Chapter 64 · 11 min

Chapter 64

Reverse Unyo (4)

The Great Joseon Kingdom and the Great Japan Kingdom have originally deepened friendship for many years, but seeing the affection of the two countries insufficient now again cultivate the old friendly relations and solidify intimacy.

Article 1.

Japan as an independent state holds equal rights with Joseon.

Completely abolish and eliminate all sorts of regulations that may block the two countries’ friendship, and strive to open and widen generous and flexible laws and promise to be mutually comfortable forever.

Article 4.

Abolish all previous trade such as se-gyeon ships, and newly establish commerce regulations and handle the two countries’ trade affairs.

From now on the two countries’ subjects can freely trade and reside at open ports, and have the right to lease, buy and sell, construct land and houses, warehouses and factories etc. at open ports.

Article 5.

Japan opens five ports of Nagasaki, Shimoda, Yokohama, Niigata, Kobe.

Joseon opens five ports of Jemulpo, Nampo, Busan, Wonsan, Yongampo.

Article 6.

When the two countries’ ships encounter storms or run out of firewood, food etc. and cannot go to the open port can temporarily enter other ports and avoid danger, and the ship owner must necessarily pay the cost when receiving repair or other supplies.

If stranded or drifted and sailors float the two countries’ officials and relevant local people must relieve and hand over to the relevant country officials or help so can return to the home country.

Article 9.

Japan and Joseon can separately consult and impose tariffs on traded items.

Also the two countries’ merchants can sell all weapons such as cold weapons, gunpowder weapons, shells, bullets only to the counterpart country officials.

Article 10.

If Joseon subjects commit crimes in Japan send back to Joseon and put on trial, if Japanese subjects commit crimes in Joseon send back to Japan and put on trial. The two countries’ officials must handle fairly without a bit of bias based on the law.

Article 11.

Strictly prohibit the sale and transport of opium.

Notwithstanding Article 10 crimes regarding opium can be punished by the relevant country officials, and if necessary the relevant country officials can sit in on investigation and trial.

Article 12.

When a Joseon subject dies at a Japanese open port, Joseon officials or bereaved families can buy the surrounding land and bury the body. When a Japanese subject dies at a Joseon open port also do the same. However, if died from epidemic follow separate procedures.

Article 13.

Japanese subjects can pay fees at Joseon open ports and request transport of mail or parcels to the postal bureau. The Joseon postal bureau does not discriminate against Japanese and performs postal affairs the same as Joseon subjects.

Japan is not yet familiar with postal affairs, so Joseon advises and helps with friendship so Japan can perform postal affairs.

Article 14.

Joseon subjects and Japanese subjects can freely employ counterpart country subjects, and if obtaining permission from the two countries’ officials have no hesitation even in going abroad and working.

Article 15.

The new currency issued and handled by the Joseon Central Bank is excellent in quality and widely used in countries around the world, so Joseon and Japanese subjects can perform various transactions using this currency. Do not use the conventional Sangpyeong Tongbo and Japanese subjects must not hold or take it out.

Japanese subjects are not yet familiar with foreign currency so for 2 years after the treaty conclusion all transactions within Japanese open ports must be done only with Japanese currency. Joseon subjects can leave the country holding Japanese currency, but coins are exception and cannot take out.

As two countries’ subjects those who dare make currency privately apply each country’s law.

The following are secret clauses, if leaked the two countries must deny the existence of the relevant clauses and the country that leaked must strictly compensate the counterpart country.

1. When Joseon receives invasion from Qing or invasion is imminent, Joseon can request reinforcements from Japan. Japan must declare war on Qing within 30 days from the day invasion started and dispatch reinforcements within 90 days.

2. When Joseon intends to declare war on Qing, must necessarily notify Japan in advance and seek consent. If declaring war without seeking Japan’s consent Japan has no obligation to participate in the war.

When Japan intends to declare war on Qing also must necessarily notify Joseon in advance and seek consent. If declaring war without seeking Joseon’s consent Joseon has no obligation to participate in the war.

3. When Joseon or Japan receives invasion from other countries except Qing, the counterpart country must earnestly dissuade the fight and mediate peace.

4. When a serious disturbance occurs with the purpose of collapsing Joseon or Japan’s national polity the two countries can request reinforcements from the counterpart country. In this case must necessarily dispatch reinforcements.

