The Seed of Prosperity (5)
North of Ganghwado Island. At a place called Cheolsan-ri. The sound of men working hard and the sharp clank of iron being cut echoed endlessly without pause. Even as spring drew near, a rough and chilly sea wind blew in. Yet Dol-soe worked without rest, sweat pouring down his face despite the cold. He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and neck with the cloth draped over his shoulder. "Phew! This is tough." A long sigh escaped him as he mopped his face. "Haa... It feels like I might actually survive this." The sharp sting he had felt so often before arriving here spread from his back all the way through his entire body. "Ouch...!" Overwhelmed by pain, Dol-soe twisted his body like an octopus on a pan, turning around with a yell. "Chief!" Despite his intimidating shout, someone stared back fiercely. The Third Shift Foreman at the Ganghwado Factory of the Joseon Coinage Bureau. He narrowed his eyes at Dol-soe, who was massaging his back. "What are you doing? Not working but lounging around." "Aigoo! Chief. I was just resting a moment." "You brat, when you were eating chicken you didn't even rest then?" "That was different. When the mouth is busy, it's fine." "You little rascal, living off just your mouth... How many did you chop?" "A little over ten thousand." "Already?" "Yes, Chief." The foreman inspected the round metal pieces Dol-soe had worked on closely, then smiled with satisfaction. "Good work. Go to the kitchen and eat a chicken or two while resting." "Really, Chief?" "When have you ever seen me telling lies?" "It's not that. I ate one just yesterday." "What the King specially bestowed upon you. Hurry up and finish it." "Thank you, Chief." "Did you do something wrong?" "Why are you asking?" "The King gave it to me. Why would I lie to you?" "Bringing me here was your idea." "If you know, go quickly. Before the sun sets." "Yes, Chief." Watching Dol-soe run toward the kitchen, the foreman closed his eyes in quiet. * He still couldn't believe it. Just a short while ago, he had been nothing but a beggar. A real riffraff, no better than a street urchin. A bit of a king, sure, but still just a beggar in all other ways. Yet unexpected luck had come his way. Last autumn, he had eaten a chicken that had wandered out from its owner's house while he was begging through the village. It was a rooster, thank heavens. If it had been a hen, he might have been beaten to death by the owner. The foreman dragged before the authorities had heard the unbelievable offer. "Really?" "Of course it's real. You idiot! How could someone wearing official robes lie to you?" He couldn't believe the words that every ten days a boiled chicken would be given. A high official couldn't possibly eat that often. But he had to follow along, pretending to believe, because the cane could beat him to death. Leading the other riffraff to the boat, he had thought, 'Now I'm going to die!' They were sailing to some unknown place, but surrounded by mountains, not the shore where the sun rose. And right after stepping off the boat, they could eat without limit. Not just any old rice, but warm, fresh rice. But they couldn't even see the chicken. On windy days, the smell of chicken droppings would drift over, yet no one could hear the birds clucking. Still, he was satisfied. As long as he did the assigned work, he could eat his fill. Then one day, the savory aroma of boiling chicken filled the air from the kitchen. "This chicken was bestowed by the King. Face the direction where the sun rises, bow your head toward it, and eat. Because we didn't give you the chicken right away, it might spoil in your stomachs. Never speak of having been cheated. Understood?" "Yes, Your Grace." Though much smaller than the chicken he had eaten before, one per person, there was no fighting. After that, they could eat chicken every ten days. Now they ate chicken whenever they wanted. And the work wasn't hard at all. Before, they had dug holes, carried stones, built walls, and done every kind of odd job. So they had tried to run away many times, but since they couldn't swim, they had given up. Now, even if offered a boat ride, they wouldn't go. There was nowhere in the world warmer or better fed than this. The work was simple too. Insert a thin brass plate between the tongs and pull the long iron rod. The round small brass plate would fall below, and they would place it