Chapter 61: Divine Weapons (9)
Having filled their stomachs with porridge made from dried rations, Sejong and his ministers began the audit in earnest.
Spreading out the ledgers they had recorded, the ministers carefully scrutinized them for any omissions or traces of impropriety, and confronted General Choi Hae-san.
"You continued purchasing land—what was the reason for this? Was it that you failed to properly calculate the necessary site from the beginning?"
Though the ministers were questioning General Choi Hae-san, they were actually questioning Hyang. Directly confronting the Crown Prince would give Sejong grounds to find fault with them, so they were attacking indirectly through Choi Hae-san.
To the ministers' questions, Choi Hae-san answered calmly.
"As your lordships have seen, the main research conducted in Section 51 involves weapons using gunpowder. Since gunpowder creates loud explosions, many commoners could not endure it, so we purchased their lands.
Beyond the land purchases, the purchase of cattle and livestock was for the same reason. Incidents kept occurring where livestock frightened by the explosions would die, so we purchased those dead animals as well."
The ministers persistently questioned him, but Choi Hae-san answered without hesitation and with confidence. This was because since the research facility, especially Section 51, was established, no wealth had slipped out through back channels. The budget received from the court was entirely controlled by Hyang, and when it came to budget execution, Hyang was more meticulous than anyone else.
* * *
The audit finally ended around sunset. The ministers who had completed the audit reported the results to Sejong.
"There are no irregularities in the ledgers, Your Majesty."
"Is that so? You have all worked hard."
After acknowledging the ministers' efforts, Sejong turned to look at Hyang.
"The Crown Prince has also worked hard. And General Choi and General Lee have worked hard as well. Seeing the weapons today, I can see the effort the Crown Prince and you lords have put in. You have truly toiled."
At Sejong's praise, Hyang, Choi Hae-san, and Lee Cheon bowed their heads.
"We are overwhelmed by Your Majesty's grace!"
"Your efforts have made Joseon's national defense stronger, so I hope you will continue to strive even harder."
"We will devote our utmost!"
"Then, today..."
Just as Sejong was rising to leave, he noticed the armor worn by the soldiers standing guard and looked back at the ministers.
"Before returning to the palace, let us visit the Military Weapons Directorate."
"Your Majesty, there is not enough time to visit the Military Weapons Directorate."
Hwang Hui stepped forward to note the lateness of the hour, but Sejong shook his head.
"If I put it off another time, state affairs will fall further behind. Since we are out, let us go and see."
"We receive your royal command."
At Sejong's decision, Hwang Hui immediately bowed his head. Sejong's tone had become much softer compared to the morning. If he persisted here, Sejong's tone would change immediately, and that was a sign that Sejong was angry.
'Showers that can be avoided are best avoided.'
Thus, Sejong left Section 51 and headed to the Military Weapons Directorate. Thanks to Section 51's expansion placing it right next to the Military Weapons Directorate, Sejong arrived there immediately.
At the urgent report that 'The King has come to the Military Weapons Directorate!', not only the officials managing the facility but also the artisans all rushed out to pay their respects.
"We greet His Majesty the King!"
At the sight of officials and artisans prostrating themselves in deep bows, Sejong lightly raised his hand.
"Rise."
At Sejong's command, the officials and artisans hurriedly stood up. Watching them rise, Sejong turned to the Minister of Personnel who oversaw the officials.
"The number of officials managing the Military Weapons Directorate seems somewhat fewer than I thought?"
"This is because there are many who serve in concurrent positions..."
"If the artisans have much work to do, and there are insufficient officials to supervise them, it becomes a problem. Prohibit concurrent positions for officials who supervise the Military Weapons Directorate."
"We receive your royal command."
The Minister of Personnel who answered Sejong's command let out a small sigh.
"Huu..."
'As if we don't already have enough shortage of people!'
