Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 253

253. The Expedition (1)

Spring of the 13th year of Sejong (1431, Year of the Pig).

A group of cavalry arrived at the headquarters of the Northeast Frontier Development Corps in Gilju.

“Royal decree!”

A military officer dismounted and announced the arrival of the royal decree. Hwang Hee, Kim Jong-seo, and other officials who had been working inside rushed out.

“Administrative Commissioner Hwang Hee, receive the royal decree!”

“Yes!”

Soon after, a straw mat was laid in the front yard of the administrative headquarters. Hwang Hee, neatly dressed, paid respects towards the capital and knelt down.

With all preparations complete, the military officer unrolled the scroll and read its contents.

“Administrative Commissioner Hwang Hee, listen.”

The following content began by praising Hwang Hee’s contributions to establishing an administrative organization in the newly developed areas of the Northeast region.

It continued by stating that the Northeast region, including the newly expanded territory, would be renamed Hamgil Province and formally incorporated into Joseon as a province.

“…Accordingly, the name of the newly created province shall be Hamgil Province. Hamheung is elevated to Hamheung Prefecture, and Gilju is designated as a Grand Protectorate.”

The officials, who had been listening to the contents of the royal decree with respectful attention, cheered inwardly at the news that the Northeast region was being promoted to Hamgil Province.

Their hard work had not been in vain.

The military officer’s reading continued.

“…In recognition of his merits, Administrative Commissioner Hwang Hee is appointed as the Royal Inspector of Hamgil Province, and he shall assume his duties to solidify the stability of Hamgil Province. However, the quarterly face-to-face reports in Hanseong [present-day Seoul] shall continue as before.”

After some minor details, the reading concluded. The military officer, after neatly rolling up the scroll again, handed it to Hwang Hee and congratulated him.

“Congratulations, Excellency.”

“Thank you. By the way, what happened to General Choi Hae-san?”

“He has been promoted to Chief of Staff of the Joseon Army Headquarters.”

“That’s something to celebrate. He has suffered so much all this time, so I’m glad.”

“Indeed.”

“If you meet the General, please convey my sincere congratulations.”

“Yes, Excellency.”

Hwang Hee sincerely congratulated General Choi Hae-san, who had come north with him and was in charge of pacifying the western region of Baekdu Mountain [Mount Paektu, a significant mountain on the Korean peninsula], on his promotion.

‘That reminds me… When General Choi Hae-san returns, the shape of the fortresses in the plains, excluding the mountain fortresses, will all change.’

* * *

In the process of conquering the northern regions under the pretext of ‘recovering the ancestral homeland,’ the Joseon army established forts and garrisons in strategically important military locations in the newly recovered areas.

In the process of constructing these forts and garrisons, the Joseon army introduced a new material: steel-reinforced concrete, which had been showcased during road paving projects, was used to build the ramparts of the forts and garrisons.

The Jurchens, who had been constantly eyeing their lost lands, had to shed tears of blood in front of these ramparts.

Solid stone walls were in place before they could even set up wooden fences.

The construction of facilities inside the stone walls took additional time, but the very existence of the solid stone walls dampened the Jurchens’ spirit.

In addition, the shape of the stone walls forced the Jurchens, who were launching attacks, to make unnecessary sacrifices.

The ramparts, which the Joseon army named ‘Thorny Ramparts’ because the four corners of the fort resembled protruding thorns, were a simplified variation of the bastion fort system.

The ramparts of the fort, which had a square shape with rounded inward curves, concentrated the fire of the musketeers on the ramparts in one place.

Incendiary grenades fired from cannons placed in the gun emplacements built in the center and at the four corners of the ramparts inflicted fatal damage on the Jurchens who were densely packed along the ramparts.

This rampart, which made the Jurchens shed tears of blood and gnash their teeth, was, of course, Hyang’s work.

If the fort was responsible for the first line of defense, the garrison was the place responsible for the second line of defense. The fortress installed in this garrison was a fortress built according to the textbook of the bastion fort system.

The ramparts, which were made with two to three layers of overlapping walls, were designed to unleash crossfire on the Jurchens.

In addition, there was the location where this garrison was installed. Hyang set the location so that the main land route passed through the center of the garrison.

