Yi I’s Survival Was like a New Recruitment
The butterfly effect, the theory that a butterfly’s wings could cause a typhoon on the other side of the world.
In my view, Yi I was truly a genius, unlike me.
“He was a great thinker who foresaw the future of Joseon and advocated for its reform 20 years ago.
The future was uncertain.
Yet Yi I predicted the future of Joseon decades ago and insisted on reforming Joseon.
His disciples, who inherited his ideas, reformed Joseon and managed to sustain the country for a whopping 200 years.
When you actually conversed with him, Yi I seemed to be full of conviction.
And the more he talked to me, the more confident he became in himself.
A man who can foresee the future without coming from it like I did.
Such a man was transcending his predetermined lifespan.
However, Yi I was likely to be a beneficial variable.
He was a figure who had dedicated his life to reforming Joseon and was still burning with a sense of mission to do so.
For now, just the fact that Yi I continually demanded reforms from Seonjo would lead Joseon in a better direction.
The reason Yi I was risking his life to push for reforms was because Joseon’s national power was gradually declining, and the geopolitical situation of neighboring countries was becoming increasingly ominous.
A smart gentleman like Yi I clearly understood the proposition proven by countless years: There is no police in international society.
There could be police within a country.
But there were no police in international politics.
You might ask if the US wasn’t such an entity, but even the US acted like a thug.
And even with the thug that was the United States, the existence of another thug like Russia proved the proposition that there were no police in international politics.
It was the same in the past, it was the same in the 21st century when I lived, and it would be the same in the distant future.
The moment a nation’s power weakened, the only thing left was for it to be devoured.
Even in the 21st century, countries with weak national power had their territories and the lives of their citizens taken away by war.
To Yi I, the future of Joseon probably seemed like a candle in the wind.
And he was right!
That’s why I liked the story of Yi I living beyond his given lifespan.
Just as Yi I gained confidence about the future from me, I could also feel somewhat reassured thanks to him.
Yi I was only 47 years old, far too young to die suddenly.
Now there were seven years left until the Imjin War, meaning he would be 54 when it breaks out.
What if Yi I lived for just seven more years?
The Imjin War might take a different course.
Knowing the future is an immense power.
A protagonist in a novel would be wary of the future they knew changing.
But what about those who knew the predetermined future was a catastrophe?
Fortunately, the future of Joseon was not Ragnarok but resembled Gigantomachia.
Ragnarok was a complete end, but in Gigantomachia, a great hero like Hercules appeared and prevented the destruction of Olympus.[1]
Even in the Imjin War, the hero, Admiral Yi Sun-sin, saved Joseon from destruction.
Nevertheless, Joseon suffered a million casualties and over 100,000 abductees.
Considering that the population of Joseon at the time was between 10 to 15 million, it meant over 10% of the entire population was swept up in the ravages of war.
Yi I might not have known these specific details, but he was predicting that a national crisis threatening Joseon was imminent.
If I was trying to change Joseon’s future with trade and technology, Yi I would try to save Joseon politically.
In other words, to me, Yi I was like a new recruitment.
“What are you thinking so deeply about?”
“I’m thinking about how the future of Joseon will change.”
“So, how does the future look to you?”
“It seems like a shooting star sparkling in the night sky.”
“…A shooting star, huh.”
“How does the future of Joseon look to you, Your Excellency?”
How did Yi I see the future of Joseon?
“Honestly, until I saw you, I too felt like I was walking in a foggy forest. When I saw the fertilizer, I saw a small path, and seeing you made me feel like the fog was lifting.”
“That’s quite a hopeful future.”
Yi I was indeed an extraordinary human.
“Although I am nearing the age of fifty, a genius greater than I has appeared in Joseon, so how can the future of Joseon not be bright?”
A story that might have sounded annoying to some.
Geniuses were indeed annoying.
“Your Excellency, you must live long.”
At least for another seven years.
No, considering the Japanese invasions of Korea, he would need to live at least another 14 years, until he was 61.
“Ahaha, it sounds like you’re telling me to live long and suffer.”
Truly a genius born of Joseon!
“Not too long, not too short, just live for another 20 years.”
“Eh! Twenty years! Isn’t that too long?”
“The greatest prime minister of Joseon, Ikseong (Hwang Hee), lived to be ninety.”[2]
“…And he was worked to death without ever retiring.”
That was King Sejong’s fault.
But Hwang Hee wasn’t completely in the right either.
He should have done just enough.
“He must have done it to protect the retainers he cherished. The current king is also a wise ruler, so he will protect you, Your Excellency, for a long time.”
Surprisingly, until the rebellion of Nitanggae, Seonjo was praised as a wise king.
Moreover, since he managed to suppress Nitanggae’s Rebellion without significant damage, Seonjo’s reputation had risen even higher.
With this much praise, he could even say, “People, Hanyang is safe,” and still remain king even if he fled in the middle of the night.
“That’s a horrifying thing to say!”
Yet why did your face look so satisfied?
“But do you really have no intention of entering government service? If you have the will, His Majesty has said he will open a special examination for you.”
A special examination was like a special recruitment in modern terms.
In other words, he was willing to specially recruit me, but with my current skills, even passing the preliminary examination would be difficult, so there was no need to show my limitations.
“People are meant to do what they are good at. I will drive the momentum for reform from outside, so you, Minister, should change Joseon from the inside.”
