Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 291

“Where on earth am I? Who am I?”

As the Iwami silver mine began operating in earnest, Mochimori remained trapped in a state of confusion.

***

The first thing that caught his eye was the stark difference between the residential areas of the Japanese miners and the Joseon people.

Separated by a single road leading up to the mine, the two residential areas had completely different appearances.

The Japanese residential area resembled the typical sights seen in Japan.

The walls were constructed using mud and wood, with wooden planks forming the gabled roofs that shielded against rain and sun.

However, the area inhabited by the Joseon people consisted of single-story buildings and warehouses made using that mysterious gray paste.

The differences did not end with just the buildings.

What plunged Mochimori into confusion was the fact that everything, except for the houses where the Japanese laborers lived and the clothes worn by the Japanese miners, had transformed into the Joseon style.

It began with the mining tools used for excavation.

***

“They want us to dig the mine with these? Might as well tell us to dig with our bare hands.”

“Nigimi…”

“What a waste of iron, a fucking waste of iron…”

Upon seeing the shovels, pickaxes, and other tools brought by the Japanese laborers, the Joseon people clicked their tongues and cursed.

“What are they saying?”

“Ah, well… That is…”

When Mochimori asked the interpreter about the Joseon people’s chatter, the Japanese interpreter stammered, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Seeing his reaction, Mochimori let out a small sigh.

“I can roughly guess what they’re saying. Phew~.”

A few days later, a transport ship sent from Joseon arrived, carrying tools made in Joseon.

The Joseon craftsmen unloaded the wooden crates from the wagons and opened the lids, meticulously examining the tools inside one by one.

Not only the Japanese miners but also the samurai gathered around to inspect the ‘Made in Joseon’ tools.

“My goodness! They use such fine iron to make mere shovels and pickaxes?”

The samurai were rendered speechless upon seeing the shovels, pickaxes, saws, and other tools gleaming in the sunlight.

The quality of the iron used for the tools utilized by the lowly commoners was extraordinarily superior.

At a glance, it was evident that the iron used was similar in quality to the iron used to forge the swords cherished by the samurai.

The Japanese swords (wado) used by the samurai represented the pinnacle of Japan’s ironworking technology at the time.

The Northern Song Dynasty poet Ouyang Xiu had even composed a Chinese poem titled ‘Ode to the Japanese Sword,’ attesting to the exceptional quality of the Japanese swords.

The Japanese swords had reached their zenith through countless trials and errors, overcoming the limitations of primitive ironworking techniques.

As a result, the Japanese swords were precious items, painstakingly crafted by skilled artisans.

However, unlike Japan, where the introduction of new technologies had ceased after the Three Kingdoms period, ironworking techniques had continuously advanced on the Korean Peninsula.

With Hyang’s intervention, high-quality iron materials were being mass-produced, further enhancing their quality.

The Japanese miners, examining the tools in their hands and those held by the Joseon people, were disheartened.

“What kind of pickaxe shines brighter the more you use it?”

“Never mind the chisels. Our chisels bend, break, or become blunt after striking a rock a few times, but the Joseon chisels don’t have that problem.”

Having witnessed the difference in tools firsthand, the Japanese miners soon conveyed their demands to Mochimori through the supervisors.

“They want us to procure Joseon tools?”

“Yes. With those tools, we can increase the mining output several-fold.”

Upon hearing the supervisors’ words, Mochimori immediately approached Ahn Sang-taek.

Ahn Sang-taek, who was working at the command headquarters in Yunotsutsu, made a slightly troubled face at Mochimori’s request.

“As far as I know, the tools used for work are supposed to be supplied independently by each nation, correct?”

“Joseon’s tools are exceptionally superior…”

At Mochimori’s words, Ahn Sang-taek pondered for a moment before reaching a conclusion.

“I will send a letter to Hanseong. However, you will need to pay for the cost.”

“I will pay. And…”

“Is there something else you need?”

“I would like to import steel materials made in Joseon.”

“…I will include that in the letter as well.”

