Chapter 37
**BACKTICK**CHAPTER_TITLE: Germination and Growth (3)
Having spent a single night at Yeonhui Palace, Yi Yeon found himself compelled once again to return to Gyeongbokgung.
'Damn it! Rain was supposed to keep the Han River too high for a boat!'
He had planned to head straight for Ganghwado, yet the monsoon had already begun and the river was flooding.
'Still, I’m glad it came on time.'
Nearly every farmhouse had already decided to switch to the transplant method. They would receive tax relief if the harvest failed and, if deemed necessary, would also receive compensation. But without timely rain, disaster was inevitable.
The reservoirs and irrigation works were under repair, yet they remained woefully insufficient. So the seedlings were being raised on nursery trays while he waited for the rain to fall. Rain, please. Just rain.
But the rain fell in steady sheets. Transplanting could not be delayed; miss the window and an entire season was lost to drought. Yet here it poured.
"Another bumper crop this year."
Yi Yeon watched the raindrops patter down and smiled with satisfaction. He had been thinking of the plan he had drawn up with Minister Lee Tak a few days earlier.
When the steady rain finally stopped, he took Yi I with him to the Seogang ferry landing.
'This is disgusting.'
The pungent smells of all manner of dried seafood from the southern provinces and the west coast assaulted his nostrils. He moved along the dock with the royal guard flanking him.
'Will it hold?'
The hastily constructed wooden gangway swayed ominously with every step, groaning under the weight.
“Your Majesty, this appears dangerous. This humble one shall cross first.”
Commander Namgung Chim, clearly concerned, stepped forward to inspect the planks.
CRACK!
A rotten plank collapsed beneath the commander’s weight. He spun around, startled.
“Your Majesty, this is perilous. It would be wiser to have the bridge repaired before crossing.”
“I’m fine. I know how to swim.”
“What?”
“I said I know how to swim.”
“Ah… yes.”
Yi Yeon moved lightly, his body fluid as he darted across the swaying gangway. Years of training in martial arts and horseback riding had left him surprisingly nimble. The commander gripped the ropes tightly, ready to leap if necessary.
'Eh?'
At the far end of the gangway waited a ship far larger than the one he had once played on in his previous life—the 120-foot yacht.
'This can berth a hanok-style vessel. Astonishing.'
The swollen river, swollen by the monsoon, looked more like a lake than a river.
'That’s why it’s called the West Lake.'
The first hanok-style vessel he had boarded had proven far more spacious and sturdy than expected. Its deck was only slightly narrower than a tennis court yet vastly longer.
'If only we could bolt on iron plates to the hull, it would be invincible.'
The current was strong enough that the rowers did not even need to use their oars. Without power, however, the ship would be useless. Bolting on iron would add weight and reduce maneuverability.
'I’ll have to figure out how to install a steam engine aboard a hanok-style vessel.'
He did not need to build an entirely new ship; a hanok-style vessel would already be sufficient for coastal work. He continued mulling over the problem as they reached the Hwangcheong estuary on the western shore of Ganghwado.
Yi Yeon waved to the gathered officials from Yeojo. In response, a thunderous voice echoed across the water.
""" L...oyal...ty! """
Yi Yeon flashed a satisfied grin and waved back. Unlike the court officials, the Yeojo personnel followed his instructions without complaint.
'They’ve grown so much.'
When the place had first been established, there had been little more than twenty people. Now the number exceeded five hundred, and in time it might reach a thousand. They were already building a steel mill here, after all.
Once the hanok-style vessel had been moored, Yi Yeon jumped lightly onto the dock. It looked solid. Its foundations rested on bedrock quarried from Ganghwa, and the surface had been treated with Ganghwa cement. Clean, impressive work.
'A difference of heaven and earth.'
The Seogang ferry landing on the Han River and the Hwangcheong estuary could not be compared. He had poured massive investment into the steelworks; after all, it was the foundation of every industry. Cement production had therefore been postponed.
