Thermodynamics, Revolution, and a 9th Chapter
According to the second law of thermodynamics. Entropy, or disorder, in an isolated system cannot decrease. It either increases over time or remains constant. Even without obeying the entropy law, gluing things together is harder than cutting them apart. It takes relatively more energy to do so. So when I created new hulls, I planned to overlap the steel plates like rivets in the Titanic. This method does not violate the entropy law and would be no harder than forging armor. I knew an even easier approach. Sprinkle cement powder on the steel seams and harden them with cyanoacrylate instant adhesive. 'Things glued that way cannot be pried apart by human hands.' But this method cracks under heavy impact. It may be rock-hard, yet for a vessel constantly battered by waves, it was useless. Still, better than nothing, so I decided to combine both techniques. Overlap the steel plates with rivets. Seal the seams prone to leaking with cement and instant adhesive. I also planned to try another method: calcium carbide welding, which produces acetylene gas (C2H2) when water is sprayed on calcium carbide. Acetylene gas is extremely flammable. Once ignited, it heats to 2,200 degrees Celsius, and with oxygen supplied together, the temperature surges to 3,300 degrees Celsius. Therefore, every iron can be melted and joined using calcium carbide welding. The problem was that producing calcium carbide requires mixing limestone with coke or smokeless coal and heating it above 2,000 degrees Celsius. 'Right now, we have no way to create such extreme heat.' So I abandoned that method. Until we could obtain high temperatures. Yet Yi I, the genius, turned the tables and built me a generator. And he did it instantly, right in front of me. Making an AC generator was also not difficult. Instead of splitting the shaft to create separate poles, I could simply run the negative and positive poles along the shaft and keep them connected with graphite brushes. But the generator I made had terrible efficiency, so I planned to create a three-phase AC generator. 'Once I have that, I can heat up an electromagnetic induction furnace and melt or forge anything.' It was all in middle-school science textbooks, so I would handle it quickly and leave. But I worried that everyone did not yet understand the dangers of electricity. To warn them, I performed a simple short-circuit experiment. That way, no one would dare toy with electricity recklessly. When I shorted a steel rod carrying current, lightning-like sparks erupted and it stuck fast. The lead fuse melted away. Everyone present gasped in shock at the same moment. They had never seen such a sight before. Even at that instant, Yi I seemed to have noticed something and asked, 'Can it bond iron?' 'Of course it can. Just raise the current much higher.' 'Like this, you mean?' 'Yes. Doing so drops the voltage from 100 to 10, but multiplies the current tenfold.' To warn Yi I not only about voltage but also the dangers of current, I wrapped insulated copper wire in a 10:1 ratio on both sides of a square iron plate. Following Faraday and Lenz's laws, I lowered the voltage and raised the current. 'Ah, so that is why you fashioned the fuse with lead?' 'Correct. The heat generated when current passes through a conductor is proportional to the square of the current. The lead, with the lowest melting point, melts first and cuts off the electricity, protecting equipment and people. Therefore, without this lead fuse, one must never perform electrical experiments.' 'Understood, Your Majesty.' I explained the Joule's law of heat (Q = I² R t) to Yi I, but he blinked in astonishment and asked again. 'Your Majesty, could the tip of that iron rod be melted alone? If so, we could firmly join steel plates instead of using rivets.' 'Hmm...' I wanted to try it too. If it were possible... But I knew little about welding. I only knew arc welding from Stephen. And I only knew how to use it. 'Let's research it together.' Thus another month passed. Recalling my memories, I made welding rods. I coated steel rods with a paste of limestone, quartz, fluorite, ferromanganese, and pulp, igniting flames only at the tips. In doing so, I learned why electric welding is called arc welding. 'In other words, it must not be fully attached, but slightly lifted so the arc flame causes the iron to melt?' 'Correct. An arc must be generated to produce intense heat nearby, allowing the iron inside the welding rod to melt and join.' I also discovered that in electric welding, voltage determines the length of the arc and the depth of the joint, while current determines the temperature and speed of the joint. Mixing iron oxide into glass protects the eyes from harmful light produced during welding. Inserting cardboard between copper plates and rolling them creates a capacitor that temporarily stores electricity. Only with that can voltage and current be supplied stably. 'Success! Your Majesty, success!' Yi I did not personally perform the welding, yet one of the artisans from the shipyard, with dazzling hand movements, crafted a splendid electric arc welder. I rewarded that artisan and ordered him to train welders. Emphasizing the dangers of electricity, I bestowed thick leather gloves and work clothes upon him. During that time, I taught Yi I the principles of the three-phase AC generator and induction motor. 'To generate power efficiently with a steam turbine and to use electricity efficiently, it is essential.' Because of that, three months flashed by like arc discharge light. The shipyard repair had only just begun. Having achieved great success at Ganghwado and returned to Hanyang, I could not go to Gyeongbokgung. Because we were expanding the palace using the technologies we had developed so far. Instead, I resided at Heejung Hall in Changdeokgung. My mother ordered me to stay there since the main residence, Daejojeon, the queen's quarters, was empty. But my mother insisted she could not do so, and together with Princess Okhye, she went to Cheonseokjeong Hall. Even today, I greeted the royal court and headed toward Injeongjeon after paying respects at Chun Dangje. The sight of various plants and animals imported from the Ming Dynasty growing vigorously brought me joy, and it had become my daily routine. "His Majesty has arrived..." When the royal barge announced the king's arrival, the ministers who had been conversing with one another hurriedly rose and performed the proper obeisance. "We greet Your Majesty." I sat upon the throne and looked down at each one in turn. Although it had been a long time since I had seen their faces, all of them wore bright expressions. "It seems good things are happening. All of you have happy faces, do you not?" "It is all thanks to Your Majesty's grace." Yeonguijeong Lee Jun-gyeong spoke up in response. All the others nodded to one another, agreeing with his words. They had no