In the military headquarters, King Sejong and his ministers continued their discussions on the increase of the budget and manpower requested by the military.

"The budget and personnel... It is impossible to increase both immediately with the capabilities of our Joseon," said the Minister of Finance.

Choi Yoon-deok immediately responded, "I understand well. While planning the strategy, the military's foremost consideration was that this strategy would proceed in tandem with the advancement of the reforms. Therefore, the necessary budget was determined accordingly."

After answering, Choi Yoon-deok gestured to the military officers standing behind him.

At his signal, the officers distributed thick booklets to the ministers and officials.

Receiving the book through the ministers, Sejong examined the title of the book.

- Budget Proposal for the Gap-ho Plan.

"Gap-ho Plan?"

"The Gap-ho Plan is a code name used in place of 'Eastward Advance.'"

"Hmm..."

Listening to Choi Yoon-deok's explanation, Sejong opened the book.

"Hmm..."

Sejong made a small sound as he examined the contents of the book.

The book clearly outlined how the military would grow over a period of thirty years and the corresponding budget increases.

'This seems acceptable.'

While Sejong was satisfied, a sigh suddenly escaped from somewhere.

"Haah~."

Startled by the sudden sigh, Sejong raised his head.

"Who is it? Who sighed?"

Crash!

At Sejong's question, a chair clattered loudly.

The owner of the chair, the Minister of Finance, quickly bowed and said, "Please forgive my offense!"

"I know well why you did that. It's alright, please sit down again."

"Your grace is overwhelming!"

Grateful for Sejong's words, the Minister of Finance sat back down in the chair that the eunuchs had placed for him.

'It is understandable to sigh.'

The budget requested by the military for executing the grand strategy was calculated based on quite reasonable grounds.

The budget was adjusted to ensure that it would not cause significant disruption to the state affairs, based on the population growth rate identified through annual smallpox vaccinations, the increase in taxes received by the Ministry of Finance, and the amount of gold and silver secretly stored.

However, the absolute amount of that budget was indeed enormous.

Naturally, the Minister of Finance could not help but sigh.

"I believe it is reasonable. It seems the efforts of the staff officers are evident."

"Your grace is overwhelming!"

At Sejong's praise, Choi Yoon-deok and the military officers bowed in gratitude.

Once he straightened up, Choi Yoon-deok added, "His Highness the Crown Prince played a significant role in drafting that budget proposal."

"Is that so?"

Sejong and the ministers looked at Hyang with expressions that seemed to say, 'Is it you again?'

Feeling the focus of their gazes, Hyang lightly bowed his head and replied, "I merely added a spoon to the feast prepared by the military officers."

At Hyang's words, Lee Jing-wook, who had been standing back, muttered quietly without realizing it.

"It was a shovel, not a spoon..."

"Shh!"

"Ah!"

At the quiet warning from a colleague beside him, Lee Jing-wook immediately closed his mouth and glanced around nervously.

As soon as the military headquarters established the plan for 'Eastward Advance,' Hyang quickly intervened.

"I will not interfere with the operation of the military. However, let us discuss the budget concerning military provisions."

'The politics of military governance is unacceptable!'

In the 21st century, drawing on the experience of a public servant who dealt with financial matters, Hyang offered advice on the budget proposal drafted by the military officers.

And for the officers, a hell of numbers unfolded.

If they showed even a hint of greed while preparing the budget, Hyang would mercilessly reprimand them, from Choi Yoon-deok at the top to the newly appointed staff officers at the bottom.

"Are you dreaming of the revival of a military regime?"

"Do you know the term 'reversal of priorities'?"

"Repeat after me! 'The budget is life!'"

That was not all.

"Is this what you call calculation? Shouldn't a military officer be strong with numbers? I will give you a problem to solve! We have spotted the enemy's formation! The enemy is arranged in four rows, stretching over one li! So, how many enemies are approaching now?"

Thanks to Hyang's relentless questioning, the military officers of the headquarters developed calculation skills as outstanding as those of the researchers in the laboratory and the officials in the Ministry of Finance, and they became adept at using mathematics more than anyone else.

Later, just as Sungkyunkwan was transformed into an educational institution to produce high-ranking civil officials, the 'National Defense Academy' was established to train high-ranking military officers, with a strong emphasis on mathematics.

The saying, 'Without mathematics, even Xiang Yu cannot succeed,' was born from this experience.

"Unless a significant variable arises, I believe it would be best to proceed with this plan. What do you all think?"

Though the question was directed at the ministers, Sejong's gaze was fixed on the Minister of Finance.

"If our Joseon's ability to govern continues to grow as it is now, I believe we can manage it."

With the Minister of Finance's positive response, Sejong moved on to the next topic.

"The budget is resolved, and the issue of personnel... Is it about talent?"

"Yes, indeed."

In response to Choi Yoon-deok's answer, Sejong stroked his beard and asked, "Hmm... The National Defense Academy is in preparation for establishment, and the Military Academy is also being prepared. Is there another issue?"

"Both institutions are in preparation for establishment, so there is an immediate problem with securing talent. Moreover, even if we establish the Military Academy, it will be difficult to gather many talents in the current atmosphere of valuing literature over martial skills."

"That is also a problem..."

The disdain of civil officials towards military officials had persisted since the Goryeo Dynasty.

Of course, the military regime was born from the uprising of military officials who could not endure such discrimination, but with the invasions of the Mongols and the rise of Confucian scholars to power at the end of Goryeo, military officials once again received inferior treatment compared to civil officials.

According to the national law, civil and military officials were to be treated equally, and the lowest rank of local magistrates was a military officer.

However, despite being called military officers, those who actually received appointments were mostly civil officials.

Given this situation, those applying for the military examination were primarily individuals lacking in civil qualifications.

