Chapter 149: The Science Teacher Who Fell into Joseon (1)
Kim Ji-hyun, the wife of Choi Seung-yong—who was acting a little strange—urged the physician anxiously.
“How is his condition? There’s nothing wrong, right?”
After finishing the pulse diagnosis, the physician bowed to Kim Ji-hyun and answered.
“Now, as long as he doesn’t move too vigorously until the wounds fully heal, he should be fine. However…”
“However?”
“From his expression, it seems there may be some issue with his memory.”
“What! What are you saying right now! Are you truly saying the Grand Prince has lost his memory?!”
“The surest way is to ask him directly.”
Kim Ji-hyun, with an expression of disbelief, spoke to Choi Seung-yong.
“Husband. Do you recognize who I am?”
“Uh… I’m sorry. It seems I’ve lost all my memories because of the injury.”
Seeing Choi Seung-yong speak politely, Kim Ji-hyun fainted on the spot, and the physician hurriedly checked her condition.
“Good heavens…”
Contrary to expectations that the news of Choi Seung-yong losing his memory would cause a huge uproar, surprisingly little happened.
In truth, there were two other Grand Princes above Choi Seung-yong, and he was practically an abandoned Grand Prince.
Of course, this fact was good news for Choi Seung-yong as well.
He asked this and that to the jimil nain Shim Ji-young, who had served him since childhood, gathering information about himself and the current situation.
“In the year of Gyeong-in… if Japan’s invasion hasn’t happened yet… that’s 1590? Meaning war breaks out in two years? And then twenty-nine years later, the Jeongmyo Horan. Nine years after that, the Byeongja Horan… This is a complete disaster. Anyway, thirty-one years from now I’ll be fifty-one since I’m twenty now… In the Joseon era, maybe I’ll die of natural causes? Then before that, shall I try conquering Asia? This time I even have a pretty wife. Hehe…”
Choi Seung-yong happily spun his delusions and began planning to conquer Asia.
Two months passed like that, and his body recovered enough to move around.
“Ughhh… Finally, I can get around properly. Shall we go then?”
Choi Seung-yong got up from his seat and headed toward Gyeongbokgung Palace.
Upon arriving inside Gyeongbokgung, one of the officials gestured for him to wait a moment before speaking.
“Your Majesty… the Third Grand Prince has arrived.”
—Let him enter.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Please enter, Grand Prince.”
Choi Seung-yong’s appearance caused a stir in Gyeongbokgung, but he paid it no mind at all.
Rather, he was impatient to meet the king, settle the matter, and start carrying out his plan.
Facing his father, who was also the king, Choi Seung-yong bowed once and then stood up.
The king spoke to him first.
“Are you well?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Father… It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that.”
“Because from now on, I might not be able to call you Father anymore.”
“What?”
“In two years. No… next year in May, the country of Wa will invade our Joseon.”
At Choi Seung-yong’s words, the king looked at him as if he were looking at a madman.
“The country of Wa has already accepted Western culture and possesses something called guns. And right now, they are preparing to invade Joseon.”
[TL Note: In Korean, “Wa” (倭 – 왜, wae) historically referred to Japan, derived from a Chinese character meaning dwarf or distant, though Japan now prefers 和 (wa) (harmony).]
“How do you know that?”
At the king’s question, Choi Seung-yong pointed to the sky.
“When I was hovering between life and death, Heaven told me.”
“…”
Uncertain whether to believe Choi Seung-yong’s words, the king eventually called over a nearby official and quietly gave instructions.
At the king’s command, the official hurriedly left the room. The king then spoke to Choi Seung-yong again.
“Then I shall secretly send people to investigate.”
“Next year, May. Until then, please allow me to use the nation’s wealth. If what I say turns out to be false, strip me of my title as Grand Prince… no, even execute me, and I will accept it without a word of complaint.”
The king frowned at the extremely drastic proposal.
“What exactly do you plan to use from the nation’s wealth?”
“I need funds to pay the people I will employ. And various metals and chemical materials…”
“I don’t know what ‘chemical materials’ are, but very well. I grant you the right to use one-tenth of the nation’s wealth.”
“Thank you.”
