After the meeting in the main hall ended, the Minister of the Board of Punishments returned to his office and sighed.
"Phew~ No matter how much work I do, it never seems to end. Should I just resign? No, that’s not an option. The king wouldn’t just let me resign like that..."
While he was seriously contemplating whether to resign or not, an inner court attendant came to find him.
"Minister Ho, are you here?"
"I’m here. What is it?"
"The Crown Prince has sent this for you."
"Hmm?"
The inner court attendant handed a silk-wrapped package to the Minister of the Board of Punishments.
"He said, 'Please continue to do your best in the future.'"
"Please convey my deepest gratitude for this humble gift."
"Yes, sir."
After the inner court attendant left, the Minister of the Board of Punishments stared silently at the package.
"Something tells me that if I open this, it won’t be a good thing..."
He hesitated for a moment before untangling the knot of the package.
Inside the package was a small wooden box.
"Phew~"
With a sigh, the Minister of the Board of Punishments opened the wooden box and sighed again.
"The king or the Crown Prince... they’re both..."
Inside the box was a precious ginseng root.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the main house of the Ho family, the smell of medicine filled the air.
"What is this all about..."
Lady Jeong, the wife of the Minister of the Board of Punishments, fanned the brazier with the medicine pot on it and grumbled.
"This is a precious tonic that the king himself bestowed not long ago."
She could have just had a servant do it, but since it was a precious tonic given by the king, she decided to boil it herself to avoid any gossip.
However, she had her own grievances.
"What’s the point of giving him this tonic? What’s the point!"
Her husband, when he came home, was always busy.
It was hard to complain about this, as he came home exhausted not from playing at a pleasure house but from working on state affairs.
Lady Jeong fanned the brazier nervously and muttered.
"A tonic that doesn’t even cover the cost of the medicine!"
* * *
As it entered late February, the reconstruction work began in earnest.
Heo, who had set up a temporary site office near the bell tower, meticulously directed the work.
"First, let’s connect the Cheonggyecheon stream with nearby rivers and simultaneously carry out the land division and well-digging in the areas affected by the fire."
An official from the Ministry of Works confirmed the situation.
"Should we prioritize connecting the Cheonggyecheon stream with the Jongno area and the fire-affected regions?"
"That would be the most appropriate, wouldn’t it?"
"It’s the most appropriate in terms of manpower allocation."
"Then let’s do that. By the way..."
Heo looked at the Ministry of Works official with a newfound expression.
"You seem quite familiar with this kind of work?"
The official from the Ministry of Works smiled slightly and replied to Heo’s question.
"Interestingly, my first task was the construction of this Hanyang."
"Really? What rank were you then?"
Heo examined the official’s robe. Though worn, the neatly maintained blue color indicated a rank.
"I am a 6th rank censor."
"You started from the bottom, didn’t you?"
"Yes."
Seeing the bittersweet expression on the censor’s face, Heo encouraged him.
"Since we have this connection, let’s work together to create something great."
"I will do my best, sir!"
The censor bowed deeply in response to Heo’s words, having understood their meaning.
Heo had always worked hard, but seeing the censor’s even greater enthusiasm after his words, he muttered to himself.
"There must be more people like him."
In the 21st century, there were also many capable and diligent people who, for various reasons, never got the recognition they deserved. Over time, they had given up and only did the tasks assigned to them. Heo saw the sad backs of such people in the censor’s posture.
Heo made another decision.
"To rebuild this entire Joseon, we need many capable people. The only solution is to identify those with both experience and ability!"
That night, after returning to the Donggung Palace, Heo took out a piece of paper and began drafting a new proposal.
It was titled "Proposal for the Establishment of a Specialized Agency for National Land Development," a very long title.
The proposal suggested creating an agency to manage and oversee capable and experienced people from the six boards to handle comprehensive land development.
* * *
The first step in the reconstruction of the affected areas was land division.
"What should be the standard for land division?"
Heo’s question was quickly answered by the field staff, who had been exchanging glances.
"The well, sir."
"That’s right. We need to dig wells and then divide the land accordingly to properly align the roads and sewers."
"Then let’s do that. By the way, the prototype of the drilling machine has just been completed, so we can also test its efficiency."
