828 FINANCIAL REFORM AND THE ECONOMYcials and magistrates, governors, provincial army and navy commanders, their
assistants, and the local petty officials (Hyanggwan) of magistratesY'
In advocating the purchase of pheasants and chickens, in particular, Yu pro-
posed a more radical measure than the taedong law itself, which provided that
a pheasant and chicken had to be provided by one peasant from every eight kyol
of land. Yu insisted, however, that no in-kind levies of this nature would be
required and all costs in rice equivalents would be included in the official's bud-
get because clerks had used the pheasant and chicken levy as an excuse for cor-
rupt extortion of further profits. The officials had to calculate a fair price, conduct
purchases according to fixed regulations, and "let [the merchants] keep the sur-
plus for their profit. ... Only after things are done like this will both public and
private interests both be put at ease."
The purchase of oil and honey would also be conducted by the same proce-
dure. Officials should set a generous price for these commodities and ensure
that neither private nor public interests be harmed.
"If it happened that payment was made at a cheap price and purchase was
forced, the clerks and runners will extort payments and the harm will affect the
people. Anything like this ought to be profoundly punished."27
Yu also objected to the argument that the desire for bribes by corrupt and avari-
cious clerks could not be solved simply by converting a tribute item or in-kind
levy to funded purchases on the market. If items were purchased on the spot
just when the need arose, it might be difficult to prohibit corruption in the pur-
chase transaction, but if the costs could be budgeted and funds provided to des-
ignated purchasing agents in advance to guarantee them a sufficient surplus over
their cost for a fair profit, "they would either use the funds to take care of their
families, buy the goods from the market, seek out salesmen who gather round,
go and buy goods where the prices are cheap, or engage [in a futures market]
by paying rice before the deadline and receiving chickens [from merchants I when
the deadline arrives." This method would be far preferable to the current sys-
tem of tribute payments that permitted clerks to demand bribes when each peas-
ant showed up with goods to offer.^28
Envo.vs and Travel Expenses
Yu also planned that official expenses for sending envoys to China and enter-
taining Chinese envoys and other guests in Korea had to be budgeted and paid
for by the state. Currently the government did not provide travel and expense
funds for envoys to China while they were traveling through Korean territory
but allowed them to make their own demands from provincial governors, mili-
tary commanders, and magistrates en route. Because there were no fixed quo-
tas limiting these expenditures, "they all [make demands forl hard labor and
irregular taxes that cut deeply into the fat of the people .... " Since one stint as
an envoy to China "in most cases will make a wealthy man of you," Yu wanted
to prohibit Korean envoys from demanding bribes as well as travel expenses from