Chapter 57 · 10 min

Chapter 57

The Sprout of Capitalism (2)

1854.

Joseon.

“Is this really Hanyang?”

The Joseon person who ate the most Western water in Joseon, Father Kim Daegeon felt somewhat dazed looking at the scenery outside the rickshaw.

Joseon was changing day by day.

How fast it was changing, a cathedral was being built right in front of Hanyang and changing enough that constables did not flock and behead.

The change was sudden.

Things that did not exist in the country called Joseon were springing up, and things that existed were disappearing.

Where the change started was clear.

The sea.

A space of terror too unfamiliar to Joseon people.

As foreigners living across the sea arrived the quiet port suddenly changed into a downtown where large brick buildings rose.

The creation of heaven and earth at the port now connected even to Hanyang.

Western-style brick houses started construction in Jangdong where the capital’s best great clans lived, and the legations where British, French, American diplomats work also of course started construction in Western style.

Not the end of just a few buildings newly rising.

The king and Heungseon-gun both had great interest in strengthening royal power, and agreed that large and beautiful construction and civil engineering is precisely the easiest method to show this royal power.

Hanyang must be the heart of a new empire.

So must become more majestic, much more beautiful.

Heonjong who came to wield powerful absolute power no one in the history of the Korean people had ever obtained pointed with a finger and said one word ‘the main road is too dirty’ and the street vendors filling the road all became dust. Even if unable to extinct sparrows the power that can instantly blow away even street vendors.

Street vendors disappeared, and houses that invaded the road were all demolished.

The road that opened wide after hundreds of years was now open enough to ride even the carriages Westerners brought.

The court did not stop here and began encouraging high-rise houses.

[Everyone using ondol for heating the mountains and rivers and plants become ruins and cannot utilize the narrow Hanyang capital land well. If using coal as firewood even 3-story houses, 4-story houses can sufficiently hold warm warmth-]

[Permit.]

Truly a terrifying great upheaval.

The court was not only interested in civil engineering.

Could know just looking at the school that will newly enter the place where Seonggyungwan was.

Seonggyungwan took down the sign.

Because the Seonggyungwan students who received tips from the Andong Kim clan fell to the vicious Kim Jwageun’s mouthpiece and henchmen during the last ‘Kim Jwageun’s Rebellion’.

At this time 1/4 of the Seonggyungwan students had necks separated and hung, another 1/4 drank poison, and the rest received large and small punishments and Seonggyungwan was also refreshingly abolished.

Instead the educational institution called ‘university’ scheduled to newly enter.

In Joseon the naming method of attaching people’s names was unfamiliar, but the king and court crazy for Westernization willingly introduced that naming method for the royal family’s international prestige.

People too immersed in alternate history novels might think King Sejong as the disaster of the Jurchens or a destruction god starving for blood and slaves, but at least the majority of Joseon people regard Sejong as a monarch who loves learning so the name Sejong University was not greatly awkward.

The education of that university was truly simple.

‘Seeing official post appointment exam targeting graduates here.’

‘Receiving entrants by each region.’

According to French people’s words this is definitely what His Majesty who admires France and Napoleon modeled after France’s excellent education system, but that is unknown.

The moment he was about to recall the terrible screams ringing from the university.

The rickshaw stopped.

“Arrived!”

“Thank you.”

This rickshaw thing was also like that.

When the Bannam Bak clan where Bak Gyusu is presented a rickshaw to the king, the king was very surprised.

‘Making such an object. As expected learning Western objects and skills and grafting Joseon’s Way already amazing results are coming out.’

‘Actually this is not what we investigated, the British Lee A-’

‘The West has a system called <patent> right? This rickshaw will become the Bannam Bak clan’s number 1 patent and Joseon’s number 1 patent! You are precisely the model of scholars who seek truth from facts and utilize for the benefit of the people!’

In the moment of uh uh in the blink of an eye palanquins were eliminated and disappeared.

Because originally palanquins whose ride comfort was not that good, as soon as the king personally bestowed the highest grade rickshaws to some ministers instantly became upper-lower relationship like magma.

Kim Daegeon glanced at the rickshaw puller who put him down and went out soliciting customers again.

And also saw the appearance of shared carriages and rickshaws densely filling Hanyang’s main roads.

Although Hanyang streets still without gas lamps, brick houses, newspaper sellers.

That dynamism alone was truly comparable to Paris.

Wanted to believe so.

“Has the Father come?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Please come in. And a guest is waiting, perhaps received a message?”

“No... perhaps know who?”

Yes.

Must see mass.

At the end of countless people dying, finally became able to see mass on Joseon land.

Joseon’s first martyr, the house Myeongnyebang where Kim Beomu lived.

Myeongnyebang was demolished and disappeared, but they purchased a house right near that Myeongnyebang and decided to see mass until the cathedral is built.

Soon a cathedral will rise on that Myeongnyebang site.

On this Myeongdong hill stained with the martyr’s blood.

“Is it Father Kim Daegeon?”

“Yes. You are-”

“I am Arthur Lee. Finally meeting like this.”

“Heard you made enormous efforts for Joseon and Joseon’s believers. Sincerely thank you.”

Kim Daegeon felt his chest welling up.

This blue-eyed scholar is precisely the true righteous person who fought for them more than anyone.

So.

The matter until 10 minutes before hearing the <Napoleon Bonaparte Mandongmyo joint enshrinement project>.

As expected the words of French people that all British are crazy guys were 100% pure truth.

