Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 447

447. The Western Barbarians Come to Joseon (4)

Hyang moved to stand before the map, pointing at it with a long pointer.

He indicated the western coastline of the uncharted territory, newly recorded through Maeng Jin-ho’s exploration, and continued.

“As you can see, the northern part of this coastline is north of Daeseol Island. Considering the climate of Jongjang Island and the East Jin Archipelago, the natural environment here is not favorable. Therefore, we will leave this area for now.”

“Leave it? Are you suggesting we postpone exploration there?”

Hyang nodded at Sejong’s question.

“Yes. With Joseon’s current capabilities, exploring this entire area would be a waste.”

“A waste… I see.”

Although Hyang used the strong word ‘waste,’ Sejong and the ministers nodded in understanding.

Sejong studied the map while listening to Hyang’s explanation and asked,

“Then, where would be a good place to start?”

At Sejong’s question, Hyang drew an imaginary horizontal line with the pointer.

“I believe it would be best to start right here.”

The spot Hyang marked with a line was the middle of what was called British Columbia in Canada in the history before Hyang’s intervention.

‘If my memory from wandering around back then is correct, moving east from here will allow us to bypass the northern part of the Rocky Mountains! Bypassing them there will lead us directly into the Great Plains of North America! That way, we won’t have to go through the insane desert areas of Nevada, Arizona, or Texas!’

“Hmm…”

Whether they knew Hyang’s thoughts or not, Sejong and the ministers looked at the map, considering the possibilities of Hyang’s proposal.

Sejong looked at the blank spaces to the south and east of the coastline recorded by Maeng Jin, then turned his gaze west.

With a look full of contemplation, Sejong looked at the European countries clustered together on the west side of the map.

‘What the Crown Prince said before is certainly true. They also know the world is round, so they will try to move east. The only question is how wide the sea is between the eastern end of that uncharted territory and those Western barbarians’ countries, especially England. According to Maeng Jin-ho’s report, that uncharted territory is enormous, so it must contain many things. Letting other countries have it would be a poor strategy—no, an absolute mistake to avoid. But….’

After much deliberation, Sejong let out a long sigh.

“Hoo… Whether we go east or south, there are many problems. If we’re not careful, Joseon and the Western barbarians could end up trying to bite each other’s tails.”

“Of course, that is a possibility. Or, Joseon and the Western barbarians could clash in the middle of that uncharted territory. But….”

Hyang paused to clear his throat before continuing.

“There is a significant difference between those Western barbarians and our Joseon. If we use that difference, we can create a very advantageous situation for Joseon.”

“Difference? Hmm…”

When Hyang mentioned ‘difference,’ Sejong fell into thought again. Then, Hwang Hee joined the conversation.

“Are you perhaps referring to our attitude towards the natives?”

“That is correct.”

At Hyang’s answer, Sejong and the ministers nodded.

* * *

Joseon’s attitude towards the natives living in the newly acquired territories had been ‘Candy, more candy, Hunminjeongeum [Korean alphabet], and a good beating if necessary.’

When contacting the natives, they tried to maintain a peaceful atmosphere as much as possible and started by trading. Then, they secured a firm foothold through barter using monopoly stores.

As they built relationships, they began to learn each other’s languages, and Hunminjeongeum played a key role in this process. Most of the natives they contacted had languages but no writing systems. Having a writing system to properly record their languages attracted the natives.

And, as a result, it was a natural progression for the natives familiar with Hunminjeongeum to learn Joseon language.

This was due to the characteristics of Hunminjeongeum, its biggest feature being that all pronunciations were fixed. There were no cases in Hunminjeongeum where a vowel or consonant was pronounced differently depending on the situation, which allowed the natives to quickly become familiar with the Joseon language.

Of course, there were also natives who rejected everything and treated Joseon people as enemies. In such cases, Joseon did not insist on continuous persuasion. However, if they attacked Joseon people or Joseon settlements first, they would pursue them to the end and erase their existence.

However, according to Mansour, or the records of the slave markets in Alexandria, the Western barbarians rarely used such methods. To them, the natives’ villages were merely excellent sources of slaves.

* * *

At Hyang’s mention of this point, Sejong and the ministers nodded.

Seeing their reaction, Hyang put more strength into his voice.

“In that uncharted territory, the first thing both Joseon and the Western barbarians must do is to gain the help of the natives. Considering what the Western barbarians did to the natives in Africa, our Joseon can be even more advantageous. If our Joseon can make the natives our allies first, the Western barbarians coming to the uncharted territory from the east will not be a major concern.”

“Indeed…”

“Hoo…”

While the ministers were nodding at Hyang’s explanation, Sejong smiled and looked at Hyang.

“So, that’s why you wrote in your proposal that doctors should be dispatched on a large scale from the beginning of the exploration?”

Hyang nodded at Sejong’s remark.

“That’s right. That uncharted territory is an unknown land to us. Naturally, there will be diseases we don’t know, and our diseases that the natives of the uncharted territory don’t know. To prepare for the former, and to use the latter to increase our Joseon’s influence, many doctors must be deployed from the beginning of the exploration.”

‘It was the same in the 21st century, right? Even though they’re doing it for money, doctors are thanked so much that people would bow to the ground when they save a family member who is sick and dying!’

Hyang’s long explanation ended, and Sejong looked at the ministers.

