chapter 53
To create a new policy, the first step is to understand the current situation.
I had traveled to many places in Hleukuk and knew the lives of commoners well, so I started studying under Uncle Radali as my teacher.
“Which area in any country is the safest? The capital where the royal palace is located. Why do you think that is?”
“Because troops are always stationed there, patrolling day and night. And there are lots of guards around the palace and the city walls.”
“Exactly. So then, what’s the second safest region in Hleukuk after the capital?”
“Hmm.”
I pondered. There was nothing about this in the books I had read, so I could only guess based on experience—but I hadn’t been to enough places to know.
“The answer is here—Seolgokdo.”
Uncle Radali immediately gave the answer. He was teaching me during our visit to Hyunga Mansion, so time was short.
“Many people live there and travel through it, but the security is excellent, almost on par with the capital.”
Because the head of the household, Grandmother, was a former general and the family was martial, Seolgokdo had a large militia operating much like an army.
Additionally, the Gyeonjok (a race skilled in tracking and pursuit) were excellent at catching criminals. Therefore, the crime rate in Seolgokdo was remarkably low compared to other regions.
“Not every area has a militia, right?”
“All the big cities do, but villages with few residents don’t. Also, the quality of the militia varies greatly depending on the capability of the family managing them.”
Uncle said that all five major families of Hleukuk operate militias, but among them, the Kim family’s militia was the smallest and least capable. Since they had few martial members and complicated local interests, they didn’t work well as a group.
So merchants visiting Gamseokdo, controlled by the Kim family, always traveled in groups. Carrying goods alone could result in theft—or worse, losing their life.
“Even those who are fairly skilled in martial arts don’t go out alone at night in Gamseokdo.”
Even within the same country, the difference was stark. It felt like a story from another world.
Uncle Radali’s lessons were never unimportant. Though brief, I learned a great deal.
I summarized the key points on paper and visited the Hyunga militia outpost to hand out snacks and learn about the workers’ duties and challenges.
From all this, I drew a conclusion: Hleukuk needed an organization solely responsible for maintaining security, like the police in my past life.
“We need a security corps devoted only to maintaining law and order, spread across the country like a web.”
“Yes!”
“The operation level of the security corps should match our family’s militia, right?”
“I know it’s hard to match the martial skills of our family members with those of security officers, but at least we need a three-shift system working around the clock.”
Hearing this, my uncle hesitated briefly, then asked my father to bring the militia budget documents.
“This is the final report of all expenses for the militia last year. The figure at the bottom is the total operating cost.”
Seeing the number my father pointed to, I was stunned. I had expected it to be high, but it was enormous.
“Multiply by five. The budget for maintaining a national security corps would be roughly five times this amount.”
“Dad, that’s at least five times, right?”
“Yes. Honestly, if you want to put security posts everywhere in the country, the money required is practically unlimited.”
“The tax offices would go crazy if this much was spent.”
My father and uncle nodded in agreement.
They didn’t say my conclusion was useless. But if I submitted a policy like this as-is, an angry Minister Hak would tear the proposal to pieces.
The emperor might like it, but without convincing countless officials in the court, establishing the security corps would be impossible.
“So,” I said, “I’ll find a way to save money!”
I had to come up with a solution. I never intended for it to be approved on the first try! Proposals are made through trial, revision, and repeated rejection.
Hearing my spirited declaration, my father and uncle cheered me on.
What’s needed to get the brain spinning?
Sugar and caffeine.
I asked my steward for snacks, and he gave me so much that the lunchbox lid barely closed. I also brought a large thermos of cold-brewed tea, then locked myself in the library.
I read countless books, newspapers, and research papers over and over.
When my eyes tired, I took short walks outside. Transforming into a dog, I circled the library, clearing my head.
After repeating this for several days, I went to see Grandmother.
“Our clever little pup has been absorbed in reading in the library. Did you find the answer?”
“I think I’ve found a clue.”
“I hear from Dokyung it’s quite a tough problem. Spending money is easy, but saving money is incredibly difficult.”
Grandmother was right. Finding a way to cut the budget was challenging.
I had never studied so hard since being reborn.
