Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 314

314. Hanseong (3)

With the decision made to prioritize deploying stagecoaches within the major provincial cities and larger *Dohobu* [large protectorates], official notices were posted in government offices throughout Joseon.

People who saw the notices about operating stagecoaches in the *bu* [prefectural cities] – Jeonju, Gyeongju, Pyongyang, Yeongheung – and the *Dohobu* [large protectorates] – Changwon, Andong, Gangneung, Gilju, Yeongbyeon – each had their own opinions.

“Stagecoaches… Is it even worth anything to have those running?”

“Is Hanseong getting iron horses [trains] while we only get live ones?”

“They say they’ll expand it gradually, but when will it be our turn?”

“Still, they’re paving the roads, so we should be grateful for that much.”

The people, with expressions mixed with anticipation for the newfangled stagecoaches and disappointment that their towns wouldn’t be getting them, chatted amongst themselves.

While talking, people tilted their heads, noticing one city’s name on the list.

“Why Wonsan?”

* * *

Although the situation had already begun to differ greatly from the history before Hyang’s intervention, there were also considerable changes in the administrative districts.

First and foremost, what stood out was the addition of Gilju to the *Dohobu*.

As the Jurchen people submitted, the population and area greatly expanded, and for administrative convenience, Gilju was promoted to *Dohobu*. And Anbyeon, which was a *Dohobu* in the history before intervention, was demoted to a *mok* [county].

This was due to the administrative center of Hamgyeong Province expanding northward, shifting the administrative weight northward.

Next was the rapid rise of Wonsan. Originally, it was a small fishing village called Wonsanjin [Wonsan ferry] belonging to Anbyeon.

However, with the establishment of a large shipyard, people flocked there, and it became the starting point for goods going up to Hamgyeong Province, causing it to grow rapidly.

In the end, Wonsan was promoted from Wonsanjin to Wonsan-mok [county], skipping several steps at once.

The operation of stagecoaches was decided due to the crowded conditions caused by the influx of goods and people.

* * *

As the operation of stagecoaches was decided, Sejong’s royal decree was delivered to Hyang’s 51st District.

-To create carriages capable of carrying a large number of passengers.

Hyang, as well as the artisans who received the royal decree, wore calm expressions. No, some artisans even looked pleased.

“I thought we wouldn’t be able to use what we worked so hard to make…”

At the artisans’ reactions, Hyang chuckled softly and muttered.

“People’s true nature is all the same, after all…”

No one could simply let go of something they had worked so hard to create, only to have it buried. And this tendency was especially strong among artisans.

* * *

The stagecoach plan, based on Im Sun-wook’s proposal, was proceeding smoothly.

Design, trial production, and verification were carried out to coincide with the time when the foals born from crossbreeding strong, large horses brought in from the West would be fully grown.

“All test results are excellent!”

“Now, all that’s left is to mass-produce and deploy them!”

However, just as the stagecoaches were about to enter mass production, a disturbance broke out in Liaodong.

As the southern army urgently moved north, a large number of horses were needed, and all the horses to be deployed to the stagecoaches were returned to the military, halting the plan.

When the war ended, the military authorities were reluctant to release the horses they had gathered.

-It takes a lot of time to get used to the noise of the battlefield, especially the firing sounds and explosions of cannons and guns.

-A significant number of horses die because they cannot withstand the noise, but the horses in the Royal Guard have gone through that process and survived.

-Therefore, shouldn’t we just keep them in the military?

It was an obviously transparent argument. However, it was a reasonable reason in its own way, so the stagecoach plan was postponed until the horses came out of the ranch again.

And in the meantime, the iron horse [train] was completed.

* * *

Therefore, unlike the first ones made, the passenger cars deployed on the Hanseong circular railway had undergone improvements, incorporating the experience gained from making stagecoaches.

Among the things that went into the passenger cars, the most noticeable was the shock absorption device.

The passenger cars and stagecoaches made in the 51st District had the world’s first shock absorption device.

Although it was called a shock absorption device, it did not use coil springs and hydraulics that were commonly seen in 21st-century trains.

It was merely a combination of curved iron plates, joined together like seashells, inserted between the wheels and the frame of the passenger compartment.

“It’s a bit concerning that it’s wrought iron instead of steel…”

Hyang couldn’t hide his disappointment, but he had to endure the constraints of reality.

Although the steel mill was producing steel in large quantities, demand still outstripped supply.

Thanks to this, Hyang had no choice but to maximize the performance of wrought iron.

“The good thing is that wrought iron is still iron.”

Wrought iron was perceived as very soft compared to steel, but it was still iron.

Wrought iron products processed to a suitable thickness could not be deformed by human force.

Therefore, most of the steel structures commonly used in residential fences in the 21st century were made of wrought iron.

In addition, until steel was mass-produced as the Industrial Revolution reached its peak, the rails on which steam locomotives ran were made of wrought iron.

Finally, it was a famous story that the famous Eiffel Tower was also made of wrought iron.

Although it was far from satisfying Hyang’s otaku [geek] spirit, the shock absorption device using a plate spring made of wrought iron performed quite well.

At this time, there were no shock absorption devices in anything from the fancy carriages ridden by European nobles to the carts used in rural areas of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, passengers in the carriage had to feel the road conditions with their whole body.

However, the stagecoaches from the 51st District significantly reduced such shocks and vibrations.

If it was a proper paved road or a well-maintained unpaved road, passengers could travel quite comfortably.

* * *

The stagecoaches made by Hyang and the artisans not only had shock absorption devices.

A braking device using the principle of leverage was also added.

When the coachman driving the stagecoach pressed the pedal, the braking device pressed a large wooden brake pad against the iron hoop surrounding the outside of the wheel.

