American: Native Empire

Chapter 149: Yi Hwang’s Scheme (2).

Welcome. Did you finish your work well?

Haha. Well or not. The emperor of this huge Wakan Tanka Empire is very interested in Joseon, isnt he?

I still wonder why the emperor gives special favors to Joseon. Is the Joseon dynasty really related to the spirits?

Well, it could be or it could not be. But thats not important for us, is it? This is a golden opportunity to reform Joseon. We cant miss it. Dont forget that the reform is going smoothly thanks to the great support of the empire.

Ill keep that in mind.

Lee Yi also understood Yi Hwangs words well and agreed with them.

The change in Joseon had changed Lee Yis thoughts as well. 

He had been exposed to the excellent products and knowledge of the Wakan Tanka Empire since he was young, and he was fascinated by them.

Then, when his mother Shin Saimdang was seriously ill, he was transformed into a passionate reformist thanks to the medicine that came from Wakan Tanka.

Lee Yi was still young, but thanks to his genius brain, he had a great reputation as a talented person among the reformists. 

Thats why he was able to accompany the Wakan Tanka delegation this time.

The emperor promised, so all the permits will be issued soon. But make sure there are no unnecessary troubles. Dont do anything to upset the emperor.

Dont worry. There wont be anyone who would do such foolish things.

Of course, the common language of Hangul and the fact that the Joseon dynasty was the bloodline of the spirits made the imperial people have a great affection for Joseon. 

But Yi Hwang knew too well that all this was because of the emperor.

If the emperor changed his mind and criticized Joseon, there was a high risk of shaking the royal shrine beyond a great hardship. 

Thats how much Yi Hwang and other reformists were aware of the empires fears.

***

Thank you for accompanying me.

Haha. I just happened to have some business in Iwami. The situation there is quite complicated these days.

Oh, really I heard they are in a civil war. I hope it ends soon.

Haha. It seems like it wont last long. The outline is already clear.

Is that so?

Yi Hwangs question made Swift Rope nod his head.

Well, we dont care much who wins. As long as our monopoly in Iwami is not disturbed.

I heard that amount is huge.

Huge or not. Thanks to that, my company has grown this much. Haha!

He pointed to the large fleet behind him with a grin. 

All the ships crossing the sea were from Top Eagle Company.

That meant they were all his property. 

Not only that, but there were also quite a few ships that were not included in the fleet.

You are amazing. By the way, the ships of the empire are getting bigger and bigger.

The engines are also getting more powerful, and bigger ships are safer and can transport more goods at once.

Thats impossible for wooden ships.

Haha. The ships will keep getting bigger. Dont be surprised yet.

Swift Rope shrugged his shoulders because he really felt that way. 

He trusted the empires constantly developing technology very much.

It will surely be so. And thank you very much for spreading rumors about the empires engineers and scholars everywhere.

Well, I also got paid for it, so you dont need to thank me. And Joseon has a good image, and Master Toegye adapted well at Imperial University, right?

I know very well that you cant buy everything with money. This is all because of you, Swift Rope. Thanks to you, we will be able to execute our plan well.

Im glad to hear that. I hope you succeed.

Thank you.

Yi Hwang bowed politely. Swift Rope also smiled and accepted it.

Hes really imperial-like. Haha.

Yi Hwangs pronunciation of imperial standard language was perfect. 

Moreover, Yi Hwang and other reformists were perfectly dressed and styled in the empires unique fashion.

In Joseon, where cutting hair was taboo due to the custom of body hair parents, all reformists had cut their hair neatly.

They also shaved their beards cleanly. 

They would not look out of place even if they were dropped off in the imperial mainland.

***

I heard it, but I didnt expect there would be such huge iron rails.

Oh my goodness, what are those?

Sigh The food prices will plummet again. Look at how endlessly they come in.

Come on, stop complaining and lets go do some loading work.

The ship carrying the delegation arrived at its destination before long. 

The people who came to see the empires large fleet and the laborers who were selected for the loading work filled the port.

See you again.

Yes. It was a pleasure.

Yi Hwang said goodbye to Swift Rope and stepped on the land.

You guys take care of the last processing and return to Hanyang. Well go see His Majesty first.

Dont worry. Well take care of the aftermath.

Good. Take care.

After instructing some of the reformists to oversee the loading work, Yi Hwang led the rest of the delegation to the railway station.

This is Joseons first railway

Yi Hwang was deeply moved as he looked out of the train. 

When he left, it was still under construction, but now it was completed.

Although it was only a very short section from the West Sea port to Hanyang, the laying of the railway had a profound meaning.

This sentiment was also shared by Lee Yi.

I never thought that the railway would be laid so quickly in Joseon.

Indeed. But this is just the beginning. The railway will be laid densely throughout the eight provinces of Joseon. I intend to never stop until Joseon becomes like the Wakan Tanka Empire.

I hope to see that sight as soon as possible.

After that, the reformists, including the two of them, discussed endlessly about the future reforms.

Soon they arrived in Hanyang and relieved their fatigue from the long journey. 

And they entered the palace and greeted the king.

