Chapter 59

Chapter 59

The Sprout of Capitalism (4)

If saying the power holder who exercised the most omniscient and omnipotent power in the world of course can say Mao Mao.

Hitler? That guy is just a commoner who worried about the Junkers coup.

Hunchback? Got stabbed by his son in his later years and became a screen.

Stalin? Definitely Stalin is a bit comparable. But the standard of the power actually exercised is too different.

How strong was that power that could extinct sparrows and make Chinese civilization into ashes? Thanos had to go around the whole universe collecting stones to make only half into dust but Mao reset the world with just one finger.

- That... can’t we talk about something else?

Look at this. The terrifying power that degrades even the Dragon King to a jar ghost. That is precisely the power of a 12th grade psionic ability user surpassing even gods. Mao Zedong... how would we have known...

Even opium that long ate the Chinese continent.

Even sparrows the blood relatives of Satan that plundered the Chinese people’s rice.

Nothing withstood his power, but surprisingly there is something that survived.

That is precisely - mahjong.

How great is the power of mahjong that made even Mao and Lee Kuan Yew give up and raise both hands and feet?

Natural words but no way this best salesman Park In-ho can’t play mahjong. Working in China must know how to play mahjong at least.

- But as you know, Chinese people are already playing mahjong?

Is that and that the same?

If putting out go-stop to people who did minhwatu do you think they won’t?

The rules of the game are a more important element than thought.

A representative example is chess.

In ancient primitive chess the queen and bishop were much more stupid than modern, and they say after this changed to rules like today the speed and fun of the game exploded.

So if just throwing the 21st century style mahjong rules carefully selected by countless people over long years, and the Chinese Communist Party?

“How did you think of such rules? Much more fun?”

“I am a bit great. If widely spreading these rules won’t people awaken the true fun of mahjong more?”

“Natural words. Even doing with these rules money doesn’t go out...”

Good.

Beta test targeting Chinese people complete.

Although plastic humanity’s final weapon does not yet exist, mahjong tiles can be made with cow bones or bamboo etc. This also if making a factory and running mass production is possible.

Better to buy and use than making handmade at home, wears out if used long, very cheap labor-intensive item with low cost.

How much will it sell?

Ultimately if China makes with manpower punk it ends?

In my thought well no.

How to block China self-sufficiency of mahjong tiles, but at least the export route seemed open. No way trade ships leaving China load mahjong tiles instead of tea leaves?

This is also all money.

Let’s sell widely widely.

Imagining mahjong halls opening next to all opium dens in China, I once again proclaimed the excavation of a new item to the world.

Ah.

How far does my greatness go...

***

Loans began to be deposited one after another from Britain, America, France.

As the price of course some interests including customs duties were set as collateral but is that a problem? Now an enormous amount of silver coins Joseon has never touched even once since the founding of the country was deposited!

<​Mexican silver coins> that can be called the national rule of Asian trade.

A historic silver coin used since the Ming era, boasts the industry’s highest reliability enough that even America immediately designated this Mexican silver coin as legal tender.

If this amount of silver coins can sufficiently make a central bank in Joseon and take the first step of the silver standard.

Now the era of that ugly Sangpyeong Tongbo ended. Use coins just as coins, and must run a silver coin based economy overwhelmingly easy for trading with overseas to form the minimum economic infrastructure.

Joseon has no high denomination notes so have to carry bundles of thousands of tens of thousands of Sangpyeong Tongbo? So everyone bursts with anger and invents bills. I was surprised seeing something like bills and checks in this primitive land Joseon.

Of course pre-modern, but in its own way there were seeds of finance in Joseon too.

If having to create from nothing to something don’t know, but since seeds already exist no reason not to grow this.

“-So if raising them as British-style banks can usefully use in establishing the country’s policy bank.”

I smilingly proposed the agenda regarding bank establishment, but Minister of Finance Kim Heunggeun and Foreign Minister Lee Ha-eung of course and even other ministers seeing not very bright expressions was flustered.

“Hey.”

“Yes, Minister. Please ask.”

“Is there particularly... a reason the court must do so?”

“Yes?”

“If the country needs of course must voluntarily offer to loyally serve the king and love the country, if lowly things like money insert into the loyal heart rather not good to see.”

Ah.

The way of thinking itself is different from us.

The style of why give money and buy when can take.

Extortion is soon the way of life.

Proud that now know Joseon quite a bit, but still cannot catch up to the Joseon-style way of thinking at all. The walking method is different from the start. Where is Joseon that does the extraordinary act of stamping Dangbaekjeon saying the country has no money an ordinary commoner?

Yes.

Joseon people’s understanding of the economy was destructive.

Not this story of economics being the latest study or whatever.

That can eat seigniorage, that is minting profit by playing with currency even ancient people all knew and of course Joseon people also knew. Knew so stamped Dangbaekjeon.

Then why on earth did a yangban like smart Lee Ha-eung do the act of issuing Dangbaekjeon?

The answer is simple.

‘You also quickly stamp if stamp money is earned’

The basic perception of Joseon officials was that for <​more important things> like strengthening royal power or war preparation can endure trivial side effects.

Was it that they regarded the impact on the economy as nothing special because Joseon’s economy being destroyed is as natural as Russia’s cold, or was it always in a destroyed state because governed the country this way?

“No.”

“Why?”

“Would the saying Goryeo public affairs three days have come out for nothing? To do big things in the country must obtain the people’s trust.”

I sent messages to Gaeseong and Uiju merchants requesting cooperation in bank establishment, while having to crush the tsk tsk of old men saying why waste national money even on such things when even a penny is urgent.

