Chapter 99: Grand Strategy Dongjin (3)
Sejong and the ministers continued their meeting on the subject of the budget increase and personnel expansion demanded by the Military Department.
"Budget and personnel... increasing both immediately is beyond the capabilities of this Joseon."
At the Minister of Taxation's words, Choi Yun-deok immediately responded.
"We are well aware. When planning this strategy, the military's foremost consideration was that this strategy would proceed in step with the progress of Gyeongjang. Accordingly, the necessary budget has been determined to match that timeline."
After answering, Choi Yun-deok gestured to the military officers standing behind him.
At Choi Yun-deok's signal, the military officers distributed thick booklets to the Sangseon and ministers. Receiving the book through the Sangseon, Sejong first examined its title.
-Gap-ho Plan Required Budget Proposal.
"Gap-ho Plan?"
"Gap-ho Plan is a code word used in place of 'Dongjin.'"
"Hmm..."
Listening to Choi Yun-deok's explanation, Sejong opened the book.
"Hmm..."
Sejong made a small sound through his nose as he examined the book's contents.
The book contained a clearly organized summary of how the military would be grown over a 30-year period and the corresponding budget increases.
'This is acceptable.'
Just as Sejong was giving a passing grade, a sigh emerged from somewhere.
"Huu~."
At the suddenly appearing sigh, Sejong raised his head.
"Who is it? Who sighed?"
Crash!
At Sejong's question, a chair tumbled noisily. The chair's owner, the Minister of Taxation, immediately prostrated himself and cried out.
"Please forgive this subject's sin!"
"I know well why you did that. It's fine, so please take your seat again."
"Your grace is boundless!"
At Sejong's words, the Minister of Taxation expressed his gratitude and sat in the chair that the eunuch had set up again.
'It's enough to make one sigh.'
The budget demanded by the military to execute the grand strategy had been calculated based on quite reasonable grounds.
Based on the population growth rate identified through annual smallpox vaccinations, the tax revenue increase rate coming into the Ministry of Taxation, and the quantities of gold and silver secretly stockpiled, the budget had been adjusted so as not to place excessive burden on state administration if executed according to plan.
However, the absolute amount of that budget was enormous.
Naturally, the Minister of Taxation in charge of the budget had no choice but to sigh.
"In my view, I consider it appropriate. The efforts of the General Staff officers are visible."
"Your grace is boundless!"
"Your grace is boundless!"
At Sejong's praise, Choi Yun-deok and the military officers bent at the waist in gratitude. Having straightened up, Choi Yun-deok added.
"In preparing that budget proposal, His Highness the Crown Prince did the greatest work."
"Is that so?"
Sejong and the ministers looked at Hyang with expressions saying 'You again?'
As gazes focused on him, Hyang lightly bowed his head and answered.
"This humble one merely placed a single spoon upon the table that the General Staff officers had prepared."
At Hyang's words, Yi Jing-ok, who was standing behind, inadvertently muttered softly.
"Not a spoon, but a shovel..."
"Hush!"
"Heup!"
When a colleague next to him gave a small warning, Yi Jing-ok immediately closed his mouth and surveyed his surroundings.
* * *
As soon as the General Staff completed their planning for 'Dongjin,' Hyang quickly inserted himself.
"I will not interfere with military operations. However, let us discuss the budget regarding military preparations."
'Military-first politics is absolutely refused!'
Drawing on the sensibilities of a civil servant who had handled fiscal matters in the 21st century, Hyang offered advice on the budget proposal that the General Staff officers had prepared.
And for the military officers, a hell of numbers unfolded.
If they showed even the slightest greed in composing the budget, Hyang relentlessly harassed everyone from Choi Yun-deok at the top to newly recruited staff officers at the bottom.
"Does the General dream of reviving military rule?"
"Do you know the phrase 'putting the cart before the horse'?"
"Repeat after me! 'Budget is blood!'"
This wasn't all.