'There are still no carriages, and it’s too early to pave roads.'
Yet Ganghwa itself required a steel mill, so the necessary infrastructure had to be in place first. Since the island was isolated, materials would have to be shipped by sea; sturdy berthing facilities were therefore essential. He had therefore taught King Tokye the rapid-cure cement formula he had developed. The ingredients were all readily available in the vicinity of Ganghwa.
'Listen carefully.'
'Yes, Your Majesty.'
'Mix oyster shells and sand with the lime and clay sent from the capital, then add water after thorough blending. The resulting hard cement will adhere even to stone.'
'Cement, you say?'
'Indeed. It means “quick-hardened mud.” This cement differs in composition from the one we plan to make in the capital, and since it was the first used on Ganghwa, I shall call it Ganghwa cement.'
Yi Yeon intended to use Roman cement that resisted seawater, but he had been unable to obtain volcanic ash. He had therefore altered the recipe. Despite this, word had reached him that the mixture performed admirably in salt water.
The chief of the Yeojo knelt on one knee before him, left hand at his back, right hand over his chest, offering the proper bow.
“I beg Your Majesty’s audience.”
“Good, you’ve worked hard.”
“Not at all. We live happily thanks to Your Majesty’s benevolent care.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The man’s expression and attire left no doubt that he spoke from the heart. His face was flushed, yet his black silk robes lent him an air of dignity. Yi Yeon distributed silk robes to every chief of the Yeojo, each color matched to the district’s specialty.
'No reward means resentment will build.'
He had no desire for blind loyalty; nothing was more dangerous. So he made sure to reward his officials regularly and fairly. He had sheltered those driven from the palace with nowhere else to go, but without commensurate reward they might yet change their minds.
“Then let us depart at once.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Yi Yeon mounted the prepared horse and rode south along the coast. Yet the Yi I who had followed him in silence all the way now spoke.
“Your Majesty, this humble one is most grateful, but where exactly are we headed?”
“To a salt-producing place.”
“What?”
“It is called a salt pan. Once you see it, you will understand.”
“Ah, yes. If it’s a salt pan, does that mean we’re growing salt in the fields?”
“Exactly.”
Yi I tilted his head in confusion and continued to follow in silence. But once they crested the small hill, he could not suppress his gasp.
“Whoa…”
The salt pans, neatly divided into checkerboard plots, glittered white in the sunlight.
“Your Majesty, what is that?”
“Salt fields, I said.”
“Ah…”
The chief of the Yeojo had cleared the mudflats south of the Hwangcheong estuary and turned them into salt pans. The floors and embankments had been paved cleanly with Ganghwa cement and tiles from the capital. No wonder Yi I was astonished. They were not that large—roughly the size of two football fields. Yet warehouses bulged with salt.
“You’ve already produced this much?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Recent rains have reduced output, but previously we could produce twenty-five crates every day.”
Each crate held about twenty kilograms, meaning five hundred kilograms daily. The Yi I standing beside him looked stunned.
“Five hundred kilograms a day? That’s one hundred seventy-seven thousand, or one hundred eighty-two thousand five hundred kilograms in a year. Even accounting for winter when daylight is short and rainy days, that’s still one hundred thousand kilograms annually?”
“Indeed, my lord.”
As expected of the genius Yi I. He had calculated both daylight hours and lunar versus solar calendars.
Yi I bowed deeply before Yi Yeon, offering a respectful salute.
“Your Majesty, this humble one is awestruck.”
“You’re welcome.”
Yi Yeon answered without thinking. Perhaps Yi I had expected more.
“Your Majesty, salt has always been considered as precious as a hundred silver coins. How could you produce so much? This humble one begs for your instruction.”
Yi Yeon frowned in puzzlement.
“You don’t know that evaporating seawater yields salt?”
“How could this humble one not know? The question that concerns me is how to make this salt edible. Your Majesty must have the answer.”
'Of course he would.'