“The Crown Prince’s proposal seems good. What do you all think?”

“Indeed, it is so!”

“I believe it is the best option!”

When all the ministers agreed, Sejong concluded.

“Then, add the Crown Prince’s plan to the existing one and readjust the plan. Fortunately, the exploration fleet has not yet departed, so I believe the burden will be less.”

“…Yes.”

* * *

After the meeting, Hyang left Geunjeongjeon [main hall of Gyeongbok Palace] and muttered to himself as he returned to Area 51.

“It’s an unavoidable choice… With Joseon’s current capabilities, trying to swallow both South and North America would lead to a situation where we can’t even wet our lips and our mouths would be torn. The natives of North America are one thing, but South America has already established a national framework, and the customs there would shock His Majesty and the ministers… But, it’s a shame about the rubber… Tsk!”

Hyang clicked his tongue in disappointment.

* * *

As the Challenger ships traveled back and forth between Alexandria, passing through Southeast Asia, Hyang slyly assigned a mission.

-Find out about trees that produce a substance with excellent elasticity when the sap is dried.

It was Hyang’s order, thinking of the natural latex that came from Vietnam and Indonesia in the 21st century, but the result was a complete failure.

-No such tree.

Hyang had to click his tongue as he received the simple and clear report.

“So, it spread from the Amazon?”

Therefore, he was once again filled with dreams after receiving Maeng Jin-ho’s report, but Hyang had to face the wall of reality once again.

There was a limit to the exploration with the amount of human and material resources that Joseon could currently mobilize.

Therefore, Hyang had to give up his desire for rubber.

“It’s temporary, temporary!”

Hyang was persuading himself, but he also knew that the temporary period would be quite long.

“Even when playing games, there’s a reason why you send Marines and SCVs [StarCraft units] here and there, right? It’s not just to find the enemy, but to find minerals. ‘Arrived in North America. Obtained gold!’ ‘Arrived in South America. Obtained rubber!’ There’s never a case like that… I can’t just step up and shout, ‘We must go south! There’s rubber and saltpeter mines there!’ If I do, my second life might be exposed… Hoo… I have to give up.”

Hyang muttered with a face full of regret.

He gave up on rubber, no, South America, because he was in danger of revealing his ‘second life,’ but Hyang could not give up on the eastern region of North America.

“Considering the value of that area, we need to sink our teeth into it, not just lick our lips.”

* * *

As Hyang was muttering and returning to Area 51, Sejong asked the ministers.

“Isn’t the Crown Prince truly reliable?”

“That is correct.”

“With the Crown Prince being so reliable, our Joseon’s future is truly bright.”

Sejong listened to the ministers’ answers with a pleased face and ordered Jo Mal-saeng.

“Do your best in the exploration. A foothold must be established quickly so that I can go.”

At Sejong’s words, Hwang Hee opened his mouth with a very nervous face.

“Are you considering delegating the regency with those words?”

“Wouldn’t abdication be better than delegating the regency?”

The air inside Geunjeongjeon instantly became heavy at Sejong’s mention of abdication. Seeing the ministers’ faces full of worry, Sejong smiled and comforted them.

“There will never be such a thing as what the late King did. Rather, wouldn’t it be possible to establish it as a good precedent?”

As he said that, Sejong suddenly remembered something and asked the Chief Secretary.

“How are the Crown Prince’s sons and grandsons doing these days? Are there any problems with their studies?”

“Yes, they have inherited the talents of His Majesty and the Crown Prince, and it is said that it is difficult to find their match among their peers.”

Sejong’s face brightened at the Chief Secretary’s answer.

“Is that so? Then, what about their character?”

“Their character also shows great promise.”

“That’s a relief.”

As Sejong showed a relieved expression, Hwang Hee asked Sejong.

“Why did you suddenly ask about the Crown Prince’s sons and grandsons’ talents?”

Sejong answered simply to Hwang Hee’s question.

“Because I know the Crown Prince’s personality well.”

“Ah!”

Hwang Hee nodded vigorously at Sejong’s answer.

At that moment, Hyang vigorously scratched his ear.

“Agh! Who’s talking about me?”

* * *

That afternoon, a report arrived from Mokpo using the iron horse [train]. The report contained records of the activities of Prince Henrique and his party, who were staying at the guest house.

“They showed great interest in the light stone? Mansour did too, so it seems the Crown Prince’s bold claim that this light stone will be profitable is correct.”

Kim Jeom immediately responded to Sejong’s words.

“The praise among the people of that country is also endless. It is fortunate that we were able to mass-produce it at such an appropriate time.”

Kim Jeom bowed his head with a smile at Sejong’s answer, but inwardly, he was grinding his teeth and grumbling.

‘Do you know how much money went into making that damn kiln!’

* * *

The light stone, or carbide, was the product of Hyang’s fierce challenges.

“To produce better iron and metal materials, we need a better blast furnace.”

The quality of the iron and metal materials that Joseon was currently producing was far superior to that of Ming and Japan, as well as the Middle East and Europe, but Hyang still felt it was insufficient.

“It’s good that we’ve jumped into the center of the world, but from now on, we’re the ones being chased. We can’t just sit back and do nothing.”

Hyang looked at the Challenge Log on the bookshelf and continued.

“We need to write down not only simple fantasies but also what attempts we made.”

It was Hyang’s decision that further enhanced the value of the ‘Challenge Log.’