"You call this a calculation? Shouldn't military officers be strong in numbers? I will pose one problem, so try calculating! You have just discovered an enemy column! The enemy column extends for 1 li in 4 ranks! Then, what is the total number of approaching enemies?"
Thanks to Hyang's thorough shaking down, the General Staff officers developed calculation abilities as excellent as those of researchers, District 51, and officials of the Ministry of Taxation, and became more skilled at using counting rods than anyone else.
Thereafter, the most important subject taught at the 'National Defense Taehak (國防太學),' established to produce high-ranking military officers like how Sungkyunkwan's purpose had changed to produce high-ranking civil officials, was mathematics.
This was the origin of the saying: 'If you cannot do mathematics, you cannot advance even if you are Xiang Yu.'
* * *
"The budget, barring any major variables, seems best to proceed according to this plan. What do you ministers think?"
Though the question was directed at the ministers, Sejong's eyes were fixed on the Minister of Taxation.
"If our Joseon's governance capacity continues to grow as it is now, I believe it can sufficiently handle it."
When the Minister of Taxation gave a positive answer, Sejong moved on.
"The budget is resolved, and the matter of personnel... is it about talent?"
"That is correct."
At Choi Yun-deok's answer, Sejong stroked his beard and asked.
"Hmm... The National Defense Taehak is being prepared for establishment, and the Military Academy is also being prepared. Are there other problems?"
"Both institutions are being prepared for establishment, so there is an issue with immediately supplying the needed talent. Also, even if a Military Academy is established, it will be difficult to gather many talented individuals in this atmosphere of 'revering literature and despising martial arts.'"
"That too is a problem..."
Civil officials looking down on military officials had been continuing since the Goryeo era. Of course, unable to endure such discrimination, military officials rose up and military rule was born, but with the Mongol invasion and the late Goryeo period when Confucian scholars seized power, military officials again had to receive treatment inferior to civil officials.
Of course, according to national law, civil and military officials received equal treatment, and the county magistrate, the lowest position among local magistrates, was a military post. However, though nominally a military position, most of those who actually received appointment documents and went out were civil officials.
In this situation, those applying for the military examination were mainly those lacking in literary talent.
This was exactly what Choi Yun-deok was worried about and pointing out.
* * *
Choi Yun-deok explained in more detail.
"Your Majesty, as you implemented military reforms, you abolished the practices where civil officials held positions that should have been held by military officials."
"That is true."
At Choi Yun-deok's words, Sejong nodded.
As could be seen in the case of county magistrates, even though positions belonged to the military track, many who had entered as civil officials received appointments.
In particular, those who entered the military track through the military examination suffered all kinds of hardships on the front lines, while high-ranking positions were overwhelmingly occupied by civil officials.
When first preparing military reforms, Sejong had taken this lightly. However, Hyang insisted on a clear separation between civil and military tracks.
A long debate ensued over this issue, and the ultimate winner was Hyang, who argued for separation citing the example of Song Dynasty China.
As this separation of civil and military tracks proceeded, many officers in the military track were pushed out of promotion due to 'illiteracy' and 'mathematics.'
The pushed-out military officers began studying letters while waiting for the next opportunity, but Classical Chinese was not easy.
"Damn! Who created these Chinese characters!"
Perhaps because of this experience, the military was the group that most welcomed King Sejong's creation of Hunminjeongeum in later years.
* * *
"...Therefore, to solve the problem of talent shortage, I dare make a request to Your Majesty. Please lift the restrictions on those from the Northwest and the secondary sons."
At Choi Yun-deok's request, the great and small officials began to murmur.
"Lift the restrictions on those from the Northwest and secondary sons? Hmm... I thought that was already included in Gyeongjang?"
At Sejong's question, Choi Yun-deok immediately answered.
"That is correct. However, according to the timeline in the Gyeongjang book, the ban on office for Northwest natives is lifted in the 8th year of Gyeongjang's progress, and the ban on office for secondary sons is lifted in the 10th year. Please move up that timing."
"The ban on office for the Northwest region is the decree of King Taejo, and the restriction on secondary sons is the law established by King Taejong. That is why the timing for lifting those bans was delayed."
