Joseon Military Officer, Establishing Balhae - Chapter 295



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Episode 295

Steam Crane (1)

Two years later, in the 17th year of Geonheung, in the spring of 1612, Geonheung Palace.

After Taegeon read the letter presented by Ryukyu’s envoy, Ong Daeseong, he looked at him intently and blurted out a word.

“Is this your first time in Seoul?”

“Yes. I have delivered the letter through Namhaebu, or when His Majesty came to Namhaebu in person, I have delivered it to you through an audience.”

Ong Dae-seong was very intimidated.

He was the first Ryukyuan to visit Seoul and was astonished at the new civilization of Seoul. He could understand Seoul even without a guide, just by looking at the tall buildings and trains. Balhae was a country of a different dimension. He immediately realized how wrong it was to evaluate Balhae’s national power based solely on its naval power.

“It must have been so urgent that you had to come in person.”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Huh, huh! Why did Ryukyu change his mind?”

Taegeon’s question had a somewhat mischievous side.

The issue that Ryukyu sent an envoy to try to resolve was also a problem that arose from the Eohwajinho incident.

When a large number of Balhae ships entered Geumseongjin in search of Eohwajinho, the Ryukyu court was turned upside down. After such an incident, questions began to be raised as to whether it was appropriate for a foreign naval base to be located right in front of the capital.

Even when exposed to external threats, Balhae’s existence was strong. The Kuma Kingdom, which split off from Wa, was also a threatening entity that could target Ryukyu at any time, and so was the Ming Dynasty. So they volunteered to become Balhae’s protectorate. However, when Balhae secured control of the sea and advanced into Formosa, and all threats disappeared, their thoughts changed.

Since he had come to beg for help in resolving the issue, Ong Dae-seong had no choice but to show an even more timid attitude. If Tae-geon was a tyrant, he could have lost his head.

“Giha! Please show mercy…….”

“Then you must have come up with an alternative?”

“Yes, Giha. We plan to provide Aguni Island as a Balhae naval base.”

“Are you saying you’re lending me that land?”

“Yes, Geometry.”

“Hmm, you ceded Geumseongjin, but you’re lending Aguni Island?”

Aguni Island (in Chinese characters, Sokgukdo) is an island about 55 meters northwest of Nahwa. It is a very small island, about 4 meters long and 3 meters wide. Coincidentally, its area is similar to Geumseongjin.

Taegeon immediately understood the Ryukyus’ state of mind just by hearing this proposal. Although Balhae had never engaged in hostile actions, they were afraid of Balhae. That’s why he begged them to move the naval base to another place.

Tae-geon looked at Lee Ha-ryun.

“What do you think, Minister of State?”

“Don’t you think we need to think about it a little more?”

“Okay. Then, the Ryukyu envoy will go to his quarters and rest.”

“Yes, geometry.”

When Ong Dae-seong withdrew from the Daeheungjeon Hall, Taegeon, who was in the position of governor of Yeominbu, asked Lee Bung, who had become the new Minister of Foreign Affairs.

“What do you think, Minister of Foreign Affairs?”

“If you think about it from the perspective of the Ryukyu Kingdom, I think it’s completely understandable. No matter how much our Balhae is their friendly country and no different from their suzerain state, no country would like to have large foreign warships coming and going right in front of their capital city, right?”

Minister of Justice Cho Kyung-rin also agreed with his opinion.

“I agree with your thoughts. However, I also believe that it is against the law to carelessly change an agreement between countries. Therefore, I believe that the Yugu Kingdom should bear some responsibility.”

“So, didn’t you say you would lend me the island of Sokgukdo?”

“What value could an isolated island, so far from the mainland where the capital city of Sui is located, have?”

“That’s not necessarily true…….”

Lee Ha-ryun started to refute slightly. Then, he suddenly realized that this was a time when there was no concept of territorial waters or economic zones, and hit his forehead with his palm.

Since Kyung-Rin Cho is the type to ask questions right away when she has questions, she didn’t just let it slide.

“Why does the Minister think so?”

