**Chapter 77: SimCity Hanyang, SimCity Joseon (1)**
With Hong Xijue's death making the political situation between Joseon and Ming unclear, the event scheduled for the autumn of the Eulsa year to invite the tribal chiefs of the Yain Jurchens had no choice but to be postponed.
"Truly regrettable. Truly regrettable. Tsk!"
"Indeed, Your Majesty."
As Sejong clicked his tongue, unable to hide his regret, the ministers nodded with the same sentiment.
"It can't be helped. We'll have to invite the Jurchens next year. Then, let us attend to other matters."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"I ordered an investigation into the transplanting method. What were the results?"
* * *
With water management projects conducted nationwide over two years, concerns about flooding and drought had greatly diminished.
Having gained confidence from this, Sejong issued an order to begin research on the transplanting method.
"In Ming, the abundance of rice production is partly due to climate, but the transplanting method is also said to be of great help. Since rice is also our staple food in Joseon, conduct research on the transplanting method."
"We shall obey your command!"
Following Sejong's order, rice farming using the transplanting method began openly in the Ha-samdo region, where it had previously been practiced secretly.
To the regions selected for rice farming using the transplanting method, officials from the Ministry of Personnel and Ministry of Public Works were dispatched to conduct thorough investigations.
* * *
In response to Sejong's question about the investigation results, Minister of Personnel Heo Jo answered immediately.
"If we consider only the harvest, the lowest increase was 15% compared to direct seeding, and the highest was 25%. On average, the harvest increased by approximately 19.8%."
"Is that considered a large amount?"
In response to Sejong's question, Hwang Hee answered.
"Compared to the rumors, it is not a large amount."
"What is the reason?"
"It requires sufficient fertilizer and sturdy farming tools, and above all, high-yielding varieties must be available first."
At Hwang Hee's answer, Sejong stroked his beard.
"Then must we obtain seeds from Ming?"
"Ming's rice also has problems."
"What problems?"
"It is less sticky than our Joseon rice. Therefore, there are cases where Ming rice distributed as relief grain or wages is collected and exchanged for Joseon rice. Looking at the exchange rate, the most common case is exchanging 3 doe of Ming rice for 2 doe of Joseon rice."
At Hwang Hee's answer, Sejong's expression became troubled.
"I thought that if we just expanded water management facilities, the problems of the transplanting method could be solved, but that's not the case."
"However, if the necessary facilities are secured and only the seed problem is resolved, it is a quite excellent method."
"Is that so? In what way?"
"The number of people making their living from farming can be reduced."
"Oh?"
At Hwang Hee's words, Sejong showed strong interest.
* * *
The largest part of proceeding with the Gyeongjang was strengthening commerce and industry capabilities.
Strengthening commerce and industry capabilities and proceeding with urbanization based on this occupied a significant portion.
For Sejong, urbanization was important in many ways.
If commerce and industry developed, people would gather at the centers of commerce and industry, and as people gathered like that, cities would be formed.
Once cities were formed, the monetary economy that previous kings had prioritized could quickly take root.
Also, if people gathered in cities like that, landlords would lose their dominance, and royal power could be strengthened.
Strengthening Joseon's capabilities while strengthening royal power.
This was the core of the Gyeongjang that Sejong was pursuing.
Of course, Hyang, who had analyzed Sejong's Gyeongjang policies, immediately pointed out the problem to Sejong.
"Urbanization may strengthen royal power, but conversely, it could also become royal power's greatest enemy."
"I know that too. If the livelihood of those gathered in cities is threatened, royal power would be in danger."
"That is correct."
Hyang nodded with a face full of worry.
'The French Revolution also occurred in Paris! The birth of communism was also due to the poverty problem of workers!'
Looking at Hyang's worried face, Sejong smiled.
"How much time would it take for the livelihood of those gathered in cities to be threatened to that extent?"
"Pardon? Um..."
"Before urbanization reaches that level, how many people would actually abandon their fields and leave?"
"...Very few."
"Then who would be the first to rush into this urbanization that has just begun?"
"Refugees, I suppose."
