Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 652

652. The Woodpecker’s Strange Neighbors (1)

“I’m home!”

The child’s energetic voice echoed through the house, and the child’s mother, who was cooking in the kitchen, wiped her wet hands on a dishcloth and came out.

“Welcome home. Was school fun?”

“Yes!”

The child replied, working the lever-action water pump in the yard to fill a basin, then vigorously washing their hands with soap.

This scene seemed like an ordinary day for a common family in the Empire, but there was something different.

This place was Shinji, and the mother and child who had just spoken were from Shinji.

They were new-generation natives who wore a mix of traditional attire and clothing from the Empire, lived in brick houses with separate kitchens and flush toilets instead of traditional wigwams [dome-shaped dwellings], used sanitary facilities with running water, and sent their children to school.

“Hoo~.”

‘Woodpecker,’ having finished the evening dishes, sat on the living room chair with a light sigh. Clutching a cup of steaming black bean tea in both hands, Woodpecker watched her son, ‘Clever Fox,’ diligently working on his homework at the table.

Watching her son struggle with his homework under the yellow light of the carbide lamp, Woodpecker felt a strange sensation.

‘I never imagined I would live like this when I was young….’

* * *

Woodpecker—named for her loud calls—began to properly remember things around the time a group of foreign tribes contacted her tribe.

They came from farther away than the territory of the ‘Kanonsionni’ [Iroquois Confederacy], a union of her tribe, the Iroquois, and other tribes.

She vividly remembered how all the warriors of the confederacy tensed up when they appeared, riding beasts she had never seen before.

However, they showed no hostility and wanted to talk. Through gestures and broken language, the confederacy’s chiefs and warriors learned that they needed a place to stay. After consulting with the Clan Mothers [female elders who held significant power in Iroquois society], they granted them land, unable to gauge their strength to fight them off.

Thus, they settled down and soon became members of the confederacy because they were hostile to the Algonquins and Hurons, who were also enemies of the Iroquois.

Not long after they arrived, warriors from the Algonquin and Huron tribes joined forces and attacked.

This unprecedented large-scale raid, a joint attack by the Algonquins and Hurons, forced the confederacy’s chiefs and warriors to prepare for annihilation.

At that moment, the foreigners riding strange beasts appeared, and the Algonquin and Huron warriors hesitated.

When the foreigners pointed long sticks, the warriors of both tribes began to back away.

Then, with a loud noise like lightning striking nearby, a sound she had never heard before, smoke rose from the foreigners’ sticks, and the warriors who had been faltering and retreating screamed and fell.

After that, it was a one-sided massacre. The warriors who had been faltering and retreating screamed and charged, but each time smoke rose from the sticks, they screamed and fell. When the warriors couldn’t bear it and turned to flee, the foreigners drove the strange beasts and chased after them.

In that battle, the confederacy’s warriors witnessed the foreigners’ power. The union warriors only had weapons made by trimming hard wood or stone. However, the foreigners had shiny, hard, and sharp weapons.

Having seen the foreigners’ power, the confederacy’s chiefs and mothers accepted them as members.

-It is best to welcome them as brothers rather than leave them as enemies!

Through conversations with the new members, they learned that their weapons were made by melting and refining a stone called iron.

* * *

The Joseon army, having established a bridgehead in northwestern Shinji, began to advance eastward under Sejong’s orders.

-Reach the eastern end of Shinji as quickly as possible.

-Also, secure a reliable and safe transportation route between the bridgehead and the eastern advance base.

-Prioritize diplomacy with the natives encountered, but respond firmly if conflicts arise. The intensity of the response should be comparable to that of the Jurchens [nomadic tribes north of Korea, known for their fierce resistance].

The commanders of the bridgehead, receiving Sejong’s orders, focused on the last item.

“An order to include extermination if the response is comparable to that of the Jurchens.”

The commanders nodded and began to examine Sejong’s orders in detail for more efficient execution.

“Why does he prioritize reaching the eastern end?”

The commanders pondered the reason. It was standard to gradually expand, consolidating as they went, like waves spreading from the bridgehead.

While they were pondering why Sejong had issued such an order, one of the commanders offered a plausible explanation.

“There is a rumor circulating from the research institute established by the Crown Prince that this world is round like a sphere. If that is the case, wouldn’t we reach this Shinji if we continue to move west from the land of the Seoi [Western barbarians]?”

“That’s right!”

Only then did all the commanders nod as if they understood.

If they moved in the standard way and missed the timing, they would likely engage in a power struggle with the Seoi who had arrived on the opposite side. However, if they connected the east and west and then expanded north and south based on that connection, the probability of losing the initiative even if the Seoi came was low.

Of course, it was a bit different from Sejong’s actual reasoning—closer to Hyang’s idea—but it was a fairly close understanding.

