Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 314

Episode 314: Hanseong. (3)

When it was decided to give priority to stagecoaches that circulated around the city in Bu and Daedohobu, which were large provincial cities, a gazette was published in government offices throughout Joseon.

The people who saw the gazette that stagecoaches were operated in Bu-Jeonju, Gyeongju, Pyongyang, and Yeongheung-and Daedohobu-Changwon, Andong, Gangneung, Gilju, and Yeongbyeon-all said something.

“Stagecoach…. Where would it even be placed?”

“Hansung is an iron horse, but we are raw horses?”

“They say we will expand step by step, but when will we be able to do it?”

“At least the road is being built, so I guess that’s something to be thankful for.”

The people, who had mixed expressions of anticipation for a new cultural object called the stagecoach and disappointment that it would not be installed in their town, talked a lot.

The people who were talking like that looked at the name of a city on the list and tilted their heads.

“Why Wonsan?”

* * *

Although the situation had already begun to show many differences from the history before the intervention of the township, there were also significant changes in the administrative districts.

The first thing that caught my eye was the addition of Gilju to Daedohobu.

As the Jurchen people were subjugated and the population and area expanded significantly, Gilju was promoted to Daedohobu for administrative convenience. And Anbyeon, which had been a great island and affluent in the history before the intervention, was lowered to Mok (牧).

This happened as the administrative district of Hamgyeong-do expanded northward and the administrative weight shifted northward.

Next was the rapid rise of Wonsan. It was originally a small fishing village called Wonsanjin (津. ferry site) belonging to Anbyeon.

However, as large shipyards were built, people flocked to the area and it became a starting point for goods moving up to Hamgyeong Province, rapidly increasing in size.

In the end, Wonsan was promoted from Wonsanjin to Wonsanmok, jumping several levels in one go.

Due to the crowded conditions due to the influx of goods and people, it was decided to operate a stagecoach.

* * *

As the operation of the stagecoach was decided, King Sejong’s command was delivered to District 51 of the township.

-Build a carriage that can carry a large number of passengers.

The craftsmen as well as Hyang accepted the command with a calm expression. No, some craftsmen looked like they were happy.

“I thought I couldn’t use what I worked so hard to make…”

Hyang muttered with a small smile at the craftsmen’s reaction.

“As expected, that’s the nature of people….”

Although they worked hard to create it, there was no one who would ignore it being buried. And this tendency was especially severe among artisans.

* * *

The stagecoach plan, based on Lim Sun-wook’s suggestion, was progressing smoothly.

Design, test production and verification were carried out to ensure that the foals, which were bred from strong and large horses brought in from the western region, could be executed in time when they were fully grown.

“The results of all tests are good!”

“Now all we have to do is make and deploy in bulk!”

However, just as the stagecoaches were about to enter mass production, chaos erupted in Liaodong.

As the southern army quickly moved north, a large number of horses were needed, and even the horses that were to be placed on stagecoaches were returned to the army, bringing the plan to a halt.

When the war ended, the military expressed reluctance to give back the horses they had collected.

-Noise of the battlefield. In particular, it takes a lot of time to get them used to the sounds of artillery and guns firing and explosions.

-There are many horses that cannot withstand the noise and die, but the horses in Geumgun are the horses that went through that process and survived.

-So why not just deploy it to the military?

It was a somewhat obvious claim. But for good reason, the stagecoach plan was postponed until the horses were out of the pasture again.

And in the meantime, the iron horse was completed.

* * *

Therefore, unlike the ones originally built, the carriages deployed on the Hanseong Circular Railway were ones that had been improved by incorporating the experience accumulated while building stagecoaches.

Among the things that went into the carriage, the most noticeable thing was the shock absorber.

The carriages and stagecoaches built at Area 51 were equipped with the world’s first shock absorbers.

Although it is said to be a shock absorber, it does not use coiled springs and hydraulic pressure that are familiar from 21st century trains.

It was nothing more than a combination of curved steel plates joined together like clamshells and sandwiched between the wheels and the frame of the cabin.

“Also, it takes a bit because it’s soft iron instead of steel…”

It was a scent that couldn’t hide its disappointment, but it had to endure the constraints of reality.

Steel mills were producing steel in large quantities, but demand still outstripped supply.

Thanks to this, Hyang had no choice but to utilize the performance of soft iron to its full potential.

“The good news is that wrought iron is also iron.”

It was wrought iron, which was perceived as being very soft compared to steel, but iron was iron.

Soft iron products processed to an appropriate thickness could not be deformed by human power.

Therefore, even in the 21st century, most of the steel structures used for house walls were made of wrought iron.

In addition, until the Industrial Revolution reached its peak and steel was extracted in large quantities, the rails on which steam locomotives ran were made of wrought iron.

Lastly, it was a famous story that the famous Eiffel Tower was also made of wrought iron.

Although it was not enough to satisfy Hyang’s virtue, the shock absorber using a plate spring made of soft iron performed quite well.

At that time, there was no shock absorber from the luxurious carriages ridden by European nobles to the carts used in rural areas of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, the occupants of the carriage had to feel the road conditions with their whole body.

However, the stagecoach from Area 51 significantly reduced such shock and vibration.

Passengers could travel quite comfortably on properly paved roads or well-maintained dirt roads.

* * *

The stagecoach made by Hyang and craftsmen did not only have shock absorbers.

A braking device using the principle of a lever was also added.

