Synergy
With Daeyong-ajeossi joining us, I could worry less about the ships.
The ships that could be built in Ulsan were mostly for deep-sea fishing.
However, for trade, we needed a ship that was strong against waves and had good balance.
Additionally, the cargo hold had to be spacious.
While it would be difficult for me to handle such a task, with Daeyong-ajeossi, who had already designed ships, we could build a trading ship.
When I first proposed the idea of a trade ship, however, Daeyong-ajeossi was skeptical.
“A flat-bottomed ship isn’t particularly good for coastal defense, is it?”
“That’s because the ship we’re building isn’t for coastal defense.”
“So how do you plan to stop the Japanese pirates?”
Sigh.
Why did people of this era neglect the importance of intelligence warfare?
Then again, even in modern times, there were countless instances of ignoring information about the enemy, so it was not just a problem of this era.
But there existed the perfect argument to persuade these gentlemen!
“Sun Tzu once said, ‘If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.’ Even if you deploy hundreds of warships along the coastline, how can you stop the Japanese pirates if you don’t know when or where they will attack?”
“…Indeed, so you’re suggesting we build a flat-bottomed ship as a reconnaissance vessel?”
“That’s correct. However, it’s difficult to maintain just a reconnaissance ship, so we need to build a trade ship as well.”
“I see. I was short-sighted. Even with an invincible warship, you need to know where the enemy is to fight them.”
“That’s why the ship Teacher Chaem needs to build should be fast, sturdy, and capable of carrying a lot of goods.”
“For that, a large and sturdy keel is essential!”
The keel, which could be considered the backbone of the ship, was directly related to the ship’s size.
Finding a large and sturdy keel was one of the most important tasks when building a ship.
“There are trees suitable for keels in my hometown, Naju.”
“Naju?”
Trees typically used for keels were found in the mountains.
In the mountains of Joseon, you could easily find large trees.
Among them, pine trees with hardwood were used for keels.
“I’ve heard that during the Baekje era, they would dry the wood and then soak it in mud for about ten years to harden it.”
“Oh, that’s quite an ingenious method.”
“Ingenious?”
Ah, was the word “ingenious” not used in this era?
Well, there’s no way sacred cockroaches existed in the Joseon era![1]
Those filthy brats!
“Ahem, it’s something like that. You can understand it as meaning something amazing and good. But the problem is, don’t we need to start the process ten years in advance?”
No matter how good the method, ten years later, the Imjin War would have already broken out.
“Of course, since no one knows who will find such trees, they cut down hundreds of trees in advance and soak them in mud.”
“Can you procure those trees?”
“If I contact my acquaintances, I should be able to get them.”
“Please get the largest and best trees possible.”
“But such trees are worth their weight in gold.”
When it came to money, our family was second to none in Joseon.
The currency currently in circulation was essentially hemp-cotton fabric.
However, our family’s cotton fabric was of much higher quality and quantity than hemp-cotton fabric.
Our family had been stockpiling such fabric for a year now.
According to Kang Jik-ajeossi, we had so much fabric that we needed to build a warehouse just to store them.
With the spread of the flying shuttle, the value of cotton fabric would gradually decrease from Hanyang.
In other words, the price of cotton fabric was at its peak right now!
“Since the repairs on the Blue Sea are complete, can you take that ship and procure the necessary wood for Joseon?”
The Blue Sea was the ship that Su Dal-ajeossi used before the Fair Wind was built, and it was now too old and undergoing repairs.
I would love to give them the Fair Wind, but if it didn’t go out for fishing, fertilizer production would be near-impossible.
“Leave it to me.”
Daeyong-ajeossi seemed already fired up with creative passion.
Great!
Let’s leave the shipbuilding to Daeyong-ajeossi and prepare for trade.
What’s Needed for Trade
To engage in trade, there was more to prepare than just a trade ship.
Trade involved buying and selling goods between countries.
Therefore, researching the goods needed in Japan was crucial.
Fortunately, I knew Japan’s situation like the back of my hand.
This year was 1584, and a significant battle that would determine the fate of the nation was taking place in Japan.
The battle was known as the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute, where Tokugawa Ieyasu submitted to Hashiba Hideyoshi.
Although Hashiba Hideyoshi didn’t completely crush Tokugawa Ieyasu, which gave the latter time to regroup, it was a battle that brought Hideyoshi a step closer to unifying the country.
The more I thought about it, the more regretful it was.
If only I had finished preparing a year earlier…
Squeeeeeeeeeak!
Yes, while “if” in alternate history novels might be a fantasy for readers, the daydreams I was having now were just the lamentations of a fool.
The important fact was that Japan was currently taking a breather after a major war.
What they needed during this breather was food.
War was an activity of consumption without production, so they needed to fill the gaps now.
The powerful forces would twist the arms of the weaker ones, and the twisted forces would inevitably resort to plundering.
Therefore, our priority had to be to sell them food at high prices and buying the necessary goods.
The key here was to sell food to factions that would disadvantage the Japanese monkey commander as much as possible.
So, where would be a good place to sell?