It made it impossible to advance into the interior of Joseon without capturing the garrison.

Of course, in order to prevent enemies disguised as civilians from being attacked by the ‘Trojan Horse’ tactic from within, the military and civilian areas were separated internally.

The garrisons and forts constructed in this way were quite large.

This was to accommodate nearby civilians and reduce damage in the event of a Jurchen attack.

And, finally, Hyang’s cunning was demonstrated.

In the case of the forts, the ramparts were built with a strength that could block the Jurchen offensives but would collapse under the Joseon army’s artillery fire.

In the case of the garrisons, secret passages were created for counterattacks in the event that the enemies occupied the fortress.

Since these secret passages were top secret, the related information existed only at the General Staff Headquarters in Hanseong.

It was a disguised secret passage that even those working in the garrison did not know about.

The garrisons and forts were created with such double and triple measures, and the Jurchens had to retreat with heavy losses without even crossing the forts.

And the Jurchens who retreated in that way disappeared into ashes without leaving a trace by the Joseon army that set out in pursuit.

A very small number of survivors remained and crossed over to the Ming Dynasty, but that was the end of it.

The fate of the Jurchens who coveted the places where the Joseon army and Joseon people were was mostly to become food for wild animals.

And Choi Hae-san, who had become fond of the combination of concrete ramparts, guns, and cannons, was planning to change Joseon’s major defense bases in this way.

* * *

The military officer handed Hwang Hee a thick scroll.

“What is this?”

“It is a personnel transfer order.”

“Personnel transfer?”

Hwang Hee, who received the scroll, nodded.

The officials had suffered for several years in the remote and dangerous Northeast region. Appropriate compensation was a must.

“There will be many friends who will be happy.”

“The Gisaengs [female entertainers] of Gilju will be busy.”

“Hehe!”

Hwang Hee, who answered with a laugh to the military officer’s words, designated accommodations for the military officer’s party to rest and returned to his office.

Hwang Hee, who returned to his seat, unfolded the scroll and examined the contents written inside.

The scroll was densely filled with the names of those who were being promoted, the ranks they would be promoted to, and the positions they would be transferred to.

Hwang Hee, who carefully checked the contents, smiled with satisfaction after checking one side of the scroll.

“These people… they did it properly.”

After finishing the verification work, Hwang Hee handed the scroll to Kim Jong-seo, who was fidgeting in front of him.

“Copy it and post it on the bulletin board.”

“Yes, Excellency.”

Kim Jong-seo, who received the scroll, immediately unfolded it and checked the contents.

“Huh? No! Excellency!”

Kim Jong-seo, who was checking the contents of the scroll, turned red and clung to Hwang Hee.

“What is this? Assistant to the Royal Inspector of Hamgil Province? What is this unheard of and bizarre position?”

“It’s a newly created position. Did you see the rank? It’s a Senior 4th rank position. Congratulations on your promotion, you. From Junior 5th rank to Senior 4th rank, that’s a rapid promotion.”

“Excellency! Is promotion the problem now? Many other friends are going to Hanseong, but why do I have to stay here?”

“But your promotion is fast, isn’t it?”

“Is promotion the problem now!”

At Kim Jong-seo’s protest, Hwang Hee leaned back on the back of his chair, crossed his arms, and looked at Kim Jong-seo.

“So, why? Are you going to submit your resignation?”

“What’s to stop me from submitting it!”

Hwang Hee chuckled at Kim Jong-seo’s words.

“You rascal. Do you think I have the power to raise your rank by several levels at once?”

“Yes?”

Kim Jong-seo, who had paused, pondered the hidden meaning in Hwang Hee’s words.

After a while, Kim Jong-seo’s face turned pale and he muttered.

“Could it be… could it be….”

“That ‘could it be’ is how people get caught.”

Hwang Hee pointed to the ceiling with his index finger and continued.

“Our Lord [referring to the King] has a great desire for talent. He wrote in your evaluation that you are ‘a talent that is hard to see again,’ and you did a good job on the last secret mission, so would our Lord just let you go? I can bet half a year’s salary on ‘He won’t let you go.’”

“Damn it….”