“Well, so…….”

Lee Ha-ryun took a moment to collect his thoughts and then answered his question.

“Geumseongjin is adjacent to the capital of Ryukyu, so it is highly likely that it will continue to be subject to requests for its return in the future. So wouldn’t it be better to take this opportunity to obtain a permanent territory that we can use as a stepping stone to the south?”

Tae-geon’s eyes sparkled at Lee Ha-ryun’s opinion.

“Well, then does the Minister of State’s opinion mean that we should switch the status of Geumseongjin and Sokgukdo?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

As Tae-geon took a step forward, Lee Ha-ryun’s brain started to work faster, stimulated by this.

“That’s right. We will change Geumseongjin into a leased or concessionary territory, and make the vassal states our permanent territory.”

“How long will it take if I change it to a private land?”

“I think 30 years would be about right. Any longer than that and they are unlikely to respond. Shouldn’t we give the King of Ryukyu a reason to persuade his subjects and people?”

As Tae-geon and Lee Ha-ryun exchanged opinions and quickly developed the discussion, Jo Kyung-rin and Lee Bung were very flustered. This was because the concept of a 30-year lease or concession had not yet taken root in their minds.

“If you want to provide a solid justification, shouldn’t you also include some cost?”

“That would be the standard. The vassal state also needs to pay a fee in exchange for taking over the land of the residents. Also, since Ryukyu was the one who proposed the conditions for lending the vassal state the land, it would be good to offer a rent of around 100,000 won as a show of good faith. So this rent is essentially being offered in exchange for renting Geumseongjin.”

Although 100,000 won was certainly a large sum of money from the perspective of the Ryukyu Kingdom, it was not a large sum from the perspective of Balhae.

Both Yi Bung and Jo Gyeong-rin agreed with Lee Ha-ryun’s opinion. They also added that since the country that Balhae can trust the most is Ryukyu, it is more important to win their hearts even if it means suffering some losses.

The next day, Tae-Geon called Ong Dae-Seong and presented his organized opinion.

“Okay, Geoha. Then I’ll go back and decide on public opinion and let you know again.”

Ong Dae-seong had no choice but to say this.

Soon after, the Ryukyu side notified that they would accept Balhae’s proposal as is, and quickly concluded the treaty. As a result, Aguni Island became Balhae’s territory, and Geumseongjin was changed to Balhae’s leased territory for 30 years.

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Balhae was satisfied, but Ryukyu was also very pleased. They especially valued the fact that they would be receiving back Geumseongjin, which would be a more prosperous city than it is now, 30 years later.

Taegeon named Aguni Island ‘Yuldo’. Naturally, he named it that way because he was reminded of the Yuldo Kingdom in The Tale of Hong Gildong.

* * *

Namhaebu Choryang Port, Choryang City.

The Blue Dragon, a ship belonging to the British East India Company, has arrived. Since Henry Middleton is also on this voyage, Captain William Carling disembarks first to accompany Middleton.

“Welcome, sir. Sir?”

Two British staff members stationed at Choryang Port came out to greet them. However, Middleton did not even respond to the staff’s greetings and just stared blankly at the north pier. Captain Carling was the same. He had been distracted by some kind of loud noise.

“Excuse me, what is that?”

Middleton started asking questions right away without even greeting him.

“Oh, it’s a new crane for unloading cargo. It was installed a month ago.”

“A new crane? Let’s go and see.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Middleton’s party hurriedly headed toward the north dock.

When they reached the waters near Choryang City, ships belonging to the British East India Company would usually stop at Daepo Port, where their branch was located, and then go to Choryang Port to participate in the auction process. This is because they purchased quite a few items that were usually put up for auction, as well as those that were not put up for auction. However, this time, since there was a lot of cargo brought from the south, they came directly to Choryang Port.

As he walked, Middleton’s eyes were fixed on the new crane. Then he turned his head to the staff member who was following him and gave a short instruction. It was something he was supposed to say as soon as he got off the ship.

