Let’s Go to Japan!
At long last, The Nobleman was completed.
The massive ship, nearly 40 meters long with a displacement of about 300 tons, was a feat almost unimaginable for a noble family to undertake.
But what kind of family were we?
Were we not the ones producing hemp-cotton fabric—the currency of this era—on a mint-level scale, thanks to the flying shuttle and intensive production methods?
With such capabilities, capital had never been an issue for us.
Though this cheat code might have caused problems if cotton production expanded to Hanyang, it would ultimately have been a good thing for the Joseon economy to develop to that extent.
Our family spared no expense, using the hemp-cotton fabric we had amassed to construct The Nobleman.
We used up to 10,000 bolts of fabric—enough to empty the warehouse we had meticulously stocked over the past year.
Building a ship of this scale truly required a staggering amount of resources.
Yet, this venture brought remarkable growth to Ulsan’s economy.
Releasing 10,000 bolts of fabric into the market naturally attracted people, sparking massive economic activity.
Taverns, which had previously only existed in Hanyang, began appearing, a clear sign of the influx of merchants to Ulsan.
Naturally, our family established those taverns as well.
If you spend money, shouldn’t you earn it back?
We appointed Gwisun-ajumma, our family’s cook, as the tavern keeper, and we managed to turn a decent profit.
Through this, we were able to recover some of the fabric reserves that had been depleted.
In just six months, Ulsan transformed beyond recognition, all thanks to the construction of a single ship.
And The Nobleman, which brought about this remarkable change, was majestically docked at Yeompo Harbor.
In truth, compared to the sleek ships seen in the Age of Exploration, it might look somewhat crude.
However, The Nobleman, built by Na Daeyong, who could be called Joseon’s best shipbuilder, showed a difference akin to that between a child and an adult when compared to the previously built Fair Wind.
What kind of ship was the Fair Wind?
Wasn’t it called the largest ship in Ulsan at the time of its construction?
The Nobleman was so large that Fair Wind couldn’t even compare.
“Ahaha, I’ve never seen such a big ship in my life. Am I really allowed to steer this ship?”
Su Dal-ajeossi, having spent his life on ships, passed the captaincy of Fair Wind to his younger brother and became the captain of The Nobleman.
For about two years, Su Dal-ajeossi demonstrated excellent management skills as the captain of Fair Wind.
While Su Dal-ajeossi was the captain, Fair Wind never got involved in any accidents.
He even sailed to Ulleungdo in winter for deep-sea fishing, showcasing his impeccable navigation skills.
Of course, navigation in this era was all about moving the ship based on experience.
“Of course. If the best navigator in our family and the best captain in Ulsan doesn’t sail Ulsan’s best ship, who will?”
“Ahem, it seems the young master sees me too favorably.”
At my barrage of compliments, Su Dal-ajeossi scratched his cheek, looking embarrassed.
In the Joseon era, people were stingy with compliments, so most were not immune to them.
Thus, when you praised someone, it had a very positive effect.
There was no reason not to use a method that could lift Su Dal-ajeossi’s spirits without spending a penny!
“Chaem Gong, you must have mixed feelings.”
In truth, Daeyong-ajeossi went through a lot of hardships.
He was robust enough to pass the military examination, but he lost a lot of weight from the hard work of building The Nobleman.
“Even though it ended up being delayed by an extra three months.”
“Ahem, but it’s fortunate that there were no pirate attacks this year.”
By now, the rice fields had turned golden, the stalks bowing their heads under the weight of their grains.
The original plan was to sail to Tsushima in the summer, survey the situation, and secure a stable trade route.
Fortunately, there had been no pirate activity, but I still hastened the departure to assess the situation quickly.
After its launch and a few days of trial runs, The Nobleman was fully loaded and ready for its maiden trade voyage.
Today, my father came to see me off at Yeompo Harbor.
“Are you leaving already?”
“We need to quickly assess the situation in Japan.”
“Yes, but be careful.”
“Teacher will be accompanying us, so don’t worry too much.”
“Master Yeonggyu, please take care of him.”
As my father bowed, Teacher hastily put his hands together in prayer.
“Namo Avalokiteshvara.”
“Father, I’m off.”
“Alright.”
Thus, my first voyage began.
Tsushima
Sō Yoshitoshi, the lord of Tsushima, was in quite a predicament because of the rapidly changing situation on the mainland.
“Shigenobu, there’s no major issue in the Kyushu region, right?”
“The movements of the Shimazu clan are suspicious, but there doesn’t seem to be a major problem.”
“Ha, I shouldn’t have trusted that fool Takeyoshi last year!”
Last year, due to the invasion of over a thousand Japanese pirates in Gyeongsang Province, Tsushima, which barely survived through trade with Joseon, reached its worst situation.
The Joseon court blamed Sō Yoshitoshi for failing to properly monitor the pirates’ movements and banned the dispatch of trading ships.
Even the Mori clan, who were behind the incident, feigned ignorance and left Sō Yoshitoshi in a bind.
Caught between Joseon and Japan, Sō Yoshitoshi made every effort to resolve the situation, but it did not improve.
“My lord!”
“What is it?”
“A ship we’ve never seen before is requesting to dock.”
“A ship we’ve never seen? It must be another foreign merchant ship adrift. I hope they have food supplies!”
Since Tsushima was mostly made up of rocky mountains, farming was difficult, so visiting merchant ships was like rain during a drought.
Sō Yoshitōshi went straight to the dock.
There, he found The Nobleman anchored.
