544 MILITARY REFORMregions, students would be given a special dispensation: they would have to fail
the test three straight times before having to pay a fine.?
This measure for the fining of unqualified students, with discriminatory penal-
ties based on status, probably represented the limit of acceptable reform at that
time designed to expand the tax base to include the tax-exempt elite, It was cer-
tainly a far cry from the universal household or capitation taxes that would have
dissociated finance from service in a way unacceptable to the conservative defend-
ers of militia theory, Nevertheless, a fine on some of the unqualified high-sta-
tus students in lieu of service was a slight move in the direction of financing the
military by taxes on people not part of the military service system,
Sukchong and his government could go no further because of the obvious fear
of offending the yangban, which might easily shift its support to another
claimant to the throne if its interests were encroached upon. The power of this
privileged elite had to be taken into account by all reformers, who were forced
to devise compromises with radical egalitarianism sufficient to induce confor-
mity to reform legislation and prevent any radical political reaction.
Ratiollalization o.lMarine Dutv and Organization
The reform law of 1704 also contained some regulations pertaining to marines
(sugun) that are interesting because they were so similar to the ideas of Yu
Hyongwon a half century before, and illustrate again the point that reform plans
based on rational reorganization were not the exclusive prerogative of rusticated
scholars alone. The very first regulation pointed out that under current rules peas-
ants living in inland regions with no experience at sea were enrolled as marines.
Instead of serving, however, they merely paid the cloth tax, and the funds were
used to hire substitutes from residents of the region around the naval base. The
new law provided that henceforth any resident of the coast or area near the base
who did not have a service assignment, whether of noble or base status, would
be required to perform service as a marine, according to the regulations gov-
erning soga soldiers (i.e., units with both commoner and slave members but
primarily the latter). Regarding slave marines, the law noted that even though
oflicial slaves also had to pay tribute to a government agency, and private slaves
to their masters, no master would be allowed to seize and remove his private
slave from marine service.x
The reforms of 1704 also included a rational reorganization of military units
to create more regularity and uniformity.9 The Reform Bureau tried to concen-
trate capital forces in three major units: the Military Training Agency, the Royal
Division, and the Forbidden Guard Division. Since the minister of war, how-
ever, continued to hold the post of commander (Taejang) of the Forbidden Guard
Division as well as the Forbidden Soldiers, the problem of duplication of forces
was not entirely eliminated until the Forbidden Guard Division was given its
own commander during King Y6ngjo's reign. At that time, the minister of war