“…That’s why I can’t stop you.”
This trip to Hanyang and the meeting with Yi I was already a significant achievement.
One More Day in Hanyang
The day after we bid farewell to Yi I, we finished preparing to leave for Ulsan and received a send-off from my second uncle, who was the elder of the family in Hanyang.
“Are you finally leaving for Ulsan?”
“Yes, uncle, I’ve been a burden to you during this time.”
There seemed to be more relief than sadness on my second uncle’s face.
It made sense, as he had been affiliated with the Dongin faction, the current ruling party, but because of me, he had been forced into the Yi I faction, which could be considered the second opposition party.
Yi I was currently expanding his influence, with his disciples gradually entering the political arena under Seonjo’s protection.
From my second uncle’s perspective, it was understandable that he felt wronged.
It was as if he had been forcibly expelled from the Dongin faction because I unexpectedly aligned myself with Yi I.
But I was happy.
I knew that in just four years, the Dongin faction would be obliterated by Seonjo’s wrath and vanish.
Thus, I needed to distance myself from them, and naturally ended up joining Yi I’s faction.
“There’s no such thing as a burden between family. Travel safely and give my regards to your father.”
My uncle’s expression looked as if he had a toothache that had finally been relieved.
It resembled the face of someone whose prized figure collection had been raided during the holidays.
Oh, in my uncle’s case, it wasn’t his figure collection but getting on the bad side at work?
“Yes, uncle.”
After bidding farewell to my uncle, we set off on our journey.
To get to Gyeongsang Province, we had to pass through Sungnyemun.
Sungnyemun was bustling with people coming and going, much like the day we had arrived in Hanyang.
The only difference was that the clothes of the passersby seemed a bit lighter.
As we exited Sungnyemun, I had an uneasy feeling.
“Ugh!”
“Young Master Kim, what’s wrong?”
“…I feel like I’ve forgotten something, but I can’t remember what.”
“Ah, it’s probably just a feeling. Haven’t you been extremely busy since arriving in Hanyang?”
“It wasn’t just me who was busy. Gyesam-ajeossi and Okja-ajumma were busy too…”
“Haha, I was just happy to visit Hanyang for the first time in my life. But I never imagined that His Majesty would work us so hard.”
Indeed, Gyesam-ajeossi had been through a lot.
“Isn’t it because he works his subordinates so hard that the country remains peaceful?”
“…Is that so? I don’t quite understand difficult matters.”
Yi I would have understood even if I had explained vaguely…
“We have a long way to go, let’s hurry.”
My youngest uncle urged us to pick up the pace.
“Ah, yes. We probably won’t have any reason to come back to Hanyang for a while.”
Our group, now one member larger than when we had arrived in Hanyang, headed toward Sungnyemun.
How long had we been walking toward Sungnyemun when a voice called out to us from afar?
“Stop! Please, stop there!”
What was this?
Where had I heard that voice before?
The urgency in the voice made us halt our steps.
Who could it be?
Ah, that person…
“Huff! Huff!”
The person who stopped us was none other than the blacksmith Park Geosun, whom I had commissioned for the pedal-powered thresher.
“Why are you in such a hurry?”
“Now that winter is over, we need to head to Ulsan.”
“Then where should I collect the promised payment?”
No way.
Did he complete the pedal-powered thresher?
Honestly, the pedal-powered thresher was an almost abandoned project.
“Did you really complete it?”
“Look at this. Can’t you see my eyes? I stayed up all night to finish it, and when I heard you were heading to Ulsan, I dropped everything and rushed over.”
Judging by his appearance, he certainly looked like he hadn’t slept for days.
He probably didn’t work during the winter and then pulled all-nighters as the deadline approached.
His appearance reminded me too much of myself when I was writing my works.
Anyway, that was the problem with freelancers like writers or blacksmiths.
When the deadline was far off, they lacked motivation, but as it approached, they worked harder than anyone else.
Still, it was fortunate that he managed to finish it within the deadline.
“Youngest uncle, we’ll have to stay in Hanyang until today.”
“But what’s so important about this pedal-powered thresher?”
The core of the pedal-powered thresher was the drum that turned when pedaled, but to thresh, you needed to insert bent wires in a zigzag pattern.
This would cause the grains to be knocked off as they hit the wires during the rotation.
I didn’t reveal the complete design of the perfect pedal-powered thresher just in case it got completed after I left Hanyang.
Anyway, embedding the wires in the drum in a zigzag pattern wasn’t difficult.
The remaining issue was how to bring this dedicated craftsman to Ulsan.
“Why are you staring at me like that? I’m telling you, I really stayed up all night to make it.”
Yeah, I knew that feeling too well.
I’ve also tried to convince my editors that I wasn’t just slacking off and writing late.
Staying up all night was fundamental when facing a deadline.
“Park Geosoon, would you be interested in working with me?”
“First, check out the item and give me the ten bolts of hemp-cotton fabric as promised.”
I love this pragmatic mindset.
I could relate well because I was a pragmatic writer myself.
If the conditions were good, I would contract with anyone.
Wait, was this how editors felt?
[1] Gigantomachia, in Greek mythology, refers to the epic battle between the Giants, offspring of Gaia (the Earth), and the Olympian gods, who were the descendants of the Titans and, like the Giants, also children of Gaia.
[2] Hwang Hui (1363–1452)