Oh, it’s a type of ship I’ve never seen before, but it’s so pristine. Doesn’t it look like it was built just yesterday? Most foreign merchant ships have sails that are worn from battling rough seas, but even the sails on this one look freshly made.
“Where on earth did this ship come from?”
“It’s a ship from Jo-Joseon.”
The ship from Joseon was different in appearance, being a flat-bottomed vessel, and instead of the square sails commonly used in Northeast Asia, it had triangular sails.
“Joseon? How does that ship in any way look like it’s from Joseon?”
At that moment, a voice speaking in Korean came from the ship.
“It is indeed from Joseon.”
“Wh-who are you?”
“I am Kim Hyeonmyeong, the 56th descendant of the Samhyeon branch of the Gimhae Kim clan.”
Kim Hyeonmyeong? That’s a name I’ve never heard before.
“Are you the Lord of Tsushima?”
“Y-yes, I am.”
“Ha! How can an official who serves Joseon speak Korean so poorly? Nephew, you were right; it only takes a day to reach Tsushima.”
A well-built man, like a bear, stood beside a strikingly handsome young boy who peeked out from behind him.
“That’s a relief.”
This doesn’t seem like an ordinary merchant group. I need to gather more information first.
Meeting with the Bat
“Young Master, the Lord of Tsushima has arrived at the dock.”
Su Dal-ajeossi announced the arrival of the Lord of Tsushima.
I saw a man at the dock, acting high and mighty toward someone who appeared to be his subordinate.
Was that bastard the legendary bat, Sō Yoshitōshi?
He certainly looked the part of a bat![1]
There was a reason I cursed a person I had never met as a bat.
If anyone were to name the most famous double agent of the Joseon era, it would undoubtedly be that bastard, Sō Yoshitōshi.
Sō Yoshitōshi had received an official position in Joseon, and I believed it was at the level of a Tang Sangwan, a high-ranking official within the Ministry of Rites.[2]
When Sō Yoshitōshi came from Tsushima to Joseon, he was important enough to offer a drink directly to King Seonjo.
Even in Japan, that bat managed to thrive.
The reason the Lord of Tsushima, a rocky land with less than 10,000 seok of rice, was treated like a daimyo was that Japan needed Sō Yoshitōshi for diplomacy with Joseon.
Thus, Sō Yoshitōshi epitomized the typical bat, surviving by receiving special treatment from both countries.
This time, my youngest uncle had accompanied us on the trade journey.
While he was a great asset in terms of strength, his role on this trip was solely to act as a figurehead.
After all, who would trust a mere 12-year-old kid trying to make deals?
That was why my family sent the most reliable, yet not particularly busy, youngest uncle to accompany me.
“Ahem, at least it’s fortunate that the Lord of Tsushima seems to be able to speak Korean.”
“Still, it’s a secret that I can speak Japanese.”
In truth, I had learned Japanese thanks to anime, but I pretended to study Japanese while The Nobleman was being built.
Fortunately, there had been an interpreter in Ulsan who traded with Japanese ships, so I could pretend to learn Japanese with him.
The interpreter, amazed by my fluent Japanese, spread the word that I was a “language genius.”
“Of course. We need to listen carefully to what those sneaky bastards are saying.”
Don’t worry.
If there had been a listening comprehension test for anime, I would have been the top scorer.
I disembarked from the ship with my youngest uncle.
“What brings a Joseon noble to Tsushima?”
“The Lord of Tsushima holds an official position granted by His Majesty, making Tsushima a part of Joseon’s domain. Does a Joseon subject need a reason to set foot on Joseon land?”
“Ahem, if you put it that way, I am an official equivalent to a Tang Sangwan. How dare you be so disrespectful?”
In such cases, it was best to hit them with facts.
And my youngest uncle genuinely disliked the Lord of Tsushima.
In fact, was there anyone living in Ulsan who liked this bastard?
Even I wanted to smash his head right then.
“Last year, we suffered great damage when Japanese pirates invaded Ulsan. My father passed away because of that incident, so how could I have good feelings toward the Lord of Tsushima?”
Perhaps because he was hitting him with facts, my youngest uncle’s emotions flared up, and he glared at the Lord of Tsushima as if he wanted to kill him.
“…I apologize for that incident.”
“If you think something like that might happen, at least give us a warning. That way, we can either evacuate or prepare to fight back.”
“I informed the court about it in advance.”
“I heard that the Japanese pirates invaded almost at the same time as you sent the warning.”
Yes, this was reliable information, as I had heard it directly from Yi I.
“That was the best I could do.”
“You’ll have to do better in the future.”
“Why?”
“Because we will save Tsushima.”
Why could we be so strong against that bat?
It was because we had something the bat desperately wanted.
“Follow me. I have something to show you.”
We led Sō Yoshitōshi to The Nobleman’s hold.
The hold was filled with grain we had brought from Joseon.
“Gasp!”
“It was hard work loading it, but that should be enough for the people of Tsushima to live on, don’t you think?”
“…”
Sō Yoshitōshi couldn’t take his eyes off the hold filled with grain, as if he were bewitched.
If we played our cards right, we might be able to plant a ward in Japan.
[1] In Korean culture, “bat” (박쥐, bakjwi) refers to someone seen as opportunistic or untrustworthy, similar to a “turncoat” in English. This comes from the bat’s ambiguous nature, appearing like both a bird and a mammal, symbolizing indecision or double-dealing.
[2] Tang Sangwan (당상관) is a very high-level position in the Joseon government.
