unexpected answer, Hyang quickly came to his senses at Sejong's call and bowed his head.
"I am profoundly grateful! You pointed out a part I had not considered, and for a moment I was flustered! I can only be impressed by Father's keen insight!"
At Hyang's flattery, Sejong answered with a smile.
"It was merely good fortune. Still, this father has lived more days than you, so I simply saw what you could not."
At Sejong's answer, the ministers wore expressions of choking indignation.
'Then what are we!'
'Damn it! If we're talking about age, I'm old enough to be your grandson!'
'Are you telling us to die!'
"Hmm? Why do you ministers have such expressions?"
At Sejong's question, the ministers hurriedly composed their expressions and bowed their heads.
"We were so impressed by His Majesty's keen insight that we momentarily lost our senses!"
"Your Majesty's wisdom is a great blessing to Joseon!"
At the praise poured out by the Chief Ministers as representatives of the ministers, Sejong answered with a slightly embarrassed face.
"Haha! As I told the Crown Prince, it was simply good fortune. How could it compare to your knowledge and wisdom? Think of the difference in the days we have lived!"
"Your words are too gracious!"
"We are overwhelmed with gratitude!"
Though they answered in unison with bowed heads, the ministers' inner thoughts were complicated.
'Is this a compliment?'
'It doesn't seem like a compliment...'
'It sounds like he's saying we're not acting our age...'
Regardless of what the ministers thought internally, Sejong's attention was focused on the Crown Prince.
"So... Crown Prince, what was the answer you had thought of?"
At Sejong's question, Hyang spoke of the problem he had considered.
"As Father has taught, not all goods are produced in one place. Therefore, necessary goods must be brought from other places. However, since transportation is inconvenient, the quantity is inevitably limited, and as a result, areas far from the production sites must pay high prices to obtain goods. If that happens, tenant farmers with low income will have no choice but to borrow money from the local magnates again."
At Hyang's words, the Minister of Justice raised a question.
"Would they borrow money from local magnates when there is Jeonjang?"
At the Minister of Justice's question, Minister of Personnel Heo Jo answered immediately.
"As long as wealth does not flow infinitely from Jeonjang's warehouses, and as long as there are limits on the assets that can be used as collateral, unlimited lending is impossible."
"Is that not the same for the local magnates?"
At Heo Jo's answer, the Minister of Justice asked again, still not understanding.
At the Minister of Justice's question, Kim Jeom raised his voice.
"Sir, Minister! The local magnates charge high interest when lending money! Do you not know the difference?"
"Ah..."
At Kim Jeom's rebuke, the Minister of Justice closed his mouth with an embarrassed face.
When the Minister of Justice fell silent, Hyang continued speaking.
"This is the first problem that arises when transportation is limited, and the next problem is communication. Because urgent reports such as droughts, floods, and epidemics arrive late, there is insufficient time to respond. Then Jeonjang's response will be delayed, and the people will be bound to the local magnates again."
"I see."
At Hyang's words, Sejong and the ministers nodded.
Judging that Sejong and the ministers understood the problem, Hyang presented the solution he had thought of.
"Therefore, the solution I have considered is to expand roads throughout all of Joseon."
At Hyang's words, the Minister of Public Works immediately raised an objection.
"Road construction is already being carried out steadily."
"That is correct. However, it is a matter of timing and method. Looking at the current situation of road construction, work begins after the harvest ends and winter sets in, continuing for about five months until the spring lean period ends. Is that correct?"
"It is correct."
"Carrying out construction in the dead of winter requires much labor and progress is slow. Is that correct?"
"It is correct."
At Hyang's points, the Minister of Public Works nodded. Hyang's words were correct.
Digging into the ground, frozen solid in the bitter cold of winter, was an extremely difficult task. In 15th century Joseon, without the large construction machinery of the 21st century, all this work required the mobilization of human and animal labor.
Of course, most situations were resolved by pushing people into the work.
As the Minister of Public Works nodded continuously, Hyang pointed out the resulting problem.
"Just like the construction of embankments and reservoirs, road construction began with the character of relief work. However, if Jeonjang takes root, road construction for relief purposes must stop."
At Hyang's words, Kim Jeom spoke up.
"I understand well what the Crown Prince is saying. However, the reason for carrying out construction during that period was not only for relief purposes, but also because of the problem of securing personnel. It is because people cannot be taken away during the busy farming season."
"During the busy farming season, it is actually easier to take people away."
"What?"
"Hmm?"
Since Hyang's answer shattered existing common sense, everyone from Sejong to the scribes recording the history momentarily doubted their ears.