"I am well aware of the shortage of personnel in the court. The problem of talent shortage will be resolved as quickly as possible while carrying out the Gyeongjang reforms, so please endure for a while."
"No, Your Majesty! How could you speak of toil! That is not fitting at all!"
The Minister of Personnel, having his inner thoughts exposed, turned pale and denied it.
* * *
Entering the interior of the Military Weapons Directorate, Sejong spoke to Hyang.
"It is certain that the weapons you have created all possess fearsome power. However, it is also an undeniable fact that they require much manual labor. Am I wrong?"
"You are not, Your Majesty."
"Therefore, I will examine the production process of those weapons. As you said, the number of artisans in Joseon is small, and since the people have their own needs, arbitrarily mobilizing them is also problematic. Therefore, I will examine the production process and, considering the power learned from today's demonstration, determine priorities. Is there a problem?"
"There is none. It is a natural decision."
Hyang readily accepted Sejong's words.
'Given Joseon's current situation, selection and concentration are necessary. It's unfortunate, though.'
* * *
"Then, let us first observe the production of the chongtong."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Guided by the officials, Sejong observed the process of chongtong production.
Watching the process from rolling the gun barrel to attaching various parts and completing it, Sejong looked back at Hyang.
"It requires much manual labor."
"Yes. That is why we have implemented extensive division of labor."
"Division of labor?"
At Hyang's answer, Sejong calmly examined the production process once more.
Clearly young-looking artisans were hammering iron plates on anvils to shape them and joining them together. And an older artisan was carefully inspecting the gun barrels thus produced.
And the process of refining those gun barrels and rifling them was also carried out almost entirely by young artisans. The parts handled by experienced artisans were inspecting the quality of parts and performing the final assembly.
"I see."
Having seen the process of making the long chongtong, Sejong nodded as if he understood. Having resolved his curiosity, Sejong turned to Hyang and Choi Hae-san to resolve another question.
'The armor worn by the soldiers of Section 51 was unusual. Is that also made here?'
"Yes, Father."
"I would like to see that as well."
"I understand."
At Sejong's command, Hyang gave orders to the officials and artisans of the Military Weapons Directorate. At Hyang's command, the artisans making chongtong stopped their work and rose in a group.
"Hm?"
As Sejong's head tilted, Hyang explained the reason.
"I beg your pardon. There are not enough artisans..."
"Is that so! Tsk!"
At Hyang's answer, Sejong clicked his tongue in regret. At Sejong's reaction, the accompanying ministers became anxious and muttered.
"This... is becoming increasingly unsettling..."
"He will surely demand countermeasures..."
Leaving behind the ministers' anxiety, Sejong followed the artisans and moved to the place where armor was made.
"Hahahaha... well now..."
Upon arriving at the armor-making area and seeing the artisans making armor, Sejong burst into hearty laughter.
Hwang Hui had asked a question, and Hyang had answered 'stamped out.' And now, the artisans were literally 'stamping out' the armor.
The first thing that caught Sejong's eye was the part covering the chest. When a thin iron plate heated red was placed on a large iron mold, another artisan turned a large pulley to bring another iron mold over it.
"Heave-ho!"
When the two molds overlapped, a young artisan pressed down the handle attached to the upper mold with all his might along with a spirited shout. The end of the handle was curved in a semicircle, and as the handle was pressed, the most protruding part of the semicircle descended and pressed the mold.
After the two molds were completely joined and some time passed, the artisans raised the handle and turned the pulley to separate the two molds. When the molds separated, an artisan standing nearby took out the iron plate with tongs. The iron plate from the mold had the perfect shape of a breastplate.
"Hahahaha..."
Seeing armor being made by such an unprecedented method, Sejong laughed and continued watching. The helmet to be used with the armor, even the brimmed helmet, was being made from a single iron plate.
At the completely unexpected and ingenious method, Sejong could only laugh as he asked the artisans.
"Truly a wondrous method! Whose idea was this?"
