King of Commerce, Yeonsan-gun Ch.47

 New Route

Despite Kyungsik's efforts to establish a well-structured grain trading market and distribution network, reducing famine compared to before, the results are still at a pre-modern level.

The consecutive crop failures in spring and autumn, although not nationwide, have seriously impacted Joseon's economy.

As food prices rise, the minimum cost of living for workers also increases, and with Honam, the main cotton-producing region, suffering a bad harvest, the cost of raw materials goes up.

Furthermore, the cotton raw material supply chain to Seoul that Kyungsik envisioned did not gain much support from local people. Their response was merely, "We'll sell it if we have any surplus."

As the number of items subject to auction and price disclosure in nationwide trading posts increased, the distribution of goods throughout the country also increased, gradually stabilizing prices.

Traders have been heavily investing in and distributing textiles, second only to grains. The price difference of cotton between production areas and consumer regions has already narrowed to within threefold.

This significantly reduced the profitability of the newly established textile factory complex in Seoul.

Although there is no administrative power yet to accurately measure the national economic state and industry, Kyungsik's textile factory complex in Seoul has also affected the economy of areas like Naju.

Joseon's economy still has a long way to go.

Kyungsik was ecstatic about the huge success brought by the envoys returning from Japan for this reason.

Due to its climate, Japan has good rice harvests, and with a relatively low population and frequent conflicts, there is plenty of undeveloped land.

Kyungsik remembers that Japan's large-scale land reclamation occurred from the late Sengoku period to the Edo period.

Supporting Japan's agricultural development to import rice while exporting textiles from Joseon could help reduce the instability of food prices during famines in cities.

Such a structure is not unfamiliar to Joseon. Most residents around the three ports in Gyeongsang Province have already switched from rice farming to cotton cultivation and make a living by selling cotton cloth to Japanese trading posts.

If such a distribution structure is established in Jeolla Province and Seoul's textile industry complex, it could further mitigate the decrease in textile industry profitability and food price instability.

However, there was a bit of regret.

"Can our ships reach Kyoto directly?"

Envoy Oh Se-gyeom replied.

"Absolutely not. To reach Japan's capital by ship, we must dock several times, and the route is controlled by Ōuchi in Shimonoseki, who will likely block us."

Right? It’s too much for our crude maritime technology.

"The Japanese government is aware of this, so how do they expect us to establish contact?"

"They suggested we come around the southern and western parts of Kyushu and Shikoku, where many lords follow the Japanese government."

Kyungsik, who always keeps a world map in his head, visualized the coastlines of Korea and Japan and roughly understood what they meant.

"Can our ships sail that route?"

"They said they would provide maps and nautical charts if we decide to establish contact with the Japanese government. However, without those, their request is impossible to follow."

Hosokawa isn't foolish enough to hand over maps and charts without confirmation. The significance of handing over such maps and charts is understood worldwide in this era.

From Joseon's perspective, their response was naturally, "What do you expect us to do?"

Moreover, the current Japanese king lacks legitimacy in the eyes of Joseon.

"The current Japanese king was forcibly established by the Shogun Seichon. These so-called leaders of the Japanese government are merely lawless warriors relying on power. The lords of Japan's 66 provinces do not follow them, making their situation precarious. We would gain nothing from establishing contact with them."

Kyungsik knew this too. Despite his limited knowledge of East Asian history, as a historian, he knew about the Sengoku period.

He knew the three unifiers of Japan but was less familiar with other samurai and noble families.

"Then it would be better to set up a Joseon trading post in Hakata and establish contact with Ōuchi. Ministers, discuss this matter."

Nevertheless, Kyungsik was reluctant to give up on Kyoto.

"They are essentially offering to bring us the Seto Inland Sea trade route. If we invest in Hosokawa, and Ōuchi falls, we could control both Hakata and Sakai, dominating Japanese trade routes!"

Historically, Hosokawa would eventually fall, and Ōuchi would go on to capture Kyoto and seize power.

This is why one should always pay attention to investment information.

So Kyungsik decided to pioneer the ridiculous route Hosokawa demanded.

Kyungsik had a world map in his head that was far more precise than any map of the time.

