Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 507

507. The Rose Has Thorns (5)

“Halt!”

As the carriages carrying Sejong and his entourage arrived, the Manho [military officer in charge of a thousand soldiers], responsible for defending the Daehogun [large military garrison], gave the order to the soldiers.

Clatter!

At the Manho’s command, the soldiers snapped to attention, heads held high.

A moment later, Sejong, in armor, stepped out of the carriage, and the Manho gave another command.

“Salute!”

“Chung!” [a unified response indicating acknowledgement and readiness]

“We greet Your Majesty!”

With the soldiers’ salute, the officials bowed in unison.

Sejong returned the salute with a wave and began to walk.

“Well done.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

“You’ve truly suffered.”

He praised the soldiers and officials as he entered the pioneering headquarters established in Daehogun.

Sejong’s party entered the courtyard of the pioneering headquarters, which was based on a military camp, and soon split into two groups.

Queen Soheon, the concubines, and the court ladies who attended them entered the newly built building first, while Sejong headed to the main building, as he had done at the bridgehead. Shin Suk-ju, the head of the officials, cautiously suggested he rest.

“Wouldn’t it be best to rest and recover from your journey first, Your Majesty?”

“The journey here was so enjoyable that there was no time to accumulate any fatigue.”

“Pardon?”

As the official tilted his head, puzzled by Sejong’s words, the carcasses of various animals were being unloaded from the last carriage.

“What’s that?”

“The new land is perfect for hunting on horseback.”

Shin Suk-ju nodded unconsciously at Sejong’s words.

“Ah….”

For him, as well as the soldiers and officials assigned to the new land, hunting was a great pleasure.

Although the northeastern forest area with Dongbing Port was also full of animals, the new land teemed with game. However, unlike the northeastern forest area or the Gaema Plateau [a volcanic plateau in North Korea], there were many wide plains, making it more pleasant to ride horses and hunt.

Thanks to this, Sejong, who disliked moving so much that he preferred Gyeok-bang (擊棒, Korean golf) to hunting, also enjoyed hunting on horseback.

“Oh? Isn’t that a bison?”

In particular, the huge bison scattered across the wide fields were the best prey.

And here, too, Sejong maintained his unique perspective.

“I tried grilling it, and it tasted great. It also has less of a gamey smell than regular beef. Our people will love it. I need to come up with a good plan for utilizing them whenever I have time.”

Shin Suk-ju gently interjected at Sejong’s words.

“According to the natives of the new land, they are too violent to be tamed.”

“Really? Then what should we do?”

At Shin Suk-ju’s words, Sejong stopped walking and pondered.

‘If the natives who have lived on this land say it’s impossible, it must be really difficult… But it’s a shame to give up, isn’t it? It tastes good, and the amount from one bison is considerable…’

After thinking it over, Sejong turned to Shin Suk-ju with a brightened expression.

“Is it necessary to tame them?”

“Pardon?”

“According to the reports I’ve received so far, this new land has few people compared to its size. In that case, shouldn’t we choose a place suitable for those bison to thrive from the beginning, restrict people’s access, and then raise them in a controlled environment?”

“Ah….”

Shin Suk-ju nodded greatly at Sejong’s words.

‘As expected of His Majesty! He has surpassed the realm that even a commoner can think of!’

“Now! Let’s go inside and organize the situation here!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

* * *

“Huh? Was it prepared in advance?”

Sejong, guided by Shin Suk-ju, arrived at the conference room and turned to Shin Suk-ju with sparkling eyes.

On the desk in the conference room, all kinds of reports were neatly arranged, and a newly updated map of Daehogun and the surrounding area hung on the wall.

At Sejong’s question, Shin Suk-ju bowed lightly and replied.

“Yes, I prepared it just in case, as I heard that you first reviewed the tasks you had been working on at the bridgehead.”

“Is that so? You’ve worked hard. Can I continue to expect this level of preparation in the future?”

At Sejong’s question, Shin Suk-ju bowed deeply and replied.

“I will do my best!”

‘Yes! I’m on the road to success too!’

Shin Suk-ju was excited by the fact that he had caught Sejong’s eye. However, this was Shin Suk-ju’s misjudgment, as he had not yet directly experienced Sejong’s demanding nature.

‘I’ll look forward to it.’

These words meant, ‘I’m going to work you to death.’

* * *

Sejong looked around the conference room for a moment and then walked to the map.

“Huh? The shape is a bit different from the map I saw at the bridgehead’s pioneering headquarters? Has it been updated recently?”

“Yes. It was updated half a month ago.”

“Hmm….”

Listening to Shin Suk-ju’s answer, Sejong examined the map.

The map was drawn according to the concept of scale introduced by Hyang. However, unless one was an expert, it was impossible to understand all the information contained in the map on the spot, and Sejong turned to Shin Suk-ju.

“Are we expanding down from the east towards the south?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Listening to Shin Suk-ju’s answer, Sejong examined the map and pointed to a spot on the eastern coastline.

“What is the distance to Fort Dong 1 from here?”

The place Sejong pointed to was the first fort built by the Joseon army on the east coast, which had set out to explore the east.

It was the first place to build a fort because it had the best conditions for building a port.

And, perhaps coincidentally, it was the place called ‘Boston’ in the history before Hyang’s intervention.

At Sejong’s question, Shin Suk-ju quickly searched through the documents and answered.

“It is about 1100 li (approximately 440km or 273 miles) east of the Malho [another military rank] of Daehogun.”

“1100 li… Hmm….”

Listening to Shin Suk-ju’s answer, Sejong examined the map and soon turned around and sat down.

