Chapter 112
Chapter 112
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Farewell, and Thank You for the Fish
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Park Sangsoon had managed to secure some whalebone through smuggling, putting out the immediate fire.
But the quantities available through smuggling were extremely limited, and relying on overseas imports indefinitely was too unstable.
Trade volumes in this era were predictable anyway. Even official imports like water buffalo horns were a big deal at ten pieces per shipment. In the end, they had to hunt whales themselves.
That's why he'd notified the Matsuura clan that he'd join the next trade voyage.
It had been a while since he'd shown his face, so this would build some trust. Plus, he'd command the Liberation Detachment and do some whaling on the side.
The loyal subject who spared no effort for his body submitted a resolute memorial to the court and departed Seoul.
Officially, it was a military inspection trip to check if the Dutch ship's deployment to Ulleungdo had gone smoothly, if the sailors had gotten the hang of navigation, and if there were any areas for improvement.
Honestly, it wasn't even under the Military Armory's purview, but he'd leveraged the Crown Prince's backing to push it through. When they asked, "Then do you want to go?" no one was raising their hand anyway.
Since the excuse was a hard one to fabricate, he needed to get as much done as possible this time.
Civil service exams don't cover zoology. Confucius never said a word about whales.
So what gave Kim Unhaeng, who knew jack squat about whales, the confidence to fake an official trip and embark on the grand adventure of whaling? Skills, of course.
He couldn't ignore the prick of conscience at stabbing a friendly whale in the back, but he muttered that if anyone was to blame, blame the status window, and put his qualms to rest.
He'd even boasted loudly to Han Jung-ryang, who was fretting over their first-ever whale hunt.
"General, just head back to Uljin, let the troops rest, repair the ships, and wait for me. Our family has passed down encyclopedic knowledge through generations—nothing escapes our understanding of beasts."
Which was why he felt like a beast himself as he pondered it.
The only ones harboring doubts were a couple of Dutch sailors.
Han Jung-ryang and the Joseon marines were impressed. They whispered among themselves.
"As expected of the Jangdong Kim clan's secret family arts! Their pigeon training is legendary, after all."
"I hear even the Falconers' Guild secretly brings hawks to Jangdong."
"Don't spread it around too much—it's not befitting for yangban dignity. My uncle once visited their house and asked the master (Kim Yonggyeom) for the secrets, only to get an earful."
"Your uncle sure lacks tact. Who spills family lore like that?"
And so Han Jung-ryang, the marines, and even Kim Unhaeng had no worries about the whaling itself.
At least, not until they actually encountered a whale off Uljin after Kim Unhaeng joined them.
The ninth and tenth lunar months, when he arrived, were migration season. Whales from the Okhotsk Sea were heading south through the East Sea to the South China Sea for winter.
These whales, as seen in hemispheric rock art, hugged close to the coast off Ulsan—in other words, the Gyeongsang Province waters.
And Uljin, the Liberation Detachment's base under Wolsong, wasn't far offshore from there.
So Kim Unhaeng and the marines stumbled upon whales easily, blissfully unaware of their incredible luck.
But that was as far as it went.
It wasn't about abandoning his conscience or not.
The ghost whales—fifteen meters long, forty tons each—weren't about to let puny humans arrogantly classify them as prey.
Stay calm.
Rationally speaking, they're only half the size of our ship. And lighter, too.
But needing to compare them to a "warship" already amplified the terror.
The whales repeatedly thrust their grotesquely massive heads above the surface, spewing misty water and vanishing like ghosts. That must be why they're called ghost whales.
It was scenery worthy of every ocean documentary. The sheer intimidation was on another level from any screen.
He could use his skill.
From experience, the activation range of "Beast Blood Affinity" matched the distance at which he and the animal could perceive each other.
Given the whales' size, that recognition distance stretched to ridiculous long-range distances—nothing to worry about on land.
But then what?
Even if he lured them in with the skill and blasted them with cannon fire, he had no confidence in a one-shot kill (harpoons were out of the question—might as well try killing a cow with a needle).
Dutch cannons or Joseon breech-loaders made no difference against that bulk.
It was obvious: "Bullets too small, humans..." and then it'd smash the ship.
Even if he lucked into a vital spot, what about the enraged whale friends who'd go berserk beyond control?
Dutch sailor Uyst van der something approached again, pleading.
"In our country, they're called devil fish. Ferocious beasts—they don't flee from whalers; they charge back. Even worse if they're with calves. We should retreat."
Apparently, the Dutch East India Company had inherited some duties from the old Northern Company whalers. So they hunted whales and people.
"I didn't expect them this far east, but if the waters resemble the North Atlantic, you might find easier minke whales. If you need baleen, hunt those instead."
Hm. Sound advice.
But backing down now on a barbarian's word would cost him face.
