Joseon Military Officer, Establishing Balhae - Chapter 291



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Episode 291

Cheongjin Steel Mill

The 15th year of Jianxing, spring of 1610 AD.

The Saenggi-ryeong Industrial Complex located in Jueul Onsa, Gyeongseong-hyeon, Donghae-bu. This place was known as the best pottery production site in Balhae. Since Saenggi-ryeong had high-quality kaolin deposits, the pottery village that started in the northern part of Saenggi-ryeong gradually expanded its boundaries and now expanded to the vicinity of Gyeongseong.

The porcelain produced here was exported to Japan, Kuma, Taizan, Ryukyu, and other Northeast Asian countries, as well as Southeast Asia, India, and Europe. As a result, Saenggyeong porcelain, along with Ming porcelain, has become one of the two major porcelains in the world market.

As the pottery industry attracted people and merchants and the resources became abundant, sawmills and furniture factories that used the abundant timber resources in the area also emerged. Following this, clothing-related manufacturing companies, which are labor-intensive industries and tend to appear in places with large populations, also began to appear one after another, leading to the development of the large-scale industrial complex that we see today.

Woo Geuk, who had just been appointed as the new governor of the East Sea Department, and Machika, who had also recently been appointed as the minister of mining, climbed the hill on the western side of the Saenggi-ryeong Valley and carefully inspected the Saenggi-ryeong mining and industrial complex.

Machika, who had been in charge of the Northern Sea Province for quite some time, handed over the position to the former Minister of Agriculture, Ju Gyeong-cheon, and took charge of the unfamiliar field of the Ministry of Mining. That is why he visited here with his predecessor, U Geuk.

The reason why Ju Gyeong-cheon, an agricultural expert, was appointed governor of Bukhaebu was naturally to develop the Aribal Plain. The population of Bukhaebu had also increased significantly, and many farmers had settled in Aribal, one of the three major plains of Balhae. That was why Ju Gyeong-cheon, who had abundant agricultural knowledge, was appointed governor of Bukhaebu. He also dispatched several agricultural officials to transform Aribal into a rice-farming area.

“This monument is the Bukgwan Battle Monument. Some people also call it the Saenggiyeong Battle Monument.”

U-Guk pointed to a stone monument standing on one side and told Machika.

“I heard the story. There was a fierce battle here with the enemy forces.”

“Yes, it was when our King was displaying his bravery as a warrior. So, those who fought together at that time can still vividly recall the appearance of Giha, who was like his predecessor, as if it were yesterday. It becomes even more so when standing in front of this monument.”

Machika nodded. He too remembered the scene when Taegeon visited his parents’ home in the north.

“Oh! The train is coming in.”

Woo-geuk was very happy to see the freight train entering Saenggyeong Station, belching thick smoke.

Currently, the Donghae Nambu Line has been built through Cheongjin and Gyeongseong to Saenggi-ryeong. The construction speed has been greatly accelerated compared to before. This was due to the rapid production and transportation of materials and the investment of more labor.

“I was so surprised when I came back to the mainland after such a long time. I thought the world had changed. It was so fast, yet the ride was so smooth…”

Machika shared his thoughts on riding a steam locomotive.

At some point, the Balhae people began to refer to the land beyond the sea as the mainland, in contrast to the overseas territory.

“I was like that when I was in Seoul, so what more can I say? Hehe!”

The right-wing also burst into laughter.

“But where is the coal field to be developed this time?”

“It’s to the north of here. I’ll go with the head of Juul Ongwang Mining Company in a bit.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The reason the two visited this place was because of the Saenggi-ryeong coal mine. There were still many undeveloped mines left in the Saenggi-ryeong coalfield area.

The reason the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport suddenly took notice of this place was because of the problem of securing coal to be used as fuel for steam locomotives and steam engines installed at the Cheongjin Iron and Steel Works.