Being clever, even with less effort than in my previous life, I could memorize and understand things quickly. Honestly, without my past life knowledge, devising this method in such a short time would have been impossible.
I clenched my fists and said, “To save money on establishing the security corps—”
“To save money?”
“Use what already exists!”
Grandmother raised an eyebrow, intrigued, but I wasn’t done.
“Most of Hyun family’s militia members are retired soldiers or military officers. By reallocating army budgets and personnel to create the security corps, we can save everything!”
I jumped up, unrolled a scroll from my chest, and laid it on the table.
The Hyun family has been a martial family for generations, so the library contained abundant military records.
Going through the materials, I realized something: in Hleukuk, many duties done by the police in my past life were handled by military officers.
After passing exams, military officers are assigned to either a unit or a government office. Officers in offices have duties similar to police: maintaining local security, investigating cases, and imprisoning criminals.
The problem was that there were too few office officers to handle the workload. Consequently, they abandoned patrolling and focused on investigations and apprehending criminals. This is why Hleukuk’s security had become a mess.
“I read a paper by a strategist stating that office officers make up only one-tenth of the entire military.”
There were too many soldiers and unit officers, but not enough office officers.
So, by creating a security corps and transferring all office officers there, even rehiring retired soldiers and officers as needed—
“It would cost far less than building from scratch.”
Exactly.
After my passionate explanation, I slumped into my chair.
Grandmother examined the scroll and smiled crookedly.
“With this, you can give that nagging Hong fellow a taste of his own medicine.”
“The nagging Hong fellow?”
“The minister currently in office. The top talent in the Hong family. I call him ‘that Hong fellow.’”
“He was ruthless. Back when I was a general, he would constantly pressure me to reduce military spending, and I thought my ears would bleed.”
“Haha.”
“But with this, things are different.”
Grandmother, holding the scroll, looked satisfied. My idea seemed quite useful.
Of course, this alone wasn’t enough to submit to the court. But it provided both practicality and justification.
“Under normal circumstances, pushing this policy through would be difficult, but now is the right time. It will take a long time, but isn’t that always the way of government?”
She paused, sipping tea, and signaled me. Using magic, she created a sound barrier around us so no one could overhear.
“What I’m about to tell you is top secret.”
I stiffened—this secret wasn’t even to be shared with my great-uncle. I nodded silently.
“The Hyun military is too large. There are excessive soldiers and junior officers.”
The military had grown during the current royal family’s establishment after a revolutionary takeover.
During chaotic times, it’s easy for foreign nations to invade, so the royal family recruited many soldiers and junior officers to protect the borders. Many defended the borders, while the rest repaired walls, roads, and infrastructure damaged during internal conflicts.
The problem arose after stability was restored. Funds and personnel had to be allocated elsewhere, but the military consumed too much of the budget.
However, the soldiers had faithfully served for years. Firing them suddenly would cause serious social problems, as many were heads of households.
“The minister calculated a reduction of 40,000, combining regular soldiers and junior officers up to grade 8.”
“40,000?”
“Even after reducing that number, the current military still has 20,000 more than the previous administration.”
Hearing the numbers, I understood why Grandmother had warned me to keep quiet. The pressure was overwhelming.
“Why the long face?”
Seeing me worried, she ruffled my hair roughly.
“You’ve found a way to save them all.”
“This is such a huge task. Can I really do it?”
“Hmm?”
“It took me a while just to write this scroll. Making a proposal the court would approve…”
Grandmother looked exasperated. Writing the proposal wasn’t my job.
“There are plenty of military veterans in our family. Gather Dokyung, Yeonri, and other young ones in the library; you’ll have a decent draft in ten days. Then just hand it to the Hong minister.”
“Oh! The rest is up to the minister!”
“He won’t do it personally, but will delegate it. Since becoming minister, he only half-heartedly uses his pen. Without experience and power, everyone—officer or official—has to work overtime. Even my great-uncle and aunt, long retired, are dragged in because of the family.”
“…Then what should I do from now on?”
“Run errands for snacks.”
And so, the eight-year-old pup’s official duty was to run snack errands.