We have returned, Your Majesty.

Yes. You have worked hard, gentlemen. I heard that things went well in the Empire. Thanks to you, I can rest assured.

Lee Yeok welcomed the delegation led by Yi Hwang and Lee Yi very warmly. 

This was also true for most of the court officials in Joseon.

After the conspiracy that involved most of the existing privileged groups, a lot of blood was shed in Joseon.

Lee Yeok tried to uproot the power of the privileged groups with his overwhelming force. 

The conspiracy gave legitimacy to everything he did.

And the reformist newcomers filled their places. 

Yi Hwang and his reformists were already on the same boat with Lee Yeok.

Lee Yeok smiled brightly at Yi Hwang. But he had a different thought in his mind.

I cant trust all of these reformists.

He didnt fully trust the reformists. 

Of course, he felt the immense power of the Empire firsthand, and he recently experienced the necessity of reform by trying out the railway.

But that was one thing, and his lifelong dream of strengthening royal power was another story.

I must achieve an absolute monarchy like the Wakan Tanka Empire. To reform like them, I have to do the same, dont I?

But the situation in Joseon was different from that of the Empire.

Although he had a strong legitimacy as a descendant of living spirit, he was not an immortal being like the Emperor of the Empire.

He had the same lifespan as others. 

Of course, he accepted the Empires medicine and cured his chronic illness.

Thanks to that, Lee Yeok, who should have died long ago in the original history, was still alive and healthy and ruled as the king of Joseon.

But Lee Yeok knew well. 

That his death was not far away.

The crown prince will never escape from the hands of his subjects.

This was his last goal.

Lee Yeok sorted out his thoughts and said this.

I heard that many talented people came from the Empire.

That is true. They are all resting at their lodgings. As soon as Your Majesty orders, they will move.

That is good news indeed. Then do not delay and execute the plans you have made so far.

We are grateful for your grace, Your Majesty!

Soon after, a loud cheer from Yi Hwang and his reformists echoed in the air.

***

Then they started their actions in earnest.

First of all, in court, they released a huge amount of food from the Empire.

Oh my! Whats the point of farming this year The grain is so cheap!

They didnt have to worry about starving because there was plenty of food, but they couldnt buy other things that were relatively more valuable than farming alone.

It was much better to do something else at that time.

Then, they started recruiting these tenant farmers in court.

Why bother farming now? It only fills up your landlords bellies, and you cant get much for your leftover food anyway. Isnt that right?

Yes!

But His Majesty feels sorry for you and wants to hire you.

Hire? What does that mean?

The farmers tilted their heads at this unfamiliar word. 

The man raised his voice again.

It means that if you help with whats going on in court, theyll give you money. This is very different from corvee! Those who are hired by court will get all their meals for free, and they will be paid a generous salary!

Is that really true?

Oh my! His Majesty cares so much for us

In fact, at this time, Lee Yeoks popularity was very good among the people. 

All they needed was to eat well and live well.

Thanks to Lee Yeok, smallpox prevention methods spread widely in Joseon. 

And with the introduction of Empire medicine, other diseases were also better treated than before.

Not only that, but also thanks to the continuous influx of food from the Empire, people no longer starved, and their lives became more prosperous with various products from the Empire.

How could Lee Yeoks popularity be bad in this situation? 

And when Lee Yeok cared so much for their lives, the peoples sentiment toward him was sky-high.

Ill go too!

Me too!

As a result, many tenant farmers who poured out onto the streets were hired by the Empire.

Joseon was a rural-centered society. 

When tenant farmers suddenly poured out onto the streets, their number was enormous.

Oh, you guys! Where are you going, leaving your fields behind?

Leave now! There is no reason for us to stay here any longer!

Despite the landlords attempts to stop them, many tenant farmers left the rural areas. 

As a result, many fields were left uncultivated in a short time.

What are we going to do about this

The landlords were in a panic, but there was nothing they could do in the face of the overwhelming trend.

We have to drive out those wicked reformists!

Thats right! We cant stay like this!

But these were just empty shouts. 

They had eyes and ears. 

They knew that the chances of success were low if they tried to rebel against the formidable weapons of pistols and machine guns.

And many of the tenant farmers who used to support them had also left

This is the end. The change of the times can no longer be stopped.

Many scholars despaired, and some prepared to adapt to the flow of the times.

There are so many of them. Well then, lets start the development of Joseon in earnest.

Yes!

With Yi Hwangs declaration, the reformist officials distributed the crowds of people who had flocked in, and invested them in various developments.

They developed iron ore, coal, and limestone mines, and based on them, they built ironworks and steel mills. 

They also produced bricks, cement, and concrete.

The biggest reason they could do this was, of course, the existence of the technicians who came from the empire. 

They devoted themselves to the development of Joseon.

This is the only time we can get them cheap.

Yi Hwang thought as he visited various development sites. 

Now that food prices were low, it was easy to supply food to the workers and wages were also low.

And he couldnt guarantee how long the technicians who came to Joseon would stay.

So he had to achieve as much as possible now.

Thats how Joseons industry began to expand rapidly.