Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 229
“As the situation surrounding our Joseon is like this, we need a solution to resolve it. I will give you five days. I hope that you, my ministers, will deliberate repeatedly and present good opinions.”
At King Sejong’s command, all the ministers bowed their heads and replied.
“We shall obey your order!”
After issuing the order to the ministers, King Sejong turned to Hyang.
“Crown Prince, the same goes for you.”
“I shall obey your command.”
***
Having received the order, Hyang returned to his office at the research institute and grumbled with pouted lips.
“Oh, goodness… I should just make a steam locomotive and be done with it…”
In Hyang’s mind, the issues related to Japan were the most difficult of challenges.
“Even the name of this country is problematic…”
The part Hyang mentioned was Japan’s official name.
Japan’s formal country name was ‘Nippon.’ Therefore, when looking at the records of official documents regarding envoys sent by the Bakufu’s shogun, it was always recorded as ‘Envoy of the King of Nippon.’
It was the same for Ming. When Ming sent envoys to Japan, the diplomatic letters they sent along always addressed the recipient as the ‘King of Nippon.’
However, both Ming and Joseon referred to them as ‘Wae’, dwarfs (倭) internally.
But this derogatory term was not only applied to Japan. Both Ming and Joseon had their own derogatory names.
Therefore, Hyang had no choice but to conclude by clicking his tongue.
“Tsk! This issue probably won’t be resolved until humanity goes extinct… Since ‘Waeguk’ rolls off the tongue better than ‘Ilbon,’ let’s keep calling it ‘Waeguk’ and… Let’s get to the main point, the main point…”
***
Hyang gathered his thoughts and immediately summarized the situation.
“First, the question is whether Japan’s current political system is truly beneficial to our Joseon.”
- Currently, Japan’s political system is the Bakufu system. The current Bakufu’s shogun, Ashikaga Yoshinori, has a firm grip on power. Rumor has it that he is carrying out quite a reign of terror, which is worrisome.
This was where Hyang’s prediction was correct. Looking at the history before Hyang’s intervention, this shogun eventually met his end through assassination.
- Even if we were to empower the Japanese Emperor, putting aside the feasibility, it would not benefit our Joseon at all.
If the central government of Japan became a mess, the Japanese pirates would immediately start rampaging.
- The parts our Joseon should be most concerned about are the safety of the coastal regions and the security of maritime trade routes.
- Relying solely on Joseon’s side is inefficient in securing this safety. Our Joseon must secure naval supremacy at least up to the northern regions of Kyushu.
Having summarized the situation thus far, Hyang sighed.
“All of this has been repeatedly mentioned before. It’s like beating a dead horse.”
To find a brilliant solution to the difficult problem, Hyang continued to ponder deeply.
- For Kyushu’s safety to be secured, the Kyushu Provincial Governor and the Ouchi clan must have control over Kyushu.
The second problem arises here. The Kyushu Provincial Governor is known to be loyal to the Bakufu, but the Ouchi clan is the issue.
- Looking at the records of Ouchi Moriharu, who currently rules the Ouchi clan, he rose to the position of ruler through internal strife. This suggests he is an ambitious individual.
- If we support him and the Ouchi clan becomes powerful, they may challenge the Bakufu’s authority.
- However, if we don’t support him, it becomes difficult to pursue our interests in the Kyushu region.
“Hmm…”
Having organized the situation up to this point, Hyang pondered his next move with his arms crossed, looking at the documents and maps.
“Should I mobilize the warships and wreak havoc on every single port?”
Hyang, who had considered an extreme method, immediately shook his head.
“There’s no justification. And if we do such a thing, it immediately leads to an all-out war with Japan. Joseon still lacks the capacity to handle an all-out war. Moreover, the number of warships is too small, so gaps will inevitably form.”
According to the records Hyang had read, the Japanese pirates who invaded Goryeo and Joseon mobilized large numbers of small and medium-sized ships rather than large ships. If the Japanese pirates started rampaging again and flocked with such small and medium-sized vessels as before, a complete blockade would be impossible.
The same applied to blockading Japan’s ports. The ports of this era were not like the ports of the 21st century, which required massive time and costs to rebuild if destroyed. As long as it was a place that could avoid waves and had a suitable depth for ships to dock, it could be used as a port anywhere.
Japanese ships were the same. Of course, it wasn’t that they didn’t require any cost at all, but compared to iron ships, they consumed less cost and time.
Hyang, who had been calculating the option of using force, shook his head.
“So, to resolve this situation, the army would eventually have to go in and occupy… Anyway, the army is a numbers game, and that’s our Joseon’s weakness.”
The population of Joseon during this period was slightly below 6 million. (Note 1)
However, Japan had a larger territory than Joseon and a larger population. And this situation had never been reversed.
Moreover, Hyang, who was accustomed to international news in the 21st century, had a negative view of military annexation.
“Even if they fight to the death among themselves inside, the ones invading from the outside are more hateful. If we’re not careful, we might exhaust ourselves trying to maintain the occupied territories, and the foundation might crumble.”
Hyang let out a long sigh.
“Phew~. The problem is that Japan is not Africa. England was lucky.”
This was Hyang’s misunderstanding.
***
Until the era of imperialism, most of the African continent operated on a tribal level. Therefore, England easily expanded its colonies by employing the tactic of ‘using barbarians to control barbarians.’ However, in places where national identity had already begun to emerge to some extent, they had to struggle quite a bit.