"Crown Prince, the busy farming season is called that because it is busy with farming work. So how can you say it is easy to take people away?"
At Sejong's words, Hyang explained the reason.
"It is because of the rice transplanting method, Father."
"The rice transplanting method? Hmm... Wasn't the rice transplanting method used because it can increase the yield?"
At Sejong's point, Kim Jeom added.
"That is correct. Although the increase in yield was less than expected."
At Kim Jeom's point, Hyang continued.
"Yes. The increase in yield was less than expected, so even now, researchers and farmers are sweating to develop varieties that can increase yield. However, the number of farming households using the rice transplanting method continues to increase. Is that not correct?"
At Hyang's point, Kim Jeom answered with an embarrassed face.
"That is true. Even though we said it was less than expected, even on the poorest land, the yield increases by at least ten percent."
As Kim Jeom answered, farming households implementing the rice transplanting method were indeed increasing. This was because it was possible to increase production by at least ten percent compared to the existing direct seeding method.
Of course, in the finest fertile fields where 'one could achieve a bountiful harvest just by spitting,' the yield increase was at least eighty percent.
Hyang explained another effect brought by the rice transplanting method.
"While the ministers only paid attention to the yield among the effects brought by the rice transplanting method, they did not see another effect."
At Hyang's words, Kim Jeom, who had been arguing against it until just now, showed strong interest. Since he was in charge of the department dealing with money, he could not simply let this pass.
"What is this other effect?"
"Once the sowing season and transplanting season pass, there is an excess of labor until the harvest season."
"What?"
Hyang explained the changes brought by the rice transplanting method.
- The rice transplanting method, which transplants grown seedlings, produces rice that grows more robustly than the direct seeding method, as long as the seedlings can withstand the shock of transplantation.
- Due to the characteristics of rice paddies filled with water, the types of weeds that can grow are limited. Therefore, the number of times and the labor required for weeding can be greatly reduced.
- Therefore, if we exclude only the process of sowing and growing the initial seedlings and the harvest period, a considerable amount of labor remains unused.
"...Let me give you an example. There is a petition that came up from Muan-hyeon in Jeolla Province two years ago. At that time, the magistrate of Muan-hyeon reported that he was able to finish maintenance before the rainy season began because there was a surplus of labor after rice transplanting was completed during the process of maintaining the roads."
At Hyang's words, Sejong, who was searching his memory, nodded.
"That did happen. I remember praising the magistrate at that time for handling it wisely and giving him a good evaluation. Indeed, indeed..."
While Sejong was nodding continuously, the discussion between Kim Jeom and Hyang continued.
"Is the Crown Prince suggesting that we draft personnel during the busy farming season for road construction for that reason?"
"It is not drafting. That would not break the connection between the local magnates and the farmers. I intend to secure merchant groups that specialize only in road construction."
"Then the expenditure of costs will increase more than necessary! That cannot be done!"
As Kim Jeom strongly objected and raised his voice, Hyang's voice also rose.
"My intention to secure merchant groups is not for the purpose of relief work. It is to bring about the emergence of professional groups that make civil engineering their established livelihood!"
"What?"
At the unexpected statement, Kim Jeom hesitated, and Heo Jo interjected.
"Is the Crown Prince intending to make the surplus labor in rural areas leave the villages?"
"Exactly that!"
At Hyang's strong affirmation, Heo Jo wore a troubled expression.
"However, whether there will be people who will leave like that..."
As Heo Jo expressed his doubt and trailed off, Hyang turned to look at Kim Jeom.
"Minister of Revenue! How much has the rural population increased? Or rather, how many have died?"
At Hyang's question, Kim Jeom answered immediately.
"The average annual number of deaths since the implementation of the reforms is about sixty percent compared to before the reforms."
"Ah! That is so!"
At Kim Jeom's answer, Sejong slapped his knee and let out an exclamation of admiration.
"I had forgotten that too! After vaccinating with cowpox and cultivating and distributing medicinal herbs, the number of people dying has greatly decreased! This is my error! I cannot help but feel sorry to you ministers!"
When Sejong admitted his own mistake, the ministers denied it in unison.
"That is not so, Your Majesty!"
"This is the mistake of us ministers who have not properly assisted Your Majesty! Please punish us!"
"Please punish us!"
After the farce of everyone crying out apologies to each other ended, Sejong turned to look at Hyang.
"I will think deeply about the policy you mentioned."
"We are overwhelmed by your grace!"
At Sejong's decision, Hyang bowed deeply.