Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 653

653. The Woodpecker’s Strange Neighbors (2)

As they experienced the trading post, the lives of the native people gradually began to change.

As time passed, not only the warriors of the Joseon tribe but also more and more people gathered. Around ‘Especially Large Lake’ – known as Lake Superior in the history before Hyang intervened – the Joseon people began to occupy a large territory.

To the natives of the Iroquois League, these Joseon people were truly intriguing.

From the warriors to the later arrivals, all of them readily interacted with the natives, approached them with friendliness, and often laughed.

Of course, when angered, they were truly furious, but they calmed down quickly. However, if a serious disagreement arose, they resolutely distanced themselves.

Naturally, this situation wasn’t ideal for either the natives or the Joseon people, so the elders of both sides often intervened to mediate. Even after such interventions, they avoided unnecessary contact with those they had fallen out with.

Aside from this, the most notable characteristic of the Joseon people was their ‘boundless curiosity.’

The Joseon healers, called ‘doctors’ – though the natives later realized they weren’t shamans in the traditional sense – quickly befriended the tribe’s shamans and eagerly studied all sorts of medicinal herbs and treatments.

The Joseon people who followed the warriors observed the tribe’s farming practices and carefully examined the crops they grew. When the harvest season arrived, they offered gifts such as cotton cloth and other goods, and in return, received a significant portion of the harvest, learning how to prepare it.

What the Joseon people were most interested in was maize – also known as corn. (Hereafter, it will be referred to as corn for clarity.)

Other Joseon people explored the mountains and forests around the lake, digging for stones and excavating tunnels, constantly searching for something.

Meanwhile, the Joseon people didn’t just receive. Having secured a place within the League, the Joseon doctors implemented smallpox vaccinations for the League’s residents.

“Do you see that face over there? That’s what happens when you get that terrible disease. To prevent it, you must receive this treatment.”

Shin Suk-ju, responsible for interpreting between the natives and the Joseon people, strongly advocated for vaccination, presenting someone whose face was scarred by smallpox as a cautionary example.

The League’s chiefs and clan mothers, having witnessed the devastating effects of smallpox firsthand, agreed to the cowpox vaccination and actively supported it.

Interestingly, Shin Suk-ju, a Joseon man, became an influential figure among the League’s chiefs and clan mothers.

Shin Suk-ju was skilled in not only the languages used by the League’s tribes but also those of the Algonquin and Wyandot tribes, who were often hostile to the League. (Note 1)

In fact, Shin Suk-ju possessed a remarkable talent for languages, mastering a significant number of those spoken by the native tribes that the Joseon people had encountered thus far.

Therefore, whenever meetings were held with other tribes approaching the Joseon settlement and the League’s territory, Shin Suk-ju was always present.

And Shin Suk-ju, who found himself doing such unexpected work, often gazed at the moon each night with a sigh.

“This isn’t why I passed the civil service examination… I’d rather work all night…”

* * *

Around the time Woodpecker experienced menarche [the first menstrual cycle] and was recognized as an adult, the Joseon chief (Sejong) and mother (Queen Soheon) arrived.

By this time, the people of the League had gained some understanding of Joseon.

-A tribe from beyond a large body of water called the ‘sea,’ which is larger than any lake.

-And it is not merely a tribe but a country. A country is a collection of dozens or hundreds of tribes like themselves.

This revelation significantly broadened the understanding of the world for the League and its surrounding tribes, the Algonquin and Wyandot.

The tribes of the Iroquois League, as well as the Algonquin and Wyandot tribes, had a vague awareness of the sea. This was because those living on the eastern edge of their territories knew of it.

-A vast lake full of salty water, much larger than the lakes they knew.

This was the sea they knew, and since almost no one who ventured out to sea ever returned, they considered it ‘the end of the world.’

Of course, the Vikings had arrived hundreds of years before Joseon. However, their numbers were small, and their stay was brief, so they didn’t significantly impact the natives. Joseon became the first foreign power to inform them of the existence of other countries and peoples.

* * *

The arrival of the Joseon ‘chief’ and mother caused considerable cultural shock among the League’s chiefs and clan mothers.

The sight of the Joseon people living with them, showing absolute respect and loyalty, was astonishing. The attire of Sejong and Queen Soheon was equally impressive.

The red *jeonpo* [military robe] with shiny gold leaf patterns and the red *dansam* [formal jacket] were of a different caliber altogether.

Sejong and Queen Soheon, upon arriving at the Joseon settlement near the lakes, promptly arranged a meeting with the League’s chiefs and clan mothers.

The taste and presentation of the food prepared by the cooks who accompanied them were unlike anything the League’s leaders had ever encountered.

The League’s chiefs were impressed by the alcohol served at the banquet, and the League’s mothers couldn’t take their eyes off the clothes and accessories worn by Queen Soheon.

“I hope we can maintain a good relationship in the future.”

The chiefs and mothers, hearing Sejong’s words through Shin Suk-ju, immediately responded in agreement.

Soon after, the League’s chiefs were surprised once again.

Sejong, despite his short time there, began to speak their language fluently.

“How is this possible?”

To the question of an elder chief with whom he had developed a friendly relationship, Sejong smiled and replied.

“Hunminjeongeum [the Korean alphabet] is useful at times like this.”

Hyang, who later heard this story through a letter, nodded and muttered.

