Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 1106

1106. Overture to Disaster (13)

Hyang’s explanation continued.

“It is a definite fact that the scale of funds circulating in the private sector is several times larger than national finances. And this applies to all countries.”

“Therefore, if France mobilizes private funds as much as they are considering now, it’s possible to gain an advantageous position in the equity fight [for control of the Suez Canal]. However, it’s just a possibility.”

“Looking at the current situation, all the competing countries that have entered the Suez equity competition are securing funds from the private sector.”

“It’s just that there are no extreme cases like France.”

“However, there are several countries that can mobilize more funds than France without resorting to such extremes. First of all, there are our Empire and Ming [Dynasty], and with a little leeway, Italy and Portugal.”

“The problem is how long the private sector investors will endure, and whether they will be satisfied with the distributed profits. Dissatisfaction is almost guaranteed. Canal construction takes a long time, funds must continue to be invested, and the equity ratio will inevitably shrink.”

“If the situation escalates like this, France will have no choice but to go to war. They’ll need to stimulate the economy through military production and divert attention from public discontent.”

“…However, this path will inevitably lead to the collapse of the French economy.”

“Why is that?”

“Because the construction of the Suez Canal won’t be able to stop, even amidst war.”

“Are you saying that war will be waged on one side and construction will proceed on the other? Is that even possible?”

At Woo’s dubious look, Wan answered in Hyang’s place.

“It would stop if all the countries involved in the canal construction were also involved in the war. But at least two countries will only watch and not get involved.”

“Two countries… Are you perhaps referring to Italy and Portugal?”

“That’s right.”

“Didn’t they move with France in the Ottoman Empire?”

“If you think about it, they also have interests aligned with our Empire.”

Woo, thinking for a moment about the meaning of Wan’s words, soon nodded.

“Are they not moving because their interests overlap in different areas?”

“That’s right. They will never commit unless sufficient justification or profit is secured.”

Woo nodded at Wan’s explanation. As Woo showed understanding, Hyang continued to speak.

“On one hand, you have to control the operation of private funds, including investments in Suez, and on the other hand, you have to pay attention to securing and managing war funds. This is not an easy task. In fact, it’s more likely to fail.”

At Hyang’s words, Woo immediately raised an objection.

“Isn’t our Empire doing the same thing now, managing the economy, including the private sector, and handling military spending simultaneously?”

At Woo’s point, the historians and scribes who were recording next to him nodded unconsciously. Seeing this, Hyang stroked his chin and pondered for a moment.

“Hmm… How should I explain it…”

After pondering for a moment, Hyang’s eyes lit up and he looked at Woo.

“Your Majesty, would you try drawing a triangle with your left hand and a circle with your right hand? Slowly and carefully…”

“Yes? Yes.”

Woo, tilting his head, started moving his fingers according to Hyang’s command.

“How is it?”

“It’s not easy.”

“Increase the speed from there. Faster, faster, faster…”

“Uh, uh, uh?”

Woo, who was doing well at first, got tangled up as the speed increased. No, it wasn’t just Woo who was like that. The hands of the eunuchs and court ladies who were following Woo from behind were also all tangled up. Looking at Woo, whose gestures were neither one thing nor the other, Hyang continued to speak.

“Operating the private economy and the country’s finances is similar to the finger play you just did. The nature of the private sector and the court’s livelihood is different. In peaceful times, it’s similar to playing finger games slowly. If you concentrate only on caution, smooth progress is possible. But what if a war breaks out?”

“It gets tangled up right away.”

“That’s right.”

“Then isn’t our Empire also in trouble?”

At Woo’s concern, Hyang smiled and replied.

“That finger play from just now. It looks difficult, but if you practice hard with all your heart, you will get good at it.”

“Ah!”

Woo’s face brightened at Hyang’s words. The hidden meaning in Hyang’s words was simple.

-Practice hard = Roll it properly [work hard and efficiently].

And the Empire’s officials were well-known for being proficient in their respective fields thanks to being rolled properly. Wan, whose mouth was itching to join in at Woo’s expression, joined the conversation.

“And there’s also a trick. Two people can move as a team. One person only draws triangles, and the other only draws circles.”

“Isn’t that cheating?”

“Are you going to argue about that when a war breaks out?”

“That’s true, but I don’t quite understand it.”

Wan explained in more detail to Woo’s words.

“It’s simple. The number of people is not only important on the battlefield.”

“Ah!”

Wan’s face brightened even more at Woo’s additional explanation. The Empire’s government organization was unusually large compared to other countries, even without the military. For the easiest example, the Empire, which has a little more than half the population of the Ming Dynasty, had twice as many government officials as the Ming Dynasty.

-Because the territory is wide.

-Because there are many people scattered here and there.

