Black Corporation: Joseon

The meal made of millet had come to an end at noon. King Sejong and his ministers formally began their audit.

They meticulously went over the records they had kept to see if anything was missing or if there was any trace of corruption. The ministers pointed their inquiries toward General Choi Hae-san.

“Why have you continued to purchase land? What is the reason for this? Didn’t you properly calculate the necessary area from the start?”

The ministers were questioning General Choi Hae-san, but in reality, they were questioning the Crown Prince. They were indirectly attacking Choi Hae-san to avoid giving a foothold against King Sejong by questioning the Crown Prince directly.

In response to the ministers’ question, Choi Hae-san calmly replied, “As you have seen, the main things researched in this Area 51 were weapons using gunpowder. Gunpowder creates loud explosions, and there were many people who couldn’t stand it, so we bought their land. The reasons for purchasing cattle and livestock are the same. There were continued instances of livestock dying from being startled by the explosion, and we bought these dead livestock.”

Despite the ministers’ relentless questioning, Choi Hae-san confidently answered without hesitation. Since the establishment of the research center, especially Area 51, no funds had slipped through the cracks. All the budget received from the royal court was tightly held by the Crown Prince, and no one scrutinized the budget execution more rigorously than the Crown Prince himself.

It was almost sunset when the audit finally ended. The ministers who had completed the audit reported the results to King Sejong.

“There seems to be no problem with the records.”

“Is that so? You all have worked hard.”

After thanking his ministers for their efforts, King Sejong turned to the Crown Prince. “You’ve also worked hard, Crown Prince. And Generals Choi and Lee, you both did well. Seeing the weapons today, I can tell how much effort you and the Crown Prince have put in. You’ve really worked hard.”

In response to King Sejong’s praise, the Crown Prince, Choi Hae-san, and Lee Chun bowed their heads.

“Your high praise is too kind!”

“Your efforts are making the defense of Joseon more robust, so please continue your hard work.”

“We will devote ourselves wholeheartedly!”

“Then, today is…” Just as King Sejong was about to rise from his seat to leave, he noticed the new armor worn by the soldiers standing guard and turned to his ministers. “Before we return to the palace, let’s visit the Armory.”

“Your Majesty, it seems we may not have enough time to visit the Armory.”

Minister Hwang Hee stepped forward to inform him that it was late, but King Sejong shook his head. “If we delay it again, state affairs will pile up. Since we’re here, let’s go and check.”

“Your command is received.”

Upon King Sejong’s decision, Hwang Hee bowed his head immediately. King Sejong’s tone was much softer than it was in the morning. If they maintained their grounds here, it was certain that King Sejong’s tone would change immediately, which was a sign of King Sejong’s anger.

‘Avoid the avoidable storm.’

So, King Sejong left Area 51 and headed for the Armory. As Area 51 expanded, it was built next door to the Armory, so King Sejong could get to the Armory right away.

The armory’s managers and artisans all came out and paid their respects at the sudden news of the king’s arrival.

“We greet Your Majesty!”

Seeing the managers and artisans bowing deeply, King Sejong lightly raised his hand.

“Rise.”

At King Sejong’s command, the managers and artisans timidly stood up. Seeing them standing, King Sejong turned to the Secretary of Personnel Affairs.

“Doesn’t it seem like there are fewer managers overseeing the Armory than I thought?”

“That’s because many of them are holding multiple positions…”

“If there are many tasks for the artisans, and there aren’t enough managers to supervise them, that’s a problem. Prohibit those in charge of the Armory from holding multiple positions.”

“Your command is received.”

The Secretary of Personnel Affairs who answered King Sejong’s order sighed softly, “Hoo….”

‘We’re already short on people （；´д｀）ゞ!’

“I’m well aware of the shortage of people in the court. The issue of lack of personnel will be solved as soon as possible while carrying out the reform. You will have to endure it for a while.”

“Not at all! It’s not a hardship! It’s not justified!”

The Secretary of Personnel Affairs, who felt that his inner thoughts had been exposed, hastily denied it.

As he stepped into the Armory, King Sejong said to the Crown Prince, “It is clear that all the weapons you have made have considerable power. However, it is also a fact that they require a lot of labor. Am I wrong?”

“No, you’re not.”

“So, I’ll examine the production process of these weapons. As you said, the number of artisans in Joseon is small, and it’s a problem to mobilize them carelessly since there are also needs of the people. Therefore, I will examine the production process, weigh the power I learned from the demonstration in the morning, and decide the priority. Any problem with that?”

“None. It’s a reasonable decision.”

The Crown Prince obediently agreed to King Sejong’s words.

‘Given the current situation in Joseon, it’s necessary to choose and concentrate. It’s a pity, but what can I do.’

“Then, let’s start by observing the production of the cannon.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Under the guidance of the officials, Sejong watched the process of manufacturing a cannon.

From the start, when the cannon barrel was being wound, to the stage when various components were attached, Sejong looked back at Hyang. “It seems quite labor-intensive.”

“Yes. That’s why we have attempted to implement a lot of division of labor.”

“Division of labor?”