choice. The six-legged streets stretching before Gwanghwamun had been renovated with great energy, and new six-legged buildings were under construction. While the north hills between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung were being tidied and new residences for the ministers were being built with the latest facilities, I had promised the ministers, when I departed for Ganghwado, that they would enjoy wealth and glory. I had told them that when they held office, they must dedicate their utmost to the nation's development. Only then would I build them fine houses in pleasant locations and teach them ways to eat and live well for generations to come. "That thinking of yours is most heartwarming. In the meantime, please be seated. I wish to hear of all that has occurred during your absence." "Yes, Your Majesty." The throne room also had long chairs arranged like those in the central palace. From the center, Lee Jun-gyeong knelt and performed the proper obeisance before reporting on matters that had arisen in my absence. "..." "Thus, we are now assigning the newly selected administrators throughout all eight provinces." "Well done. Without your efforts, I would have been deeply worried by the news. The fact that you immediately committed manpower is cause for relief." "It is all thanks to Your Majesty's foresight. Had we not done so, we would have lacked workers and suffered great confusion." Unlike Hanyang, the provinces were not directly influenced by royal authority or the court. That was why, among the dispatched administrators, quite a few proved corrupt. And the corrupt local heads who colluded with them to plunder the people were far too numerous. Therefore, I ordered that local heads receive stipends equal to the ninth rank. Since nothing was given and only work was demanded, they had no choice but to look the other way when corruption occurred, and thus they grew even bolder. Now, there was no need to tolerate their behavior. With stipends provided, there was a strong justification for strict enforcement. As a result, nearly one hundred corrupt administrators and more than five hundred corrupt local heads were caught and sent to the coal mines. Those positions were now filled by the newly selected administrators. I had foreseen such things. Because I had received reports from the Suhoguk. That was why I had ordered one thousand more administrators to be selected. With them in place, the confusion subsided rapidly. In truth, the tasks of provincial administrators were neither many nor particularly difficult. Formally, they oversaw administration, justice, and military, but their primary duty was collecting and managing taxes. That was why the local heads who became provincial administrators had turned into sources of corruption. I decided to separate each of these one by one. The most important matter was military affairs. "Next is the recruitment and management of the defense army. Commander Pan, will you please report?" "Yes, Your Excellency." This time, Jeong Da-nyeon rose to report. "..." "Thus, the total number of defense army members recruited is one hundred twenty-eight thousand four hundred twenty-seven. Of that number, ten thousand have been assigned to the Hwaryeokgun, and thirty thousand have been allocated to the peace-keeping army." "Well done. Then, the management of the peace-keeping army is to be handled by the Ministry of Justice?" "Yes, Your Majesty. Henceforth, matters related to peace and order shall be managed separately by the peace-keeping supervisors dispatched by the Ministry of Justice." "So you have been absent from court?" "Yes, Your Majesty. The Commander of the Capital Garrison, Namgung Chim, has been touring the provinces to inspect the peace-keeping army." The new Head of the Ministry of Justice, Namgung Chim, had received my orders and was transforming the peace-keeping army into an independent organization. Whereas in border regions, the defense army was primarily responsible for guarding the frontiers. Therefore, I had reassigned soldiers from the district and regional garrisons to the peace-keeping army, restricting their duties solely to peace and order. If I had kept them under the provincial administrators, they would have become their servants and committed wrongdoing without question. It was decided to keep them under central control. Additionally, I ordered that large-scale public works such as transplanting rice or harvesting grain be decided independently by the peace-keeping supervisors without consulting provincial administrators. Labor must be compensated, and the compensation must be used for the welfare of the peace-keeping army. Only then could the peace-keeping army gain public support, and only then would it be impossible for them to commit corruption. That would strengthen royal authority even further. The ministers understood this and did not oppose it. On the contrary, they requested the Inspector General's Office to investigate and expose corrupt officials. As tax revenues surged geometrically, they felt the nation was becoming prosperous, and they believed the king would reward them accordingly. "Hmm, so that is how it turned out." "Yes, Your Majesty. Unlike Hanyang, there were no city guards in the provinces, so local officials worried about peace and order. However, those concerns need no longer exist." "Well done. However, you must never plunder the people as before." "That concern is also unnecessary. The Inspector General's Office has decided to dispatch inspectors on an ad hoc basis." The Inspector General's Office was to audit only those related to the royal family. Yet according to the reports sent by Sim Ui-gyeom, it appeared they were monitoring all administrative organizations. I wondered what had happened, but since they seemed to be doing well, I left it be. No ministers questioned it. Next, Chief Minister of the Ministry of Taxation Hong Dam rose to report. "Your Majesty! The total tax revenue collected last year, when converted to rice, exceeds four million bushels by a small margin. Yet for the first half of this year alone, tax revenue from trade and commerce exceeds three million bushels." "Is that so?" "Yes, Your Majesty. Therefore, we may build additional industrial complexes. Otherwise, the industrial complexes under construction in Hanyang will soon reach capacity." "So you are building the Hwaryeokgongdan?" The Hwaryeokgongdan centered on Geompo could accommodate two hundred thousand residents. Thus, I had believed it would sufficiently accommodate the growing population. "That is true, yet it too will soon be filled." "Is that so?" "Yes, Your Majesty. The number of people is increasing far more rapidly than expected." "How many?" "There is no house without children, they say." "Is that so?" "Yes, Your Majesty." "What..." My calculation was wrong. And it was a massive error. 'I should have considered the children...' * * *