Developing New-Generation Cannons
"Well, the difference in tonnage is pretty big, so start with a small fleet of a few ships. And destroy every pirate merchant vessel you spot."
"Understood, milady."
"How's the bathhouse construction coming along?"
"The bathhouse will be completed next week as well."
Hmm, good. I should have a private bath built for myself too. But more importantly, Hangul adoption rates... hmm. This is a bit risky. Why are the Jurchens picking it up faster? It's slowly spreading on the peninsula too, so no big issue. Explains how much they worship me, though. Whatever. At least it's better than Joseon, where adoption was dismal. Here, it's just slower, but it's spreading. Those damn Ho clan are laying the groundwork for us anyway.
"This dried sweet potato stuff seems perfect for handing out to the soldiers."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yes. They all love it."
I'm thinking of making more soju as a gift for our Ho clan folks. That's how the various famine-crop sojus came about. These would be shipped to Hokkaido and Mongolia. Made from ugly, near-rotten produce: Setwonju, the supply-grade soju. Colorless, odorless, around 40 proof? Should sell well enough. Then there's Geumokju, aged corn liquor with a deep pumpkin hue and vanilla notes—probably even higher proof. Top-shelf is ginseng soju: rice soju infused with a root of Goryeo ginseng. Back in the old days, I'd wonder why bother, but the Choi lands grow plenty of ginseng now, so no problem. All these are for selling to the Mongols. Setwonju for regular soldiers, Geumokju for captains and colonels, ginseng soju for higher ranks—officials and royals, maybe.
Before that, I called in some Mongols who'd been prisoners in Goryeo, all hollow-eyed and wrecked from hard labor, tending horses and such.
"The only booze your country's allowing you is this stuff anyway. Try it."
The Mongols, slaving away with their wrecked faces, took to the soju pretty well. Not like it beat what they drank back home, but they downed it decently enough—no sales trouble there.
"Is the soju production on track? I wanna start selling."
"Yes, more than enough."
Good. First, I summoned some Mongol merchants. They still traded here in Mongolia, mainly ginseng, soap, that sort. Paid in war spoils, mostly. Anyway, time to push soju sales hard.
"I heard the Yodong Governor summoned us."
"This is soju made to suit Mongol tastes. We're thinking of selling it to you—give it a try."
The merchants eyed it suspiciously at first, turning the bottle this way and that. But when I poured and drank a shot, they followed suit.
"Ho. This is unique."
"Think your Mongol warriors would like it?"
"Yes, even our Khan would approve."
Good. Ogedei liking it is a win. Makes sense—Goryeo slaughtered them and gave 'em VIP treatment they never asked for. Booze like this probably helps forget that miserable reality.
"Glass or porcelain bottles mean no spoilage. As you know, that jacks up the price."
The merchants' faces soured. Hmm, gotta grimace that hard? This is exclusive to you guys. Sure, we drink it too, but whatever.
"What does Goryeo want in return?"
"What do you traders think would be good?"
Trade details are for the pros, so I asked the merchants who'd come with our trade envoy. They're all about Goryeo's profits. They'll snag what I want.
"To ship booze in bulk to Mongolia, we'll need strong horses. Also cerium for glass factories, and saltpeter for tanning leather and salting meat."
"Anything else?"
How'd they nail exactly what I need? Bonus time later.
"Raw wool, cowhides, sheepskins."
"You understand Goryeo speech—what do you say?"
Conditions noted. Now the Mongols.
"Can't bring many horses, but the rest is doable."
Yeah, horses are strategic—we're not asking for herds. Just enough to breed with our Overhorses.
"Deal then. Looking forward to it."
"Yes, Governor."
With this, Mongolia's hooked on us for booze. Hope they guzzle it. Maybe prep more varieties. Gotta chill 'em right for that. Means ice storehouses.
"Find a shady slope on the Taejah River mountainside where sunlight hits least."
"Why the sudden need?"
"Gotta cut and move ice easy, and the ground itself cold."
