Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 529

Three days later, Hyang visited the research institute.

At the news of Hyang’s visit, everyone at the institute, starting with Lee Wan, came out to greet him.

The researchers who came out to greet Hyang wore unexpectedly worried expressions.

‘Why is he coming now, of all times?’ one muttered.

‘Every time he comes, he just dumps a ton of homework on us…’ another grumbled.

Representing the feelings of these researchers, Kim Dam asked his wife, Princess Jeongui, in a low voice,

“Do you know anything about this?”

Princess Jeongui shook her head in response to Kim Dam’s question.

“I do not know either.”

* * *

Amidst the worried researchers, Hyang entered the conference room, stepped onto the platform, and looked around at the assembled scientists.

“I am truly pleased to see you all here despite your busy research activities.”

Hyang, who began with a simple greeting, soon walked to the blackboard and wrote the character ‘열’ [yeol, meaning heat or passion] in large letters.

After writing ‘열’ [yeol] and ‘熱’ [yeol, the Hanja, or Chinese character, for heat], Hyang continued.

“This heat is essential for people’s lives. Without heat, we cannot endure the winter, and we cannot cook food, which easily leads to illness. And heat is also needed in the process of melting iron and copper to make tools.”

The researchers nodded at Hyang’s words, but at the same time, their doubts grew stronger.

‘Why is he telling us things we already know?’ they wondered.

Whether he knew the researchers’ thoughts or not, Hyang continued.

“Now! We have created a steam engine. The principle of the steam engine is to boil water with heat and use its power. And recently, we also launched a flying vehicle. In other words, we are using the power of heat.”

Simultaneously with his words, Hyang wrote the characters ‘역’ [yeok, meaning power] and ‘力’ [ryeok, the Hanja for power] next to the character for heat.

“Ah!”

“Could it be!”

At that moment, Lee Soon-ji and Kim Dam exclaimed simultaneously. Hyang nodded slightly at the two men’s reactions.

‘As expected…’ he thought.

Confirming that his prediction was correct, Hyang asked Lee Soon-ji,

“Chief Lee Soon-ji, do you understand what I am trying to say?”

At that, Lee Soon-ji replied in a trembling voice, his excitement palpable.

“In the process of developing the steam engine and improving the blast furnace, many formulas and results related to heat have been recorded. Are you telling us to find the underlying principle that connects those formulas and data?”

“That’s right.”

At Hyang’s words, the faces of all the researchers in the room turned pale.

* * *

Many trials and errors were made to create a steam engine, improve the blast furnace, and create a heat treatment process to make better steel, and as many results as those trials and errors were left as data.

What Hyang was saying now was to re-analyze all the data and formulas created for the experiments and find the most basic law governing them.

* * *

Looking at the researchers who had turned pale and frozen, Hyang continued.

“The devices that use the power of heat, including the steam engine that has been made so far, are at a level where satisfactory results can be obtained simply by improving through repeated trials and errors. However, considering the future, we cannot always rely on trial and error.

The ships floating on the sea are getting bigger and bigger, and the engines that move them will also get bigger and bigger. The same goes for iron horses [trains]. In such a situation, creating results only through trial and error?

This is a tremendous waste of manpower, money, and time.”

The researchers all nodded at Hyang’s words. This was because they, too, were slowly starting to hit a wall with similar problems.

“However, if you know the most basic law, you can eliminate parts that don’t make sense at all, and you can predict the results to some extent by substituting variables into the law and its related formulas. You must know how big of an advantage this is, right?”

The researchers nodded in response to Hyang’s question.

Watching the researchers’ reactions, Hyang added letters to the blackboard.

‘열역학, 熱力學 [Thermodynamics]’

“If we can find out the law regarding this problem, find the connections between the many formulas we have made so far, and prove it! We will be able to transform one of the abstract principles underlying all things in the universe into concrete numbers and formulas, and help more people!”

The researchers’ spirits began to change at Hyang’s words. They were so proud and self-respecting that they used the arrogant phrase ‘유수능답((唯數能答, Only mathematics can give the answer.))’ as their slogan.

Seeing that the researchers’ spirits had begun to burn, Hyang wrote new letters on the blackboard.

‘기력(氣力) [Gi-ryeok, Energy]’

“Looking at steam engines and flying vehicles, they all use heat energy (熱氣). Then what is heat energy? What is the power of heat energy? I named this part Gi-ryeok, which means the ability to do work.”

The Joseon researchers all nodded at Hyang’s words. The phrase ‘I can’t work because I don’t have enough Gi-ryeok’ was so common that they could immediately understand the meaning.

Hyang continued to write on the blackboard.

“In Western terms…”

Hyang wrote the word ‘Εnergia’ on the blackboard. The monks who saw the word Hyang wrote all nodded.

Watching the researchers’ reactions, Hyang continued to speak.

“What is the existence of this Gi-ryeok, and what kinds are there? Is measurement possible? If so, how do we calculate its power? We need to observe, analyze, and contemplate these parts to find out.”

The researchers’ faces simultaneously showed ‘?’.

“If it’s hard to understand, let’s give an example. What is the relationship between heat energy and fire energy? Which is the main (主) and which is the subordinate (從)?

Simply put, fire is lit and heat is generated, so fire energy may be the main and heat energy may be the subordinate. However, we can often see paper burning in a hot kiln without a spark. In that case, heat energy may be the main and fire energy may be the subordinate.