When the coachman driving the stagecoach pressed the pedal, the brake system attached a large wooden brake plate to the iron frame surrounding the outside of the wheel.

The stagecoach was stopped using the friction generated in this way.

Of course, it was not high-performance enough to stop a moving vehicle like those used in automobiles.

It was enough to prevent the inertia of the stagecoach from moving forward when the horses stopped at the station. But even that was a remarkable performance.

Lastly, the four carriage wheels rotated independently.

A lubricator made of cylindrical bearings was installed between the axle and the carriage wheels.

The flawless, smooth, perfectly round bead shape that immediately comes to mind when thinking of bearings was impossible to mass-produce due to technological issues – even making them to the level of 21st century BB bullets had to be manually refined one by one – so they were made in a cylindrical shape.

However, due to the presence of this bearing, the rotation speed of both wheels was naturally adjusted whenever the stagecoach wheels turned left or right, which helped extend the life of the wheels and axles.

With the mass production of automobiles, this issue became an issue again. This was because the moving distances of the inner and outer wheels were different when the car turned left and right.

And the device that came out to solve this problem was a differential gear.

* * *

With the introduction of these invisible but timeless technologies, the stagecoach became another source of headache for historians.

Other regions around the same time – but still at least 30 years behind – had technologies such as independent wheels and a three-dimensional front axle with an axle that rotated according to the direction of travel. (Note 1) However, most of these were only a

small number of relics. It was what was left. There was no record of who made it, when it was made, and how.

However, not only relics but also development records, lists of people involved, and blueprints remained in Joseon.

And the records had a common starting phrase.

– According to the crown prince’s order….

Every time they see this phrase, foreign historians who study Joseon history tear out their hair in agony.

“Again….”

“What the hell! “What are you making when you don’t even have time to learn about kings?”

“Oh shit! Should we give up research on Joseon history?”

* * *

Since preparations were already made, the stagecoach went into mass production.

While craftsmen at Area 51’s workshop were busy building the stagecoach, officials of the city where the stagecoach was to be installed were also busy.

-The route on which the stagecoach will operate.

-The interval between stagecoaches.

-A plan to maintain security at stations where large amounts of cash will accumulate.

etc.

In order to handle the suddenly taken on tasks related to the stagecoach, the city officials had to run from here to there until the smell of sweets came out of their mouths.

This was because there was no time to spare.

-The people desperately want it, so make every effort to complete the installation before next spring.

“I didn’t want it!”

The officials, overwhelmed by the sudden task, had to scream and swear incessantly.

“Why on earth are you filing an appeal?”

“What a stagecoach in a city the size of your palm!”

“Just walk! “It’s good for your health too!”

They were officials who were able to relieve their frustration even by cursing like that.

The operation plan that was drawn up with all kinds of hardships was transferred to Hanseong through dispatch.

As they watched the Pabalhorses disappearing into the distance toward Hanseong, the officials, starting with Gwansa and Buyun, prayed earnestly.

“Please let us pass in one go… please…”

However, the dispatchers who returned from Hanseong submitted the thick scroll to Gwansa and Buyun.

“Looking at the thickness, it was thick.”

‘I won’t watch it! ‘I won’t watch it!’

The governor and Buyun, who guessed the contents as soon as they saw the thickness, wanted to just hand it over to their subordinates, but due to procedural reasons, that was not possible.

“Turn off ….”

The observers and riches who spread the scroll with the sound of sickness closed their eyes and spit out.

“Damn it!”

-Please reexamine the following items for improvement.

And underneath, dozens of items that needed to be modified were written down, and the reasons why they needed to be modified were also written down one by one.

The observers and Buyuns who were looking at the scroll blankly immediately called the person in charge.

“Did you call me?”

“I’m not going to do my job properly! If this goes wrong and I get caught, you will be responsible! If I get filmed, you get filmed too! “Do you think I will die alone?”

After properly cracking the joint with all kinds of swear words, the person in charge returned to his department and screamed.

“Everyone gather under me!”

The person in charge of gathering the low-level officials shouted loudly.

“I’m not doing my job properly! If I get caught, you too will be destroyed! “I know I’ll die alone!”

After the storm had passed, the officials revised the plan again and the governors and officials reviewed it, carefully considering each and every number.

The report, which passed the blood-curing review, went back to Hanseong, and while waiting for the reply to come back, the officials’ lips became dry.

After a few days of catching people, the dispatchers returned and submitted a thin seal.

– Proceed as planned.

“Whoa~.”

Only then were the observers and officials able to breathe a sigh of relief and put their minds at ease.

And the officials in charge of the work drank like crazy in the base station and the gibang.

And from the next day, officials relieved their bitterness and began supervising the construction of roads and stations along the stagecoach route.

Unlike the officials who were in such a mess, the residents talked with expressions of great anticipation.

“Hey! “It really looks like a stagecoach is about to run over?”

“This person! What the king said, did you think it was a lie?”

“Anyway, will it be easier to get around now?”

* * *

With the advent of public transportation in Hanseong and major cities across the country, quiet changes began to occur in Joseon.

From King Sejong above to the people below, the change was gradually penetrating deeper into Joseon.

Joseon was starting to move quickly little by little.

* * *

Note 1) Rolling the World of Wheels – The Birth, Fall, and Resurrection of the Wheel.

Richard Bulliette MID Publishing.

https://m.blog.naver.com/bookmid/220885066868