5. Joseon recognizes that Japan has special rights to guide Ryukyu.

Japan respects Ryukyu’s legitimate rights and national polity and helps their enlightenment, and makes Joseon subjects hold equal rights with Japanese subjects in Ryukyu.

***

- What, this vicious treaty? Am I reading the Joseon-Japan Treaty of Peace and Commerce now, or reading the Molotov-Ribbentrop Treaty?

Aheo. Stop bad words!

Please use the cool word modern treaty if possible.

- You guys are all idiots and morons who couldn’t even modernize properly? But already what? Dividing Ryukyu?

No.

Ryukyu is nice words independent country, but already from hundreds of years ago those vicious Satsuma bastards forcibly occupied and ate the brain for a long time.

Joseon does not have a great navy nor can snatch Ryukyu.

But as the price of recognizing Japan’s ‘special rights’ Joseon people can now proudly go to Ryukyu and spoon so this much is free eating.

Tears cover the front.

As expected because the teacher is excellent?

They say if teach one know ten, as Joseon people progress this fast and awaken modernity as a teacher the throat chokes with emotion and moisture rises in the eyeballs.

In that famous <Ganghwa Treaty> Japan plastered all sorts of toxic clauses trying to make Joseon a rice barrel and tear solidly.

But as expected Joseon that learned the Way is different. Doesn’t the intention of sincerely helping enlightenment rather than tearing Japan peek?

- That... is that so?

Then of course.

Joseon’s number 1 goal is maintaining a friendly state with Japan and not suffering the fucked situation of a two-front war, and the next goal is anti-shogunate anti-Joseon forces not creating Japan’s new regime and getting fucked.

Even saying this and that ultimately cannot deny that this cool treaty Joseon proposed is very moderate and just!

- Really? Really? Without a bit of shame?

There are... not none clauses that played tricks.

For example Article 9. Prohibition of weapons trading.

- Eh? That is playing tricks?

So contracts must always be read carefully. Look. Even the Dragon King got eye gouged.

Said sell weapons only to ‘counterpart country officials’?

Then are daimyo sitting in the provinces officials or not?

- Crazy guy.

Don’t know whether sell or not, but anyway even selling weapons to local domains not the shogunate is not treaty violation. Being able to do but not doing and originally unable to do are heaven and earth difference.

Article 13 is the story of the postal bureau Joseon boasts.

That this postal bureau is post office cum public security cum counterintelligence organization is needless to say. While advising advanced postal service to Japan even if Kim Satgat subtly mixes in I don’t know. Would have gone around the country several times so now Japan must also wander a bit and do national prestige promotion.

Article 14 is a clause added because of Joseon people who terribly hate the sea.

From now on relations with China will obviously twist but Chinese sailors are scary to use recklessly. A clause entered to easily and conveniently employ Japanese sailors.

Article 15 is also a clause for smoothly proceeding peaceful trade with Japan.

Joseon somehow introduced the silver standard by pulling loans a lot. Don’t know from now on but at least now so. Since using Mexican silver coins the international standard market price as is, no problem with trade is real with not a bit of lie.

- Then what do you get?

What get.

Of course obtain the reputation of the miracle negotiator who achieved Joseon-Japan cooperation and obtain a reputation not shameful as the best gentleman among Westerners. Kya. I am this kind.

- Don’t bullshit this bastard. Quickly confess your wicked intentions. Quickly.

Heo. Sad. How many years we have been together this little trust.

- Because there is conviction that you are plotting a wicked conspiracy!

Words are a bit harsh. I just expect Lee & Gladstone Company’s vast export performance.

Besides that um... about minor exchange gains?

Currently the international market price of gold and silver is about 1:15.

But inside Japan that was isolation land the market price of gold and silver is about 1:4. Silver is much overvalued.

- Just hearing somehow uneasy...

Kind Arthur enters holding 100 Mexican silver coins and exchanges to Japanese money at the Japanese open port becomes 300 Japanese 1 pun silver coins.

Next exchange these 300 silver coins to Japanese ‘koban’ gold coins. If don’t know what that is the gold coin stuck on the forehead of that Rocket Team’s cat monster is precisely that.

If exchanging at Japanese market price now 300 silver coins became 75 gold coins.

Take these gold coins to Hong Kong and melt and sell?

Tada!

75 gold coins became 300 Mexican silver coins!

- Huh? Uuh??

Just breathed once and money copies 3 times. Isn’t it amazing?

- This is exchange fraud!

