There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 11

< Overwhelming Strength (1) >

“You presented the memorial well.”

My father, Yi Bang-won, said.

“Not only the content but also the calligraphy is excellent.”

He was a fool for his children, but this compliment seemed genuine even to me.

It was to be expected.

I had heard that Grand Prince Yangnyeong of the original history was also famous as a master calligrapher.

– You know what? The Sungnyemun [Namdaemun, the Great South Gate] signboard was originally written by Grand Prince Yangnyeong.

I remembered what Hyuk-jin hyung had said when passing by Sungnyemun before leaving the country.

Of course, the original signboard was reduced to charcoal along with Sungnyemun, but I could be sure that Grand Prince Yangnyeong was a master calligrapher who remained in history.

It seemed that the ability remained in me, who had merged with the spirit of Grand Prince Yangnyeong.

‘Though I can’t tell.’

To my eyes, which had no interest in calligraphy, I couldn’t distinguish between good and bad handwriting at all, but I had to take it as true since that’s what they said.

“I am sorry for submitting the memorial without consulting Father.”

“No, it’s alright. To deceive the enemy, you must first deceive your allies. It was a move that even surprised this father.”

The Gaegyeong faction officials, who were vehemently opposed to the relocation of the capital, would have had their pace completely disrupted by the sudden memorial from the young Heir Apparent.

Saying that, Yi Bang-won asked.

“So, you must have something you believe in?”

I smiled wickedly and said.

“Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have placed the bet.”

“Haha, I asked a question that was obvious to our clever Heir Apparent.”

Yi Bang-won laughed heartily.

The two of us, father and son, looked at each other and laughed for a while.

===

I immediately started working.

To make what I was thinking of, a large-scale operation was necessary.

A considerable number of skilled personnel and a place where I could move freely now.

There was only one place that met those conditions.

‘The Military Supplies Office.’

I leisurely walked towards the Military Supplies Office.

The comfort of my own home welcomed me.

“Welcome, Heir Apparent!”

The blacksmiths all rushed out at my visit.

I stopped the bustling greetings with a wave of my hand.

“Ahem, you are in charge of the country’s affairs. Although I am the Heir Apparent, I am currently a private citizen. How can you abandon state affairs to come out and greet me? If you are so engrossed in greetings, it will be tiring for you. There is no need for such formalities in the future.”

“Heir Apparent…”

“Truly a wise ruler…”

The blacksmiths looked at me with moved eyes.

From the side, No-boon muttered, ‘Why is someone like that so frequently visiting the Military Supplies Office to satisfy his personal desires…,’ but he shut his mouth when I glared at him.

“Is the Military Supplies Officer here?”

“Yes. He is inside making gunpowder.”

Choi Hae-san is the type who doesn’t see his surroundings once he gets absorbed.

I’m always open-minded, so I don’t care much, but it must be frustrating to live in Joseon with that personality.

“Heir Apparent, what brings you here?”

Choi Hae-san belatedly rushed out and asked.

The sight of his large frame waddling was quite funny.

“Do I need a reason to come here?”

“Is, is that so?”

I said that for now, even though I came to order a meal.

Choi Hae-san scratched his head.

“Are you manufacturing gunpowder according to the method I told you?”

“Yes, Your Highness. As you commanded, making it into lumps has increased the efficiency of the gunpowder many times over.”

What I taught Choi Hae-san was the corning process.

Black powder is wetted with water, put into a mold to make lumps, and then crushed into granules.

Making it into granules like this makes it burn better and leaves less residue than gunpowder that exists only in a fine powder state.

In addition, there was one more advantage.

“If you sift these granular powders, you can adjust the fine and coarse powders according to the size of the matchlock and cannons, making it possible to operate firearms more efficiently.”

Choi Hae-san, who was skeptical even after seeing the matchlock, was excited when the residue of the gunpowder was greatly reduced and the power increased through the corning technique.

“The Heir Apparent is truly a sage sent by the heavens! Do you have any other knowledge to impart?”

Until recently, he treated me like a child, but Choi Hae-san’s attitude changed 180 degrees after tasting the gunpowder.

Choi Hae-san puffed out his nose.

‘As expected, this guy is a gunpowder maniac.’

But unfortunately, the work I brought today has nothing to do with gunpowder.

“Alright, alright, stop with the nonsense and take this.”

I handed Choi Hae-san a piece of paper.

Choi Hae-san took it and blinked.

“What is this?”

“It’s a device called a Geojunggi (Leverage).”

The very thing that Jeong Yak-yong used to build Suwon Hwaseong Fortress.

Equipment that can move heavy materials like stones by attaching four fixed and four moving pulleys.

‘It can reduce the force required by 25 times.’

He is a specialist in construction equipment that will appear in Joseon 400 years later.

I handed over the paper triumphantly, but the other person’s expression was rotting.

“Is this what you wanted me to do…?”

Choi Hae-san was openly disappointed.

‘Even if it’s not a gunpowder-related invention, isn’t he showing it too much?’

Handling gunpowder is a hobby, but everything else is work, huh?

But I had no intention of letting him off the hook.

“So, you’re not going to do it?”

When I asked, cracking my knuckles, Choi Hae-san’s face turned pale.

It must be because he remembers being in big trouble after defying me.

“Ah, no.”

“It is a necessary item for the construction of Hanyang, so prepare it without any setbacks.”

