Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 496

496. Lord of War (2)

“You want guns?”

“Hai!”

Saja answered in Japanese, seemingly flustered by Hyang’s question.

Hyang, resting his chin on his hand, asked again, “Does Daenei-ssi [a respectful title in Japanese, similar to ‘Lord’ or ‘Master’] think he’s left guns in our Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom] or something?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m asking if he thinks he’s left guns in our Joseon. Does he think that if he says, ‘Hand them over!’ we’ll just say, ‘Yes, here they are,’ and hand them right over? Is that all our Joseon is to Daenei-ssi?”

Before Hyang’s words could even finish, the ministers, vice-ministers, and officials gathered in the Seungwha Hall meeting room glared at Saja with fierce expressions.

‘Oh, dear!’

Realizing his mistake, Saja prostrated himself on the floor, his face pale.

‘If I mess up, it won’t end with just my seppuku [ritual suicide]! All the men in the family will be forced to commit seppuku!’

“Everything is due to my foolishness! All of this is my mistake, and not the will of my lord! In the urgency of the situation, I have made a grave error! Please, cut off my head and appease your anger!”

“If I just send you back, your lord will take care of it himself. Why should I dirty my hands?”

At Hyang’s cynical question, Saja clung completely to the floor and raised his voice.

“Your Highness! Please have mercy! If things continue like this, my lord and his territory will be in danger! Please, have pity on my lord and offer your help! If you do so, I will disembowel myself to take responsibility!”

At Saja’s words, Hyang scoffed and rebuked him.

“Hmph! Taking responsibility by disemboweling yourself and slitting your throat is the most cowardly excuse! Aren’t you just running away from the problem you need to solve? Is that truly the proper attitude of someone taking responsibility! The right thing to do would be to do your best to resolve your mistake and then calmly accept your lord’s judgment!”

Faced with Hyang’s rebuke, Ouchi’s envoy could do nothing but prostrate himself further.

“The envoy will wait at Dongpyeonggwan [a historical guesthouse for foreign envoys]!”

“Your Highness!”

“Get out of here!”

At Hyang’s roar, Saja had no choice but to retreat in tears.

* * *

After chasing away the envoy, Hyang turned to the ministers.

“It seems Daenei-ssi is in a lot of trouble.”

Hwang Hee stepped forward and replied to Hyang’s words.

“It seems so. But to come here and start complaining as soon as he arrives, it seems he looks down on our Joseon.”

Hyang nodded at Hwang Hee’s words.

“That’s right.”

Heo Hu, who had been listening to Hyang and Hwang Hee’s conversation, soon joined in.

“Although the envoy’s disrespectful attitude is annoying, it seems certain that Daenei-ssi’s situation is very bad. To hear him making such whining noises.”

Hwang Hee shook his head at Heo Hu’s words.

“If Daenei-ssi was truly in a life-or-death crisis, he wouldn’t have sent someone like that as an envoy. He would have sent someone of higher status.”

Hyang and the others all nodded at Hwang Hee’s words. However, Heo Hu still looked worried.

“Although I don’t like the envoy’s rash behavior, shouldn’t we provide support? The shogunate [military government of Japan] must already know that we are behind Daenei-ssi. If the shogunate’s defense is successful, they certainly won’t look kindly on our Joseon.”

Heo Hu’s point was valid, and several people nodded. However, Hyang shook his head.

“Even when we provide support, we must be precise about what we give. If we provide support as they wish every time they whine, they will not appreciate our support but will take it for granted. No, they will go even further and look down on us. Isn’t that the nature of the Wae-nom [derogatory term for Japanese people]?”

All the ministers nodded at Hyang’s words.

“That is true.”

“Anyway, those Wae-nom…”

As the ministers nodded, Hyang added.

“Look at the envoy’s reaction earlier. Didn’t he act as if we were holding his guns for him?”

Hyang grumbled inwardly as he spoke about the envoy’s behavior a moment ago.

‘Anyway, those island bastards! Neither ancestors nor descendants have any shame!’

* * *

In the early 2020s, the world was suffering from an epidemic.

At that time, Japan was unable to carry out proper quarantine activities and preventive measures such as vaccinations due to its outdated administration.

Whenever articles criticizing Japan’s situation were published in its own country, extraordinary remarks flooded the Japanese internet.

-Korea should naturally send medical staff!

-Korea should naturally send vaccines!

The reactions of these Japanese netizens were soon conveyed to Korean netizens, and the reactions of Korean netizens were largely the same.

“What are they saying?”

“Did they miss their medication time?”

* * *

Hwang Hee, who had been nodding at Hyang’s words, opened his mouth.

“Your Highness’s words are wise, but shouldn’t we provide support? If we make a mistake and miss the opportunity, we may have to make more advances than necessary.”

Kim Jeom immediately questioned Hwang Hee’s words.

“Not expenditure, but advance? What does that mean?”

At Kim Jeom’s question, everyone’s attention focused on Hwang Hee.

‘That man isn’t one to make a slip of the tongue.’

‘What does he mean?’

Amidst the confusion, Hyang asked Hwang Hee.

“Are you considering the possibility of our Joseon advancing to the mainland of Wa [ancient name for Japan]?”

“Yes. As Heo Hu said, if the shogunate succeeds in defending, there is a high possibility that discord will arise between our Joseon and Wa. If that happens, the Wae-guk [another term for Japan] may start to stir again, and ultimately…”

Hwang Hee deliberately trailed off, and Hyang looked at Jo Malsaeng.

“Our Joseon conquering Wa? Minister of National Defense, is it possible? Not just a simple punitive expedition like the previous conquest of Tsushima Island, but a permanent occupation?”

