Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1542

“It’s simple.”

At a gathering of everyone, Lee Hyun-soo tapped the screen.

“Thanks to Elder Jang Min’s hard work, Japan has completely lost the power to resist. Now, even the sporadic attacks have completely subsided.”

“You’ve worked hard, Jang Min.”

“Oh, Great Demon Lord, all of this is thanks to your grace. All I did was show them your majesty, make them realize that following you is the greatest honor of their lives, and then make them realize their own foolishness…”

“Please… please, just keep it brief.”

“I’m sorry, Great Demon Lord!”

Kang Jin-ho sighed deeply.

Seriously, isn’t it time to stop?

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled and continued.

“In other words, the occupation of Japan is complete. The Japanese warriors are completely suppressed by the Korean expeditionary forces, and they are only playing a role in extracting money from the lower-level Yakuza [Japanese organized crime syndicates].”

Wiggins narrowed his brow slightly.

“I’m a little uneasy about that part. Isn’t the Yakuza’s power weakening in Japan right now? I heard they’re struggling because they don’t have any income.”

“Yes. That’s what’s being reported. But that’s just the story of the small fry. The big organizations have already advanced into the entertainment business and various other businesses a long time ago. They’ve also secured a large number of shares in large corporations under different names. There are also many cases where they directly operate small and medium-sized businesses.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Yes. Black money is more abundant than you think. Anyway, do we need to worry about how those guys make money? We just need to extract what they have.”

The word ‘extract’ was a bit jarring, but what he said wasn’t wrong.

“But what does that have to do with anything?” At Bator’s words, Lee Hyun-soo smiled.

“When Korea was under Japanese rule, do you know who exploited Korea the most viciously?”

“The Governor-General of Korea?”

Lee Hyun-soo was speechless at Wiggins’ casual answer.

Is that guy British or Korean?

“It’s similar, but not quite. The ones who exploited Korea most fiercely were the pro-Japanese collaborators.”

“It’s obvious when you think about it. Since they were Koreans, they had a lot of information, and they knew how to squeeze out every last drop.”

“That’s vicious.”

Bator frowned.

But Wiggins nodded as if it were natural.

“It was a common occurrence when Europe created colonies. They delegated proxy rule to collaborators, giving them slightly better authority than ordinary colonial citizens.”

When that went too far, they would even cut off the wrists of children if they didn’t meet the sugarcane quota.

Now they talk about human rights and all that, but the history of the European powers is a history of prosperity built on the blood and tears of other countries. Wiggins had no intention of forgetting that fact.

“Then they should experience the taste of pro-Korean collaborators.”

Bang Jin-hoon frowned.

“Are you saying we should give them back exactly what they did?”

“Actually, that’s impossible.”

“Huh?”

“The times are different, and the situation is different. No matter how vicious we are, are we going to forcibly drag them into war as cannon fodder? Or are we going to capture virgins and use them as sex slaves?”

Bang Jin-hoon was about to say that was a bit uncomfortable, but when he heard Lee Hyun-soo’s words, he felt his blood rush to his head.

Of course, the current Japanese people don’t need to bear the sins of the past Japanese. We can’t say that because your great-grandfather tormented our country, we’ll do the same.

“However, we can be a little more efficient. In fact, too much manpower is being invested to prevent them from gathering strength and resisting again. If someone could take over that role, we could extract much more efficiently.”

“That’s the pro-Korean group?”

“Yes.”

Wiggins scratched his chin.

“From a management perspective, it’s a very good choice. Even from an ethical perspective…”

“What’s the ethical problem?” Lee Hyun-soo cut off Wiggins’ concern cleanly.

“We’re not forcibly mobilizing people, and we’re just taking applications from those who want to train in Korea, teaching them, and then giving them some work. It’s a perfect give-and-take.”

Oh, that’s right.

On the surface, it’s perfectly true.

“Isn’t that just a cover-up?”

“Those bastards didn’t even do that cover-up, did they?”

That was also true.

Lee Hyun-soo spoke confidently.

“Unfortunately, I have very little patriotism. Please don’t think that I’m proposing this to get revenge on Japan. Even if it were another country in the same situation, I would have done the same thing.”

“That consistent attitude is commendable.”

Wiggins chuckled.

‘What he’s saying is right.’

There’s no need for us to do that work. The imperial powers that ruled the colonies didn’t threaten the ruling class of the dominated countries with swords and guns.

If you just push out the rebel forces and leave only the friendly ones, they will compete for loyalty on their own.

In the end, the way to prove their loyalty is obvious. To produce more taxes and more tributes, they will voluntarily exploit their own people.

All we’re doing is creating a category called ‘pro-Korean’ or ‘General Assembly Trainee’.

