Only a few Koreans had made their way inside.
From what I heard, they didn't seem to be ordinary civilians—more like merchants.
And among them…
They didn't strike me as people operating with official permission. Rather, they seemed like smugglers, though their attire was surprisingly decent.
'Well… It's not like legitimate trade was all that frequent anyway.'
This wasn't some Age of Exploration video game.
Sure, in games, you could sail into Hanyang, meet the king, sign a contract, and immediately start trading ginseng—but come on, how realistic was that?
Even before Heungseon Daewongun declared the policy of isolation, Joseon had already been effectively closed off. So, running into these smugglers on Qing territory was no coincidence.
"Then… should I call you 'Lord Kim Taepyeong'?"
At any rate, I glanced at the three Koreans in front of me.
The one seated on the right looked like someone who had clawed his way up from the very bottom.
His eyes, his hands—his entire demeanor betrayed the harsh life he must have lived.
The way he kept glaring at Liston…
Despite his small stature, the sheer audacity he displayed made me wonder what kind of hell he'd been through.
Meanwhile, Liston, the target of those sidelong glances, didn't seem particularly bothered.
—They're all small fry… but you should still be careful. Not that anything will happen while I'm here, but…
No, it wasn't just that. He might as well have said, "If they act up, I'll knock them out cold."
Anyway, the man on the left was dressed like the traveling merchants often seen in dramas.
He wasn't carrying a bundle, but still.
"Ah… Call me whatever you like. Though I'm a bit young for formal titles."
"Haha… A hero isn't measured by age, but by his achievements."
The most striking one was the middle-aged man sitting in the center, leading the conversation.
Sure, East Asians tended to age slower than Westerners…
But that was a 21st-century thing, wasn't it?
Judging by his face alone, he looked well past sixty, yet he claimed to be in his thirties.
With that face, a proper gat, and silk robes, he looked more like a nobleman than I did.
Of course, the idea of a high-ranking yangban from Hanyang ending up here was absurd, so he was probably just a smuggler who'd made a fortune.
"It's nice to see fellow Koreans after so long… but why did you ask to meet me?"
Hiding my thoughts, I decided to ask outright.
Honestly…
Aside from my parents and Joseph, this was the first time I'd met someone who pronounced Kim Taepyeong correctly, so I was happy.
But I wasn't so blindly patriotic that I'd turn into some nationalist activist.
I wondered why that was…
Probably because, in my mind, Joseon was already a lost cause.
Besides, there wasn't much I could do about it right now.
"Ah… We all saw it."
"Not just us—everyone in Guangzhou must have seen it."
"Hmm."
Listening to their cryptic remarks, I asked again.
"Saw what?"
"Those Western ships… They completely obliterated the Qing navy."
"Ah… Right, they did."
Even I was surprised by the sheer firepower of those ships—warships, not even a full steamship fleet.
Then again, this was the British Empire at its peak, and they'd come prepared for naval warfare, so of course they'd crush everything.
But seeing it in person was still staggering.
"They… won't head for Joseon next, will they?"
Even now, I could still hear the thunderous roar of cannons if I closed my eyes.
The combatants probably suffered some hearing damage.
I was on the command ship, not a frontline vessel, so I had some distance… but even then, my ears were ringing.
I could only imagine how bad it was for those on the scene.
"No, that's not the plan."
"Are you certain?"
Given what they'd just witnessed, their fear was understandable.
Joseon's navy had been strong—back in the 16th and early 17th centuries.
Even then, it was only by East Asian standards. Compared to the European navies that had dominated the Age of Exploration? No contest.
'Besides… Admiral Yi Sun-sin isn't around anymore.'
Sure, if Yi Sun-sin were alive, he might've pulled off some tactical miracle…
But even I, who'd barely scraped into college with private tutoring, knew how dire 19th-century Joseon was.
"Yes, I'm certain. There's no such plan."
"Then… what was that ship?"
"Which ship?"
Come to think of it, I hadn't heard of any British warships invading Joseon during the Opium Wars.
Wait, had Britain ever directly invaded Joseon?
The French had led the Byeong-in Yangyo (1866), and the Americans the Sinmi Yangyo (1871).
Though Britain had indirectly fueled the Russo-Japanese War, which led to Japan swallowing Joseon…
Honestly, most of the world's dark history could be traced back to Britain.
"Yes, that ship… One came and picked a fight before."
"Not every foreign ship is British, right?"
Besides, 1832 seemed too early.
As far as I knew, the Byeong-in Yangyo was in 1866, and the Sinmi Yangyo even later.