Strategy games do help.

---

The officials decided not to ask why the king could draw Japan's map so well. They assumed he had referenced the maps in the Haedong Jegukgi.

Having a map doesn't necessarily solve the problem.

"Does this route look feasible with our ships?"

Kyungsik drew a route passing through Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Miyazaki, and Kochi to reach Osaka.

Of course, they couldn't make it.

Joseon's navigation skills were so poor that they could barely manage coastal navigation and sank often. They lacked concepts like a logbook or the ability to sail against the wind.

They needed systematic navigation education and research.

So, in the process of establishing the Haedong Jeguksa this year, Kyungsik recognized these problems and made significant changes for Joseon.

Entering the Haedong Jeguksa was not just a matter of buying positions; there were many benefits, attracting many people.

"Anyone who joins the Haedong Jeguksa and reports their smuggling routes will have all past crimes pardoned and will even get promoted!"

Many who knew the smuggling routes quickly volunteered for the Haedong Jeguksa, attracted by the promise of promotions and pardons.

Those who knew smuggling routes were truly promoted and assigned to the newly established Naval Training Center.

As a result, Joseon's court learned about the direct routes from Busan to Kyushu, the northeastern route to Samcheok Island, the route from Hwanghae to Shandong, and the route from Hwanghae to Liaodong.

Joseon had always seemed weak because the government couldn't fully harness the private sector's capabilities. There's a reason volunteer soldiers were stronger than government troops.

Kyungsik learned navigation skills mainly from online sailing games, but as a humanities major, his role was to design systems, not build or execute directly.

So Kyungsik created the Naval Training Center, similar to a naval academy.

Historically, the most rigorously educated population wasn't in a Confucian state talking about moral reform but in Prussia, which wanted to turn its entire population into soldiers.

Kyungsik was similar. He had no interest in Confucianism, only in commerce.

As a result, the previously uneducated naval forces, who had been suffering from hereditary labor, were now receiving education for the first time.

Skilled navigators and captains were given official positions and assigned to the Naval Training Center to share information, research, and teach navigation to the unskilled.

They also learned how to shoot cannons and muskets. There wasn't enough time for other combat training.

Although it might not be the kind of education the Confucian scholars wanted, it was important for the navy.

Scholars from Sungkyunkwan were assigned to each ship to keep a logbook. The sails were made of cotton, and they were researching how to sail against the wind with vertical sails.

New ships were also being built.

The first was simply a larger version of the existing ships, with divided decks, no oars, and vertical sails. This large ship, although still experimental, was more suited for long voyages than the old ones.

Since the construction of the Mapo Palace last year, three of these ships had been completed.

Another new ship was the panokseon. Although Kyungsik didn't know the exact structure of the original panokseon, this version was simply a larger ship with cannons and divided decks. The main difference from the large ships was that it could also use oars.

This type began research and construction earlier in the year, and by the time the Naval Training Center was established, there were only two completed.

The construction was delayed mainly due to a shortage of copper for making cannons. There wasn't enough money either.

The performance of both types of ships still needed to be tested.

Although only the first steps had been taken, with the ability to share information and an established education system, Joseon could continue to develop its navigation skills given enough time and opportunity.

However, time and opportunity were still lacking.

They needed an excuse to use these new ships.

As Kyungsik was pondering this, a report came from the Ministry of Rites.

"It has been reported that people from Ryukyu have been shipwrecked in Jeju. Should we not send them back ourselves instead of asking the Japanese?"

"...Why not send our ships to return them?"

---

Unfortunately for Choi Maldong, who was appointed as the repatriation officer, his face turned pale.

While his backer Yoon Pilsang was exiled to Hamgyeong, he was being sent to Ryukyu. What was going on?

All he wanted was to make some money, but what was happening?

"November is the best time to sail to Jeju, so it's perfect for going to Ryukyu now. Vice Admiral Choi Maldong, follow the order to repatriate 10 Ryukyuans."

He shouldn't have revealed that he knew the route to Kyushu. As a result, Choi Maldong was promoted to Vice Admiral, a rank higher than his original post.

The Japanese advisors Saburo and Shiro were unfazed.