It was inconceivable that the Joseon genius Yi I did not already grasp the principle. He had not yet learned to operate salt pans and produce refined salt, but he had to be familiar with the basic method.
'Still, he’s impressive. Guessing from the piles of salt.'
Anyone else would have dismissed the idea as pointless. The salt they made was inedible by design, yet Yi I had not. The salt produced by his revered king must hold a secret.
“That information is classified. Are you certain you wish to know?”
“My lips will open only for Your Majesty and the country of Joseon.”
Yi Yeon smiled. He was pleased.
“Nothing complicated. Simply let seawater sit for a year; the taste improves.”
“What?!”
“Seawater contains unknown bitter compounds and toxins. Boiling removes them, leaving salt. If left to stand, the impurities naturally rise and are skimmed away.”
“Ah… so that is how it was done. Truly astonishing.”
Yi I asked no further questions. He had probably read it in a book somewhere. Instead he inquired about something else.
“Your Majesty, if such an effective method exists, why produce salt so hastily?”
Yi I watched the chief of the Yeojo fry the dried salt in a hot wok and tilted his head in bewilderment. Burning precious wood when time would have solved the problem was wasteful.
“I brought you here to explain that.”
“Ah… I understand, Your Majesty.”
Yi I was quick on the uptake. With people around, he simply nodded and bowed.
The air was stifling after the end of the monsoon. A pavilion had been built on the hill overlooking the salt pans. Yi Yeon sat beneath it and fanned himself while addressing Yi I.
“Have some.”
“No, Your Majesty.”
Yi I struggled to accept the honor of sitting with the king.
“Do you feel unwell? Perhaps something has entered your system. Eat first.”
“Ah… yes.”
Only then did Yi I pick up his spoon and taste the soup, as if tasting medicine.
“Hot!”
He could not help but exclaim. The crab soup, seasoned with not pepper but chili powder, was pleasantly spicy.
“This humble one is most grateful, Your Majesty.”
Yi Yeon took a hearty swig from the cup at his side and grinned.
“Hot!”
After imitating the sound, he set the cup down and launched into his usual chatter.
“Drinking with a friend in such an enchanting place is wonderful.”
“What?”
“It’s good.”
“Ah, yes.”
In front of Yi I he could speak freely. He rarely showed interest in wonders or new knowledge.
“The season for flower crabs is upon us. Their roe must be delicious too.”
“Ah, yes.”
Yi I first poured wine into the king’s empty cup, then tasted the roe.
“It is truly delicious, Your Majesty.”
“Is it?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Yet why do our people not know this flavor?”
“They must have been told it is harmful, Your Majesty.”
“Exactly. Therefore I intend to mass-produce salt so we can make cheap soy sauce. Fresh flower-crab soup may be beyond them, but soy-sauce crab cakes they can eat.”
“Ah…”
Yi I exhaled in astonishment once more and prostrated himself with utmost respect.
“This humble one admires Your Majesty’s profound care for the people.”
“Hah, don’t be so formal. Drink with me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After a few rounds, Yi Yeon pointed south with a serious expression.
“I will build steel mills and shipyards at the very end.”
“What does Your Majesty mean?”
“I will produce iron and then build ships from it.”
“What?! How do you make ships from iron? Ah…”
Yi Yeon placed his empty cup on a large water bowl. Yi I nodded.
“Water is truly wondrous. The cup sinks until its weight equals the water displaced.”
“Indeed?”
“Exactly. Measure the volume of water displaced and you know the ship’s total weight. Regulate that volume and you standardize ship size.”
Yi Yeon explained the Archimedes principle in detail. Complex calculations would be left to Yi I from now on.
“Truly astonishing. Even the metric system lets us measure everything with water. It is a miracle.”
“That is why we say water is the origin of all things.”
“You are correct. Yet…”
Yi Yeon read the sudden shift in Yi I’s expression and his wine sobered at once.
'What! What! What is he going to ask?'