Joseon Military Officer, Establishing Balhae - Chapter 345



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Episode 345

Return (1)

Hanseongbu Unjongga (Jongno) Street.

Unjongga, which was always bustling with people like clouds, was even more deserted today. This was a phenomenon that had been occurring consistently since Balhae became a vassal state. This was because immediately after Balhae became one, the various Balhae merchants who had begun to gather settled in the outskirts of Hanseongbu, not in the area. Since Hanseongbu had a special status as an autonomous territory of the Joseon king within Balhae, they chose the border area outside Seongjeo 10-ri as their merchant base. This was due to the anxiety inherent in merchants.

In fact, the boundaries of the Hanseongbu Autonomous Territory were not fenced. They only erected signs indicating the boundaries on each road leading to Hanseongbu. However, the fate of those living within Seongjeosipri was bound to be somewhat different. This is because the Autonomous Territory only abides by the Balhae Constitution and is subject to its own laws and regulations. Of course, according to the Constitution, the Joseon Autonomous Territory must also abide by matters such as exemption of slaves, national taxes, and national defense obligations, but other local tax policies and other laws affecting the lives of residents could be enacted independently.

As a result, new markets gradually began to form in the northeast, in the Haechon-sa area of ​​Yangju-hyeon (the future Dobong-gu, Seoul), and in the northwest, near Deoksucheon in Goyang-hyeon. This is because not only the Balhae Sangdan but also the Balhae military base are located there. In addition, in the case of Haechon-sa, the newly constructed Hanan Line railroad passes through the area and reaches Haechon Station, so it has become a prosperous city.

As a result, numerous retailers from surrounding towns and Hanseongbu flocked to the two bases of Balhae merchants located just ten miles away from Seongjeo to purchase Balhae products, causing the commercial district of Unjongga to shrink rapidly.

Director Lee I-cheom slowly walked along the Yunjongga Street, then let out a soft sigh.

“It’s disappointing. I didn’t know so many Hanseongbu residents would leave.”

Ryu Mong-in, the director of the Yebu Bureau who was walking alongside him, also let out a hollow laugh.

“Ah, aah! What can we do when public sentiment is like that?”

“Did all those who left go north?”

“That must have been the case. In order to be successful, you had to go to the new capital. To be honest, Balhae was a huge country compared to Joseon in the past. So the number of civil and military officials would have been several times greater. With an army of hundreds of thousands, how many military officials would there be? With such a vast landmass, how many local officials would there be? I heard that the number of central government officials was several times greater than Joseon’s.”

“That’s not all. Have you heard of the Privy Council member?”

“Oh, so they choose by voting?”

“Yes, they select one or two people from each district, and that is the position equivalent to that of a high-ranking official.”

“Well, then what about our Joseon land too?”

“It will be implemented soon.”

“Then those who were in the local government or central government positions in Joseon would aim for those positions. Many of Balhae’s founding fathers would have occupied important positions.”

“That’s right. So, if you’re aspiring to be successful, you have no choice but to head north. Moreover, Seoul is the only place where new and interesting artifacts abound.”

“When I tried the products made in Balhae, I could understand why the people’s hearts were so moved. Especially matches. I was amazed at how convenient it was to light a fire.”

“Haha! Go to Seoul once. Matches are nothing.”

“is it so?”

“What I am saying is that if Hanseongbu is to enjoy prosperity like before, it must be made just like the capital of Balhae.”

“Of course. Now we should consider Joseon as having disappeared. When I saw King Taewang of Balhae acknowledge His Majesty the King’s throne and give Hanseongbu as an autonomous territory, I thought he was a truly generous monarch.”

Ryu Mong-in, a member of the Northerners, was a man of letters and a renowned diplomat. Because he had a flexible way of thinking, he tended to view the world very objectively. However, because he was deeply close to the wise king, Gwanghaegun, he did not leave and remained by his side.

The two people left Heunginmun Gate and headed to Dongmun Station, located east of Dongmyo and along the Anamcheon River. This Dongmun Station was the terminus of the Hanan Line railroad and was located in the future Shinsoldong, Dongdaemun-gu.

“All the people from Hanyang are here.”

Because the few remaining Hanseongbu people had flocked here, Unjongga felt even more deserted today. As news spread that the Hanan Line opening ceremony would be held, people put aside their work and rushed to see the train for the first time in their lives.

Even while the railroad construction was in progress, the construction site was crowded with people. Some people had already seen the freight train carrying a lot of railroad tracks and sleepers, and through their words, the curiosity of many more people was aroused.

* * *

The train passed Cheorwon Station and headed to Yeoncheon Station.

The VIP car carrying the King and Empress of Balhae, the King of Joseon, and Yi Ha-ryun was decorated very splendidly, and not only the royal guards in full uniform but also heavily armed troops were on board the front and back cars.

When the King of Joseon left his seat to join Jeong In-hong, Lee Ha-ryun smiled and said,

“I guess you have a lot of questions. The questions just won’t stop.”

“I guess every sight I see is interesting.”

“Haha! Me too, well. I guess a lot has changed in the meantime.”

Hong Eun-do couldn’t take her eyes off the scenery outside the window because it was her first long-distance trip in a long time.

“Surely there is nothing better than a railroad to change the world. Do you know that the central newspapers are growing rapidly these days?”

Lee Ha-ryun asked Hong Eun.

“Oh, I see. Now that we can deliver to the provinces quickly by train, the local papers will be a little bit less affected.”

