Chronicles of a New Joseon — Episode 5
"I say, you there."
"……?"
"You there, yes, you. I wish to ask the way. If I go in this direction, where does it lead?"
"……."
"This road is unfamiliar to me, so I wish to know."
"……."
He was a peddler who looked a few years older than Seonghyeok.
At the peddler’s question, the crew members flinched.
Then Seonghyeok calmed the crew members and answered the peddler’s question.
He was able to tell him because he knew the landing point and had some knowledge of the surrounding terrain and geography.
"If you go this way, you will reach Hanbat. Forgive me, but where are you headed?"
"I intend to go to Cheongju."
"After you reach Hanbat, you should go north."
Having heard the answer, the peddler smiled brightly.
And he asked Seonghyeok again.
"Only, might you be a yangban?"
"Pardon?"
"Your manner of speech feels quite dignified, so I ask. Is that right?"
"Yes… I am a yangban."
"Is that so? I too am a yangban. Hahaha. Might I ask your honorable name?"
At the peddler’s question, the crew members tensed.
They felt they should flee without giving their names.
But Seonghyeok, without any tension at all, revealed his name.
"Of the Yu clan, with the 'Seong' meaning 'to achieve' and the 'Hyeok' meaning 'great,' I am called Yu Seonghyeok."
"The 'seong' of 'to achieve,' and the 'hyeok' of 'great.'"
"What is your honorable name?"
"Of the Yi clan, with the 'Seung' of 'to rise' and the 'Hun' of 'fragrance,' I write it so. My art name is Namgang."
"Namgang……?"
"I led a great merchant company in Pyeongan-do."
Seonghyeok fumbled through his memory and examined the historical knowledge he had absorbed from computers.
And within fragmentary knowledge, he found the sobriquet and name, Namgang Yi Seunghun.
A thrill ran through him at the fact that he had met him.
When that emotion showed on his face and he became flustered, Yi Seunghun smiled upon seeing Seonghyeok’s reaction.
"I am a peddler now. So do not be surprised. And thank you for showing me the way. If we meet again, I shall surely remember your name. Take care on your journey."
Namgang Yi Seunghun expressed his gratitude and tried to go on his way.
Seonghyeok, who had been shocked upon hearing his name, barely came to his senses.
Before he left, Seonghyeok asked the date.
"I beg your pardon, sir."
"Hmm?"
"There is something I wish to ask. Forgive me, but may I ask it?"
"Ask away."
"I am on my way to Dongnae on business, and I have a promised date and time, so I am confused and wish to know what day it is today. Might you be able to tell me?"
At Seonghyeok’s question, Yi Seunghun counted the days on his fingers and told him.
"It is the tenth day of the eighth month."
"The tenth?"
"Indeed."
"Can you tell me by the lunar calendar?"
"The lunar calendar? Did you not mistakenly mean the solar calendar?"
"Pardon?"
"It seems you ask of the solar calendar, so I shall tell you. Today is the twenty-eighth day of the ninth month. So do not be late for your promised day. It is a long way from here to Dongnae, so I hope you take care on your journey."
"……."
"I shall take my leave now."
"Take care. Thank you."
Yi Seunghun told Seonghyeok what day it was.
Seonghyeok bowed at the waist toward the departing Yi Seunghun, conveying his thanks.
And they grew so far apart that each looked like a dot.
The crew members came to Seonghyeok’s side and said that Yi Seunghun had been mistaken.
"Was it not the lunar calendar?"
"He was asked for the lunar calendar but told us the solar one. Well, well……."
Yi Seunghyeon and Kim Hyeonjin spoke to Seonghyeok.
Hearing the two speak, Seonghyeok said that Yi Seunghun had been right to speak of the solar calendar.
The lunar calendar could not be ahead of the solar calendar.
"August 10th is the lunar date, and September 28th is the solar date. The reason he told me the solar date even though I asked for the lunar one is probably because Joseon still uses the lunar calendar. So he must have thought I was asking about the solar calendar. Anyway, now that we know the date, there is no need to go all the way to a town. If we calculate the lunar and solar calendars, we can also know what year this is. We return without going to the village."
"Yes, Platoon Leader."
There had been a gain in meeting Yi Seunghun.
If they knew just the year and date, they could sufficiently know what events would happen afterward and how the world turned.
They took the shuttle and returned to the Hwanung.
They calculated the lunar and solar calendars to check what year it was.
The people gathered in the gravity room checked the date and fell silent.
The year in which the 10th day of the 8th lunar month and the 28th day of the 9th solar month coincided was 1895.
It was the year called Eulminyeon, the Year of the Wood Sheep.
An unimaginably great event was waiting in that year.
Kim Inseok checked what lay ahead and furrowed his brow.
"The Eulmi Incident… the assassination of Empress Myeongseong……."
Jang Seongho informed the people of the overall situation in the East.
"The people, angered by the tyranny of the Min clan, the family of Empress Myeongseong, rose up in the Donghak Peasant Movement. To counter this, Empress Myeongseong brought in Qing Dynasty troops. Because of that, the Japanese army also advanced into Joseon. The Treaty of Tianjin stipulated that both Qing and Japanese troops withdraw from Joseon, but when Qing troops came, the Japanese army advanced again. Afterward, the First Sino-Japanese War broke out, and when the Qing Dynasty lost, Japan took Liaodong, Qing territory. Russia looked upon this with displeasure. Combining forces with Germany and France, they carried out the Triple Intervention, and in the end, Japan was made to return the seized lands, including Liaodong, to the Qing. Seeing that……."
