Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 290

290. Guju (3)

The fleet secretly dispatched from Joseon dropped anchor at Yunotsu. It was about 20 li [approximately 8 miles, a traditional Korean unit of distance] away from Iwami, where rumors of a silver mine had spread, but the coastline was deeply indented, making it an ideal place to hide ships.

“Welcome.”

A Joseon military officer, disembarking from the ship, respectfully saluted Ouchi Morimi, the lord of Ouchi, who welcomed them.

“I am An Sang-taek, the Manho (萬戶) [a military title in the Joseon dynasty] of the Joseon Navy.”

“Thank you for your hard work in coming. But…”

Morimi trailed off, looking behind An Sang-taek.

Five Joseon panokseon [a type of Korean warship] ships were anchored along the coastline.

‘The scale seems smaller than expected?’

As if sensing Morimi’s thoughts, An Sang-taek immediately explained.

“Moving on a large scale would attract the attention of others, so we moved on a small scale. The second fleet will arrive within a few days.”

Morimi’s face brightened slightly at An Sang-taek’s explanation.

“Is that so? Then how many more will come?”

“The plan is currently set for a third fleet. The second fleet will mainly consist of troops to defend this area and the mine, and the last third fleet will bring mining artisans. After the artisans properly assess the scale of the mine, adjustments will be made accordingly.”

Morimi nodded at An Sang-taek’s words and introduced the person who had followed him.

“This is my nephew, Ouchi Mochiyo. He will be in charge of defending this place and Iwami from now on.”

“I look forward to working with you.”

“I, too, look forward to working with you.”

Mochiyo and An Sang-taek exchanged polite greetings. Both were well aware of the importance of the person in front of them. Following them, the military officers under An Sang-taek and the samurai under Mochiyo exchanged greetings.

While the Joseon military commanders and key figures of the Ouchi family were meeting each other, the Joseon soldiers were diligently unloading cargo from the ships.

Once the unloading of cargo was completed, the military officers and soldiers began to build a campsite in earnest.

The samurai, who were watching the movements of the Joseon army, soon discovered something strange.

The Joseon soldiers were unloading a massive amount of sacks from the ship and piling them up on one side.

“What are those things for?”

While Morimi, Mochiyo, and the samurai were wondering, An Sang-taek approached and asked.

“Ah! I need to confirm something. Is contact with the surrounding area well blocked off?”

Morimi, having heard An Sang-taek’s question, immediately replied.

“All residents within a 5 li radius (approximately 2 kilometers) of this place have been relocated. The remaining residents are those who will work in the mine.”

“Ah, I understand.”

“By the way, what are those sacks for?”

At Morimi’s question, An Sang-taek answered with a proud voice.

“They are used to build ramparts.”

“Used to build ramparts? May I take a look?”

“Of course.”

With An Sang-taek’s permission, the Ouchi people watched the Joseon soldiers using the sacks.

“Huh…. Such a method….”

The Ouchi people couldn’t hide their surprise. Along the defensive line surrounding the pier and campsite, soldiers were scooping up soil and filling the sacks. Once the sacks were filled with soil, they were tightly tied and began to stack the sacks along the defensive line.

One of the retainers, known for his expertise in defense, opened his mouth as he watched the scene.

“If we reinforce those dug-out pits a little, we could create a strong moat.”

At the words of the retainer, who was known for his expertise in defense, Morimi and the others moved closer to examine the sacks.

“Good heavens….”

Morimi and his retainers, who had picked up an empty sack that had not yet been filled with soil to examine its material, couldn’t close their gaping mouths. The cloth used to make the sacks was extraordinary.

The cloth of the sacks was slightly thick, but it was woven very densely.

“It’s quite high-grade.”

While Morimi was making that assessment, some of the mid- and low-ranking samurai who were following behind were comparing the cloth of the sacks with the cloth of their own clothes and sighing softly.

