The Shining Teacher
Lately, I had been meeting too many great figures who had left their names in history.
Starting with Seonjo, the king of this country, who was a complete bastard.
Then there was Yi I and even Singak, who had adopted a new habit.
And as soon as I arrived in Ulsan, I met a heavyweight figure named Na Daeyong.
I dare say the most astonishing encounter might be this person.
“Haha, you seem to have a lot on your mind, benefactor. Namo Amitabha.”
“Teacher, let me bow to you first.”
In martial arts novels, there was a description of the “nine-bow ceremony,” which was actually a misinterpretation.
The nine-bow ceremony involved nine different types of bows.
One of the most commonly used was the three-bow ceremony, a deep bow given to teachers, monarchs, and parents.
“Haha, I am not yet a Buddha, so I must decline.”
“Still, I must show my respect to you, Teacher…”
“It’s alright. Namo Amitabha.”
Contrary to his calm tone and comforting expression, he was a middle-aged monk over 190cm tall with shoulders as broad as a bear’s.[1]
“It is an honor to learn self-defense from Master Yeonggyu.”
Master Yeonggyu was the first to organize a monk army to fight against the Japanese during the Imjin War.
He successfully recaptured the fortress of Cheongju in early August but later died heroically while trying to stop Kobayakawa alongside the leader of the righteous army, Jo Heon.
Jo Heon was a bold figure who even submitted a petition to Seonjo with an axe in hand.
However, due to his lack of strategic judgment, Master Yeonggyu also lost his life to the Japanese, making him a tragic figure.
The story of how Master Yeonggyu became my teacher was nothing short of destiny.
lthough Master Yeonggyu wanted to follow his teacher, our family’s significant donation to Cheongryeonam in Gongju prompted Master Hyeojeong to instruct him to teach me instead.
It is said that Master Yeonggyu, who should have been in Gongju, visited Baekyangsa in Ulsan because of his teacher, Master Hyeojeong.
During his stay at Baekyangsa, he caught a wild boar that was troubling the villagers.
This news reached my father, who then invited Master Yeonggyu to our home without hesitation.
Although Master Yeonggyu wanted to follow his teacher, our family’s significant donation to Cheongryeonam in Gongju led Master Hyeojeong to instruct him to teach me instead.
This showed that money was indeed powerful.
To think that we could invite Master Yeonggyu, who achieved great feats among the militia leaders of the Imjin War, for just 30 seok of rice.
“Master is too grand a title for a mere monk living day by day. Namo Amitabha!”
“Then I shall call you Teacher.”
“Namo Avalokiteshvara.”
“What I can teach you is divided into three main skills passed down among monks. First, the art of using the monk’s staff for self-defense; second, unarmed combat; and lastly, swordsmanship.”[2]
“Swordsmanship?”
“Hehe, does it seem strange for a monk to wield a sword? In fact, I have only been taught swordsmanship and have never actually used it.”
But with that swordsmanship, in the future, you’d be collecting the heads of the Japanese invaders, won’t you?
“First, the purpose of unarmed combat is more about training the body than the form.”
Yeonggyu demonstrated a straight punch.
Whoosh!
Even with a simple straight punch, the sound of the air splitting could be heard, showing just how much power was behind it.
Unlike the unnecessary movements in Chinese Tai Chi, this martial art seemed practical for real combat.
I once collected various theories while writing a novel about mixed martial arts.
Modern martial arts emphasized minimizing unnecessary movements and using fast and precise linear movements when striking the opponent.
The straight punch demonstrated by the Teacher was clean enough to be recognized by modern martial artists.
“Oh!”
“Hehehe. If you practice diligently, benefactor, you will be able to do it too. When throwing a straight punch, you must twist your waist to exert full power.”
Yeonggyu slowly demonstrated the straight punch in parts.
Was this how it’s done?
Crack!
I punched the air with all my might, but the sound that came was from my joints.
Squeak!
Squeak!
Squeak!
Squeak!
Ah, and let’s not forget the screeching noise that seemed to mock me.
It was nice not hearing it in Hanyang, but it was back like a ghost now that I was in Ulsan.
“Ahem! Namo Amitabha.”
It seemed the Teacher heard my joint sounds too, as he cleared his throat.
“If the body is not prepared, that can happen. I should have informed you earlier, as this is my first time teaching someone. I apologize.”
With that, the Teacher taught me an exercise.
I focused on my breathing and posture, loosening my stiff body.
“Now, try the straight punch again.”
Was it because my body loosened up?
The straight punch came out much more smoothly than before.
However, it seemed it still didn’t meet the Teacher’s expectations.
“The punch wavers because your mind is cluttered with thoughts. Today, let’s keep it simple and do a thousand straight punches in the correct posture.”
A thousand?
If each punch took about three seconds, that meant I had to repeat the straight punch for about 50 minutes?
“I will do it alongside you! Hup!”
I matched my punches to the Teacher’s shouts.
Suddenly, I remembered my first archery lesson with Grandpa and gritted my teeth as I punched.
The Nobleman
After the first lesson with Teacher, I dedicated my mornings solely to physical training.