After successfully concluding the negotiation with the king, Choi Seung-yong immediately began searching for blacksmiths who were considered somewhat renowned in Joseon.
“How long do you think it will take?”
“Even just gathering them here in Hanyang will take at least half a year.”
“Damn it… Then for now, hurry and gather at least the blacksmiths in Hanyang.”
“Yes, Grand Prince.”
Because of Choi Seung-yong’s plan, Shim Ji-young had also become busier than ever.
“Making modern-style guns in less than two years is practically impossible… Even if we somehow manage to make some, it’ll only be a very small number… Rather than that…”
To overcome the approaching Imjin War, Choi Seung-yong decided he should focus on producing other weapons instead of guns for now.
[TL Note: The Imjin War was a series of two Japanese invasions of Korea: an initial invasion in 1592 also individually called the “Imjin War”, a brief truce in 1596, and a second invasion in 1597 called the Chŏngyu War]
“Let me show you the power of a 20-year military otaku science teacher.”
Choi Seung-yong spread out hanji paper and began sketching weapon blueprints with charcoal.
“The Industrial Revolution of Joseon. I’m the one who’s going to make it happen.”
A few days later.
Hearing that all the blacksmiths in Hanyang had been gathered, Choi Seung-yong went to meet them and threw out a question.
“Among you here, who handles iron the best?”
“…”
No blacksmith answered Choi Seung-yong’s question.
Then Shim Ji-young frowned and shouted at them.
“You scoundrels! How dare you not answer the Grand Prince’s question! Do you want to taste the stick until your buttocks turn blue?”
“We… We’re sorry. The truth is…”
The blacksmiths all said in unison that it was a blacksmith living in the neighboring village.
That blacksmith was none other than Jung Pil-gyu.
Before going to find Jung Pil-gyu, Choi Seung-yong showed the blacksmiths the weapon blueprints he had drawn.
“What do you think? Can you make this?”
“We can make it, but… what is it intended to be used for…?”
“It will be used to save the country. That means you all will become heroes who save the nation.”
“Oh…”
At the word “heroes,” the master blacksmiths in the forge became interested.
“While you work under me, you won’t have to worry about your wives and children going hungry, so give it your all.”
“Understood.”
After that, Choi Seung-yong immediately headed to the neighboring village.
After riding a horse for an hour, he arrived at the next village. Through asking around, he was able to reach Jung Pil-gyu’s house, which doubled as his forge.
“So this is the greatest forge in Joseon?”
With a sly expression, Choi Seung-yong stopped in front of the forge leading several people, took a deep breath, and shouted loudly.
“Come out here!”
For the first time, Choi Seung-yong tried saying the line he had seen in historical dramas.
However, when he saw the enormous figure of Jung Pil-gyu coming out of the forge, Choi Seung-yong regretted needlessly provoking him.
“Uh… well, you see…”
Fortunately, Shim Ji-young was standing right beside him.
“You there! What do you think you’re doing! Bow your head to the Grand Prince this instant!”
“Ahh! I’m sorry!”
Jung Pil-gyu the blacksmith, who hadn’t yet grasped the situation, hurriedly prostrated himself.
“Phew… That was close.”
Choi Seung-yong, the modern man inside, quietly sighed in relief in a very small voice.
A moment later, Choi Seung-yong approached the prostrated Jung Pil-gyu and extended his hand.
“You’re said to be the greatest blacksmith in Joseon, right? How about joining me to conquer the world?”
“Pardon?”
When Jung Pil-gyu made a puzzled expression at Choi Seung-yong’s words, Choi Seung-yong cleared his throat awkwardly and corrected himself.
“Can you make this?”
“…”
Looking at the weapon blueprint Choi Seung-yong handed him, Jung Pil-gyu scratched his head.
“Could this lowly one be told what this is?”
“This is a gun. A weapon invented in the West.”
At the word “weapon,” Jung Pil-gyu’s expression hardened.
“If it’s a weapon… doesn’t that mean it kills people…? I cannot do it.”
Seeing Jung Pil-gyu’s expression, Shim Ji-young stepped in from behind.
“Hey, blacksmith. Aren’t you being a bit too insolent? Do you really think there’s no blacksmith in all of Joseon better than you?”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“If you know you’re sorry, then put more effort into it. Show the Grand Prince your so-called great skill.”