What if they come to Korea for training and don’t become pro-Korean?

‘That’s impossible.’

The category that defines a person is not determined by themselves. It’s determined by others.

No matter how hard they try to act the same as before, the moment they return, the way people look at them will change.

People are animals that change their minds the moment their treatment changes.

‘They have no choice but to walk that path to survive.’

Lee Hyun-soo would have already thought this much. He just doesn’t say it out loud.

Why?

Wiggins glanced at Kang Jin-ho.

‘The Lord’s tendencies are a bit strange.’

Kang Jin-ho is not consistent.

When he acts as an individual, he acts with absolute principles. He doesn’t touch those who don’t touch him, and he thoroughly punishes those who do.

But when it comes to running the General Assembly, not as an individual, things change a bit. The General Assembly is not an individual, and sometimes it needs to attack first.

In that case, human values are bound to intervene.

The problem is that Kang Jin-ho is a very complex person in terms of the intervention of those values.

Kang Jin-ho is a person who mercilessly crushes his enemies, but at the same time, he is infinitely generous to those he likes, and sometimes he acts on his emotions, ignoring profits, and then he builds orphanages and takes care of children.

How can such an absurd human exist?

In other words, Lee Hyun-soo is desperately trying to avoid a situation where Kang Jin-ho says, ‘That’s a bit unsettling.’

In a way, it’s deception.

But the intention of that deception is for the benefit of everyone, including Kang Jin-ho, so Wiggins is keeping his mouth shut. If Lee Hyun-soo had tried to deceive Kang Jin-ho for his own benefit, Wiggins would have mercilessly crushed Lee Hyun-soo and thrown him into the dungeon.

“The long story short is simple. We select suitable guys from Japan and bring them to Korea. Then, we teach them demonic arts or the General Assembly’s martial arts to make them strong, and then we send them back to Japan.”

“Hmm.”

“Then those guys will control and manage the Japanese warriors on their own. We’ll be comfortable.”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Kang Jin-ho.

After this much explanation, there’s no idiot who doesn’t understand what Lee Hyun-soo’s proposal means. So now, what becomes important is Kang Jin-ho’s decision.

Kang Jin-ho calmly took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

Then he lit it and exhaled smoke.

“There’s one thing I don’t understand…”

“Yes, please ask.”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.

“Wasn’t the initial intention of Chief Lee to turn surplus forces into combat power in preparation for the war with the Three Kings? This just seems like a measure for the money supply? In the long term?”

“Yes, that’s right. What I explained is just an additional element. The important thing is that these guys are in Korea.”

“Korea?”

“Right now, the elders of the Demonic Cult and the Demon Flames are taking turns going in and out of Japan to manage the Japanese, right?”

“That’s right.”

“It’s the same thing. We’ll send half of those who come to Korea for training back to Japan first to manage things, and then at a certain point, we’ll summon them back to Korea and send the remaining half to manage things.”

Wiggins narrowed his brow.

“If that works, the effect will be enormous. The later ones will be tormented by the impatience to surpass the achievements of the earlier ones, and the earlier ones won’t be able to think of anything else because they can’t be caught lacking by the later ones.”

“That’s exactly it.”

“But there’s a reason why the existing powers didn’t utilize those who came to study abroad like that. If they don’t return and say they’ll stay, we have no choice but to forcibly bring them back, and we can’t get cooperation that way. It would only give them a reason to turn into anti-Korean groups.”

“No. That won’t happen.”

Lee Hyun-soo grinned.

“In the past, the reason why Koreans who went to study in Japan could become independence activists was because they had completed the process of securing the minimum knowledge necessary to carry out the independence movement. Japan couldn’t give them anything more than that.”

“You’re saying it’s different now.”

“Yes. Because they’re martial artists.”

Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

“That rule doesn’t apply to martial artists. Because they can become stronger by coming to Korea.”

“Indeed.”

Wiggins nodded as if he understood.

If those who defected created a resistance force, it could become a headache. But this method solves all those problems.

Those who become resistance forces are also those who have learned demonic arts or the General Assembly’s martial arts. Without the continuous management of the Demonic Cult or the General Assembly, their level of mastery will stop rising.

On the other hand, those who continuously come to Korea for training will become stronger. As a result, they will eliminate the resistance forces on their own.

Wiggins turned his head and looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“It doesn’t seem like a bad idea, Lord. Those who train in Korea can be used as immediate combat power, and those who remain in Japan can quickly form a support force and join them.”

Kang Jin-ho tapped his cigarette ash into the ashtray.

Then he said in a low voice.

“It’s not a bad idea, but…”

Kang Jin-ho’s low voice continued.

“It doesn’t seem like a very good idea either.”

Everyone looked at Kang Jin-ho with tense eyes.