"It was a British ship. The same flag flying on this ship was there too."
"Really? What was its name?"
The fact that they mentioned the flag suggested it really was British.
Damn these tea-sipping bastards…
Absolute lunatics. Now they were messing with the Hermit Kingdom too?
"I heard it was called the Lord Amherst."
"Oh… How do you know?"
"Learned some English trading opium."
"Ah…"
No wonder…
His clothes were too flashy.
He was a narco.
Wait, hold on…
If this kept up…
—Kim Taepyeong, British Narco Kingpin, Expands from Qing to Joseon.
Was this how I'd end up in history books?
No… That couldn't happen.
"The Lord Amherst…"
Just then, Liston, who'd been silent, spoke up.
He cut in so smoothly I almost wondered if he understood Korean like some undercover cop.
Thankfully (or not), he didn't.
He'd just recognized the name Amherst.
"Wasn't that a merchant ship from India?"
"Huh? Really?"
"Yeah. Remember when we were training? We didn't stay in London long, but… we spent some time in India."
"I… remember, of course."
The memory of swinging swords on a rocking deck wasn't something I'd forget, even if I lived another lifetime.
Hell, I'd even swung at corpses later.
The heat and humidity made bodies decompose faster than in London—absolute hell.
If I'd known, I'd have brought formaldehyde…
But I didn't want to be the kind of person who carried formaldehyde just in case.
"I think I saw it depart back then."
"We trained for quite a while, though…"
"Which means it reached Joseon before us. Isn't Joseon farther?"
"But could a merchant ship really be that fast?"
"Normally, no. But we were slower this time. We were loaded with cannons and supplies for a prolonged war."
"Ah, right."
The captain and crew had complained about the ship feeling sluggish.
Sounded reasonable when phrased like this, but when a red-eyed sailor, perpetually drunk and exhausted, ranted about it, it just sounded like ghost stories—so I'd ignored it.
"Anyway, it's probably the same one. The pronunciation's a bit off, but… I also just learned that my Korean pronunciation was wrong, so let's let that slide."
"What were those bastards doing in Joseon?"
"Who knows… Just a merchant ship, so probably nothing major."
Even Liston couldn't say, "Merchant ships just trade, right?" with full confidence.
Because while they were called merchant ships, they were often armed for piracy or raiding natives.
Hell, the crew themselves were always ready to fight if needed.
Not quite on par with a real military, but…
Against a pre-industrial army with cold weapons? No contest.
"Ask them. What exactly did they do?"
"Ah, right."
Thanks to Liston, I now knew some merchant ship had been lurking around Joseon.
If those bastards had pulled something…
In the past, I might've just shrugged and moved on.
But if it was an East India Company ship? That changed things.
I could easily say, "Why the hell would you go there? Just squeeze the Qing dry."
I was already a London elite, and after this expedition, my influence would only grow—especially since the Qing had mistaken me for some kind of sorcerer.
"Ah… They didn't do much. Just tried to trade. If that had gone through, it'd have hurt our business, so we rushed here… only to see a war."
"Ah… So that's why you were worried. No, that's unrelated. They acted independently."
"That's a relief, but…"
"Don't worry too much. We're too busy squeezing the Qing dry anyway."
"Ah, right…"
"More importantly…"
The Lord Amherst issue was resolved, Joseon was safe for now, and even if they spouted nonsense, I could shut it down…
So, what now?
What should I do?
"Since you're smuggling anyway… Did you bring anything?"
"Huh? Ah… Yes. Ginseng's always sold well. We traded it for… decent profits, but given the current mood, opium's off the table."
"Then keep selling ginseng."
"Uh… Ginseng? In Britain?"
"They don't really use herbal medicine…"
"Don't worry about that."
If we were talking about ginseng's effects…
Its saponin content gave it revitalizing properties.
Not as potent as people hoped, but compared to the arsenic, opium, or cannabis the British loved? Far healthier.
And I was in a position to convince them.
As a fairly well-known doctor in London.
"Then… I'll see about sourcing more ginseng."
His eyes lit up at the prospect of profit—far more than when he'd been worrying about the nation.
He sprang up eagerly, but I stopped him.
"Wait."
"Yes?"
"How's Joseon these days?"
Knowing wouldn't change anything, and maybe it shouldn't…
But I still had to ask.
"Ah… Since Lord Kim Jo-sun passed, it's a mess. The Andong Kim clan runs everything now."
"Ah."
So, Kim Jo-sun was a different Kim?
Asking would've made me look ignorant, so I kept quiet.