Chapter 123

Chapter 123

Old Country but Its Name is New (2)

Joseon and Qing finally concluded a treaty and declared to the whole world will promote mutual friendly relations.

Immediately after the <​Joseon-Qing commercial treaty> was concluded. With this the two countries resumed trade and decided to dispatch diplomats to each other and station them.

“Our Great Qing sending a minister? To a vassal or whatever?”

“Who said vassal now? Definitely at the last treaty-”

“Joseon is an independent country! Of course!”

Qing’s tricks of constantly trying to stick mysterious high officials with the title of commercial affairs committee member in Hanyang and shake from the inside were cut by the British Empire.

The people of both Qing and Joseon countries could now freely enter not only open ports but even the interior and proceed with trade, and the two countries acknowledged extraterritoriality to each other. Because each distrusted the other’s magistrate trial.

France that intervened aiming for tip now obtained the legitimate right to intervene in Vietnam. The French Empire mercilessly trampled various places in Vietnam and proceeded with preparations to properly remodel Vietnam into colorful plantation farms.

Then what on earth did Britain obtain?

“Now Joseon people can enter the Chinese interior.”

“If utilizing Joseon merchants more actively our commercial activities will also become advantageous.”

“Perhaps more opportunities for missionary work too? If well using Joseon missionaries...”

A fact the whole world knows.

Joseon is now practically Britain’s vassal.

Anyway since a considerable number of Joseon’s commercial world is eroded by British-affiliated including Lee & Gladstone, Joseon securing the right to enter Qing also means British companies can enjoy exciting mask plays.

Japan is also indirectly entangled here.

Already commercial treaties between Western powers and Japan are concluded and trade is proceeding, but due to the characteristic of neighboring country the most active is anyway trade between Joseon and Japan.

Until now Japanese who hoped for trade with China had to insert Western merchants as brokers in the middle, but now fine inserting Joseon merchants conveniently. Except the minor point that many Joseon merchants in Japan did many evil things and died hit by Japanese swords or bamboo spears a very convenient thing.

And finally.

Prince Gong Yixin threw the last dagger.

“Both countries have the right to impose tariffs at an appropriate level.”

“Yes.”

“Will impose high tariffs on Joseon ginseng and red ginseng. No complaints?”

“Then Joseon will also impose high tariffs on Chinese luxury goods.”

The end-of-dharma land Central Plains full of opium addicts all around.

And what all doctors of Central Plains agree, the best medicine for opium addiction is precisely Goryeo red ginseng.

During the years Joseon-Qing relations fell to the worst the brand of Goryeo red ginseng far from sinking rather became the overwhelming highest dignity. Natural conclusion since even with money cannot buy and only circulated as smuggling.

Joseon merchants crazy for money reverse utilized the fact of smuggled goods as an opportunity and sold even low-quality red ginseng expensively, and Chinese merchants who okay everything if money also shamelessly sold foreign ginseng or own country ginseng claiming Goryeo red ginseng. Not coincidence that all religions of the world oppressed commerce.

If trade resumes with this treaty naturally red ginseng smuggling will also cut.

Many people will buy and eat Goryeo red ginseng, and of course customs revenue will also increase steadily.

With that money, can cultivate a stronger new-style army.

Yixin’s mind was to cultivate an army to press Joseon with money earned against Joseon.

The moment the best army of Qing, the Beiyang Army is founded.

***

Joseon’s best prestigious university, Sejong University.

Recently missionaries who entered from abroad began establishing private universities gathering money bit by bit, but still the three universities the country established were by far ranked the top.

That is, the roles differed.

Sejong University cultivating the best elite bureaucrats.

The path to military officers - practically a military academy Hyojong University.

Seongjong University where appointed as judges of the gradually independent judiciary.

If private universities are close to places purely researching learning these national universities had very clear purposefulness. As always Joseon people are crazy about rising in the world so the love of exam students toward those three universities never cut.

“Nice to meet. Lee Uk.”

The older brother of the Ganghwa brothers, Lee Uk after returning from Britain first took the teaching position at Sejong University.

“This professor is disappointed in the students.”

Whether possessed by a company commander ghost who is always disappointed transcending the era, or the Eton spirit ruins people’s heads and the same symptoms manifest unknown, but Lee Uk swung the chalk fiercely.

“You are Joseon’s best talents. Then of course unlike other people outside must grasp even the sense of what civilization enlightenment is. Nevertheless Confucius the devil has not left your heads yet, so this professor will completely extract Confucius from your heads and put Greek ghosts in that place. Any complaints?”

“None!!”

“Good.”

Unlike younger brother Wonbeom Lee Uk could not evolve into such a giant. From the beginning one of the reasons the younger brother not the older brother became king in the original history was his health problem.

Therefore while the younger brother went to Sandhurst and evolved into a monster of three heads six arms, the older brother intensively dug into British law. Because a considerable number of British people presented their development cause as ‘rule of law’.

“Do you know what difference between Joseon’s law and Europe’s law?”

“...”

“No one who previewed? Then write straight. The law not in Joseon and in Europe, that is precisely civil law. The custom of Europeans who protect private property to the point of sanctifying is precisely what built that powerful empire!”

If old times Lee Uk might not even finish the lecture and be dragged out and beaten to death on the street.

But now was different.

Those who would jump at him did not exist. People saw the king’s favor and reliance in the corner of Lee Uk’s shadow.