To give another example, let’s think about lightning. How is lightning’s electrical energy (雷氣) created, and what is its nature? And, from the stories that houses and trees were burned or people died from being struck by lightning, we must also contemplate the power and ability of electrical energy, and how people can use it. All of this is collectively called Gi-ryeok.”

The researchers seemed to understand to some extent at Hyang’s explanation, but their expressions of confusion were still there. Eventually, Angelo stepped up and asked a question.

“I understand about thermodynamics. But is it necessary to study Energia together?”

Hyang answered immediately to Angelo’s question.

“The most basic thing about thermodynamics is that you have to know the properties of heat energy, and if you want to know the properties of heat energy properly, shouldn’t you also know the correlation with other Gi-ryeoks?”

“Ah… I see.”

Angelo nodded at Hyang’s explanation. Hyang, looking at Angelo, gave a warning to the researchers.

“Ah! In the process of researching this thermodynamics and Gi-ryeok and establishing theories and formulas, it is absolutely forbidden to fit them into what you have learned so far. From now on, what you will be researching will truly be an uncharted path (前人未踏). Let’s not make the mistake of 교각살우(矯角殺牛) [矯角殺牛, trying to straighten a cow’s horn and killing the cow in the process, meaning trying to fix a small problem and ruining the whole thing].”

Jeong In-ji asked a question at Hyang’s words.

“Are you saying that we should not be bound by the Yi-Gi Theory (理氣論) discussed by Zhu Xi [a prominent Neo-Confucian scholar]?”

“That’s right. You must start from nothing (無) without being bound by Yin-Yang Yi-Gi or Five Elements Gi.”

Jeong In-ji muttered inwardly at Hyang’s firm answer.

‘It’s really fortunate that everything was swept away by the Gi-Yu Rebellion [a historical purge of scholars].’

Jeong In-ji stepped back, but this time Giovanni stepped forward.

“But if we make a mistake, we could disgrace God’s providence.”

Hyang’s face turned fierce at Giovanni’s words.

“Is that God’s providence what is recorded in the Bible?”

Before he knew it, Hyang’s tone had become sharper. Giovanni nodded at Hyang’s question.

“That’s right.”

“Don’t you think that the thickness of that Bible is too thin to record all the providence of all things in the universe? And, I’ve read it, and most of that Bible records the actions of prophets, the actions of the founder, and the actions of the apostles who followed the founder? Which part discusses God’s providence regarding all things in the universe? Surely you’re not saying that everything is possible with just Genesis?”

“….”

Giovanni, who was directly challenged by Hyang’s question, closed his mouth.

With Giovanni’s remarks, there were no more objections. Jeong In-ji, who roughly grasped the situation, began to take steps to organize it.

“Should we raise it to the Ugong Yisan (愚公移山) [Ugong Yisan, like the foolish old man who tried to move a mountain, meaning perseverance] level in the Challenge Log?”

“Yes, Ugong Yisan Sangsang (上上) [the highest level of perseverance].”

“Indeed…”

Jeong In-ji nodded at Hyang’s words. This was because it seemed that 3 generations, at least 100 years, would not be enough to see the end of the research Hyang had mentioned so far.

“Hoo~.”

Jeong In-ji, who sighed as if he had met a distant Taesan Mountain [a metaphor for an insurmountable task] that he could not see the end of, looked at Lee Soon-ji and shook his head slightly. Lee Soon-ji’s face was shining so brightly that he could be recognized from 10 li [approximately 4 kilometers] away.

‘That math monster…’ he thought.

In this way, ‘classical physics’ was born at least 200 years earlier than the history before Hyang’s intervention – based on Newton’s birth.

And Lee Wan, who saw all this from the side, smiled bitterly.

‘Father is dropping a super-large Bigyeokjincheonleoe [a type of powerful bomb] and leaving,’ he thought.

Wan, who had accumulated knowledge through education at Ganghakwon and Gunhakwon [various educational institutions], knew how enormous the task Hyang had thrown at them was.

‘The problem is that I’m also caught in the explosion range of that Bigyeokjincheonleoe…’

Wan, who thought that far, sighed slightly without realizing it.

“Hoo~.”

Wan, who was looking for a solution to the bleak situation, soon found a suitable refuge.

“For the time being, I should just focus on improving the flying vehicle with Chief Jo in Area 51.”

* * *

Hyang, who came out of the conference room, went straight to the inspection office.

“Greetings to the Crown Prince!”

The translators working at the inspection office bowed politely as soon as they saw Hyang.

“Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for your hard work.”

The translators all bowed their heads with grateful faces at Hyang’s praise.

“We are deeply grateful!”

After praising the translators for their hard work, Hyang got to the point.

“For the time being, ease the inspection standards for the letters that Western monks send to their hometowns.”

“Yes?”

“Just send the contents of the research they write in their letters, unless it’s too deep.”

The translators were speechless at Hyang’s words. After a moment of silence, one of the clerks opened his mouth.

“Um… Your Highness. We are translators. If they write formulas, we cannot know their importance.”

“That’s right, Your Highness. We could immediately know the importance of the contents about devices such as steam engines and selectively delete them, but if they write formulas, we have always deleted them all.”

Hyang pondered for a moment at the translators’ words and opened his mouth.

“If such letters with formulas are found, send them all to me.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Hyang, who came out of the inspection room after finishing his business, smiled bitterly and muttered.

“My work has increased even more. If things go well, will those damn things that made me give up math come out? Things like calculus and probability and statistics… I still grind my teeth just thinking about them.”