Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Drawing the Sword of Benevolent Rule

As everyone knows, I have experienced various cultural spheres.

When living as a 21st century civilized person I often realized how different the cultures of Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan are from each other, and how great the difference is even while sharing things.

But now.

I fell into the 19th century.

Moreover I didn’t just eat one country, but went around alternating the extreme and extreme countries of Britain and Joseon.

Ah.

The countries of the 21st century... did they particularly have much cultural difference? It doesn’t seem so?

The 19th century was a huge crevasse that could never be understood no matter how much I threw in all my experiences. The difference between Korea and China, America? Ideological problem? Ethnic sentiment? They can’t even present a business card in front of the 19th century.

Let’s take the most closed country in the world North Joseon as an example right away. Even such a oppressive and crazy country insists they are a democratic country by putting ‘democracy’ in the country name desperately, and even the clothes they wear are not much different from other countries.

- Isn’t the Islamic side a bit different?

Those friends wear jeans and listen to pop music the same. Western culture is encroaching on the whole world. Let’s not bring up weird examples like strange Islamic fundamentalism that shoots and kills if you don’t wear a chador. Even the tribes that appear in Amazon documentaries wear t-shirts when filming ends they say.

Anyway the reason I bring up this story is simple.

Because there are countless cases that are impossible to understand unless equipped with this 19th century European sensibility like a demon village.

Ireland.

A small island country next to Britain.

Whenever England became strong it always invaded upper house Scotland and next door Ireland to seize hegemony of Britain, and Ireland had to suffer their invasion, conquest, and exploitation for hundreds of years.

And the dawn of modernity symbolized by the industrial revolution and imperialism came.

Now Ireland became the meta laboratory of British Empire colonialism and imperialism, and literally became a test case.

“The invisible hand will operate and match Ireland’s unbalanced state.”

“What is poverty in an era like nowadays. In an era where if one sets one’s mind one can make a fortune whether going to America or India, how lazy must they be... eing!”

“Ireland must overcome this crisis with its own strength. Until when will they only hope the country saves them? With that attitude it is hard to become self-reliant.”

“Instead of giving fish one must teach the method of catching fish. That is the role of the correct government!”

British people despised Irish people.

To what extent they despised, even the potatoes they mainly eat were objects of contempt. To the extent of saying ‘potatoes grow too easily so even lazy guys breed offspring’ that says it all.

They believed without a doubt that the reason Irish people are poor is because they are lazy and violent and soaked in alcohol, and the Whig Party government with this prejudice filter stuck decided to teach the ‘method of catching fish’ instead of distributing food for free to cope with potato blight and the great famine.

Precisely by raising public works and creating jobs.

- Is this that... New Deal? That was a successful policy?

It was similar.

Except that this cost was charged as debt to Ireland.

And under the pretext that Ireland must repay the debt owed to Britain, new taxes were levied on Ireland. Because Irish people must ‘become self-reliant’ not ‘habitually depend’ on the British government.

The food given as compensation for public labor was far too little and poor, and in the meantime embezzlement and skimming were rampant as expected of a business with government money.

People who couldn’t even eat properly had to do hard labor so they ailed and died.

There were even more who couldn’t even do this death public labor and starved to death.

At this time Britain had the regime transferred from the Conservative Party and the Whig Party was the ruling party, and as known this Whig Party are free trade believers.

They thought that based on free trade and the invisible hand if they prepare jobs for Irish people a healthy market economy would run and self-reliance would be possible but it failed like a dog.

When people starved to death in groups again the government hurriedly decided to operate distribution centers that distribute porridge instead of public labor.

And around this time everyone’s dissatisfaction exploded.

Because the cost was enormous.

<​Potato blight is a blessing. If the government does not become too generous and show mercy to them, or if the Irish people’s characteristic indiscriminate patriotism or the landlords’ indifference does not intervene, Irish people will also realize the taste of meat instead of potatoes. Then naturally diligence, regularity, and persistence will be cultivated in them.>

This is the writing published in that famous <​Times>. Looking at other articles Irish people are ‘Asians inhabiting Europe’ and a people who ‘enjoy poverty and live lazily like Bengalis or Sri Lankans’ and ‘moral bankrupts who have lived disorderly since prehistoric times’.

As seen both peoples were angry.

Irish people of course overflowed with hatred toward Britain that pushed their country into hell.

But.

British people also exploded with anger toward Irish people.

“We relieved them with blood-like taxes and these insolent guys!”

“We achieved a great undertaking that would absolutely not have been possible if Ireland had not been merged as part of the British Empire, and succeeded in attaching the lives of 3 million beggar bastards. And yet these ungrateful guys independence or whatever?”

“What on earth did we do that even though we fulfilled the duty we have to suffer this dishonor instead of receiving thanks?”

“We did everything! Imported corn, made public jobs, distributed even porridge so they don’t starve to death... if we normalized Ireland that’s enough what more do they want?”

“These primitive idiots... even after receiving 8 million pounds worth of relief from the British Empire government... they plant that fucking potatoes again. These bastards are beyond salvation.”

