Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 658

658. This Time, Firewood Too, and Lots of It. (4)

The professors initially hired blacksmiths residing in the city and nearby villages.

And it was here that many professors experienced their first trial and error.

A small blacksmith shop on the outskirts of Paris.

The expressions of the blacksmiths who received the professors’ request were truly peculiar. Jacques, the head blacksmith, examined the blueprints and asked the professors,

“What is this scrap of paper?”

“It is a blueprint for a device called a steam engine.”

“So… you’re saying you want me to create this bizarre object drawn in the picture?”

“That’s right.”

“Are the numbers written next to it the dimensions?”

“Yes, they are.”

After listening to the professors’ explanation, Jacques sighed deeply.

“Hoo~. Gentlemen, your joke is a bit much.”

“It’s not a joke!”

At the professors’ words, Jacques raised his hand and pointed to his blacksmith shop.

“If the numbers on the blueprint are accurate, you are asking me to create a device larger than my blacksmith shop… inside my blacksmith shop!”

“Huh?”

“Ah?”

At Jacques’ words, the professors looked around Jacques’ blacksmith shop, their faces reddening with embarrassment. Seeing their expressions, Jacques added,

“Just so you know, my blacksmith shop is the second largest in all of Paris and the surrounding area.”

* * *

Those who encountered this first obstacle soon began to inquire about those capable of manufacturing such large devices.

The first people they contacted were bell founders.

Even a small church bell in the countryside weighed several hundred Paris livres [an old French unit of weight, roughly equivalent to a pound], so they reasoned that artisans who made such heavy objects would be able to make the steam engine, which was also quite large.

However, this second attempt also failed to produce the desired results. They succeeded in casting a large mass of metal, but they ran into a problem with internal pressure resistance.

“Who can make a device that can withstand great pressure?”

As they pondered this question, the answer soon became clear.

“Cannon artisans are the answer!”

From there, another problem arose.

* * *

During this period, European cannon artisans were both skilled craftsmen and mercenaries.

Cannon artisans would take to the battlefield with their apprentices and the cannons they made. And they were never short of customers, regardless of country or religion.

In the history before Hyang’s intervention, Urban, a Hungarian artillery master, famously made the Dardanelles Gun for Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire.

In addition, it was common practice to switch allegiances to whoever promised higher pay, even in the midst of ongoing wars.

In the history before Hyang’s intervention, this pattern began to change during the reign of Louis XIV.

* * *

Although most major conflicts had ended, small-scale wars fueled by religious differences continued to erupt here and there, and large-scale battles persisted, especially in the Suez region.

As a result, the value of skilled cannon artisans continued to skyrocket. To attract these artisans, whose pride had inflated along with their value, European professors had to scramble and compete.

Eventually, just as they were about to succeed in recruiting retired artisans and those curious about steam engines, powerful competitors emerged.

Professors who were proceeding in a different way from themselves.

* * *

Unlike those who rushed ahead with only enthusiasm and stumbled through trial and error, there were also professors who steadily accumulated experience and moved forward methodically.

Remembering the iron horse model they had seen in the exhibition hall that Hyang had only partially revealed, they created a scaled-down model of the steam engine they had designed.

Contracting with blacksmiths who had a reputation for skill in the area, they soon managed to create a working scaled-down model, carefully recording the errors that arose from the difference between theory and practice and diligently seeking solutions.

Chik-chik-chik-chik! Pop-pop-pop-pop!

“Finally… success!”

“We did it!”

As the scaled-down model, built after so much hardship, began to move, emitting puffs of water vapor, the professors and blacksmiths embraced each other, unable to contain their joy.

After accumulating some experience and completing a reasonably functional scaled-down model, the professors and blacksmiths decided to tackle the actual size, where they encountered another significant obstacle.

When they scaled up the model using the same proportions, the resulting size was larger than expected, and the efficiency was disappointingly poor.

“I think we can reduce the thickness a bit….”

“But if we do it haphazardly, it will take too much time and resources.”

As they searched for the best approach, they soon thought of cannon artisans.

“Those who make cannons will be experts in dealing with pressure! Let’s approach them!”

Thus, the competition to secure the services of skilled cannon artisans began.

Ironically, this competition began to create a gradually deepening rift between European universities.

* * *

During this period, European universities maintained a fairly strong network.

The glue that held this network together was Latin and the classics.

Regardless of nationality, students and professors entering university were required to use only Latin.

‘The language of the ancient Roman Empire is Latin, and we are the ones who protect Rome’s legacy.’

To uphold this sense of pride and tradition, professors and students spoke and wrote in Latin.

The issue of the classics was similar. Most of the books and documents from the Roman Empire era were written on parchment. Naturally, parchment was expensive, and the number of available copies was extremely limited. Therefore, professors actively engaged in exchanging these rare texts with their colleagues at other universities.

Due to these two factors, European universities boasted a strong network. Of course, there were also strained relationships due to wars, such as those between France and England. However, even in those cases, universities in England and France still maintained strong ties with universities in other regions, excluding those in the opposing country.