The higher-ups brought in silk and high-quality cotton cloth through various channels to make clothes, but the middle- and lower-ranking samurai wore clothes made of rough hemp or cotton cloth, except for one or two sets of clothes they wore as formal attire.

However, the cloth of the sacks that the Joseon army was using to hold soil was of even better quality than the cloth of the clothes they were wearing.

“The cloth of the sacks is quite good. Isn’t it too much to use it for sacks that are only used to hold soil?”

At Mochiyo’s question, An Sang-taek smiled slightly and replied.

“It’s made of cotton cloth, so it’s not very expensive.”

“Cotton cloth?”

“It is a cloth woven with a device created by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”

An Sang-taek’s face was filled with pride as he mentioned ‘the Crown Prince.’

* * *

When cotton cloth first began to be mass-produced, merchants were troubled by lower-than-expected sales.

At this time, Hyang appeared like a savior.

“The reason for the poor performance is the lack of price competitiveness in the selling price. And, the people do not yet know the usefulness of cotton cloth.”

Hyang, who pointed out the cause, immediately presented the answer.

-Cultivate cotton in Waeguk (倭國) [historical name for Japan] and import it cheaply.

-The government (官) [referring to the Joseon government] and the military use cotton cloth in large quantities to show its usefulness.

Hyang’s proposal was immediately accepted. In particular, the first solution also had the intention of economically subjugating Wa (Japan).

However, neither Sejong [King Sejong the Great of Joseon] nor any of the ministers heard Hyang’s mutterings.

“It’s a proposal I made, but it tastes bitter. The military is always the easiest solution.”

Hyang was reminded of the painful memories of the 21st century when he had to eat pork and chicken until he was sick of it whenever problems arose in pig or chicken farms.

“If you were going to force-feed us like that, you should have outsourced it to a proper restaurant or chicken place. Wouldn’t it have been good to circulate the market economy a bit? Every time, I ate the unpredictable food cooked by the cooks….”

The very first product supplied to the military and government was those sacks.

Hyang had also put his hand in these sacks. It was simply two pieces of cloth overlapped and tightly sewn, and Hyang called Jang Yeong-sil [a famous Korean inventor and scientist during the Joseon dynasty].

“Let’s think about a loom that can weave sacks!”

“Yes? Yes….”

Jang Yeong-sil, who received the order from Hyang, returned to his workshop and shouted.

“Everyone under me, gather around! Immediately!”

They started developing the loom like that, but it was unknown when the prototype would come out. Therefore, the sacks were made by sewing by hand, but the military units that received them soon realized their effectiveness and began to use them in large quantities.

The sacks demonstrated their true value in the process of rapidly building defensive facilities in newly acquired areas.

The sacks were not only popular in the military. The government also soon realized its effectiveness and began to use it well in natural disasters—especially floods.

As they came into contact with cotton cloth more often, the demand for cotton cloth gradually increased among the general public.

* * *

In any case, Morimi, who was fixated on the sacks, asked An Sang-taek.

“Is it difficult to obtain those sacks?”

“No. If you need them, please send a document. I will inform Hanseong [the capital of Joseon] through the liaison ship.”

“Hmm….”

After pondering for a moment, Morimi made a decision.

“I will write and deliver the document soon.”

“I understand.”

With that conversation, Morimi left the pier.

Reaching the fork in the road that split into Iwami and Nagato, Morimi once again urged Mochiyo.

“You haven’t forgotten why my brother, your late father, had to lose his life, have you?”

“I know it well.”

“In order to avenge that grudge and become the ‘master of the world,’ which is the family’s long-cherished desire, that silver mine is absolutely necessary. We must defend the silver mine no matter what.”

“Yes, sir!”

At Mochiyo’s resolute answer, Morimi’s face brightened as if he was relieved. Watching Morimi, Mochiyo asked.

“By the way, are you sure you will order the sacks?”

“What do you think?”

