Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 858

With Cosimo’s approval, Lorenzo and the Medici family moved quickly.

Lorenzo’s first action was to establish public educational institutions.

– Gather children from Florence and its affiliated cities and towns to teach basic reading, writing, and arithmetic.

– This is a public project undertaken by the Medici family for Florence.

With these slogans, Lorenzo enthusiastically promoted the establishment of educational institutions.

The initial reaction of the residents of Florence and its affiliated cities was lukewarm.

Or, to be precise, it was “Why bother?”

“We already have churches and monasteries teaching children, so why bother?”

“The more they know, the more they complain. Why go to the trouble of teaching them?”

“Even if they don’t know how to read, they can distinguish between gold and silver coins and know what to do, so why bother?”

The lives of the residents in various Italian cities at that time were full of contradictions.

Even illiterate slaves and laborers would wander around reciting passages from Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy.’ The urban poor and rural children learned the knowledge they needed to survive from their parents and neighboring adults, not from schools.

From farming methods to pickpocketing, to pretending to be knowledgeable while scamming.

Proper education for children was only possible in middle-class or higher families, and those families used the educational facilities of churches and monasteries, or private tutors.

In this situation, they showed a lukewarm response to the educational institutions that Lorenzo was establishing.

However, Lorenzo emphasized the necessity of education to these people.

“Until when will you teach immorality and crime! Will you raise your children as criminals too!”

“Even if Latin is too much, shouldn’t they be able to read and write at least Italian properly!”

“Education is free!”

It was the last ‘free’ that moved the lower classes.

“Well… it’s true that getting rid of illiteracy will be helpful in many ways.”

“It’s free….”

“It’s better than learning useless Latin from churches and monasteries.”

In this way, more and more children gathered at the elementary school (Scuola elementare) established by Lorenzo and began to receive education.

Upon receiving the report, Lorenzo smiled with satisfaction and looked at the ‘Young Scholars’.

“It seems like we’ve buttoned the first button correctly.”

The intellectuals of the Young Scholars nodded at Lorenzo’s words.

The elementary school was the first step towards a ‘Unified Italy’.

* * *

Through the education of elementary school, children would engrave loyalty to Florence and Italy in their minds.

Also, only when many properly educated people came out could proper administrative organizations be organized and operated in slums and remote villages.

Only when administrative power could be exercised in all areas of Florence could preparations for the great undertaking be properly prepared.

Finally, many educated people were needed even for the standing army that was being prepared step by step.

Educated people were needed to properly operate not only long guns but also hwacha [Korean rocket artillery] and cannons. It was no longer an era of handing out a spear and using them as consumables like before.

In order to properly operate the standing army, soldiers with patriotism and a sense of duty were needed, and these soldiers could only be created through education.

“No, honestly, it was strange all along. Think of the great Roman army. The era when the Roman army was most powerful was the era when the army was composed of free citizens and nobles.”

“That’s right! The standing army we want is the ‘revival of the great Roman army’!”

It was a thought that scholars with some knowledge of Roman history would have pointed out more than one or two things. However, the Young Scholars were immersed in the idea of creating Florence’s standing army as a ‘revived Roman army’ and unifying Italy once again like the old Rome.

* * *

“We have buttoned the first button correctly, but we still have a long way to go. I need your help.”

“What can we do to help? We will help with anything! If you need funds, I will give you all of my property!”

Lorenzo barely suppressed the laughter that was about to come out at the words of giving up all his property.

‘What do they think of me and my family now?’

Lorenzo, who desperately organized his expression, brought up the main point.

“We are short of teachers to teach children in elementary schools and people to manage school administration. I hope you will help with this part.”

“If it’s that, of course, we should take the lead!”

“Just leave it to us!”

“Salaries will be paid, but it may not be enough.”

“That part is okay!”

“That much for the sake of a unified Italy!”

Most of the Young Scholars were young people attending universities. As such, they were passionate and pure. Therefore, upon hearing Lorenzo’s request, they gladly packed their bags and left for elementary schools in all directions.

After seeing off those who were leaving and returning to his office, Lorenzo smiled bitterly and muttered.

“Now I can get rid of the noisy daydreamers.”

The Young Scholars were a great support for Lorenzo, but they were also troublesome existences.

Again, most of the Young Scholars were young people. As such, they were full of energy, but they were too idealistic.

Therefore, considering the future, it was necessary to organize the Young Scholars, and Lorenzo organized them by dispatching them as teachers and administrators of elementary schools.

Lorenzo, who had organized the Young Scholars who had been bothering his ears, muttered while organizing the report to be submitted to Cosimo.

“Uncle must be very busy now too….”

* * *

Contrary to Lorenzo’s expectations, Giovanni was having a leisurely time.

Of course, it was not the leisure he wanted himself.

As soon as Giovanni arrived in Seoul, he visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and met the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs who met Giovanni was Shin Suk-ju.