"Sir, you have been given such a large ship by the state. What is there to worry about? A servant who receives a position and salary from the state should not avoid death. We already know the route; what could possibly go wrong?"

What are they talking about? Saburo and Shiro might have had food and clothes provided at Dongpyeong Hall, but Choi Maldong had received nothing but debt despite his position.

The voyage would only be successful if they survived, and Choi Maldong had no choice but to board the ship.

However, many rewards were promised upon a successful voyage, including a real promotion and permission to trade with Ryukyu, not to mention the ship itself.

If he hadn't been willing to risk his life for money, he wouldn't have become a sailor in the first place.

---

In Joseon, there was no tradition of naming ships individually.

Even though the ship registration system was expanded, people just registered their ships under generic names like "ship," so they were identified by serial numbers.

But the king took special care with these newly developed large ships.

He personally named them "Zero," "First," "Second," and so on, with the first prototype named "Chungmu."

The Ministry of Rites thought the name "Chungmu" was excessive for a ship, but anyone from future Korea would understand the significance.

Anyway, the flagship of Choi Maldong's fleet, "Chungmu," was sailing smoothly, contrary to his initial fears.

The main reason was the good weather in October, as the king had mentioned.

Even with poor navigational skills, Joseon had a good track record of sailing to Jeju from October to December.

The clear weather and northwest wind pushing the ship south made the journey easy.

Secondly, the crew was highly skilled. All aboard the Chungmu were officers from the Naval Training Center.

Most of them couldn't read Hangul and came from merchant ship backgrounds, naval or common soldier ranks, or even pirate backgrounds, but they earned their positions purely through their sailing skills.

They had been training and sharing their knowledge at the Naval Training Center right up until departure.

They were the most skilled sailors in Joseon, including those who had sailed to Jeju, Shandong, Liaodong, and Kyushu. Even Choi Maldong, the commander, had been to Kyushu.

The best sailors in Joseon had been gathered, and Kyungsik would be furious if they died.

Thirdly, one of the reasons for Joseon's poor navigation had been removed.

Joseon's coastal navigation was more dangerous than offshore navigation due to its numerous islands, rocks, and mudflats.

The geography made it safer and faster to sail in the open sea, but with the ban on offshore navigation, the country became more dependent on coastal routes, leading to declining navigation skills.

The private sector had already given up on coastal navigation, preferring offshore routes for transporting goods. When officials argued for banning offshore navigation, Kyungsik lifted the ban instead.

The legal basis was clear. There were no such provisions in the Gyeongguk Daejeon, and the king, as an absolute monarch, wanted to sail.

"Although the Daming Law forbids private overseas trade, our nation's law, the Gyeongguk Daejeon, does not have such a provision. I have repeatedly said that our country is small and poor and cannot obtain goods without trading overseas."

Thanks to this, since Kyungsik's enthronement, merchant ships had been able to sail offshore freely, gaining valuable practice. Although his reign had been short, the practice period was about two years.

---

Thus, Chungmu, despite its maiden voyage, was performing remarkably well by Joseon's standards.

Only one person on Chungmu was struggling with offshore navigation, a Sungkyunkwan scholar named Yu Pyo, responsible for keeping the logbook.

"Ugh!"

Having eaten only powdered rice and rock-hard rice cakes, Yu Pyo was still prone to seasickness.

"Hey! Yu! Stop vomiting and help pull the sail!"

Lim Matseng, who had been pardoned for piracy due to his excellent sailing skills and received a government position, kicked Yu Pyo while he was seasick.

Yu Pyo, a ninth-rank official, and Matseng, an eighth-rank official, created an inverted hierarchy on the ship.

When the king sent Sungkyunkwan scholars to the navy, he said, "A scholar should reform the common people. You, the learned ones, try reforming the sailors!"

Feeling challenged, Yu Pyo agreed but found it harder to reform these sailors than to teach otters to recite poetry.

"Damn it... being treated like this by mere sailors..."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

Thanks to Kyungsik's early reforms, low and mid-level official positions were filled with both aristocrats and commoners. Still, no clerk had yet reached the sixth rank of the civil service.