“I think it would be good to build defensive facilities in the mine. I want to build a castle, but that would be too flashy.”

“You saw it well. And, I think it will be needed in Buzen (豊前) [a province in feudal Japan] as well.”

“Shoni (少弐) [a Japanese clan] and Otomo (大友) [another Japanese clan] are still holding us back.”

The two families, local clans in the Kyushu region, had become the biggest obstacles in the process of the Ouchi family taking control of Kyushu.

When Mochiyo mentioned Shoni and Otomo, Morimi nodded.

“In order to become the ruler of the world, we must put an end to those two families first. Anyway…. Joseon’s artifacts are amazing.”

Everyone surrounding Morimi nodded at his words.

Even the cloth of the sacks used to hold mere soil or sand boasted tremendous quality.

In addition, the military discipline and the strictness of the Joseon army that disembarked from the ship were not those of mere soldiers (兵卒) [ordinary soldiers].

Before they knew it, the lord and retainers of the Ouchi family had begun to be psychologically suppressed by Joseon.

* * *

As An Sang-taek said, the third arriving fleet carried mining technicians.

The artisans, who had relieved their fatigue in Yunotsu, which now clearly showed the appearance of a pier and garrison, departed for the Iwami mine under the escort of Joseon soldiers and Ouchi family soldiers.

“This is the place.”

The artisans, guided by Mochiyo and the samurai, arrived at the mine, set up tents, and soon began exploring the surrounding area.

The Ouchi samurai followed the Joseon artisans. The orders the samurai received were simple.

-Protect the Joseon artisans even if you have to give up your lives!

After about a month, the artisans reported to An Sang-taek and Mochiyo.

The artisans spread out the map they had created while climbing the mountains and pointed out three places.

“We recommend these three veins.”

“There are other veins, but I think it would be good to start here first.”

Mochiyo’s face brightened as he heard the artisans’ words through an interpreter.

“Then I will immediately put in laborers!”

The Joseon artisans shook their heads at Mochiyo’s words.

“First, we need to bring in tools from Joseon.”

“That’s right. I saw the Waeno’s (倭奴) [a derogatory term for Japanese people]…. No, the Japanese’s pickaxes and shovels, and they are all unusable.”

“And, we need some gunpowder.”

“We must also have mine carts, water pumps, and ventilators.”

At the artisans’ words, An Sang-taek nodded and replied.

“Please organize everything you need and tell me. I will write it as a report and send it to Hanseong.”

“I understand.”

Mochiyo, who was listening to the story through a Japanese interpreter next to him, joined the conversation.

“What are mine carts, water pumps, and ventilators?”

“They are essential for safely mining a lot of silver ore. I don’t know more than that….”

An Sang-taek, who briefly explained to Mochiyo, asked the artisans.

“What else? And, when can we start mining once all the equipment is ready?”

“We can start mining right away if the equipment is properly prepared. Ah! Please send some laborers besides the artisans. The Japanese are very clumsy.”

“I understand.”

While An Sang-taek was nodding and answering, one of the military officers sitting next to him was diligently recording with paper clipped to a writing tablet.

When all the records were finished, An Sang-taek said to Mochiyo.

“Even before the equipment arrives, we must first build the necessary buildings.”

“Yes? Yes.”

Mochiyo, watching the actions of the Joseon people, replied with a half-넋 (soul-gone) [넋 (neok) refers to the soul or spirit in Korean; here, it implies being dazed or bewildered] face.

‘What on earth are they talking about…. I can’t understand any of it!’

* * *

When the equipment requested by the artisans arrived and preparations for full-scale mining began, Mochiyo and the samurai were dumbfounded.

When a mixture of sand and an unknown gray powder was poured into a formwork made of iron bars and wooden boards, warehouses and accommodations made of sturdy stone were created in an instant.

“It’s like a goblin game….”

Mochiyo suddenly became ‘Mochiyo in Wonderland.’