Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 471

Episode 471: Liaodong (7)

By order of Emperor Xiande, the establishment of an institution in charge of technology research and education was carried out, but the progress was not smooth.

It was the same to look down on craftsmen in Ming or Joseon Dynasty.

Therefore, as soon as it was announced that the institution to study technology and craftsmen would be under the Gukjagam, all officials belonging to the Gukjagam – from Jeju to the lowest instructor, Hakrok – put their necks on the line. I opposed it and came forward. –

In the end, it was decided that this institution, named ‘Training Center’, was affiliated with the Ministry of Education.

Despite all the commotion, the reef did not end there.

The merchants who owned the famous artisans refused to give up the artisans.

“If we give them away, we will have no choice but to starve to death!”

The superiors fiercely protested, but this time Seondeokje also did not give up his will.

“Are you going to kill me or starve to death? If you give up your craftsmen, not only will you be compensated, but you will definitely be sent back after 10 years. But if you refuse, I will kill you all!”

In this way, the merchants gave up their craftsmen and called in the best craftsmen from all over Ming, but there again a reef appeared.

“You want me to share the secret techniques that my ancestors have honed for generations and that I have honed throughout my life? “Even if it is an order from the emperor, it cannot be accepted!”

“Better kill me!”

In response to the craftsmen’s strong opposition, Emperor Seondeok placed his hand on his forehead.

“Damn it…”

I wanted to order them all to be put to death right away, but at a glance, I could understand their feelings.

“Is this why the Crown Prince of Joseon talked about ‘intellectual property rights’ like that? “Are you saying it wasn’t just for the monopoly on products coming from Joseon?”

In the end, Emperor Seondeok issued the following imperial command:

-Recognize the value of the secret skills of artisans and compensate them financially.

-The craftsmen in charge of research and education at the institute are recognized as being of the same rank as the 8th rank assistant of Gukjagam.

Only after the imperial order was issued did artisans enter the research institute and the framework of the educational institute began to be established.

“Now is all that remains to be done properly?”

While the officials who had to carry out the emperor’s orders were heaving a sigh of relief, the last reef appeared.

The problem was the talent that needed to receive training from the craftsmen selected as assistants and then go on to work.

Those who first entered the training center were the children and apprentices of craftsmen who had come as assistants.

The problem was that a faction had formed between them.

“My father is the best!”

“My teacher is the best!”

It was natural for conflict to arise among those divided into factions. The conflict, which began as a war of words, soon escalated to the point of resorting to military force.

The fight that took place in a place where all kinds of dangerous tools were scattered resulted in casualties, and upon receiving the report, Emperor Seondeok became furious and issued an order.

“Execute all those involved in the incident to death and establish new standards for hiring talent!”

In this way, dozens of people had their heads cut off again. Craftsmen came out to protest, but the bonus was that they too had their heads cut off.

Only after such a bloody storm was the training center able to function properly.

The remaining craftsmen devoted themselves to education and research, and in addition to the children and apprentices who were fortunate enough to survive, those who volunteered after seeing the emperor’s decree received education diligently.

Emperor Seondeok, who knew how to use carrots and sticks properly, gave them a considerable amount of money. Thanks to this, both the teachers and learners at the training center did their best.

However, it was a long way to catch up with Joseon’s level.

Therefore, it was common for Emperor Seondeok to burst out in anger every time he received a report.

“Compared to that small Joseon, a country that is dozens of times larger in land and has a population that is several times larger is my name! “But why is this like this!”

This was because they did not know that incense was the reason why the unbridgeable gap between Ming and Joseon was created.

Before the intervention of the township, China was able to lead in accumulated technology, but after the intervention of the township, this was not used. This was because Hyang had technical experience that had been honed and refined over nearly 600 years.

The fragrance of the 21st century was the basic knowledge instilled during education and the various knowledge and quality standards learned through moral training.

To sum up the situation, the research institute and Area 51 were working hard to meet the desired standards for incense, and people were trying to keep up with the intermediate results produced in the process. This was something that Emperor Seondeok could not easily catch up with, no matter how smart he was.

* * *

After such intense efforts, Ming was able to create an iron horse with his own hands.

Of course, there were many struggles during the assembly process. When assembling the prototype, some key parts were worked by Joseon craftsmen in tents.

“Move away the tent!”

“This is our secret art! “I can’t reveal it!”

“do you want to die?”

“Kill it! What happens next? Should we go to war?”

Because of this, Ming craftsmen had to devise some aspects themselves, and this became one of the reasons why Emperor Seondeok created a training center.

Although it was a Ming International iron horse born after a fierce struggle, it was not 100% Ming International. First of all, the most important blueprints were sent by Joseon, and various measuring devices that ensured the safe operation of the Iron Horse – pressure gauges, speedometers, thermometers, etc. – had to be purchased as finished products made in Joseon.

“Is replication impossible?”

Gyeongsangseo answered Seondeokje’s question with a perplexed face.

“That’s because… as soon as the frame was separated for disassembly, all the parts were scattered in all directions…”

“Did Joseon play a role?”

“That’s right.”

“Oh my…”

In response to the study guide’s answer, Emperor Seondeok had to savor his food with a face full of regret.

When making measuring devices other than thermometers, Hyang incorporated tricks right from the design stage.

