Chapter 150: The Science Teacher Who Fell into Joseon (2)
Time passed quickly, leaving only six months until the outbreak of the Imjin War.
Even in the middle of winter in January, the forges in Hanyang remained scorching hot.
“Huff… huff…”
The rough breathing of the apprentices echoed through the air.
And in Choi Seung-yong’s hands were rows of guns and bombs that closely resembled modern ones.
Of course, he had presented one revolver to the king as well.
After confirming the destructive power of the revolver, the king was startled by the recoil but couldn’t suppress his excitement.
“With this, Joseon will now become the ruler of Asia. The counterattack begins.”
Once a sufficient stockpile of war materials had been prepared, Choi Seung-yong began moving in earnest as April arrived—with spring.
“We’re heading to Busan.”
“Busan, you say?”
“Ah… Dongnae, then.”
In the Joseon era, Busan was referred to as Dongnae.
They had already secured plenty of coal and had even built a massive steam-powered vehicle.
Of course, it required frequent stops to add more coal, but Choi Seung-yong was a Grand Prince.
There were plenty of people to shovel coal in his place.
Traveling at such speed, they reached Busan in less than a month, and Choi Seung-yong immediately began war preparations.
He taught the soldiers how to use the new weapons and explained their destructive power.
Meanwhile, steam vehicles and horse-drawn portable mortars along with their shells were loaded onto ships.
“If only we had more time, I would’ve built ironclads too…”
The Spanish Armada? One of the ironclads Choi Seung-yong could make would smash them all to pieces.
“What a shame, what a shame…”
While Choi Seung-yong felt regret, the morale among the people and soldiers in Busan soared to the skies.
The fact that the Grand Prince had personally come all the way to Busan to protect the country, bringing with him never-before-seen weapons, soon led people to hail him as a hero.
His fame began spreading across the entire kingdom of Joseon.
Of course, not everyone was happy about him going to Busan.
That person was none other than his wife, Kim Ji-hyun.
Before he departed for Busan, she had shed tears and begged him to return safely.
Naturally, Choi Seung-yong had absolutely no intention of dying—not even the slightest bit.
A beautiful wife and the status of Grand Prince.
He had absolutely no thoughts of throwing that away by dying.
He wanted to quickly have some adorable, rabbit-like children too.
“Hehe, I’ll crush those Japanese bastards and come right back.”
Having died a lifelong virgin in his previous life, Choi Seung-yong was eager to return to his wife.
“Are preparations complete?”
“Yes, Grand Prince.”
And besides weapons, Choi Seung-yong had one more cheat key.
None other than Admiral Yi Sun-sin.
“I knew it would be like this.”
Although this wasn’t exactly the Joseon era he knew from history, there were many similarities in various ways. So just in case, he inquired around—and sure enough, Yi Sun-sin really existed.
Choi Seung-yong’s first impression upon meeting Yi Sun-sin… was that he looked incredibly fierce.
His face alone radiated intimidation, yet he treated the Grand Prince—himself—with utmost courtesy.
Choi Seung-yong genuinely thought it was fortunate that he was a Grand Prince.
“Admiral Yi Sun-sin. I entrust you with command of our Joseon navy.”
“Pardon?”
Yi Sun-sin looked at Choi Seung-yong in bewilderment as he was suddenly given full authority over the navy, bypassing generals of higher rank.
“Those guys are incompetent and will run away when things get tough.”
Seeing Choi Seung-yong speak as if he could read his innermost thoughts, Yi Sun-sin was thrown into one wave of confusion after another.
“And Admiral.”
“Yes.”
“Absolutely do not die.”
“Understood. I shall obey, Grand Prince.”
And so the war began to unfold differently from the history he knew.
On a certain day in May.
Hundreds of ships from Japanese waters began slicing through the sea, heading toward Joseon.
“All forces, advance! The target is Joseon. Through Joseon, we shall dominate the continent.”
Since reconnaissance had already been completed, there was no need for hesitation.