"Empress Myeongseong brought in Russia to check Japan, correct?"
"Correct. And so, feeling threatened, Japan made a preemptive strike before being driven out of Joseon. That is the Eulmi Incident. After that came the royal refuge at the Russian legation, the founding of the Korean Empire, the Russo-Japanese War, and the loss of sovereignty—all the events we know occur. The current situation in the East is a mess."
While Seonghyeok was away, Seonghan studied history.
He spoke with Jang Seongho and informed the people of the circumstances before and after the Eulmi Incident.
The Qing Dynasty, Japan, and Russia were vying for power around Joseon.
At the same time, the distant great powers of Britain, America, and France were also involved.
Amidst the complex world situation, Joseon’s circumstances were the worst.
At the very least, the authority that the Joseon royal house should lead was being swayed by the affairs of other nations.
That fact was deeply lamentable.
But the most important thing was the survival of the people aboard the Hwanung.
Kim Inseok asked Seonghan,
"In which country would it be best to lay our foundation?"
Seonghan asked back,
"If you were the Captain, where do you think would be best?"
"I believe Manager Yu would know better than I?"
He left the course to Seonghan and waited for an answer.
Seonghan, who had been looking at the map, pondered for a moment.
Then Heo Yun spoke to Seonghan.
"How about America? Since we’re starting anyway, wouldn’t it be good to start at max level?"
He imagined laying a foundation in the country that would become the strongest in the future.
That temptation was by no means small.
But Seonghan shook his head and said no.
"I thought that too. But America today is a completely different country from modern America. It is extremely white supremacist and imperialist. It is relatively better than the other great powers in its perception of Easterners, but if we went to America with nothing, we could suffer terribly. We must go to Joseon, even if it is difficult."
"……."
"The only people who can understand us are our ancestors. What do you think of this?"
No one raised an objection to Seonghan’s question.
Kim Shin, who was in charge of the medical team, answered.
"I have only studied medicine, so I do not know the details well, but I agree with Manager Yu. We must start in Joseon."
And Park Eunseong answered.
As the one in charge of the technical division, he spoke with a focus on technology.
"We have the knowledge and experience we know. And inside the computers are countless technologies that this era has not seen. Since we have decided to change history, it would be good to try making Joseon a great nation."
His expression was full of anticipation.
At Park Eunseong’s words, people smiled, and the heavy atmosphere lightened a little.
They imagined what kind of nation Joseon would have become if it had not perished and had succeeded in reform.
And the people of the Hwanung possessed the power to make it so.
They had to bring that power into full play.
Kim Inseok asked Seonghan,
"Then how shall we consolidate our foundation in Joseon?"
Seonghan answered,
"We shall begin by intervening in the Eulmi Incident. We must make use of Joseon’s power."
The sunset faded into darkness, and the sun, stained red, disappeared below the earth.
The moon and stars rose in the sky, and starlight settled upon the earth once more.
Light flashed brightly from the electric bulb hanging from the ceiling.
* * *
There was no longer any need to rely on oil lamps to drive away the darkness.
New civilization had reached Joseon and gifted it light, and Gyeongbokgung Palace was no longer a palace that trembled in the darkness, relying on small flames.
Electric bulbs were installed for the first time in the East at Geoncheonggung of Gyeongbokgung Palace.
When the Edison Electric Company installed the bulbs at Joseon’s request, neighboring nations regarded Joseon as impudent and looked unfavorably upon a small country claiming the word "first."
Therefore, the electric bulb was inevitably a source of Joseon’s pride.
Whenever they flickered, emitting light from the ceiling, a smile came to the lips of the one who had brought them in.
Joseon’s queen, Min Jayeong, read a book beneath the bright light of the electric bulbs.
While she was reading, a court lady raised her voice from outside.
"Your Majesty. It is the Training Battalion commander."
"Bid him enter."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Training Battalion commander received the summons and came to Gonnyeonghap, connected to Okhoru where the queen resided.
When the door opened, the commander entered wearing the uniform of the new-style army, removed his cap, and bowed at the waist.
And he sat facing Min Jayeong and discussed what he had been ordered to do.
Min Jayeong asked about the atmosphere in the Training Battalion.
"It has been decided to disband the Training Battalion. How do the officers and men react?"
The commander answered the queen’s question.
He was the one called Hong Gyehun, who had saved Min Jayeong from an attack by soldiers in the Imonyeon.
He spoke with a dark expression.
"It is not good. There is considerable resentment."
"Indeed. It is not an army that will devote its loyalty to the royal house, but one for the pro-Japanese faction. Since even the instructors are Japanese, it is better to sever the seeds of unrest in advance. When the Training Battalion is disbanded, you shall become the commander-in-chief of the Royal Guard. One army to protect the royal house is enough."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Min Jayeong promised Hong Gyehun, who was to be dismissed, a new position.
She was driven into a corner by the pro-Japanese enlightenment faction that bore resentment toward the Min clan.
She was preparing to counterattack by eliminating their army.
She intended to leave only the Royal Guard, which protected the royal house and the Min clan, to seize power once more and change Joseon according to her will.
News of the Training Battalion’s disbandment spread widely through the capital of Hanyang.
The news was also delivered to the Japanese legation built below Namsan.
The closed eyes of the Japanese minister, who had been chanting sutras, snapped open.