As Hyang mentioned ‘permanent occupation,’ the eyes of the other ministers widened as much as possible.

‘Minister Hwang was already going too far, but the Crown Prince is even more so!’

After pondering for a moment, Jo Malsaeng answered Hyang’s question.

“It is possible if only one condition is met.”

“The North?”

Jo Malsaeng nodded at Hyang’s short question.

“Yes, to be precise, it would be Beijing. If we only mention the Jurchens [nomadic tribes north of China], we don’t have much to worry about. But Beijing won’t stand still.”

Heo Hu raised an objection to Jo Malsaeng’s answer.

“We are currently observing the formalities of serving the Ming [Chinese dynasty], and we are trading a huge amount of goods with our Joseon. Would Beijing start a war?”

Kim Jeom answered in place of Jo Malsaeng.

“If our Joseon annexes Wa, then it is possible to declare ourselves emperor without paying attention to the Ming. The problem is that Beijing knows that. Isn’t the shogunate backed by Beijing, just as Daenei-ssi is backed by our Joseon?”

“Ah…”

At Kim Jeom’s answer, Heo Hu nodded with a bitter expression.

Joseon also knew, through information obtained through various channels, that the shogunate was backed by the Ming.

In other words, the current civil war in Wa was a proxy war between the Ming and Joseon, with the shogunate and Ouchi at the forefront. The Ming and Joseon were engaged in a power struggle over the large market of Wa.

However, on the surface, it was still a civil war in Wa. Neither the Ming nor Joseon wanted to disrupt the current stable diplomatic relations and economic exchanges.

It was a loss for both of them.

* * *

“Conquering Wa is the worst-case scenario. Let’s try to achieve the best-case scenario, which is for Daenei-ssi to take control of Wa. Let’s just confirm whether the Wa conquest I just mentioned is possible.”

“Yes.”

It was Hyang who summarized the situation. Hwang Hee, who had been bowing his head at Hyang’s words, opened his mouth to Hyang.

“In any case, we must provide support to Daenei-ssi. The problem is that we must not do the foolish thing of giving them everything they ask for. Therefore, I believe we should send people.”

Hyang nodded at Hwang Hee’s suggestion.

“I think so too.”

“Then I will immediately begin the selection process.”

“There is no need for selection.”

“Yes?”

“We are already struggling to fill the vacancies of the officials who went to Shinji with His Majesty. Moreover, the time spent on the selection process is also a waste.”

“Then…”

Hwang Hee, who had stopped speaking, glanced at the quartet huddled together on one side and looked at Hyang.

Having received a silent question, Hyang smiled and nodded.

“That’s right.”

At Hyang’s affirmation, the quartet squeezed their eyes shut.

‘Damn it!’

“Secretary Han Myeong-hoi, Assistant Secretary Seong Sam-mun.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

At Hyang’s call, the two answered immediately, bowing their heads and screaming inwardly.

‘We’ve been caught!’

‘Do we have to go to the battlefields of other countries now!’

Hyang, who had called the two, immediately gave the order.

“Prepare for a business trip immediately. Take the first train to Mokpo tomorrow and cross the sea to visit Daenei-ssi’s territory. Minister of National Defense, send an urgent communication to prepare a ship.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Hyang, who had given the necessary orders to Jo Malsaeng, continued to speak to Han Myeong-hoi and Seong Sam-mun.

“I will write a letter of protest to the head of the Daenei clan. You two must strongly protest the envoy’s rash behavior today, and at the same time, accurately assess the situation and determine how much support is needed before returning.”

“We will obey your command!”

“Then move out.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Han Myeong-hoi and Seong Sam-mun quickly left the conference room after receiving Hyang’s orders. Hyang, who was watching the two of them, ordered Kwon Ram and Ha Wi-ji.

“What are you doing? Don’t you help those two go on their business trip properly. Tsk! How can you be so clueless.”

“Yes, yes!”

The remaining two also quickly left the conference room at the sound of Hyang’s clicking tongue.

After the quartet disappeared, Hwang Hee quietly asked Hyang.

“Are those two going to be alright?”

“They’ll be fine. Han Myeong-hoi has the ability to quickly grasp the situation and adapt to the situation. And Seong Sam-mun has the ability to accurately grasp all situations while adhering to principles. Those two will be able to quickly assess the situation and come back.”

Hwang Hee nodded at Hyang’s story.

The evaluations given by the ministers and vice-ministers regarding the quartet were very good.

-If they don’t cause an accident in the middle, they are guaranteed to be the next prime minister and minister.

Because of this evaluation, Hwang Hee did not object any further.

* * *

It was more than half a month later that the two, who had left on a business trip as quickly as roasting beans in a flash of lightning, returned to Hanseong.

“What is the situation in Wa?”

Han Myeong-hoi stepped forward and answered Hyang’s question.

“The superiority has not yet been determined, but if we miss the opportunity, Daenei-ssi will be pushed back.”

“Is that so? Why?”

“Because most of the lords are still only observing the situation. The superiority will depend on which side they choose.”

Following Han Myeong-hoi’s answer, Seong Sam-mun stepped forward and answered.

“Looking at the current state of the civil war, both sides are catching their breath. This is due to the problem of climate and the problem of depleted power. This is just my shallow opinion. It is certain that a large-scale conflict will occur in the spring. It is certain that the direction will be determined by one, or at most three, battles.”

“Spring is three months away…”

“Yes.”

Hyang, with a very serious face, gestured to the two.

“I understand. Leave the report behind.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Hyang, who had sent the two out, was silent for a moment and then called a eunuch.

“Go and call General Yi Cheon.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Hyang, who had sent the eunuch out, muttered to himself.

“I’m going to have to unpack this.”