“I cannot do that. Though I may be a lowly blacksmith, I will not make weapons that take human lives.”
Seeing Jung Pil-gyu trembling and refusing, Choi Seung-yong decided not to pressure him any further.
“That’s right… weapons do take lives. But with those weapons, you can also protect lives. If we don’t have this thing called a gun, Joseon will soon turn into a sea of fire… precisely because of the invasion from Wa. You, your children, and most of Joseon will die.”
Jung Pil-gyu was greatly shocked by Choi Seung-yong’s words, but he tried hard not to show it and replied calmly.
“Then… could you perhaps give me a little time to think…?”
“You insolent fool!”
“Wait. Fine. How much time do you need?”
“One day will do.”
“All right. I’ll come back again at this same time tomorrow.”
“Grand Prince!”
“Just let it go…”
“Sigh…”
After giving Jung Pil-gyu time to think, Choi Seung-yong turned back toward the palace.
There wasn’t much time left until May of next year.
Choi Seung-yong spent his days busily.
He met with the blacksmiths of Hanyang, inspected items, pointed out parts that needed improvement, and secretly began producing gunpowder.
However, making gunpowder in this world proved quite difficult.
“Ugh… To think I’d be making potassium nitrate out of urine and horse dung…”
In order to obtain potassium nitrate and sulfur, he ran around busily, frequently coming and going from Jiphyeonjeon.
He also sent miners to places where coal was buried to extract it, rapidly pushing forward Joseon’s industrialization.
After Choi Seung-yong began moving, the sound of hammering in Hanyang never ceased.
Moreover, word spread that it was a way to make money, so quite a few people came to the forges to learn the trade as apprentices, causing the work to progress even faster.
“I’d love to set up trains, but there’s no time for that. First, stop the Imjin War. After that, we go straight into industrialization. And when the Inmyo Horan and Jeongmyo Horan come, we’ll crush them all before they can even happen.”
Dreaming of conquering Asia, Choi Seung-yong gave a faint smile.
Two months passed like that.
In the meantime, Jung Pil-gyu’s mind changed, and he decided to cooperate with Choi Seung-yong.
So Choi Seung-yong handed him the blueprints for the gun and bullets.
Additionally, the spies the king had sent to Japan returned with confirmation that preparations for war were indeed underway there, so there was no longer any need to worry about national support.
This had now become a national project.
“If they touch even a small part of Joseon, they’re all dead.”
And finally, the first weapon was born in the Joseon palace.
“It’s here… a hand grenade.”
Though its power was somewhat less than modern versions, the lethal radius was estimated to reach up to 8 meters at maximum.
The interior was packed with iron fragments to double the killing power.
“Father.”
“Yes, you’ve made a weapon, I hear?”
“Yes, this is my first weapon.”
At Choi Seung-yong’s words, the king looked at the small hand grenade in his hand and spoke.
“That thing?”
The king looked down on the grenade with a voice full of incredulity.
At least until he witnessed its power.
“Father, watch this. Today, Joseon has gained the ability to crush Ming, Wa, and the barbarians all at once.”
Swoosh.
Choi Seung-yong pulled the safety pin and threw it. The grenade landed far away on the open ground, and one second later, an enormous explosion rang out, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Hoo…”
The king was speechless at the grenade’s power.
“With just one of these, armored horses? Men? All gone in a single blast. Father. So please lend some strength to strengthening the nation’s power.”
“…”
“Yes?”
“Uh…? What did you say?”
“Please lend some strength to strengthening the nation’s power.”
“Y-Yes, what else do you need?”
“I need smart people and those with dexterous hands. This turns out to be more difficult work than I thought…”
“Understood. I shall send the scholars of Jiphyeonjeon and the skilled court ladies. And if you need more people, I’ll procure them separately.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“By the way, there’s nothing for me?”
“Ah… I’ll bring you one next time. A really good one.”
“Ahem… Very well. You may go now.”
“Yes, Father. I’ll come again.”
Watching Choi Seung-yong’s retreating figure as he left the palace, the king wore a proud smile.
And he gradually grew more and more curious about what his son would show him next.