The meeting at the government office had come to an end and the Minister of Taxation returned to his personal office with a sigh.
“Sigh~ No matter how endlessly I work, it never seems to end. Should I just resign? No, I can’t. His Majesty surely wouldn’t just let me resign like that…”
As he was seriously contemplating whether to resign or not, an inner chamberlain came looking for him.
“Your Excellency, Minister of Taxation, are you there?”
“I am here. What is it?”
“His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince has sent this to you.”
“Huh?”
The chamberlain held out a cloth wrapped in silk to the Minister of Taxation.
“He said, ‘I look forward to your continued support,’ as he handed this to me.”
“Tell him I’m deeply humbled by this gracious gift.”
“Yes.”
After the chamberlain left, the Minister of Taxation stared at the wrapped cloth without a word for a long time.
“Somehow I feel that unwrapping this won’t bring anything good…”
Hesitatingly, the Minister of Taxation untied the knot of the cloth.
Inside, a small wooden box was placed.
“Sigh.”
He sighed as he opened the wooden box, then sighed again.
“Be it the King or the Crown Prince…”
In the box was a precious-looking wild ginseng.
* * *
Meanwhile, inside the Minister of Taxation’s main residence, the scent of tonic lingered in the air.
“What’s the point of all this…”
Madam Kwon, Minister of Taxation’s wife was fanning the brazier with the tonic pot on it, then grumbled.
The tonic currently being cooked in the pot was a precious tonic personally bestowed by King Sejong not long ago.
Although she could simply order a maidservant to do it, it was a precious gift from the King. If not handled properly, there might be gossip, so Madam Kwon was preparing it herself.
However, her dissatisfaction lay elsewhere.
“What’s the use of feeding him tonic? What’s the point!”
Her husband, whenever he came home, was like a busy nobleman.
It was hard to blame him since he wasn’t spending his time at pleasure houses but working for the nation until he was worn out.
Madam Kwon angrily fanned the fire, muttering.
“This tonic isn’t even worth the price!”
* * *
With the arrival of late February, the reconstruction work began in earnest.
A temporary construction office was set up near Jonglu, and Hyang meticulously directed the work.
“First, let’s simultaneously carry out the connection between Cheonggyecheon and nearby streams and the clearing and management of the fire-damaged areas.”
A government official who had joined the Public Works Department confirmed the situation once more.
“Shall we prioritize connecting Cheonggyecheon to Jongno and the fire-damaged areas?”
“That would be the most reasonable, right?”
“It’s the most suitable in terms of manpower allocation.”
“Then, let’s do that. That said…”
Hyang looked at the Public Works official before him with an expression of realization.
“You seem quite familiar with this kind of work?”
At Hyang’s question, the Public Works official smiled slightly and answered, “Coincidentally, my first job was the construction of the current Hanyang.”
“Really? Your rank?”
Hyang eyed the ‘living historical figure’ official’s uniform. It was old but neat, and its color was blue.
“I’m a 6th rank inspector.”
“You started from the bottom, it seems?”
“Yes, I did.”
Seeing the bittersweet expression on the Public Works official’s face, Hyang encouraged him.
“This too is fate; let’s create a masterpiece together.”
“I will do my very best!”
At Hyang’s words, the Public Works official bowed deeply in reply. He too understood what Hyang meant.
He had been working hard up until now, but with Hyang’s words, the Public Works official showed even more passion. Hyang softly murmured at his sight.
“People like him aren’t rare.”
In the 21st century, too, there were many who were talented and diligent but surprisingly unrecognized.
The sad back figure of those who became self-abandoned over time, only doing what was given to them, overlapped with the back figure of the Public Works official walking away.
Watching that back figure, Hyang made another decision.
“We need many capable people to overhaul this whole Joseon. The only answer is to select those with both skills and experience!”
That night, upon returning to the Eastern Palace, Hyang began drafting a new proposal.
It was a proposal with an incredibly long title, ‘On the Establishment of a Specialized Agency for National Development Management.’
It proposed the creation of an institution responsible for comprehensive management by selecting those with both abilities and experience, regardless of rank.
* * *
The first thing done in the reconstruction of the disaster-stricken area was the organization of the blocks.
“What would be a good standard for organizing the blocks?”
