The incident where thirty-seven Honghuzi were killed in Sidimi quickly spread around Primorsky Krai, and the prestige of Mikhail Yankovsky and the Joseon people of Sidimi became known to everyone in the area.
However, my name was not known at all because I had requested the people not to reveal my contribution.
The main reason was that if a young Joseon person stood out too much, it might draw resentment from the Russian Army.
Everyone else agreed, and since the Joseon people also gave their full consent, my name was not put forward.
After spring arrived, I joined the Russian Orthodox Church.
To operate in Russia, it was convenient to obtain Russian citizenship, and even if I didn’t get it immediately, being registered in the Russian Orthodox Church would make things much easier.
Among the Russian Trio, only Mikhail Yankovsky had converted to the Russian Orthodox Church, so Mikhail Yankovsky became my Godfather.
My official Russian name became Viktor Mikhailovich Lee.
In any case, after this great battle against the Honghuzi, the Russians and the Sidimi Joseon people became closer, and I also grew closer to them.
As spring came, Yuli Briner began to frequent Vladivostok quite often.
I asked Yuli Briner, who was heading out to Vladivostok again, “Why on earth do you go to Vladivostok so frequently?”
“I’m a merchant, so I’m looking for something I could take and sell in Shanghai or Hankou in China.”
Hankou was a city that would later become part of Wuhan.
It was located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, but as a city opened to foreigners, it was frequented by many Western merchants.
“So, did you find any good products?”
Yuli Briner let out a sigh.
“I can’t find anything at all.I thought furs might be good for business, but Shanghai isn’t really an area where furs sell well. On top of that, the fur traders won’t hand over their goods to me. In the end, sea cucumbers or kelp are things I could sell, but the owners for those are already decided, so I can’t get my hands on them.”
“Then how about we try harvesting some kelp? There’s plenty of kelp in the waters off Sidimi. Sea cucumbers might be difficult for now since we’d have to go underwater, but kelp is possible.”
“Do you think the people will want to do it?”
“I’ll try to persuade them first.”
The best kelp harvesting method of this era was to go out to sea in a small boat and use a long pole with a sickle attached to cut and lift the kelp.
A few people and I went out on Fridolf Gek’s Schooner and tried harvesting kelp using poles with sickles.
We managed to haul up quite a bit of kelp, and while it looked like a lot when we first pulled it up, after drying it, it didn’t seem like enough to justify a trading trip all the way to China.
“Yuli, we couldn’t possibly go to China with just this much, right?”
“It would probably be difficult with this.
I’m not sure if this would even cover the boat fare.”
“Then how about we go to Joseon and get some?”
“In Joseon? Is that possible?”
“I’m a Joseon person, so why wouldn’t it be? If it’s too difficult for me alone, I can go with Uncle Taeseok.”
I am the son of a Smuggler who lived by smuggling between Russia and Joseon, and Uncle Taeseok was not just a farmer in the village.
In the first place, unless you owned a significant amount of land, it was difficult to make a living solely through farming in the harsh land of Hamgyeong-do.
Uncle Taeseok had done many things, including hunting, and among them was taking fish from Myeongcheon or Cheongjin and selling it inland or at the Chinese border.
Uncle Taeseok’s wife, Aunt Cheonjin-daek, as her nickname suggested, was from Cheongjin, one of the representative ports of Hamgyeong-do.
Uncle Taeseok had traveled to Cheongjin so often that he had connections there, which even led to their marriage.
“When I asked Uncle Taeseok, he said we can buy quite a lot of kelp if we go to Myeongcheon or Cheongjin. Besides that, if we look around, we might find other things to sell in China.”
“I still can’t let you do something dangerous just for me.”
“Then how about this: if I buy the goods in Joseon, you take me to Shanghai and Hankou in exchange?”
“Take you to Shanghai?”
“Yes. I want to see China and Japan, and eventually even Europe or the United States. Since other people know how to use the machinery now, there are plenty of people to handle the land reclamation.I want to go abroad once.”
“If your goal is to go abroad, you don’t need to do such a dangerous task.I’ll take you whenever you want.”
“But since there’s boat fare involved, it’s better to have something to sell.”
“Even if you are a Joseon person and returning isn’t a problem, you are still a child. If a child steps out to do business, your goods will be snatched away, and there’s no telling what else might happen to you. absolutely cannot allow it.”
“I’m not going alone; I can go with Uncle Taeseok.
I didn’t intend to do business all by myself anyway.
It just so happens that Uncle Taeseok’s in-laws are in Cheongjin, so he won’t be under any suspicion if he goes there.”
Ultimately, Yuli no longer opposed my going to Joseon, and Uncle Taeseok actively agreed with the idea of going to Cheongjin.
He had been thinking about visiting his in-laws to check on them, so this was a good opportunity.
There was no reason to doubt Fridolf Gek’s navigation skills, and sneaking onto the beach at night was an easy task.
And even if we were caught, officials in northern Joseon these days would do anything for a bribe, so bringing a bolt or two of Calico would solve any problem.
Seon-hui took out the Hanbok I had set aside, ironed it, and placed a straw hat on my head.
“Seriously, why did you cut your hair like a low-born person and cause this trouble?”
“It’s because I didn’t think I’d ever have to go back to Joseon.
How was I supposed to know I’d be going back like this?”
“Anyway, if anyone says anything about your hair, tell them you had to shave it once because of a scalp disease.”
“Can’t I just say I’m a novice monk who ran away from a temple?”
