It Became a Symbol of the Bronze Age - Chapter 301



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Episode 301. Sweet Black Horn Island (5)

The Asadal people continued to spend quite a long time in Ryukyu after that.

To put it roughly,

“Water buffalo live here too!”

“Sugarcane grows too!”

“There are also yellow acacia trees!”

Actually, the term yellow garab is a bit funny.

The rubber tree has little in common with the acacia tree.

But, even so, the people of Asadal called it ‘Yellow Garap’. The first person to make this name was Adallah, who is in front of me now.

“Since the vice-minister is from the Garap clan, he named it after that tree.”

… That is, it is similar to how the first airship, Graf Zeppelin, named the airship ‘Hindenburg’ after the general.

It means flattery.

“Do you like the name?”

“…Ugh.”

Two emotions intersect.

One is a little embarrassing, but the other is…

“…Not bad, huh.”

Anyway, isn’t it true that the new tree got my name? It wasn’t something I ordered, it was something that happened quite spontaneously.

‘Besides, this acacia tree… no, the yellow acacia tree is likely to have a big impact on Asadal.’

Of course, as far as large hydraulic (water pressure) industrial devices… I honestly think it’s impossible. However, if it’s the stage before that, it might be possible.

The possibilities are endless, whether you use this as a pump, as the material for the bottom of a boat, or just by spreading it on a wheel and using it as a tire-like material.

How can something like that be made?

“Anyway, this tree, like sugarcane, seems like it could be used for many purposes. Let’s grow it big.”

“I think so. I think it would be good to plant sugarcane on the plains and yellow sorghum on the mountains.”

Rubber, sugarcane, and black horn.

… It’s a crazy island, really.

In addition, Adallah closely investigated the amount of buffalo and people in the surrounding area, as well as the sugarcane plantations, and gave me the information.

Meanwhile, Jingo and Geoguroo weren’t playing around either.

“Geoguru stopped at four more islands.”

Geoguru roamed the islands around Okinawa, winning over local chieftains and clan leaders.

You should do this in advance so that merchant ships that come later won’t be attacked by pirates.

“And Jingo, I heard that the port is almost finished.”

The area where Jingo built the port is the site of a US military port called ‘Futenma’ in the 21st century.

“Was there no backlash?”

Original history.

The US military, having won World War II, received Okinawa and made it their base.

And this was followed by quite a bit of conflict.

The US military confiscated or forcibly purchased land from local residents to secure sites for base construction.

In response, in 1954, the Okinawans began an island-wide struggle. In response, the US military launched an economic attack on Okinawa, but… I understand that they ultimately reached an agreement to raise the land price and pay.

I was worried about this context though.

Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

“The people living in the port area were not particularly settled people, and Asadal paid them generously… so there were no major problems.”

In this area too, ‘gold’ has value.

In fact, by this time, gold would be valuable wherever humans lived, unless it was a very remote area.

The Austronesian-Austroasiatic people who formed the basis of these people had the most advanced gold worship culture in East Asia. A huge gold mask was unearthed around 1500 B.C.E.

So, there was no need for the people of this region to grit their teeth and protect their land.

There was absolutely no reason not to vacate the land, even though they were offering gold.

“…Actually, it’s more than that.”

“More than that?”

“Those people. They really cooperate with us. Even the new settlement they’ve decided on is… close to Asadal’s port. Perhaps they realized that it would be beneficial to stick with Asadal?”

So, what I mean is that Asadal casted a spell in advance, keeping in mind that the area he entered would develop.

I can’t help but feel a strong sense of nostalgia for the 21st century.

‘Damn, if I were to go back, I wish I had gone back to 1970.’

In those days, if I had somehow gritted my teeth and bought just a piece of land in Bundang or Jamsil… Where was that?

Or, if he had gone back 10 years, he would have become the richest man in Korea by multiplying his stocks in Bitcoin and TeXra.

… It’s a useless thought. I fell back 2700 years. Hell, how great would it be if I fell back 27 years?

“Anyway… these guys are smart.”