"However, it is also true that many talented individuals are being missed because of that."
"Hmm..."
At Choi Yun-deok's words, Sejong stroked his beard and began to deliberate.
In this situation, the great and small officials kept their mouths shut. As Gyeongjang progressed, the ministers of the Six Ministries had been feeling the shortage of talent. Therefore, they generally agreed that discrimination against the Northwest region should be abolished and the restriction on secondary sons should be lifted.
However, they remained silent for two reasons.
First, one of these two policies was the decree of King Taejo, the founding ancestor, and the other was the law decided by the late King Taejong.
From the Confucian perspective that keeping the policies and laws made by previous kings is also filial piety, this could become an act of disloyalty encouraging unfilial conduct, providing grounds for impeachment.
Of course, the Gyeongjang book included provisions to prohibit Northwest discrimination and lift the secondary son restriction, but if one suggested moving up the timing, one could similarly be impeached as someone encouraging unfilial conduct.
Second was the issue of competition. The number of high-ranking positions was always small. This remained true even as administrative organization became more detailed with Gyeongjang's progress. For those currently in positions as ministers, it didn't matter, but for those waiting for opportunities in lower positions, increased competition was absolutely not welcome.
Ultimately, it was Sejong who reached a conclusion.
The conclusion Sejong reached was a kind of compromise.
"I well understand that the military lacks talent. However, we cannot arbitrarily change Gyeongjang's priorities. If done carelessly, the entire framework of Gyeongjang could go awry. Therefore, I wish to choose the middle ground. In the 6th year of Gyeongjang's progress, we will reassess the situation and lift Northwest discrimination and the secondary son restriction. If Gyeongjang proceeds properly, by then it will be able to fully withstand that shock. The military should keep this situation in mind and endure a bit more."
"I accept your command!"
At Sejong's command, Choi Yun-deok immediately answered. When first making the statement, Choi Yun-deok had prepared for the possibility of losing his head. However, Sejong's decision to move it up 2 years was the best answer for Choi Yun-deok.
Thus, Dongjin began to proceed step by step.
* * *
As the Sanggang approached, a large-scale movement of people was heading from Hamgil Province toward Hanseong.
These people, dressed in attire quite different from Joseon people, were Jurchen chiefs invited by Sejong to Hanseong.
However, the atmosphere of the chiefs heading to Hanseong was not one enjoying travel. Rather, as Hanseong drew closer, they grew increasingly tense.
"The King of Joseon has summoned us?"
At the order brought by the Joseon envoy, the chiefs of the Ollyanghap tribe grabbed their heads.
Unable to find an answer even after worrying alone, the chiefs visited chiefs of tribes they had connections with to exchange opinions.
"What would be best to do, brother?"
"We must go, brother."
"But suddenly being summoned makes me uneasy."
"But can we refuse to go? You also heard what happened to those fools in the Jianzhou region, didn't you?"
"That's exactly what worries me."
Since Ming declared the Jurchen region as its territory, and after Yi Seong-gye's death, the relationship between the Jurchens and the Joseon royal family had been gradually distancing.
Of course, Joseon also gave official positions and conducted trade to maintain relations with the Jurchens, but the intimacy of Yi Seong-gye's era had largely disappeared.
But refusing Joseon's invitation, they worried about the bloodbath that had swept over the Jurchens in the Jianzhou region.
In this impossible situation, the first to make up their minds were the elderly tribal chiefs.
"We must go when someone of the Great Elder's blood wishes to see us!"
As the elder chiefs who still had memories of Yi Seong-gye moved, in tribes where generational change to young chiefs had occurred, the elders came forward to persuade the tribal chiefs.
"Han. If they are descendants of the Great Elder, we should be cautious. If they carry the Great Elder's blood, they have surely inherited his temperament as well. Think of the calamity that befell those fools in Jianzhou."
Ultimately, the chiefs of the Tumen River region and the Ollyanghap region had to move toward Joseon.