Slope the floor, bury drainage pipes to break the melt cycle. Cement the base, thick charcoal layer on top for moisture control and insulation. Cement walls, gap another set—stuff dry straw in between. Cap with rounded arch roof for air flow. Four chimney vents to exhaust hot air, trap the cold. Stone icehouse principle. Finally, bury the roof under 2 meters of soil and sod to block solar heat. That's your icehouse—Joseon-era style's closest.
"Built it on a whim, but calling it booze-only feels off. Too few types for dedicated."
Whatever. Time to brew. Set up a distillery near Yoyang. Full-on booze dev now.
Corn 51%, malted barley ferment, distill to clear spirit. Char the inside of oak barrels black, age it. Boom—corn whiskey, Goryeo-style: Geumokro (Gold Jade Dew). For high officials, nobles, royals—in glass bottles. Issue: half a year minimum to produce right. Soju was pre-planned, but others are just starting. Gotta diversify from jump.
Mash potatoes, ferment, distill, filter the spirit: potato vodka. Call it Baeksusul (White Water Liquor)—fits the clear vibe. Redistill with herbs: vapors pick up flavors. Herb-scented booze. Chohyangju (Grass Fragrance Liquor) works.
Lager beer too. Low-temp ferment and sealable if icehouse-ready. Use frozen Taejah in January. Nationwide icehouses good idea. No fridges yet, but seokbinggo beats nothing. Recipes set, production pending.
Baeksusul and Chohyangju as cash cows. Lager: Bingru (Ice Dew)—needs cold age. All take half-year minimum, beer especially for flavor lock. Question is execution.
Hmm. Stick workers in cannery-like setup, teach methods, threaten with knife to throat—they'll make it, right?
"Gasp, when did I start thinking like a martial brute?"
Threats work short-term, but historically it'd be "Wah wah, boss threatened to kill us if we slacked"—evil boss vibes. Nah. Ditch the knife, promise cash. Money fixes everything, any era.
This year: produce. Next: sell.
"Where'd all these ideas even come from?"
"Mountain spirit."
I've got the unbeatable excuse: mountain spirit. Feels like it dumped me here alone and just watches others. Petty jerk. If not for the crap in my head, I'd curse it forever.
"That's basically helping us topple dynasties."
"Tsk. The spirit praises this body, that's all."
"Won't they start taking us lightly?"
I let out a light scoff at Kim Jun's words.
"No way. Once they see how much stronger we've gotten, they won't dare."
Even Kim Jun can't argue that. Jurchen integration beefed up our cavalry. More musketeers too. Yodong defense needs artillery and guns, so expanded Iron Cannon elites. Organized by Byeolcho system—pros only. And loyal to me? Unbeatable.
Heavy cav from Manchu iron, integrated into horse units: Gaema Byeolcho, after the old armored riders.
"Not saying it's impossible. Great powers invade on any pretext, right?"
"True."
History's full of it. Want something? Invade. Especially us—Goryeo's got what Mongols crave. Soju, profitable goods. And they lost Yodong's rich iron mines.
"Mongols lost twice but could come back. We're building walls, but need specific counters."
Right. Kim Jun's thinking straight now. Never underestimate Mongolia. Feed 'em awhile, they'll eat and trade fair. But...
"Time for real cannons."
Matchlocks upgraded to superior locks. Can't mass rifled barrels yet, but snipers? Doable. Artisans handle it.
"Cannons meaning..."
"We've called 'em cannons vaguely till now. Time for proper ones."
We have plenty, but only used vs. Mongols. Sea ops need better. Siege prep too—who knows.
Mongol steppes don't need heavy artillery anyway. Variety this time.
"What to develop how?"
High-grade steel and brass from other projects, water-powered tools. Spinning jennies, looms, primitive precision machining. Yeah—primitive drills. Heat-treated steel bits via quenching and tempering.
Old spherical cannons' flaw? Imperfect casting. Clay core in mold, pour metal. Core shifts: uneven walls, bubbles, explosions galore. That's our blast issues, plus rifled inaccuracy from rough bores.
Solution? Solid ingot, bore it out. Huge cast cylinder, near-flawless. Taejah water-powered borer. Primitive drill, sure, but cast iron/brass softish—brass way softer than steel. Power over speed grinds it.