Joseon Military Officer, Establishing Balhae - Chapter 316



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Episode 316

Battle of Haejuwi (2)

Royal Institute of Food Research under the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

Hong Eun, who had a taste for developing new food menus and processed foods, would visit the research center whenever she had time and immerse herself in development with researchers and chefs.

The subject that Hong Eun has been focusing on these days is Western-style bread. The first product she introduced to the world was Castella.

At this time, it was a food that had already entered Eastern society, as it was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese. Japan improved and modified this Castella to suit the Japanese palate, but since it was very different from the original Castella, some considered the Japanese version to be the original.

Of course, the Castella that Hong Eun-i produced was made according to 21st century taste standards, so it was of much better quality.

Castella, made with wheat, eggs, and sugar, is only served at royal banquets, but because it tastes so good, food companies are already flooding in with inquiries about making and selling this product.

The next product to be released was a sweet red bean bun. Originally, it was a product that was developed in Japan and released to the world much later, but Hong Eun stole the title of first.

Hong Eun called Lee Ha-ryun to the lab to sample the newly improved Castella and Red Bean Buns, as well as the bread.

Lee Ha-ryun was very pleased after tasting the products that Hong Eun-i presented one by one.

“Wow! It’s so delicious. Did the Empress make it well?”

“Really? Hoho! It seems like Castella has found its place now?”

Castella’s taste continues to improve with each new product, but now Hong has finally come up with a product that he is satisfied with.

“It’s true that sugar has become a little more common, so we can now freely produce these types of bread products?”

“It might be a bit of a stretch to say that it has become commonplace, right? But I guess you could say that it has gone from being a top-class luxury item to an ordinary luxury item, right?”

“Haha! That’s exactly right. From the highest luxury to the common luxury. But that’s not it. It’s become something that you can get if you have the money. Anyway, this sugar price cut has really given a boost to the baking industry.”

“Where is sugar? Even if it is not milk, goat milk is produced, and there are also milk and taro made from it, so if you put your mind to it, you can make anything.”

The two were able to talk freely thanks to the staff keeping some distance between them so as not to disturb their conversation.

Suyu means butter and tarak means cheese. Even Joseon made and ate butter, as the word appears in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. However, since it was a luxury item, much controversy followed.

Originally, the term “suyu” was used to refer to all dairy products such as butter and cheese, but the research institute designated “suyu” and “tarak” as standard terms to refer to butter and cheese, respectively, to differentiate between the two products.

Bread is also a term that has already been introduced to the East, so Balhae also uses the word bread, but it is used together with the words wheat cake or Namman rice cake. Castella is also called by its original name, or dansom rice cake. It means a soft and sweet rice cake like cotton.

“I really think that sugar is doing a great job in many ways. The happiness index of the people must have increased several times. They say that the spread of sweet foods plays that role. But is it possible to mass-produce yeast, or rather, baker’s yeast?”

Lee Ha-ryun asked.

“Okay. I think we can get started right away.”

Hong Eun answered in a tone that it was nothing serious.

Lee Ha-ryun looked at the bread products on the plate, then raised his head and asked Hong-eun.

“But… I heard that my brother said that he would open Seoul to foreign countries in a few more years. Did you hear that, too?”

“Yes, brother. I heard that story too.”

“Is it okay?”

“That’s right. I don’t think it’s necessary to open early.”

The two men could not know Taegeon’s true intentions, so they were concerned about opening Seoul to the outside world.

“Well, I wonder what the point of locking the door would be, since spies from the Ming, the Later Jin, Joseon, and three Japanese countries are already here and active.”

Hong Eun-do agreed with Lee Ha-ryun’s words.

“Come to think of it, that’s true. In that case, it might be better to show it openly.”

“Perhaps, when Seoul opens, Balhae’s status will rise even more. Not only will the various achievements of civilization that have been achieved so far be a factor in this phenomenon, but the food products developed at this research center will also play a part in this phenomenon.”

“But your expression doesn’t look that good, oppa?”

“Actually, since I’m going to open it up, I wanted to make it even more surprising. That’s why I was thinking about installing streetlights. My brother said the same thing.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of it. They’re talking about gas lights or something. Since gas is being produced at the coal chemical complex, let’s use that.”

“But my thoughts are a little different. I’m thinking about developing electricity while I’m at it.”

“Electricity? Already?”

“It’s not like we’re not using electricity at all right now. Each factory generates and uses the electricity needed for electrolysis. It’s a small generator, though.”

“So, should we just launch the electric power industry in earnest now?”

“That’s right. You should start as soon as possible so that you can gain experience quickly and electricity supply can be made faster.”

“Well, I guess it’s possible. Don’t you have everything you need?”

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“That’s right. Coal for power generation is available all around Seoul. And the quality is amazing, too.”

Among the coal fields located in the northern part of the former Hamgyeong Province, there were quite a few that were like open pit mines, where coal seams would be exposed immediately if you just scraped off about 50 centimeters of the surface. The Aoji coal field was one such example. It was a place that boasted enormous reserves and was no different from a flower pot. The quality of bituminous coal mined from coal fields distributed not only in Aoji but also in Gyeongseong, Myeongcheon, and Gilju was also excellent, making it perfect for power generation. It ignited easily and had strong enough heat to be used in steel mills.

