The Seed of Prosperity (4)
The reason the porcelain could be produced far quicker than expected was not only the efforts of the kiln masters but also the king’s solemn edict.
Yi Yeon recalled the name the porcelain was also known as—bone-ash porcelain—and summoned the head of the Daesang to inquire.
He, too, had never heard of it.
‘If Song Sang had known about it, he would have mentioned it.’ Yi Yeon decided he would not let this opportunity slip away.
‘This is a real money-maker. If I delay, I’ll look like a fool.’
He therefore ordered the kiln master to begin urgent production.
Even if they sold only to Ming China and Waeguk, huge sums would flow in. Should Portuguese merchants spread it across Europe, astronomical amounts of gold and silver would pour in.
‘I can’t rely solely on the domestic market.’ He had set his sights on export, but for now he set the thought aside. Joseon itself was too poor to absorb luxury items without immediate profit.
‘I’ll also need to build an intelligence network.’ Just as in the twenty-first century, nothing beat merchants for espionage.
He even gave the porcelain a name: Joseon Snow Porcelain. Pure white and flawless, like snow fallen on Joseon soil.
Yet no minister stood out to shoulder the task. The capable ones looked too rigid. Then, unexpectedly, Sim Tong-won appeared. He knew how to wield power and was sharp enough to handle merchants. His greed was enormous. Yi Yeon judged that if anyone could make the trade succeed, it was him.
International deals required not just honesty but quick thinking and just enough cunning to protect the kingdom. Yi Yeon made his decision.
“Left State Councillor!” He called out loudly once more.
Only then did Sim Tong-won snap to attention and bow, far from apologizing. “Your Majesty, how did you create this bowl? It is so thin yet unbreakable, and the glaze shines with such beauty.”
Yi Yeon let out a helpless laugh. He was tempted to slap him, but he held his temper. There were problems with egg transport, and he had no other candidate for the trade bureau.
“I cannot tell you. Instead, go tell the officials in charge of the egg producers. From now on every egg must be sent only to the Earth Division and the Regional Division for sale. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I shall obey. But how shall these bowls be distributed?” The ministers furrowed their brows, yet Yi Yeon hid a satisfied smile. Trade matters would be discussed later. For now he needed an immediate answer on egg distribution.
Sim Tong-won, sensitive to profit, offered no objection. He simply waved it away as though the question held no interest. ‘He really is the right man.’ Yi Yeon felt certain of his choice. The minister clearly understood the true value of things.
‘Snow porcelain will earn far more than eggs.’ Yi Yeon drooled at the thought and watched Sim Tong-won with a greedy glint. Though the minister was not to his liking, his entire focus was on the porcelain. If he was entrusted with it, he would surely succeed.
“Why?” Yi Yeon asked, eyes gleaming. “Will it bring great profit?” “Yes, Your Majesty. At this quality it can be sold at a very high price.” “Oh? Then why not open your own trading house this time?” “How could this humble subject dare such a thing?” “Does that mean you consider the task beneath you?” “Forgive me, Your Majesty. I spoke wrongly. I am old and cannot work as I once could.”
Raising hens was tied to farming; there was no resistance. The people praised it as a service to the realm. Yet no one else dared object. Though the phrase “class distinction” still lingered, it was not yet spoken as contempt. ‘They meant everyone should do his best.’ Even a yangban would take a money-making job if times were hard. Only commerce was still seen as lowly.
Yi Yeon therefore proposed, “Then instead of opening your own house, why not gather and manage merchants to sell these bowls, paper, and pencils to Ming and Waeguk?”
Sim Tong-won’s eyes brightened. “Your Majesty! If that is the case, this humble subject will spare no effort.” “Good. I can see at a glance that this porcelain will bring great wealth to our Joseon.” ‘Not our Joseon. You, you mean.’ Yi Yeon swallowed the insult and smiled. “Then organize the plans and present them at the Daejeon Council. Can you do it?” “Yes, Your Majesty. I will stay up all night and draw up the details.” Yi Yeon nodded with a pleased smile. ‘If this is the thorn in my side, it will become a gold mine.’
He had been worried even after hearing that an enormous gold vein had been found in Unsan. With only a small tax base, officials’ salaries were pitiful. If they skimmed or took bribes, no one cared. To reform them he would have to raise salaries, but that meant creating a new army—an impossibility for now. Other solutions had been sought, yet none appeared.
‘What if I mine the gold and spend it?’ The price of gold would fall and the flow of copper coins would shrink. ‘I cannot afford to fail before I even begin.’ Therefore Yi Yeon decided to activate commerce next. ‘Money must circulate or the nation’s treasury will stay empty.’ He ordered that every item made from livestock, as well as eggs, be sold through the Earth Division and Regional Division. ‘Once that path is paved, commerce will flourish naturally.’ The problem was tax evasion. The clay sacks were placed there for exactly that reason. ‘Otherwise thieves would steal the goods.’ Luckily the paper for those sacks was already being produced according to plan. Kraft paper was tough and water-resistant—perfect for stacking clay. If it ever cracked, the bricks would be made of cement and stacked beside it.
