Innovation and Revolution (21)
History would have seen Yi Hwang already dead by now from overwork. But somehow he was still alive, and healthier than ever. The reason was simple. Unlike Yuan Haeng, who had been juggling court positions and pulling strings with the king, Yi Hwang had been scolded by His Majesty over his accumulating wealth and slaves. To fix that mess, he had taken to traveling the Eight Provinces, shouting for the abolition of the slave system, and eating his fill along the way. Mostly meat. It had not been ordered by anyone. Once his image of moral purity was exposed as a lie, he started worrying about food first. Thinking that if he died like this, it would be a regret too heavy to bear, he had stubbornly looked after himself, managing his diet and health. As a result, his tired body had improved, and he had received a new official post. It was not the one he had wanted. “Your Majesty! You have truly done something enormous!” From the newly built Paju Port on the lower Han River all the way to Ganghwa Island’s Hwadu Port, Yi Hwang had not uttered a single word. His exclamation now came out in a shout. He had been staring at the construction sites along the north bank of the Han River and the weir projects. The scale was staggering, enough to make anyone stare in amazement. Yet he felt nothing. The castle was built by stacking stones, then filling the gaps with simanto. But the view of Hwadu Port from afar was completely different. Along the coast, row after row of buildings towered over the Gyeongbokgung’s Jeonjeon, far larger. Houses lined along the mountain ridges with their bright white walls and beautiful blue roof tiles looked almost too beautiful to behold. That was why he had been about to speak. “What about that?” His Majesty pointed, and Yi Hwang turned his gaze to a massive ship floating in the water. It was painted entirely white. “Your Majesty! What in the world is that ship?” “It is the Innovation Three, the one we will ride to the future.” “Eh?” Surprised, Yi Hwang looked at the king, who smiled faintly and explained. “Innovation One and Two were made by converting and improving old panoksons, but this Innovation Three is entirely made of iron. How is that for beauty? Does it not please you?” “It… it does please me. But how can a ship made only of iron float like that?” “Do bronze bowls not float in water?” “That is true, yet the sizes are different, are they not?” “In science, size does not matter. It is the principle that counts.” “Ah…” Yi Hwang had spent his days studying Seongrihak, trying to grasp the truths of the world. Holding a single sentence from the classic texts, he had argued one side or the other. He had believed that only by fully understanding it could he transform the world. But that was not how it was. He had not even solved the problem of eating. Yet the science the king spoke of had done exactly that. A sudden hatching technique for chicks had fed every single person without needing eggs or chicken meat. A method of raising and transplanting separate mulberry seedlings had massively increased rice production. Thanks to it, eating rice was no longer a point of pride. It was not the only thing. Even without digging up the earth to stir every village, vast quantities of saltpeter, the raw material for gunpowder, had been produced. Thanks to that, every government roof in the Eight Provinces now bore blue roof tiles. Because of it, the people now called government offices Cheongwagong or Cheongwajip. They no longer looked up at the Ming as their superior nation, nor feared it. Even though Yi Hwang had not been in an official post and did not know how things ran, rumors were already spreading that Joseon’s military strength surpassed that of the Ming. All of this, the king had said, was thanks to the science he had been talking about to his ministers again and again. No matter what it was, it looked magnificent. “Your Majesty, what exactly is science?” “Hm… The study of the structure, properties, and laws of matter can be called science. In easy terms, it is the research into ways for people to live comfortably.” “If living comfortably makes one lazy, will it not?” “That is not the case. Laziness means abandoning one’s duties. Is there anyone who, because something is easy, throws away what they should be doing? They find other things instead.” “There are people who do that.” “The slaves, you mean?” “Yes, Your Majesty.” “It is because they lack hope.” “Eh?” Yi Hwang looked puzzled, and the king sighed. His mind still seemed full of distrust toward slaves. “As I have said before, if I made slaves of the people, what would you do?” “Th-that…” “You would probably try to kill me. Why?” “Ah…” Yi Hwang let out another exclamation. Looking at it with a changed perspective, he immediately understood. Why the slaves behaved as they did. He had spent all his time fitting everything in the world to Seongrihak. Yet listening to the king, he realized his own thinking had become rigid. That was why he had been about to speak, but the king asked instead. “Why do you think I reject the Seongrihak you pursue?” “Th-that…” “I was never meant to be king. I became one by chance.” “Your Majesty!” Yi Hwang called out in surprise. Those words should never have been spoken, and he should never have heard them. Yet the king looked up at the sky and continued. “I know the saying that the seeds of kings, marquises, generals, and ministers are not separate. What does that mean? That everyone can become king or prime minister?” “However…” Yi Hwang wanted to say something, but it would not come out. No matter how he phrased it, it would oppose Seongrihak teachings and could even mark him as a traitor. Yet the king spoke as if it mattered not at all. “Because of that, my ancestor Taejo established Joseon after overthrowing the previous dynasty and took Seongrihak as its foundation. Only then would people like me not appear.” “Your… Your Majesty!” Yi Hwang’s eyes shook violently. The words of a traitor coming from the king’s mouth. “But when I became king, I understood why my ancestor took Seongrihak as its foundation. Do you know what it was?” “That was…” Again, Yi Hwang could not continue. He knew that Taejo had allied with those who followed Seongrihak, who wanted to topple the rotten previous dynasty, to strengthen royal power. But it was a word that could never leave his mouth. “I saw it as a way to survive. The teachings of Seongrihak clearly defined the relationship between ruler and subject and firmly established the hierarchical order. But because of it, the flow of the world stopped. Anyone who rejected Seongrihak as heresy was rejected by everyone.” Yi Hwang could not speak any word. Because it was the truth. Still, it was too harsh