Cannot kill this precious sprout of capitalism.

To not see the appearance of Joseon’s economy destroyed while I went to work in Europe or America, unconditionally must input economics principles into Joseon first.

***

Roughly now know.

All of Joseon’s reforms were being done to confront Qing’s invasion that will be someday.

- Wasn’t it to proclaim emperor and establish era name and conquer Manchuria?

That is a kind of white lie because this country is a country of gentlemen, a country of scholars. Like lip service.

‘Raise a tremendous strong army and behead the Jin Khan and play one round of soccer with Jurchen heads and then ascend the throne’ looks much cooler than ‘hoeeeng what if Qing’s million-strong army invades we all died’.

Half the expectation that if going through British-style military system reform we can also 10-minute cut Qing.

Half the fear that if not even this will film the Byeongja Barbarian Invasion sequel for real.

The idea of introducing mahjong also did not just pop out of thin air.

Just while the country was cracking down on gambling the sound ‘no matter how much cracking down guys who do it appear so rather collect taxes?’ popped out and my thoughts also reached mahjong.

Whether to raise a powerful strong army, or to pay loan interest Joseon must secure tax revenue anyway. Not for nothing that court officials said ‘if that money to use for bank establishment how much the interest burden decreases?’.

So such things also happen.

[Number 3 horse. Number 3 horse, Gale. Starts running! Gale from Hamheung runs like a gale as the name!]

“Sold national bonds and bet all on you! Run!!”

“Right! That’s it!!”

First Britain’s advanced civilization, horse racing was introduced.

As can know seeing Europeans crazy for war enjoying horse racing one after another, horse racing can directly provide economic initiative to raise good horses. Just raising one horse as a capable one jackpot!

Yangban were also once bewitched by the words <​high-class leisure sports all British Empire scholar-officials enjoy>, and once more bewitched by the words of raising war horses and being patriotic.

Moreover as palanquins became obsolete and rickshaws and carriages emerged as the new yangban’s vehicles, the perception that a proper scholar-official household must have a few horses at home was also spreading.

From the court’s position horse racing was very good.

There are problems like war horse supply, but horse racing of course needs a large racecourse. Unlike gambling like card games that can be done hiding in secluded places horse racing means much easier to collect taxes.

Not stopping here, the court excavated new gambling.

“Waaaaa!!”

“If fight win if lose die!!”

“Break all the heads!!”

Joseon’s most popular sports, ssireum and stone fights.

Originally there was gambling betting money on the outcome of such matches, but the court blinded by taxes began openly inserting brokers.

In one word... toto.

Not the end here.

“Gambling does not stop at simply eating people and making them cripples. In gambling dens always thugs insert, they fleece those fallen into gambling and place usury and fill their bellies.

If the country directly manages gambling those who are unjustly deceived and lose fields will decrease, and above all will greatly contribute to the people’s peace by blocking the money-making of ruffians who suck the people’s blood and survive.”

Joseon version Kangwon Land appeared.

“Those who ruin families with gambling continue in a line not strictly prohibiting this, the country leading and establishing gambling dens!”

“Guys crazy for gambling sell even parents, if cutting wrists fiddle with tiles with toes, if even ankles cut roll dice with tongues. If the country does not embrace them who will embrace?”

Truly miracle logic.

In Confucian scholars ‘even so this is a bit’ and opposed, but ultimately folded one hand at Heonjong’s policy of raising the army with Kangwon Land revenue.

Thus Heungseon-gun who originally had a solid bond with Joseon’s underworld now even moved the postal soldiers and crushed them, so all sorts of gangster and thug groups were shattered like candy in a line.

Then what happens to these thug groups that spread like poisonous mushrooms everywhere in Joseon?

Since the country abolished the slave system cannot make them slaves either.

If old times would have relocated to the north but now unauthorized speculation in Hamgyeong is also that.

Traditionally in the East the concept of ‘imprisonment’ is rare so the idea of locking in prison and filling the sentence did not exist.

But the wave of modernity was no exception for punishment either.

How should the country of gentlemen Joseon that originally regarded even China’s <​Great Ming Code> as too cruel and barbaric be pointed at by foreigners saying ‘punishment is harsh’?

The new judges who seized that authority from the magistrates who traditionally executed the judiciary divided judgments into largely three types.

Those with the most vicious nature of the crime. Death penalty.

“Hey, you guys. Prepared to be beheaded? Know that if stuffing some money to the executioner the neck flies in one stroke?”

“Please save!! Just save!!”

“I was wrong! Will live kindly without doing thug acts from now on!!”

“Then will go to the mine?”

Those whose nature of the crime is serious but the heart is not vicious and judged to have room for edification. Mine.

“Bugs like you deserve to have necks cut, but our benevolent sage even pities your base lives. There is just one way for you to survive-”

“Will do anything!”

Criminals whose nature of the crime is not serious and the character is also not evil and have sufficient room for rehabilitation, who would have been governed by beating if before.

“Board the ship.”

“...?!”

“Having a body suitable for the navy but not enlisting is a serious desertion act, but since the sage’s mercy is like heaven if voluntarily enlisting even now the country feeds and shelters! Want to go to the mine or board the ship?!”

“Ship... will board the ship!”

“The spirit is insufficient!”

The navy that was terribly not recruited compared to the army.

The court resolved the manpower shortage by boarding all criminals called criminals not only thugs and gangsters but guys who stole and ate others’ dogs, street urination offenders, beggars, debtors, gamblers, freeloaders etc. on ships.

Bastard... spirit!

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