Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 927

927. The Imperial March (2) – Assaulting Turtle Ships, Running on Land. (15)

Louis was cornered by Hyang’s remark to the point of turning pale. However, Louis quickly recovered his composure and countered Hyang’s words.

“The foremost virtue of a subject and a nobleman is to prioritize the promotion of national interest. After all, relations between countries are a matter of survival of the fittest. What is wrong with a strong nation taking care of its own interests first? You mentioned trust, but is the Empire truly keeping its word?”

Hyang answered Louis’s criticism without hesitation.

“That’s why the Empire doesn’t make friends easily. And if we do make friends, we must keep our faith to the end. And, the survival of the fittest….”

Hyang paused to clear his throat before continuing.

“Is the law of the survival of the fittest only applicable between countries? The law of the survival of the fittest also applies among people competing for profits. The law of the survival of the fittest is instinctual. But have you ever thought about this?”

“What are you referring to?”

“The survival of the fittest is an instinct, a bestial instinct. But why were humans able to break free from the shackles of beasts? Ah! It would be more accurate to say ‘how’ rather than ‘why.’ If we had unconditionally prioritized our own interests by following the instinct of the survival of the fittest, wouldn’t humans still be living a life like beasts?”

“God created man and commanded him to rule over all things….”

“Go tell religious stories to a priest. Answer me rationally.”

“…”

Louis was speechless at Hyang’s words because he did not fully grasp the meaning of what Hyang said.

‘Religious stories? Does he deny that God created humans?’

Louis, who had received a high level of education in classical humanities and philosophy, had not yet overcome the constraints of creationism.

Seeing Louis’s expression, which clearly showed that he did not understand the question itself, Hyang smiled wryly.

‘Ah, this is a time before even the concept of evolution has emerged. And even atheists don’t even think about this part.’

Realizing what era it was again, Hyang continued.

“If that law of the survival of the fittest you mentioned was the absolute truth, this world would still be full of ‘the war of all against all’ [Bellum omnium contra omnes, a Latin phrase describing a state of constant conflict]. And we would still be stuck in the age of barbarism. But look at the world now. Haven’t we escaped the age of barbarism?”

Louis nodded at Hyang’s words. Seeing Louis’s agreement, Hyang began to conclude his argument.

“The world escaped the age of barbarism because it overcame the instinct of the survival of the fittest, not just looking at immediate gains, but through learning that greater benefits can be obtained through small concessions to each other. International relations are the same. Especially, countries with power, countries that want to be admired by other countries, must not act according to instinct. Reputation and trust come first. Because of that, they have to remain still even knowing they will suffer losses, or they have to move.”

‘In the 21st century, there were several major powers that were criticized for ignoring that and acting as they pleased. Or was that more honest?’

The image of a great power that Hyang was talking about was a rather classical image. Because of this, some ‘honest’ politicians from countries recognized as ‘great powers’ in the 21st century said this:

-That is hypocrisy and pretense!

-Hypocrisy and pretense are not necessary in pursuing national interests!

‘And international relations have become a mess.’

As Hyang was muttering inwardly, Louis questioned him again.

“So, is the Empire acting that way?”

“How does it look to you?”

Louis’s mouth closed again at Hyang’s words. Anyone could see that the Empire was thoroughly acting for its own benefit. However, at the same time, the Empire also had the most powerful justification.

‘To be honest, I want to say that they are committing fraud to deceive the world….’

Whether he knew Louis’s feelings or not, Hyang came to a conclusion.

“Again, the Empire has few friends. The criteria for making friends are a bit strict. But if we become friends, we will do our best to be good friends. Of course, some may see it as hypocrisy and pretense. But, you see….”

Hyang smiled and looked at Louis.

“Isn’t it still better than those who openly go back and forth?”

Louis also came to a conclusion at Hyang’s words.

“In the end, you are rejecting my, no, France’s proposal.”

“It’s your proposal, not France’s proposal, isn’t it? And, France believes that making such a proposal is impossible, and you’ve gone too far.”

“Haa~.”

Louis sighed, got up from his seat, and paid his respects to Hyang.

“Perhaps we will meet on the battlefield next time. Take care of yourself.”

“I hope you stay healthy too.”

After seeing Louis off, Hyang turned around and muttered to himself.

“Why would I go to the battlefield? Am I crazy?”

Meanwhile, after the meeting between Hyang and Louis, Hyang’s ‘friend theory’ became a hot topic among the ambassadors.

“It is true that our Empire has few friends.”

Shin Suk-ju’s words made Seong Sam-mun and Yu Eung-bu nod.

“If this war is successfully concluded, we should engage in active diplomacy.”

Seong Sam-mun and Yu Eung-bu shook their heads at Shin Suk-ju’s subsequent words.

“Why?”

“Is there a need to actively step forward?”

“Why….”

Shin Suk-ju, who was about to raise his voice at Seong Sam-mun and Yu Eung-bu’s reaction, closed his mouth.

‘Well, considering the current state of the Empire….’