into a mold with clear patterns and press to make coins. It was amazing. * The foreman, lost in memory of the past, gazed at the distant Fourth Shift Workshop. Only the carefully selected artisans could enter, so armed soldiers guarded day and night. "One day, I might work there too..." Becoming an artisan meant receiving an official post, so his greed burned. The foreman took out the first book of Hangul he had hidden in his bosom and read it while walking to the kitchen. "I, an illiterate, reading books... My late mother in the afterlife might scold me if she knew. I should do nothing but rest, but still, if I can't read, how will I..." Without letters, one couldn't pass the artisan exam, so he read whenever possible. For that day, whatever it might be. * * * Yi Yeon had said the rooster that couldn't lay eggs could be eaten as soon as found. No one yet knew how to tell a chick from a rooster. So they had to raise them all together until they could tell the difference. But there were so many that they had to process them. Roosters that wouldn't lay eggs only stole feed, so unlike before, the subordinates following Yi Yeon now chatted as they walked, their faces glistening with health. "Lord, let's ask one thing." "What is it?" "Is Jincheonroe the same as Bigear Jincheonroe?" "Nonsense." "Really?" "Think about it. Bigear Jincheonroe is shot from a toy cannon. How could it be the same as a man throwing a Jincheonroe?" "Oh... So the firing method is different." "Then why ask?" "Just curious." "Me too. Let's go." Yi Yeon led the subordinates toward the Palace of the Heir. He had planned to take them to the experiment field built on the courtyard of the Blue House, but it was too far. So they chose the training ground where the Heir's Bodyguards were exercising. No pond like an experiment field, but surrounded by forest, it looked fine. When Yi Yeon and the subordinates arrived at the Palace of the Heir, the Heir's Bodyguards were waiting. Kim Yang-bo had discreetly sent word. "We greet Your Highness." Yi Yeon received their greetings and passed the Charity Hall and Nonhyun Hall, entering the forest. A wide open field half the size of a soccer pitch appeared. Yi Yeon held up a grenade and spoke to the subordinates. "This grenade weapon is small, but its power is stronger than it looks. Go wait behind that stone wall over there." "Yes, Your Highness." The subordinates hurried to move. Even though old, their steps were very fast. Since the grenade was like the Bigear Jincheonroe, they needed to reach a safe place quickly. The grenade the King showed was much smaller compared to the Bigear Jincheonroe. Still, because it was made by the artisans of Yukgye, the subordinates instinctively felt danger. There were no ordinary ones among the products from Yukgye. The subordinates who hid behind the stone wall peeked out, then startled. Like a general, a young King wearing a dragon robe held a signal flag and commanded, while the guards moved in perfect unison. "It's no lie that the blood doesn't lie. He looks just like King Taejo in the tales." "Yeah." "Even if I believe in armed warriors in armor." The young King in the loose dragon robe looked like a mighty general. "But why wrap it in cloth like that? Do you know?" "I wonder." The guards set up straw dummies in a circle about ten meters across and wrapped black cloth around the outside. When the work finished, Yi Yeon called out to the subordinates standing apart. "Don't be scared. Watch carefully!" "Yes, Your Highness." Yi Yeon raised the signal flag and waved it large, then shouted. "Ready!" "Ready!" The guards holding the thick incense stick and Shin Rip holding the grenade answered at the same time. It seemed they had practiced a lot. "Ignite!" "Ignite!" Shin Rip extended the grenade as the guard lit the fuse with the incense. With a crackling sound, the fuse began to burn. "Throw!" "Throw!" Shin Rip hurled the grenade into the black cloth fifty meters away. It seemed lightly tossed, but it flew far. If thrown with full strength, it might go over a hundred meters. Yi Yeon nodded in satisfaction, thinking that if he had been a Major League pitcher or outfielder, he might have become a legend. About five seconds passed. -Kwang...! Accompanied by a bright fireball, black smoke shot up. At the same time, from various places in the black cloth, thick smoke rose with red flames. The sound of debris falling