‘If this one task succeeds, we can organize the Hwaryeokgun exactly as planned.’ Yi Yeon named the army armed with slamfire shotguns the “Hwaryeokgun.” Not only shotguns, but every firearm using gunpowder. Yet something felt strange. He turned and looked at Jeong Dae-nyeon. ‘What is he doing?’ Unlike the others, Jeong was still staring intently at the map.
“Prime Minister Jeong?” “Yes? Yes?” “Do you have a question?” “Ah… yes. Forgive me, Your Majesty. While studying the map I noticed a potential flaw and examined it closely.” “Indeed?” “Yes, Your Majesty.” Yi Yeon nodded toward the map. Jeong pointed at it. “Your Majesty, the Regional Division is near large towns and poses no problem, but the Earth Division is in remote areas. Evil men could easily sabotage it.” Yi Yeon wanted to applaud. ‘This one is worthy of a decree.’ Unlike the other ministers, Jeong had spotted the weakness immediately.
“You need not worry.” Yi Yeon smiled and shouted toward the door. “Yangbo! Bring it.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” Kim Yang-bo carried in a black object that looked like a goose egg. Sim Tong-won licked his lips. The color and shape were different, yet it gleamed like snow porcelain—clearly something precious. Yi Yeon watched the greedy eyes and clicked his tongue. ‘He knows what it is.’
When production of the slamfire shotgun had lagged, Yi Yeon had turned to his experiments with mercury fulminate and created a hand grenade. ‘With this I will never be caught.’ At Unsan they were already digging vast amounts of iron ore and coal. The mine was so new it was almost open-cast mining, and the cold made no difference—output was enormous. Yet the blast-furnace construction still lagged. ‘Maybe I should have used wind power after all.’ The artisans had followed the designs and built a bellows driven by a water wheel, but the Cheongcheon River had frozen solid and the mechanism was useless. Oxen could not be used either; the heat would kill them. They had therefore reverted to traditional iron production, but every ingot had to be turned into coin blanks for the eggs. ‘Damn! I never knew how cold it was there.’ It had been an unexpected setback. Yet the moment the snow porcelain was ready, Yi Yeon decided to begin making hand grenades for the defense. No one knew when Japanese raiders might strike. The porcelain, made with more than fifty percent calcined chicken bone and twenty-five percent feldspar, was harder and more resistant than ordinary pottery. Still, it could not hold a metal spring. A broken spring would be disaster. Instead they used a wick-and-powder method. ‘Clumsy to use, easy to make, and even if it breaks there is no explosive.’ The kiln masters, following Yi Yeon’s plans and pomegranate seeds, created the grenade. That was why it was called a grenade: its shape was like an apple, yet its interior was divided like a pomegranate. Yi Yeon had known that the explosion would split along the internal divisions, not the outer surface. Thus the exterior was smooth like an apple, while the inside was scored like a checkerboard. The masters packed tiny iron fragments into the inner walls, then split the mold into top and bottom with a thick screw thread between them. The black powder filled the lower half; a small hole in the upper half held the wick. Screw them together and the grenade was finished. Yi Yeon watched Sim Tong-won drooling and flashed a playful smile. “Do you know what this is, and why you look at it with such greed?” “I am not greedy. It simply appears to this humble subject like a beautiful work of art, stealing my heart.” “Indeed? It is a weapon created with gunpowder. How can you see it only as art?” “Yes?” Sim Tong-won jumped. The young king often spoke strangely, but he had never lied. The minister felt a chill. Yet a thought surfaced and he asked, “Your Majesty, is this the Thunder Crash Bomb?” “Do you know the Thunder Crash Bomb?” “Yes, Your Majesty. I once read in an ancient text that the Jin dynasty used something called gold. However, what Your Majesty holds is nothing like what I read.” “Indeed? Can you tell me what differs?” “Yes, Your Majesty. The text described thirty or so broken porcelain pieces the size of iron nails mixed with gunpowder inside a bamboo tube, sealed with a bamboo lid and wick. But what Your Majesty has made is almost like a work of art.” Yi Yeon nodded. ‘They said he had been a prodigy since childhood and never forgot what he saw. It was true.’ He regretted it. ‘If such a brilliant mind were used for the kingdom, how wonderful it would be.’ But he had already been impeached for taking bribes to exploit power. Even knowing that, he could not remove him. The queen consort had begged him to keep him; the minister’s followers were not to be underestimated. He had good relations with merchants. Therefore he had to use him somehow. Annoyed yet relieved that the opportunity had finally arrived, Yi Yeon turned to Jeong Dae-nyeon. “You seem to have something to say. Speak.” “Forgive me, Your Majesty. This humble subject wishes to see with his own eyes how Your Majesty uses the device you have created.” “Can you explain why?” “Yes, Your Majesty. Since you likened it to the Thunder Crash Bomb, I wish to see its power and determine its use.” “Then let us go together.” “I am most grateful, Your Majesty!” Yi Yeon rose from the throne. The ministers followed in a line. They were all eager to see the weapon the young king had invented. * * * Note: The Thunder Crash Bomb means “a bomb that shakes the heavens,” historically the first grenade. It was used during the Song and Jin dynasties in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, shaped like a long bamboo tube resembling German grenades. Later it was also made of cast iron, and records state that even the Mongol armies feared it.