The Industrial Complex and the Firepower Military Academy (Part 3)
Yi Yeon had sent the glass he produced in Daogye to Gyeonggak to be turned into experimental apparatus. He explained that if you bury a suitable amount of melted glass at the end of a long, hollow iron rod and blow it hard into your mouth, then shape it with iron plates and iron tools, you could make a variety of hollow glass containers. He had not forgotten his warning either.
“Absolutely do not inhale it. If it happens even once, the inside will be scorched to death by the scorching heat, and you will perish in agony. Therefore, you must practice thoroughly with water until you feel confident in your skill, and only then attempt it.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Let me say it again. Rushing into it without preparation could kill you. Do you understand?”
“I shall remember, Your Majesty.”
Perhaps because he had been given a firm fright, no report of any incident had come in yet.
Yi Yeon pointed at the flasks on the table one by one and spoke. “This is a triangular flask, and that one is a round flask. Then there’s the distillation flask, and the volumetric flask. These will be used for chemical experiments in the future, so handle them carefully.”
Yi Yeon did not call the flasks “glass instruments.” The character “glass” contained “gunpowder” and was therefore unsuitable, while “flask” also meant “insulation,” so he simply called them “viewing vessels.”
As expected, Heo Jun’s barrage of questions followed.
“Your Majesty, you called them viewing vessels. What does that mean?”
“Your Majesty, why make them in so many different shapes?”
“Your Majesty, the volumetric flask is for measuring capacity, yet you named it ‘volumetric flask’?”
“Your Majesty, when mixing different substances, they react violently and produce intense heat. Is this similar to the principle of yin and yang?”
Fortunately, no one had asked about men and women, north and south.
Yi Yeon cut off the endless barrage and moved on to the next topic.
“This is a culture plate used for culturing bacteria like Bacillus. It is commonly known as a Petri dish.” He had named the familiar round, flat glass dish a culture plate.
The circular, flat glass dish was used to culture and observe bacteria.
Yet another round of questions began.
Unlike before, this time one sentence was enough; Heo Jun’s imagination had taken flight on its own.
Finally, Yi Yeon walked to the microscope placed by the window. “This is called a microscope. It magnifies even the tiniest things that cannot be seen with the naked eye.”
After meeting Heo Jun, he had given the designs to Gyeonggak and ordered him to make microscopes. “Having that would make life much less troublesome.” He had thought differently from Yi I, who would have analyzed everything without a word.
Heo Jun spoke at length. As he had shown one thing, he had delivered a hundred explanations. That was why he had been given microscopes. “If we research them directly, it will be far less troublesome.” He had thought.
Gyeonggak had gathered only skilled artisans who specialized in precision work. Even so, making the microscopes had been difficult. He had cut the rock crystal into lenses, carved ebony for cylinders and gears, and attached a glass mirror plate underneath, and it had taken three full months.
As expected, even more questions had poured out.
“Is it like a telescope?”
“Correct. But the magnification is more than ten times greater than that.”
“Magnification, you say…” Heo Jun was a genius. He had immediately grasped what microscopes were used for, but he had no idea how to use them. So he had to explain the principle as well. Yi Yeon had tired and raised his hand to cover his mouth. “I’ll show you the proper way to use it directly. Do not ask questions. Check it yourself.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Yi Yeon had ordered one cultured egg to be brought and demonstrated the use himself. “Place the cultured bacteria on this thin glass plate. Adjust the wheels to bring it into focus, and you can observe even the smallest things enlarged. Would you like to try it?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Heo Jun had spun the wheels in excitement, then suddenly cried out loudly. “Ah…” He had asked, “Your Majesty, are these Bacillus?” Yi Yeon had chuckled. “Even a better microscope than this cannot show Bacillus.”
“What? Then what did I see earlier?”
“It must be large bacteria or foreign matter.”
“Then, even with this microscope, it would be useless, wouldn’t it?”
“That is why the culture plate is necessary.”
“What?”
“Tiny bacteria like Bacillus cannot be seen with a microscope, so they must be placed in the culture plate to observe changes, track trends, and judge accordingly.”
“Ah…” Heo Jun had stood with his mouth open for a long time, then, as before, he had written characters in the air and spoken his thoughts. “…Therefore, the smaller the bacteria, the more terrifying it seems.”
“Correct. When you use these viewing vessels for chemical experiments in the future, you will understand. The smaller and unseen something is, the more dangerous it is. Remember this well. When performing chemical experiments, you must first check the ventilation. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After he had explained a few more precautions, Yi Yeon left the Medical Bureau. Even though Heo Jun was talkative, when it came to work he had been careful, and he had ordered Gyeonggak to teach firmly, so there was no risk of an incident.
But the worries filling his mind did not leave. It was not that officials who would submit a remonstrance if something happened. He had shown the inoculated shoulder in the Medical Bureau and said that inoculating this way would prevent smallpox. Of course, someone carrying gold would come and insist on being inoculated first. Yi Yeon had glanced at his still throbbing shoulder. “Even if it is given for free, no one will come.”