The network was so robust that even if a university student transferred schools mid-studies, their credits and academic standing would be recognized.

However, this network was slowly beginning to crumble.

As an aside, historians would later evaluate the beginning of this rift as follows:

-The cause was not the steam engine, but the classics printed by the Empire!

And this assessment was largely accurate.

* * *

The professors who visited the monks’ lodgings in Seoul were greatly surprised to see the bookshelves filled with books on one side.

“Aren’t these all precious classics? Where did you get these?”

“As you can see, they are classics printed by the Empire [referring to the Joseon Empire].”

Listening to the monks’ explanations, the professors carefully examined the books again and were even more surprised.

“Such clear printing!”

“And there are no typos either!”

The professors were astonished by the high quality of the printing and the near absence of errors.

In 1448, just two years prior, printing technology using movable metal type had been invented by Gutenberg, but it was not yet widely adopted. Its most common application was the printing of indulgences, followed by miscellaneous books for the general public.

As a result, most of the classics from ancient Greece and Rome were still handwritten on parchment, making them rare and expensive.

However, now the monks’ bookshelves were filled with clearly printed editions of these classics.

“The amount on that bookshelf is comparable to a decent monastery library.”

“And that’s just one room….”

“Do you know what’s even more surprising? The owner of this room is a young monk.”

“Heo….”

The faces of the professors muttering these observations were a mixture of envy and avarice.

“Who printed these books?”

“The Empire printed them.”

“Under whose orders?”

“It started when His Majesty was the Crown Prince.”

The monks then recounted the story behind the printing project.

“One of the things we did after coming to the Empire—ah! It was Joseon at the time—was to inspect the classics collected by Joseon. We, along with alchemists, were all mobilized to check for duplicates and transcription errors. After completing the inspection and correction, we printed the classics in large quantities.”

“Why? For what reason?”

“I heard it was to ensure that researchers working in the research institute wouldn’t be hampered by a lack of access to books. Since then, we have been continuously printing books for students studying at the language institute, the industry-academia institute, and the engineering institute.”

The professors’ ears perked up at the monks’ answer.

“You’re still printing them now? Then can we get them too?”

At the professors’ question, the monks paused for a moment to consider and then answered.

“If you have money, you can probably get them, yes?”

“Won’t they be too expensive?”

“No matter how expensive they are, they will be much cheaper than obtaining handwritten copies.”

“Really? Is that so!”

Soon after, officials from the Ministry of Finance, hearing that many professors—to be exact, everyone who visited Seoul—wanted to purchase books, began to promote sales.

“You need books?”

“That’s right.”

“Here is the list. And which do you want, the thin edition [a simple, less expensive edition] or the beautiful edition [a deluxe, high-quality edition]?”

At the professors’ question, the Ministry of Finance officials presented two books. One had a thick cover made of yellow paper with the contents printed on yellow paper and bound together, while the other had a thin wooden board covered with well-trimmed leather, the contents printed on the finest Korean paper, and the title written in gold leaf.

And this beautiful edition appealed to the professors’ vanity.

“The beautiful edition! I’ll buy the beautiful edition!”

“Thank you!”

Meanwhile, there were also professors who made other requests.

“Are there any books not on the list….”

“We are still collecting texts, so they may become available later.”

“Is it possible to order a large quantity of the thin edition?”

“It is possible in units of 50 copies.”

“I have books that are not on the list, perhaps….”

Before he could finish speaking, the Ministry of Finance official eagerly interjected.

“Is that so! If you provide us with the books you have, we will provide you with one free copy of the beautiful edition and distribute a certain percentage of the profits based on the number of copies sold thereafter!”

“Is that so?”

The Ministry of Finance official, nodding vigorously, got up from his seat and gestured to the professor in question.

“Yes! How about we continue this consultation in private for a moment?”

“Let’s do that.”

* * *

In this way, as it became possible to purchase printed copies of the classics in large quantities at a low price through the Empire, cracks began to appear in the network between universities.

This was largely due to the professors’ pride.

-I recently obtained a rare book; would you like to come and see it? It cost quite a bit of money, but it wasn’t too much of a burden for someone like me.

-The transcription of the classics you have is a mess; why didn’t you spend some money to get a proper one?

They claimed they were exchanging knowledge by examining each other’s rare classics, but these interactions often resulted in wounded pride.

However, as it became easy to obtain the classics at a low price through the Empire, these exchanges became less frequent.

-I can buy it from the Empire; why would I do something that would hurt my pride?

In addition, as the competition for skilled artisans intensified, even deeper rifts began to appear.

As an aside, one of the things that steadily made its way into Europe from the Empire after the professors’ visit was the catalog of classical books sold by the Empire. Despite being a paid catalog, the demand for it was consistently high.

Kim Jeom, who received this report, looked towards Geunjeongjeon [the main throne hall in Gyeongbokgung Palace] and muttered.

“I thought it was unusual from the time he sold the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks to the Japanese lords when he was young….”