Truth be told, the guy had been singing this tune since Uljin, but Kim Unhaeng had ignored him to land a big score and snag lots of baleen.
He'd even smacked him quiet for being annoying. Admitting defeat now would look bad.
But he didn't have long to mull it over.
"Staying here long is dangerous anyway. They don't fear people—if they spot a ship, they approach... L-Look at that!"
As he turned, screams erupted from several marines.
"One's heading straight here!"
"What are the rowers doing?!"
"No oars on board—where are the rowers?! Hurry and haul the sails!"
"Wind's against us!"
"Ugh, it's splashing and rocking the ship!"
"Damn this red-arsed whale bastard!"
That's when a brilliant solution hit him.
He strode to the bow, forcing a calm expression.
"Your Western shallow knowledge is useless. Behold the Way of Heaven-Earth Resonance. All comes down to sincerity—bring those herring and sardines we caught en route to the rail."
Uyst expressed all the world's skepticism with his facial muscles alone.
Makes sense—can't speak well, so face skills leveled up. What a faithless punk.
Even Han Jung-ryang tried to stop him.
"Get back here! If that whale rams while you're there, you'll fall right in!"
He ignored them all.
Instead, he unfurled a fan for dramatic effect.
Kim Unhaeng ordered them to shovel out the fish he'd been saving without mercy.
Baleen whales didn't eat only krill—herring or sardines were basically plankton to them. (Kim Unhaeng didn't know that.)
Han Jung-ryang nearly shouted that no monster would be tamed like a stray dog over food.
Honestly, the amount was pitiful—just an appetizer. Once it got a taste, the whale's next craving was obvious.
But the whale that gulped the fish pile didn't opt for humans as the main course.
And it wasn't just because ghost whales don't eat people.
Moments later, the Wolsong Liberation Detachment marines witnessed a sight they'd never forget.
Their bodies began to tremble.
It had nothing to do with emotions or nerves—purely physical.
The whale let out a low, deliberate moan toward one direction, plain as day even to human eyes.
It was a song heard not with ears, but through the body.
Han Jung-ryang, who'd heard tiger roars, found this far more overwhelming. But unlike those, it carried no hostility or fear.
Kim Unhaeng calmly folded his fan.
"Now turn the ship slowly. Head that way, and we'll find smaller whales."
Confidence like he'd chatted with the whale itself.
Less faith in Kim Unhaeng than a desperate urge to flee the monsters, the marines moved fast.
And sure enough, a pod of minke whales appeared soon after.
Uyst and Jan Ferridon stared at Kim Unhaeng, forgetting to hurl harpoons.
But shockingly, no one whipped the barbarian slaves to work harder.
The other marines were doing the same.
"This goes beyond family secrets. Did he study sorcery somewhere?!"
Even the level-headed Han Jung-ryang thought so; no need to mention the rest.
No one suspected, "Scared of the big ones, so bribed them for easier prey?"
Matsuura Keisen arrived at Ulleungdo with an extra military hanger-on and tried to hide his dismay. He failed.
"Did you need that much personally to join the hunt?"
Kim Unhaeng glanced at the two minke whales being dismantled by Joseon troops. Deliberately so.
"Not quite, but since we caught them, no reason to waste. Don't worry—I won't reject the whalebone you brought."
Kim Unhaeng flashed a sly smile right out of Keisen's expectations.
Minke whales didn't even need skills, making his grin all the more genuine. Keisen felt sour.
"But I can't pay top price. Turns out they're not that rare—why'd you charge so much last time?"
Keisen protested.
"I never inflated the price. Joseon troops have big, fast ships and agile men, so it was easy for you. Normally, whaling risks life and limb per catch."
"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm not rejecting it. Bring more next time."
Kim Unhaeng's casual tone made him look like a victor who'd already slashed the price in half.
And Keisen had no counter.
Smuggling scales tip toward muscle and firepower.
The Matsuura clan couldn't match this Joseon navy—or pirate fleet. Why drag warships to a smuggling meet?
The obstacles weren't just Western ships, warships, and fierce marines.
To Keisen, the place was already a prime naval base.
Drying racks strung with salted sardines and herring, turnip patches, even proper buildings—it was deliberate.
Full-on colonization of Ulleungdo. Keisen tensed.
"Joseon closing official trade routes and expanding outward? Our clan needs eyes on this. Tweak the report for the shogunate..."
Reality differed slightly from Keisen's assumption.
Behind Han Jung-ryang's billion-nyang poaching fleet were wealthy backers.
Profits from Ulleungdo were huge and well-known.
Han Jung-ryang and Park Sangsoon had rallied some, pooling funds on Kim Unhaeng's orders.
But Keisen, ignorant of internal Joseon affairs, figured the court—via Kim Unhaeng's influence—was building a military outpost here.