Considering the current situation of the Empire, there was no need to actively engage in foreign activities.

With the development of Bukji and Shinji properly on track, the Empire’s economy was thriving with just the internal market of the Empire.

To put it extremely, there would be no problem even if they declared national isolation and closed the doors right now.

Because of this, the number of people within the Empire who advocated ‘isolationism’ was gradually increasing.

-Trade? Do we really have to do that?

-Most of the goods we sell outside are luxury goods, right? And the goods that come in are mostly insignificant.

The fact that there were almost no decent items among those coming in from Europe and other countries, except for spices, fragrances, and black beans, was also one of the major reasons why isolationism was spreading among the people of the Empire.

Hyang smiled wryly at the report that isolationism was spreading.

“Did we work too hard on taking land….”

-The Korean Peninsula and Manchuria alone are too 불안하다 [unstable]!

-Let’s take it when the opportunity comes!

-Taking land is the national rule!

The side effect of actively expanding the territory of the Empire with these thoughts had occurred.

-We already have more than enough territory, so why should we care about the outside?

It was an incomprehensible thought for Hyang, who had memories of the 21st century, but it was a natural thought for the people of this time.

“Well, we got our hands on places that could be called ‘cheat keys’….”

Hyang nodded, thinking about the reason why ‘isolationism’ was spreading not only among the common people but also among the ministers of the court.

* * *

As the meeting between Hyang and Louis broke down, negotiations quickly headed for collapse.

Confirming that it was already beyond repair, France showed an active stance in promoting an alliance with Spain and the Habsburgs.

‘The independent unification of Italy by Italians.’

Due to this slogan put forward by the Empire, the Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples also moved towards joining the alliance promoted by France.

To be precise, those who had been secretly moving were now openly moving.

“Well… now we know for sure who are friends and foes. Isn’t that a good thing?”

Lorenzo nodded at Hyang’s words.

November 1490.

A new notice was posted on the wall of the Imperial Embassy.

Interestingly, this notice was not posted by the Empire.

It was a joint statement from the participating countries except for the Empire and Florence.

Hyang smiled wryly after hearing the story.

“These people should post it at their own embassies. Ah… did Florence not have an embassy?”

Hyang muttered to himself and picked up the statement placed on his desk.

The contents of the questionnaire, with the seals of the participating countries lined up, were simple.

-We do not agree with or support the Italian unification movement promoted by Florence and the Empire!

-What the Empire and Florence are promoting now is a dangerous act that harms not only the peace of Italy but also the peace of Europe!

-In order to protect the peace of Italy and Europe, we request the Empire and Florence!

-Maintaining the current system is the only solution! The Empire and Florence must agree to this!

-If you refuse, war will break out, and all responsibility will lie with the Empire and Florence!

After reading the statement, Hyang’s wry smile deepened.

“Passing the buck has become a tradition since Pontius Pilate.”

Shortly after, Hyang, who greeted Lorenzo upon his arrival at the embassy, immediately got to the point.

“What would you like to do, Duke?”

Lorenzo answered immediately to Hyang’s question.

“The unification of Italy is my lifelong belief.”

“There will be many sacrifices.”

“I and the citizens of Florence are already prepared. What will the Empire do?”

“The Empire will be with its ally, Florence.”

Shortly after, a new notice was posted on the embassy wall.

Only one word was written on the large poster.

-VETO!

The residents of Florence who saw the posting shouted.

“Wooo!”

“It’s war!”

“Long live Florence! Long live a unified Italy!”

“Long live the Empire!”

At the same time, Louis, who received the Empire’s response, smiled wryly.

“It’s concise. So, it’s even more like the Empire.”

* * *

As war was decided, the envoys of each country left Florence as quickly as possible.

‘Protecting them from the excited Florentine residents.’

The Florentine army and the Imperial cavalry were attached to the envoys’ surroundings under that pretext.

However, the envoys sitting in the carriages looked even more distressed.

This was because the equipment of the cavalry surrounding the delegation’s carriage, especially the Imperial cavalry, had completely changed.

The cavalry spear, cavalry sword, and 6-shot cavalry carbine had been the equipment of the Imperial cavalry until now.

However, no spears were visible in the equipment of the Imperial cavalry surrounding the delegation’s carriage now.

Instead, a long rifle was fixed on one side of the saddle, and a new cavalry carbine – the one that was attached to Hyang’s waist – was attached to the waist instead of the 6-shot cavalry carbine.

The only thing that hadn’t changed was the cavalry sword dangling from the saddle.

The hearts of the envoys who looked at this became increasingly 답답해졌다 [frustrated/suffocated].

“What have we been seeing all this time?”

* * *

Louis, who returned to Paris and reported the results to Charles VIII, concluded as follows.

“The real enemy in this war is not Florence but the Empire. We must keep this in mind. We may lose.”

‘Maybe not, it might be certain….’

Charles VIII’s face also became serious at Louis’s report, which hid such inner thoughts.

“Is it that serious?”

“The Empire is serious about fighting.”