The bare-handed combat techniques I learned from Teacher included not only basic punches but also kicks, grabs, and blocks in various forms.
Initially, I only learned the basic punches and kicks, but after about three months, I started sparring with Teacher to improve my skills.
Despite being close to 50 years old, Teacher’s combat prowess was incredible; his feat of taking down a boar with a single blow was no coincidence.
Of course, at just 12 years old, there was a fundamental difference in physique between a growing adolescent and an adult.
In terms of basic reach, stamina, and experience, my teacher had a clear advantage.
However, there was one thing he acknowledged: my unconventional attacks.
“Indeed, you have talent, benefactor. Even I have never experienced such unorthodox attacks…”
In truth, these little tricks were merely bits of knowledge I picked up while writing novels.
Even so, they were not yet refined enough to avoid being easily read by Teacher.
Still, knowing I was growing little by little, I dedicated myself to training every day.
In the mornings, I trained with my teacher, and in the afternoons, I was busy checking the progress of The Nobleman, which Daeyong-ajeossi was building, and securing goods for the trade.
While 70% of the cargo hold needed to be filled with grains, the remaining 30% was procured with leather, fabric, and medicinal herbs from Joseon.
Drawing from my experience, I prioritized purchasing baekgeup powder, an effective hemostatic agent.[3]
As a result, the price of baekgeup powder temporarily fluctuated in Gyeongsang Province.
This was a testament to the fragility of Joseon’s economy, where even a small amount of baekgeup powder on a trade ship could cause such a stir.
“Ajeossi, how’s the progress?”
“Hmm, as you told me, I’m trying to build a ship that relies solely on wind power. But if there’s no wind or if there’s a headwind, we’ll be stuck in the open sea. Are you sure it’s okay without oars?”
Ha! Did this ajeossi think I would ask for a sailing ship without knowing that?
The game I loved as a child, The Age of Exploration, was quite realistic.
If you lived and ate at sea, scurvy would spread due to a lack of vitamin C, and if there was no wind, the ship wouldn’t move.
Joseon and Japan mostly preferred square sails that allowed them to move quickly with the tailwind.
They could catch the wind from behind and sail straight ahead!
But triangular sails could move forward, albeit slowly, even against the wind.
It was difficult to explain scientifically, but the important thing was that with triangular sails, you could move forward even against the wind.
“The main mast—or rather the main sail—can have a square sail, but the first mast must have a triangular sail.”
“It would be great if that triangular sail could really move the ship against the wind.”
I didn’t know the principle, but it really could move against the wind!
Of course, there could be issues in windless areas, but would there really be a windless zone while traveling through the Korea Strait to Kyushu?
“Don’t worry, just make a ship that can move using the wind as much as possible.”
“Don’t worry. Over there, my life’s masterpiece is being completed.”
The Nobleman had a massive hull over 40 meters long.
The main mast hadn’t been installed yet, and it still had a somewhat Eastern look, but the keel was crescent-shaped, so it didn’t seem like the ship would break in half even in strong waves.
And crucially, the main mast hadn’t been installed yet.
“When will The Nobleman be completed?”
“It should be finished before this fall. However, if I had a little more time and budget, I could make a perfect ship…”
This ajeossi!
Didn’t he know that excuses were a sin?
“It’s not going to be a ship I’ll be using for a lifetime, and once I form a fleet, I can make better ships, so please complete it as quickly as possible.”
“There are so many new techniques being tried for the first time that problems might arise. I’m doing my best to balance the ship.”
Come on, was it possible for Na Daeyong to really create a failure?
My job was to supply the resources needed to build the ship and to push them to work hard.
“We need to gather information on the Japanese as soon as possible. Fall is approaching.”
“Are you already worried about the season of abundance?”
The term “season of abundance” sounded so terrifying!
This year, Gyeongsang Province also had a bountiful harvest.
In Ulsan especially, the yield was expected to exceed that of the previous year.
There was no way the Japanese pirates wouldn’t know this.
Fortunately, the Ulsan area had become a priority defense area for the government.
Before, the Gyeongsang Left Naval Command had relatively fewer troops because the focused was on protecting the Honam Plain.
Also, it was reassuring that General Singak was appointed as the Gyeongsang Left Naval Commander and was establishing strict military discipline.
As far as I knew, due to the Nitanggae Rebellion, the southern defense was relatively weakened, and capable generals were reassigned to the north.
In fact, even General Yi Sun-sin was currently serving in the north.
“The beggars who came last year didn’t all die, so of course, they’ll come again this year.”
Perhaps even more vicious ones would come.
I wished I could lobby Yi I to further strengthen the Gyeongsang Left Army Command, but Joseon, having exhausted its national power to strengthen it, couldn’t afford to do so.
Joseon’s basic strategy was to focus on the navy in the south and the army in the north.
“Please hurry, we need to complete the first trade before fall arrives.”
“Got it! Got it!”
Ah, why did creators always produce results only when the deadline was fast approaching?
[1] 190 cm is about 6’2”.
[2] The author made a mistake with the dialogue sequence here.
[3] Baekgeup is used in traditional Chinese medicine for, amongst other things, to stop bleeding.