As if answering the Japanese general’s command, the Japanese ships swiftly arrived in Joseon waters.
On the other side, in Joseon waters, Yi Sun-sin and the naval forces were waiting only for their arrival.
“Filthy Waegu bastards. Today, I’ll sink every last one of you.”
Yi Sun-sin waited until they entered the range of the mortars. Soon after, once they were within effective distance, he struck the drum and gave the order.
“Fire! Do not let a single one escape alive!”
“Fire!”
The voices of the Joseon navy rang out with tremendous volume as, at the same time, an enormous volley of shells flew toward the Japanese ships.
The accuracy and destructive power were beyond any comparison with Japan’s.
“From the start, the technology is on a completely different level—how could they possibly compete? This is the power of science.”
Choi Seung-yong watched the sinking Japanese ships with a bright smile.
“Now all that’s left is to go home.”
Five shells were enough to shatter a single ship to pieces, making it more than sufficient to halt the invasion.
Hundreds of Japanese vessels were reduced to ashes in mere minutes, and the few remaining ships hurriedly turned their bows and fled back toward Japan.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
Seeing the war end in just a few minutes, the navy let out cries of joy.
“Admiral Yi Sun-sin.”
“Yes, Grand Prince.”
“I’ll leave these weapons here, so please protect our Joseon with them. If you run out, send a letter to Hanyang.”
“Yes, Grand Prince. This Yi Sun-sin will defend Joseon with my life until my last breath.”
After receiving Yi Sun-sin’s pledge of loyalty and being blessed by the people, Choi Seung-yong returned to Hanyang in triumph.
By the time he arrived in Hanyang, news of the victory had already spread so widely that no one dared stand in his way.
He had also taken one step closer to the throne, surpassing the first and second princes.
“Father. Your son has returned.”
“Yes… you did very well.”
“No, Father. I should have completely crushed Japan while I had the chance…”
“You know that couldn’t be helped…”
To the west lay Ming, to the north the Jurchens.
If they had sent troops to occupy Japan, it was obvious that both Ming and the Jurchens would immediately invade.
“Don’t worry. In ten years. I will show you in ten years. The Jurchens, Ming… and even Japan will all become territories of our Joseon.”
After that, time passed quickly. After extracting a hefty war indemnity from Japan, they accelerated industrialization.
In the meantime, a child was born between Choi Seung-yong and Kim Ji-hyun.
“Father.”
Ten years had passed, but the king was still hale and hearty.
“Let’s crush the Jurchens.”
“Are you confident?”
“There is no country on this Earth that can defeat Joseon now.”
May 1612.
Joseon was overflowing with weapons, including steam tanks and various armaments.
Achieving all of this in just ten years was thanks entirely to the dazzling dexterity of the Joseon people.
As long as the technology existed, implementation was never an issue.
In the middle, when firepower proved insufficient, they tore down forges to build steel mills and even constructed power plants.
Joseon was no longer a weak nation.
Seeing Choi Seung-yong’s confident demeanor, the king gave the order.
“Then go and subjugate the barbarians in the north.”
“Yes, Father.”
And so Joseon’s northward expansion policy began in earnest.
“Do you really have to go?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely come back this time too. In one year… no, within six months.”
Choi Seung-yong tightly embraced the tearful Kim Ji-hyun and their daughter Park So-yul, then boarded the steam vehicle and headed north.
Upon arriving in the north, Joseon’s soldiers launched a preemptive attack on the Jurchens using steam tanks.
In particular, the Joseon people who had long suffered from Jurchen raids in the north let out cheers of joy.
“Don’t worry anymore. We have the Grand Prince now. Let’s sweep away the Jurchens!”
At one general’s words, the morale of the soldiers and civilians soared to the heavens, and it took less than three months to drive out the Jurchens.
Arrows shot from horseback could not inflict even the slightest damage on the steam tanks.
Instead, only the Later Jin soldiers were mercilessly slaughtered by the shells fired from the steam tanks.