At Hyang's answer, Sejong nodded.
"That's right. In our Joseon, there are still many refugees wandering aimlessly. Urbanization is necessary to settle them."
At Sejong's explanation, Hyang nodded.
'Tsk. The industrialization is different in purpose and process from what I learned...'
The industrial revolution through the Gyeongjang that Sejong was pursuing at the time was different in cause and process from what Hyang had learned in textbooks.
The Western industrial revolution occurred as commercial capital grew in size and revolutionarily developed technology and institutions to pursue even more wealth.
However, the Gyeongjang Sejong was conducting was similar to the economic development plans that South Korea's military dictatorship had pursued.
* * *
Given that situation, Sejong showed interest in Hwang Hee's words.
"The number of people making their living from farming can be reduced? How?"
"The core of the transplanting method is planting seedlings. When seedlings are planted in water-filled paddies, the number of times weeding is needed is greatly reduced."
"Hmm... that makes sense."
The farming method most Joseon farmers used at the time, direct seeding, was a method of scattering rice seeds in water-filled paddies to grow them.
Using this method required a lot of manpower because it needed constant weeding and management starting from when the seeds began to sprout.
"Reducing manpower..."
When Sejong showed interest, Hwang Hee gave an actual example.
"There is an elderly couple in Gyeongsang Province whose sons were all killed by Japanese pirates and were living with two grandsons. However, this couple was farming using the transplanting method, and except for planting and harvest times, the two of them managed 1 gyeol (approximately 27,500-110,000 pyeong) of paddies."
"How did they handle planting and harvesting?"
"They borrowed slaves from a nearby landlord for planting and harvesting and paid wages."
"Oh? They say old ginger is spicy... indeed, the old saying is not wrong."
"Indeed, Your Majesty. If they use dure and pumasi, there is no need for most of the people to be tied to farming as they are now."
"Indeed that is so!"
At Hwang Hee's words, Sejong slapped his knee in delight.
However, as soon as Hwang Hee's words ended, the Minister of Justice raised an objection.
"Your Majesty! Dure and pumasi may be a solution, but they can also become another problem!"
"Another problem?"
"Please consider why dure and pumasi were prohibited."
"Ah..."
At the Minister of Justice's words, Sejong's expression clouded.
Dure and pumasi were means to bind rural communities together.
The problem was that local powerful families and influential houses used the cohesion created thereby to strengthen their own power.
Even otherwise, most of the civil uprisings that people raised in the late period of the previous dynasty were cases of farmers who gathered through dure rising up.
Therefore, while Joseon did have local officials mobilize the people, it was preventing the creation of private organizations like dure and pumasi.
Ironically, while the central government prohibited dure and pumasi, local scholar-officials argued for creating and using 'hyangyak' containing Confucian beliefs.
Such claims by local scholar-officials later subsided when the sahwa involving Jo Gwang-jo occurred, but eventually, when the Sarim faction took power, hyangyak spread nationwide.
Ultimately, Sejong had no choice but to reach an inconclusive decision.
"The certainty that the transplanting method definitely increases harvest is still insufficient, and the method to solve the manpower mobilization problem is also still incomplete, so let us research a bit more."
"We obey your command."
"Let us take a short break."
Declaring a recess, Sejong went outside and let out a long sigh.
"Haa... There truly is nothing easy..."
"Father!"
Sejong, who was frowning at the unsolved difficult problem, smiled and turned his head at Hyang's spirited voice.
"What is it?"
At Sejong's question, Hyang shouted with a bright smile.
"I have made a thresher!"
"A thresher?"
"Yes!"
At Hyang's answer full of pride, Sejong's curiosity was aroused.
"Alright. Let us take a look."
"I have placed it in the front courtyard of Geunjeongjeon!"
"Is that so? Sang-seon, call the ministers."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After a while, Sejong and the ministers gathered in the front courtyard of Geunjeongjeon.
"Is this the thresher the Crown Prince made?"
"Yes!"
While listening to Hyang's answer, Sejong looked at the thresher placed before his eyes.
