Jiuem[1]
“How does Your Excellency manage when your house runs out of paper?”
“Well, I would simply go out and buy more paper, wouldn’t I?”
“There you have your answer. If the country lacks saltpeter, why not just buy some more?”
Yi I was left speechless by the solution I had proposed, unable to offer any rebuttal.
How on earth! Unless the emperor has gone mad, there’s no way he would supply us with saltpeter. And if we end up having to buy saltpeter from China, wouldn’t we face the same issue as with the crossbows? What then?
The Ming dynasty tightly controlled saltpeter, a key ingredient in gunpowder.
“Did I not mention that I still have one more thing to show you?”
“…Right.”
I then led Yi I back inside the building.
“Gyesam-ajeossi, could you please draw back the cloth?”
As if practiced, Gyesam pulled back the cloth that hung in one corner of the storage room.
And there, suddenly, was Okja-ajumma, lively weaving on a loom that had a piece of cotton half completed.
This loom was three times the size of a normal one, but what was even more peculiar were the strings attached to it.
As Okja pulled on the thread above the loom, something slid through the loom with a Squeeeeeeeeeak! sound.
“…What is that?”
“This is a new type of loom I’ve invented. In Ulsan, it’s called the ‘goblin needle.’”
So that was the strange noise I heard amidst the usual sound of the looms!
Yi I watched as Okja operated the loom.
The skilled Okja tirelessly worked the loom, producing cotton faster than Yi I could imagine.
“Now that you’ve had a look, would you care for another cup of tea? I have more to say about the matchlock.”
“…Let’s do that.”
“I’ve explained the pros and cons of the matchlock, but I’m aware that it’s impossible to discard the proven effectiveness of the flintlock, especially after its capabilities were demonstrated during the Japanese invasions. Whether to choose this matchlock or not is up to His Majesty’s discretion.”
And from what I knew, His Majesty’s affection for the flintlock was no less than that of Won Gyun.
To my knowledge, the matchlock was introduced to Joseon in 1589.
It was only after So Yoshitoshi, the lord of Tsushima, presented it to King Seonjo that Joseon became aware of the existence of such a weapon in Japan.
I believed that at the time, King Seonjo did not see the value in distributing an unproven weapon when he already had flintlock.
After all, weapons were the most progressive yet conservative items.
They embodied the pinnacle of contemporary technology and progressive traits, yet once they proved effective in combat, it was difficult for new weapons to replace them.
The 21st century was no different.
Initially, unproven weapon systems that performed impressively on the battlefield quickly spread.
South Korea’s pride, the K-9 Thunder, was initially met with lukewarm responses until its capabilities were showcased during North Korea’s bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island, after which many countries showed keen interest.[2]
And didn’t it become an export hit?
Once a weapon was chosen as a standard issue, overturning that decision was no easy task.
It was only in later generations that the matchlock was proven to be a superior weapon, but in fact, the matchlock had never been tested in war and was an unknown quantity.
And the Japanese invasions represented the greatest national crisis since the establishment of Joseon.
The reason it was possible to conclude this crisis in less than half a year was due to the flintlock.
The unique mode of Joseon’s troops greatly amplified the power of the flintlock.
In the war, although Shin Rip delivered the final blow, the flintlock played a role no less significant than Shin Rip’s, making it difficult to supply the matchlock until its effectiveness was verified.
“However, if the military commander responsible for the war personally lists the advantages of the matchlock, His Majesty’s opinion may change.”
“Yet, to prove that the matchlock is superior to the flintlock, we need real combat.”
“Do we not have a suitable unit?”
“A suitable unit?”
“Yes, aren’t there enemies targeting our Joseon, such as the Jurchen and Japanese pirates? Perhaps these enemies are our oldest nemeses. Surely, the court has created a dedicated unit for these enemies, right?”
“Could you possibly mean the Tiger Hunters?”
“Yes, even now in Gangwon Province, there are dozens of missing persons suspected to be victims of tigers each year. If you consider the slash-and-burn farmers, the number might be even higher.”
This was a true story I heard from ajeossi all day.
Surprisingly, tigers, not less than Japanese pirates and Jurchen raiders, also had a formidable reputation.
Tigers that have acquired a taste for human flesh especially tended to prey on humans because they were easier to hunt.