a statement. So he asked in a questioning tone. “However, Your Majesty, if there were no Seongrihak, the world would again fall into chaos.” “Even after seeing this, you can still say that?” As the panokson they had ridden approached the dock, the people waiting could be seen in greater detail. Faces round and full, welcoming them with mad excitement. It was unbelievable. Yi Hwang knew that most people on Ganghwa Island were slaves by birth. Yet they were raising their hands high and shouting “Long live!” without end. It was completely different from the slaves who had always bowed their heads and watched him nervously. “Do you know why they are like this?” “It must be because they are well-fed and living well, is it not?” “Correct. More important than scholarship is eating and living. But until now we have not been able to do that. Do you know why?” “Because of Seongrihak?” “You may say so. Seongrihak is not a study that solves the problem of eating and living, yet we only studied and learned that. So was there no choice but to fight each other to eat more?” “Ah… One can see it that way.” Yi Hwang could not help nodding. Seongrihak was supposed to teach people the way to live, but it had nothing to do with eating and living. That was why resource shortages had caused constant disputes over who would have more, and the resulting political strife had killed countless people. “I will say it again: stagnant water mixes. But our Joseon was immersed only in Seongrihak. Just one form of it, Zhu Xi’s school, the birthplace of Seongrihak itself. How could I not like that? It does not help with eating and living at all?” “Ah…” Now Yi Hwang finally understood why the king spoke such harsh words so easily. What the king had truly wanted was not the rejection of Seongrihak. It was the problem of eating and living. To solve that, he had no choice but to reject those who followed Seongrihak’s rigid rules. People like him. But a question arose. “Your Majesty, why do you wish to send this subject to the barbarians?” “Right now this country has no trouble with the ruler-subject relationship because of Seongrihak. However, the barbarians are in chaos. Treachery and usurpation run rampant in a lawless world. So go there and fix it.” “Does that mean to spread Seongrihak to the barbarians?” “That is correct. As for eating and living, I will handle it myself. You teach them to serve and follow Joseon. Only then will this country enjoy peace, will it not?” “Ah…” Now Yi Hwang finally understood the king’s intention in sending him to the barbarians. Appointed not as Foreign Ministry director but as head of the First Department. “Your Majesty! Your grace is boundless!” Yi Hwang bowed deeply on the deck and performed the full kowtow. No matter what, the king who had acknowledged him was grateful. Until now he had thought the king hated him because of Seongrihak, wealth accumulation, and the slave issue. But that was not it. The king had seen that Seongrihak was no longer needed in a Joseon where the ruler-subject relationship was already established and that it had only become a harm to the country. But the barbarians were in a completely different situation. Even there, they said they valued scholars and encouraged learning, but it seemed hollow. Otherwise they would not repeatedly commit usurpations and proudly call it something to boast about. If Joseon absorbed those barbarians under such conditions, what would happen? Greater chaos would inevitably come. That was why he had been sent. To enlighten them. In a way, it was a great opportunity. One that would be remembered in history. The ship docked at the pier, and when Yi I disembarked, the people who had come to greet them joined their hands together and bowed deeply in respect. “We greet Your Majesty!” They had not kowtowed, but their voices were loud enough to shake heaven and earth. Yi Yeon waved back with a pleased smile. Meanwhile, Yi I and Kim Ji approached and bowed again. “Your Majesty, this humble one is late in preparation and feels ashamed.” “No. Much faster than I expected, yet I could not believe it even after hearing.” “You flatter me. But…” Yi I looked surprised at Yi Hwang and hesitated, then gave a slight nod as if recognizing him. Without the king, he would have been so happy he would have hugged him. Yi Hwang smiled brightly and bowed politely to Yi I. Their age difference was large, yet once they had argued fiercely over swords and spears, so they respected each other. Watching that, Yi Yeon led the way and said. “We leave tomorrow, so save the conversation for later. Show me the telegraphic device first.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” The daimyo who had sworn to serve Joseon had been gathered, but the fighting among them had prevented their transport. On the way there, they might have started a sword fight. Gathering all weapons would have been easy, yet those without swords refused, saying they were already dead. That was why it had been delayed day after day, until finally Yi I had decided to go himself. There had been many who kept demanding to follow only after swearing loyalty to the Joseon king. On the hill overlooking the steel mill and shipyard stood a building of yellow brick. A large sign reading “Joseon Electric Research Institute” hung at its entrance. Yi Yeon entered the building and then stopped, staring at the lightning rod attached to the very top. When he told Yi I that an electromagnet could send news from ten thousand ri away instantly, Yi I had immediately installed the telegraph pole. But lightning strikes and fires happened often. The copper wire running along the tall pole had become the lightning’s target. So Yi Yeon had told him about the lightning rod. A copper rod installed at the highest point, with the connected wire buried underground, would disappear without trace even if struck by lightning. Entering the building, the sound of “tic tic” rang out continuously. Yi Yeon looked at the rapidly moving electromagnet and smiled with delight. “Where does the signal come from?” “From Dukpojin in Geompo.” “Dukpojin, you say?” “Yes, Your Majesty. The straight-line distance here is just over thirteen kilometers, but the distance connected by the telegraph poles is about fifteen kilometers.” Yi I had told him the telegraph had been developed and was still in experimental stage. But Yi Yeon had not expected it to be connected across the Ganghwa Strait to Geompo for experiments. “You always surprise me.” “You flatter me, Your Majesty.” Again, Yi I smiled as if it were nothing special. Yi Hwang tilted his head in confusion, not understanding what was said. But his eyes remained fixed on the moving electromagnet, his expression as startled as if he had seen a ghost. * * *