It was an object with thin iron rods densely embedded at narrow intervals in a wooden frame shaped like a dining table with two legs broken off on one side, standing upright.
Looking at the thresher, Sejong offered his impression.
"It looks like a comb with legs attached, standing upright."
"That is exactly what I thought when making it!"
Hyang answered with a voice full of pride.
While going back and forth between the palace and District 51, Hyang was able to steadily observe Hanyang's farmers farming.
"If I could just make one tractor, it would be a huge hit."
Watching the purely farming done with draft animals and human power, Hyang clicked his tongue lightly.
However, Hyang did not progress further than that.
There were many other things to make besides that.
It was while watching the harvest and threshing in autumn that Hyang came up with the idea for the thresher.
"This is the second time I've seen it this year... it's truly a symbol of inefficiency."
To thresh, farmers would spread mats in the courtyard, place threshing stones or threshing boards, and strike the rice straw with all their might.
Watching that scene, Hyang had called it the height of inefficiency.
Striking against stones and wood, gathering the rice seeds that scattered in all directions while swinging the straw, and winnowing the rice seeds mixed with soil and stones were all inefficient.
"There must be some method..."
Hyang pondered to find a way to solve the inefficient threshing process.
However, Hyang could not easily find an answer.
The harvest that Hyang had seen in the 21st century was finished in one go with combines.
It was while combing his hair after washing that Hyang, who was pondering for an answer, found the solution.
Seeing the fine-toothed comb in the court lady's hand, Hyang clapped his hands.
"This is it!"
What was created through this process was the object before Sejong's eyes.
Hyang, who had created the thresher, was full of pride.
'Until now, I've remade things others made, but this is my original!'
However, the thresher Hyang made was the holtae used from the mid-to-late Joseon period.
Though called Gwangdeok, Hyang was ignorant in this area.
As a result of testing Hyang's thresher, it boasted far superior efficiency than before.
Encouraged by the results, Sejong issued a royal command to the ministers.
"Draw the structure of this thresher in detail and disseminate it throughout the country!"
"We receive your royal command!"
Once again, cavalrymen rode horses throughout the country.
The farmers who made threshers according to the structure of the thresher Hyang created and tested them all cheered.
"This is truly convenient!"
"Mak-soe! Break the threshing board! I'll use it as firewood!"
"But who made this?"
At the incredibly useful tool, the farmers became curious about who first made it.
"His Highness the Crown Prince made it, they say."
Hearing the answer, the farmers began to whisper.
"How did he think of this?"
"Right. Maybe he really is of different seed..."
"No matter how different the seed is! Someone else's child makes things like this easily! My son just goes around breaking jars! You brat! You're going to die today!"
* * *
Sejong Year 8 (1426, Year of Byeong-o), February.
Sejong hosted a martial arts tournament and hunting competition in Hoengseong, Gangwon Province.
It was a grand event where not only existing military officers but also martial artists with some reputation from across the country gathered in Gangwon Province, because those with good results could be specially recruited into the military branch.
Added to this, due to the butterfly effect, the bandits who had established bases in Gangwon Province suffered greatly.
-Those with merit in subduing bandits will receive additional points.
Due to Sejong's announcement, the martial artists moving to participate in the martial arts tournament did not move alone but formed groups and assaulted the bandits' mountain strongholds.
While the bandits who had established bases in the famous high mountains of Gangwon Province suffered during this time, the date for Sejong's departure also approached.
"The weather is quite poor. Perhaps we should not go..."
"You must go, Your Majesty!"
"The royal command has already been issued and many people are moving! Those who left their homes with dreams of success must not be left in despair!"
"Please reconsider, Your Majesty!"
When Sejong hesitated, the ministers with one voice requested his departure.
Following the ministers, Hyang also made an earnest appeal to Sejong.
"Since you have already issued the royal command, I believe you must go."
"Nngh..."
Letting out a groan, Sejong ultimately had to move.
"Very well. Let us go! Let's go!"
"Your grace is boundless!"
At Sejong's decision, the ministers all shouted "Your grace is boundless!"
Seeing the ministers like that, Sejong warned them.
"When I return, I will check your work!"