After creating the first fully functional engine and several more following it, engines were produced continuously without error.
There was plenty of coal, both from the Japanese and Chinese stock I had gathered, and since I had purchased a significant amount of scrap metal, there was no shortage of materials or raw supplies.
Furthermore, there was enough sand required for making the castings.
As engine production got on track, Fridolf Gek began constructing ships to be equipped with these engines.
Of course, these were fishing boats where only the engine was made of iron while the hull was made of wood.
Fridolf Gek was primarily a man who built schooners without engines, but he was not entirely without experience in powered vessels and knew well what was required for them.
Naturally, I had pre-purchased the necessary supplies for manufacturing powered ships.
Seeing engine production completely on track and Fridolf Gek immersed in ship construction, I headed for Wonsan on a newly purchased ship.
The new ship had been registered as Japanese from the start, and the shipping company was also established as a Japanese corporation.
However, because the Captain, Shevelev, was Russian and the other navigators brought by Shevelev were also Russian, there was a high possibility that Joseon people would perceive it as a Russian ship rather than a Japanese one.
So, was I unable to enter Wonsan?
Nothing of the sort happened; I entered Wonsan Port amidst a warm welcome.
Based on the usual behavior of Joseon officials, if they had realized the captain and some crew members were Russian, they would have questioned their nationality and never permitted entry, no matter how many documents I showed proving the ship’s nationality or company was Japanese.
However, the Joseon officials, having tasted the money I sprinkled last time, were merely waiting for my return and did not care in the slightest that the captain or some crew members were Russian.
The Magistrate of Deokwon, to which Wonsan belonged, said: “I have heard that civilized and enlightened Japan sometimes employs foreigners as crew. What matters is whether the ship is of Japanese nationality or not; what does the appearance of the crew have to do with anything?”
I had also grown quite a bit in stature and age. In this era, if one was working at this age, most treated them as an adult.
Although the Magistrate of Deokwon was a little surprised when he first saw me, he now treated me completely as an adult.
“I wish to establish a permanent trade office in Wonsan to handle matters related to the purchase of rice. Would that be possible?”
“Since the treaty already allows for the opening of trade offices, there is no reason why it cannot be done.”
“Is there a suitable location? If you permit me a suitable piece of land, we will build the residential buildings and warehouses ourselves.”
“There is plenty of vacant land in Wonsan, so please choose as you like.”
I spread out a map of the Wonsan Port area and, pointing to a fairly large section of vacant land, I drew a circle with my finger and said: “I would like to purchase this much. Would that be possible?”
The Magistrate of Deokwon asked with a bit of surprise as I pointed to a much larger plot than he had expected.
“Do you truly need such a vast piece of land?”
“I need a somewhat large area to lay out streets like this. Wonsan will grow in the future, so it is necessary to set aside streets like this now. Buildings can then be erected on both sides centered around these streets.”
“You intend to build the streets yourself?”
“A thirsty man must dig his own well. Since no one else is going to do it for me, it is better that I step forward early.”
The coast of Wonsan Port was a place where farming itself was impossible, so the land prices were very low.
Since the Joseon people did not yet have a concept of real estate development, I was able to buy the land at a very cheap price.
Furthermore, I requested to build a harbor.
This part was also included in the treaty, so there were no particular problems.
“Wonsan can only accommodate small Joseon boats, not the giant ships built in the West. I want to build facilities where ships of about 2,000 tons can dock. Of course, I will do it with my own money, so the Magistrate only needs to grant permission.”
A pier facility capable of docking 2,000-ton ships was not a small project, even to a Joseon person ignorant of external affairs.
When I stepped forward to do it purely with my own wealth, the Magistrate of Deokwon’s mouth hung open.
Then, I handed a chocolate box to the Magistrate of Deokwon and said: “This is a Western snack called chocolate, which children like very much. Please take it and give it to your children.”
