Dark-Haired British Doctor Chapter 291

Episode 291: Back to London [1]

There were not many Koreans who came inside.

From what I heard, they didn't seem to be ordinary civilians, but rather merchants.

Among them, what… … .

They seemed to be smugglers rather than people who had obtained permission to do anything, but their attire was quite decent.

'Well… I don't think there were that many formal visits… '

It probably wasn't like a game from the Age of Exploration.

Well, if you enter Hanyang port, meet the king, and make a contract, you can buy ginseng right away… … .

Makes sense!

Even before Heungseon Daewongun declared national isolation, Joseon was already practically closed to the outside world, so it was no coincidence that the people I encountered in Qing China were smugglers.

“Then, if I call you Lord Kim Tae-pyeong… … will that be okay?”

Anyway, I looked back at the three Koreans in front of me.

The one sitting on the right looked like someone who had worked his way up from the bottom.

His eyes, his hands, and his overall impression showed the harsh years he had lived through.

Always glancing towards Liston… … .

I wondered what kind of things he had to go through to have such courage despite his small stature.

However, Liston, who was being looked at like that, didn't seem particularly impressed.

-Everyone is making a fuss, but… … You should be careful. Well, I’m here with you, so I don’t think anything will happen… … .

No, it's not to that extent, it's just that it's been a long time since I've been diagnosed like this.

It was no different from saying that if you mess with me, I'll beat you to death.

Anyway, the person sitting on the left was dressed like a peddler, which is often seen in dramas.

The bundle wasn't supported, but anyway.

“Ah… … You can call me whatever you want. But I’m young.”

“Haha… … A hero is judged by his accomplishments, not his age.”

The most impressive thing was the middle-aged man sitting in the center and leading the conversation.

Although it is said that Asians age slower than Westerners… … .

Isn't that a story from the 21st century?

Just looking at his face, he looked like he was well over 60, but surprisingly, he was in his 30s.

With that kind of face and a fancy hat and silk clothes, the lord looked like the lord.

Of course, there was no chance that a really successful Hanyang nobleman would come here and do this, so it was just that smuggling was quite profitable.

“It’s nice to see a Korean after such a long time… … but why did you ask to see me?”

I hid my true feelings and asked a question first.

surely…….

It was the first time I had seen someone pronounce Kim Tae-pyeong correctly, other than my parents and Joseph, so I was also happy.

However, he was not filled with Joseon patriotism enough to become a patriot.

I thought about why that might be… … .

It seems like it's because Joseon has already been decided in his head as a fallen nation.

Besides, there's nothing I can do right now.

“Ah… … We saw it all too.”

“Not only us, but everyone here in Guangzhou must have seen it.”

“Hmm.”

I watched them all making incomprehensible noises, then asked again.

“What?”

“The Yi Yang-seon… literally destroyed the Qing warship.”

“Ah… … That’s right, definitely.”

I was a bit surprised that a fleet of ships, not even steamships, had this much power.

Well, it was the time when the British Empire was at its most powerful, and they were planning to fight a naval battle, so it seemed natural that they would destroy everything.

Even though I knew it, I was still surprised at how powerful it was.

“Isn’t this something that might lead to Joseon?”

Even now, when I close my eyes, the sound of the cannons rumbling is vivid.

Combat personnel probably suffered some hearing loss.

I was on a command ship, not a ship that was directly involved in the battle, so there was some distance between us… … .

But my ears were still ringing.

So what must it have been like for the people who were there?

“Oh, no. I don’t plan on doing that.”

“Is that true?”

Anyway, while I was thinking about that, the topic of Joseon came up.

It wasn't something I couldn't understand.

Wouldn't you be scared when you see such power?

The Joseon navy was strong in the 16th and early 17th centuries.

Even that was something that happened only within East Asia, and it was nothing compared to the European navies that were on great voyages.

'More than anything, Admiral Yi Sun-sin is no longer here… … .'

If there was General Yi Sun-sin, I think he would have tried to do something with tactics… … .

The situation in Joseon in the 19th century was so dire that even I, who went to college through private tutoring, knew it was bleak.

“Yes, really. I really have no plans to do that.”

“So, what was that ship?”

“That ship?”

In addition, I have not heard of any British warships that invaded during the Opium Wars invading Joseon.

No, but Britain never invaded directly in the first place, right?

Because the Byeong-in Yangyo was in France, and the Shinmiyangyo was in the United States.

Of course, the background to Japan's takeover of Joseon was Britain, which instigated the Russo-Japanese War…

Originally, the dark events of world history were committed by Britain…

“Yes, that ship… … a ship came and started a fight.”

“Aren’t all foreign ships British ships?”

Moreover, 1832 seemed a bit early.

As far as I know, the Byeong-in Yangyo happened in 1866, and the Shinmi Yangyo happened even later.

“It is a Yeonggili ship. The flag that was on this ship was also flying there.”

“Really? What badge?”

But, judging from the fact that they were even talking about the national flag, it seemed like it was Britain.

Anyway, these damn tea bastards… … .

They really are crazy.