“How overwhelmed with emotion cried a lot. Really a great lecture!”

“We knew too little about the West. Really great, professor!”

“Thank you. Thank you students! Students are the future of the homeland!”

Ultra radical enlightenment faction that far exceeded radical enlightenment.

From the day Lee Uk appeared and began giving speeches to the public he became Hanyang’s super star. Made both antis and fans crazy and always had to have escorts so anyone seeing was a super star.

Lee Uk obtained enthusiastic support from young people, Christians, old military class, northwest people, commercial industrialists, and ate the curse of bastard full from conservative Confucian scholars whose power has not completely drained yet.

Seeing this appearance Lee Uk was convinced.

“Joseon’s prosperity depends only on whether the people inside the castle, the bourgeois and gentry class develop or not. Instead of nobles bound to land these classes that will promote commerce and industry must grow for Joseon to become an industrial country like Britain!”

“Joseon manse!!”

“Industry for the country manse!!”

Uncivilized country Qing or whatever will never be able to beat Joseon that entered the path of civilization.

Didn’t Darwin say so.

This is precisely survival of the fittest the law of the jungle.

***

There was no one on the street who did not know the king far from catching Lee Uk and beating him is subtly sympathizing.

There is a custom called name avoidance.

‘Hui’ is name, meaning not carelessly calling the names of high people such as the king or parents.

In East Asia attaching courtesy name or pen name leaving a proper name also originated from the culture of reluctant to call names. How thorough this name avoidance was, Joseon’s hottest land Daegu originally used the character hill gu instead of 邱 but at some moment changed the character. Precisely because the greatest worship GOAT of Neo-Confucianism Confucius’s real name was Kong Qiu.

“When is name avoidance name avoidance. Such uncivilized behavior does not suit Joseon a civilized and enlightened country. Put away.”

The 1st factor Yi Hwan issued this name avoidance abolition order was of course contact with the West.

Trying to translate the West’s strange curly languages naturally use a lot of transliteration, and trying to do name avoidance on this again very complex things occurred a lot.

And second.

“Do not do name avoidance of Chinese emperors or Jurchen chiefs anymore either. Joseon is an independent country still serve foreign kings or whatever?”

“Your Majesty! But Wanli-”

“Until when do you plan to only chatter reestablishing the dynasty or whatever? Want to try name avoidance hard as wished? Want to taste confinement those who wrote the characters bang or won in memorials?”

Tyrant Yi Hwan took one more spoon here.

Changed the only crown prince’s name to Myeong.

“Let’s see if you do name avoidance so diligently.”

Joseon’s name avoidance custom disappeared into history like that. Joseon scholars who until recently cried out cannot dare violate the king’s name now carelessly teased the Qing emperors’ name characters and tasted gloomy pleasure.

Like that the crown prince Yi Myeong who was renamed overnight completely unrelated to his own will also could not decide his own whereabouts.

“Must go to London.”

“This small one... saying?”

“Right.”

Father and son’s conversation.

Yi Hwan cherished the son very much.

And in his thought this was the best.

Yi Hwan who half lay and held the long pipe in the mouth and sucked deeply carefully looked at the son who will be fifteen the day after tomorrow, quite grown.

“Seeing the process of concluding the treaty with Qing this time what did the crown prince feel?”

“Felt that what Britain does not want in the world absolutely does not come true.”

“Truly correct words.”

Who knew that huge Qing would become like a neighborhood dog meeting a butcher whimpering!

“So you must go to Britain. If going and making many friends will definitely help.”

“But if this small one goes to that distant place how can fulfill filial piety to father and mother?”

“Why is the crown prince shedding tears. Filial piety of raising morning greetings is mere a commoner’s filial piety, but going to London and obtaining virtuous people and leading Joseon to the top country in the future can be called the emperor’s filial piety comparable to Shun or Yu.”

“But-”

“Eheo. All places where people live. Did the crown prince forget the anecdote of Emperor Peter too? Japan’s crown prince also decided to go to London so the future of the two countries is appropriately in London land.”

Among Western anecdotes one that gave the strongest inspiration to young Yi Hwan was precisely the story of Russia’s Peter the Great.

A young and spirited emperor who inherited a barbaric and backward country secretly travels and learns foreign advanced culture and returns, and based on the learning then crushes the enemy country and completes a powerful homeland. Literally a trial version story of ‘if doing like this Joseon can also become strong’?

In heart wanted Yi Hwan himself to cross to Britain directly, but he had to preserve the country confronting that sharp Prince Gong. The moment the king leaves the seat neither foreign powers nor dissatisfied elements who dislike reform seemed would stay still.

Therefore.

He entrusted all hopes to the only son.

Yi Hwan will perform tricks against those jackal-like Western powers, build a powerful army, and lay the foundation of modernization.

Then his son Yi Myeong who became a sturdy man will return and make Joseon truly rise as an empire.

“And must go to London to marry?”

“Yes?”

“Already forgot Ahee? Or perhaps among school friends there is a friend with a pretty younger sister somewhere?”

“Th, that is not. Marriage is a great matter of human relations, th, uh.”

“Puhahahat!!”

Seeing the appearance of the crown prince’s face becoming a bright red radish Yi Hwan clapped and laughed greatly.

Did not bring out the shabby sound that need this national marriage to recover even part of the enormous interests that flowed abroad.

Because if so everyone will become sad.

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