The Magistrate of Deokwon already had a hunch when he received the heavy chocolate box, and when he peeked under the lid, he saw a heavy gold bar inside.
With the help of the gold bar greeting him with a ‘hello’ from inside the chocolate box, all matters regarding the construction of the pier were resolved without any trouble.
After resolving the real estate issues in the Wonsan area and entering the building I had rented last time, a multitude of people flocked to meet me.
Naturally, they were all people wishing to sell me rice.
After I had purchased rice a few months ago at a price more than 50% higher than what the Japanese were paying, the people of Wonsan said they had been waiting only for me.
A broker I had traded with last time came and asked: “Will you buy it for 3 yen per Japanese suk this time as well?”
“I bought it for that much last time, so I should buy it for that much this time too.”
“The complaints from other Japanese merchants are immense.”
“So, are they causing some kind of riot?”
“It’s not that, but similar things have happened. There was even a knife fight because someone who had already contracted with a down payment tried to break the contract by paying the penalty.”
“My goodness, was anyone hurt?”
“Fortunately, they dodged and weren’t hurt, and the merchant who caused the disturbance was detained by the Japanese police. What I want to say is that such a disturbance could happen to you.”
“I understand. I will be especially careful from now on.”
Well, even though I said that, I just had to avoid meeting the Japanese merchants, and even if I did meet them, there was almost no chance I would be bested by them.
Even when I was in a child’s body, I was fully capable of fighting adults; now that my body has grown and I have the stature of an average adult, there are few who can truly be my match.
Furthermore, Bittu Singh and Chitt Singh are guarding me, so average people cannot even approach me.
And as it turned out, most of the Japanese merchants who had come to Wonsan had withdrawn.
Thinking they couldn’t do business in Wonsan because they couldn’t compete with me on price, most had withdrawn to Busan.
They supposedly left cursing, saying that after they left, I would buy the rice for a pittance, but I have no intention of doing that.
In the first place, this isn’t about making money; it’s about screwing over Japan.
The Japanese merchants who came to Wonsan to buy rice are just small fry, so they probably aren’t thinking of a grand future where they become the vanguard of Japan swallowing Korea.
However, the bastards who created the background for these events behind them are different.
Since they overthrew the Edo Shogunate and seized power in Japan as people from Choshu and Satsuma, the only thing they have learned from abroad is the behavior of Imperialism, and they are constantly eyeing Joseon as a target to project this onto.
Their very nature is that of people who try to solve all problems with force, and who believe that Imperialism is the only true value of this era.
Knowing that, I cannot just leave them be.
It might be better to eliminate these guys even for the sake of Japan’s future, but honestly, that’s too much even for me, so I should at least try to block the wild ambition they are directing at Joseon.
I hired a few reliable people from among the brokers I had traded with last time and put them in charge of managing the newly established trade office.
I had them buy up all the rice currently being offered to me at 3 yen per Japanese suk, and instructed them to continue buying rice for 3 Japanese Silver Coins in the future. Additionally, I permitted them to make advance contracts for unharvested crops.
I also entrusted them with the disposal of the Western goods I had brought, and paid them 1,000 Japanese Silver Coins in advance as operating expenses.
The problem was that Japanese yen silver coins did not circulate well inside Joseon.
Woo Man-seok, the broker who had become the General Manager of the new Wonsan trade office, said: “To be honest, there are many times when Japanese Silver Coins are inconvenient to trade with in Joseon. Merchants like the Songsang, Mansang, or Nae-sang accept silver coins well, but they are unfamiliar money to the peddlers who mainly trade within Joseon.”
“Then what is mainly used for trading?”
“It’s the brass coins.”
“By brass coins, I understand it’s very chaotic with the Sangpyeong Tongbo, Dangbaekjeon, Dang-ojeon, Cheongjeon, and so on. Even so, do the brass coins circulate the best?”
“Since people have traded with them for a long time, even if it’s chaotic, the common people outside the treaty ports ultimately think of brass coins as money.”