“First, let’s supply them with the guns.”
Considering the Tiger Hunters were just a small force of about 500, giving them matchlocks wouldn’t be much of a burden.
“I assure you, it will be much lighter and more powerful than bows and spears.”
“I’ll consider the suggestion. After all, being a tiger hunter is a life-threatening job; an efficient weapon would be a great help.”
“If it can conquer the mountain bandits, there’s no reason it can’t handle the Jurchens or Japanese pirates.”
“What you’ve shown me today is truly marvelous. Which do you think is the most important invention?”
The most important invention?
It was the flying shuttle.
Once this conversation was over, the memory of the flying shuttle would likely linger the longest in Yi I’s mind.
Frankly, whether it was for legal trade or smuggling, there had to be something to sell, right?
But here, one had to answer wisely.
After all, if flying shuttles and holtaes were supplied, the people would inevitably use them since they had no other choice.
But matchlock was different.
That’s why my answer was the matchlock.
“Of course, it’s the matchlock, isn’t it? Isn’t the reason Your Excellency, the Minister of Military Affairs, is shouting for reform because he sees the future of this country?”
“…Could you also see that future?”
Strictly speaking, it’s not that I could see the future, but that I knew about what would happen in the future.
From my point of view, this guy, who shouted for reforms without even knowing the future, seemed more incredible.
“I’m not sure how seriously the court is taking the Nitanggae rebellion, but I consider it to be a minor incident.”
“…”
“Do you know when was the most peaceful era in this land?”
“…Has this land ever been peaceful?”
“Ah, let me correct myself. Do you know when it was relatively peaceful?”
“Wasn’t it during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties period?”[3]
“That’s correct.”
I couldn’t understand why Koreans loved the Ming dynasty so much yet leave it as one!
When China was united, Joseon suffered.
“For a similar reason, the relative peace in the north is because the Jurchens haven’t unified.”
“Right. And if the north had been breached this time, Nitanggae might have established a great empire.”
“And the same goes for the Japanese pirates. From what I’ve heard, the Japanese were also in a state of constant war for nearly 100 years. To remain as Joseon, it’s essential to prevent the barbarians and Japanese pirates from becoming a significant force.”
“I understand.”
“What do you think will happen if the internal strife that has lasted nearly 100 years comes to an end?”
“It depends on the intentions of the person who ends it.”
“I am afraid. The fact that the future of this land depends on the will of one person. We need matchlocks to overcome the situation where we must hope that such a person does not emerge.”
In reality, the monkey bastard Toyotomi who unified Japan invaded Korea shouting the slogan of rightful war.
However, the ambition of that monkey was thwarted by a mischievous child who turned a melon field into a wasteland during his childhood.
The problem was that after that, among the barbarians of the north, a person with achievements similar to the monkey’s appeared.
After his son Hong Taiji received a humiliating submission from the idiot Injo, Joseon was completely ruined.[4]
If we compared it to a web novel, an ending of the level of The Shining Path would be considered not a big deal when it emerged at that time.
The emperor of a country that looked down upon the barbarians had to bow nine times and perform three kowtows?
To cover up this incident, Joseon society transformed into a Neo-Confucian Al-Qaeda.
Until then, Neo-Confucianism, which had been beneficial for the healthy development of Joseon, suddenly began to be used as a shield for their ruling legitimacy, and Joseon quickly went to ruin.
Perhaps the country, which should have fallen during the Imjin War, was saved by a national hero, but it was ultimately ruined by two of the worst fools, not unlike Seonjo, which led to Joseon becoming a colony of Japan.
If I were to write these thoughts in a novel, would I get comments like, “Nope, that’s not it”?
I should note in the author’s comment, “Counterargument accepted if you’re right.”
“Indeed. You’re right. The most important thing was the matchlock, which I thought was the most useless.”
Honestly, I also thought the matchlock was the most useless.
The matchlock was undoubtedly a more advanced weapon system than the flintlock, but it’s a weapon with clear weaknesses.
Still, it might be better than flintlock, so perhaps in this lifetime, the disaster of Jinju Fortress falling might not happen, right?[5]
And to be blunt, if I were operating a matchlock troop during the Imjin War and didn’t want to be purged by King Seonjo, we’d need to supply as many matchlocks to Joseon as possible.