“When English became prevalent during the late Joseon Dynasty, Koreans spoke English more fluently than the Japanese, right? And their pronunciation was cleaner.”

* * *

With Sejong’s arrival, the Joseon people truly began to make Shinji their own.

Efficiency greatly increased as the time spent sending reports to Joseon and receiving orders was reduced.

The artisans who came with Sejong began constructing production facilities on one side of the lake. Each time materials arrived from the bridgehead, a new facility was built, and soon the preparations were complete.

As soon as Area 52 finished its preparations, the miners became busy.

Thanks to the pre-dispatched prospectors discovering large coal and iron mines, resource supply proceeded faster than expected.

With the supply of the crucial coal and iron mines proceeding smoothly, the artisans of Area 52 began to operate the steel mill.

With the assistance of the steam engine, which was brought in and assembled in parts, Sejong began to lay a railroad connecting to the bridgehead using the steel materials from the steel mill.

“Even without an iron horse [locomotive], the railroad itself is a great help!”

* * *

After Sejong’s arrival, the Iroquois League, Algonquin, and Wyandot, as well as all the natives around the passage created by Joseon, focused intently on Joseon’s movements.

Every time ships arrived at the bridgehead, a large number of people disembarked, bringing all sorts of strange and wonderful things they had never seen before into Area 52.

The iron farming tools coming out of Area 52, where black and white smoke billowed, became indispensable for the natives who had previously relied solely on stone and wooden tools.

Using iron farming tools, even stony land could be easily cultivated, and the harvest increased as they could dig deeper.

The cows brought in by the Joseon people were also important. At first, the natives thought they were only brought in to obtain materials for smallpox prevention. However, as the Joseon people demonstrated how to use cows for farming, they realized their importance.

They realized that horses and cows brought greater abundance and security.

That wasn’t all.

If one were to identify the most powerful people in Shinji, it was undoubtedly the Joseon people. Faced with their military strength, even a large number of native warriors was not a significant advantage. In particular, the *Eulsik Hwacha* [multiple rocket launcher] that came with Sejong inspired fear itself.

Sejong used these strengths very cleverly.

Sejong began to mediate between the chiefs of the tribes who had been in hostile relationships until then.

Sejong began to mediate, speaking the languages of various tribes as fluently as Shin Suk-ju.

“What good does it do to fight each other like this? Isn’t it better to get along?”

“However, there is always a shortage of land for farming, and the tribesmen are starving. We have a responsibility to solve this problem.”

“Isn’t there plenty of land outside? Why don’t you cultivate it?”

“Water is essential for farming. Especially to grow maize, you must have plenty of water.”

“It’s not rice farming, but what…”

Sejong, who muttered softly, quickly straightened his expression and continued.

“Wouldn’t that problem be solved by digging a waterway?”

“Wouldn’t it be a problem because digging a waterway is not easy?”

“Well, it would be a problem if you dug it with bare hands or wooden tools. We Joseon have the answer.”

In this way, every time the chiefs raised a problem, Sejong immediately provided a solution. And because that solution was the correct one, the chiefs had no choice but to accept Sejong’s proposal.

In the process, the chiefs gradually yielded to Sejong’s influence.

While mediating between the tribes, they also began to hire natives as workers.

The managers in charge of the mines and logging camps went around the nearby tribes and offered them an enticing proposition.

“Do you want to buy things from the trading post?”

“Why do you ask the obvious?”

“Then why don’t you come and work? I’ll pay you if you work.”

“What is money?”

“If you have money, you can buy things from the trading post.”

The natives, tempted by this offer, entered the mines and logging camps and began working. When the appointed day arrived and the natives received ‘money,’ they looked back at the managers with suspicion.

“Can I really buy things from the trading post with this?”

The natives couldn’t believe it. What they received was a small piece of paper with various patterns on it and a few shiny pieces of metal.

“I told you that you can buy it! Geez! Have you only ever been deceived!”

The natives, half in doubt, visited the trading post and asked the person in charge the same question, receiving the same answer. Furthermore, the people in charge of the trading post gave a special lecture on banknotes and coins.

As those who earned money while working in the Joseon mines and logging camps bought what they wanted at the trading post, the natives around them flocked to the mines and logging camps.

“I will work too!”

It wasn’t only those who worked in the mines and logging camps who experienced the benefits of Joseon’s money.

In order to provide meals to those working in the mines and logging camps, Joseon purchased food from nearby tribes. Naturally, the payment was made in Joseon currency, and those who received this money also went to the trading post to buy things.

As this situation continued, the natives quickly became accustomed to the monetary economy and Joseon’s culture.

Sejong, who was monitoring the situation, shook his head.

“I was told that the trading post would be the most powerful weapon… that rascal…”

– The best weapon to win the hearts of the people, to transform foreigners into Joseon citizens, and to make their land into Joseon’s territory is not guns and swords, but the trading post!

Hyang had strongly argued for the effectiveness of the trading post in this way. And it had proven to be the correct approach in several instances. It was the correct approach that worked even here in Shinji, where everything was different.

Sejong, recalling Hyang’s words emphasizing the usefulness of the trading post, shook his head and grumbled.

“I shouldn’t have let him do only what he wanted to do, but I should have made him work hard from the beginning…”

* * *

Note 1)

In the last episode, I wrote Huron, but after researching, it originated from French. Therefore, it has been revised to Wyandot.