Black Corporation: Joseon-Chapter 314

Once it was decided to prioritize the deployment of horse-drawn trams that would circulate and operate in the large urban areas of the provinces, such as districts and grand provincial capitals, official notices were posted in government offices throughout Joseon.

The people who saw the notices stating that horse-drawn trams would be operated in bu—Jeonju, Gyeongju, Pyeongyang, Yeongheung—and grand provincial capitals—Changwon, Andong, Gangneung, Gilju, Yeongbyeon—each had something to say.

“Horse-drawn trams… At least it’s better than nothing, right?”

“Hanseong has iron horses, while we get live horses?”

“They say it will gradually expand, but when will it be our turn?”

“At least they’re laying roads, so we should be grateful for that.”

The people, with a mix of anticipation for the new transportation system of horse-drawn trams and disappointment that it would not be installed in their own towns, engaged in quiet conversations.

As they were discussing, the people tilted their heads upon seeing the name of one urban area on the list.

“Why Wonsan?”

***

The situation had already begun to show significant differences from the history before Hyang’s intervention, and there were also considerable changes in the administrative districts.

The first thing that stood out was the addition of Gilju to grand provincial capitals.

As the population and area greatly expanded with the submission of the Jurchen tribes, Gilju was promoted to grand provincial capitals for administrative convenience. And Anbyeon, which was a grand provincial capitals in the history before the intervention, was demoted to mok (county).

This occurred as the administrative center of Hamgyeong Province shifted northward with the expansion of the administrative districts to the north.

Next was the rapid rise of Wonsan. Originally, it was a small fishing village called Wonsanjin (ferry dock) that belonged to Anbyeon.

However, as a large shipyard was established, people flocked in, and it became the starting point for goods heading to Hamgyeong Province, causing its size to grow rapidly.

Eventually, Wonsan was promoted from Wonsanjin to Wonsanmok, skipping several stages at once.

The decision to operate horse-drawn trams was made due to the crowded situation caused by the influx of goods and people.

***

With the decision to operate horse-drawn trams, Sejong’s royal decree was delivered to Hyang’s Area 51.

-Create carriages that can carry a large number of passengers.

Upon receiving the decree, Hyang and the craftsmen maintained a calm expression. No, some craftsmen even showed a pleased look.

“I thought we wouldn’t be able to use what we had worked hard to create…”

Seeing the craftsmen’s reactions, Hyang smiled slightly and muttered.

“As expected, human nature is the same everywhere…”

No one would simply let go of something they had put in so much effort to create only to have it buried. And this tendency was especially strong among craftsmen.

***

The horse-drawn tram plan, based on Lim Sun-wook’s proposal, was progressing smoothly.

The design, trial production, and verification were carried out to coincide with the time when the foals born from breeding strong and large horses from the Western Regions had fully grown.

“The results of all tests are positive!”

“Now, we just need to mass-produce and deploy them!”

However, just as the mass production of horse-drawn trams was about to begin, chaos erupted in Yodong.

As the southern army urgently moved northward, a large number of horses were needed, and even the horses allocated for the horse-drawn trams were all transferred to the military, putting the plan on hold.

After the war ended, the military was reluctant to release the horses they had gathered.

-It takes a lot of time to get them accustomed to the noise of the battlefield, especially the sounds of firearms and the explosions of cannons.

-A considerable number of horses die unable to endure that noise, so the horses in the royal army are the ones that have gone through that process and survived.

-Therefore, can’t we just assign them to the military?

It was an argument with obvious ulterior motives. However, since it was a somewhat valid reason, the horse-drawn tram plan was postponed again until the horses came out of the pastures.

And during that time, the iron horse was completed.

***

As a result, the passenger cars deployed on the Hanseong Circular Railway were different from the ones initially created, incorporating the experience gained from making the horse-drawn trams and undergoing improvements.

The most notable feature added to the passenger cars was the suspension system.

The passenger cars and horse-drawn trams made in Area 51 were equipped with the world’s first suspension system.

Although it was called a suspension system, it was not the coil spring and hydraulic type familiar from 21st-century trains.

It was simply a curved iron plate joined together like a clam shell and inserted between the wheels and the frame of the passenger compartment.

“It’s a bit concerning that it’s wrought iron instead of steel, but…”

Hyang couldn’t hide his disappointment, but he had to accept the limitations of reality.

The ironworks were mass-producing steel, but the demand still exceeded the supply.

As a result, Hyang had no choice but to maximize the performance of wrought iron.

“Fortunately, wrought iron is still iron.”

Although wrought iron was perceived as very soft compared to steel, iron was still iron.

Wrought iron products processed to an appropriate thickness could not be deformed by human strength.

Therefore, even in the 21st century, most of the iron structures used for residential fences were made of wrought iron.

Moreover, until steel was mass-produced as the Industrial Revolution reached its mature stage, the rails on which steam locomotives ran were made of wrought iron.

Lastly, it was a well-known fact that the famous Eiffel Tower was also made of wrought iron.

The plate spring suspension system made of wrought iron was far from satisfying Hyang’s fanatic spirit, but it exhibited quite good performance.

At this time, from the lavish carriages ridden by European nobles to the carts used in the rural areas of the Ming Dynasty, suspension systems did not exist.

Therefore, the passengers in carriages had to feel the condition of the roads with their entire bodies.

However, the horse-drawn trams that came out of Area 51 significantly reduced such shocks and vibrations.

On properly paved roads or well-maintained unpaved roads, passengers could travel quite comfortably.

***

The horse-drawn trams created by Hyang and the craftsmen had more than just a suspension system.

A braking system using the principle of leverage was also added.