***

Joseon people suddenly overnight possessed by the ghost of Frederick the Great and going crazy to film reverse Unyo is not.

If forcibly giving an example, it might be similar to the appearance of a examinee who got 5th grade on the college entrance exam miraculously luckily attaching to Seoul National University.

Since don’t know when will be expelled from school now must catch all the style that is style!

Communication envoys have been vague for long, but to revive the empire’s prestige must properly revive diplomatic relations with the neighboring country first and see!

Absolutely Joseon people did not think of the vicious idea of dragging a Western warship in front of Edo and unfolding gunboat diplomacy.

Joseon people are still modest, so just hoped about taking one super cool new car so as not to lose to Japanese and having them admire. If stamped in a favorable direction by being pressured even better.

First to send a communication envoy must earn money. Can’t offer a ship with my money right. The time to fleece yangban pockets has arrived again.

And now yangban have a lot of money.

Because as the land reform plan everyone guessed and only waited was announced, not only yangban but all of Joseon is in a state swept by unprecedented great madness.

“Since when were paddies and fields not the possession of those who put plows but the possession of those with power. Without renewing this old custom the country will never improve.”

“While pondering a way pitying my people, heard Britain’s case and was moved.

Western powers made slavery much more barbaric and terrible than the slave system their old custom, the British court while making a new law to eternally abolish slavery bought the slaves all slave owners led with money and emancipated them.

Even collecting the most lowly slaves is like this, how would Joseon the only country of rites and music in the East not model this case?”

The unprecedented great reform since Dangun.

The dream of land reform that even Taejo Yi Seonggye and Jeong Dojeon could not do finally bore fruit after hundreds of years.

The Military State Affairs Correction Office where I occupy one seat announced the process for reform as follows.

How intense backlash and desperate evasion drifts did the Joseon court have to suffer every time implementing land survey?

But this land survey proceeded at an tremendous speed unusually.

Because Western surveyors flocked a lot and implemented modern surveying?

Because people expecting to receive land distribution raced to report hidden fields?

All wrong.

Because of purge king Heonjong’s policy of ‘land omitted from the land survey was of course originally the country’s so will not give even a penny. And in neighborhoods caught hiding will not select university students’.

Once reporting some who do not want to sell there might be able to preserve, but hidden land automatically becomes the country’s. Of course in the process of becoming the country’s everyone knows that instead of rice people’s necks will be cultivated.

Actually there was no matter of necks being cultivated either.

“Kim saengwon this bastard come out immediately?!”

“Daring not to report farmland in the land survey? Is there a matter of ruining the fate so university students can’t come out from our county?!”

“No, did all what is it!”

“You go to the office yourself and confirm with two eyes wide open! Why omitted that potato field in the next village over there!”

How many years has it been that only hardened clans monopolized official posts. Local yangban who rotted in the countryside for over a hundred years foamed at the mouth saying ‘now His Majesty says will distribute official posts!! Official posts get copied!!’. The hope of sending my child to Hanyang and making him do official life made all yangban reporters.

Occasionally small issues like surveyors trying to do something to Joseon women and getting smashed, or neighborhood shamans inciting that blue-eyed barbarians pull out people’s raw livers and postal soldiers flocking and beating occurred but no influence on the general trend.

Anyway.

To yangban who enthusiastically came to sell land two choices were given.

1. Immediate cash.

2. National bonds that can slowly receive the price and interest over a long period.

Yes.

This land reform directly leads to Joseon’s currency reform and introduction of national bonds!

Currency reform is also a situation where a knife approaches the neck.

The day British cotton cloth fully flows into Joseon land, the cotton cloth standard Joseon economy using tattered five-seung cloth as money perishes.

To confess in advance, the minting right I and <Far East Colonization Joint Stock Company> ate with a burp.

Because the minting right is too important briefly pondered whether to return it to Joseon on my own, but after seeing Lee Ha-eung appearing in a dream one day and stamping Dangbaekjeon just decided to take it myself. Still too early to hand over the minting right to Joseon people.

Now you will also be able to understand the changed appearance of yangban.

“They say the Bannam Bak clan is selling stock saying gathering funds to newly build a rickshaw factory.”

“I long sold all national bonds and bought that stock.”

“No! Didn’t even tell me!”

“You also kept your mouth shut during the match factory.”

Yangban wearing gat gathering in coffee-houses instead of gisaeng houses and chattering which company’s stock to purchase future prospects are good, bonds became cheap.

“Rice price is rising sharply, rather if somehow holding farmland a bit more-”

“Then will be dragged to Unjae.”

“Rather invest in Lee Aseul’s Far East shipping! Already rumors are thick on the six ministries street!”

“What rumor?”

“Seems the country lord said will soon send a communication envoy to Japan and buy rice. Then rice price will also drop a bit.”

They are chattering as top secret information in their own way, but if idlers are already muttering in the cafe it means even neighborhood dogs all know.

Seeing that appearance somehow the stomach turns. Here if hitting <short selling> can deliver true education to these greenhorn financial investors...

- Joseon’s capitalism sinks in 1 year. Because of one crazy Anglo-Saxon.

Tsk.

At that time when the Joseon court was weighing when to send the communication envoy.

The news we were waiting for the most arrived.

[Peace treaty concluded in Beijing.]

[Joseon and Ryukyu explicitly not Qing’s vassals but independent countries.]

Done.

Now freed from the yoke of vassal that bound Joseon!

- War with Qing is also confirmed.

Let’s forget such a future for a while.

Will sell all weapons to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom so Qing gets fucked.