At Sejong's question, the gazes of the artisans and officials all focused on Hyang. Sejong looked at Hyang with a resigned expression.
"You again?"
"I apologize!"
Having seen the armor-making process as well, Sejong tried to see where the explosive shells were made, but Hyang stepped forward to dissuade him.
"Though I am grateful, the place where explosive shells are made cannot be viewed at this time."
"Why is that?"
"Because very dangerous substances such as mercury and acid are used, even the personnel in charge only work during designated times with designated equipment."
"Is that so... tsk."
Sejong, clicking his tongue in disappointment, looked elsewhere. He also toured the places making traditional weapons such as bows and arrows, and praised the artisans, but Sejong's expression had become somewhat subdued.
* * *
"Your Majesty, it has become quite late. You should return to the palace..."
At the accompanying minister's words, Sejong looked at the clock hanging on the wall of the Military Weapons Directorate and nodded.
"Indeed. Let us prepare to return to the palace."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
As Sejong and the ministers were mounting their horses to return to the palace, a soldier carrying a large bag approached Hyang. After Hyang checked the contents of the bag and nodded, the soldier handed the bag to Choi Hae-san.
"Thank you for your service."
As Choi Hae-san was receiving the bag, another soldier held out wooden tablets to Hyang and Choi Hae-san.
"These are the tokens to be used tomorrow."
"Thank you."
After putting the tokens in his bosom and mounting his horse, Sejong asked a question upon seeing this.
"I understand the tokens, but what is that bag?"
"These are the blueprints for the armor and long chongtong. They are brought to the Military Weapons Directorate every morning and collected every evening."
"Then where are those blueprints kept?"
"They are stored in a safe built in the deepest part of the Eastern Palace."
"You are very attentive to security. Then let us return to the palace."
While returning, Hwang Hui called the Minister of Taxation.
"Minister of Taxation. Contact the Ministry and have them prepare a report on the tribute of iron. So that it can be viewed immediately upon returning to the palace."
"Excuse me?"
"Once we return to the palace, His Majesty will certainly discuss mass production of the new weapons including the chongtong. So we must prepare in advance."
"Ah! That makes sense!"
The Minister of Taxation gave orders to an accompanying official. The official who received the order separated from the procession and rode toward Six Ministries Street.
* * *
Upon returning to the palace, Sejong acted as Hwang Hui had predicted.
"Seeing today's demonstration, the weapons produced in Section 51 are truly excellent in power. What do you lords think?"
"Indeed they are, Your Majesty. In particular, the power of the Bigyeokjincheonroe can be considered the finest under heaven."
"The long chongtong also has such excellent power that even Ming's chongtong cannot compare."
The ministers all agreed with Sejong's evaluation. When the ministers agreed, Sejong went straight to the main point.
"Therefore, I would like to mass-produce these. What do you think?"
"Well..."
At Sejong's words, the ministers avoided giving an immediate answer and began making calculations. Meanwhile, Hwang Hui looked at the Minister of Taxation. Receiving Hwang Hui's gaze, the Minister whispered something to a eunuch. Shortly after, a book was placed in the eunuch's hand. The Minister of Taxation who received the book reported to Sejong.
"This is the amount of iron the court received as tribute last year. First, looking at what stands out:
"Gyeongju submitted 6,533 geun of refined iron, Ulsan submitted 12,500 geun of pig iron... so in total, the Military Weapons Directorate and the Directorate of Construction use or hold approximately 130,000 geun (about 78 tons) annually, and the inventory held by each province is approximately 600,000 geun (about 385 tons)."
"Is that the combined total of refined iron and pig iron?"
"It is, Your Majesty."
"Hmm..."
Sejong, stroking his beard as he pondered, turned to Hyang.
"With this amount, wouldn't mass production be possible even if we stretch a bit?"
At Sejong's question, Hyang answered immediately.
"The quantity may be possible, but mass production is difficult. The reason is that there are too few artisans."