Jeong-sun, who was helping nearby, chimed in, “If you say you’re a runaway monk, they’ll think you stole those goods from the temple and try to take them.
Just do as Seon-hui says.”
Aunt Cheonjin-daek spoke as she placed a Gat on Uncle Taeseok’s head.
“Make sure to tell my mother, my brother, and my sister-in-law that I’m doing well, and deliver this money safely.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not like I haven’t been to my in-laws once or twice. Why are you worrying? If you’re that concerned, you should come with us.”
“How can I go when I know I’ll just be in the way? Just make sure to pass on my regards.”
I was dressed in a Baji-jeogori with a simple straw hat, so I just looked like a commoner boy, but Uncle Taeseok looked quite impressive in a white Durumagi and a Gat.
As long as a man in Joseon wasn’t of a status forbidden from wearing a Gat or too desperately poor to afford one, he usually owned one, and Uncle Taeseok was no exception.
A Gat was an expensive item and an essential piece of headwear for formal occasions, so he had naturally brought it in a bamboo case when crossing the border into Russia.
Now, wearing the Gat and Durumagi, he looked like a respectable adult of the Joseon commoner class.
Fridolf Gek dropped the two of us off at a beach near Cheongjin, along with four horses heavily loaded with packs and two horses for us to ride.
We could have brought more horses, but having too many might attract attention, so we decided to take only six horses in total, including the ones we rode.
Landing on the beach at night, even Uncle Taeseok, who had frequented Cheongjin, was a bit lost for a moment.
Fortunately, we found a house where we could sleep and get directions.
One might worry about meeting bandits in Joseon, but we each had two revolvers tucked into our clothes.
The Frontier Bulldog—a Belgian-made revolver based on the American Colt Single Action Army—featured a much smaller size and a low price of less than four dollars as its main weapon.
It was a cheap handgun, but it was sufficient for killing, and its small size allowed one to carry several.
As I entered Joseon, I had four tucked into the horse saddles and two in my clothes.
What if using a gun caused problems?
Using firearms is a problem in the Republic of Korea, but Joseon is a country where using firearms is not a problem at all.
Joseon is a country that sells matchlocks even in rural marketplaces, and there is no such thing as an aggravated penalty for using a gun.
Even if one were caught by the authorities, the use of a gun wouldn’t be the issue; whether or not one had the ability to pay a bribe would determine the outcome.
As long as you have the means to bribe the officials, Joseon is a very comfortable country to live in.
We originally intended to visit Uncle Taeseok’s in-laws first, but Uncle Taeseok disagreed.
“Thinking about it, the in-laws might already know that my wife and I crossed over to Russia. If that’s the case, the villagers might know too. Instead of causing potential problems by going there first, it would be better to stop by on our way back.”
It was a valid point, so we passed Cheongjin and went down to Myeongcheon.
By this time, commerce in Joseon was quite developed, with merchant houses scattered throughout the country, and there were several in Myeongcheon as well.
We looked for a Bohaeng-Gaekju, entrusted our horses, and unpacked.
A Bohaeng-Gaekju is a type of merchant house that provides lodging for travelers; for people like us with four horses loaded with goods, it was better to pay to stay in such a place.
If we stayed at a common inn to save money, our luggage might be stolen, and even if not, sleeping in a common room swarming with lice and fleas is a misery.
Lice and fleas were a problem, but in an inn’s common room, all sorts of people had to sleep tangled together.
We might have tolerated it before, but now we detested such things.
Usually, these Bohaeng-Gaekju were used by merchants, but occasionally wealthy nobles used them as well.
While they could have stayed at another noble’s house for a night, some found it more comfortable to just pay for lodging like this.
One guest who appeared to be a merchant saw us arrive with six horses and asked Taeseok while pointing at me, “Why does a man leading four packhorses only have one low-born child as an attendant? Did you perhaps get separated from your party?”
“Though this child is young, his skill in handling horses is a talent adults cannot match. That is why I only travel with him. Furthermore, since he is still young and it’s embarrassing for him to show his bare head, I have him wear a straw hat; he is not low-born.”
When we were in the village, Uncle Taeseok was just a familiar neighbor, but out here, he acted the part of a dignified adult well.
“The goods seem quite plentiful; what do you have?”
“It’s nothing much. I have a bit of Calico and some Western goods to dispose of, and I’m thinking of buying some kelp here in Myeongcheon or Cheongjin.”
“Aren’t Calico and Western items goods prohibited by law?”
“What old-fashioned talk is that? If you go down to Dongrae, Calico and Western goods are scattered everywhere. It’s been a long time since the ban on Calico was lifted when Daewon-wi Hap-ha stepped down. Why are you picking a fight?”
Last year, in 1876, the Treaty of Ganghwa was signed, opening Busan, Wonsan, and Incheon to Japan.
In fact, Busanpo opened first, and as Japanese merchants flooded in, Western goods became relatively easy to obtain.
“Busanpo may have opened, but many goods haven’t been released yet. That’s why they usually go to big investors and don’t reach merchants like us easily. So, seeing many Western goods in this northern region, I was curious where they came from.”
“I am not a peddler; I am leading horses like this.
Why wouldn’t I be able to carry such goods?”
Uncle Taeseok, wanting to dispose of the goods quickly, had spoken about them, but he seemed angry that the other person kept being confrontational as if they had some hidden motive.
“Calico and Western goods aren’t specifically prohibited items, so why do you keep picking a fight like this?”
“A fight? I was merely concerned, seeing as you are transporting precious goods with only a child.”
***