Chapter 93

Chapter 93

Did London Bridge Fall (3)

As of 1855.

Mr. Gatling’s life was blooming brightly.

1851.

He sold the rights to his great invention, the automatic sowing plow and poured almost most of that payment into real estate. Betting life on railways changing the world.

1854, Gatling who became 36 married the 17-year-old beauty Jemima Sanders. Even this beauty was not just pretty face but from Indiana’s best elite family. Right now even just her older sister married the governor, meaning Gatling backed the governor as older brother.

That he did not experience big problems in business when inventing the miracle machine that sows bullets instead of seeds later was largely thanks to backing the in-laws with this marriage.

Money, pretty wife, helpers, even social fame.

Before even forty Gatling obtained all to obtain.

“A letter came. From Britain?”

“Britain?”

Around when the letter Arthur Lee sent crossed mountains and waters and arrived even in America, he was establishing himself as a local notable instead of walking the path as an inventor.

“Who is Arthur Lee?”

“If Arthur Lee that person. <​Arthur’s Drift>.”

“Ah. Heard. Kidnapped by Chinese pirates and lived on a deserted island for 10 years and returned?”

“That is Robinson Crusoe.”

The letter was quite thick.

Hundreds of millions of Asians who cannot properly polish rice and polish pounding mortars with primitive manpower, water power etc.

If Western civilized people who first grasped scientific civilization make a rice polishing machine using steam engines this will become a great invention that will remain long in human history saving countless people from hard labor.

Not only the Joseon Kingdom but many companies greatly interested in Asia such as the East India Company, Far East Company are also paying attention to this invention, so the outline of this letter is to challenge the invention of a rice polishing machine where enormous wealth and honor are waiting.

If a few years ago enthusiasm might have burned brightly.

If a few years later might have realized himself is a human who cannot live leaving invention.

But now was not.

There were many things to do, just looking at the newly obtained daughter time flew, and enjoying and solidifying the status obtained after lifelong effort seemed more important.

Gatling after pondering decided to send a reply.

[Thank you for sending a handwritten letter like this... regrettably I already have busy work so seems hard to participate in this amazing thing.]

[Instead will widely inform about this contest around me and the local community, so those full of faith and spirit to help Asians do not miss this good opportunity.]

Polite refusal.

However after sending the letter.

He suddenly realized the fact that that ‘automatic polishing machine’ continuously floated here and there in his head.

“No. No no. Wait. Just investigating. Just investigating.”

“Not that I will invent directly, who knows? Might there be a youth dreaming of the second Gatling?”

Although Arthur Lee’s letter only mentioned about those distant Asians’ farming, actually rice farming was also being done in America.

He and many adventurous inventors began investigating about rice, and they naturally came to know a few facts.

“Rice is very different from wheat.”

“If exporting to France profits remain very big.”

“Wheat becomes worth eating after milling at the mill then baking at the bakery, rice the process of removing the husk is the problem but cooking and eating rice at home itself is not greatly difficult.”

“But... is this right? This rice farming is more severe than even cotton?”

The place growing rice in America is almost absolute South Carolina and next Georgia, next weak but North Carolina.

Due to the characteristic of the crop called rice that consumes water enormously, America’s unique vast farms could be maintained only after constructing very dense irrigation canals sandwiching wetlands or coasts.

And in the wetlands created like that of course mosquitoes swarmed.

Wetlands where mosquitoes swarm soon mean malaria spawning pools.

Sane white lower class absolutely did not do rice farming, and this region’s rice agriculture was in one word white farm owners and supervisors endlessly killing blacks and turning.

“How can those called God’s descendants commit such terrible acts and not blink even one eye!”

“Even though blacks die this much slaves are full in every farm? When was the slave trade banned, these guys even smuggling and bringing in slaves?”

Compared to cotton farming the absolute scale was small.

But if black slaves’ blood and sweat are stained on cotton farming, on America’s rice even bone marrow was soaked beyond blood and sweat.

Among the young people trying to challenge rice polishing machine development for prize and honor some realized the reality of this tragedy and were shocked or became abolitionists.

Gatling took out letter paper once more.

[To dear Arthur Lee.

(Strategy)

... As one Christian, hard to ignore blacks dying of malaria to fatten white farm owners’ bellies.

Perhaps do you know something like special farming secrets transmitted from Asia? If can reduce even a little the matter of those dying meaninglessly this will become a great good deed.]

They began exchanging through letters.

The start of a somewhat bizarre friendship.

***

The world of international trade is truly mysterious.

Joseon people who came to London did not experience greater difficulty than thought buying and eating rice. Although British people did not do rice farming rice was being imported.

- Strange. Definitely screaming ‘this is not rice!’ was just yesterday.

That’s because imported not for the purpose of cooking and eating rice.

Spain making paella, or Italy, or French frog bastards who firmly believe themselves the world’s number one gourmet country about import for the purpose of eating rice.