In fact, the Geojunggi is equipment used to load stones onto carts, and there is a separate item called a Nokro [crane] that is used to build walls or buildings.

However, it can be manufactured using a similar principle, so once you make the Geojunggi, you can quickly make the Nokro as well.

‘Jeongjo said that he saved 40,000 nyang [currency] thanks to the Geojunggi.’

I remember Jin-hyuk hyung vehemently telling me that it was worth 2,000 houses, which made me feel indifferent because I had no idea how much 40,000 nyang was.

That’s enough to flatten the noses of the Gaegyeong faction officials, including Kwon Geun.

‘The Gaegyeong faction officials must have thought I couldn’t do it, right?’

They couldn’t say it out loud, but they must have thought I was a wind-filled brat.

‘First, I’ll shatter that rotten fantasy.’

They are old men with one foot in the grave, so I was even worried that they would collapse from anger when they saw the Geojunggi.

The anti-capital relocation residents’ committee will have a bitter experience this time.

“Hahaha!”

I felt good just imagining it.

No-boon looked at it with a dumbfounded expression.

Well,

Why should I care?

===

The prototype came out not long after that.

Choi Hae-san’s face was almost melting when he came to report the completion, but I pretended not to notice.

‘Working all night becomes bearable if you keep doing it.’

I hope you take the advice of an experienced person to heart, and I followed Choi Hae-san to the Military Supplies Office.

In the open space next to the Military Supplies Office, there were two Geojunggi and several huge stones that had been gathered from somewhere.

‘It must have been hard to move them.’

That must have been pulled out by manpower, not the Geojunggi.

As expected, several young and middle-aged men were lying down, panting.

“Give alcohol and meat to the hardworking blacksmiths and laborers.”

The blacksmiths were excited at my command.

If the test is successful, there will be another generous reward, but it seemed right to give the exhausted people food first.

“The Heir Apparent is such a generous person.”

“Who says otherwise.”

Only one cup of alcohol was given to each person just to cheer them up, but that alone was enough to revive them.

“Now, let’s see the skills of the Geojunggi!”

At my command, people moved busily.

Fifteen people on each side pulled the rope.

– Creak, thud!

The pulley spun around, and the huge rock underneath was slowly lifted.

The workers exclaimed, unable to believe that they were pulling the rope.

“Ooh!”

“It looks simple, but it lifts that heavy stone?”

“It’s truly the power of Overwhelming Strength (力拔山兮氣蓋世, the strength to uproot mountains and cover the world) [an idiom describing immense power and ambition]!”

The people watching were the same.

And that admiration was soon directed at me.

“I thought the Heir Apparent was only knowledgeable about gunpowder, but how did you make such a thing?”

“Even the Yellow Emperor (軒轅氏, one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors [legendary rulers of ancient China]) who made the ancient compass carriage would not be able to match this!”

‘As expected, people who have worked in the field understand well.’

If you dig the ground with a shovel all day long and experience the equipment, you won’t forget that experience.

With this kind of reaction, I had a feeling that the Geojunggi would be a hit nationwide.

‘If I make it and put it at every construction site, it will greatly reduce unnecessary manpower mobilization, right?’

However, this is only possible if the results are good until the end.

I continued to direct the work next to the Geojunggi.

“Alright, alright!”

Choi Hae-san spoke to me as I waved a light stick… no, a whip (a command stick in the Joseon Dynasty) and instructed them to put the stone on the cart.

“Um, Your Highness.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Do you really have to ride on my shoulders?”

Looking down, Choi Hae-san was making a very reluctant expression.

I am currently giving instructions while riding on Choi Hae-san’s shoulders.

As a child, it was unavoidable for me to give smooth instructions, but Choi Hae-san seemed to have a lot of complaints.

I asked quietly.

“Why, do you hate it?”

“No, it’s not that, but I’m worried that Your Highness might get hurt.”

“Then put me down.”

“Really?”

“If you want to eat seaweed soup with your nose in the Uigeumbu [prison] for obstructing the development of the matchlock.”

“…”

Choi Hae-san became quiet.

‘If you didn’t like it, you should have listened to me quietly.’

Choi Hae-san, who has original sin, could not refuse my order.

I continued to hold the whip and give instructions.

From afar, No-boon came running.

“Heir Apparent!”

“What’s wrong?”

I was concentrating on the development test, so my voice was mixed with annoyance.

‘I don’t check KakaoTalk well when I’m busy.’

It is modern etiquette not to contact me if I wrote that, but No-boon, who is a Joseon person, doesn’t have that.

“Huff, His, His Majesty is calling for you.”

“Who is calling for me?”

“His, His Majesty, huff, huff.”

His Majesty.

I wondered and asked.

“When I saw Father this morning, he didn’t say anything. What’s going on?”

“Not, not His Majesty.”

“Then are you talking about His Majesty the Grand King?”

“Not that Majesty either,”

“Then who else is there in this country…”

As I answered that, I hit my head.

“Ah.”

I had a grand uncle.

King Jeongjong, the retired king.

‘I forgot because he has no presence.’

He is a king who cannot receive a posthumous title now, is called by another name even after death, and will be called Jeongjong only a few hundred years later.

I don’t know exactly when he will be promoted.

‘Why is that man?’

I saw his face once when I got up, but there’s no reason to pick me out and call me now.

“Lord Kwon Geun told the King that the Heir Apparent had petitioned for the relocation of the capital to Hanyang!”

What?

< Overwhelming Strength (1) > End