“I think so too. Other tribes around them laugh at them for giving up their land and settling on a piece of land that is not worth much… But in just 10 years, they will be treated as pioneers.”

We should not apply 21st century ideas to this and imagine things like ‘pro-Japanese collaborators who sided with foreign powers’. In this day and age, tribes are absolutely not the same people.

Rather, if you think of each tribe as a country, they are more similar.

So, it feels less like a traitor has emerged within a country and more like a country siding with a stronger country.

“Treat them well.”

“I think so. That way, other islanders will be able to see and learn something.”

“That’s right. Never forget Asadal’s founding ideology.”

“The center of Asadal…? What is that?”

“Benefit the people widely.”

Adallah tilted her head at those words.

“…Is this the first time you’re hearing this?”

… that’s true.

Benefit people widely.

Soon Hongik Ingan.

As everyone knows, this is the motto of Gojoseon.

It is a surprisingly little-known fact, but it is also the motto of the Republic of Korea in the 21st century.

But… I don’t think I’ve ever really said this in this day and age.

… Rather than saying you didn’t do it on purpose, it just feels like you couldn’t take advantage of the situation?

But things are a little different now.

It all started when the word ‘Hongik Ingan’ appeared in Hanho’s dream a while ago.

For some reason, it felt like something the original Dangun Wanggeom would say to me. It was like, ‘Why didn’t you at least leave me this?’

And even if that’s not the case… I thought it would be nice if Asadal had a slogan or something.

for example.

The Roman motto was ‘The Roman people and the Senate will not be defeated’. There is a sense of pride in honor.

The American motto is E pluribus unum, which is a eulogy to their federalism. (Americans themselves prefer the motto In God We Trust.)

The Chinese motto is “Serving the People.” Actually, it is more of a communist motto than a Chinese motto… but in any case, it is a motto that upholds communitarianism.

Oh, these days, the slogan ‘One China’ is used more often than this. It feels like they are full of greed to swallow up all the neighboring countries.

What about France?

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.

It signifies the continuation of the revolutionary spirit and at the same time reveals that it is a leader in liberalism.

For reference, North Korea uses the slogan “Strong and Prosperous State.” During the Kim Il-sung era, when North Korea was better off than South Korea, the slogan was “Paradise on Earth,” but recently, when it became no match for South Korea, it changed it to “Strong and Prosperous State.”

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South Korea is right below us, and it is several times better to live in than North Korea, so it would be a bit embarrassing to use the slogan of a paradise on earth… Let’s strengthen our national defense and surpass South Korea again, that’s what it means.

So, this national slogan is something that suggests the direction of the country.

At first glance, it may sound like just a few words… Well, if these were really just a few words, Korean soldiers wouldn’t have to shout “Army Service Creed!” every time they went out to eat.

Politicians would not have had to assemble a team of linguists and marketing experts to devise a slogan to win over voters with a single word.

And I thought it would be nice to have something like this in Asadal… No matter how much I think about it, there is nothing more suitable than Hongik Ingan.

Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla did not have any specific slogans or national founding ideologies.

The founding ideology of Goryeo, Cheonmyeongdeokchi (天命德治) and Yudeokyuguk (有德有國), meaning that “those who come from heaven will rule with virtue, and those who have virtue will gain the country,” does not fit well with the republican system of Asadal.

Joseon’s founding ideology, virtue-based governance, is an overly Confucian concept, so it is not appropriate to apply it to Asadal. In the first place, Confucius has not yet appeared.

There is no slogan more appropriate for Asadal than Hongik Ingan, the first slogan in Korean history and (as of the 21st century) the last slogan in Korean history.

‘Besides… the meaning is also very good.’

Benefit the people widely.

Let’s interpret it.

First of all, ‘widely’.

It means to go wide. So, it means don’t stay stuck and expand here and there.

‘People.’

It does not say to benefit the world or God.

To benefit people.

It is a human-centered way of thinking.

‘Do good.’

It means that the main focus should be on conciliatory rule rather than tyrannical rule.

in other words.

Focusing on exchange rather than isolation.

I value humanism over capitalism.