When the case was disassembled for duplication, the parts were scattered in all directions using a spring hidden inside. The parts that went into the measuring instrument were very small, so it was difficult to find them properly if they were scattered around like that. Even if you were lucky enough to find all the parts, the spring in question would cause confusion.

“What is this for?”

In the end, Myeong had no choice but to purchase the finished measuring instrument from Joseon.

Through these vicious struggles and tricks, iron horses and tracks were created that were inferior in performance and quality compared to those made in Joseon Dynasty.

Once the iron horse and track were built, the laying of the railroad began in earnest.

However, the situation with the railroads built in the Ming was very different from that in Joseon.

“Is this fun?”

After receiving the related report, Hyang whistled lightly and his eyes sparkled.

Unlike Joseon, where railways were the core of land transportation, in the Ming, railways were secondary, not primary.

* * *

The person responsible for the land fortunes of people was Daeun.

It was not the famous Grand Canal of the Sui and Yang Emperors, but was started during the Yuan Empire and was completed during the Yongle Emperor period.

This grand canal, which connected the five major water systems of the Ming Dynasty and the south and north of China, was moving enormous quantities of water between the south and the north.

Therefore, the railway was established as a supporting station that efficiently moved goods and people from the main transit point of the canal to the outskirts.

Because of these characteristics, there were many doubts about the utility of this railway among the educated class of the Ming and Joseon Dynasty.

“No matter how much work it is, isn’t the difference between a sheep transported by people or horses and a sheep transported by an iron horse a world-class difference?”

In response to Hyang’s question, Jinpyeong, who had come to pay, nodded strongly.

“Of course! “Iron horses and steam engines are all the rage!”

Hyang smiled bitterly and nodded at Jinpyeong’s firm answer.

‘Such a nerd!’

* * *

The biggest reason why the Iron Horse was relegated to a supporting role was because it was located on the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, the two largest rivers connected to the Grand Canal.

Due to the size of the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers, it was not possible to build iron bridges. Because of this, the Ming Dynasty could not build a railroad that passed through the South and the North.

If you look at the projected plan for the railway construction promoted by the Ming Dynasty, it resembled three large squares stacked on three levels.

Between Beijing and the Yellow River, north of the Yellow River, and south of the Yangtze River.

Therefore, everyone who looked at this forecast had similar thoughts.

‘Isn’t it perfect to split this into three?’

It was a well-founded idea when looking back at the history of the Central Plains, where the period of division was longer than the period of unified dynasty.

Therefore, many learned people informed Emperor Seondeok of this danger.

And at the forefront of these people was Prince Joo Jin-jin.

“…For this reason, railroads only cost a lot of money and are not very useful. “It must be withdrawn immediately.”

Emperor Seondeok responded firmly to Joo Gi-jin’s admonition.

“Not possible”

“Father, no, Your Majesty! “Why!”

In response to Joo Jin-jin’s protest, Emperor Seondeok explained the reason in a still firm voice.

“Even if the railroad only plays a supporting role to the Grand Canal, its transportation capacity is incomparable to that of people or horses.”

“If you do it wrong, it will be the seed of division….”

“If the people who rule the country and the emperors who succeed him do it right, there will be no problem. Since ancient times, the reason why the imperial dynasty collapsed was not because of things like railroads, but because the emperor ruled the country incorrectly. “Don’t go beyond what you said.”

“Do you…”

When Joo Ji-jin tried to continue speaking, Emperor Seondeok raised his hand to stop Joo Joo-jin.

“Railroads are absolutely necessary for this country’s thousand-year prosperity. “When a major upheaval that threatens our people occurs at any time, this railroad will play the biggest role.”

“Are you expecting an uprising? Bukwon is at Jundong again….”

“Don’t make any predictions.”

Emperor Seondeok raised his hand to stop Joo Jin-jin and smiled strangely.

“Prince, I will give you homework. Please predict what kind of upheaval Jim mentioned and report it. If you report the answer correctly, I will no longer compare you to the Crown Prince of Joseon. As for the deadline… Probably the Crown Prince of Joseon will respond within three days, so I will give you three days as well.”

Joo Ji-jin gritted his teeth and responded to Emperor Seondeok’s words.

“Pud!” yes! “I will definitely post the correct answer before three days are up and receive recognition from Your Majesty!”

“Don’t look forward to it!”

Two days later, Joo Gi-jin told Emperor Seondeok what he thought.

“Bukwon is coming.”

“Wrong. I still have a lot more to learn. “Go back to Nanjing and work harder.”

* * *

The story of Emperor Seondeok and Joo Jin-jin entered Gyeongbokgung Palace through several routes.

King Sejong, who called Hyang and told him this story, asked Hyang.

“What do you think the answer is? ah! The ministers will find it boring if they just listen to it, so why don’t you talk about it with me? Count to three. One, two, three.”

Sejong and Hyang answered at the same time as they counted three.

“Shipbuilding.”

“This is our Joseon.”

Seeing Hyang giving the same answer as him, Sejong smiled broadly and opened his mouth.

“Then shall we talk about where the battlefield will be? Again, count to three. One, two, three. “It’s a bump.”

“It’s a bump.”

“Ahaha!”

In response to Hyang’s response, King Sejong burst into laughter and praised Hyang.

“It is indeed Cesaro!”