At the question from Hyang, the executives who were momentarily glancing at each other responded immediately.
“It’s the well.”
“Exactly. By digging a well and organizing the blocks according to it, we can properly align the roads and sewage system.”
“Then, let’s do that. Fortunately, the prototype of the drilling machine has been completed, so we can check its efficiency as well. Good.”
“A drilling machine?”
The executives tilted their heads at Hyang’s words. The next day, three drilling machines were dispatched from Area 51 and arrived.
“Is this it?”
“Yes.”
The craftsman who had been in charge of the development and test operation of the drilling machine explained its benefits to the executives.
“It takes less time than digging a well manually.”
“Really?”
“The best benefit of saving time is that we can quickly determine the usability of the well after digging it.”
“Really? Let’s get started then.”
“Yes.”
The drilling machines, divided into three large parts, immediately began work in the disaster-stricken area.
“Hmm… This seems like a good spot.”
After examining the rough sketch of the temporarily designated area and the terrain, the drilling team leader designated a likely spot for groundwater.
“We will dig here! Set it up!”
“Yes!”
At the drilling team leader’s command, the team members moved quickly. They set up a sturdy iron tripod and installed a driving unit for drilling on top.
Lastly, they connected a spiral-shaped drilling rod and an iron pillar to the driver.
Once the initial installation was complete, the team members connected an iron pillar about 1 jang (approximately 3.3m) in length to the driver and brought an ox to pull it.
“Go!”
“Moo~.”
A light tap on the ox’s hindquarters got it moving slowly.
As the ox slowly circled, the connected driver rotated, driving the drill into the ground.
“Hmm…”
As the drilling machine started to work, the people responsible for the area gathered to watch the process.
“It seems fine, doesn’t it?”
“It seems usable.”
The drilling team leader answered confidently to the favorable reactions of the managers.
“With this, we’ve dug wells so well in Area 51! When we were digging the ground for days and the water didn’t come out, how frustrating was it? But using this, that time is drastically reduced!”
“Hmm… that’s true…”
Swoosh!
“Water!”
After two days of drilling, water gushed up through the borehole. The onlookers all applauded.
“It’s water!”
“Wow! Look at the water spouting up!”
As the water sprang up, the drilling team leader dismantled the drilling machine. Then, the gathered managers and residents determined whether the well would be of sufficient quantity and quality.
“This seems fine, doesn’t it?”
“It seems like it will be a good well.”
With the conclusion reached, the drilling team leader gathered the equipment and people to move on to the next well. The remaining managers gathered the people.
“Now we have to build the well properly, so move quickly! There’s a mountain of work to do!”
“Yes, My Lord!”
The drilling machine performed exceptionally well at the reconstruction site. With the drilling machine doing a significant part, water source procurement was quickly accomplished, and the organization of the blocks rapidly accelerated.
The arrangement of houses and drainage channels was determined around the well, and based on the land and household registration books, housing areas were distributed to the disaster victims.
“It’s good, but…”
Although they had received the land, the faces of the displaced people did not easily brighten up. It was because of the financial problem of building a house.
“Ahem! Who’s the landowner of this land?”
The homeowner, who had been lost in worry, was startled and responded as the manager came looking for the landowner.
“It’s me, sir. What’s the matter?”
“You, do you have money to build a house?”
“Whew~. Everything’s gone up in flames; there’s no way I have it.”
“Hmm… Well, the country has decided to lend money this time. Do you have a moment?”
At the official’s words, the homeowner spread a straw mat that was on one side and extended his hand to the manager.
“Oh my! I have to make time even if I don’t have any! First, please sit here!”
After listening to the manager’s explanation for a while, the homeowner tilted his head slightly and asked a question.
“I understand what you’re saying, but what’s a grace period?”
“It’s when you only pay interest for the duration you want, and repay the principal afterward. So if it’s a 3-year grace period with 3-year repayment, you only pay interest for the first 3 years, and then you pay interest and principal in installments over the next 3 years.”
“Aha!”
“The interest rate is only 3% per year. You’ve probably tried using long-term loans, so you know that the cheapest interest is 5%, right? But only receiving that is called ‘Bosal’ (meaning a kind-hearted lender). Isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“So think it over.”
“But where should I go to borrow the money?”
