Joseon Military Officer, Establishing Balhae - Chapter 326



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Episode 326

Post-processing (1)

Henry Middleton is on board the Blue Dragon, heading for the Hany Islands. He leaves his stuffy cabin and steps onto the deck. Then he catches sight of the Hany Islands, hanging just above the horizon.

“We’re back in the Honey Islands again.”

British people, including Middleton, could not pronounce the name Hani, so they pronounced it as ‘Honey’. People from other European countries also pronounced it as ‘Honey’ or ‘Hani’.

Because of the connotation of the word, the British were particularly fond of the Hani Islands. Since it was located not far from the colony of South Formosa, they could easily access the various delicious foods and novel products that Balhae had to offer.

“Looking at this war, don’t you think you can see how strong Balhae is?”

“That’s right. I didn’t know that the Ming Dynasty would be defeated so easily. I predicted that Balhae would win, but it was too one-sided.”

Captain Carling, standing beside him, answered.

“Looking at the Balhae newspaper, it seems like the north is almost being organized.”

Thanks to the British East India Company merchant ships that traveled between Choryang and Hani Islands, who constantly brought in Balhae newspapers, Middleton had a fairly detailed understanding of the Balhae situation. This was also thanks to the fact that the number of British people who could read and write the Balhae language had increased.

“That’s really amazing. To win against three countries at the same time.”

“It can’t be helped. Just look at the products that come out of that country. Not to mention the steam engine.”

Middleton, who first encountered a steam crane at Choryang Port, had already sent related information back to his home country.

“If Ming is so weak, how about we also establish a base on Ming land? Didn’t Balhae gain Hong Kong Island and Bongsan Island?”

Middleton tilted her head at Carling’s suggestion.

“It’s a good idea, but the development of South Formosa is a priority. So let’s think about it as the next task. Besides, we have to fight a tough battle with the Dutch in Southeast Asia, right?”

The royal family of the home country was also paying great attention to the colony of South Formosa. The current British Empire had not achieved any significant results since it had advanced into the North American continent not long ago. It was in 1607 that it succeeded in establishing the first colony called Jamestown in Georgia. It is still steadily advancing into the North American continent, but the results are still minimal. That is why it became even more attached to South Formosa.

“Is David okay?”

“I’m worried that it won’t be like that.”

The reason Governor Middleton himself set out on the voyage was because his younger brother David was on the verge of death from malaria.

During this period, Taiwan was also a malaria risk area, so quite a few British people were dying from this disease.

Middleton had heard that there was a cure for malaria in Balhae, so he went to Hani Island to treat his younger brother.

“Has Balhae saved many of our sailors?”

Middleton tried to brush off her worries about her brother by changing the subject to something else.

“Yes. That alone made me develop an infinite fondness for Balhae.”

The reason why Carling became a Balhae enthusiast was because he almost completely overcame scurvy. Thanks to this, the survival rate of sailors on long voyages greatly increased, so as a captain, he could not help but regard Balhae as a benefactor.

“Isn’t that amazing? You can treat it with just tangerine peel and tangerine juice. Well, thanks to that, the number of items I have to buy from Balhae has increased.”

Tangerine juice was also a food product developed by Hong Eun. Using tangerines mass-produced in Jeju Island and other parts of the South Sea, he made a juice product and released it to the world. When he sterilized the tangerine juice at low temperatures and put it in a glass bottle to make it into a product, European sailors going on long voyages began to buy it in large quantities. Products with added sugar were also sold at high prices.

“We have started cultivating it in our Nampo-mosa, so we won’t need to live in Balhae anymore. Anyway, we know that we can eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, so we just need to apply this.”

“If that’s the case, then that’s good.”

Soon after, the Blue Dragon arrived at Ansan Port in Hani Island.

Middleton took her brother David to the Admiralty House in the United Kingdom.

This military hospital was built for Balhae soldiers and civilians living in the Hani Islands and northern Formosa. It was initially a small clinic, but it gradually grew in size as the number of patients increased due to endemic diseases unique to the hot climate.

The existence of this hospital quickly became known in the surrounding areas, and Europeans from Spain, Portugal, and Britain, as well as Asian merchants traveling through these waters, began to use the hospital, paying high treatment fees. As a result, it came to boast facilities and medical skills as good as those of hospitals in Seoul.

Henry Middleton’s younger brother David began to gradually improve after being prescribed a malaria drug called ‘Cinnamon’.

While his brother was receiving treatment, Henry Middleton and Carling visited the hospital from time to time. They also carefully checked the various medicines the hospital had in stock through the staff.

“Aren’t there a lot of medicines? There are disinfectants, antipyretics, digestive aids, and even anti-tuberculosis medicines and anti-syphilis medicines.”

“I can’t believe it even cures tuberculosis and syphilis.”

The types of Balhae medicines were steadily increasing. Another type of antibiotic was developed, and aspirin was eventually introduced to the world by Taegeon. In addition, the number of herbal medicine-based medicines increased explosively. These medicines were pouring out because there were many excellent herbal medicine doctors.

“David? When I suggested we go to the Honey Islands, you were skeptical. You didn’t believe me when you saw how easily I overcame scurvy?”