"Drilling machine?"
The field staff, who had been tilting their heads at Heo’s words, were surprised the next day when three drilling machines arrived at Zone 51.
"Is this it?"
"Yes."
The craftsman who had been responsible for the development and testing of the drilling machine came forward to explain its benefits to the field staff.
"It takes less time than digging wells by hand."
"Is that so?"
"The biggest advantage is that it allows us to quickly determine whether the well can be used once it’s dug."
"Is that so? Then let’s start."
"Yes, sir."
The affected area was divided into three large sections, and the drilling machines were immediately put to work.
"Hmm... this spot looks good."
The drilling machine team leader, who had been examining the map and terrain of the temporarily designated area, pointed out a likely spot for an underground stream.
"We’ll start digging here! Set it up!"
"Yes, sir!"
Following the team leader’s orders, the team members moved quickly. They set up a sturdy tripod made of iron and installed a drilling propulsion machine on top of it.
Finally, they connected a spiral-shaped drilling bit to the iron column and attached it to the propulsion machine.
Once the initial setup was complete, the team members connected an iron column about 1 zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) long to the propulsion machine and brought a cow to tie to the column.
"Go!"
"Moo~"
A light tap on the cow’s hindquarters made it start moving slowly.
As the cow slowly circled, the connected propulsion machine began to drill into the ground.
"Hmm..."
As the drilling machine started, all the officials in charge of the area gathered to observe the process.
"It seems to be working well?"
"It looks promising."
Encouraged by the positive reactions of the officials, the drilling machine team leader answered confidently.
"How many wells did we dig in Zone 51? The young men worked for days, and if no water came out, how disappointed they must have been. But with this, the time will be significantly reduced!"
"Hmm... that’s true..."
Whoosh!
"Water!"
After two days of drilling, water gushed out through the drill hole. Everyone watching around the area applauded.
"Water!"
"Wow! Look at the water gushing out!"
As the water gushed out, the drilling machine team leader dismantled the drilling machine. Subsequently, the officials and residents gathered to determine whether the well would have sufficient water and good quality.
"This looks good, doesn’t it?"
"It seems to be a good well."
Once the conclusion was reached, the drilling machine team leader gathered his equipment and people to move on to the next well. He called the remaining officials and residents.
"Now we need to properly construct the well, so let’s get moving! We have a mountain of work to do!"
"Yes, sir!"
The drilling machine performed exceptionally well at the reconstruction site. With the drilling machine’s help, securing water sources was quickly achieved, and the land division process accelerated.
The layout of houses and drainage systems was determined based on the wells, and the land registry and land records were used to allocate residential areas to the displaced residents.
"It’s good, but..."
The displaced residents, who had received the land, still had troubled expressions on their faces. The problem was the lack of funds to build their homes.
"Hem! Who is the head of the household that received this land?"
The homeowner, who had been lost in thought, was startled when an official came to find him.
"It’s me, sir. What’s the matter?"
"Do you have the money to build a house?"
"Phew~. Everything was burned, so there’s no way I have any money."
"Hmm... Therefore, the state has decided to lend you the necessary funds. Do you have a moment?"
The homeowner spread a mat to one side and gestured for the official to sit.
"Oh! I’ll make time even if I don’t have it! Please sit down first!"
After listening to the official’s explanation for a long time, the homeowner tilted his head slightly and asked.
"I understand what you’re saying, but what is 'gechi'?"
"You pay only the interest for the period you choose, and then repay the principal afterward. So, if it’s 3 years of interest-only payments followed by 3 years of principal and interest payments, you pay only the interest for the first 3 years, and then the principal and interest in installments for the next 3 years."
"Ah, I see!"
"The interest rate is only 30% per year. You must know that the cheapest interest rate is 50%, and those who charge only 50% are called 'bosal.' Isn’t that right?"
"Yes, sir."
"So, think about it carefully."
"But where do I go to borrow the funds?"
"Go to the Board of Punishments. That’s it."
After the official finished explaining and got up, the homeowner quickly stood up.
"Sir, at least have a glass of cold water before you go."
"It’s fine. I have many more households to visit. Think about it carefully."