A prime example was the Anglo-Zulu War.
And entering the 20th century, they had to endure continuous resistance.
***
“If our Joseon wants to pursue military expansion, it’s an issue to consider after the population exceeds 10 million. 10 million… At least one generation (about 30 years) must pass.”
During this period in Joseon, it was not surprising to see grandchildren even in one’s 30s.
To put it bluntly, there were hardly any contraceptives, and childbirth occurred during the most fertile age. And until then, ‘high birth rate, high death rate’ was common due to hygiene issues, but it was steadily improving through Hyang’s intervention.
Therefore, Hyang had reached a conclusion through his own calculations.
“In the end, no matter what, we need to increase the population first. Only with a sufficient headcount can we do anything.”
***
“In conclusion, economic invasion is the best option after all. Although it is also risky, it’s still better than other methods.”
Having reached a conclusion, Hyang sighed again.
“Damn samurai… They always make things difficult!”
Having decided on the strategy, Hyang rummaged through the reports to find a suitable tactic – an economic tool.
“What would be appropriate… What…”
As Hyang was sifting through information related to Japan, he shook his head.
“They’re all rumors, and their freshness has deteriorated… The most recent one is from half a year ago…”
Hyang, who was complaining about the quality of information, took out a sheet of paper and grabbed a gold pen.
“The first thing to do is to establish a trading post on the Japanese mainland. Even if we overlook the reliability, the freshness deteriorates too much when it comes from across the sea.”
Hyang wrote ‘Establish Trading Post’ on the paper and unfolded a map. It was a map created by compiling information obtained through envoys sent by Joseon and merchants coming from Japan.
The map depicted the rough shapes of the three main islands of Japan, and the names of the clans governing those regions and the names of major areas were marked.
“Hmm… Where would be good?”
Hyang examined the map as if he were selecting an item from a display case.
Hyang’s behavior seemed to suggest that a trading post could be established anywhere in Japan.
However, this was not Hyang’s arrogance.
As the reforms progressed, the level of Joseon’s commerce and industry, especially the craftsmen, had improved by leaps and bounds. The products they made, from high-end items with five golden plum blossoms attached to straw shoes made by a neighborhood craftsman, were rapidly improving in quality.
As a result, merchants from Ming and Japan were eagerly buying Joseon’s goods. While Ming’s merchants mainly purchased high-end products, Japan’s merchants bought low- to mid-priced products in large quantities.
Although they were low- to mid-priced goods, considering Japan’s technological level, they could reap significant profits beyond sufficiency.
Therefore, Hyang was confident about establishing a trading post. There would be no foolish Japanese lords who would miss out on the benefits of having a trading post in their territory.
“No, considering the temperament of the Japanese, there might be such people.”
Hyang examined the map with a more serious expression.
After scouring the map for a while, Hyang focused on one location.
“Nagato would be good. It’s under the control of the Ouchi clan, so it’s convenient to observe the situation…”
As Hyang was examining the map, he snapped his fingers upon seeing the region east of Nagato.
“I forgot about this region! If we play our cards right, we can control the Ouchi clan!”
The place Hyang pointed to was labeled as ‘Iwami’ on the map. In Japanese, it was called ‘Iwami.’
It was the location of a mine known as Japan’s largest silver mine from the Sengoku period to the Edo period.
Having confirmed Iwami, Hyang rummaged through the relevant reports to assess the situation.
“There are rumors of a silver mine, but no rumors of full-scale development.”
Reading the record, Hyang showed a puzzled expression.
“Huh? In the novels I read in the 21st century, this was the place that had to be seized no matter what. Because of the immense silver mine. But why not yet?”
The Iwami silver mine began full-scale development in 1526, nearly 100 years from now.
However, unaware of that fact, Hyang came up with the most plausible reason.
“With Japan’s current metal smelting level, it must have been difficult to dig deep…”
This was somewhat true.
Japan’s technological level did not surpass Joseon’s until they brought a large number of Joseon’s craftsmen during the Japanese invasions of Korea.
***
Hyang, who had written down the location for establishing a trading post and the Iwami silver mine on the paper, muttered with his arms crossed.
“This is a bit lacking… Is there any good card?”
While Hyang was pondering for a suitable card to persuade the Japanese lords, a eunuch’s voice was heard from outside.
“Your Highness, someone has come from Area 51.”
“Let them in.”
After a brief moment, an official entered and bowed to Hyang.
“What is the matter?”
“Your Highness, the cotton gin you had ordered has finally been completed.”
At the official’s report, Hyang’s face lit up brightly.
“That’s truly great news! Please give me the report!”
“Here it is, Your Highness.”
Hyang quickly received the report from the official and swiftly examined its contents.
After reviewing the report, Hyang issued an order to the official.
“Tell those involved that they have done a great job, and prepare rewards according to the internal regulations.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
As the official left, Hyang clenched his fist.
“A fantastic card has arrived! The race begins!”
With a confident smile, Hyang added a sentence to the paper.
- Cotton cultivation commission.
Having written the sentence, Hyang showed a self-assured expression.
“With the completion of the cotton gin and the success of large-scale cotton cultivation, cotton fabric will become cost-effective! And…”
Pausing for a moment, Hyang glared at the map of Japan.
“The first button will be fastened to make Japan’s economy dependent on our Joseon!”
***
Note 1) Korea’s History from an Economist’s Perspective (13), The Korea Economic Daily. 2014.05.19
https://www.hankyung.com/news/article/2014051670741