“I would appreciate it.”

Having finished his business, Mochimori stepped outside and muttered with a bewildered expression as he looked around.

“Is this Japan or Joseon…?”

The Yunotsutsu he once knew no longer existed.

As mining technicians, their families, and troops to protect them and defend the port arrived in full force from Joseon, Yunotsutsu had rapidly become Joseon-ized.

The defensive walls, previously constructed solely with sacks filled with soil and sand, had mostly been replaced by walls made of the same material used for the buildings at the mine.

Houses built by combining that unknown material with traditional materials were arranged along neatly trimmed streets resembling a Go board. And among those houses, Joseon children with braided hair ran around.

However, there were other buildings that caught Mochimori’s eye.

“Another Sesintang (public bathhouse) has been built.”

As the place name ‘Yunotsutsu’ (hot spring port) suggests, Yunotsutsu had hot springs.

The Joseon people who formed the residential complex had drawn the hot spring water to create public bathhouses called Sesintang.

Through these public bathhouses, the Joseon people, regardless of their status, enjoyed bathing.

The same applied to the Joseon people working in the mine.

Bathhouses were built in the Joseon workers’ quarters, and after finishing their daily work, the Joseon people would wash off the dust in the bathhouses, change into clean clothes, and enjoy their rest.

On their days off, they would visit their families residing in Yunotsutsu, soak in the hot spring baths of the public bathhouses to relieve fatigue, and bond with their loved ones.

However, the buildings that attracted Mochimori’s greatest interest were the Jeonmaeso, also known as Joseon government licensed store and the Joseon marketplace.

Located in the heart of Yunotsutsu, the Joseon government licensed stores and Joseon marketplace were housed in a single building.

The Joseon marketplace paid the wages of the Joseon craftsmen, while the Joseon government licensed stores sold all sorts of goods needed by the Joseon people, including craftsmen and even soldiers.

And at some point, most of the Japanese in Iwami, from Mochimori to the miners, had become patrons of this Joseon government licensed stores.

As long as they had money, even the Japanese could purchase various useful Joseon products without having to travel to Nagato.

Among the items most sought after by the Japanese who visited the Joseon government licensed stores were spices and bino (Korean distilled liquor).

As they grew accustomed to this lifestyle, even the Japanese in Iwami gradually became Joseon-ized.

With the situation unfolding in this manner, the Joseon government licensed stores in Yunotsutsu was steadily expanding in size.

As the Yunotsutsu government-licensed stores grew, an event occurred that would surprise even Hyang: the birth of the world’s first ‘cashless transaction.’

***

The incident began when Jang Hak-chul, a mining craftsman, visited the marketplace.

While withdrawing money from his account to purchase items for himself and his family at the Joseon government licensed stores, Hak-chul suddenly had a thought.

“Excuse me, sir.”

“What is it?”

The accountant at the marketplace, who was busy recording the withdrawal amount and balance in the account book, looked up when Hak-chul called for him.

As the accountant raised his head, Hak-chul continued his questioning.

“Sir, all the wages I receive are recorded in this marketplace’s account book, right?”

“That’s right.”

“And to buy things at the Joseon government licensed stores, I need to withdraw money from the account book, correct?”

“Indeed.”

“And the money that goes into the Joseon government licensed store eventually comes back to this marketplace, right?”

In response to Hak-chul’s questions, the accountant asked back in an irritated voice.

“My goodness! Why are you asking such obvious things?”

At the accountant’s irritated question, Hak-chul shared his idea.

“Then, wouldn’t it be much less work if we could transact using the account book at the Joseon government licensed stores’ checkout counter?”

“Huh?”

Hak-chul’s proposal was as follows:

– At the Joseon government licensed stores’ checkout counter, not only the Joseon government licensed store’s officials but also the marketplace’s accountants would be present.

– When a person who has purchased goods presents their account book, the marketplace’s accountant deducts the amount used for the purchase from the account book.