"Kim Chunsik's power runs this deep? Joseon's power broker at that young age?"
As Keisen schemed, Kim Unhaeng's question reached him.
"Who's the guy tied to the rail over there?"
Keisen grumbled inwardly. "Sharp eyes. How'd he spot that?" Then waved it off casually.
"Oh, a stowaway con man. Don't mind him—we'll dump him at some nearby island."
Kim Unhaeng tilted his head.
He couldn't know the man's name was Hiraga Gennai, that he hadn't exactly stowed away (got permission), but got caught lying about ginseng routes a day in, earning his fate.
But he could perceive what others couldn't.
Staring at the hull, Kim Unhaeng said offhandedly,
"If you're tossing him anyway, leave him here. Help us nab a sly tax evader, and who cares about haggling over whalebone."
Matsuura Keisen's eyes lit up.
Money aside, killing a samurai heir—even fallen—was messy. Subordinates' loose lips were the issue.
But "captured by Joseon forces" was clean.
Keisen trusted Kim Unhaeng to craft the perfect frame-up.
"Wise words."
"You said he's a con man—what else is he good at?"
Sounded like praising Hiraga's talents might make Kim take him off their hands.
"Had some weird Western machine... erekitetoru or something? Generator? Handy with complex gadgets. Draws well, bold poetry, silver tongue."
Kim Unhaeng nodded.
As he'd seen moments ago, Hiraga Gennai had solid grad student potential.
"Con artists always puff themselves as jacks-of-all-trades. Textbook scammer."
"Indeed, as a pillar of justice upholding the law."
Hiraga Gennai, just dodging debts and hoping to profit from foreign trade, suddenly shouldered solo charges of illegal Ulleungdo fishing and got hauled off.
Hiraga Gennai ended up in the Training Bureau, like the Dutchmen.
Then, following Uyst's path, assigned to SIT.
Hiraga thrashed, protesting something wrong, but no Joseon civil or military official understood Japanese.
Interpreters handled barbarian tongues, but they were too busy.
Joseon was no longer a pushover.
They'd ditched repatriating well-fed driftwood foreigners.
Japan and Holland wouldn't complain much anyway—they'd learned that.
Even Yi Geum didn't intervene.
With the Crown Prince involved, it was already a demerit, but he couldn't abandon the Liberation Detachment either.
The king couldn't halt the momentum.
Civil officials skimming hefty cuts (mostly via Kim Unhaeng) from the detachment's warrior incomes had no desire to stop.
Calls rang through court for strict justice on barbarians to reclaim lost royal blood dignity.
As Kim Unhaeng hammered daily: Treat Dutch well, and like Hamel, they'd bolt to Japan spilling Joseon secrets.
Joseon, meticulous historians, wielded such records as treasures.
No more POWs dashing into Qing envoy trains or bribing smugglers to Japan—strict watch ensured it.
Often brutally violent. As Kim Unhaeng showed at Mokcheon, Joseon "restraint" leaned toward "break legs, no escape?"
Generals nationwide, observing keenly, took action.
Joseon revered precedent.
Twice over? Court intent was clear.
Foolish foreign privateers near Joseon became Liberation Detachment revenue.
Limited to Japan/Holland ships? Meaningless.
Plunder first, forge papers later. Fail that? No officer creds.
Yellow Sea Chinese fishing boats treating it like a farm, or Qing-Japan traders off Jeolla/Jeju suddenly vanishing spiked.
Kim Unhaeng couldn't care less about the fallout.
Back in Seoul, he secretly summoned Hiraga Gennai.
Seeing the battered, starved, haggard man, Kim Unhaeng smiled mercifully.
Then made an offer he couldn't refuse.
Time passed. Around Dongji month that year, as Yi Hwan's sister Lady Sukyeong was born safely, suspicious peddlers frequented great houses in Hanyang.
Author's Note
Today's subtitle is a homage to Volume 4 of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
1. Ghost whales migrate tens of thousands of kilometers, found in the Atlantic and East Sea. The Atlantic subspecies was extinct by the story's timeline.
2. The Falconers' Guild privatized hawk hunting previously handled by government offices like the Eagle House. Similar to the Archery Guild mentioned earlier. Hunting's unreliability made it Joseon's harshest corvée.
3. Hiraga Gennai did study in Nagasaki as heir, but ceded succession to his adopted brother-in-law and quit. Even if he hadn't, as a homosexual, heirs would've been tough.
4. The Northern Company pioneered systematic whaling but didn't last. Netherlands kept whaling post-WWII bans—Hitler looted them, colonies lost, desperation.
5. As in-story, Hamel tried every escape, including Qing envoys, then bought a ship to Nagasaki. Japanese authorities milked him for all Joseon intel/secrets.