Progress and Expansion (2)
Yi Yeon saw it.
The sight of countless people along the coast prostrating themselves in worship.
He felt puzzled.
It was only after Hyewonggun arrived that he mentioned going to Hanyang.
So Yi Sun-sin, who was accompanying him back to Hanyang, asked,
"How did you know to come out like that?"
"According to the scout reports, it has been like this for three days."
"Really?"
"Yes, Your Majesty the Superintendent. To be safe, I had it investigated, and it seems rumors have spread that Hyewonggun has come to see Your Majesty, and that Your Majesty will return to Hanyang."
"How extraordinary..."
Yi Yeon nodded, recalling the phrase "collective intelligence."
He had heard before that baseless rumors could spread like wildfire, and it seemed to fit.
It had been exaggerated to absurdity, but...
Regardless, he did not know who had spread such rumors, yet the power of collective intelligence from his previous life echoed in his mind.
He had originally planned to return to Hanyang with Jeong Geol.
But Yi Sun-sin had pleaded,
"Superintendent, the Internal Affairs Minister, Lee Jun-gyeong, is the one who arranged my marriage. That is why I wish to go see him. I humbly request your permission."
Yi Yeon had immediately agreed.
The achievements in this war were great, but he wanted to commend Yi Sun-sin for remembering the help received.
There was no need for concern.
The Seto Strait was to be patrolled by Kwon Jun of the Second Marine Division, and Donggyeong Port would be guarded by Jeong Geol who remained behind.
Yet the same thing happened even on Joseon soil.
Wherever the Heoxin passed, common people came out shouting "Long live!"
After passing Busanpo and Mokpo, arriving at Hanyang, Yi Yeon immediately headed to Lee Jun-gyeong's residence.
Although the sun had already set, he had heard of the minister's critical condition and hurried over.
When Lee Jun-gyeong heard that the king had arrived, he opened his eyes with difficulty and spoke,
"Yi Yeon... hah..."
"Yes, it's me."
Yi Yeon took the hand offered by Lee Jun-gyeong with both of his own.
Heat still remained, but he could not tell when it would cool.
Despite this, the minister gathered strength and said,
"Yi Yeon... this old minister has no regrets even in death."
"No. That cannot be."
"Indeed, Yi Yeon... this old minister seems to have reached the time to depart. The greatest worry this old minister had was the factional strife, and since Your Majesty resolved it, this old minister can depart in peace."
He struggled to speak, gasping for breath for a long time before continuing,
"...And I heard that Japan has been incorporated into our Joseon. How truly remarkable. Even the Khan of the Yuan Dynasty could not achieve this..."
For a moment, Lee Jun-gyeong's eyes sparkled.
Then, with a satisfied expression, he slowly closed his eyes.
From all directions, loud wails of grief began, and tears welled in Yi Yeon's eyes as well.
At seventy-four, it was almost a miracle.
In this era, people who lived to that age were extremely rare.
Yet Yi Yeon felt his heart ache.
With his help, he had become king,
With him, the country had been stabilized,
With his counsel, the nation had been developed to this extent,
And simply having him by his side had kept him from feeling lonely.
Now, he had left.
He had wanted to show the world a Joseon that would conquer the Ming and become the sole empire in East Asia.
"I will bestow the posthumous title of Loyal and Upright upon Internal Affairs Minister Lee Jun-gyeong. Send him off with proper rites. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Yi Yeon ordered that the burial plot be established on the mid-slope land in Palbang-ri near Lee Jun-gyeong's hometown.
So that the future Palbang Dam and the Ming that would be conquered in the future might be watched over.
* * *
After one year, Gyeongbokgung had changed so much that it was unrecognizable.
Behind the Queen's residence, Gyeongtaejeon, was a wide flower field flanked by a round path made of wisteria, and beyond that, a wide pond like Gyeonghuireu, with the newly built three-story Xiangyuanjeong.
Yi Yeon led the Queen up to the second floor.
The third floor was too hot.
He quickly opened the shutters attached to the walls.
Then, fans hanging from the ceiling began to spin, and one after another, rectangular openings on the wall emitted cool air.
The Queen looked at it in surprise and asked,
"Your Majesty, truly wondrous."
"What is it?"
"Today is the end of summer's dog days, and being able to feel such cool air is hard to believe."
"Is it better than the fan?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. The fan only blows hot air, but the air from there is very cool."
Yi Yeon had hastily made a wind machine because the Queen was suffering in the heat.
The wind reflected off the water flowing along the wall.
"There's some splashing, but is it okay?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. It is fine. It feels even cooler as it dries."
"Still, a lot of water splashes. Wait a little. I'll change it to one that doesn't splash and blows even cooler air."
"No, Your Majesty. This is enough."
Yi Yeon looked at the Queen with a pleasant smile, then gently kissed her.
She was lovely because her heart was as kind as her appearance.
"I'm sorry."
"Huh? What is...?"
"I couldn't be with you."
"No, Your Majesty. Just that you returned healthy is enough to make me happy."
Yi Yeon lightly kissed the Queen's forehead as she nestled close.
Then the Queen timidly asked,
"Your Majesty, where are you going this time?"
"How did you know?"
"Your Majesty..."
She could not continue, embarrassed, and lowered her eyes.
Yi Yeon stroked her head.
"I must go north for a while."
"Because of the Ming?"
"No. There is something called petroleum flowing from the north, which will be very important for the development of this country. So I am going to check on its status."
Currently, petroleum was being extracted from the lower reaches of the Yoha River and transported to Geompo Industrial Complex.
Naphtha, kerosene, diesel, and heavy oil produced from it were stored, and asphalt was being used immediately upon production.
