Black Corporation: Joseon

Before issuing the imperial edict, Emperor Xuande moved swiftly.

“Send an envoy to Joseon immediately! Right now!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

What Emperor Xuande wanted from Joseon was the original plate for the state-authorized promissory notes used by Joseon’s merchant groups.

***

While currency and goods were the primary means of trade for merchants, when dealing with large quantities at once, there were risks and issues with storage and transportation. Thus, promissory notes were mainly used.

Concerned about tax evasion and other problems in this area, the Joseon court decided to issue promissory note paper directly from the government.

Like currency, they forced the use of promissory note paper with serial numbers in transactions, in an attempt to prevent tax evasion as much as possible.

Behind all these policies was Hyang. It was based on the knowledge he had learned in the 21st century and the experience he had gained during his short civil service career.

Of course, in the process of planning this policy, Hyang wasn’t optimistic about the results.

“There’s a saying that ten policemen can’t stop one thief. The history of tax evasion is as long as human history itself…. But we should do everything we can and try to plug as many holes as possible.”

What emerged from this process was the investment capital market.

“Milk everything you can milk!”

***

As soon as the original plate, created at Emperor Xuande’s request, arrived, he ordered printing to begin.

Once a sufficient quantity had been accumulated according to Emperor Xuande’s orders, he immediately issued an imperial edict throughout the Ming Empire.

-From now on, Ming merchant groups are prohibited from using private money, including promissory notes. All merchant groups must receive and use promissory notes issued by the state from government offices. This is an imperial edict, and those who disobey will be considered to be insulting the Emperor and will be severely punished.

When the imperial edict was promulgated, Ming merchant groups visited government offices to receive promissory note booklets.

The officials in charge of distribution meticulously recorded which merchant group received how many promissory note booklets, and these records were immediately sent to the Ministry of Revenue in Beijing.

***

Of course, during this process, there were those who resisted, knowingly or unknowingly. Surrounding merchants and merchant groups who discovered such individuals were startled and distanced themselves.

“Have they already forgotten the bloodshed from last time?”

“No matter how good money is…”

As these merchants and merchant groups feared, the Ming Imperial Guard once again descended upon those who ignored Emperor Xuande’s edict, reducing everything to ruins.

In this process, there were unfortunate victims as well, with a considerable number of merchant groups and merchants being destroyed due to false accusations from surrounding merchants and merchant groups.

It wasn’t just merchant groups and merchants who suffered. They had employed martial artists to protect their goods and merchants from bandits and pirates during the transportation of large quantities of merchandise. And these martial artists foolishly engaged in combat during the Imperial Guard’s suppression.

“Such insolent creatures! Chase them down and eliminate them completely!”

Following the orders of the enraged Emperor Xuande, who had received the report, the Imperial Guard persistently pursued and eliminated the martial artists.

In this process, the martial artist society, commonly known as Jianghu or Wulin, suffered tremendous damage, marking the beginning of its downfall.

Even the most skilled martial artists were powerless against the firearms wielded by the Imperial Guard.

****

In this way, Emperor Xuande managed to concentrate maximum power in himself.

The existing bureaucratic organization, the Grand Secretariat, and both the eunuchs and the Imperial Guard were all in a situation where they only watched Emperor Xuande’s mood and absolutely obeyed him.

The foundation of Emperor Xuande’s power was the gunners – known as the Gun Corps – and the artillerymen – known as the Artillery Guard – who were considered the elite of the elite within the Imperial Guard.

***

Based on the copper guns imported from Joseon, new firearms were created, and Emperor Xuande organized units within the Imperial Guard to operate these new firearms.

During the process of organizing units in the Imperial Guard, some improvements were made to the copper guns as well. The Ming craftsmen finally managed to add a sighting device.

Although it was a very primitive method of aligning small protrusions at the front and back of the barrel in a straight line, it showed a much more advanced accuracy compared to the firearms imported from Joseon and those used previously.

Upon seeing an actual demonstration, Emperor Xuande ordered mass production.

Emperor Xuande’s primary goal was to first make gunners and artillerymen the main force of the Imperial Guard, and ultimately to make them the main force of an army of 500,000.

However, this was nearly impossible.

There were several reasons why it could be declared impossible, the first of which was that the quality of the soldiers, which was the most basic requirement, was far too poor.

‘Good iron is not used to make nails, and good talent is not made into soldiers.’

There was a saying like this, indicating how poor the perception of soldiers was. As a result, most of those who entered the military, especially as common soldiers, were illiterate.

Secondly, firearms and artillery were budget-consuming monsters.

In particular, gunpowder was expensive to produce, difficult to maintain, and once used, it was gone. And to train properly, a considerable amount had to be consumed consistently. This was the problem.

***

Despite the numerous problems, Emperor Xuande couldn’t give up on organizing gunners and artillerymen. Not long after ascending to the throne, he had personally led soldiers in battle against the Jurchen tribes and emerged victorious. He couldn’t forget the usefulness of gunpowder weapons he had experienced then.

Therefore, Emperor Xuande began organizing units from the Imperial Guard, which had gathered the best talent available.

First, he selected 12,000 soldiers and began cultivating 10,000 gunners and 2,000 artillerymen.

