My meeting with Zuo Zongtang ended just like that.
Zuo Zongtang regarded me as nothing more than a somewhat unusual child, and for my part, I preferred it that way.
I didn’t know exactly when Zuo Zongtang would die, but since it was certain he would pass away much earlier than Li Hongzhang, there was no reason to go out of my way to build a deep connection with him.
However, I had wanted to see the face of a giant like Zuo Zongtang at least once and check if Zuo Zongtang’s Faction was truly his creation.
In the end, it seemed that Zuo Zongtang’s Faction and Zuo Zongtang himself were unrelated.
Zuo Zongtang wrote several letters of introduction for me.
As I left the meeting behind, Wang Guk-seong asked me a question.
“Myeong-jin, I knew you were knowledgeable and had excellent taste, but I didn’t realize your insight was that deep. Do you truly believe that the Gyeong-jang being carried out by Daein Zuo and other ministers of The Royal Court will fail?”
“It won’t be a complete failure. There will be some degree of achievement. However, when dealing with the West and Japan, that level of success won’t yield the desired results.”
“Is that small country of Japan truly a threat to China?”
“They are carrying out real reforms on a level that neither China nor Joseon is attempting. Within ten years, those results will become evident.”
Wang Guk-seong was a typical Chinese person of this era, and he did not believe my words.
“Even so, how could that tiny Japan be a match for China, which is dozens of times larger?”
“Did the United Kingdom or France defeat China because they were larger countries? Japan imitates the West and learns diligently, while China does not. The gap in national power between the two will gradually shrink, and eventually, their power will be reversed.”
Wang Guk-seong shook his head and changed the subject.
“Let’s stop talking about things I can’t control. Do you see anything in Hanyang that might be worth some money?”
“Brother, you are a Geoin. Are you planning to go into business?”
Even though Wang Guk-seong lived under his wife’s thumb, he was surprisingly well-regarded for his literary talent.
According to people, he had a high chance of passing the Huishi if he applied himself.
If one passes the Huishi, the next exam, the Jeonshi, merely determines the ranking of the successful candidates, so it is effectively the same as passing the civil service examination officially.
Even a man like Zuo Zongtang treated someone who was merely a Geoin like Wang Guk-seong with respect, so his calligraphy and prose must have been of a truly high standard.
“It’s not that I need to do business since my wife is here, but I just want to earn a bit of pocket money.”
“I know that Sister treats you harshly, but please don’t gamble.”
“I know that too, so don’t worry. I’m aware that if a person like me goes to a gambling den, I’ll only end up losing money.”
“That is true. Gambling dens have countless ways to fleece people, and if you get caught up in them, you lose everything.”
Even without Wang Guk-seong’s prompting, I had been looking for something profitable while I was in Hanyang, but nothing particularly caught my eye.
“If I had come here to do business instead of following Sister’s orders, I would have planned something and brought merchandise, but right now, I don’t see anything. Everything I see requires large capital, and that’s not what you’re looking for, is it?”
“Living off the allowance you give me, I have no business doing such large-scale trade. That sort of thing is for my wife to handle anyway.”
“By the way, Brother, you have excellent calligraphy. Do you also know how to appraise calligraphic or painterly works?”
“I know a little, but it’s just a hobby. I’m not at a professional level.”
“I see.”
Since the topic of calligraphy had come up, I mentioned a few names I knew.
“Then, would it be possible to obtain works by people like He Shaoji, Zhao Zhiqian, or Wu Changshuo?”
These men were the calligraphers of the era.
They were people who established their own schools in Chinese calligraphic history during this time, and in the future, they would become immensely famous.
“He Shaoji died a few years ago. Zhao Zhiqian is a seal engraver, and Wu Changshuo lives in Shanghai, so I know of him. Are you saying you want to buy their works?”
“Yes. If you can find their works, I will reward you. Could you also find works by Deng Shiru?”
“Deng Shiru lived a hundred years ago, and since many people look for his work, it’s quite difficult to find now. But if you provide the money, nothing is impossible.”
“Besides those, I can also find people who would pay ten thousand Chinese Silver Taels for antiques like the Mao Gong Ding or the Daeyu Ding.”
“I’ve heard stories of the Mao Gong Ding and the Daeyu Ding, but I doubt they are authentic. You’re saying someone would pay ten thousand for them?”
“They should be authentic. If that’s not possible, I would provide a great reward even just for the rubbings of them.”
These would all later become national treasures, and at this time, it might actually be possible to obtain them.
Even if I didn’t get greedy and buy them myself, obtaining the rubbings would be a huge help in deciphering the Oracle Bone Script that would be discovered later.
The characters written on these items were exactly in the middle between Oracle Bone Script and Seal Script.
“You don’t seem particularly well-read in poetry or literature, yet you know these names quite well.”
“I just happened to hear them by chance. Regardless, if you get me seal engravings by Zhao Zhiqian or Wu Changshuo, I will reward you.”
Even if Deng Shiru and He Shaoji were already dead, people like Zhao Zhiqian and Wu Changshuo were still alive, so their works could be obtained quite cheaply at this point.
I left those words behind and went from Hanyang to Shanghai.
Lee Geom-min still had work to do, and I thought about going with Wang Guk-seong, but I avoided it because it might provoke Lee Geom-min’s anger if Wang Guk-seong happened to meet a kisaeng later.
This trip to Hanyang seemed like it had no results, but since I obtained Zuo Zongtang’s letters of introduction, it wasn’t a total loss.
With these letters, I would be able to meet other giants like Li Hongzhang or Zhang Zhidong in the future.
Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang were said to be bitter rivals, but it wasn’t to the point where he wouldn’t write a letter, so he wrote it willingly.