Sand mixed with asphalt would be sprinkled on newly built roads to make them solid.
Some of the naphtha would also be used to produce basic compounds like benzene, toluene, xylene, or phenol called BTX.
Compared to making acetylene from tar, the process was much simpler.
And factories were being built to produce ethylene, propylene, and acetylene as well.
With those, almost any hydrocarbon compound could be synthesized.
But they had to be saved.
Although there was an efficient steam engine, drilling for petroleum was still under development.
However, a report came in that there was an open oil field much wider than expected in the lower reaches of the Yoha River.
It seemed the cap rock surrounding the oil field had cracked and released the petroleum.
Without seeing it himself first, he could not be certain.
Since no one was available to decide on utilization plans, he decided to go and judge for himself.
Originally, he had planned to make acetylene from tar and hydrogenate it to produce ethylene.
The process was far more complex than from petroleum, but there was a stockpile of tar from manufacturing coal gas.
Meanwhile, rubber was being produced from Russian dandelion, and carbon black was being made from tar for that.
To make durable and usable shoes and tires, carbon black had to be mixed with rubber.
Because of this, tar was now in short supply.
Even though more asphalt coal was being mined in Munsan than before.
And the iron production had increased by the same amount, yet iron was still in shortage.
Because there were enormous iron-consuming facilities besides ships, trains, and railroads.
* * *
At the half-gold outpost built in the lower reaches of the Yoha River.
Gwon Yul, standing on the watchtower, smiled broadly.
Because Hwang Jin, who had been like a soulmate to him despite their age difference, was visible at the head of the approaching cavalry.
"Welcome. General Hwang Jin."
"How have you been? General Kwon Yul."
"Fine. Thanks to you, I've been well. By the way, I heard you caught a tiger with one arrow—congratulations, brother-in-law."
"Aigoo! No, older brother. It was less than a cat."
After exchanging pleasantries,
Hwang Jin looked at the huge barrels stacked high and asked,
"Is this it?"
"Yes, that's correct. Anyone approaching this place must be eliminated without exception. Even if you set it on fire, it will cause a panic."
"Understood, older brother. I will guard this place with my life."
"Never fire a shot."
"Yes, older brother, I know that much."
Yi Yeon had ordered one-millimeter-thick steel plates produced for petroleum storage and transport to make drums.
At first, they used jars for transport.
But it exposed many problems.
Jars would collide and shatter even in a small wind.
That's why it was decided to make them of steel.
Making ships and trains and laying railroads was urgent, but safe petroleum transport was even more so.
Because of this, the people at Geompo Industrial Complex called the drum factory the "sea cucumber factory."
They said there was a monster that ate iron.
"Brother-in-law, but I think the Ming did something."
"Yes, brother-in-law. That's why I called you. We must capture them and investigate to know the exact truth."
On the condition of receiving Liaodong from the Ming, they had agreed not to trade with Mongolia.
The Ming had set that condition to prevent Mongolia from attaching itself to Joseon.
Yet Mongol merchants kept coming.
Despite Beijing being right after crossing the Gobi Desert, they crossed the Greater Khingan Range to reach here instead.
At first, they said they came thinking there was a trading district here.
But they kept coming even after.
Even after repeatedly being told it was a border outpost.
"Hmm... it seems like the Ming's doing, brother-in-law."
"Do you think so too, brother-in-law?"
"Yes, older brother. Coming when they can't sell anything or buy anything must be an attempt to create some pretext."
"Indeed, brother-in-law's thinking matches mine. I saw it as an attempt to invalidate the contract by looking for Liaodong again."
"I heard the new emperor is about ten years old—might his idea be from him?"
"It doesn't seem so."
"Then, perhaps Zhang Juzheng, his tutor?"
Gwon Yul nodded at Hwang Jin's question.
He did not know how, but when the new emperor ascended the throne, Zhang Juzheng was driven out by calling him a rebel, and even his head was cut off.
And then he gave all the property he had to the new emperor.
Because of this, Zhang Juzheng had seized all real power in the Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, there was no one else who could have schemed such a thing.
Why they schemed it was unknown, but...
"Anyway, before Your Majesty the Superintendent arrives, we will capture them and investigate."
"Yes, brother-in-law. But we must be careful. Their horsemanship is not ordinary."
"Older brother! Our Hwaryeokgun cavalry is not to be underestimated either."
"Still, we must be careful. They might have set traps."
"Yes, older brother."
* * *
Yi Yeon, who had transferred from the Heoxin to a small boat, scanned his surroundings while approaching the lower reaches of the Yoha River.
It was an oil sea everywhere.
"Hmm... that's why no one lived here."
He had known the Yoha River was the birthplace of the Yoha civilization, but he had received reports that no one lived there.
So he had immediately ordered extraction and transport of the crude oil.
The western side of the Yoha River was Ming territory, but after circling for a long time, no one saw anything but black oil.
After circling even longer, he could finally confirm the reason.
It seemed only one place was leaking, whether because of an earthquake or some other reason, but the cap rock surrounding the oil had cracked, and the petroleum was flowing out.
But there was a problem.
"Which river is this Yoha River?"
Because of the black oil, the place was uninhabitable, so no one knew which stream was the Yoha River.
When Yi Yeon returned to the Heoxin, he told the messenger,
"You go immediately to Kwon Yul and tell him to move the outpost to that place."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
As the messenger boarded the boat and left, Yi Yeon smiled faintly and pointed to the river flowing farthest west, saying loudly so everyone could hear,
"From now on, that is the Yoha River. Understand?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The new Yoha River was fifty kilometers farther west than the originally designated one.
And between them, black oil floated everywhere.