But at the current point rice has not established itself as an important food like wheat in Europe.

The uses of rice imported to Britain are largely three.

Starch, alcohol, feed.

- Starch?

Openly saying glue. If a gentleman must starch the neck collar or cuffs and go stiff not wrinkled. Besides that also used a lot in industrial adhesives or fiber processing, next when brewing alcohol or giving beast feed.

- Someone starves in a row because rice is lacking someone brews alcohol and makes glue with food... the world really turns well.

People are all like that, what. Different because 21st century?

Anyway now time to work again.

I went to find Prime Minister Palmerston on my own feet.

Meeting the prime minister living power is disgustingly hard. So people go out to parties or banquets spending money freely. If lucky can catch a gap to briefly show face.

I also spent some money seeing the news that Palmerston comes to some party.

“Appearing in front of me on my own feet. After refusing the plenipotentiary position floated in the eyes?”

“Temporarily briefly did minister role. No particular lingering attachment.”

“If not that no particular matter to come see me. Oh, surely Whig Party joining? Seeing Gladstone became a private citizen a bit not?”

“Not that either.”

Gladstone quit Minister of Finance and is having time alone. Again saying Gladstone’s house is very rich. Even if playing alone a bit that money doesn’t go anywhere.

Recently immersed in literature, researching Homer and also researching Eastern literature. Gladstone’s appearance learning calligraphy from Jo Byeonghyeon was truly avant-garde in my view. Is this world fine like this?

“Then?”

“Whether the information I gave was a bit helpful?”

Palmerston slightly nodded the head and gave a signal to follow out. This means not a story that will end within 3 minutes roughly like boiling cup ramen.

How did Guan Yu do when beheading Hua Xiong in the old days? Saying the cool line ‘will return before the instant noodles soften’ and Prime Minister Cao immediately fell for that beard’s charm.

This shows the importance of words and actions. If thinking Guan Yu went out to kill Hua Xiong saying ‘if drinking alcohol and driving drunk driving no’. Where is a man’s spirit felt in this? If Prime Minister Cao heard that line would have cooled as is...

- This bastard’s nonsense now even encourages drunk driving.

What sound? The harm of drunk driving is already imprinted in the Korean people’s DNA as can know from the case Kim Yusin scrapped his own horse. How much on earth-

“Seems thoughts are many, shall talk next time?”

“No. Seeing the Prime Minister a bit tense so.”

“Heung. Funny. Once was helpful.”

Meaning signs that opium prices will fall.

“Must calculate correctly. Since there is also the explosive matter of Nobel & Lee Chemical Company must treat a bit more generously. Will not count the government helping purchase the factory site. Because that was a necessary thing for war conduct.”

As expected because old man. Clearly piercing the holes I will nitpick.

Honestly if said ‘gave convenience to your company so settle with this?’ when they themselves are urgent for dynamite I would have pulled out all that tongue.

“Say what want.”

“Can add one more?”

“...Will just hear.”

I instead of chattering in detail to Palmerston immediately entered from the main point.

“Hit Burma.”

“Where did the guy chattering morality or whatever go?”

“So not improving the trade balance?”

“East India Company guys were nagging day after day, perhaps received lobbying from that side and came out?”

Lobbying. Misunderstanding.

Although I received a lot from dad’s friends absolutely never received lobbying from the East India Company side.

- Your dad’s friends are all East India Company executives, trash.

“I am saying purely from patriotism.”

“Jade?”

“There is one more. Rice.”

If seizing Burma’s jade producing areas can secure a strong export filial product against China. This is a fact the East India Company already knows.

But I wanted to give a bit more bonus points to rice rather than jade.

“Southeast Asia is a place that can produce rice enormously comparable to India’s Bengal land. Vietnam already French advanced, so if seizing Burma and Siam (Thailand) and aiming for rice hegemony never a matter of losing.”

“Said sponsoring rice machine invention this time?”

Meaning a story for your profits.

I nodded.

“Many problems in India management? Burma’s rice has that much value.”

Food prices must be cheap to be able to undercut worker labor costs. Precisely because of that Britain abolished the Corn Laws.

Currently growing rice in India’s Bengal region and selling all over India, if newly establishing a plantation system in Burma and making it the British Empire’s rice barrel can greatly raise the efficiency of colonial India.

Then of course my profits making rice polishing machines also explode.

Think of building a huge rice mill at the port and installing and turning dozens, hundreds of steam rice polishing machines. How much money this business will be?

“Say what want.”

“Include in military supply.”

“Trying to insert into military supply with just a few words? Too greedy?”

“Will bet one more here.”

Palmerston glared at me with a gaze whether to pull out my eyes or not.

I tried to ignore that laser beam full of killing intent, and extended three fingers straight.

“Will bet that India explodes within 3 years.”

So please include in military supply a bit.

If not me no Joseon sepoys either.

© 명원 #1jwz2