Despite the swirling storms of upheaval following the uprising, there were those who remained undeterred, focusing solely on their tasks. On one side were those pioneering in the northern territories, and on the other, the Ministry of Taxation.
The officials of the Ministry of Taxation, led by Kim Jeom, were all intensely driven.
The ti had co for the distribution of currency, coinciding with the harvest season.
***
As economic reforms progressed, the economy of Joseon gradually expanded.
With the growth of the economy, the governnts finances also increased in scale. Tax revenues rose, but so did expenditures. Therefore, the Ministry of Taxations office was bustling every day, except on New Years Day and Chuseok.
The officials had to work tirelessly overnight to prevent leakage in tax collection and to suppress expenditure as much as possible, all in an effort to secure funds for the operation of the new currency system.
After a relentless struggle, when the planned year of Giyu arrived, the Ministry of Taxation was sowhat prepared.
If we hadnt developed the gold and silver mines, this would have been impossible. And, the help from the Ouchi family was significant too.
Kim Jeom murmured to himself while reviewing the reports.
***
Previously, trade with Japan involved interdiary trade via Tsushima Island. Most of the Japanese living in the Japanese enclaves (waegwan or wakan)[1] in Gyeongsang Province were from Tsushima.
However, with King Sejongs active economic reforms, the composition of Japanese residents in Waegwan began to change gradually.
We cant trust those Tsushima scoundrels!
Following King Sejongs decision, the local governnt offices managing the Waegwan scrutinized them closely. If any Japanese resident showed the slightest fault, the Joseon officials would use it as a pretext to imdiately expel them to Tsushima.
As vacancies arose, Joseon would promptly fill them with Japanese sent by the Ouchi family and the Governor of Kyushu.
This arrangent benefited the Ouchi family, the Governor of Kyushu, and Joseon alike.
The Ouchi family and the Governor of Kyushu could import cultural goods from the more advanced Joseon directly, bypassing Tsushima and reducing costs. They could then resell these goods in their neighboring territories for a profit.
For Joseon, this arrangent was beneficial as well. Unlike Tsushima, which was just a small island, the Ouchi family and the Governor of Kyushu were lords of large domains, thus capable of mobilizing significantly larger funds. Moreover, their friendly stance towards Joseon made maintaining a good relationship easier. Particularly in the case of the Ouchi family, communication was smooth, partly because they considered themselves descendants of the Baekje kingdom.
As a result, Tsushima suffered the greatest loss. With the Ouchi family and the Governor of Kyushu formidable competitors for Tsushima entering the scene, Tsushima was inevitably pushed out of the competition. Moreover, since the Tsushima Campaign, Joseons attitude towards Tsushima had not been favorable.
Otori in the north, Tsushima in the south
King Sejong and his court already viewed these two as targets to be eliminated.
Tsushima was in a dilemma. Although they wanted to employ their old tactics of using pirates to adopt a hardline approach, they couldnt underestimate the power of the Joseon military. Especially with the introduction of new warships known as Panokseon in the navy, the mariti supremacy between Joseon and Tsushima was increasingly shifting in Joseons favor.
[TL/N: Panokseon. Also know as Turtle /wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Panokseon-as-the-origin-of-the-korean-turtle-ship.jpeg?x57477
Additionally, Joseon held control over Tsushimas lifeline through its trade ships, the Segyeonseon[2]. Although Tsushima had its agricultural lands, they were insufficient to provide enough food for the people of Tsushima.
Consequently, the Japanese in Tsushima had no choice but to lie low and be cautious of Joseons influence.
With these changes in the forces managing trade between Japan and Joseon, the composition of the Japanese residing in the Waegwan underwent significant changes.
By the ti of the Giyu year, the composition of the Japanese in the Waegwan was approximately Ouchi 3.5: Governor of Kyushu 3: Tsushima 2: various rchants including those from the Shogunate and ten other regions in Japan (Jipcheo Waesa, the ten Japanese territories permitted to send envoys to Joseon) 1.5.
With the Ouchi family and the Governor of Kyushu becoming central to trade, Joseon was able to resolve long-standing issues. One such resolution was the smooth import of copper and sulfur.
Joseon, by encouraging competition and checks among the Ouchi family, the Governor of Kyushu, Tsushima, and other forces, managed to resolve the supply issues of copper and sulfur.
Furthermore, continuous mining activities within Joseon eventually led to the discovery of copper and sulfur mines, finally allowing King Sejong to breathe a sigh of relief.
We have overco one of the major challenges that troubled Joseon!
***
While reviewing reports, Kim Jeom called for the officials of the Ministry of Taxation.
Everyone from the lower to the higher ranks, gather in the eting room!
At Kim Jeoms summons, interdiate officials up to the rank of Jeong 4-pum and senior officials up to the rank of vice minister gathered in the eting room.
Once all the officials were seated, Kim Jeom reviewed the situation.
Have all the marketplaces been set up?
Yes. We built them quickly thanks to the extra space allocated during the construction of the existing monopoly stores.
What about the supply of copper coins and both the white and yellow bronze coins?