“Come to the government office. That’s all.”
When the manager, who finished explaining, brushed off his seat and got up, the homeowner quickly stood up.
“No, please have a glass of cold water before you go.”
“I’m good. I have many more houses to visit. So, think it over.”
Having finished explaining, the manager hurried to the next house, walking briskly.
“Please take care!”
Having seen off the manager, the homeowner sat down in a corner of the yard and began calculating.
“So, to build a house, I need money… What I earn in a year is… If the interest rate is 3%…”
In one corner of the yard, the homeowner moved little stones around, calculating.
* * *
Three days later, having done his calculations, the homeowner decided and went to the government office.
“Excuse me… sir…”
Standing hesitantly at the entrance of the government office, the homeowner stopped an official passing by.
“What’s the matter?”
With a weary face from the day, the official who was leaving the government gate turned his head at the voice that grabbed him.
Seeing the look of the person who spoke to him, the official made a face that said he understood what it was about.
“Are you here for the loan?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Go inside and head straight to the right, there’ll be a room there.”
“Yes? Yes. Thank you, sir.”
With the official’s explanation, the homeowner bowed his waist deeply in thanks and crossed the threshold of the government office.
He quickly found the place in question.
The homeowner, heading to where people with similar looks were gathered, waited for his turn.
Things went smoothly from then on.
“Park Soon-bok… family of five?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then you need at least three rooms, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then the cost is…”
Thus, Park Soon-bok received loan counseling and exited with a piece of paper.
“Go to the Supply Department?”
Holding the paper, Park Soon-bok moved his steps towards the Supply Department.
“Let’s see… Park Soon-bok… what year were you born?”
Holding a copy of the household register, an official verified the person and checked the contents written on the paper.
“3 rooms… necessary material amount is…”
The official read the amount of materials needed to build Park Soon-bok’s house and confirmed it.
“…that’s all, is there anything missing?”
“Yes. But do we have to use tile roofing? It’s expensive.”
“What if there’s another fire? You want to lose everything again in one go?”
“That can’t happen!”
“Since cheaper roof tiles came out this time, let’s try using them. If you don’t like them after trying, earn some money and replace them later.”
“···Yes.”
So having confirmed all the materials for construction, the supply official handed the papers to Park Soon-bok.
“Put your thumbprint there.”
“Excuse me? Yes.”
At the supply official’s command, Park Soon-bok diligently put his thumbprint with ink on his thumb.
“Now, take these papers and keep them safe. One is a receipt with the list of materials, and the other is a record of how much you’ve borrowed and when you’ll repay it.”
“Yes.”
“The materials will…” The official paused, leafed through a book stacked beside him, and continued, “They will arrive at your plot in four days. Hire the laborers yourself. You can take turns building with your neighbors, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then we’re done. You can leave now. Next!”
Having come out of the supply building, Park Soon-bok blinked and muttered, “What is this··· “What is this… It’s not even a trick played by a goblin…”
* * *
As the reconstruction of the affected areas began in earnest, there was a shortage of workers. Even though day laborers flocked from other parts of Hanyang, it was still insufficient.
Many houses were being built simultaneously, and road construction was underway, which was the reason.
In the end, King Sejong issued an order to the army.
“Borrow available soldiers from the 12 divisions guarding the capital!”
“We obey the command!”
Thus, the borrowed soldiers sweated on the construction sites.
Meanwhile, some generals were observing the scene and sharing their opinions.
“Hmmm··· The Crown Prince’s suggestion does not seem entirely wrong, does it?”
“Indeed.”
They were generals from the Joseon Army General Staff Headquarters.
During a massive reform in the Joseon Army, a proposal was made for the creation of a new troop division.
The proposed division was the engineers.
However, most of the generals had reacted negatively to the proposal.
-A soldier who can’t chop with an axe or hammer is rare, so creating a separate division is unnecessary.
This negative response from the generals changed direction to ‘necessary!’ during the recovery process of the Hanyang Great Fire.
Eventually, at the end of resumed discussions, the Engineer Corps was established.
‘Even if the spear and sword rust, the shovel blade shines!’
‘One shovel, one task!’
‘If given a shovel and a pickaxe, I shall move mountains and rivers!’
It was the birth of a division that created all kinds of rumors and legends.