“Our ship is loaded with cloves, pepper, and Ming silk. Unload them and hand them over to the Goryeo merchants.”

“Oh, so that’s where you came from.”

“That’s right.”

Captain Carling, who had been walking forward as if he was not interested in the conversation between the two, shouted in surprise.

“Oh! The crane is moving. It’s not fixed, is it?”

Captain Carling had only the cranes installed on the docks in mind, but he was astonished to see a new crane moving slowly in a horizontal direction parallel to the docks.

“Oh, I see. My goodness, look at that big wheel turning. Hmm, that wheel seems to be providing power.”

“But it’s so noisy. Oh! Look at that black smoke.”

“That’s right. That’s amazing. It moves on its own without saying a word.”

The two suddenly became chatty as they caught sight of the new crane in operation. The crane was unloading coal from a coal carrier operated by Samwoo Shipping.

The crane originally installed at Choryang Port was a wooden device that moved with horse power, using the principle of a pulley. However, a crane powered by a steam engine replaced it.

“I heard that thing runs on coal.”

The staff smiled and answered their questions.

“With coal?”

“What about coal?”

Both people asked at the same time.

The steam engine crane installed at Choryang Port this time was a work of Balhae Machinery Research Institute. Of course, Lee Ha-ryun was also involved in the design, and he designed it so that railroad rails would be embedded in the dock floor, allowing the crane to move along the rails while working.

“I heard that the power source is a steam engine commonly used in Balhae. They invented that machine and have been using it for quite some time. Haven’t you two been to a rice mill yet? There’s one here in Choryang.”

“Is a rice mill a place where they remove the husks from rice?”

“Yes. That steam engine was installed there too, and most of the work was done by that machine. I was so surprised to see that the machine could quickly finish the work that would have taken people or animals several days to do.”

“Haha! What the heck is going on?”

Middleton first encountered the benefits of Balhae’s civilization, and became curious about Balhae’s intentions in revealing them.

“Oh, sir. The governor of Namhae is also there.”

Heo Gyun was also interested in this steam crane and would come out to the dock whenever he had time to watch the operation.

Heo Gyun found Middleton, smiled brightly, and raised his hand. Middleton walked quickly to Heo Gyun and greeted him. An employee who was fluent in Goryeo followed him to help interpret.

“How have you been, Your Majesty?”

“Haha! You’re here, Lord Middleton.”

Heo Gyun raised his hand and pointed to the crane.

“Isn’t it surprising?”

“Yes. I was really surprised.”

“It was a struggle to bring it on board in parts form and assemble and install it here.”

“Oh, you brought it from the mainland.”

“Yes. It was already set up and running in the mainland port, but it arrived a little late because it’s a remote area.”

“That’s amazing. But I heard that it runs on coal?”

“Yes, but I can’t tell you more than that. Well, you’ll understand the principle right away even if I don’t tell you, but how can I, a subject of Balhae, tell you that with my own mouth?”

Heo Gyun answered with a humorous expression. Contrary to his words, his attitude was that he didn’t care if the technology was leaked.

“Oh, yes.”

Middleton also responded in a soulless tone.

Middleton also knew from experience that Heo Gyun was playful. He also recognized that he was a representative writer of Balhae and that his personality was somewhat eccentric.

“Is coal produced on Jeju Island?”

Middleton first wanted to satisfy his curiosity about coal.

“That’s not true. Coal is abundant in the northern provinces. Several coal mines have already been developed, and the coal produced there is being used. The coal on board that ship was mined in Songwonhyeon, Sinjin.”

“Oh, I see.”

Songwonhyeon Sinjin (Sasebo) is a coal producing area and also the place where the first cotton textile factory in Namhaebu was established. Bukguju is a region responsible for about 80% of Balhae’s cotton demand, so there has been discussion since long ago that cotton textile-related industries should be revitalized. That is why Hamgang Sangdan was the first to advance to Sinjin and establish a factory as soon as the ban on exporting steam engines to Namhaebu was lifted. Following Hamgang Sangdan, other merchants were also diligently preparing to advance to Bukguju.

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