pattered. Yet no one screamed. The subordinates weren't afraid even of the tremendous explosion and intense flames. They stood with mouths open, startled, but there were no weak ones who would be scared by such things. If there were, they might have abandoned their official posts and retired because of the political purges and prison. -Clap clap! Yi Yeon clapped his hands and raised his thumb toward Shin Rip. Shin Rip bowed in thanks, and only then did the subordinates clap too. The subordinates who emerged from behind the stone wall approached Yi Yeon in a rush. "Your Highness! Truly amazing." "With such weapons, the northern barbarians and southern Japanese pirates won't dare invade." "Even without using cannons, it flies so far. Surprising." Yi Yeon was about to object, but there was no need. "Your Highness, who is that general? He looks very strong and mighty." "Really?" "Yes, Your Highness. Only that general could throw it so far." Yi Yeon nodded in agreement. Then a newly excited subordinate spoke again. "Your Highness, if we send that general north, the barbarians will be scared and won't dare invade." "Is that so?" "Yes, Your Highness. So we want to know his name." "That warrior who passed the military exam last year with high honors, Shin Rip, is serving as my personal bodyguard." "Truly, Your Highness's eyes are sharp. To have recruited such a warrior so quickly, we admire it." Other subordinates praised Shin Rip too. Yi Yeon looked at Shin Rip with pride in his eyes. Like a dog you raised who gets happy when others admire him, his shoulders felt lighter. The subordinates also praised the new grenades highly, saying things like tigers could be sent with one shot, mixed with exaggeration. Yi Yeon wanted to hear more, but he had to finish before sunset. "Let's go back?" "Yes, Your Highness." Returning to Cheonchu-jeon, Yi Yeon immediately spoke. "The weapons of our Joseon army are bows, spears, and cannons. We have petards, but they're for cavalry. So when facing the enemy, we inevitably suffer heavy losses." The subordinates nodded in agreement. Unlike mounted warriors, ordinary soldiers were focused on defense, using bows or spears. But with long-term peace, their spears shortened and spear techniques declined. Their archery was also poor. So when clashing with the enemy, they easily fell to the enemy's spears and swords. Especially against the Japanese pirates' long swords and long spears, they were helpless. Because of this, they suffered great damage in the 13th year of the Imjin War. Yet improvements were not made. There was no major corruption, but petty corruption was rampant. "So I thought. How to counter long swords, long spears, and cavalry..." Yi Yeon faltered, and Jeong Da-nyeom stepped forward. "Your Highness! Did you develop this grenade weapon because of that?" "Exactly. I thought how to protect the people and soldiers, and in the end, I developed this grenade. With only this grenade, even with few troops, we can guard against bad people, and we can defeat not just the Japanese but also mounted Jurchens." "Your Highness, truly astonishing." Jeong Da-nyeom bowed respectfully, and the other subordinates followed. "This subject, Lee Jun-gyeong, is deeply moved again by Your Highness's heart for the people. The grace is immense. Your Highness!" "The grace is immense. Your Highness!" The subordinates gave sincere greetings. Not long ago, political purges and prisons had occurred constantly. The ministers were each other's rivals, never satisfied, anxious to eat each other. So they had to live tense. Who knew when they might be caught in a conspiracy and killed. Yet with a new king on the throne, many things were changing. They didn't have to worry about food. They didn't have to worry about foreign invasion. The young king's temperament seemed different from past kings. So perhaps political purges and prisons wouldn't happen. That was why the ministers gave sincere greetings. Yi Yeon didn't know their inner thoughts, so he couldn't understand their actions, but he smiled satisfied. In the end, it seemed the subordinates liked him. 'Now I can bring out the main topic.' * * * Note) Since King Sejo, the gunpowder weapons of Joseon have declined, and spears have also shortened. In 1587, when the Joseon envoy to Tsushima, Gyeok Gang-gwang, saw the Joseon army's spears and sneered, "Your spears have very short handles," it was said.