At Hyang’s response, Sejong calmly observed the production process again. Young-looking craftsmen were hammering iron plates on the anvil, shaping and assembling them. Then, an older craftsman meticulously checked the barrels made this way.

The process of refining these finished barrels and carving the grooves was mostly carried out by young craftsmen as well. The more experienced craftsmen were in charge of inspecting the quality of the parts and finally assembling the whole thing.

“I see.”

Having seen the process of making a cannon, Sejong nodded as if he understood. Having had his curiosity satisfied, Sejong turned to Hyang and Choi Hae-san to resolve another curiosity. “The armor worn by the soldiers in Area 51 seemed unusual. Is it made here too?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I’d like to see that, too.”

“Understood.”

At Sejong’s order, Hyang gave instructions to the arsenal officials and craftsmen. At Hyang’s command, the cannon-making craftsmen stopped what they were doing and stood up.

“Huh?”

As Sejong tilted his head in confusion, Hyang explained the situation, “I’m sorry. We are short of craftsmen…”

“Oh dear! Tsk!”

At Hyang’s reply, Sejong seemed regretful and clicked his tongue. Seeing Sejong like this, the accompanying ministers were uneasily muttering.

“This… is getting more worrying?”

“He’s definitely going to demand measures…”

Leaving behind the uneasiness of such ministers, Sejong followed the craftsmen to the place where armor was made.

“Hehehe… Really now…”

Upon arriving at the place where the armor was made and seeing the craftsmen making armor, Sejong let out a chuckle.

In response to Hwang Hee’s question, Hyang answered, ‘We mass produce them.’ And now, the craftsmen were literally ‘mass producing’ them.

The first thing that caught Sejong’s eye was the part that covered the chest. A thin, heated iron plate was placed on a large iron mold, and then another craftsman turned a large pulley, lowering another iron mold over it.

“Heave ho!”

As the two molds overlapped, a young craftsman exerted all his strength, pushing the handle attached to the upper mold down. The end of the handle was curved into a semi-circle, and as the handle was pushed, the most protruding part of the semi-circle pressed down on the mold.

Thus, when the two molds were completely attached and a little time had passed, the craftsmen pulled the handle up, turned the pulley, and separated the two molds. When the molds were separated, a craftsman standing nearby used tongs to remove the iron plate. The plate from the mold was perfectly shaped like a breastplate.

“Hehehe….”

Having seen the peculiar way the armor was made, Sejong kept on watching, laughing. Helmets to be used with the armor, even ones with a flange, were being made from a single iron plate.

Unable to help but laugh at the completely unexpected and innovative method, Sejong asked the craftsmen a question, “This is indeed a novel method! Whose idea was it?”

At Sejong’s question, all the craftsmen and officials focused their eyes on Hyang. Sejong looked at Hyang with a disappointed face.

“You again?”

“Hahaha!”

Sejong, having seen the process of making armor, wanted to see the place where gunpowder was made, but Hyang stepped forward to stop him. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but you cannot see the place where gunpowder is made right now.”

“Why not?”

“Because very dangerous substances like mercury and sulfuric acid are used, the designated personnel are equipped with specific gear and work for only a set amount of time.”

“I see… Sigh.”

Disappointed, Sejong looked around. He toured places where traditional weapons like bows and arrows were made, and praised the craftsmen, but Sejong’s expression had significantly faded.

“Your Majesty, it’s getting quite late. It’s time for your return to the palace…”

At the words of the accompanying eunuch, Sejong looked at the clock on the arsenal wall and nodded. “Indeed. Let’s 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. As Hyang checked the contents of the bag and nodded, the soldier handed the bag to Choi Hae-san.

“Good work.”

As Choi Hae-san received the bag, another soldier presented wooden tags to Hyang and Choi Hae-san.

“These are the new identification tags for you to use tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”

As Hyang took the tags and mounted his horse, King Sejong, who had been observing the scene, asked a question, “I understand about the tags, but what is in the bag?”

“It contains blueprints for the armor and cannons. I take them to the military base every morning, and retrieve them every evening.”

“Then where do you keep these blueprints?”

“I store them in a safe built in the deepest part of the Eastern Palace.”

“You seem to take security seriously. Let’s return to the palace then.”

As they hurried back, Hwang Hee summoned the chief of the Ministry of personnel.

“Chief Officer, contact the Ministry and have them prepare a report on the supply of iron. Make it available as soon as we return to the palace.”

“Pardon?”

“When we return to the palace, His Majesty will undoubtedly want to discuss the mass production of new weapons, including cannons. So, we should prepare in advance.”

“Ah, of course!”

The Chief Officer issued an order to the accompanying officials. The officials from the Ministry quickly broke from the procession and galloped towards the crossroads.

As Hwang Hee had predicted, King Sejong brought up the matter as soon as they returned to the palace.

“Seeing the demonstration today, the weapons made in the Area 51 are indeed powerful. What do you think, ministers?”

“They indeed are, Your Majesty. Particularly, the power of the sneak bombs can certainly be considered unrivaled.”

