Joseon Military Officer, Establishing Balhae - Chapter 294



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Episode 294

The Hani System and the Situation in Southeast Asia (3)

Cape Portland, a British territory located at the southern tip of the island of Formosa.

The British East India Company continued to expand its territory immediately after it had captured the area around Portland (the future Hull Wall) as its first port, and so secured enough land to use as a base about 15 km further north along the east and west coasts.

Of course, in the process, there were inevitably sacrifices made by the Paiwan indigenous people. As always, those who resisted were killed, and those who were captured were made slaves. Thanks to the blood and sweat of the indigenous people, the facilities were also built quickly.

Since acquiring Portland Cape, Henry Middleton has been going back and forth between Gaya Island and this place to conduct business, and he prefers to stay here, because this place, being subtropical, is much more pleasant than Gaya Island, which is in a tropical climate.

Although it had only been two years since the acquisition of Cape Portland, Portland Harbor had already been developed to the point where it was functioning as a port, and houses and offices were gradually taking shape.

“The head office will be happy too, right?”

Henry Middleton asked his brother David. David, who had been urging him to establish a base in Formosa, had always stayed there and acted as his brother’s agent in his absence.

“Yes. The answer should be coming in right now.”

The distance was so great that it often took years to receive a response from headquarters or the British crown. Even taking that into account, news of the establishment of a base in Formosa would have already reached them by now, and it was highly likely that a reply would be coming in, either approving it or appointing Henry Middleton as governor of the colony.

“Should we aim for Macau next time?”

“Yes. We must conquer that place to obtain proper territory. This place is too small to develop significantly.”

Macau was a plain just northwest of Cape Portland, the future Kaohsiung region.

“That’s true.”

“You should also keep in mind the island of Poussin on the northeastern coast. Wouldn’t it be a proper colony if you occupied that much?”

Fuson was the future Taitung province. David intended to make a fairly large area in southern Formosa his territory.

“I heard Balhae is opening up Pescaredos Island?”

“We absolutely must enter there. Merchants from all the countries of Northeast Asia will gather there, so of course we should open a business and do business there. We will definitely be able to find a profitable business.”

“I think the same. But it seems that Balhae is also investing in the northwestern lands.”

Henry Middleton also continued to monitor Balhae’s movements in Damsu-hyeon – Balhae named the land northwest of Formosa Damsu-hyeon and divided it into Damsujin, Galansa, Bongcheomsa, and Giryongsa.

“Yes, I heard that several companies have moved in and are doing sugarcane business. The Balhae people have not come in yet, and it seems that only the military and merchants live there.”

“Haha! The natives are the residents there, right?”

“That’s right. I heard that you are dealing with them officially.”

“Then what are the chances that they will expand their territory further south?”

“Well, I’ve talked to Balhae merchants, and I’ve heard that Balhae doesn’t have much desire to expand its territory because its territory is so vast. But they all say that it’s a wonder that its territory continues to grow.”

“That’s unusual.”

“I think it’s because of the last war. They even took away land as punishment.”

“I guess so.”

“And it seems like they are also aiming to advance into Southeast Asia. Isn’t that why they have established several bases in Ryukyu and Formosa?”

“Well, that makes sense. If that really happened, it would cause a huge stir in our spice trade.”

“Of course it will be. I don’t know when that will be, but I think that I absolutely must not be disliked by Balhae in the future.”

“that’s right.”

Currently, competition for hegemony in the spice trade in Southeast Asian waters is becoming more intense.

The British East India Company established an additional base in Sukadana, the capital of the Sukadana Kingdom in western Borneo, and was expanding its influence throughout northern Southeast Asia.

The Dutch East India Company, after being driven out of Northeast Asia by Balhae, also focused on consolidating its power base in the future Indonesian region.

As a result, these two companies ended up fighting a large-scale naval battle in the Banda Islands, which were becoming famous for their nutmeg production. The Banda Islands were located in the south of the Maluku Islands.

The Dutch side fought this battle with all their might, successfully driving out the British company and gaining a monopoly on the nutmeg trade in the Banda Islands. However, as a result of this battle, their position in the central and northern Maluku Islands, such as Ambon, Seram, Ternate, and Tidore, where cloves were produced in large quantities, was greatly weakened.

As the world goes on, if you gain one, you lose another, so these areas were shared with Britain, Spain, Portugal, etc. Now, the central and northern parts of the Maluku Islands became the battleground for these various Western powers. Of course, the Dutch East India Company also began to establish its control over the islands near the Banda Islands, such as Ambon, Seram, and Buru.

“Then I think it would be a good idea for me to take this opportunity to go to Pescaredos myself. I can also greet the admiral there.”

“That would be great. Come with me.”

“okay.”

These two brothers decided to leave for Hani Island with the intention of meeting Song Hee-rip.

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The King of Joseon was lost in thought as he looked at all the items displayed in the side hall. Each and every one of them was extraordinary.

The king tried on a pair of shoes from Balhae called Yeonhwa.

“These shoes are really comfortable. They’re also light. Where did you say they were made?”

“Bukcheong Sangdan is a group of merchants. That’s why, instead of using the product name Yeonhwa, they sometimes use the company name and call it Bukcheonghwa.”

Do Seung-ji Ryu Hui-bun answered. Ryu Hui-bun was also one of the figures representing the Northerners.