“There is also an abundance of copper production for making wires.”

Copper was produced in Hyesan, Gwangmyeong’s Cheonbosan, and Dancheon.

“They also produce rubber and plastic, so they really have everything you need.”

Hong Eun-i smiled and continued what Lee Ha-ryun said.

“But what about the light bulb?”

In the early days of the electrical industry, the most important field was naturally lighting. So the topic shifted from streetlights to electricity.

Lee Ha-ryun let out a soft sigh at Hong Eun’s question.

“That’s the problem. So, we need to establish an electrical engineering research institute right now, train talented people, and send them to universities to open electrical engineering departments.”

“Is making a light bulb that difficult?”

“The theory is easy. Just use platinum or tungsten as the filament material, and develop a thin glass bulb. You can also vacuum the inside of the bulb, or put an inert gas inside the bulb. But is that as easy as it sounds?”

“Then, of course, I can’t even dream of a transformer or a substation?”

“Oh my! What kind of horrible words are you talking about? A substation at this stage? We don’t even have the tools to measure voltage and power. And I only know the concepts of direct current and alternating current, but I still don’t know how to handle them. Is my brother any better? Well, he’s much better than me. He knows everything. But for now, I hope we can develop on a small scale and reach a stage where we can light up the palace, Phoenix Square, and government buildings.”

“Okay, then we can do that too, right?”

Hong Eun finally learned of Lee Ha Ryun’s plan.

“That’s right. If it’s to that extent. Once we get there, our intelligent Balhae people will develop it on their own.”

“Haha! I’m really looking forward to it. We’ll be able to use electricity already. So, we can be free from candles and oil lamps? Anyway, I’ll help you too.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty~ I was already so overwhelmed when I thought about doing this on my own. It’s not even my specialty.”

Lee Ha-ryun answered with a witty smile.

* * *

Liaodong General Li Yeo-baek, son of Li Yeo-song, was leading 20,000 troops from the Second Route Army out of Liaoyang Castle and marching southwest.

Lee Yeo-baek’s gaze was not on the troops he was commanding, but on the sky. His body seemed to be trembling, unable to control the vibrations transmitted through his speech and other means. He looked like a defeated soldier.

After seeing Yeo Baek’s condition, Yeom Myeong-tae, the commander of the Liaodong Byeongbi Cham, shook his head. However, he also felt helpless and let out a sigh without realizing it.

“Whew! How is it going, huh?”

Lee Yeo-baek, who came to his senses after hearing Yeom Myeong-tae’s sigh, smiled bitterly and said.

“Doesn’t it look like Haejuseong won’t be able to hold out for much longer?”

“Of course. When I hear reports about the enemy’s artillery, I can’t think of any solution. If we fight on flat ground, wouldn’t our own casualties be greater? Even if we siege, we’ll only gain a little more time, but won’t the result be the same? They said that their artillery shells go over the walls and explode, striking our troops. They also said that the walls aren’t very strong.”

“That’s what I mean. So the only way to deal with it is for us to use artillery with the same power as them.”

Because it was such nonsense, Yeom Myeong-tae didn’t even react and just sighed again.

They had to set out to rescue Haeju Castle after receiving a command to defend the city. The order that Lee Yeo-baek received was to attack the Balhae army, which was attacking Haeju Castle, together with the central army stationed in the northern mountainous area of ​​Suam.

“But wouldn’t the strategy of good strategy work only if Haeju Seong holds out for a few days?”

“Yes, there is another prerequisite. Our left wing must protect the Yeonsangun.”

By the time Lee Yeo-baek left for his convalescence, he had already heard that a battle had begun at Yeonsan-gwan. That is why Lee Yeo-baek opposed the 2nd rear army leaving to rescue Haeju Castle. This was because he did not know how the battle of Yeonsan-gwan would end.

Then, Gyeongryak Yangho proposed an alternative plan: leave only about ten thousand troops to defend Yoyangseong, and send a messenger to Gwangnyeong to request reinforcements.

Guangning was located west of the Liao River, and the Ming Dynasty did not completely trust the Later Jin Dynasty, so they had deployed some troops there. However, now that the entire Liaodong Army of the Ming Dynasty was in danger, they were in a situation where they had to use Guangning’s troops as well.

“Everything looks difficult. Haeju Seong holding out and buying time, and defending the Yeonsan-gwan front. Looking at how Gaeju’s 60,000-man army was defeated so easily.”

This negative outlook of Lee Yeo-baek soon became a reality. A messenger sent from the central army camp, not Haeju Seong, arrived with bad news.

“What? Haeju Castle has fallen! Everyone was killed or taken prisoner?”

“Yes. The enemy blocked all the gates and no one could escape.”

“In that situation, shouldn’t we open the gate and charge in?”

“It seems they gave up because the enemy’s firepower was too strong.”

“Then what about the central army?”

“The central army was blocked by another enemy force and could not approach Haeju Castle. I even saw them fighting against them.”

The military officer who came as a messenger relayed the situation in considerable detail. The last scene he saw was the battle between the 20th Division of the Balhae Army and the central army he belonged to. Of course, the fall of Haeju Castle had occurred before that.

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