Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 312

312. Hanseong (1)

While Oh Ha-seok remained in Alexandria, the Invincible Fleet and the Fierce Advance Fleet, heavily laden with saltpeter [potassium nitrate, a key ingredient in gunpowder], set sail from Chittagong in the Bengal Sultanate.

Just before their departure, the captains of the Invincible Fleet and the Fierce Advance Fleet, Jang Gwang-seok and Kang Nam-gil, issued stern warnings to their crews.

“You all know what saltpeter is, right? Don’t let carelessness make next year the anniversary of your death. Be careful!”

“Aye!”

The sailors responded in unison to their captains’ warnings.

* * *

As the Joseon army began using gunpowder extensively, the first problem they encountered was safety accidents caused by carelessness.

Concerned about this, Hyang urged the commanders to conduct regular safety training.

“This gunpowder, you see, kills enemies effectively, but it can kill you just as easily! If you’re even slightly careless, you’ll die, I’ll die, we’ll all die! Don’t ever forget that!”

In fact, through safety training that involved detonating gunpowder right in front of the soldiers, the soldiers of Joseon became extremely cautious when handling it.

* * *

As the two battleships departed from Chittagong, Hanseong [the historical name for Seoul, the capital of Joseon] was bustling with activity as residents moved about.

“The Iron Horse is finally running!”

“The Iron Horse is running today!”

“Let’s go see it!”

It was the day the East-West Circular Line, which ran east and west through the city of Hanseong, was opening.

However, today’s opening was only partial.

The North-South Circular Line, which would connect to the housing complex for the homeless managers on the southern outskirts of Hanseong, was still under construction. At the construction site next to Sungnyemun Gate [one of the Eight Gates in the Fortress Wall of Seoul], where the fortress walls were being demolished and railroads were being laid, and at the construction site where the housing complex was being built, many workers were toiling.

A huge crowd of Hanseong residents had already gathered around Bosingak Pavilion [a large bell pavilion in Seoul], where the opening ceremony was to be held.

“Do not cross the gold rope!”

“Hey! I said, don’t cross the gold rope!”

“Buy taffy! Buy taffy!”

“Buy rice cakes! Rice cakes!”

Amidst the shouts of the constables preventing people from crossing the gold rope that cordoned off the event area and the cries of various peddlers, well-dressed noblemen and courtesans sat on the second and third floors of nearby taverns, observing the event. In the tea houses adjacent to the taverns, women from noble families gathered to watch.

After a while, the gates of Gwanghwamun [the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace] opened, and Sejong [King Sejong the Great, the fourth king of Joseon] emerged with his ministers.

“Make way! The King is coming! Make way!”

At the sight of the royal procession, the residents who had gathered at the event area all stepped aside and prostrated themselves on the ground.

Sejong, riding his horse and surveying the residents of Hanseong, smiled slightly.

‘The people seem to be thriving! It seems that the efforts so far have not been in vain!’

When he first ascended the throne, there were years of continuous famine. Reports of people starving to death came in from all directions.

However, now that the reforms were nearing completion, reports of famine or starvation were no longer being received.

Sejong glanced at Hyang, who was following beside him, his eyes filled with pride.

‘I’ve come this far because of you! Thank you so much!’

Normally, Sejong would have been frustrated with Hyang, who always made all sorts of excuses—very appropriate ones that were hard to criticize—and only looked for things he wanted to do, but today, he saw him as a proud son.

* * *

At the event site, the Iron Horse with its carriages connected was already prepared. Crushed coal was continuously burning in the Iron Horse’s furnace, ready to depart at any moment.

Sejong, looking at the engine of the Iron Horse, turned to Hyang.

“Every time I see that flame, I find it truly amazing.”

“It’s a very useful flame.”

Hyang muttered inwardly as he replied.

‘Thanks to it, I’m in chaos every day….’

* * *

Hyang’s choice of coal as fuel was unavoidable.

“It’s definitely not just because I like steampunk!” [a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery]

As he excused himself, coal was the best option possible given Joseon’s situation and technological capabilities.

To solve the problems of natural disasters caused by deforestation due to the use of wood as a fuel source in industrial facilities and ordinary households, and the damage caused by wild animals that had lost their food as the forests disappeared, they had to find a fuel other than wood.

However, it was impossible to use oil with Joseon’s technological level and Hyang’s knowledge alone.

“I’m an otaku [a person with obsessive interests, particularly in anime and manga], not a chemical engineer!”

As Hyang argued to himself, he had no specialized knowledge of petrochemicals. Nuclear power? That wasn’t his area of expertise.

And, oil did not exist on the Korean Peninsula. Of course, according to the knowledge he had learned in middle and high school, he knew that there were oil fields in Siberia and northern Manchuria, but he did not know the exact locations.

In the end, only coal remained.

However, the problem was that most of the coal produced in Joseon was anthracite [a hard, compact variety of coal that has a high luster and the highest carbon content].

Anthracite was a surprisingly good fuel in some ways.

It had a higher calorific value than lignite or bituminous coal, and it produced less ash and smoke. Also, most of the coal mined on the Korean Peninsula was anthracite, so it was easy to supply.

However, everything else besides those advantages was a disadvantage.

Although the calorific value was high, it was also difficult to ignite. And, if the combustion conditions—mainly temperature—were not met, it would cause incomplete combustion and produce a huge amount of ash. Although it was said to be easy to supply, mining required digging deep into the coal mine.

Proceeding with anthracite, which was difficult to ignite, as fuel was a ‘war with temperature.’ To raise the temperature to the point where ignition was possible and to maintain that temperature, Hyang and the artisans of Area 51 had to create and experiment with all kinds of materials and devices.