Aheo. If applying exchange rate idiotically getting fucked solidly is basic common sense anyone who is a citizen of a country that experienced IMF knows.

This is not a secret only I know either.

Im Sangok the Beijing duck master chef more sensitive to China direction market prices than anyone realized this amazing exchange gain within a few days of wandering Edo streets, and we even kindly informed the shogunate ‘if you maintain this you get fucked’.

But the shogunate split the belly saying don’t want foreign money circulated.

Then must split what to do. This is truly a disaster brought on oneself nothing more nothing less.

Now just watch how much Joseon merchants vicious even to their own people will cause chaos in someone else’s country.

The sound of Lee & Gladstone Company and Far East Colonization Company stock prices rising was jingling like auditory hallucination.

***

The flyer Arthur widely widely scattered saying will turn public opinion a bit, <Japan Strategy>.

By concluding the treaty this book achieved the writer’s goal. Cold-blooded Anglo-Saxon Arthur Lee soon forgot the book called Japan Strategy.

But Japan was different.

<Japan Strategy> spread explosively and all intellectuals called intellectuals in Japan were reading it around, and their brains burst bang bang from enormous shock.

[All countries must accept Western learning. Japan is no exception.]

[Joseon is becoming rich and strong day by day, and Joseon’s traditional order will completely change through one battle with Qing.]

[Why is Japan sleeping? If a huge country of 30 million population only wakes from sleep sufficient to shake the world, why are you not trying to self-strengthen and trying to comply with external invasion?]

[Japan’s future is in the sea! That wide Pacific will become your stage!]

“As expected we were right.”

Around this time the daimyo of Satsuma who had come up to Edo, Shimazu Nariakira was convinced.

He pushed aside the father trying to hand over the position to a concubine’s child and occupied the daimyo position with ability, and because unusually interested in Western civilization as soon as seizing Satsuma immediately immersed in Western-style shipbuilding methods, Western-style textile technology, Western-style blast furnaces and industrial complex construction etc.

A powerful army armed with Western-style cannons and firearms, and a navy holding Western-style warships!

As Satsuma at the westernmost end of Kyushu in Japan could not help but be much more sensitive to foreign situations than distant Edo, and felt fear at the appearance of Qing and Joseon getting beaten to a pulp by a handful of Western army.

He who was also deeply interested in the shogunate’s central politics, listened more than anyone to the Joseon communication envoy story that was becoming the talk of the town.

So encountering a bizarre story was not coincidence either.

“Joseon dislikes us?”

“Not the level of disliking but almost seems to hate.”

“No... why on earth? What did we do? Almost no exchange with Joseon?”

“They say hate because the place that killed Yi Sun-sin, don’t know if true or false.”

“Which era story is that? 250 years ago story!!”

If directly heard stories like ‘Compared to that Admiral’s death, from then 257 years...! The pain our Joseon people had to endure...!’ the mind might have become distant, but too rational Nariakira passed thinking no way.

Joseon would not be like that.

Can know just reading this <Japan Strategy>.

Since Joseon is a country so sincere in enlightenment and co-prosperity, if deepening friendship with Joseon and developing won’t the country truly become peaceful?

“I want to go see Hanyang, how about subtly inserting into the returning communication envoy procession?”

“Absolutely no!”

“Then not as domain lord qualification but change clothes and pretend to be a merchant-”

“Even more no!!”

Nariakira became sullen, but what cannot be cannot be.

“Then how about sending smart friends to Joseon?”

“If that much...”

Satsuma’s retainers were greatly relieved just by bending this arbitrary master’s direct visit, so no mental room to oppose more.

“Perhaps are there those you have in mind?”

“Young and intelligent friends would be good. If the work in charge is not big yet and no big hindrance even if going out for a few years even better.”

“Aren’t you already keeping that friend always taken around in mind?”

“Got caught.”

The heart wanting to leave was really like a chimney but cannot. Know what will happen if leaving the seat empty now that the shogunate is noisy.

A moment later.

“To Joseon?”

“Dislike? If dislike will entrust to someone else.”

“Will go scout Joseon prepared for death!”

“Not scouting but go learn! Saying dangerous words!”

The protagonist of the Meiji Restoration Saigo Takamori.

He was suddenly ordered to go to Joseon.

(Reference)

Still Saigo Takamori is not using the name ‘Takamori’, but in this work for the convenience of readers most proper nouns are unified and used in the most famous direction (*´∪`)