Having understood the order in that way, the commanders moved with all their might to make the order a success.

They created a friendly atmosphere with the natives they contacted by using trade as bait. Joseon’s developed iron farming tools were the best way to gain the natives’ favor.

However, they responded resolutely with force against any natives who showed hostility.

As a result of that armed conflict, the Algonquin and Huron tribes became hostile to Joseon. However, the difference in military power was so great that the Algonquin and Huron tribes had to retreat whenever the Joseon army appeared.

It was against this backdrop that the alliance between the Iroquois Confederacy and Joseon was a mutually beneficial decision.

The Iroquois Confederacy gained a powerful ally that could suppress their arch-enemies, the Algonquin and Huron tribes. Joseon joined hands with the largest group among the natives.

By joining hands with the Iroquois Confederacy, which controlled the eastern part of Shinji, they were able to create a foundation on which Sejong’s grand plan could be built.

* * *

As the unfamiliar tribe called ‘Joseon’ joined the confederacy, the lives of native women like Woodpecker underwent great changes.

The biggest change was that women learned Hunminjeongeum [Korean alphabet].

The women of the confederacy traditionally memorized the tribe’s traditions. It was their job to memorize what had been passed down orally from generation to generation, teach it to the children, and pass it on to future generations.

However, their burden was greatly reduced by recording the traditions in writing using Hunminjeongeum. They could also correct errors in transmission by comparing the written records.

Not long after, a monopoly store was established in the Joseon settlement, and the women’s society of the confederacy was abuzz again.

The cotton cloth called ‘Gwangmok,’ which was unlike the fur and roughly woven cloth they had used for clothing, was amazing, and the iron needles were also shocking.

The monopoly store was full of many other amazing and useful things.

“If you want something, you have to pay the price.”

“The price?”

“Gold or silver, or even leather is fine.”

“I understand leather, but what are gold and silver?”

The person in charge of the monopoly store, hearing the women’s questions, opened a chest and showed them scraps of gold and silver.

“The yellow one is gold, and the white one is silver.”

“Ah…. Where can I get it?”

“The person who brought this said he picked it up from the river over there in the south.”

And the men of the confederacy had to endure the women’s nagging.

“Go catch a deer or find some gold in the river!”

Despite the nagging, the men also had things they wanted, so they enthusiastically devoted themselves to hunting and gold panning.

They wanted Joseon weapons, especially bows and horses.

As Joseon joined the Iroquois Confederacy, exchanges between the Joseon army and the confederacy’s warriors became frequent.

“Except for that long gun and the musket, there doesn’t seem to be anything scary about them?”

At the words of the confederacy warriors, the Joseon army smiled and muttered inwardly.

‘They’ll faint if they see the cannons.’

The confederacy warriors showed off their stone tomahawks and war clubs and boasted of their martial arts. The Joseon soldiers nodded and played along.

However, when the natives showed off their bows, the Joseon soldiers hurriedly raised their hands.

“Wait! Just wait a minute!”

The Joseon soldiers, having obtained the warriors’ understanding, returned to their quarters and brought out a rolled-up bow and a quiver of arrows.

The Joseon soldiers, placing the bow against their shins and stringing it, said to the warriors as they placed an arrow on the string.

“A bow is originally….”

The warriors’ eyes widened as they watched the Joseon army’s demonstration.

The bows, smaller than their own, shot arrows farther and with more power.

The warriors who saw the power of the Joseon horn bow all muttered the same words.

“I want it….”

The case of horses was even more desperate. The usefulness of horses in the last battle, as well as in various situations thereafter, was clear.

Shin Suk-ju [a prominent Joseon scholar and politician], seeing through the natives’ desires, dangled bait in front of them.

“Horses are impossible right now, but bows and arrows can be bought at the monopoly store.”

“Really? Thank you!”

The natives, having found a way through Shin Suk-ju, soon moved diligently, regardless of gender. The men worked hard to hunt or collect gold, and the women tanned leather or collected gold from the river with the men.

However, this was not very efficient. With the natives’ weapons, it was difficult to catch large animals alone or with the strength of two or three people. Naturally, they had to hunt in groups, and when they divided the results, their share was small.

The same was true of gold dust. Even if they turned over the sand on the riverbed all day, it was rare to find a proper piece of gold.

Of course, they could obtain basic necessities such as needles with their small share.

However, as the saying goes, seeing is wanting, and the natives wanted to get their hands on more expensive and precious items, especially cotton cloth.

At that time, a passing Joseon soldier slyly advised.

“Bears or deer are the best. You can get a great price if you catch just one.”

“Huh? Thank you!”

And, not long after, an interesting situation arose.

The situation of bears chasing natives and natives running away had somehow changed to bears running away and natives chasing in groups.