Chapter 424

Episode 424: What was expected, what was unexpected. (1)

The Hyang who left Geunjeongjeon was also grumbling.

“No, why are you throwing a tantrum because you still can’t pass on the work?”

At Geunjeongjeon, the moment King Sejong talked about his younger brothers’ achievements and secretly painted Hyang’s face with gold, Hyang immediately caught a warning sign.

‘This is dangerous! If you do something wrong, you will be punished!’

Sensing a crisis, Hyang immediately painted King Sejong’s face with gold and then escaped from King Sejong’s touch.

Hyang, who grumbled softly out of fear that the eunuch following behind might hear, gave an order to the eunuch.

“I’ll stop by the lab and then go to Area 51, so get your horse ready.”

“Yes sir.”

While the eunuchs and guards moved to bring the horses, Hyang looked at Geunjeongjeon and muttered softly.

“I have a rough idea of what Abama is thinking, but considering current communication and transportation resources, the only answer is an independent agency.”

He had some sense of what Sejong was thinking.

* * *

Although it was a period of stagnation, the Korean Peninsula and the areas reacquired in the early days of Gyeongjang were returning without any problems.

The problem was the recently acquired areas such as Daeseoldo Island, Jongjangdo Island, and nearby areas.

The local people were being brought into the arms of Joseon step by step by taking advantage of the monopoly that Hyang nicknamed ‘Joseon’s Muan Sweet Water’, the merchants who followed in, and the stable jobs symbolized by mines and lumber yards. However, requests for quick processing were scattered everywhere.

As the alphabet was unified into Hunminjeongeum and the native language and Korean language were taught simultaneously, the problem of accidental conflicts was gradually decreasing, but as the language became more common, complaints of various kinds were increasing.

However, it took a huge amount of time for these complaints to arrive in Hanseong and return to the area after a solution was made.

Therefore, even within the government, talk began to emerge about an independent organization with appropriate authority to resolve this issue.

-It is best to install newly created equipment on the main island. This is because it is located in the middle between the northern archipelago and Hanseong.

-Also, considering the population of indigenous people living on Daeseoldo Island, it is optimal to make it the center of foreign administration.

In this way, the creation of an independent institution and the appropriate location for its installation were being shaped, but they had to stop at the last part.

‘So who’s in charge?’

It was this part.

The position where everything – from administration to national defense – in the newly incorporated region of Joseon was integrated was the perfect position to be accused of treason if one made even the slightest mistake.

There were only two people who could sit in this position without any problems.

Crown Prince or Sangwang.

However, it was very dangerous to send the Crown Prince, who was supposed to be the next Crown Prince, abroad. It would have been truly terrible if the crown prince were to contract an unknown disease for which there was no cure, or if the crown prince had lost his life or had a problem due to an armed conflict.

The best one was King Sang, but now there is no King Sang in Joseon.

However, it was also unreasonable for King Sejong, now 40 years old and in his prime, to become King Sang.

“Wouldn’t that be an unreasonable number? “The crown prince is already 23 years old, right?”

“huh? Is that so? And if you think about the ability he showed while carrying out the proxy purge during the suppression of the last revolt launched by Man-ju Lee...”

However, no one was a subject who said this publicly.

This was because no one could tell the king, who was working so passionately and with the greatest ability, to abdicate.

The various products and objects that were created at the initiative of the local government and introduced to Europe were far beyond the technological level of the time.

From the letters sent by those who went there, Joseon seemed to be much more developed than the Europe where they lived. And King Sejong, who led Joseon, also seemed to be no ordinary person.

And European intellectuals, who realized that all the products and objects that impressed them were made under the direction of Hyang, were also focusing their attention on Hyang.

At some point, Joseon was considered a utopia, and the monarch of Joseon, King Sejong, and his successor Hyang were regarded as the ‘Kings of Philosophers’ mentioned by Plato.

The question posed by this person, who was considered a symbol of intelligence and knowledge, literally became a knife that stabbed Europeans in their painful areas without mercy, and the religious and ideological circles of Europe suffered.

And merchants and monarchs began to do everything they could to secure the path to Joseon, the ‘land of flowers.’

Portugal and Spain, as well as England and France, passionately built ships and put them on the sea to secure sea routes to Joseon.

And the ships and sailors who set out to sea planted flags on the west coast of Africa, creating colonies and military bases.

While they explored with such passion, when they encountered ships from other countries, they fought fierce battles to eliminate competitors.

Scholars who later studied this period expressed it this way:

-The western sea of Africa was stained with the blood of sailors, and the land of Africa was stained with the blood and tears of the indigenous people.

While the countries in the western Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic were fiercely competing on the seas, countries in the Mediterranean region, including Italy, were making different plans.

It was the construction of a waterway connecting Suez, where Joseon ships arrived, and the Mediterranean Sea.

Although it was certain to be a difficult project that would cost a huge amount of money, it was certain that the waterway opened in this way would provide enormous benefits.

However, this plan was sluggish due to conflicts and checks between various entities with interests at stake.

The monarchs and merchants of the countries in the region were creating a mess by repeatedly joining forces and gathering according to their own interests, regardless of religion.

And unlike the movements in the ideological world, these economic movements were immediately known to Hyang.

Thanks to this, they complained that the scent was slow.

“no! How long has it been since you explored the west coast of Africa and headed south, but have you still not been able to climb the Cape of Good Hope? If it was the same passion that was shown at the auction house, it would have already turned around! You guys have to turn around quickly so I don’t have to use you as an excuse and get thrown into the lab! “Please reveal the slightly distorted history quickly!”

However, contrary to what Hyang said, history was not ‘a little’ wrong, but ‘a lot’ wrong.

* * *

In history before the intervention of Hyang, King Sejong publicly declared that he would have Hyang perform the purge on his behalf in this year, the 19th year of King Sejong’s reign.

Although all major and small officials opposed this, King Sejong pushed ahead with the proxy administration citing the following grounds.

-Now that the Crown Prince is old enough, we need to make him familiar with practical politics.

-My health is not good.

-As the bandits have been rampant and the famine has worsened since last year, more and more refugees are joining the bandits. This is because my abilities are limited.

In addition to these public reasons, King Sejong pushed for proxy administration because he needed time to study Hunminjeongeum. (Note 1)

However, history went awry when Hyang intervened.

Through nationwide flood control projects, damage from droughts and floods was minimized, and grain was actively imported to supply it to the people.

Thanks to this, the number of cases of displacement decreased significantly, and conversely, refugees began to settle down again.

Sejong, who gained confidence through these results, actively implemented various reform policies, including the introduction of Kyungjang, and Joseon continued to grow in size and develop.

In addition, Hunminjeongeum, which was to be released at least 10 years later, was made in a more refined state and was being actively used.

Of course, it was inevitable that these changes came at a cost.

* * *

Note 1) The Annals of King Sejong, read in one volume. Written by Park Young-gyu. Woongjin Knowledge House