Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: Joseon Steel Mill (6)
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No factory in the world can operate without people.
No matter how advanced the technology becomes, that fact will never change.
For that reason, the steel mill built by Kim Dae-bung also recruited workers from all corners of the country.
Kim Deok-bae, who had spent his entire life as a porter for merchant guilds in Hanyang, was one of those who had traveled all the way to distant Jaeryeong after seeing the recruitment notice, his heart stirred by the opportunity.
"Lately, a bunch of new workshops have popped up in Hanyang, and I thought those were impressive enough. But coming here... those workshops are just small fry in comparison. Look at those chimney stacks rising like mountains—three of them already in sight."
The chimney stacks he mentioned, towering like mountains, were the blast furnaces Kim Dae-bung had built.
The sight of thick black smoke billowing from them was truly spectacular, and even from quite a distance, the heat radiating from the stacks hinted at their immense scale, leaving everyone in awe.
Not just him—the reactions of the others who had come along were much the same.
"My uncle works forced labor at ironworks sometimes, and he said the bloomery furnaces aren't that big..."
"Is this really a workshop?"
"They said this thing runs non-stop, day and night, without a single break? I can't believe it... When did something like this even appear in Joseon?"
The bloomery furnaces used in Joseon could produce about 90kg—or around 150 geun by Joseon standards—of pig iron per firing.
However, the blast furnace that Kim Dae-bung had developed in collaboration with Jang Yeong-sil could melt 2 tons, or roughly 3,300 geun, of iron at once. Unlike bloomeries, it didn't need downtime either.
This allowed it to produce roughly ten times more iron than the largest ironworks in conventional Joseon.
Kim Dae-bung still thought it was far from enough, but Jang Yeong-sil and others, including Jeong Bin, saw it differently.
When they heard the projected output, they were so stunned that their jaws stayed dropped for a good while.
As the newly recruited workers gathered and buzzed with excitement, a craftsman emerged from inside the steel mill.
"Attention!"
His booming voice, rivaling that of the instructors for the Loyalty Gymnastics ranger training, made Deok-bae and the others feel like their ears were ringing.
"Welcome to the Jaeryeong Steel Mill! I am Kim Gae-nam, a technician affiliated with this Jaeryeong Steel Mill. Though my assigned government post is a menial ninth-grade clerical role under the Ministry of Works, I do receive an official stipend from the court—so keep that in mind."
Technician, ninth-grade clerical position in the Ministry of Works.
Someone with a clerical rank like that, if assigned to a military camp, could take on the role of a non-commissioned officer or even a junior officer.
In terms of civil service grades as Kim Dae-bung saw it, that put him at least at level 7.
With King Sejong's promise that strong performance could lead to a formal official position, his motivation was burning brighter than ever.
"From the moment you step through these gates, you'll be paid at a ninth-grade equivalent wage. That means 14 seom of white rice per year. And once you've accrued enough service years and get promoted, your pay will increase accordingly."
There was no place in all of Joseon that paid new laborers 14 seom of white rice annually.
Naturally, smiles spread across the faces of Kim Deok-bae and the others.
Back when he worked as a porter, the most he ever got was 8 seom of white rice, and after paying rent in Hanyang, there was barely anything left—just enough to put food on the table.
Here, they were offering 14 seom in white rice alone each year, which was an enormous raise compared to his previous job.
"In addition, you'll each receive 3 seom of white rice for summer and winter clothes allowances annually—separate from your base pay, so that's another 6 seom. And if you work here for 10 years, we'll give you a house for free. For those who marry and have families, we'll provide housing at no cost."
It was the kind of offer that left them utterly dumbfounded.
Giving a mere laborer a whopping 20 seom in white rice, plus a free house after 10 years?
Kim Deok-bae, having never even dreamed of such generous welfare benefits in his life, was at a loss for words.
"Is that really true?"
"This steel mill was established by His Majesty himself. The King does not lie."
"Of course, Your Excellency. It's just that the generosity is overwhelming..."
"Oh, and one more thing. Work here for three years, and the state will even arrange a marriage for you."
In the 21st century, love marriages might be the norm, but in Joseon, even poor commoners typically married through parental matchmaking.
The steel mill craftsmen earned decent money by Joseon standards, so arranging matches for them wasn't all that difficult.
"But nothing in this world is free. His Highness is providing such generous treatment because this job is so grueling that you wouldn't last without it."
The work at the steel mill wasn't impossible for humans, but it was brutally tough.