When the coachman driving the horse-drawn tram pressed the pedal, the braking system pressed large wooden brake pads against the iron rim surrounding the outside of the wheels.

The resulting friction force was used to stop the horse-drawn tram.

Of course, it wasn’t a high-performance system like the one used in automobiles that could stop a moving vehicle.

It was just enough to prevent the horse-drawn tram’s inertia from moving forward when the horses stopped at a station. However, even that level of performance was remarkable.

Lastly, the four carriage wheels rotated independently.

Between the axle and the carriage wheels, a lubrication device made of cylindrical bearings was inserted.

The flawless, perfectly round spherical shape that immediately comes to mind when thinking of bearings was impossible to mass-produce due to technical limitations—even making them at the level of 21st-century BB bullets required individual hand-finishing—so cylindrical ones were used instead.

However, due to the presence of these bearings, the wheels of the horse-drawn tram naturally adjusted the number of rotations on both sides whenever the direction was turned left or right, which helped extend the lifespan of the wheels and axles.

As a side note, this issue became a point of contention again as automobiles began to be mass-produced. When a car turned left or right, the distance traveled by the inner wheel and the outer wheel differed.

And the device that emerged to solve this problem was the differential gear.

***

In this way, the horse-drawn tram became another entity that gave historians headaches by incorporating technologies that were not visible but transcended the era.

In other regions around the same time—at least 30 years behind—there were technologies such as independent wheels and a three-dimensional structure of the front axle that rotated according to the direction of travel. (Note 1)

However, most of these only remained as a small number of artifacts. There were no records of who made them, when, or how.

In contrast, Joseon had not only the artifacts but also the development records, the list of those involved, and even the design drawings.

And in those records, there was a common opening phrase.

-By the order of the Crown Prince…

Every time foreign historians studying Joseon history saw this phrase, they would pull their hair and suffer.

“Again…”

“Seriously! Instead of learning the art of ruling, what are you making and running around for!”

“Ah, damn it! Should I quit studying Joseon history?”

***

Since the preparations were already in place, the mass production of horse-drawn trams began.

While the craftsmen at the Area 51 workshop were busy making horse-drawn trams, the officials in the urban areas designated for horse-drawn tram installation were also moving busily.

-The routes on which the horse-drawn trams would operate.

-The dispatch interval of the horse-drawn trams.

-Measures to maintain security at stations where large amounts of cash would accumulate.

And so on.

To handle the suddenly assigned tasks related to horse-drawn trams, the officials of the relevant urban areas had to run here and there until they were out of breath.

There was no time to spare.

-The people earnestly desire it, so take all necessary measures to complete the installation before next spring.

“I never wanted this!”

The officials, overwhelmed by the sudden workload, had to constantly scream and curse.

“Why did they even submit the petition in the first place!”

“What horse-drawn trams in a palm-sized urban area!”

“Just walk! It’s good for your health, isn’t it!”

By cursing like that, the officials could at least relieve their frustration.

The operation plans, which were prepared with all sorts of hardships, were sent to Hanseong via express courier.

Watching the express courier horses disappear into the distance towards Hanseong, the officials, starting with the governors and magistrates, fervently prayed.

“Please let it pass in one go… Please…”

However, the express couriers that returned from Hanseong submitted thick scrolls to the governors and magistrates.

“Judging by the thickness, it’s been rejected.”

‘I’m not going to read it! I’m not going to read it!’

The governors and magistrates, who immediately guessed the contents based on the thick scrolls, wanted to just hand them over to their subordinates, but they couldn’t do that due to procedures.

“Ugh…”

Groaning, the governors and magistrates unrolled the scrolls and unknowingly cursed with their eyes tightly closed.

“Damn it!”

-Please review and improve the following items.

And below that, dozens of items that needed to be revised were listed, along with the reasons why they needed to be revised for each item.

The governors and magistrates, staring blankly at the scrolls, immediately summoned the person in charge.

“Did you summon me?”

“Do you not want to do your job properly? If this is wrong and I get criticized, you’ll be responsible! If I get criticized, you’ll get criticized too! Do you think I’ll die alone?”

The person in charge, who was thoroughly joint-checked along with all sorts of curses, returned to their department and shouted.

“Everyone under me, gather round!”

The person in charge, who had gathered the lower-ranking officials, shouted at the top of their lungs.

“You can’t do your job properly! If I get criticized, you’ll all be destroyed too! Do you think I’ll die alone?”

After a round of outbursts passed, the officials revised the plans and submitted them again, and the governors and magistrates meticulously reviewed them, scrutinizing every letter and number.

The reports that passed the exhausting review were sent to Hanseong again, and while waiting for a response, the officials’ lips became parched.

After a few nerve-wracking days passed, the returning express couriers submitted thin sealed letters.

-Proceed as planned.

“Phew~.”

Only then could the governors and magistrates breathe a sigh of relief and relax.

And the officials in charge of the practical work drank like crazy at taverns and brothels.

The next day, the officials, soothing their upset stomachs, began supervising the maintenance of the roads along the routes where the horse-drawn trams would run and the construction of buildings to be used as stations.

Unlike the officials who were in a mess, the residents were engaged in conversations with eager anticipation.

“Wow! It looks like horse-drawn trams are really going to be installed?”

“You! Did you think the king’s words were empty promises?”

“Anyway, will it be a bit more convenient to get around now?”

***

As public transportation emerged in Hanseong and major urban areas throughout the country, Joseon began to experience a quiet change.

From Sejong at the top to the people at the bottom, no one was aware of it, but that change was gradually penetrating deep into Joseon.

Joseon had begun to move a little faster.

***

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

Richard Bulliet, MID /bookmid/220885066868