The 55th story of a full-length business novel.
All of it spread out near and afar. Lots of international merchant fleets and tribunal ships came to harbor and/or stop by the Blue City on business, official or private.
While staying there they would take a sighting at the emporium with meals and drinks. Then, they began to exchange their products easily and safely among three nations, China, Japan and Korea. Other countries such as Okinawa, Taiwan, Indonesia and Arabia came to join the trade over time.
The main products were innumerous. They were agricultural products such as rice, barley and corn, pile & textiles such as silk and cotton, clothing, gold, silver, steel, azure stone, and other jewelries, herbs, tea, ginseng, sulfur, aloe, ceramics like inlaid porcelain and Chinaware, floriated carpets, dried fish, seaweed, deer horn, ivory, tiger skin, peltry, and other animal fur, harness such as saddle, stirrup, livestock such as cow, pig, horse, camel, deer, paper, books and Chinese ink, pulsatile and stringed musical instruments, machines, military requisitions such as arrow, armors, firearms, swords, art and craft goods, and so on. Within a few years the Blue City, Cheonghae-Jin, came to be known as the International Trade Center like Alexandria in Egypt. (Below was the perspective of the Sea City of Alexandria in the ancient Roman World. Source: www.ancientworlds.net)
The thriving trade lasted for almost thirty years. (823 - 851 A.D) Such an international trade with foreign countries was the first time in the Far East. That made his country, Shilla, wealthier and more prosperous. His countrymen also could run a farm safely and make fishing without concerns. Even more, they came freely to manage businesses such as exchange of materials and others. All of it contributed to his country’s economy, national power and the people’s income. From then on, the international trade and public welfare gave him a niceish fortune, too. Money continued to pile up. The fortune and its daughter fame made him, Chang Bo-ko, a merchant prince of the Yellow Sea. The book shortly added that:
“Even until now, the relics at the time are found and unearthed from the soil around the seaport which was located in the islands named Wando and Jangdo. They are the very proofs of such activities. Besides, the Japanese monk Enrin’s reminiscence, which remains so far, shows clearly his real activity as the Prince of the Yellow Sea. It is not necessary to mention the Chinese temple, Fa Hua Yuan, in Shidao for his brilliant achievements. Truly the living Buddhist temple demonstrates what he did for the people.”
Even if the comments were short for his activities at sea, the days must have been the florescence of his life. In fact, this part of the book was its climax.
If so and true, it was natural to draw the boy’s interest. Indeed, the part was exciting and alarmed the boy continuously. Full-hearted, the boy, Cheong Ju-young, thought inside and aloud that:
“Aha, ah ha, he really won the battle of life in the end. With new thinking he created diverse international trade and buckled down to the business. Then, he contributed immensely to his country through leveraging trades. Further he got trade interest from the business and accumulated a colossal fortune. All of it was good for everyone. There was no harm against anyone. In a sense, at first his dream seemed to be reckless. The reason was that there had not been such a precedent in the sea. Nobody had made a merchantable military garrison such as Cheonghae-Jin before him. In this point his idea was innovative, idealistic and adventurous. But he made it all in the end completely. Indeed, he translated this sort of innovative and idealistic plan into the reality in this earthly land. It was amazing and respectable. In this point he must have been a highly respectable figure. If possible, I’d like to be a great man like him in the future.”
Then and then the boy (Cheong Ju-young) fixed up his mind following him with his best. Then he said to himself that:
“As for me, there is no reason I am not able to do such a great thing. At least, there is a new possibility. Whether I can do it or not, whether I will be such a great man or not are not an important issue this time. The answer will be solved in the farther future. But, not this time. I do not have to worry about the result; success or failure, this time. Only time will tell the truth. Anyway, I am now very young. So I have an innumerous time to fulfill my hopes and dream. This time, what I need to do is to do my best. Correct, that is the most important thing.”
In this way, the boy, Cheong Ju-young, made up his mind to drive forward the bright future.
At this point, the biography turned into his late life rapidly and tragically. Far away from him, an ominous sign has been already brewing against him as follows:
“As his material abundance increased bigger and bigger his professional reputation spread out beyond the country. With his huge wealth and his formidable military power he became one of the most powerful and richest moguls in the country. The more wealth he had amassed, the more he had become the talk of gossip. Thereupon, he inadvertently entered the realm of politics.”
Copyright. Korea IT Times. All Copyright Reserved.