Chapter 9

Fall of 1860, Unsan County, North Pyongan Province

Gangsoe, a servant of the residence, arrived in Unsan County on the eighth day after leaving Hanyang. Maksoe, another household servant, had accompanied him.

Unsan County was a remote mountainous region deep in the upper reaches of the Cheongcheon River. The roads were poor, the local market was small, and there were not many people.

Gangsoe first went to the county’s land office.

It was a place where land sales were brokered. An old middleman sitting inside looked Gangsoe up and down.

“Where are you from?”

“I came from Hanyang. I want to buy some of the hills around this area.”

“The hills?”

The old middleman looked at him curiously.

“What do you intend to do with barren rocky mountains where nothing can even be farmed?”

“I need wood for firewood. I deal in timber around Hanyang.”

The old middleman nodded.

It was not unusual for timber merchants from Hanyang to occasionally come down this way.

“How much do you need?”

“I need quite a lot. Show me everything you have.”

Gangsoe spent three days traveling around.

Along the mountain range north of Unsan County, he identified twelve plots of land. All of them were barren rocky mountains where farming was impossible. They were far from the villages and had no roads leading to them.

They were lands nobody wanted.

Each plot could be purchased for two or three nyang, and the middleman even advised Gangsoe to pay a fair price because the land was so cheap.

Gangsoe bought all twelve plots.

He received the purchase documents and registered them under his own name.

On the night before leaving, Gangsoe said to Maksoe,

“Don’t mention this to anyone.”

“Yes, Brother.”

“Don’t tell anyone outside the residence either. Understand?”

“I understand, Brother.”

Gangsoe tucked the documents deep inside his clothes.

Even though he did not understand why His Highness Prince Waneun had wanted to buy this land, Gangsoe had no complaints.

If His Highness told him to buy it, then he bought it.

Winter of 1860, Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence, Hanseong

Gangsoe returned and handed me the documents.

There were twelve plots.

I opened the documents one by one.

The land stretched along the mountain range north of Unsan County.

“Good work.”

“It cost a total of forty-six nyang.”

“How much money is left?”

“A little over fifteen nyang.”

I organized the documents and tucked them into my clothes.

Gangsoe did not leave. He simply stood there.

“Why?”

“Your Highness, Prince Waneun, may I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Is there really gold in that land?”

I looked at Gangsoe.

“There are signs of a gold vein beneath those mountains. One of the geographical texts from Qing describes the terrain around there as being similar to terrain where gold can be found. Once the government changes and mining is permitted, we’ll be able to confirm it.”

“Have you personally seen that geographical text, Your Highness?”

“Yes.”

Gangsoe nodded.

It was an explanation he could accept.

“You’ve worked hard. Go get some rest.”

Gangsoe withdrew.

I touched the documents inside my clothes and muttered inwardly.

The Unsan Gold Mine.

The largest gold mine in Joseon is now in my hands.

And nobody knows.

Once the government changed, mining permits would be issued.

Until then, all I had to do was hold on to these documents.

Before foreigners discovered the value of this land, I needed to already have a foothold on it.

Winter of 1860, Around Chilpae Market, Hanseong

Gangsoe entered the back alleys of Chilpae Market long after sunset.

The leader of the Chilpae Market ruffians, Pockmarked Choi, had a broad back and thick forearms.

He extorted protection money from the market merchants, controlled the gambling dens, and whenever a dispute broke out, he was the first to pick up a club.

There was hardly anyone around Chilpae in Hanseong who did not know Pockmarked Choi.

Pockmarked Choi was drinking with three of his men when he looked up at Gangsoe.

“What the hell is this guy?”

Gangsoe said nothing.

“Where did you crawl out from? Do you even know where you are?”

Gangsoe took another step forward.

“Sit down.”

Pockmarked Choi narrowed his eyes.

“What?”

“I said sit down.”

Pockmarked Choi sprang to his feet.

“You little—!”

Thud!

A loud impact rang out.

Pockmarked Choi collapsed on the spot.

Gangsoe had grabbed him by the collar with one hand, lifted him up, and slammed him into the floor.

His three men charged at the same time.

Bang! Thud! Crash!

All three were knocked down one after another.

Gangsoe did not even appear out of breath.

Pockmarked Choi looked up at him from the floor, terror filling his eyes.

Gangsoe squatted down and met his gaze.

“Don’t harass the merchants in this market anymore.”

Pockmarked Choi kept his mouth shut.

“I don’t repeat myself.”

Gangsoe stood up.

“From now on, I manage this area. Will you follow me?”

Pockmarked Choi stared at Gangsoe for a long moment before slowly lowering his head.

“Yes.”

Winter of 1860, Around Ihyeon Market, Hanseong

The leader of the ruffians around Ihyeon was Hong, a man with a scar across his face.

His organization was larger than the one at Chilpae. He had more than ten men under him, and there was hardly an Ihyeon merchant who did not worry about Hong’s reaction.

Hong had heard about Pockmarked Choi.

The rumor was that some monstrous strongman had appeared out of nowhere in Hanyang and overturned the entire Chilpae underworld in a single night.

Hong snorted.

“Bring him here. I’ll deal with him myself.”