After three months passed, the king of the Later Jin declared surrender and submitted to Joseon.
With the troublesome Later Jin finally dealt with, Choi Seung-yong found himself facing a new dilemma.
Next came the question of whether to topple the Ming Dynasty…
Or to focus on further strengthening the internal foundations…
Choi Seung-yong gathered the surrounding generals and began holding a meeting.
“What do all of you think?”
“Thinking back on everything we’ve endured until now… sniff… when else would we ever get to become such a great power!”
“Exactly!”
The generals all recalled the historical humiliations they had suffered at the hands of China and let out their pent-up resentment.
“Hmm… fair enough. Then let’s crush them. Those bastards are weaker than expected right now anyway.”
About five years later.
As the Later Jin began attacking the Ming Dynasty, Ming collapsed rapidly and did not even last thirty years.
The only problem was that going to war would inevitably lead to mass slaughter.
“Hmm… Is there no way to conserve gunpowder and end the war quickly at the same time?”
“Why not use those guys?”
At Choi Seung-yong’s muttered words, a nearby Joseon general pointed toward the captured Later Jin generals.
“Oh…”
Choi Seung-yong approached the Later Jin generals with a wicked smile.
“How about you lot join me in conquering the world?”
“Pardon?”
As expected, the Later Jin generals looked bewildered.
“Let’s smash Ming.”
When he emphasized it again, the Later Jin generals nodded.
“Good. One week from now. We attack Ming. The vanguard will be the Later Jin generals and their soldiers. We’ll support them from behind with long-range attacks.”
One week later, the people of Later Jin had already become one with the Joseon soldiers.
Though there were families who had lost loved ones in the war, for some reason Choi Seung-yong had ended up becoming their new Khan.
In the end, to the people who now had Choi Seung-yong as their Khan, feelings of respect outweighed any desire for revenge.
“All right, then charge. Minimize casualties on both sides. Advance to the capital as quickly as possible and force their surrender.”
Nothing could stop the Joseon army—armed with the finest 17th-century weapons including steam tanks—and the Later Jin cavalry charging on horseback.
As soon as a single shell from a steam tank blasted apart a section of the city wall, Ming soldiers immediately raised white flags.
The time it took to reach the capital, Beijing, was a mere seven days.
It was an astonishingly rapid advance.
Machine guns mounted on steam vehicles tore through Ming cavalry like paper.
By the time they accepted Ming’s surrender and returned to Joseon, only five months had passed—not the promised six.
“What in the world…”
Seeing Choi Seung-yong return so soon after news of victory had arrived, the king stared in disbelief.
Though the weapons were excellent, he never imagined they could subjugate the Later Jin so quickly… and then conquer Ming on top of that.
“Father. Let’s send magistrates to govern both Ming and Later Jin. While we’re at it, give them some guns and weapons too.”
“Yes… that would be best.”
Winning a war didn’t solve everything.
They had to decide whether to claim the territory
Or simply take what wealth they needed and leave.
And Joseon chose the former.
“The top priority is making sure the people don’t harbor resentment. If we mishandle this, rebellion could break out. First, confiscate all the property of the corrupt officials in Later Jin and Ming, then help ordinary people live comfortably and eat their fill. In the end, only when the people can live decent lives will they support the new ruler.”
“I will convey those orders.”
Now, the real power in Joseon had completely fallen into Choi Seung-yong’s hands.
“More importantly… your older brothers may not handle things well. Won’t you help stabilize things until you take your place?”
“Hmm… All right for now. In exchange, I’ll continue running the national projects myself.”
“Understood.”
Choi Seung-yong began planning a railroad connecting Joseon all the way to Beijing.
It might be impossible in his lifetime… but once completed, that would mark the beginning of a vast nation called Joseon—one that would never bow before any foreign country.
“…Huh?”
In that instant, a new vision unfolded in Choi Seung-yong’s mind.
“America isn’t a great power yet, is it?”
Choi Seung-yong started drawing up plans to cross beyond Asia and set foot on the American continent.