The idea is to focus on conciliation rather than hardline stance.

I don’t know if this Hongik Ingan originally meant this… but in the current Asadal, it will be interpreted this way.

‘Just right.’

Oh, I really like it.

***

Time passed like that.

I looked at the completed port in Okinawa.

“Hiya. You look cool. You worked hard, Jingo.”

“It wasn’t hard at all. The local people helped me a lot.”

Of course, it is inferior to the port of Asadal… but it is nonsense to expect such things on this island.

For now, a facility that can comfortably accommodate about 10 ships would be sufficient.

“By the way, are you really going to stay?”

“Yes. Shouldn’t someone stay and guard this port? And someone who can learn the language and explore the area.”

Jingo asked to remain here.

“The same goes for the soldiers. I promised them a generous reward, but they said they would stay for about a year.”

“…Thank you for your hard work.”

“This is nothing compared to what the Lord Poongbaek has done for me.”

So, one Phoenician merchant ship and fifty Asadal men.

After leaving behind dozens of other small boats.

“…let’s set sail!”

We are ready to return with the numerous treasures we have acquired from Ryukyu.

Let’s look at that list.

50 pairs of black horns.

Full of sugarcane.

It’s a bit of yellow sesame.

‘Yellow Garap… So, the acacia tree is a bit disappointing.’

There are some acacia trees in Ryukyu, but they are not very numerous.

‘Fortunately, it’s enough for research. Even with just this much, there won’t be any problems in researching rubber vulcanization methods.’

Besides that, I didn’t get a few things I originally wanted to get, like spices and coffee.

‘I planted a few seedlings to try them out, but they didn’t last long.’

I had high hopes for Okinawa, where coffee is grown naturally in the 21st century, but it seems that it is somewhat difficult with the technology of this era.

‘… But, it doesn’t matter.’

Asadal’s goal is not Ryukyu, but further south.

Besides, it would be fair to say that half of the success has already been achieved at the point where Ryukyu has already been acquired.

Because Ryukyu is like a stopover on the spice route.

If you go down the ocean current from Okinawa, you can reach Zelandia south of Taiwan or Manila in the Philippines in one go.

After transiting through Manila, Philippines, you can head straight to Maluku.

It was not for nothing that Ryukyu was called the Golden Kingdom and enjoyed the honey of intermediary trade in the 14th century.

‘Then… next will be Taiwan.’

The area called ‘Big Island’ or ‘Habayi Island’ in present-day Asadal. This island can grow more sugarcane than Ryukyu and produce more rubber trees than Ryukyu.

The acacia tree that originally grew in present-day Ryukyu is called ‘Taiwan acacia’ in the 21st century.

They grow a lot in Taiwan.

The further down you go, the more likely you are to find rubber trees that can produce more rubber.

‘Plus, even coffee would be possible.’

In the 21st century, with the establishment of the Republic of China in Taiwan and industrialization, coffee is not so famous… but as late as 1850, the Sanxia region of Taiwan was one of the largest coffee producing regions in East Asia.

‘They say that the coffee that Emperor Gojong drank and the coffee sold in cafes in Gyeongseong during the late Joseon Dynasty and Japanese colonial period were almost all Taiwanese coffee…’

Rubber and coffee.

I drew a picture in my head.

Ryukyu of black horn and sugarcane.

Taiwan of rubber and coffee.

Maluku of spices.

The present time when India is going through the 16-nation period, fighting over the Ganges and Indus Rivers, and the Central Plains is going crazy over North China and fighting among themselves.

The sight of Asadal gulping down the spice route of this vast sea without any competition.

‘I’m looking forward to it.’

Thinking like that.

I raised my hand and shouted.

“Let’s set sail, Asadal!”

To those words, the soldiers responded.

“Let’s set sail!”

“Asadal!!!!”

“Asadal!!!!”

And so the two sails are spread wide.

Asadal rode the south wind and the Kuroshio Current and returned to Nagasaki.

And then, when going to Taiwan via Ryukyu again… .

Instead of three Phoenician merchant ships, he will be carrying several fully-built galleys.

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