The Cheongjin Steelworks was completed last fall after five and a half years of construction. The steelworks was built to be quite large, boasting a steel production capacity that is twice that of the Yeonggang Steelworks.

Most of the iron ore that went into the Cheongjin Ironworks was transported from Cheolju-dong in Josan-si, and the coal (coke) was brought in from Bongsan in Dongpyeong-bu by rail. However, coal for fuel for numerous steam engines was also needed, so it was decided to supply it from the Saenggi-ryeong coalfield area, not far from Cheongjin. In addition, the Mucheon Line railroad connecting Cheongjin and Musan was also being built to utilize the iron ore produced at the Musan mine.

As a result of the large steel mill being built in Cheongjin, Cheongjin became an independent city from Buleong County early this year. Naturally, this was because the steel mill and various steel-making companies attracted a huge labor force. In addition, many mines, including gold mines, had already been developed around Cheongjin, and the port facilities were well-equipped to accommodate large ships of the Gyeongheung class, so the number of workers in the mining and shipping industries was also rapidly increasing.

“A third steel mill will be built, too. Did you know?”

Woo-geuk asked.

“They’ve already started construction? Where is it?”

“This is Lee Seong-hyeon from Yeominbu.”

“Lee Seong-hyeon? Is there a reason you chose that place?”

“Because there are iron mines of fairly good quality in Bukcheong and Dancheon.”

Lee Seong-hyeon (the future Lee Won-gun) was located between Bukcheong and Dancheon. So, in order to utilize the resources of the Bukcheong iron mine and Dancheon iron mine, they decided to build a steel mill in Iseong. So, they have started surveying the steel mill site and constructing a port in Iseong Port.

“Oh, so the coal to be used there also has to come from the Saenggiyeong Coal Field area?”

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“No. There are coal deposits of similar quality to the Saenggi-ryeong coalfield in Gilju and Myeongcheon. We need to develop those as well.”

Having been the Minister of Mining for a long time, Woo-geuk was fully aware of the information about the coal mines discovered in the area.

The coalfields distributed in Saenggi-ryeong, Gilju, Myeongcheon, and Seongjin are collectively called the “Hambuk Nambu Coalfields,” and the quality of the bituminous coal, or lignite, produced in this region is comparable to bituminous coal, surpassing even subbituminous coal in calorific value. Although it has a relatively high moisture content, it catches fire easily and produces little smoke, making it very suitable for use as household fuel as well as fuel for steam locomotives and steamships. That’s why it was decided to provide coal mined in this coalfield area to the Cheongjin Iron and Steel Company and, in the future, the Yiseong Iron and Steel Company.

“So, is a fourth steel mill also planned?”

Machika asked.

“Yes. The fourth one will probably be in the Hwanghae region. Of course, it will be difficult right away, but we need to make a plan because we need a steel mill to supply steel to the western region.”

Hwanghae-bu was naturally selected as the candidate site for the 4th steel mill. This is because it has abundant iron ore resources. However, they were having a hard time deciding which of the two regions, the southern coastal area such as Ongjin and the northern Hwangju-hyeon, would be the candidate site.

* * *

Joseon Dynasty’s Cheorwon Dohobu government office.

Shim Hyeon, the commissioner of the guard, was holding the silver coins confiscated from the criminals and examining them closely. The coins were engraved with Korean letters, Arabic numerals, and the face of King Gwanggaeto of Goguryeo.

“This is one won?”

“Yes, it is a lot of money.”

Kim Heon-su, who was the chief aide, answered. He had extensive knowledge of Balhae, thanks to having studied a lot of materials and observed the interrogation of several criminals in order to draft a report to be presented to the court.

“That’s right. It’s silver. How far is it spread out?”

“I heard from the merchants that a huge amount of silver has come in. As you know, since silver has not come in at all, the silver from the latter is secretly being used. Our Sangpyeong Tongbo is small in value and its circulation is not yet large. Since silver coins are still in short supply, the silver from the latter has naturally become widespread. Furthermore, since you can buy products from the latter with this silver coin, it is also popular as a means of accumulating wealth.”