The Naval Training Center was the same. Skilled sailors received military ranks. Those aboard Chungmu were all at least seventh or eighth rank.

Of course, social status still mattered. In Joseon, even within the same rank, civil officials were higher than military ones, and clerks were seen as commoners.

But on the sea, things were different.

Yu Pyo's life depended on them.

---

"Wow, so it's possible to sail directly from Seoul to Jeju."

Choi Maldong, who had sailed to Jeju, Kyushu, Busan, and Tsushima, was amazed to see Hallasan from afar.

"It's not that difficult. Going from Pyongyang to Shandong was harder."

"Ha! What's so great about Shandong?"

With people who knew the routes from Pyongyang to Shandong, Gaeseong to Nonsan, Seoul to Naju, and Haenam to Jeju, they reached Jeju in five days.

But now it was up to Commander Choi Maldong.

"The real journey starts now. No one here knows the way to Ryukyu."

"Doesn't that Japanese guy Shiro or whatever know?"

Shiro, who understood some Korean, responded.

"We know the route from Kyushu southwest to Ryukyu, but not directly south from Jeju to Ryukyu."

"Did you hear that? From now on, we sail east from Jeju to Kyushu."

Some didn't seem pleased.

"The commander only knows the route to Hakata."

During training at the Naval Training Center, using Kyungsik's knowledge and existing maps, the sailors learned a lot of geography.

They were aware of sensitive diplomatic information. They knew not to contact Hakata secretly, that Kyushu was dangerous due to the Ōuchi and Shōni conflict, and so on.

They preferred to avoid the risky Hakata and sail south quickly during the good weather, then return just as quickly.

"Have you already forgotten the dangers of the sea after just a few days? According to the map, it's as far from Seoul to Jeju as it is from here to Ryukyu!"

"That's why it's better. 'Sea' doesn't just mean the ocean; it includes pirates."

Of course, the distance from Jeju to Okinawa was further.

The Japanese map, drawn from memory, made Japan look smaller and Korea's coastline much more accurate, making the sailors trust it too much.

These highly skilled sailors could feel the wind's temperature and humidity and predict the weather. This is why Kyungsik valued them. He'd rather lose a Sungkyunkwan scholar than these sailors.

They were also adventurous, having pioneered routes themselves. The current calm sea didn't scare them, but pirates did. They only knew basic gunnery and musketry from their rushed training.

Having only highly skilled sailors led to such mutiny. Moreover, as a Haedong Jeguksa official, Choi Maldong couldn't arbitrarily punish the sailors.

"Uh, may I say something?"

"Oh, Yu. What do you know about ships?"

Yu Pyo, who spent half his time seasick, spoke up.

"So far, we've sailed close enough to see land or islands. How about we sail southeast until we see islands near Kyushu, then head southwest to Ryukyu when we spot one?"

It was a compromise between avoiding pirates and staying close to land, blending the two opposing opinions.

---

Footnotes:

*1: In episode 42, "Grabbing the Reins 3," there's a scene where sailors are briefly trained and the keyword 'training center' is mentioned. Kyungsik has created the Naval Training Center to train core talents selected from those recruited through sale of positions.

*2: Choi Maldong is a real historical figure from Yeonsan-gun's era, known as a merchant. In this work, he is reinterpreted as a merchant managing Yoon Pilsang's assets. He appeared in episodes 18, 35, and 42, but I didn't emphasize or explain it much, so many might not have recognized him.

*3: In episode 14, "Hojo is Also Being Grinded Today," there's a scene where trading post officials register ships and issue registration certificates. It was explained that the ship registration system was roughly established during King Seongjong's reign but was poorly managed.

*4: It is well-known that Joseon's navigational skills declined compared to the Unified Silla's Jang Bogo era. Some attribute this to natural conditions, but it was simply because Joseon adopted Ming China's maritime ban policy. Ships are easier to navigate the larger they are, requiring significant capital and manpower. In a strongly centralized state like Joseon, banning offshore navigation caused these skills to vanish quickly. Conversely, when the private economy grew in mid-late Joseon and central government control weakened, private ships began developing and using larger ships for offshore navigation.