As soon as Sejong sat down, the officials tensed up and looked at Sejong.

Sejong carefully examined the documents written by the officials and looked at Shin Suk-ju and the officials.

“There are no major problems with the construction of infrastructure, is that right?”

“That is correct.”

“What is the reason for the lack of indigenous people returning? The report says, ‘The wait-and-see attitude is the mainstream among the indigenous people.’ Shouldn’t we be more proactive in encouraging their return?”

Shin Suk-ju stepped forward and answered Sejong’s criticism.

“In order to induce active repatriation, we must be prepared for the worst-case scenario. However, we do not currently have the military power to annex the indigenous villages that occupy the area around this Daehogun.”

“What other means besides military force are there?”

“It is not easy because the amount of supplies coming from the mainland is limited. Completing the steel mill and other industrial facilities, especially the iron horse [train] and railroad factories, is the top priority.”

At Shin Suk-ju’s words, Sejong tapped the desk with his finger and asked.

“Does that mean… that we have no choice but to be recognized as the ‘Thunder Stick Tribe’ [a reference to their advanced weaponry] for the time being?”

“That is correct. The beginning of everything is the completion of the steel mill. We must make railroads with the iron from the steel mill and finish the railroad construction that is currently underway as soon as possible.”

After sending a considerable amount of railroads and three iron horses from Joseon, the railroad construction connecting the bridgehead and Daehogun began immediately.

The basic plan was to lay the railroads sent from Joseon towards Daehogun from the bridgehead, and to lay the railroads from the steel mill in Daehogun towards the bridgehead.

“That’s right, the completion of the steel mill can be said to be the real beginning. Can you meet the deadline?”

At Sejong’s question, the official in charge of the construction of the steel mill stood up and answered.

“We can meet the deadline unless there is a major upset!”

“I think I saw you in Area 51?”

“Yes! I am Jeong Taek, the facility manager in charge of facility development in Area 51!”

“If it’s Area 51, I can trust you. Please do your best.”

“I will do my best!”

After listening to Jeong Taek’s answer, Sejong looked at the map again and called Jeong Taek.

“Facility Manager.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Are all the Joseon technicians dispatched to this new land currently in the bridgehead?”

“Yes, that’s right! They are building Challenger-class battleships and transport ships at the shipyard in the bridgehead!”

According to the plan written by Hyang, if ships were built at the shipyard in the bridgehead, sailors would be immediately deployed and put into transport operations.

“Hmm….”

Sejong, thinking about something while listening to Jeong Taek’s answer, called Jeong Taek again.

“Facility Manager, where does the wood used for the facilities being built here in Daehogun come from?”

“It comes from the forests near Daehogun and to the east!”

“How is the wood quality?”

“It is as dense and strong as the trees from the Northeast Forest Zone!”

“What if we made battleships with it?”

“It would be the best material!”

“Good!”

Sejong made a decision immediately at the Facility Manager’s answer.

“As soon as the ships currently being built by the artisans and workers working at the shipyard in the bridgehead are commissioned, move them to this Daehogun.”

“Pardon?”

“Your Majesty?”

All the officials in the conference room looked puzzled at Sejong’s sudden order.

Sejong stood up, moved to the map, and continued, tracing the eastern coastline of the new land with his finger.

“Right now, I think it’s best to build a shipyard near Fort Dong 1, put the navy sent from the mainland on board, and have them patrol this eastern coast. While patrolling the coast, we should establish naval ports in places suitable for use as ports and deploy battleships.”

Shin Suk-ju immediately raised an objection to Sejong’s words.

“I am afraid to say, but expanding naval ports in that way will consume excessive time, cost, and manpower.”

“That’s right. Therefore, we must not take the existing orthodox step-by-step expansion approach.”

“Pardon?”

“We must maximize the advantages of our Challenger-class battleships and Haeung-class battleships.”

Sejong told them about the plan he had in mind.

-First, explore north and south based on Fort Dong 1 to build naval ports, and the distance between naval ports should be at least 600 li (approximately 240km or 149 miles).

-However, due to the limitation of manpower and resources, it is primarily limited to 3000 li (approximately 1200km or 746 miles) north and south centered on Fort Dong 1.

“If we do this, we can create 10 naval ports even if we expand significantly to the north and south. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

As Shin Suk-ju and the officials nodded, Sejong continued to explain.

-After that, if the manpower and equipment are properly filled, additional naval ports will be installed between the naval ports that were first established.

-If Challenger-class battleships are mainly deployed in the first phase, Haeung-class battleships will be deployed from the second phase to increase efficiency.

After finishing the explanation, Sejong explained the purpose of why this should be done.

“By doing this, we must create a strong wall on the east side of this new land to prevent others from approaching. Of course, it will be impossible for our Joseon to occupy everything in the new land. However, the best way is to build a fence as much as possible to prevent others from advancing, and at the same time, integrate this territory as our own. Venturing out from the inside may encounter even greater difficulties later on.”

Shin Suk-ju and the officials nodded at Sejong’s explanation.

“We will follow Your Majesty’s orders. We will start preparing immediately.”

“Write an order and bring it to me.”

* * *

That night, Sejong, left alone in the conference room, looked at the map and muttered.

“Looking at the situation in Europe now, a survival game is taking place. There is almost no draw in such a game. The winner and loser must be decided. However, for the sake of the country’s survival, the loser will definitely find another way out, and will eventually challenge to find the western route. And because they are losers, they will be even more greedy. Build a strong wall as much as possible before they appear!”

And that decision created the notoriety of the Challenger-class battleships.