Upon arriving in Shanghai, before meeting Yuli Briner, I cashed out a bit of gold at the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.
With this, my account held about 500,000 pounds, excluding what I had invested with Morgan.
In May 1880, Wonsan finally opened to Japan. I also entered Wonsan aboard a 1,200-ton ship.
How did I get in when I wasn’t Japanese?
There’s always a way.
First, looking at my appearance, it’s impossible for Joseon officials to tell if I’m Japanese or from Joseon.
The same goes for the Japanese.
And I found a Japanese man to act as a proxy.
His name was Sugiyama.
Finding a proxy like this is as easy as pie if you just provide the money.
The problem was that Yuli Briner insisted on following me to the end, arguing that he could just lie and say he was a white man of Japanese nationality.
However, there was no way the people of Joseon would accept such nonsense, so I firmly cut him off.
“Unlike Japanese officials, Joseon officials never change their minds once they say no. When Japan first tried to open the ports, there were Joseon people who refused to meet them just because they wore Western clothes. There’s no way they’ll accept a white man like you, Yul. Wait just a few years, and white people will be able to come and go in Joseon too.”
I shook him off, and after even leaving behind my bodyguards Bittu Singh and Chitt Singh, I was finally able to enter Wonsan.
Even though the port was open, Wonsan didn’t have facilities for a 1,200-ton ship to dock.
I anchored the ship in the waters off Wonsan and entered the port on a small boat.
Sugiyama, the proxy, was a very timid man, and he was full of worries.
“Director, is it really okay to go in under such a deception?”
“Do I look like a person from Joseon to you?”
“No, but even if we deceive the Joseon officials, couldn’t the Japanese officials make it an issue?”
“Is there any problem with my Japanese? Everything is fine, so don’t worry.”
The few Japanese people who had seen me in Japan only saw me working as a translator for Yuli Briner, and all of them believed I was Japanese.
Among the Japanese merchants who had come to Wonsan, I had arrived on the largest ship.
Even though they were Japanese merchants, they weren’t big players; most were small-scale traders.
Most of the ships they arrived in were small sailing vessels like a Schooner, and steamships were very rare.
In such a situation, when I appeared on a massive 1,200-ton ship, the people of Joseon even crowded the harbor just to get a look.
The official who greeted me was also surprised by the ship I had brought and asked, “Is that truly a Japanese ship?”
“Yes, it is a Japanese ship.”
If I told the truth—that it was a ship chartered in Hong Kong—there was a risk they would tell me to leave because it wasn’t a Japanese-registered ship, so I just insisted it was Japanese.
It wasn’t like he was going to verify the affiliation.
“What goods have you brought?”
“Various Western items. There are needles, scissors, and thread. Also, Calico and Quinine.”
“It seems you intend to trade those for rice and beans, but I don’t know if there will be enough volume to fill that ship.”
“Since this is my first time doing business here, I don’t necessarily have to fill it all.”
“Be aware that if opium is discovered, you will be deported immediately.”
“We never handle things like opium, so please rest assured.”
Even though Japanese merchants could enter Wonsan, it was still impossible for them to freely leave the Wonsan area.
Everyone stayed in Wonsan harbor and contacted the Joseon merchants.
I also rented a building in the harbor and met with the locals.
The Joseon people were often surprised to hear me speak their language fluently.
“He says he’s Japanese, but how does he speak our language so well?”
“Is he not a Joseon man instead of a Japanese?”
“If he were one of our people, why would those Japanese men bow to him? He looks very young, but seeing how the Japanese bow to him like that, he must be a wealthy Japanese man despite his age.”
Trading with the people of Joseon was not easy.
The first problem I encountered was the currency of Joseon.
Because the monetary situation was so complex, it took ages just to convert the currency units.
The quality of the Sangpyeong Tongbo used in Joseon varied wildly depending on where it was minted.
On top of that, there was the Dangbaekjeon that the Daewongun had printed, and then low-value Qing Dynasty copper coins had also entered the mix.
Thus, even just accurately measuring the value of the currency was confusing for people.
In the end, the Japanese merchants ignored Joseon’s currency altogether and calculated everything in Japanese Silver Coins.
Japanese Silver Coins had high value and were minted to have the same value as the trade silver used throughout East Asia (mainly China), so it was easy for the Joseon people to calculate as well.
The products the Japanese merchants wanted were rice and beans.
A Seok in Joseon was smaller than a Seok in Japan.
Roughly 2 Joseon Seok equaled 1 Japanese Seok.
However, Joseon mostly calculated using unhusked paddy rice, while in Japan, it had to be milled into white rice to become the 1 Seok used in commerce.
Therefore, roughly 4 Joseon Seok equaled 1 Japanese Seok.
Even so, 1 Seok of Joseon rice didn’t even cost 1 Japanese Silver Coin yen.
By calculation, it was possible to purchase 1 Japanese Seok worth of rice for roughly 2 to 3 yen.
And if this rice was taken to Japan, it could be sold for 8 yen.
Thus, a single transaction could yield two or three times the profit.
So it was natural for Japanese merchants to flock to buy rice, and the Joseon merchants were just as aggressive, using all sorts of tricks to rip them off.
“So, if you sign the contract now, I’ll turn over the entire autumn harvest at the same price. Don’t you know about field-buying? Don’t you have that in Japan?”
“Of course we have it in Japan, but how can we trust you when we can’t even go to check the land?”
“It’s nearby, so we can go together. It’s inside Wonsan, so what’s stopping us?”
“What if we go deep inside and you stab us with a knife?”
“Then just don’t bring your money! Did you eat a Chinaman’s pants? Why are you so suspicious?”
The Japanese merchants had come to exploit Joseon, but the Joseon merchants were certainly not falling behind in their momentum to fleece the Japanese merchants right back.