Damn it, even the people of Hamgyeong-do Gyeongheung-bu where I lived valued the Ruble more, and silver was as good as cash, but it seems the people of Gyeongheung-bu were just too advanced.
“Which among the brass coins circulates the most?”
“The Dangbaekjeon is only recognized by its weight, and the Cheongjeon or Sangpyeong Tongbo have such low value that these days the Dang-ojeon is mainly valued.”
“Do you happen to have any Dang-ojeon?”
“I happen to have a few coins.”
Woo Man-seok took a few brass coins out of his pocket and showed them to me.
Perhaps because I have plenty of gold, silver, and copper in my inventory, I can tell the content of these three metals just by touching them.
Other metals don’t work, but I can determine the content of exactly those three: gold, silver, and copper.
I said, putting on an expression as if I were guessing by weight: “With this much, it certainly contains more copper than the Sangpyeong Tongbo.”
“I suppose so, since it circulates at five times the value of the Sangpyeong Tongbo.”
“Are there no counterfeits of this?”
Counterfeiting refers to the private minting of coins.
“Fortunately, there don’t seem to be any of those.”
No counterfeits? As if that were possible.
Even if there are no private counterfeiters, the quality would definitely be inconsistent since various government offices would be minting them.
I even thought, ‘Should I try making and spreading these?’
However, after thinking it over, I decided against it because it seemed like a lot of effort for very little profit.
“Well, if that’s how it is in Joseon, it can’t be helped. Use the money and materials I gave you to exchange them for Joseon brass coins. Since brass coins have value even if melted down for copper, it doesn’t matter if you collect them.”
After the work was roughly finished, I took the rice purchased in Wonsan and went to Yokohama.
A solid sales outlet had already been established in Yokohama, and I handed over the rice and beans purchased in Wonsan to them.
Since it was just time to harvest the rice in Sidimi, I traveled back and forth to Sidimi a few more times to transport the rice.
The rice harvest in Sidimi was already enormous; a total of over 5,000 tons of rice was harvested from the 2,000 Dessiatine of land.
Converting that into Japanese suk, it was over 34,000 suk, an amount that would require a 2,000-ton ship to make three trips.
Including the rice purchased from Joseon, it totaled over 40,000 suk, and I was able to sell it for 7 yen 80 sen per suk, receiving a total payment of over 310,000 yen.
The Japanese Misang who handed me the money said: “Thanks to you, our situation has improved too. But is President Yuli Briner not coming anymore?”
They still believed Yuli Briner was the real President and that I was his Japanese subordinate.
“President Briner has now entrusted all matters in this field to me.”
“Well, if it’s you, you’re trustworthy enough to be left in charge, despite your age.”
“That’s that, but I heard there are machines made in Japan lately; could I get a few of them?”
“What kind of machines do you mean?”
“I’m just curious because I heard there are some Western machines made in Japan.”
In fact, I was curious about the current level of Japan’s technology.
“There isn’t much that’s useful. Especially for someone like you who is well-versed in foreign affairs.”
“Still, since there might be something useful, please get me some.”
The Misang found it strange that I was looking for odd things, but a few days later, he obtained a few of them for me.
the items the Misang obtained were quite crude.
Only a treadle thresher and a hand-cranked winnower were somewhat usable; the rest weren’t very good.
A treadle thresher is a human-powered machine that threshes grain when you step on the pedal, and a winnower is a machine that fans away the chaff to sort the grain when you turn the handle.
They were extremely primitive machines, but that’s why they were actually useful in the Japanese countryside now, and I thought they might be useful in the Joseon countryside as well.
However, the item brought as a loom was lower in quality than Chinese looms.
I hadn’t obtained these items to do anything with them; I just wanted to know Japan’s current level of technology, and these were sufficient for that.
In a few more years, Japan will produce superior items, but not yet.
***
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