Gangsoe appeared that afternoon.

Hong had already sent out his men and was waiting for him.

He had selected six of his strongest fighters.

The moment Gangsoe entered the alley, all six charged at him simultaneously.

Crash!

The sound filled the alley.

It took less than a minute.

All six men were lying on the ground.

Gangsoe calmly straightened his clothes and walked toward Hong.

The smile disappeared from Hong’s face.

Gangsoe stopped in front of him.

“You heard about Pockmarked Choi at Chilpae?”

“I heard.”

“He’s under me now. You can make the same choice.”

Hong gritted his teeth.

But then he looked at his six men lying on the ground before turning his gaze back to Gangsoe.

There was nothing in Gangsoe’s eyes.

There was no anger or excitement.

They were simply the eyes of a man doing his job.

That was even more frightening.

Hong slowly dropped to his knees.

“I’ll follow you.”

Winter of 1860, Servants’ Quarters of Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence, Hanseong

Gangsoe came in and gave me his report.

“Your Highness, Chilpae, Ihyeon, and even Baeogae have been taken care of.”

I raised my head.

“Baeogae as well?”

“When the news about Chilpae and Ihyeon spread, the people from Baeogae came to us first. They joined without putting up a fight.”

In just half a month, we had taken control of the three largest markets in Hanseong.

“Did you tell them not to touch the market merchants?”

“I made that very clear. Extorting protection money is completely forbidden.”

“Good. But collect information instead. Rumors circulating through the markets, movements of merchants from outside the capital, activity around the government offices. Report everything to Gwidong.”

Gangsoe nodded.

“What about the hunters?”

Gangsoe’s expression changed slightly.

“There are several former hunters living around Inwangsan Mountain, north of Hanseong. Six or seven of them. They’ve all been through all sorts of hardships in the mountains. I approached them under the pretext of trading tiger skins, but they’re very wary.”

“Take it slowly. There’s no rush.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Gangsoe was about to leave when he stopped.

“Your Highness, may I report about the opium trade route?”

I nodded.

“There is a middleman in Uiju who used to work as an interpreter and has been dealing with Qing merchants for many years. Apparently, he has experience handling goods outside official trade. Gwidong found out about him.”

“Have you contacted him directly?”

“No. We’ve only been investigating him.”

“Good. Don’t make a move yet. Just find out his name and where he lives.”

Gangsoe nodded.

I thought for a moment before continuing.

“One more thing.”

Gangsoe stopped again.

“Ask that former interpreter where the closest Japanese port to Joseon is. Whether it’s somewhere around Tsushima or Busan. And find out what the trade route looks like.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Gangsoe withdrew.

I called Gaksim immediately after Gangsoe left.

“Gaksim.”

“Yes, Your Highness, Prince Waneun.”

“Find out whether there are any vacant buildings or empty lots outside the Four Great Gates of Hanyang where people won’t notice us easily. It only needs to be large enough to house ten to twenty children.”

Gaksim’s eyes narrowed.

“Children?”

“Orphans. Children who have been living on the streets without parents.”

“What are you planning to do with them?”

“Raise them.”

Gaksim remained silent for a moment.

“The place has to be outside the Four Great Gates. Somewhere inconspicuous, and somewhere the local government doesn’t know about. Understand?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Which direction would be best?”

“Outside Sungnyemun to the south, or outside Heunginjimun to the east. Somewhere with only scattered houses and plenty of empty space.”

“When should I find it by?”

“Within ten days.”

Gaksim nodded and was about to leave when she stopped.

“Your Highness, may I ask one thing?”

“Go ahead.”

“When you say you’re going to raise orphans, do you really just mean that you’re going to raise them?”

I looked at Gaksim.

She had been with me for a long time, so she was quick to notice things.

“Find the place first. We’ll deal with the rest afterward.”

Gaksim did not ask anything else and withdrew.

I needed children who would grow up as my people from the very beginning.

I needed blades that knew only their master.

The leader of the Haedong Kim clan, Kim Jageun, had survived for decades.

He must have cultivated his own network of hands and feet over all those years.

I still had no idea how deeply those people were embedded.

If Gangsoe was my strength, and Gwidong was my eyes and ears, then the children I raised from now on had to be different.

They would be blades with no names and no affiliations, able to move without being traced to anyone.

The moment when I needed such blades would definitely come.

I still had three years.

Gwidong entered a short while later.

“Your Highness, there has been movement from the Haedong Kim clan.”

“Tell me.”

“Minister Kim Jageun’s men have been lurking around the residence more frequently. Their numbers have also increased. There used to be one, but now there are two.”

It was exactly what I expected.

“Where do those two gather information?”

“One of them stays at a tavern outside the residence wall. It’s a place where the household servants often come and go. Apparently, he buys them drinks and asks them various questions.”

“Tell the servants to keep their mouths shut. Tell Gaksim.”

Gwidong nodded, narrowing his eyes.

“And distinguish between what we show those spies and what we hide. If we hide everything, they’ll become suspicious. Let some information leak.”

Gwidong’s eyes lit up.

“What should we leak?”

“Only that His Highness Prince Waneun enjoys reading.”

Gwidong grinned and withdrew.