I seem unable to adapt to this era. There is an allergic reaction to colonialism in the bloodline of Koreans.

Irish people planting potatoes is not because they love potatoes too much.

The majority of Irish people who have only their bodies worked on others’ farms to make a living, and farm owners did not give wages as compensation for labor and instead lent a small field.

They have to eat for a year with the crops cultivated in this field, and the only crop worth cultivating here is potatoes so they can’t abandon potatoes.

However British people did not recognize this fundamental structural problem.

Precisely any media was reluctant to mention this foundation.

Because this bizarre economic structure is the result of Britain taking all of Ireland’s land from the beginning.

Now I can be certain.

No matter how I act as I please and twist the world this way and that.

If I am not swallowed by history and change history.

At least it will be better than the original history.

Right?

- Uh... that... I don’t know well either...

That’s right, you scammer bastard.

Now I have not a single point of hesitation in conscience.

At least I won’t starve all the people of another country to death and push even debt.

Even the most vicious 21st century person will squeeze less of others’ blood tears than the most benevolent 19th century person.

This is the conclusion I reached.

No one can stop me.

***

1850.

Eton College.

Arthur Lee, the symbol of the 21st century and the greatest conscience of this era, was reborn as an excellent adult.

“Stand properly, new student.”

“Yes, yep!”

“Why did you brew tea like this? Is the Eton spirit still lacking?”

“Sorry! I’ll brew it again!”

“Bastard... spirit!”

Look at this beautiful Eton campus.

This place that looked like an ugly magic castle until a few years ago looked truly like heaven when looked at again.

In my time I had to quietly wake up before sunrise because I couldn’t wake up later than seniors at dawn, and right after waking up I prepared breakfast for seniors to eat and then I had to eat pig feed porridge that couldn’t be seen without tears.

But the young guys entering these days have servants hired by the school prepare breakfast and seniors extort less money. The irrationalities I eliminated are probably thirty forty fifty. If they are guys with even a little grateful heart they should serve seniors even harder.

I refreshingly did one swim in the Thames River to wake up from sleep, roughly skipped class and then did one carriage race.

“Who dares oppose the carriage this Arthur Lee drives!”

“The fucker drives like shit!”

“Umhuhahaha! Carriage driving skill is terrible, foolish ones!”

- Chattering teeth while using cheat keys.

Be quiet. I get nagged for being fucking bad at cricket batting and if I can’t even do carriage racing it’s perfect to hear real trash sound.

As a result of training iron fist every day according to the sponsor’s advice and devoting to 21st century style health training, although my Greek grade barely avoided failing I could defeat Eton’s old devil and new devil and seize the position of Eton’s conscience guardian fist. If there is dissatisfaction with my doctrine from now on get hit by 21st century spicy punch first.

Moreover at this time I became a nationwide celebrity.

Because <​Arthur’s Drift Record> was finally presented to the market.

“Senior! It is an honor to meet you like this! Senior is that ‘surviving child’ right?”

“Ah. Yes.”

“Truly respectable! I will also strive harder so I can become a great Etonian like senior!!”

“Hmm. If you diligently polish the spirit of Eton here you will be able to follow about my toes.”

It is absolutely not that I received too much injection of Eton spirit here and went crazy. I just realized that in this Europe the virtue of humility is often misunderstood as the servility of the weak. Because one must have self-esteem enough to appear arrogant for miscellaneous guys to challenge less.

Two shipwrecks and drifts.

And the grand journey going through China and Joseon.

The experience of not losing the dignity befitting the world-ruling ethnic group Anglo-Saxon even after falling into the barbaric Chinese pirate den and rather gaining their awe, or the outstanding intellectual ability that conveyed God’s words to Joseon people and made the king and chancellor there marvel... all these mysterious experiences are vividly contained in <​Arthur’s Drift Record>.

- Full of lies though.

I wrote at the very end of the book ‘based on true story but has some dramatization’ so it’s okay. Probably.

After the book became a huge hit, with Gladstone’s help I announced the fact that I would return to the Far East and engage in trade as soon as I graduated from Eton.

Then as soon as the words ended people lined up begging to invest in the ‘surviving child’. All sorts of trading companies or companies or whatever barons or counts all flocked and made a fuss that they need my help for Far East trade.

Countless people’s donations.

Sponsorships that came from universities or societies etc.

And countless investment funds coveting the profits that will pour out by opening the mysterious Far East countries.

After various things were free-passed at a terrifying speed I couldn’t even imagine, Lee & Gladstone Company raised its signboard and the Far East trading ship <​Henry> was prepared and trade goods were loaded one by one. The ship name I wanted was actually Going Merry but it was immediately rejected.

Not long after I graduated from Eton.

The glorious <​Henry> departed London receiving the expectations of countless investors and scholars all over its body.

Now only getting hit by a money jackpot remains...!

© 명원 #1jwz2

Author's note

As always... some free translation and purification is included

Thank you to Myeongwon Pizza, Time Flight for your sponsorships!!