"Couldn't we recruit more artisans from among the people?"
At Sejong's question, Hyang explained why this was not feasible.
"We conducted an experiment with the Bigyeokjincheonroe."
The experiment Hyang mentioned was outsourcing the projectile body portion of the Bigyeokjincheonroe. It was an experiment where casting molds were given to blacksmiths in and around Hanyang, and supplies were received from them. The inspection proceeded through first and second stages.
The first stage standard was that products produced at the same blacksmith could be assembled together. The second stage standard was that products could be assembled with those produced at different blacksmiths. If the given mold was properly copied, one could pass not only the first but also the second stage.
"The total number of blacksmiths mobilized for the experiment was 14. Of those, 8 passed the first stage standard, and 3 passed the second stage standard. And those 3 blacksmiths produced most of the Bigyeokjincheonroe for the test. Considering this example, blacksmiths with sufficient skill should be considered about 20 percent of the total."
"That is few..."
"Even for the simplest Bigyeokjincheonroe, it was 20 percent. For the chongtong that require even more intricate craftsmanship, it would be less than 10 percent. If we must unconditionally mobilize blacksmiths from the people, only the Bigyeokjincheonroe and armor would be possible."
At Hyang's answer, Sejong wore a disappointed expression. Facing a more negative situation than expected, Sejong made a tired gesture toward the ministers.
"Please come up with a method to resolve this situation. We will end here for today."
That night, Sejong did not visit Hyang's quarters. Hyang, who waited just in case, went to bed with a bitter expression.
"Perhaps he was shocked. By the reality that things aren't so simple. But what if he overturns everything and gives up entirely?"
Hyang said this for a reason. Sejong was 27 years old. It was still a time when both experience and wisdom were shallow.
The next morning. Sejong summoned the ministers and Hyang. When they had all gathered, Sejong spoke.
"I have thought deeply, and I believe that the production of long chongtong and horse-mounted chongtong must also not be delayed. However, entrusting all of it to the Military Weapons Directorate would also not be a good measure. Therefore, I have thought of a method to resolve this."
When Sejong announced that he had created countermeasures, Hyang and the ministers focused their attention on Sejong.
"The method I have devised is to receive the barrels of the gapja chongtong from blacksmiths throughout Joseon, the wooden stocks from woodcraft workshops, and the brass parts from brass craftsmen.
For the horse-mounted chongtong, only the important mechanism will be made at the Military Weapons Directorate, while the barrel, powder chamber, and wooden parts will be received through the same method. Crown Prince, you shall draw up precise specifications for these parts and report them. These will be printed and distributed to artisans, and made into inspection standards."
"Father, if we do so, the possibility of leaking state secrets increases greatly."
At Hyang's objection, Sejong immediately gave his answer.
"What is received from blacksmiths will be limited to parts just before finishing. For the iron barrel of the chongtong, delivery is limited to before rifling—that is, up to the process of making the interior straight and smooth, and cutting the threads. Rifling and combining parts for final assembly will be carried out at the Military Weapons Directorate."
At Sejong's words, Hyang and the ministers began calculating gains and losses. While moving the scales this way and that during their calculations, Hwang Hui pointed out a problem.
"If we receive it as tribute from blacksmiths, there may be quality issues. Weapons are the most important part of national defense, so quality problems must definitely be resolved."
At Hwang Hui's words, Sejong answered immediately.
"We will not receive it as tribute. Currently, monopoly bureaus directly under the Ministry of Taxation are being established throughout the country. Through these monopoly bureaus, we will purchase what is needed. This will circulate wealth and enrich the lives of the people, while simultaneously ensuring that artisans do not regard their work as lowly. In other words, it will cause more and more people to become merchants and artisans."
A debate ensued between Hyang and the ministers over Sejong's plan. Though there were ministers who opposed it, Hyang was the first to express support, and when the ministers also gave their backing, it was decided to follow Sejong's will.