However, fortunately for Hyang, the blacksmiths and potters of Joseon were already familiar with the ‘war with temperature.’

The charcoal used to make the highest quality iron products, especially white charcoal, was as difficult to ignite as coal.

The same was true of porcelain. To make high-quality porcelain, the temperature had to be raised to about 1,500 degrees Celsius. In a situation where there were no precise temperature measuring devices, the potters of Joseon were showing the magic of matching this temperature with experience alone.

Thanks to these artisans, Hyang was able to create a large-scale steel mill that used coal in such a short time.

Therefore, Hyang sometimes muttered to himself.

“I’m glad I was born in Joseon, and as the Crown Prince!”

This was possible because there were artisans with considerable technical skills, and he was in a position to mobilize those artisans immediately.

Of course, the researchers and artisans below were having a hard time.

However, it wasn’t just Hyang who was ordering them around. Hyang also had to suffer no less.

Hyang suffered in the process of miniaturizing these devices and improving them into more high-performance items.

It was a time of fierce struggle, going through all kinds of trial and error, creating compounds with all kinds of natural materials that could be obtained with the artisans, and demonstrating them.

Funnily enough, this process was the part that satisfied Hyang’s otaku heart to the fullest.

Not state-of-the-art machines designed with computers and covered with all kinds of electronic devices, but classical and old-fashioned things like this were Hyang’s specialty.

In other words, Hyang’s excuse to himself was an unconvincing attempt at self-persuasion.

* * *

“I will reward the artisans who made these instruments!”

Although he did not know about all the fierce struggles taking place behind the scenes, Sejong did not forget to praise the artisans who participated in the production.

The artisans had already been rewarded when they first saw the Iron Horse in Area 51. However, receiving it in front of many people now had a different significance.

This was because Hyang had strongly insisted.

“Only by doing it publicly can we prevent the belittling of artisans and encourage the production of more and more excellent artisans in the future!”

Sejong and his ministers nodded at Hyang’s claim.

“The Crown Prince’s words seem to be correct.”

“That is correct.”

Sejong and his ministers readily accepted Hyang’s claim because they had seen with their own eyes the results brought about by the development of Joseon’s technology.

Thanks to this, Sejong publicly praised and rewarded the artisans and researchers who participated in the development in front of many residents of Hanseong.

The officials and artisans were promoted and became the second beneficiaries of the newly created order of merit system.

Although the order of merit was more symbolic than material, it was a great honor to have the king personally award the medal in front of the public.

Seeing many children’s eyes shining, Hyang prayed inwardly.

‘Just grow up with that kind of ambition! It’s still not enough!’

After the award ceremony, a memorial service was held under the auspices of Sejong.

After the reading of the prayer and bowing to pray for the safe operation of the Iron Horse, Sejong burned the prayer.

As the burning prayer paper soared into the sky at Sejong’s gesture, the people shouted.

“It’s a good omen!”

“It’s a good omen!”

“Long live His Majesty!”

“Long live!”

* * *

After the memorial service, a test run was prepared.

In the presence of Sejong and his ministers, the invited people—elderly people over the age of 60 living in Hanseong and the nearby Gyeonggi Province—boarded the carriages.

Originally, Sejong, as the king, should have boarded first, followed by the ministers and the elderly, but Sejong changed this.

“Even though I am the king, how can I mistreat the elderly? It is not right.”

According to Sejong’s decision, the elderly began to board the carriages first, and Sejong spoke to them as they boarded.

“Longevity is a blessing given by heaven, so please live a long and healthy life.”

As the elderly began to board the carriages, Sejong took each of their hands and offered words of blessing.

The elderly, hearing Sejong’s blessings, bowed deeply and replied.

“Your grace is boundless!”

“What an honor! Your grace is boundless!”

The families of the elderly who were watching the scene from one side had proud faces.

‘I want to see the look on Scholar Park’s face in our neighborhood when he hears about this!’

‘People of the neighborhood! My mother has met the King! Have you ever had that experience?’

The families of the elderly were forcibly suppressing their desire to return to the neighborhood and hold a feast, watching the scene.

After the elderly had boarded, Sejong headed to those who would drive the Iron Horse and manage the carriages.

“Huh? Jin-pyeong, why are you here?”

Sejong was puzzled by the sight of Jin-pyeong standing with the stokers who would operate the Iron Horse, and Jin-pyeong smiled and replied.

“How can I stand idly by when my father is riding?”

“Is that so? Then please take good care of me.”

Hyang grumbled inwardly at the sight of Jin-pyeong answering in a loud voice.

‘That Iron-Otaku son of a….’

* * *

When Jin-pyeong heard that Sejong had ridden the Iron Horse in Area 51, he ran straight to Hyang and demanded.

“Your Highness! Why did you exclude me from such an event?”

“It was a sudden decision….”

“Even so! It was the place where my father saw the Iron Horse himself!”

Jin-pyeong, who was arguing with Hyang, literally rolled around, expressing his dissatisfaction with his whole body.

Hyang, watching the scene with his hand on his forehead, finally shouted.

“Okay, okay! When we officially open it in Hanseong, I’ll let you drive it!”

“Is that true?”

“It’s true!”

“Did you promise?”

“I promised!”

“In writing….”

“You son of a… get out!”

Hyang, who had chased Jin-pyeong out, sighed deeply.

“Hoo~. I heard that Iron-Otaku is a serious disease….”

Hyang wasn’t considering at all that Jin-pyeong’s behavior was very tame compared to his own otaku activities.

* * *

With a loud whistle, the Iron Horse began to move, marking the unprecedented event of the ‘Grand Prince’ driving it himself.

Joseon’s first, no, the world’s first steam locomotive had officially begun operation.