Despite his fondness for Balhae, Carling was still unable to escape from European superiority. That is why he considered the prescription for scurvy to be a coincidence or a product of experience. He also viewed it as an outstanding case of Balhae’s advanced industrial technology. In this way, his superiority was close to religion. This is because of the European tendency to ignore or despise paganism.

In fact, Middleton also had that tendency and had not approached Balhae medicine until then, but his thoughts changed significantly after seeing it cure his younger brother who had malaria.

“Well, it was surprising. It was not an easily treatable disease, but it was so easy to treat.”

“This time, let’s buy a certain amount of each type of medicine and go. We’ll see how effective they are as we use them. If they’re more effective than we expected….”

“Wow! This is going to be a big business.”

“Now my head is starting to work.”

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“That would be true. This medicine is light and doesn’t take up much space, right? So if you just fill one ship, you can take a huge amount.”

“Yes. Especially when you think about it from the perspective of nobles who are on the verge of death from this disease. It would be worth a thousand gold coins. You could even make dozens of times more profit.”

“I see. If that’s true, then you should sell it for even more. That way, you can gain trust.”

“That’s right. Balhae is already recognized as a mysterious country in Europe, so any medicine that has proven effective here will be popular in Europe as well. So selling it at a high price will actually gain trust.”

“Okay, I see. Then let me find out right away how much I can buy.”

Middleton’s interest in Balhae medicine, triggered by his brother’s malaria infection, changed the course of history. Of course, the effect would come much later.

* * *

The military personnel who remained in Liaodong due to post-war processing issues and the additional government officials who were dispatched were busy with their daily lives there. Of course, Taegeon returned to Seoul immediately after signing the peace treaty with Nurhachi and was staying at Jianheung Palace, handling matters related to the Liaodong region.

When Taegeon returned with the reserve division, a large-scale improvement ceremony was held again. In addition, newspapers poured out articles about the Liaodong War every day. Unlike before, this time the newspapers sent war correspondents, so they returned late and began to produce follow-up articles fiercely.

As a result, numerous war heroes were born. In addition, many heart-wrenching anecdotes, such as the sad story of the two battalions that first faced the Later Jin army, were passed on to the people through articles.

While the whole of Seoul was in an uproar, Tae-geon called Lee Ha-ryun and Hong-eun to a secret room in Hamhwajeon Hall in Geonheung Palace and had some time to catch up for the first time in a long while.

“Come to think of it, we really came a lot?”

Lee Ha-ryun said with a relieved expression.

“Do you come here often?”

Hong Eun asked.

“Not only did we break the spirit of the Later Jin, but we also turned their spear points towards the Central Plains, Your Majesty. Haven’t we achieved a lot by doing this?”

“That’s right. Haha! If we push hard, won’t they cross the Shanhai Pass in no time?”

Hong Eun-do also smiled and agreed.

“That’s right. There was originally a story that Nurhachi was badly injured by Hongipo and died from the aftereffects. But you ended up having it, right?”

“Moreover, Ming will be greatly shaken by this war. Since they have been defeated by us twice, they will not have many troops to suppress any rebellions in the provinces.”

“that’s right.”

“I know.”

The two agreed with Lee Ha-ryun’s words. That’s why they predicted that it wouldn’t take long for the Later Jin to enter the Central Plains.

“The Later Jin chose Uiju as its new capital?”

This was information that came in this afternoon. Tae-geon told Hong-eun about it.

“Clothes?”

“Haha! This isn’t our Uiju, it’s the Uiju west of the Daeryung River, Your Majesty.”

As Lee Ha-ryun explained with a smile, Tae-geon added.

“Do you know Gwangnyeong?”

“Well, kind of.”

“Then what about Joyang?”

Jo-yang is the current residence of the Mongolian Ulianghai tribe, and Jo-yang is a place name that emerged later.

“That too, roughly.”

Hong Eun’s voice became smaller.

“It’s halfway between those two areas.”

“Then are you in the mountains?”

“It’s a flat terrain between mountains.”

“Are they still afraid of us?”

Lee Ha-ryun smiled and commented briefly on the inner thoughts of the Later Jin Dynasty.

“That’s right. There is a pretty steep mountain range running north to south between Gwangnyeong and Uiju. They probably chose that place because they thought it was a natural barrier.”

“Then did you catch it well?”

“That’s right. There are wide plains around, so it’s good for supporting the population, and it also has the advantage of being close to the Central Plains.”

Taegeon thought that Houjin’s choice was excellent.

“But what do you plan to do about the North?”

Lee Ha-ryun asked with a serious expression. It was a topic he had also been struggling with quite a bit.

In southern Manchuria, the line connecting the Liao River, the West Liao River, and the Sarmolon River was the border as agreed with the Later Jin. Also, east of Chagan, the former capital of Chahar, the Sarmolon River and the Greater Khingan Mountains ridge intersected, and the western border was the ridge of this mountain range. However, the problem was in the north.

Although Nurhachi conquered the region and captured many tribesmen, some remained, and others moved south from the north when the vacuum was created. Therefore, a new strategy for managing the northern territory became necessary.

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