“Oh my! This is really serious.”

One of the important tasks given to the generals guarding the border was to catch smugglers. The person arrested this time was a man who was caught smuggling into and out of Balhae through the Junghyeon Pass, located between Geumseonghyeon of Yeominbu of Balhae and Gimhwahyeon of Gangwon-do, Joseon.

These merchants dealt with a wide range of goods. They mainly bought Balhae newspapers, which would have been punishable by imprisonment if caught, as well as furs and cotton fabrics, which were highly regarded in Joseon. Even food products such as ramen, cookies, and sugar, which have recently become popular, were among the main imported goods.

There were also merchants who brought ginseng and sold it to get Balhae silver coins. Since the Balhae silver coins were highly trusted, they were traded at a high price.

This phenomenon of Balhae’s economic and cultural penetration into Joseon began quite a long time ago.

“Since those who migrated to the Later Balhae began to visit secretly and cause trouble, their roots must be deep. Furthermore, the Later Balhae army does not even patrol the border.”

“That’s the real problem. Anyone can cross over and come back if they want.”

“Furthermore, we have destroyed all the wild beasts in the border area, so both deserters and merchants can enter the country without worry.”

The Balhae army guarding the border did not cause any military conflicts, as if they were not interested in the Joseon army at all. They even acted as if destroying wild beasts was their main mission. After the new rifles were distributed, the efficiency of destroying wild beasts increased, so that there was no longer any need to worry about compatibility in the border areas where people moved around.

“Tsk tsk! The people are all obsessed with Later Balhae. What should we do?”

“Whew! Honestly, that makes sense. The more I look into it, the more I feel it.”

Kim Heon-su, the left-hander, poured out his heart.

“That’s right. Looking at the confiscated items, I guess it’s only natural. Ramen and noodles, and snacks… Hmm. Even now, they taste really good.”

Shim Hyeon swallowed his saliva.

There was no one like Shim Hyeon, a border guard, who had not tried processed foods from Balhae. About half of the confiscated goods were sent to the court, but the other half would spoil anyway, so the officials would secretly share them with others, hoping to get a taste of them. This made them realize the seriousness of cultural invasion even more.

“I am afraid to even think about what will happen in the future. Our nobles look down on Later Balhae as a country of commoners who have abandoned the teachings of the sages or as quasi-barbarians, but the people are not like that. The tenant farmers who migrated to Later Balhae will all become rich farmers, and the slaves will also be released and become rich farmers. If the land given by the country is vast but there is a shortage of workers to farm it all, then by Joseon standards, everyone will be rich farmers. In addition, the discrimination of social status will be abolished, and anyone will study and become an official. What more could the people want?”

Kim Heon-su’s words hit a very painful spot for the yangban of Joseon. The status and benefits of the ruling class, the yangban, were ultimately only enjoyed if the ruled class existed. However, all Joseon people who had even a little knowledge of the world regarded Balhae as a utopia. The Joseon government’s malicious propaganda and brainwashing no longer worked. Still, the reason the Joseon system was maintained was because there were still many ignorant people.

However, all the merchants were on Balhae’s side. They were selling Balhae’s fascinating products all over Joseon, and they were also spreading information about Balhae. In short, Taegeon’s intentions were already beginning to come true.

“The soldiers are also a problem?”

“Yes.”

“Even in this situation, the court is debating the issue of joining the Three Kingdoms Alliance……. Tsk tsk!”

Shim Hyeon clicked his tongue.

“Now is the time to focus solely on reform, but it is truly pathetic to raise your voice to join the Triple Alliance system that fights against the Later Balhae. What good is such an argument when it is already collapsing internally?”

Both men were officials close to the Northerners. That is why they had a very negative view of the Three Kingdoms Alliance. However, it was not only because of this partisan view. As they managed the border, they felt the weaknesses of Joseon as well as Balhae’s status more clearly.

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