Working so close to molten metal meant even the slightest carelessness could kill you.
A single minor mistake by anyone here could trigger a massive accident that claimed multiple lives at any moment.
"This place is completely different from anywhere you've worked before. A small slip could melt your arm clean off, or set your whole body ablaze in an instant. So, if you're going to work here, for the sake of survival alone, you must absolutely obey the orders of me and the other veterans."
At those words, the new recruits gathered there swallowed hard.
"The work is so intense that at first, you'll think, 'I'm going to collapse!' You'll have to haul iron ore and charcoal weighing up to 100 geun (60kg) on your shoulders endlessly. Even when your arms feel like they're going to fall off, you'll keep pumping the bellows and pouring molten metal. And you can't let your mind wander for even a second—do that, and an accident happens right then."
If borrowing Kim Dae-bung's assessment, compared to steel mill labor without automated systems, all sorts of manual labor would feel like "lying down chewing gum"—that easy.
In reality, working in areas where the internal temperature hits 50 degrees Celsius or higher, lugging heavy loads and constantly pumping bellows, you could drop dead from heatstroke at any time without it being surprising.
"You can hear it a hundred times, but it won't mean a thing until you experience it yourself. Learn it in the field. From now on, you'll be assigned to the blast furnaces and converters. Treat what your seniors say like your parents' words and follow it."
Listening to his guidance, Kim Deok-bae steeled his resolve. Once assigned to his workstation, he diligently carried out his tasks according to his senior's teachings.
And in doing so, he personally learned what it meant to risk death on the job...
Even so, everyone who got hired at the steel mill gritted their teeth and endured to the end, thinking of the high pay.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The new city centered around the steel mill was shaping up to be a resounding success.
Over 300 craftsmen affiliated with the steel mill alone, plus lumberjacks, merchants, and their families—it was expected that more than 10,000 people would eventually settle here.
No, it might even become a city with even more people than that.
Ships were coming and going incessantly at the newly built port too, suggesting that this place could grow into a fairly large port city in the future.
Much like Pohang with POSCO.
Perhaps because of this success, the magistrate governing Jaeryeong came to visit me personally.
"My goodness, what brings the Jaeryeong Magistrate all the way out here?"
"With such a massive city springing up in Jaeryeong County, I felt I had to come see it as the magistrate. I made the time."
"Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule."
During this steel mill construction, I had received tremendous help from the Jaeryeong Magistrate.
Though the wages for the corvée laborers came from court funds, the magistrate had stepped up to gather commoners during the slack farming season.
He had also pulled a lot of strings to procure the countless materials we needed.
"Just half a year ago, this was a barren wasteland with nothing on it, and now there's a huge steel mill. It's turned into a bustling city overnight. 'Developing day by day'—that's exactly what they mean by that."
"Without Your Excellency's tireless assistance, things wouldn't have gone this smoothly."
"National affairs are something we officials have to cooperate on, aren't they? Well, you've worked hard getting this far too. So, how much iron is the steel mill producing right now?"
"Going by the current pace, we should get about 200,000 geun of pig iron and 50,000 geun of refined iron per year. We're planning to more than double the scale, so who knows—maybe even 100,000 geun of refined iron annually."
200,000 geun of pig iron amounts to just 120 tons a year.
Even so, that's 16 times more than the Dalcheon-ri Ironworks in Ulsan County, recorded as producing the most iron among all ironworks in the Veritable Records geographic gazetteer.
'Dalcheon-ri Ironworks produced around 12,500 geun annually.'
"And we're planning to build ten more steel mills of this scale across Joseon. As the national finances improve, we'll expand them further."
"Is that possible... No, if the Ironworks Superintendent says so, it must be."
If I ramp up iron production like this, King Sejong the Great will be thrilled.
"Soon, I'll hand over all steel mill operations to the newly appointed Ironworks Superintendent and head back to Hanyang."
I'd heard the new superintendent was a man named Jeong In-ji.
From what I gathered, he'd volunteered for this post so that, after I returned, he could serve as deputy director of the Iron Bureau and head to Ming before joining the Hall of Worthies...
Would King Sejong the Great allow that?
"I'll never forget the help Your Excellency has provided. Let me show you around the inside of the steel mill—please follow me."
And that day, after touring the steel mill under my guidance, the Jaeryeong Magistrate looked at me and said,
"Jaeryeong County is going to be buzzing... Work's going to pile up like a mountain."