“What is this soft material?”

The King took off his shoes, examined them closely, then pointed to the rubber sole and asked.

“It’s called Yeoncheong. At first, it was extracted from the sap produced when burning charcoal, but now it is extracted from coal.”

Do Seung-ji’s knowledge of Balhae products was very deep. One of Do Seung-ji’s duties was to read and organize Balhae newspapers as well as monthly magazines, which had been increasing rapidly in recent years, and report to the king.

The king had been mainly interested in Balhae’s diplomacy, politics, and military affairs. However, he had received reports that Balhae’s products were flooding into Joseon like a tidal wave, so he planned to catch up on all the knowledge he had missed.

“From coal? Then who created the youth?”

“That’s… Taegeun, who came later…….”

“hmm.”

The king shook his head. Everything related to Taegeon was unbelievable.

The king also showed interest in another product. It was Yeoncheonghwa, the rubber shoes of the future. The company that developed this product was Songhwa Sangdan. When Bukcheong Sangdan developed Yeonhwa and patented it, Songhwa Sangdan also launched Yeoncheonghwa using Yeoncheong under the product name Songhwa Yeoncheonghwa. This Yeoncheonghwa also became a sensation in Balhae. It was to the extent that straw shoes were quickly being replaced by Yeoncheonghwa.

The Balhae people were confused by the similar names of the two products, so they called Yeonhwa (sneakers) Bukcheonghwa and Yeoncheonghwa (rubber shoes) Songhwashin. In other words, the phenomenon of company names or product names becoming product names began to appear in Balhae.

In addition to shoes, the display case was filled with processed foods such as ramen, noodles, cookies, and candies, as well as industrial products such as detergents, clothing, matches, stationery, and glass products. All of these were items confiscated by local officials such as Shim Hyeon, the magistrate of Cheorwon Dohobu.

“These things are spread all over the place?”

“The reports of the local officials are somewhat exaggerated, but they are probably true to some extent. I have also come into contact with several of those items.”

Minister of War Ki Ja-heon answered.

“That would be true. Even in the palace, they buy and use things like soap, matches, and pencils.”

Soap was already a common product in Joseon because Hong Eun had made and spread it before the Imjin War. Although the quality was not as good as that of Balhae, the product was produced domestically in Joseon. For Joseon people who valued cleanliness, soap was the perfect product.

“Even among the common people, there was a tendency to praise Taegeon because of Danma and Bangulma.”

Ambassador Lee I-cheom also added his remarks.

The king showed no sign of disapproval, and simply nodded.

The Joseon government desperately wanted to deny the fact that Taegeon was the one who brought and spread Danma and Bangulma to Joseon. However, since it had already become an established fact during the Imjin War and was widely known throughout the country, it could not be distorted.

And in Joseon’s situation, there was nothing more precious than sweet potatoes and potatoes. These two famine relief crops were currently spread throughout Joseon. Since the territory was reduced to the south of Gyeonggi Province, sweet potatoes, which like warm climates, could also be grown nationwide. These two crops had the effect of drastically reducing the number of starving people, and the population was also skyrocketing.

No matter how hard the current king tried to implement reform policies, the corruption of local officials and the corruption of the three governments, which were chronic diseases of Joseon, could not be easily resolved. To make matters worse, a significant portion of the labor force left for Balhae, greatly reducing productivity, and the people were still burdened with heavy taxes.

However, the only reason that the number of starving people decreased was because of the sweet potatoes and the sesame seeds. Since taxes were calculated mainly on grains, even after the local officials took the grain, there was still food left to eat.

The king was also aware of this situation.

“No matter how much the nobles blabbed and cursed that Hubalhae was a country of commoners and no different from barbarians, the people had no interest in it.”

The king let out a soft sigh at Ambassador Lee I-cheom’s words.

“Wow! How foolish are the nobles? Most of the people of Joseon are so-called commoners. Do you think calling them commoners will work? It will only provoke a backlash.”

“I agree with you, Your Majesty.”

Left State Councillor Jeong In-hong bowed his head and answered. He continued speaking.

“This is a really big problem. Even the runny-nosed children in the countryside have come to know that our national and military power is inferior to that of the Later Balhae. And these items are circulating around, instilling illusions about the Later Balhae in the people. If things continue this way, our Joseon will surely be further eroded by them.”

Jeong In-hong used the expression ‘encroachment,’ but in fact he was interpreting it to mean that both the king and his subjects present were being absorbed.

“Then what kind of policy do you think the Left State Councillor should pursue?”

“I am sorry to say this, but I think we should open our doors and engage in trade with Balhae. If we do so, we will be able to quickly close the gap and open the way.”

It was an impossible policy to implement. The moment the door was opened, the king slowly shook his head, knowing that Joseon would be eroded faster than Balhae could catch up.

“Any other opinions?”

Kijaheon and Lee Icheom lowered their heads. Of course, they had their own thoughts, but they could not bring themselves to say them. Still, Kijaheon could not remain silent, so he said a word.

“We must absolutely prevent our country, Joseon, from participating in the Triple Alliance.”

The reason he expressed that he had to block it was because the demand for participation was that strong. The public opinion of the ruling class, the yangban and bureaucratic society, rather than the common people, had already completely turned toward the Triple Alliance.

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