Chapter 357
After briefly calculating based on Heo Jo’s explanation, Lee Maeng-gyun stepped forward and asked a question.
“Hmm… Minister Heo, don’t the numbers seem a bit off? 1.8 million out of 6.8 million are under 7 years old… People aren’t cows, are they? Even cows that can give birth after about two years… If we subtract 1.8 million from 6.8 million, it’s 5 million, and even if all 5 million paired up… Having children isn’t something that happens just because you want it to…”
To Lee Maeng-gyun’s roundabout way of asking if there was some error, Heo Jo immediately responded.
“Why are you calculating with 5 million? We need to calculate properly. It’s not like slaves can’t have children, and are you saying the Jurchens give birth to foals instead of people?”
“…”
At Heo Jo’s point, Lee Maeng-gyun closed his mouth. Looking at Lee Maeng-gyun, Heo Jo continued.
“There’s a lot of unpleasant history in between, but in any case, the Jurchens have lived like brothers since the ancient Three Han period. They’ve decided to submit and live as Joseon people, so shouldn’t we count them as Joseon people?”
At Heo Jo’s words, Sejong concluded.
“The Minister of General Affairs is right. They’ve come into the embrace of our Joseon and become our people, so how could we treat them differently? We must enable them to live comfortably and allow them to live using their innate qualities.”