At Hwang Hee’s words, Kim Jong-seo’s head drooped down.

Hwang Hee, who was watching the scene, rubbed salt into the wound.

“Of course, if you give up your promotion and just want to be a Jeongrang [a mid-level official rank] until you retire, I’ll send you to Hanseong. But, Jong-seo? How much is a Jeongrang’s salary? Would it be easy to support your family and enjoy a life of leisure with that salary? Can you stand that? A dog wouldn’t give up poop. Then the only answer is bribery. And if you get caught, you’ll go to the records office, no, if it’s you, you’ll probably go to the mines.”

“Ugh….”

Kim Jong-seo could only groan at Hwang Hee’s words.

Even he thought that he would be likely to receive kickbacks in that situation. And, if it was Sejong’s personality, that personality that would give an even bigger punishment if a talented person committed corruption, then going to the mines was certain.

At Kim Jong-seo’s reaction, Hwang Hee gently coaxed Kim Jong-seo.

“So, Jong-seo. Are you going to live in Hanseong, watching your wife’s eyes and lamenting your light wallet with a small salary, or are you going to suffer a little more, get promoted, and be treated like a king by your wife and live doing what you like? You know it well, don’t you? Customers who come occasionally but spend a lot each time are treated better than customers who wander around and spend a little.”

“Ugh….”

Kim Jong-seo’s groans grew louder at Hwang Hee’s words. At Kim Jong-seo’s reaction, Hwang Hee dangled a delicious bait.

“I’ve become the Royal Inspector this time. You know that, right? The Royal Inspector’s term is usually 2 years or 3 years. Considering the situation here, I’ll probably fill the full 3 years, right? If you suffer for just 3 years, you’ll go back to Hanseong. What are you going to do? Are you going to suffer for 3 more years, keep getting promoted, and live being treated well, or are you going to go to Hanseong now and live watching other people’s eyes?”

At Hwang Hee’s words, Kim Jong-seo bit his lip and pondered. After a long time of deliberation, Kim Jong-seo shouted.

“Keep that promise! If you leave me behind after 3 years, I don’t know what I’ll do!”

“Hey! You just have to stick close to me and move around! So go and do what you’re told!”

“Tch….”

Kim Jong-seo muttered a small curse and returned to his office.

As Kim Jong-seo disappeared outside, the officials who were watching the scene carefully approached Hwang Hee.

“Excellency, we too….”

“You guys are the same. Work hard!”

“Yes!”

At Hwang Hee’s scolding, the officials rushed back to their seats. Hwang Hee, who was watching the scene, suddenly remembered something and called a subordinate official.

“Hey! Go and tell Jong-seo that he has to go to Hanseong in five days, so prepare properly!”

“Yes!”

* * *

A few days later, Hwang Hee and Kim Jong-seo entered Hanseong. It was for the regular report to be made directly to Sejong.

Hwang Hee and Kim Jong-seo, who entered Geunjeongjeon [the main hall of Gyeongbokgung Palace], paid their respects to Sejong, who was sitting on the throne.

“This subject, Hwang Hee, Royal Inspector of Hamgil Province, reports his presence to His Majesty.”

“This subject, Kim Jong-seo, Assistant to the Royal Inspector of Hamgil Province, reports his presence to His Majesty.”

“You have worked hard to come a long way. Thanks to your good handling of the affairs of the Northeast region, the Northeast region was able to be promoted to Hamgil Province. I am truly grateful.”

Hwang Hee bowed his head and replied to Sejong’s praise.

“Your Majesty’s grace is boundless.”

“And, Kim Jong-seo. You have also worked hard. Both the secret mission you carried out in Daenaessi last time, and the faithful assistance you provided in the Northeast region, I am truly grateful to have such an outstanding talent as you.”

“That is an excessive compliment. I do not know what to do with such an excessive compliment.”

“No, it’s not, it’s not.”

Sejong, who praised Hwang Hee and Kim Jong-seo, received a report on their work.

The historian, who recorded the report that was conducted in a consistently warm atmosphere, added the following:

-…Therefore, His Majesty praised the merits of Hwang Hee and Kim Jong-seo.

The historian discusses. Kim Jong-seo is so talented that he will be very busy.