The gunners and artillerymen, trained by consuming large amounts of wealth that had come in through the joint-stock merchant groups, grew into the elite of the elite.

Satisfied with the soldiers who boasted formidable strength at a glance, Emperor Xuande bestowed the title of Gun Corps on the gunners and Artillery Guard on the artillerymen.

Having achieved his first goal, Emperor Xuande set the next one.

Emperor Xuande’s second goal was to increase the size of this Gun Corps and Artillery Guard fivefold.

50,000 gunners and 10,000 artillerymen.

This was the second stepping stone towards Emperor Xuande’s final goal.

***

The Gun Corps and Artillery Guard, raised as elite forces, belonged to the Imperial Guard. Although the Imperial Guard was the last bastion protecting himself and the imperial family, Emperor Xuande had no intention of simply displaying them as decorations in the Forbidden City.

After organizing the empire’s interior centered around the trained gunners and artillerymen of the Imperial Guard, Emperor Xuande turned his gaze outward.

Emperor Xuande’s gaze was directed towards the horse markets.

Since Emperor Yongle had allowed tribute trade, horse markets were regularly held in the north, and trade took place with Mongolian tribes of the north.

The Mongolian tribes sold horses and furs, while Ming sold silk, clothing, and food.

The horse markets, which were held regularly but not permanently, grew larger over time. In addition, merchants from nearby Uyghur began to appear.

“I smell money!”

When reports came in that Ming merchants were engaging in smuggling after catching the scent of money, Emperor Xuande issued an imperial edict without delay.

First, he selected an area with abundant water and easy supply in the border region between Ming and Oirat, and built an adequately sized earthen fortress.

Then, after preparing accommodation facilities and horse fields around the fortress, he informed the Oirat tribal leaders and Ming merchants.

“We have set up a permanent market at the location we’ve just established. Those with permits can trade in the market at any time!”

However, there were preconditions. The Oirat side had to write a document pledging loyalty to the Ming Emperor, and Ming and Uyghur merchants had to purchase trading permits.

In addition, merchants who wanted to trade in the market had to pay an entry fee of 10 taels of silver every time they entered the market, in addition to the permit. By paying this entry fee, merchants could stay in the market for five days. After that, merchants who wanted to extend their stay had to pay an additional 10 taels of silver every five days. This was also paid in advance.

However, Oirat tribes were exempt from this condition.

“This is a favor that I show to you. Do not cause any disturbances.”

Although they had to pay 10 taels of silver in paper money each time they entered the market, the merchants endured it. The profits that could be gained from the trade in this market were well worth the expense.

In particular, safety was also included in these benefits. The fortress built near the market was garrisoned with 3,000 gunners, 500 Artillery Guard soldiers, and 1,000 cavalry.

Even the most violent warriors of the Oirat tribes couldn’t act recklessly in front of these forces.

In fact, small tribes belonging to the Oirat tried to attack the market several times, but each time they had to retreat after suffering tremendous damage.

And the tribes that retreated after suffering such damage were devoured by other tribes, just like the Jurchen tribes that were crushed after attacking Joseon.

The Horse Market Fort created in this way turned out to be unexpectedly useful militarily as well.

The market created near the Horse Market Fort was overflowing with wealth, so not only Oirat but also other Mongol tribes focused their attention on this place.

As a result, the military pressure on the border areas adjacent to Mongolia was significantly reduced.

Another advantage was that the proficiency and combat power of the Gun Corps and Artillery Guard soldiers continued to strengthen as they gained real combat experience at this Horse Market Fort.

One-third of the soldiers were rotated every six months, and the soldiers who were consistently rotated in this way honed their skills through combat.

Next, based on the profits coming in through the horse market, they gained the leeway to gradually expand the size of the Gun Corps and Artillery Guard.

Lastly, the military commanders who had traditionally emphasized cold weapons clearly recognized the usefulness of gunpowder weapons.

***

It would have been truly great if it had ended there, but things in the world are not so easy.

The attempt to expand gunners and artillerymen to the entire Ming army was still stagnant.

The reason, as mentioned before, was the quality of the soldiers.

Whenever they received such reports, Ming generals and military officials clicked their tongues and lamented.

“I heard that the Japanese become fierce like beasts and turn into warriors worth a hundred men just by picking up a sword…”

“Artillery is the best against those who go wild with swords, but all these soldiers are completely illiterate…”

“By the way, have you heard the news from Joseon? They say they teach basic tactics and military strategy even to the lowest-ranking soldiers.”

“Well, Joseon people are so smart…”

In the end, the Ming generals chose the most certain yet worst method to train their soldiers.

What they chose was violence.

Harsh beatings followed those who showed even slightly inadequate performance during training.

On the other hand, if someone knew how to read and write and showed even a little excellence, they were immediately promoted to junior officers.

And these junior officers were entrusted with the management of gunpowder weapons and gunpowder. It wasn’t all good for those who suddenly became officers like this. They were subtly ostracized among the soldiers below them, and constantly demanded bribes from their superiors.

On the surface, a large-scale army armed with gunpowder weapons was being created just like in Joseon, but internally, a stench was starting to rise.

***

And in this situation, a memorial was presented to Emperor Xuande.

“Build a currency issuing bureau in Nanjing as well? Are they in their right mind?”