“The power of the cannons, too, is remarkable and incomparable to the famous cannons.”

Upon hearing King Sejong’s evaluation, all the ministers agreed. As they concurred, King Sejong went straight to the point.

“Thus, I would like to mass produce these. What do you think?”

“Well…”

At King Sejong’s words, the ministers started to dodge the question, calculating this and that. Amidst this, Hwang Hee glanced at the chief of the Ministry of Personnel. The Chief Officer then whispered something to the internal officer. Shortly after, a book was handed over to the internal officer. The Chief Officer then reported to King Sejong after receiving the book.

“Here is the amount of iron received by the court last year. To look at the immediately noticeable numbers…

Gyeongju contributed 6533 geun (an old Korean measurement, approx. 1.8 kg) of cast iron, Ulsan provided 12500 geun of raw iron… In total, the military base and construction department use or hold about 130,000 geun (approx. 78 tons) annually, and the stock held by each province is about 600,000 geun (approx. 385 tons).”¹

“Does this include both cast iron and raw iron?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm…” As King Sejong stroked his beard in thought, he turned to Hyang. “Given this quantity, isn’t it possible to mass-produce them even if it is a bit of a strain?”

Hyang answered King Sejong’s question directly, “We may have enough material, but mass production will be difficult. This is because there are too few craftsmen.”

“Can’t we recruit more craftsmen from the private sector?”

Hyang then explained why it was impossible in response to King Sejong’s question.

“We have conducted experiments with the sneak bombs.”

The experiment Hyang mentioned was about subcontracting the projectile part of the sneak bombs. They gave the foundry prototype to the blacksmiths in and around Hanyang and received the finished products. The assessment was carried out in two stages.

The first stage checked if products produced in the same foundry could be assembled together. The second stage tested if they could be assembled with products from different foundries. If the original prototype was copied correctly, it should pass not only the first stage but also the second stage.

“Fourteen foundries were involved in the experiment, among them eight passed the first stage and only three passed the second stage. Moreover, the majority of the finished products used in the test were produced in these three foundries. Considering this example, we can estimate that only about 20% of the blacksmiths are skilled enough.”

“That’s fewer than expected…”

“The most basic type of sneak bombs took 20% effort. The more advanced types, that needed to be crafted more skillfully, wouldn’t even account for 10%. If we must mobilize the blacksmiths from the civilian sector, it would only be possible to produce non-sneak bombs  and armors.”

Hyang’s response cast a gloomy look on Sejong’s face. Having faced a more negative situation than expected, a tired Sejong waved his hand towards his ministers.

“Think about a solution to this situation. That will be all for today.”

That night, Sejong didn’t seek out Hyang’s room. Hyang, who had been waiting just in case, settled into his spot with a bitter face.

“He must have been shocked. The reality is a cesspit, you see. But is he going to throw everything away and give up altogether?”

There was a reason why Hyang said this. Sejong was 27 years old. It was a time when his experience and wisdom were still shallow.

The next morning, Sejong gathered his ministers and Hyang. As Hyang and the ministers all gathered, Sejong opened his mouth, “I have thought carefully, and I believe that we cannot delay the production of the long guns and cavalry guns. However, if we leave it all to the military factories, I don’t think it’s a good solution either. Therefore, I have thought of a way to solve this.”

When Sejong announced that he had come up with a plan, Hyang and the ministers focused their attention on him.

“My idea is to receive the barrel parts of the armor-piercing gun from blacksmiths all over Joseon, the neck partsfrom the carpenters, and the brass parts from the metalworkers.

For the cavalry gun, only the important mechanical parts are made in the military factory, and the barrel, blood trough, and wooden parts are supplied in the same way. Let the prince write precise specifications for these parts, print them, and distribute them to the craftsmen, making it a standard for review.”

“However, that might increase the possibility of classified information leaking.”

Against Hyang’s objection, Sejong promptly gave his answer, “What we receive from the blacksmiths is parts just before processing. The steel part of the gun is limited to receiving it just before the groove is drilled, that is, it includes only the process of making the inside straight and smooth and the part of cutting the screw. Drilling the groove and assembling the parts for the final assembly are done in the Armory.”

Upon hearing Sejong’s words, Hyang and the ministers began a cost-benefit analysis. During the calculation, moving back and forth, Hwang Hee pointed out the problem: “If we receive it as a tribute from the blacksmiths, there may be quality issues. The weapon is the most important part of national defense, so we must solve the quality issue.”

At Hwang Hee’s words, Sejong immediately responded, “We will not receive it as a tribute. Currently, direct sales offices under the Ministry of Taxation are being established nationwide. We will purchase the necessary things through these direct sales offices. This not only makes wealth circulate, enriching people’s lives but also prevents the public from viewing their jobs as inferior. In other words, it aims to make more and more people become merchants and public figures.”

The proposal from Sejong sparked a heated debate between Hyang and the ministers. Although there were ministers who opposed it, Hyang was the first to express his consent, and after the civil servants also expressed their support, it was ultimately decided to follow Sejong’s will.

1. Let’s just say I’m currently dying converting the units to today’s measurements.[↩]