In the Balhae newspaper industry, the power of local newspapers was very great. Since delivery of central newspapers by sea took from a week to a month, local readers had no choice but to subscribe to local newspapers.

“Railroads reduce the information gap between the central and local governments. As that gap gradually disappears, the country’s integration and national identity will progress more quickly. That’s why we have no choice but to put all our efforts into building railroads.”

Tae-Geon has repeatedly emphasized that eliminating the information gap is more important than security.

“Brother, then should we hurry up and develop the telegraph while we’re at it? Since we’ve already started working on the electrical industry.”

“That would be great. It’s also essential for the railroads that are starting to be built all over the country. If you need my help, just let me know.”

“Yes, brother.”

Currently, most of the Balhae railway lines are single-track railways. Therefore, trains must run strictly on time, and in emergency situations, all kinds of traditional signaling methods, such as signal lines connected to each station, were used. Therefore, the development of a wire telegraph had to emerge as an urgent task.

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“Should I invent a Korean telegraph code?”

Samuel Morse, who invented the Morse telegraph and code, was a 19th century person and would not be born for several hundred years. That’s why Hong Eun used the expression ‘Korean telegraph code’ instead of Morse code.

“Then we also have to develop batteries. The work really never ends.”

Lee Ha-ryun shook his head.

“Haha! I guess we should try to sell it. Weren’t we like that from the beginning?”

“Now that I think about it, does that remind you of the first time you went to Gyeongheung?”

“It was really frustrating back then. It’s already been almost 25 years.”

The three of them were lost in thought for a moment. As they got closer to Hanseongbu, they remembered past events.

“But do you plan to respond to the Ming Dynasty’s peace talks?”

Lee Ha-ryun broke the silence and brought up an issue that had not been discussed due to the King of Joseon’s actions.

“We must respond. The latter has started to move.”

“Shouldn’t we do it after reducing the national power of the Ming a little more?”

“I don’t think that’s necessary. We can conscript prisoners for five years of labor and then release them, but the Later Jin, which is short on people, must absorb them. They obtained quite a few Ming generals and soldiers in the Battle of Jinzhou, so they won’t be short on troops. Nurhachi, who probably enjoys increasing his troops, will definitely come down through the Mongol settlements to the front of Shanhaiguan, block their retreat, and attack Yeongwonseong. Then they will obtain tens of thousands of prisoners again.”

“Hearing the story of the Battle of Geumjuseong, it seems that the Ming Dynasty’s military power has weakened considerably. Although Emperor Wanli did good things for Joseon, his internal affairs were in shambles and he was on the decline.”

“And we have another control mechanism.”

“Means of control?”

“Have you forgotten that we have 70,000 prisoners of war bound to us?”

“Ah! I see. Hahaha! They were there.”

Lee Ha-ryun laughed brightly.

“Then, depending on where you release them, the situation will change?”

Hong Eun-do soon figured out Tae-geon’s true intentions.

“That’s right. If we send them to the Ming via sea, the Ming will make good use of them. If we send them to the Later Jin via land, they will all become the Later Jin army.”

The time when the prisoners’ labor began was slightly different for each prisoner, but in some cases it was as early as three years ago, so prisoners were released after two years.

“But will the surrendered generals cooperate well? Those who talk about China and barbarians and pride and all that?”

Hong Eun asked with a puzzled expression.

“Think of the three worlds.”

Tae-Geon answered in a low voice so that no one else could hear.

“Oh, that’s right. Oh Sam-gye. Huh!”

Hong Eun realized that her voice was loud and quickly raised her hand to cover her mouth.

The person who played a decisive role in the fall of the Ming Dynasty was actually Li Zicheng. The Ming Dynasty actually fell due to the Li Zicheng Rebellion. However, the person who brought the Qing army into the Central Plains and brought about the complete end of the Ming Dynasty was Wu Sangui. However, the current Wu Sangui was still in his infancy.

“There is no need for Li Zicheng to occupy Beijing, or Wu Sangui to open Shanhai Pass on his own. It’s all thanks to the siege cannons. Also, the Ming generals and soldiers who surrendered made great contributions at the time. It’s the same now. The Han people’s Eight Banners have been completed, right? What pride, haha!”

“Whether in the future or now, it’s just big talk.”

Lee Ha-ryun also laughed and joined in.

“Then what are the reinforcement conditions?”

Hong Eun asked.

“Of the lands we occupied, we should return only Dengju and take the rest for ourselves.”

“It’s a bit of a shame to return the light pole. If we could just cut off the tip of the Shandong Peninsula and bring it back, it would be helpful in many ways in the future. It’s even more so when we think of the maritime territory.”

Lee Ha-ryun said, smacking his lips.

“It’s already been discussed. There are more side effects at this point, right? Of course, in the distant future, when our population increases several times, it’s worth considering. That’s a problem we’ll deal with at that time, so let’s move on for now.”

Tae-geon smiled and comforted Lee Ha-ryun.

“You said it was a secret meeting? How can you guarantee that?”

“You don’t just have to announce it, you have to write the document.”

“Oh, then that will work. Then the Hani Islands, Hong Kong Islands, and Myodo Islands will also be recognized as our territories?”

“of course.”

The Hong Kong Islands include Hong Kong Island, Fengshan Island and all its subsidiary islands to the south and west.

“But, when we arrive at Hanseongbu, the King of Joseon will be very surprised, right?”

Lee Ha-ryun said, pointing to the back of the train.

“Would the King of Joseon be the only one like that? Everyone would be shocked to see our gifts.”

Hong Eun-do also smiled and agreed.

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