Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 1097

1097. Overture to Disaster (4)

No sooner had Woo clicked his tongue than the grand hall froze solid. It was the first time Woo had clicked his tongue since ascending the throne.

Consequently, all the ministers tensed up and prostrated themselves on the floor, while simultaneously glaring sideways at the Minister of National Defense.

‘That damned mouth of his!’

‘Why did he have to say something like that!’

“Minister of National Defense, I have a question.”

At Woo’s summons, the Minister of National Defense squeezed his eyes shut, and the ministers’ suspicions turned into certainty.

‘I knew it!’

‘Why did he have to bring it up unnecessarily!’

In the ministers’ judgment, the Minister of National Defense’s statement was clouding Woo’s judgment. The achievements and experience of the Grand Former Emperor and the Former Emperor were indeed respectable, but the proposal related to the canal should definitely not be accepted.

The budget, which would balloon to astronomical proportions if construction were carried out according to the proposed specifications, was a problem, as was the solution to it. As the saying goes, ‘Too many cooks spoil the broth,’ the more countries involved in the matter, the less likely the swift and smooth resolution of the issues at hand would be.

Above all, the canal in the report jointly prepared by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Land Development was already of an enormous scale that could be considered beyond its limits. Therefore, all the ministers judged that the Minister of National Defense had misspoke. Even the Minister of National Defense himself. However, Woo’s reaction was different from the ministers’ expectations.

“Minister of National Defense, I have a question.”

“Y-yes, Your Majesty. Please ask.”

“In the process of preparing the report I received this time, did the Ministry of National Defense ever offer its opinion?”

“N-no, Your Majesty.”

“However, if I reflect on what the Minister of National Defense just said, it seems to me that the Ministry of National Defense should have been involved in the preparation of the report?”

“W-well, that is…”

“The Former Grand Emperor told me, ‘The Imperial Army must be where the people of the Empire and the interests of the Empire are. Even if it is difficult to be right next to them, they must be nearby. This is something that must be observed. Only then will the people of the Empire not suffer hardship, and the interests of the Empire will be protected.’”

“Those are wise words, Your Majesty.”

“And he added, ‘This is something that all those who manage and command the Imperial Army must keep in mind.’ Were you keeping it in mind?”

“I was keeping it in mind, Your Majesty.”

“Then why were you silent when it was needed? All the ministers knew about the Suez Canal matter. You must have known about it too, and if you had kept those words in mind, you should have volunteered to intervene first. So why were you silent?”

“W-well, that is…”

At Woo’s rebuke, the Minister of National Defense sweated profusely as he searched for an answer, but it was not easy to come up with one. Seeing the Minister of National Defense’s appearance, Woo’s expression became even more fierce.

“Why was that? I think I know the reason. You didn’t want to be on bad terms with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, did you? You thought that if you intervened in a project that would cost an astronomical amount of money and ended up on bad terms with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, you would be in trouble later, didn’t you? I, too, had tug-of-wars with the Ministry of Economy and Finance over the budget more than once when I was Crown Prince.”

“T-that is not the case, Your Majesty.”

“Even if you say it’s not, didn’t your actions show otherwise? Minister of National Defense, do you value the Ministry of Economy and Finance more than me?”

At Woo’s question, the Minister of National Defense was startled and bowed his head, raising his voice.

“N-no, Your Majesty! I have never had such disloyal thoughts! Please, have mercy!”

No sooner had the Minister of National Defense finished speaking than the Minister of Economy and Finance bowed his head and raised his voice.

“Your Majesty! It is true that my ministry has many disputes with other ministries over budget issues! However, this is only an expression of loyalty to Your Majesty and the Empire, and I have never looked down on other ministries or acted presumptuously! Please, have mercy!”

However, Woo’s reaction was extremely cold.

“Then, what is the reason for excluding the Ministry of National Defense when preparing this report? Isn’t it said that ‘There are people in the Ministry of Economy and Finance who are more proficient in military tactics, military books, strategy, and military affairs than most generals’? If there are people with that level of insight, they could have made the judgment of the Minister of National Defense, even if they were not at the level that the Grand Former Emperor and the Former Emperor had in mind? Or, an opinion would have been raised that the Ministry of National Defense’s opinion should also be heard. However, if you look at the list of authors of this report, there are names of officials from the Ministry of General Affairs, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Land Development, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but not the Ministry of National Defense. What is the reason for this?”

At Woo’s criticism, the Minister of Economy and Finance bowed his head and replied.

“I was negligent and did not properly examine it! Please forgive me!”

“Tsk, tsk! Prime Minister!”

At Woo’s summons, the Prime Minister tensed up and immediately replied.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“The Prime Minister of the Empire has come from the Ministry of General Affairs for generations. What is the reason for that?”

“W-well, that is… I think it is thanks to the high regard that the successive Emperors have had for us.”

“Wrong. It is because of the work that the Ministry of General Affairs does. If the Royal Secretariat is my hands and feet, then the Ministry of General Affairs is my alter ego. It is the job of the Ministry of General Affairs to examine the affairs of the nation on my behalf and find good answers. What is the work of the nation? There is hardly any work that one ministry does from beginning to end. At least two or three, and at most almost all ministries, must work together to come up with an answer for most national affairs. Is that not so?”

“That is so, Your Majesty.”