Having matchlocks to smash the skulls of Japanese pirates after the war broke out would make for a somewhat convincing excuse.
“Do you happen to know?”
“What are you referring to?”
“The reason I once argued that Joseon must change, as you can see, was because I too could see the future of this country. If we compare the national defense capabilities when Joseon was founded to now?”
“If it was a robust youth back then, wouldn’t it now be at the level of an old man barely managing his own excrement and urine?”
In truth, that was barely giving credit to the elderly.
It’s a historical fact that old men who have survived the battlefield for a long time were surprisingly strong.
Whether they survived because they were strong or were strong because they survived was unknown.
However, merely surviving a war where hundreds died in battles lasting less than an hour proved their strength.
“At least they manage to do their business, huh?”
“That’s why we were also able to stop the Nitanggae Rebellion.”
“Yes, that’s the right thing to say.”
“Truthfully, Nitanggae was nothing but a newly sprouted sapling, but we can’t assume it’ll be the same next time.”
The monkey that was currently hell-bent on uniting Japan was no different from a hundred-year-old demon.
“Listening to you makes my heart feel heavy.”
Oh no, was I really going to become the assassin who killed Joseon’s greatest genius?
Wouldn’t it be nicer for a gentleman with not much life left to die comfortably at home later?
“Still, it’s not without hope, right?”
“Yes, in fact, I harbored a very small hope seeing the fertilizer. Would it not take time for that small sprout to grow again?”
Yes, it might take decades for that sprout in the north to grow again, but this damned country was now harboring the seeds of misfortune with a double core.
“Yes, though the sprout of misfortune might show itself tomorrow, there’s still time left.”
With not many days left in the year, we had a little more than eight years left.
“Yes, Confucius said that a person could understand their destiny if they live about 50 years, but thanks to you, I realized my destiny four years early.”
“Weren’t you already acting upon what you knew?”
To my knowledge, Yi I had been advocating for reform ever since he entered politics.
“However, you showed Joseon a completely different path that needs to be taken.”
“Yes, it seems that path has been proven now.”
After that, we continued to talk about various things regarding Joseon for a while.
Knowing about the future, I gave approximately fitting answers every time, but each time, Yi I would slap his knee and react to my responses.
How much time had passed?
“Young Master, it might be time to leave your seat.”
“Ah, has it become so late already?”
Time flew as I matched pace with the ajeossi, and before we knew it, the sun had set in the west.
By then, the enchanted weaving sounds of Okja had also stopped.
“Do you know how long it takes to weave a single roll of cotton?”
“Considering that ordinary people produce 12 rolls of cotton a year, wouldn’t it be one roll per month?”
“As you saw earlier, when Your Excellency arrived, the weaving had just begun. And by a fortunate coincidence, he saw the weaving being done with a loom equipped with a goblin’s needle, halfway through the work.”
“Hard to believe, but it was halfway done.”
“Shall we go see the finished cotton?”
“…It’s wide.”
The finished product boasted a width twice that of ordinary cotton.
In Joseon, the loom known as “buk” limited the width of cotton to the weaver’s shoulder width because moving the shuttle wider would make the work longer.
If you moved the buk wider, the work ironically took longer.
But the flying shuttle overcame such limitations.
If you set your mind to it, you could produce even wider cotton.
Anyone unaware might think a giant wove the cotton.
Of course, such wide cotton wasn’t produced until now.
They deliberately set the width of the cotton to remain the same as before.
But now that information about the flying shuttle had entered Joseon, there was no need to hide it.
“With such fabric, even Ming would be desperate to get it. They’ve be foaming at the mouth.”
“It seems I really gained jieum at the age of 46!”
I was not planning to be friends with someone about to die, okay?
I didn’t want to lose anyone precious anymore.
[1] Broadly speaking, jiuem means an acquaintance or close friend, but it could also mean like a fated friend.
[2] North Korea’s bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island happened on November 23, 2010.
[3] From 220-581. Although technically not correct, think of it as the period of the Six Dynasties.
[4] Qing Emperor Hong Taiji (r. 1636-1643)
[5] Jinju Fortress is a fortress near Busan. The first, in 1592, the Japanese failed. The second, a year later, succeeded.