– This way, the hassle of withdrawing money from the account book, using it at the Joseon government licensed stores, and then transferring the money that entered the Joseon government licensed stores back to the marketplace would be reduced.

“What do you think?”

“Hmm…”

“Indeed.”

Before he knew it, all the employees of the marketplace had gathered around Hak-chul. Regardless of their position, the employees who heard Hak-chul’s story analyzed the feasibility with serious expressions.

“It would certainly reduce the workload. It seems like a good idea.”

“However, if not handled properly, there could be issues of unauthorized use.”

When the issue of unauthorized use was brought up, Hak-chul added.

“Come on! How many Joseon people are there in this Oncheon-jin, which is the size of a palm, and Seokgyeon-san?”

“Huh?”

“Wait a moment.”

At Hak-chul’s words, the mood of the employees who had been negative changed drastically.

“Indeed, excluding the soldiers, there aren’t many.”

“We know the faces of almost all the people dispatched to Seokgyeon-san and their families.”

Seeing the positive response from the employees, Kang So-hwi, the branch manager of the Joseon marketplace’s Oncheon-jin branch, stroked his beard and pondered deeply.

After much contemplation, Kang So-hwi soon reached a conclusion.

“Draft a plan!”

“Yes, sir!”

At Manager Kang’s order, the employees of the marketplace responded with enthusiasm. If it worked out well, their workload would be greatly reduced.

The process of giving out money and then receiving it back was also quite laborious.

Eventually, a meticulous plan was devised, and experiments were conducted based on it.

As the results were very positive, Manager Kang made a decision.

“Implement it! I will prepare the report.”

***

The report on the ‘cashless transaction’ implemented in Oncheon-jin quickly made its way to Hanseong.

The report soon garnered the attention of Sejong and the ministers.

The cost of producing and circulating currency was not insignificant.

“It seems like a quite useful method, but I believe it’s still premature to expand it.”

The ministers all agreed with Sejong’s assessment after reviewing the report.

“Indeed, Your Majesty. In Oncheon-jin, unauthorized use can be prevented since there are few people, but it cannot be implemented in places with large populations.”

“It is very difficult to verify identities with the identity tags currently in use. Expanding the Oncheon-jin system to other regions is unfeasible.”

The current identity tags in Joseon did not have photos like modern-day resident registration cards. Therefore, there was no way to verify identities.

Seeing the ministers’ reactions, Sejong turned to Hyang.

Receiving the unspoken question, Hyang immediately shook his head.

With even Hyang showing a negative response, Sejong smacked his lips and reached a conclusion.

“Although it’s regrettable, let’s not expand its application for now.”

“We shall obey your command.”

As the ministers bowed their heads, Hyang grumbled inwardly.

‘Photography was never my area of interest!’

***

As the Iwami mine began full-scale operations and the number of Joseon people staying in Yunotsutsu grew considerably, the court established a new facility in Yunotsutsu.

The new facility established by the court was the ‘School for Commoners’.

With the establishment of the ‘School for Commoners,’ the Joseon people who had settled in Yunotsutsu, both soldiers and civilians alike, breathed a sigh of relief.

“Phew~. I was worried about how to educate my children, but now I can put my mind at ease!”

“Indeed!”

While the adults were sighing with relief, the children’s faces turned gloomy.

“The good days are all gone!”

***

The rumors about the School for Commoners quickly reached Mochimori.

“School for Commoners?”

“Yes. It is said to be a place where they teach academics to children.”

Upon hearing the report from his subordinate, Mochimori let out a chuckle.

“Hah! As expected of the Joseon people! They provide education even after coming all the way here? But still, even though Yunotsutsu is full of Joseon people, there can’t be many of high enough status to educate their children, right?”

At Mochimori’s remark, the subordinate immediately pointed out the error.

“They teach children of all ages, regardless of their status, including girls.”

“What!”

“It is said that the name ‘School for Commoners’ was given because it is a place where the children of all the commoners come to learn.”

Upon hearing the subordinate’s report, Mochimori jumped up from his seat.

“I must inform His Lordship immediately!”