The stagecoach stopped by using the friction generated in this way.

Of course, it was not as high-performance as those used in automobiles to stop a moving vehicle.

It was only enough to prevent the inertia of the stagecoach from moving forward when the horse stopped at the station. However, that alone was a remarkable performance.

Finally, the four stagecoach wheels rotated independently.

Between the axle and the stagecoach wheel, there was a lubrication device made of cylindrical bearings.

The perfectly round, flawless ball shape that immediately comes to mind when you think of bearings could not be mass-produced due to technical limitations – even making them to the level of 21st-century BB bullets had to be done by hand – so they were made in a cylindrical shape.

However, due to the existence of these bearings, the number of revolutions of both wheels was naturally adjusted each time the stagecoach wheels turned left or right, which helped to extend the life of the wheels and axles.

As an aside, this issue became a point of contention again as automobiles were mass-produced. This was because the travel distance of the inner and outer wheels was different when the car turned left or right.

And the device that came out to solve this problem was the differential gear.

* * *

In this way, with technologies that transcended the era, although not visible to the eye, the stagecoach became another existence that plagued historians.

In other regions of a similar period – although at least 30 years behind – there were technologies such as independent wheels or three-dimensional front axles with rotating axes depending on the direction of travel. (Note 1)

However, most of these remained only as a small number of artifacts. There were no records of who, when, or how they were made.

However, in Joseon, not only artifacts but also development records, lists of related people, and blueprints all remained.

And there was a phrase that commonly started in the records.

-According to the order of the Crown Prince….

Whenever they saw these phrases, foreign historians studying Joseon history clutched their heads in agony.

“Again….”

“What is he doing making things when he doesn’t even have enough time to learn royal studies!”

“Ah, damn it! Should I quit studying Joseon history?”

* * *

Since preparations were already in place, stagecoaches entered mass production.

While artisans were busy making stagecoaches at the manufacturing plant in the 51st District, the officials of the cities scheduled to have stagecoaches installed were also moving busily.

-Routes where stagecoaches will operate.

-Stagecoach dispatch intervals.

-Measures to maintain security at stations where large amounts of cash will accumulate.

Etc.

In order to handle the suddenly assigned tasks related to stagecoaches, the officials of the relevant cities had to run around until they were out of breath.

This was because there was no time to spare.

-Since the people earnestly desire it, do your best to complete the installation before next spring.

“I didn’t want it!”

The officials, overwhelmed by the suddenly dropped work, had to constantly spew out screams and curses.

“Why did you submit a memorial [formal document to the king]!”

“What stagecoach in a town the size of my palm!”

“Just walk! It’s good for your health!”

The officials were able to relieve their stuffy feelings by cursing like that.

The operating plans, written with all sorts of hardships, were sent to Hanseong via express messenger.

Watching the express messengers disappear far away towards Hanseong, the officials, starting with the provincial governor and *Buyoon* [mayor], prayed earnestly.

“Please pass it in one go…. Please….”

However, the express messengers who returned from Hanseong submitted thick scrolls to the provincial governor and *Buyoon*.

“Judging by the thickness, it’s ruined.”

‘I don’t want to see it! I don’t want to see it!’

The provincial governor and *Buyoon*, who guessed the contents as soon as they saw the thick scroll, wanted to just hand it over to their subordinates, but they couldn’t do that procedurally.

“Ugh….”

The provincial governor and *Buyoon*, groaning, opened the scroll and involuntarily spat out curses, closing their eyes tightly.

“Damn it!”

-The following items need to be reviewed and improved.

And below that, dozens of items to be revised were listed in a row, and the reasons for why they needed to be revised were also written in detail.

The provincial governor and *Buyoon*, staring blankly at the scroll, immediately called the person in charge.

“Did you call for me?”

“Are you not going to do your job properly! If this goes wrong and I get targeted, will you take responsibility! If I get targeted, you’ll get targeted too! Do you think I’m going to die alone?”

The person in charge, who was thoroughly chewed out along with all sorts of curses, returned to his department and shouted.

“Everyone under me, gather around!”

The person in charge, who gathered the lower-level officials, yelled at the top of his lungs.

“You can’t do your job properly! If I get targeted, you guys will be crushed too! Do you think I’m going to die alone?”

After a storm passed like that, the officials revised and submitted the plan again, and the provincial governor and *Buyoon* meticulously reviewed each phrase and number.

The reports that passed the grueling review were sent to Hanseong again, and the officials’ lips dried up as they waited for a reply to return.

After a few days of catching people like that, the returning express messengers submitted thin sealed letters.

-Proceed as planned.

“Hoo~.”

Only then could the provincial governors and *Buyoon* breathe a sigh of relief and relax.

And the officials in charge of the practical work drank alcohol like crazy in the taverns and *gibang* [courtesan houses].

And from the next day, the officials began to supervise the maintenance of the roads along the routes where the stagecoaches would run and the construction of buildings to be used as stations, soothing their aching stomachs.

Unlike the officials who were in a mess, the residents were talking with expressions full of anticipation.

“Wow! It looks like the stagecoaches are really going to be installed?”

“Hey! The king said it, do you think it was a lie?”

“Anyway, will it be a little easier to get around now?”

* * *

As public transportation appeared in Hanseong and major cities across the country, a quiet change began to occur in Joseon.

From Sejong above to the people below, they were not aware of it, but the change was gradually penetrating deep into Joseon.

Joseon was beginning to move a little faster.

* * *

Note 1) Wheels, Rolling the World – The Birth, Fall, and Revival of Wheels.

Richard Bulliet, MID Publishing.

https://m.blog.naver.com/bookmid/220885066868