Choi Yoon-deok pointed out this very concern with worry.

Choi Yoon-deok elaborated further.

"Your Majesty, while you are executing military reforms, you have broken the practices where civil officials took on positions that should have been held by military officials."

"Indeed."

Sejong nodded at Choi Yoon-deok's words.

As seen in the case of local magistrates, many who belonged to the military ranks were often appointed as civil officials.

Especially those who entered the military ranks through the military examination faced numerous hardships on the front lines, while high-ranking positions were frequently occupied by civil officials.

Initially, while preparing for the military reforms, Sejong had taken this matter lightly.

However, Hyang insisted on a clear separation between civil and military officials.

A lengthy debate ensued over this issue, and the ultimate victor was Hyang, who argued for separation by citing the example of the Song Dynasty in China.

As the separation between civil and military officials progressed, many military officers found themselves sidelined in promotions due to 'illiteracy' and 'mathematics.'

The sidelined military officers began studying in hopes of seizing the next opportunity, but learning classical Chinese was no easy task.

"Damn! Who created these characters!"

Perhaps due to this experience, in the future, the military would be the most welcoming of Sejong's creation of Hangul.

"... Thus, to resolve the issue of talent shortage, I dare to request Your Majesty to lift the restrictions on those from the northwest and the illegitimate children."

As Choi Yoon-deok made his request, the officials began to murmur among themselves.

"Lift the restrictions on those from the northwest and the illegitimate children? Hmm... That part is already included in the reforms, isn't it?"

In response to Sejong's question, Choi Yoon-deok immediately answered.

"Yes, indeed. However, looking at the timetable included in the reform plan, the ban on appointments from the northwest will be lifted in the eighth year of the reforms, and the ban on appointments for illegitimate children will be lifted in the tenth year. Please advance that timeline."

"The ban on appointments from the northwest was a decree from King Taejo, and the ban on illegitimate children was a law established by King Taejong. Therefore, the lifting of those bans has been postponed."

"However, it is also true that many talents are being lost because of that."

"Hmm..."

At Choi Yoon-deok's words, Sejong began to stroke his beard in contemplation.

In this situation, the officials remained silent.

As the reforms progressed, the ministers of the six ministries were acutely aware of the talent shortage.

Thus, they generally agreed that the discrimination against the northwest should be abolished and the ban on illegitimate children should be lifted.

However, they kept their mouths shut for two reasons.

First, both policies were decrees from the founding king, King Taejo, and laws established by the late king, King Taejong.

From the Confucian perspective, maintaining the policies and laws set by previous kings was seen as a form of filial piety, and advocating for their abolition could provide grounds for impeachment.

Of course, Sejong's reform plan included provisions to prohibit discrimination against the northwest and to abolish the ban on illegitimate children, but suggesting to advance the timeline could also lead to accusations of promoting disloyalty.

The second reason was the issue of competition.

The number of high-ranking official positions was always limited.

This remained true even as the administrative organization became more detailed during the reforms.

While those currently in positions such as Prime Minister and Minister were not affected, for those below them vying for opportunities, an increase in competition was certainly unwelcome.

Ultimately, the one to reach a conclusion was Sejong.

His conclusion was a sort of compromise.

"I understand that there is a shortage of talent in the military. However, that does not mean we can recklessly change the priorities of the reforms. If we are not careful, the entire framework of the reforms could be disrupted. Therefore, I would like to choose a middle ground. In the sixth year of the reforms, I will reassess the situation and lift the discrimination against the northwest and the ban on illegitimate children. If the reforms proceed properly, then by that time, we should be able to withstand the impact."

"The order is received!"

In response to Sejong's command, Choi Yoon-deok immediately replied.

When he first spoke, Choi Yoon-deok had prepared himself for the possibility of losing his head.

However, Sejong's decision to advance the timeline by two years was the best answer for him.

Thus, the Eastward Advance began to proceed step by step.

As the frost season approached, a large number of people were moving from Hamgyeong Province towards Hanyang.

Dressed in attire quite different from that of the Joseon people, they were the chieftains of the Jurchen tribes heading to Hanyang at the invitation of Sejong.

However, the atmosphere among the chieftains heading to Hanyang was not one of enjoyment.

In fact, as they drew closer to Hanyang, they grew increasingly tense.

"The King of Joseon has summoned us?"

The chieftains of the Oryanghap tribe huddled together over the orders brought by the Joseon envoy.

Unable to find an answer even when pondering alone, the chieftains sought out their friends among the other tribes to share opinions.

"What should we do, brother?"

"Should we go, brother?"

"I'm a bit anxious about the sudden summons."

"But we can't refuse, can we? You know what happened to the Jurchens in the Gunjoo region, right?"

"That's why I'm worried."

Joseon had declared the Jurchen region as its territory, and since the death of Lee Seong-gye, the relationship between the Jurchens and the Joseon royal family had gradually grown distant.

Of course, Joseon had given official positions and engaged in trade to maintain relations with the Jurchens, but the intimacy that existed during Lee Seong-gye's time had largely faded.

Yet, refusing Joseon's invitation raised fears of the bloodshed that had swept through the Jurchens in the Gunjoo region.

Caught in this dilemma, the first to solidify their decision were the elder chieftains.

"We must go to meet the one who carries the blood of our great elder!"

The elder chieftains, still holding memories of Lee Seong-gye, began to move, persuading the younger chieftains in tribes undergoing generational change.

"Ah, if he is indeed a descendant of the great elder, it would be wise to be cautious. Surely, he has inherited the temperament of the great elder. Think of what happened to the Jurchens in Gunjoo."

In the end, the Jurchens from the Tumen River region and the chieftains from the Oryanghap region had to move towards Joseon.