After inoculation, for about ten days one must not do strenuous work, so the poor people who struggled to eat would probably not come. “How can I make them come?” He had wondered. But suddenly the forward scouts had reined in their horses. A shout rang out. “You brats! Stop this instant!” Shin Rip had his hand on his sword hilt, and the Naegeumwi officer had drawn his bow. Yi Yeon had also loaded a bullet into his multi-barreled gun and raised it. But the children’s collective crying reached his ears. “Your Majesty, I will investigate what is happening.” One scout had nodded respectfully, then dismounted and run through the narrow market like a brush. A short while later the returning scout reported. “Your Majesty, the children were fighting. You need not worry.” “All right. Good work. But what was the cause?” “Forgive me, Your Majesty. I was unable to ask that.” “I see. I will go myself.” Yi Yeon had followed the massive scout with Shin Rip and the Naegeumwi officer, walking slowly forward. “We must push this aside quickly.”
The streets connected to the Sadaemun Gate had formed a large market, but the market in such a narrow alley was barely wide enough for one horse to pass. Moreover, because the weather was fine, everywhere was crowded. That was why they had planned to build the Gongdan and relocate the people. Even so, when the soldiers rode up in a group, the people had hurriedly packed and fled. If there was any excuse, it would be better. But since the children had been fighting in a group, they had not seen it. “One cannot call children’s fights that.” The royal decree had not been issued. Because incidents like this could occur, when going to the Medical Bureau he had gone the other way. But as dusk approached, he had no choice but to cross the road. The children had knelt submissively, frightened by the swords at their waists. The children who had stopped crying were hiccupping. When traveling without a royal escort, Yi Yeon had been told not to speak of the word “king.” That way the people could see life without filters. The escorting scout had opened his mouth, but Yi Yeon had raised his hand to stop him. He had dismounted. The largest one, he had squatted before the child whose face was streaked with dirt. “Why did you fight?” “Lord, that’s what happened. The running ones took the urine tokens my brother had and demanded more. They beat us without mercy.” “Urine tokens? What are those?” The child blinked with clear eyes. “You really don’t know?” “I’m sorry. I had never heard of it.” The child had tilted his head, then pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket and shown it. “This is the urine token. Thirty stamps give one egg. But I heard the Lord issues them…” Yi Yeon had not understood. In his childhood, when he went to the terminal restroom with his father, there had been a container to collect urine. “That was to make medicine…” The urokinase component in urine prevented blood clotting in blood vessels and was the main ingredient of a stroke treatment. It had been intended for export. But after the flush toilets, everything had disappeared. “I don’t know how to make that medicine. What is it?” It had not been for collecting ammonia either. He had said that urine composition is not very different between children and adults. When Yi Yeon had tilted his head in confusion, the massive scout who had gone to investigate earlier had knelt on one knee and saluted. “Your Majesty, this place is where the Jjokbaji live. That is why they use children’s urine to tan leather.” “Hmm… that could be.” Yi Yeon had turned his head to look at him. “He is enormous.” Even while saluting, his face had been visible. “Who are you?” “This subject is a Naegeumwi officer, Han Geuk-ham.” “He was said to be huge.” He had remembered the unusual name and that he had been famous in Japan after the Japanese invasions. Yi Yeon had risen and said, “Do you have any skill in horse riding?” “I cannot claim great ability.” “Stand up.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” “He is still huge.” Eight feet, or rather less than seven, he had still appeared larger than Shin Rip. During the Imjin War, Katō Kiyomasa had lost the first battle because of the brilliant horsemanship of Han Geuk-ham and the elite cavalry of Hamgyong Province. That was why, in Japan, he was exaggerated as the commander of Joseon and a giant over eight feet. “Take these children with you, investigate the truth in detail, and report.” “I shall obey, Your Majesty.” “Before that, give one chicken to each child. They look very hungry.” “I shall follow the decree, Your Majesty.” Yi Yeon had watched the retreating back of Han Geuk-ham with the children. It had looked like a gigantic chicken leading tiny chicks, which was cute, but the children in ragged clothes had been emaciated, so his heart had ached. “At an age to be loved and spoiled…” He had wanted to do something. But he could not give indiscriminately. Yi Yeon had calculated: if a school were built in the future, he could make tokens like the urine tokens and give one egg for five days of attendance. “Twenty-five thousand stones, seven million won…” He could not give to everyone, but he could comfortably give to about one million people. “No!” Another thought had come. “It would be better to raise chickens at school.” Raising a chicken was something even a small child could do. Just feed them and collect the eggs they laid. “We cannot just raise them.” As he muttered lost in thought, the scouts had turned their heads. It was a common occurrence. In the meantime, Yi Yeon had found a solution to the inoculation issue. * * * The young man with bright eyes approached the Hwringinmun Gate, called Dongdaemun by the people of Hanyang, dismounted, and the gatekeeper had reached out with a tense expression. It was because he wore a large sword. “Show your badge.” “Here it is.” “Are you an applicant for the Firepower Military Academy?” “That is correct.” The gatekeeper had seen the neatly arranged red badge and realized he was an applicant. People like him had been entering for days. “Then enter the city and immediately go south. After a little way, the training ground will appear. Leave the horse there or lead it. There are many people; you may be injured.” “Understood.” Passing through Dongdaemun, he had not gone south but followed the road to Gyeongbokgung to the west. He had not responded to the merchants’ calls at all. Passing Changdeokgung, he had entered Bukchon, where officials lived. He had wandered for a long time, then stopped before the sign with the character “Ryu” and knocked on the door. * * *