He had excellent language skills and sociability, so he had been busy moving from Aden to Shinji, and Shin Suk-ju’s appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs was being evaluated as a fairly good appointment.

However, this appointment was also Hyang’s work.

“It has already changed as much as it can, but variables always exist.”

In order to prevent anything that might happen while meeting Jinpyeong in Shinji, Hyang summoned Shin Suk-ju to the mainland and put him in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when he was appointed to Shinji.

Shin Suk-ju, who started working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, demonstrated his abilities and continued to be promoted, and finally became the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Giovanni, who met Shin Suk-ju, took out and submitted the documents with a serious face.

“What is it?”

“Something has happened that poses a serious threat to the safety of our Florence, the empire’s most loyal ally. France has created a ‘b 폭은’ [likely refers to a powerful weapon, perhaps a bomb].”

“France has a ‘폭은’?”

“Yes. Considering the time when our Medici family found out and the time it took me to come to Seoul, mass production has already begun.”

At Giovanni’s answer, Shin Suk-ju asked Giovanni with a puzzled expression.

“Huh? Isn’t France also an ally of Florence?”

“There is a saying in Europe, ‘Everyone is in the same boat.'”

“Ah….”

‘It’s like saying we are in the same boat but with different dreams.’

Shin Suk-ju, who muttered inwardly at Giovanni’s words, asked again with a worried expression.

“I understand Florence’s concerns. Do you need any help from our empire?”

“Yes.”

Giovanni, who answered immediately, took out another document and handed it to Shin Suk-ju.

“I want to introduce the empire’s weapons. It would be even better if you could let us produce them.”

“I know that you have already introduced many of our empire’s weapons. Are you trying to buy more?”

“I want to introduce not the weapons retired from the Imperial Army, but the same weapons that the Imperial Army is using now.”

“The same weapons that our army is using now?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know much about the military, but even if you introduce the same weapons that the Imperial Army is using now, it will not be easy to use them, right?”

Giovanni answered immediately to Shin Suk-ju’s point.

“That’s right. So, I want to dispatch instructors to train the army and for our Florence’s young people to study at the military academy.”

“Hmm….”

Shin Suk-ju, who stroked his beard with a troubled expression at Giovanni’s words, gave a principled answer….

“I will report to His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Please do not forget that Florence shares interests with the empire.”

“His Majesty will make a reasonable decision.”

“I understand. I will wait.”

With this conversation, a month of silence continued.

“It’s frustrating. It’s not like the empire that always has ‘hurry, hurry’ on its lips.”

At the Medici family’s mansion in Seoul, Giovanni was frustrated while waiting for the empire’s answer.

“I don’t know why they are taking so long. The emperor and his subjects are not fools.”

* * *

As Giovanni expected, the emperor and his officials had already made a decision.

The empire had already obtained the information long before Giovanni delivered it.

– Who will be the first to inform the empire of this information? Portugal? Ottoman? Florence?

The answer to the question that Wan and his officials had when they received the information was ‘Florence’.

“‘Shares interests’… that’s not wrong.”

Hwangbo-in nodded at Wan’s words.

“They are the ones who take the maximum profit with 11% of the shares, so it is correct.”

“That’s right. The problem is their requirements, what do you think?”

“France is a big and strong country. Florence is much smaller than that, so they are trying to replace quantity with quality.”

As soon as Hwangbo-in’s words were finished, Shin Suk-ju continued.

“It may not be just to protect themselves from France.”

Wan’s eyes lit up at Shin Suk-ju’s point.

“Are you talking about the unification of Italy?”

“That’s right. There are rumors that there are more than one or two people in Milan, Genoa, and Venice asking for help from neighboring powers.”

“Hmm….”

At Shin Suk-ju’s words, Wan nodded and closed his mouth.

Following Shin Suk-ju, Kim Jong-seo continued.

“What should be noted is the word ‘standing army’ written in the request sent by Florence. Looking at the situation in Italy, it is common to hire mercenaries rather than having their own army. But, having their own army? This means that they are serious about the unification of Italy.”

“Is there a possibility?”

At Wan’s question, the officials closed their mouths.

“Everyone has already calculated it, right? Tell me.”

At Wan’s urging, starting with Hwangbo-in, they began to present their expectations.

“I think there is a high possibility. Because it is the Medici family. Medici will be able to afford not only the war expenses but also the costs of stabilization afterwards.”

“The Medici family is a family that shakes the wealth of Europe, but there are limits. It will be difficult no matter how much Medici is.”

When they were evenly matched between success and failure, Kim Jong-seo stepped forward.

“I think it is best to see it as fifty-fifty. Because no one knows what will happen in the future. Now, it is a priority to determine how to maximize the interests of our empire by using Florence.”

“That’s a wise answer.”

Wan, who answered immediately, looked back at the officials.

“I think discussing the possibility is just curiosity. Let’s think about the interests of our empire first. If Florence’s success is in line with the interests of our empire, shouldn’t we make Florence succeed?”