Now, he went all the way to the secluded country of Joseon… … .

“I heard it was the Amherst. I speak a little English.”

“Oh… how?”

“I heard it when I was buying and selling opium.”

"ah……."

somehow…….

He said the clothes were too flashy.

It was narco.

Hold on, hold on… … .

If it goes like this… … .

-Kim Tae-pyeong, the Narco godfather of Yeonggili, goes beyond Qing and even reaches Joseon.

Isn't this what it says in the textbook?

No… … Then that won’t work?

“If it’s Amherst… … .”

Then Liston, who had been quiet, stepped forward.

He interjected so naturally that I wondered if he understood Korean like the detective in Extreme Job.

I don't know if I should call it a blessing, but it wasn't.

It seemed like only Amherst understood.

“Isn’t that a merchant ship that set sail from India?”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yeah. Do you remember when we were training hard? Even though we couldn’t go to London… … we spent some time in India too.”

“I remember… … of course.”

The memory of swinging a sword in the rocking boat is something I don't think I'll forget even if I live it over again.

He even swung it at a corpse later on.

The weather was much hotter and more humid than London, so the corpses decomposed quickly and it was truly difficult.

If I had known, I would have brought formalin… … .

I don't want to be one of those people carrying around formalin, expecting something like that to happen.

“I think I saw it departing then.”

“We practiced quite a bit, but… … .”

“So, they must have gone to Joseon before us. Joseon is farther away than here.”

“But is the merchant ship that fast?”

“It wasn’t like that originally, but we were probably slow this time. We brought a lot of artillery and such to prolong the war, no matter what.”

“Oh, right.”

I've heard captains and soldiers say that the ship is moving slowly, as if something is stuck on it.

If you just say it like that, it sounds reasonable, but when you hear it from a sailor with red eyes from chronic alcohol consumption and exhaustion from work on a ship, it sounds like the words of a ghost, so I just ignored it… … .

“Anyway, I guess that’s right. The pronunciation is a little different, but… … Well, I also learned through this opportunity that the pronunciation of Korean I knew was a little different, so I guess I’ll just move on.”

“What do you think they did when they went to Joseon?”

“Well… … I wonder what a mere merchant ship could have done… … .”

There is a reason why even Liston cannot say, 'If it were a merchant ship, wouldn't it only do business?'

It was said to be a merchant ship, but there were always armed people there to pillage pirates and other natives.

No, to begin with, the sailors themselves were people who could be active as combat personnel at any time.

It's by no means comparable to a real military, but… … .

If the same number of troops were armed with cold weapons, not the imperialist powers' armies, they would be impossible to deal with.

“Ask him. What did he do?”

“Oh, yes.”

Anyway, thanks to Liston, I found out that a merchant ship was moored in Joseon.

If these kids do something weird or something… … .

In the past, I would have just said, 'Well, what can I do?' and let it go, but when it comes to merchant ships operated by the East India Company, things are different.

I guess you could say something like, "There's nothing there, so why are you going there? Go get some green onions and eat them."

Originally, I was staying in London, but after coming here on this expedition, I think I'll be quite talkative for a while.

It's because the Qing people mistook me for a sorcerer.

“Ah… … I think we were talking about making a deal without doing anything special. If this came to fruition, our work might be in trouble, so we came here in a hurry, but we ended up seeing war.”

“Ah… … That’s why you were worried. No, that’s not it. You moved separately from us.”

“If that’s the case, then that’s fortunate… … .”

“Don’t worry too much. We’ll be busy just taking over the Qing Dynasty.”

“Oh, right… … .”

“More than that.”

Amherst can be resolved, Joseon won't be invaded for the time being, and even if they say something strange, they can cut it off for the time being…

So what should I do?

What are you doing?

“If you’re going to smuggle it anyway, don’t you have anything to bring?”

“Yes? Oh… … Of course. Ginseng has been sold at a high price since ancient times. I sold it… … and made some money, but it seems like I won’t be able to buy opium anymore, judging by the atmosphere.”

“Instead, please continue selling ginseng.”

“Uh… ginseng? In Yeonggili country?”

"yes."

“These people don’t take medicine very well… … .”

“Well, whatever. You don’t have to worry.”

As for the efficacy of ginseng… … it has a nourishing and strengthening effect due to the saponin component contained within it.

It may not be as effective as you might expect, but it's at least better than the drugs we British people love so much – arsenic, opium, and cannabis.

And I am the one who can convince you of that.

Because he is a fairly famous doctor in London.

“Then I will try to get some more ginseng.”

When he heard that he could make money, his eyes lit up several times more than when he was worried about the country.

I held onto him for a moment as he got up in a hurry, his body also feeling refreshed.

"for a moment."

"yes?"

“How is Joseon these days?”

Even if I know, I can't do anything, and even if I do, it doesn't seem like it'll work…

Anyway, I thought I had to ask, so I asked.

“Ah… … After Lord Kim Jo-sun passed away, it’s a mess. The Andong Kim clan is the world.”

"ah."

So is Kim Jo-sun another Kim?

I stopped because I thought it would seem a bit ignorant to ask.