First, there was Tokugawa Ieyasu, who would take power after Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
This gentleman was also the protagonist of the famous novel Taiko.[2]
The problem was that, given his personality, he was the type to wait for the nightingale to sing rather than take action.
Even if we sold goods to him, he would just watch Toyotomi and won’t check him.
In other words, selling goods to Tokugawa Ieyasu wouldn’t bring us any benefits, so Tokugawa Ieyasu was out.
Then there was So Yoshitoshi of Tsushima.
I was not sure about him.
Tsushima was indeed a place that survived on trade with Joseon.
However, these bat-like creatures would participate in the Imjin War as Konishi Yukinaga’s subordinates and were among the first to reach Hanyang.
Even after the war, they would engage in all sorts of deceit, like sending forged documents to Joseon to survive.
If given the chance, I would rather feed them a bullet of justice than a single grain of Joseon’s rice.
“Indeed, the remaining options are the Hojo clan and the Shimazu clan?”
The Hojo clan!
Known for marking the beginning and end of the Sengoku period, it was said that Toyotomi Hideyoshi only became the Japanese monkey commander after receiving the Hojo clan’s surrender, showing how significant the family’s influence was in Japan.
The Shimazu clan, located in Kyushu, was a clan that could have held Toyotomi Hideyoshi back a bit more if they were lucky.
Both clans were well-known daimyo in Japan.
The Hojo clan, while not as powerful as Hideyoshi who absorbed Oda Nobunaga’s forces, still held significant influence that even Hideyoshi found bothersome, making them an attractive option.
Particularly, their stronghold, Odawara Castle, was located in Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo.
This meant it was an area where it was easy to acquire sulfur—a key ingredient in gunpowder.
By providing them with food in exchange for sulfur, we could both fulfill our promise to Seonjo and strengthen the Hojo clan’s power, making it especially appealing.
Conversely, the Shimazu clan also offered regional advantages.
Kyushu was an island separated from the Japanese mainland.
Naturally, there was about a two-year window before Toyotomi Hideyoshi would start meddling, giving us a bit of time to conduct trade.
Additionally, the Shimazu clan was on the brink of a massive war, which meant they were in a position where they must pay high prices for provisions to stockpile military supplies.
Another advantage was that Kyushu, being a volcanic island, also made it easy to obtain sulfur.
Given these factors, wouldn’t it be logical to trade with the Shimazu clan based on economic reasoning?
The problem was that in this era, more was needed to engage in trade.
What was required was the ability to protect oneself.
One might ask, “What kind of force does a merchant need?”
But according to what I had heard from Jongil-ajeossi, the most crucial skill for merchants in this era was indeed force.
It was not entirely wrong because just transporting goods safely in this era could earn money.
However, those who were weak could not even ensure the safe transport of their goods.
What about trading in regions where language barriers existed?
If things went wrong, one could have their goods seized by daimyo or, in the worst case, lose their life.
The ability to extricate oneself from a crisis was indeed the greatest talent bestowed upon merchants of this era.
So, I went to my father to acquire that force.
“Father, could you find me a teacher?”
“A teacher?”
“Yes, if I want to trade, I must be able to protect myself.”
“Can’t you learn archery from your youngest uncle? You’ve seen his skills, haven’t you?”
Archery, huh?
I only needed one archery teacher.[3]
“I don’t think I have a talent for archery.”
…Considering I could hit the target after just a year of learning, it doesn’t seem like I lack talent.
“Really? If you say so, then it must be. So, are you thinking of learning self-defense?”
Self-defense, while swordsmanship wasn’t bad, realistically, if I found myself in a situation where I had to draw a sword and fight, it was practically the worst-case scenario.
What I needed was self-defense that could at least save my life in the worst-case scenario, which would be a great help.
And for now, a martial art that could build my physical strength would be ideal.
A strong body was essential to make a mark in the upcoming Imjin War.
“Anything that can help me protect myself is fine.”
“Well, I’ve heard that a peculiar monk has come to Baekyangsa to practice the Dharma.”
A monk?
My father was quite open-minded to consider such things.
In Joseon, monks were called “bulssi” and face severe oppression because one of the justifications the new literati used to overthrow Goryeo was the corruption of Buddhism.
Despite this, when the Imjin War eventually broke out, they showed their willingness to sacrifice their lives to protect the country.
The patriotic monk soldiers!
Their efforts to protect the nation, even at the cost of killing, were undeniably a significant force during the Imjin War.
In modern times, Seonmudo is known as a Buddhist martial art, but if we trace back its history, there are records of fighting monks even in the Silla era.
Seonmudo was a martial art based on Taekwondo, but in this era, Buddhism would aim for practical martial arts to crush the heads of the Japanese invaders.
“In learning, what matters is not whether it is Buddhist or Confucian, but its utility.”
[1] This comes from World of Warcraft. The Paladin class, called “성기사” (seonggisa), had a specialization called “신성” (sinsung, “Holy”). Players shortened “신성 기사” (Holy Paladin) to “신기” and humorously swapped “기” with “박” from “바퀴벌레” (bakwi-beolle, “cockroach”) because, at that time, this ability made the Paladin hard to kill.
[2] Taiko, first published in 1941, was writtenby Eiji Yoshikawa.
[3] His grandpa…