The official, having finished his explanation, walked to the next house.
"Please take care!"
The homeowner, who had seen the official off, squatted in a corner of the yard and started calculating.
"So, to build a house, I need funds... what I earn in a year... if the interest rate is 30%... ."
He was moving small stones around in the yard, trying to figure out the calculations.
* * *
Four days later, the homeowner, who had been doing these calculations, made up his mind and went to the Board of Punishments.
"Um... sir..."
The homeowner, who was hesitating in front of the door of the Board of Punishments, grabbed an official who happened to be passing by.
"What is it?"
The official, who was crossing the threshold of the government office with a tired face, turned his head at the homeowner’s words.
Seeing the homeowner’s appearance, the official understood the situation.
"Are you here about a loan?"
"Yes, sir."
"Go inside and follow the corridor to the right, and you’ll find a room."
"Yes? Yes. Thank you, sir."
The homeowner bowed deeply in gratitude and stepped over the threshold of the Board of Punishments.
He quickly found the place in question.
The homeowner, who headed to where people with similar appearances were gathered, waited for his turn.
The process then proceeded smoothly.
"Pak Sun-bok... a family of five?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then you’ll need at least three rooms, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then the cost will be... ."
After receiving the loan consultation, Pak Sun-bok received a piece of paper and went outside.
"Go to the Ministry of Works?"
Pak Sun-bok, holding the paper, moved toward the Ministry of Works.
"Let’s see... Pak Sun-bok... what year were you born?"
The official from the Ministry of Works, who had the household register transcript, confirmed the homeowner’s identity and checked the content of the paper.
"Three rooms... the required materials are... ."
The official from the Ministry of Works confirmed the amount of materials needed to build the house and read it out to Pak Sun-bok.
"Is everything correct? Do you need anything else?"
"No. But do I have to use a tile roof? That’s expensive, isn’t it?"
"What if there’s another fire? Do you want to lose everything again?"
"That can’t happen!"
"Since cheaper tiles are now available, try using them. If you don’t like them, you can replace them later when you earn more money."
"Okay, sir."
After confirming the amount of materials needed for construction, the official from the Ministry of Works handed papers to Pak Sun-bok.
"Stamp your thumbprint here."
"Yes? Yes."
Following the official’s instructions, Pak Sun-bok dipped his right thumb in ink and stamped it enthusiastically.
"Here, keep these papers carefully. One is a receipt listing the materials, and the other records how much you’ve borrowed and when you’ll repay it."
"Yes, sir."
"The materials will... ."
The official paused for a moment, checked a book stacked nearby, and continued.
"Arrive at your site in four days. You’ll need to hire the laborers yourself. You can work with your neighbors in turns, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then that’s all. Go on. Next!"
Thus, Pak Sun-bok, who had come out of the Ministry of Works building, muttered to himself.
"What is this... it’s not even a fairy tale..."
* * *
As the reconstruction of the affected areas began in earnest, there was a shortage of labor. Despite many day laborers from other parts of Hanyang flocking to the site, it was still insufficient.
This was because many houses were being built simultaneously, along with road construction.
In the end, King Sejong issued an order.
"Deploy available troops from the 12 garrisons that guard the capital!"
"Understood, Your Majesty!"
Thus, the soldiers deployed to the construction site worked tirelessly.
Meanwhile, some generals were discussing the situation from the side.
"Hmm... the Crown Prince’s suggestion doesn’t seem to be wrong."
"You’re right."
They were generals from the General Staff of the Joseon Army.
During the major reforms in the Joseon Army, Heo had proposed the creation of a new military branch.
The branch Heo proposed was the engineering corps.
However, most of the generals had reacted negatively to Heo’s proposal.
-There are hardly any soldiers who can’t use an axe or a hammer, so creating a separate branch is unnecessary.
The generals’ negative reactions changed to "necessary!" during the process of restoring Hanyang after the great fire.
In the end, after further discussions, the engineering corps was established.
"Even if the swords rust, the spades shine!"
"One step, one spade!"
"If given a spade and a pickaxe, I can move mountains and rivers!"
The birth of this branch, which created all sorts of rumors and legends, was a significant moment.