We prepared them based on last years tax revenues, with an additional 20% surplus.
Is that so?
Listening to the responses of the officials, Kim Jeom went through the records of last years tax revenues.
Lets see last years tax revenues focusing only on what was collected from the farrs
Humming like he was singing a song, Kim Jeom found the relevant section and recited the details.
Looking at last years tax revenues from the farrs we have rice 113,840 seok, field rice 70,013 seok, soybeans 36,650 seok, cotton fabric 28,750 bolts, cloth 57,550 bolts(footnote 1) Is that correct?
[TL/N: 1 seok is roughly around 100kg to 145kg depending on type of grains.]
At Kim Jeoms question, the officials, after checking the records, all nodded in agreent.
Thats correct.
Did you prepare accordingly based on these figures?
Yes, we did.
Hmm And the transportation of the currency?
We transported it with military escort, and its almost complete everywhere except for Jeju Island and a few other islands.
Thats a relief.
Receiving the reports from his subordinates, Kim Jeom showed a sigh of relief.
Since the Goryeo era, successive Joseon kings had tried but failed to circulate currency. Now, King Sejong was making another attempt.
Having started later than initially planned, they took extra care in preparation, fully committed to ensuring its success.
While Kim Jeom was reviewing the readiness, an official asked him a question.
What about the tenant farrs working on the lands confiscated in the Samnam region?
Follow the law as already announced for this year. Right after this harvest, there will be a decision from His Majesty.
Understood.
At Kim Jeoms words, the officials all bowed their heads.
Any other questions? Or new matters to report?
When the officials responded with silence, Kim Jeom stood up.
Then, go back to your duties. If we do this right, next year will be easier.
Well keep that in mind!
Returning to his office, Kim Jeom muttered with a worried expression.
The Crown Princes words are still troubling
***
The issue of handling the real estate, including the fields confiscated from the nobles who failed in the uprising, was a new topic of discussion.
Shouldnt we make it state property?
At Lee Jiks suggestion, King Sejong and the other ministers nodded in agreent. Seeing their reaction, Hyang posed a question.
Does making it state property an managing it as Gungbangjeon (Real Estates Owned by the Royal Household)?
Probably, yes.
But Gungbangjeon is tax-exempt land owned by the royal family, isnt it? Wont that cause issues with tax revenues?
Ah!
At Hyangs point, the ministers and King Sejong showed a realization.
King Sejong had temporarily allowed the managent of the royal lands, except for the Royal Household Finance Office, naesusa[3], by the governnt to facilitate economic reforms. This was a temporary asure.
During this process, King Sejong had even promised in writing to the royal relatives that the privileges taken away would be returned when the ti was right.
Once the economic reforms were complete and Joseons economy grew further, it was certain that the royal relatives would demand the fulfillnt of this promise.
Eventually, King Sejong and the ministers had to reconvene to find a solution.
The decision made was to turn the confiscated fields and real estate into state-owned lands. As Joseon operated under an absolute monarchy where Joseon = King, there were no significant issues. These lands would be managed separately from Naesusa and Gungbangjeon fields, minimizing impact on tax revenues.
Of course, the problem will be how much rent to charge. Well need to deliberate on this aspect too.
At Kim Jeoms comnt, King Sejong nodded.
Thats true. However, if theres a discrepancy between Gungbangjeon and these state lands, it might lead to discontent among the tenant farrs and promote illegal activities. Lets think this through.
Thus, a compromise was reached after thorough discussion:
The rent for those who lease state-owned agricultural land will be the sa as for Gungbangjeon.
Those leasing Gungbangjeon and state-owned lands will pay taxes at the sa rate as regular tenant farrs.
That seems reasonable. But lets think a bit more. Sothing feels off.
Yes, Your Majesty.
The ministers accepted King Sejongs vaguely expressed concerns without objection. They didnt have much ti.
Delaying further could result in the harvested rice in the fields rotting. They needed to harvest and collect taxes as soon as possible, which would ease the burden on both the people and the officials, allowing them to plan next years budget more comfortably.
Minister of Taxation.
Yes, Your Highness.
As Kim Jeom was leaving the Geunjeongjeon after the eting, he stopped when Hyang called out to him.
Kim Jeoms unease stemd from Hyangs last remark.
Why suddenly ntion restorative tonics? Everyone in the Six Ministries Street knows thats the last thing one should talk about these days, especially around the Crown Prince.
Though his eyes were on the docunts, Kim Jeoms mind was increasingly troubled.
The father and son duo of the Geunjeongjeon and Easter Palace were always a step ahead. While it was often possible to anticipate the Kings actions to so extent, the Crown Prince was utterly unpredictable.
Additionally, the Crown Prince had recently developed a concerning habit. Even if he identified issues in new policies, unless they were critical matters affecting the nations survival, he wouldnt ntion them beforehand. Instead, he would vaguely hint at them to the ministers, quietly prepare counterasures, and then present them to King Sejong when the situation escalated.
Read sen.wikipedia/wiki/Waegwan_(enclave)[]Japanese trading ships[]A governnt office in charge of managing royal finances during the Joseon Dynasty[]
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