“It is natural for conflicts to arise between ministries when working together in that way. It is the job of the Ministry of General Affairs to step in and prevent disputes and make things run smoothly. Is that right?”

“That is correct, Your Majesty.”

“That is why the Prime Minister is appointed from the Minister of General Affairs. It is the Prime Minister’s job to select the ministries that are suitable for solving the immediate problem and assign them tasks. Is that not so?”

“That is the Prime Minister’s job, Your Majesty.”

“Then, shouldn’t the Prime Minister have taken the lead and included the Ministry of National Defense in this Suez Canal matter? What kind of region is Suez? Have you forgotten how much profit the Empire is making there?”

“I-I was negligent…”

“Hmph! Negligent, you say?”

Woo scoffed and interrupted the Prime Minister’s words.

“It’s not negligence, it’s dereliction of duty! You only have a few more years to work before retirement! You just want to spend your days leisurely, sending away the same today as yesterday, and the same tomorrow as today, don’t you!”

“N-no, Your Majesty! I have never had such disloyal thoughts! Please, have mercy!”

“Mercy, you say! You say you don’t, but your actions say otherwise, so what am I supposed to have mercy on! The Former Emperor told me this: ‘The inside of the Empire may seem peaceful, but ambushes can pop up anywhere. Never let your guard down! And if the inside is like this, what about the outside? In general, rulers must approach the task of governing the country with the mindset of walking on thin ice every day!’ But look at your behavior now! You are moving as if you are walking on a well-paved road, not on thin ice. Can I, and the people of the Empire, live in peace trusting you?”

At Woo’s rebuke, all the ministers, starting with the Prime Minister, had no choice but to bow their heads.

“Please forgive our negligence!”

“Please forgive our sins!”

“Shouldn’t you have avoided creating things that require forgiveness before asking for forgiveness!”

“We are sorry, Your Majesty!”

“What is the reason for giving you honor, high salaries, and sharing power? But is this what has come back! Is it this pathetic!”

The Prime Minister stepped forward and pleaded at Woo’s rebuke.

“This will never happen again! Never! So please, Your Majesty, calm your anger!”

Woo, who snorted roughly, ordered the ministers.

“The report on the Suez Canal must be rewritten and submitted. I will give you three days. You must confirm the validity of the proposals submitted by the Grand Former Emperor and the Former Emperor and accurately determine whether they are feasible. If it is feasible, how much more the budget will increase, and what the pros and cons of bringing in Ming and Japan will be. The same goes for the case of opposition. You must clearly state the reasons so that even a child can understand them!”

“We will do as you command!”

“Keep in mind that I have given you three days!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“And, compile and submit records of various policies and tasks that have been carried out jointly by two or more ministries! The period to be examined is 3 years before my accession and after my accession!”

At Woo’s order, the Prime Minister asked cautiously.

“Your Majesty, the 3 years before your accession have already been inspected last time, haven’t they?”

“Wasn’t the last inspection by ministry? This time it is a joint task, so the nature is different! Do not make hasty excuses! That is why I said you were negligent!”

At Woo’s rebuke, the Prime Minister became turtle-necked and replied.

“We will compile and submit it as soon as possible.”

“I will give you fifteen days!”

“However, Your Majesty…”

“Fifteen days!”

“We will compile and submit it within fifteen days.”

“Tsk! I will stop here today!”

As Woo left the throne hall, clicking his tongue, the Prime Minister and ministers began to leave Geunjeongjeon [the main hall of Gyeongbokgung Palace] with exhausted faces. And the historian who recorded all of this added the following words.

-The historian says:

A disaster struck Yukjo Street [the street where the main government ministries were located]. But this is a disaster that they brought upon themselves, so who can they blame?

* * *

As the historian said, a disaster struck Yukjo Street.

“What a bolt from the blue!”

“Even a bolt from the blue has its limits!”

The ministers, who had entered Geunjeongjeon with peaceful faces in the morning, returned with faces that looked as if they could be carried out as corpses. Seeing their appearance, the officials felt a chill down their spines and an ominous premonition began to creep in.

‘I’ve never seen such a face before!’

‘This is a big problem! Who caused another accident?’

And what followed made the officials even more uneasy.

“Sir, the Minister wants to see you.”

“…..Hoo〜. I understand.”

The executives who were summoned entered the Minister’s office with the feeling of calves being dragged to the slaughterhouse. As soon as the executives entered the Minister’s office, the officials around them tensed up, wondering how loud the shouting would be from the Minister’s office. The louder the shouting from the Minister’s office, the bigger the sparks that would fall on them.

However, only some murmuring noises were heard from the Minister’s office, and no shouting came out. The officials became even more uneasy at the unusual situation. After a while, the faces of the executives coming out of the Minister’s office were as ruined as the faces of the ministers.

“Go to the archives immediately.”

“The archives, you say?”

“Yes. Go and find all the records of policies and tasks that our ministry has collaborated with other ministries on. Up to 5 years before His Majesty’s accession. I’ll give you five days.”

The subordinates wanted to ask ‘Why?’ at the executives’ orders, but they had to force themselves to hold back. This was because the expressions on the faces of the executives giving the orders were so bad.

‘If we make a mistake, we’re all going to die!’

The subordinates, who grasped the atmosphere, immediately left their seats and escaped to the archives.