There were reasons such as, but it was definitely large in scale. And the scale was continuing to grow. Hyang’s reason for thinking about this phenomenon was simple.

-Unless computers, the Internet, or even telegrams come out, there’s no choice but to grind people [make them work hard]. That’s the only way to fill the administrative vacuum.

The large number of professional managers fostered through the vast scale and the aforementioned tough work were the Empire’s hidden weapon. On the other hand, other countries were still unable to keep up with the development of the private sector with the administrative branch. Hyang and Wan’s special lecture was already heading towards the end.

“Considering all these points, France has no choice but to go to war. And if a war breaks out, France’s economy will not be able to avoid collapse. If that happens, the French monarch will face a great threat.”

At Hyang’s words, Woo raised a question again.

“The French monarch is known to be very capable. Would he choose a path where such a bad ending is clearly visible?”

“There is a very high possibility that he will choose it. If greed comes first, you will become blind.”

“Even though it has already become a distant past, even though they tasted the spicy taste [suffered a defeat] from our Empire in Italy, they can’t overcome their greed?”

“Isn’t it written in that report? Their weapons have similar performance to those of the Empire, and they have enough quantity, so they must be thinking that it is worth trying. And as they pointed out, we are short of people. Thanks to that, it is true that a proper all-out war is beyond our capabilities.”

Woo, pondering Hyang’s words, nodded lightly and looked at Hyang and Wan.

“Is that why the Sanghwang [Hyang, the retired Emperor] is trying to bring Ming and Japan from Persia to the Suez Canal?”

“And it’s also to avoid being backstabbed as much as possible.”

Woo nodded at Hyang’s words. Woo, who had obtained satisfactory results through the conversation with Hyang and Wan, expressed his gratitude to the two.

“I have heard words like gold and jade [valuable advice]. I will keep in mind what you have said and prepare for the future.”

“I’m glad it was helpful.”

“Then, I’ll be on my way.”

Hyang, who escorted Woo who politely bowed and disappeared, smacked his lips slightly and looked back at Wan.

“Tch. I was going to ask for some additional budget for the airship while I was here…”

“He seems to have learned it properly from Hyun [another official known for frugality].”

“I can’t help it. I have no choice but to go through the official route…”

Hyang, who returned to his bedchamber, reflected on the conversation and report from earlier and muttered to himself.

“‘Warhead Torpedo’ huh… What comes out is still coming out [new inventions keep appearing]. That being said, I’m worried about France? If they lose in an all-in game, will what’s left be a revolution? As expected, the country of revolution, France?”

* * *

The conclusion submitted by the ministers to Woo after the deadline was not much different from what Hyang and Wan had expected.

“Hmm… In the end, France has no choice but to choose war?”

“That is correct.”

“Is it a checkmate?”

“That is correct.”

“Hmm…”

Woo trailed off and looked at the report again at the Prime Minister’s answer. The contents of the report written jointly by the ministers, including the Prime Minister, were as follows.

-France has no choice but to choose war.

-And the most likely place for the war to break out is the Persia region.

-France’s goal is to take away the Empire’s interests in the Middle East.

-Therefore, the Empire must prepare for war separately from investing in the Suez Canal.

-The optimal level of investment in the Suez Canal is slightly more than that of the Ming Dynasty.

-To this end, the Empire will further increase private investment.

Woo, who carefully examined the report once again, asked the Prime Minister.

“It is not written in this report, but when do you think the war will break out if it breaks out?”

“The opinions of the ministers were so different on that part that it was excluded.”

“Different? But I would like to hear it once.”

At Woo’s words, the Prime Minister hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

“It will be within 5 years at the earliest and 10 years at the latest.”

“5 years… Hooo〜.”

Woo, calculating for a moment at the Prime Minister’s answer, put his hand on his forehead and sighed. Like Woo, who was sighing and feeling troubled, the faces of the Prime Minister and the attending ministers who answered were also full of trouble.

After pondering for a moment, Woo threw a joke that was not a joke to the Prime Minister.

“I will have to pray to the sky from today. Please let the war break out after about 10 years. 5 years is a big problem. If I make a mistake, I may commit the unfilial act of giving war as a gift for the Baeksu (白壽, 99 years old) or the Gijisiju (期頣之壽, 100 years old) [celebrations for Hyang’s advanced age].”

“That is correct.”

It was a joke, but it was a conversation full of earnestness for both the speaker and the listener. In 5 years, Hyang would be 99 years old.

“Since you are going to live a long life, you should live at least as long as King Jangsu!”

“Of course!”

Many people mentioned King Jangsu, who lived to be 97 years old, and wished for Hyang’s longevity. And if he lived past 97, Hyang would be writing a new record from then on. It was certain that the people would hold a feast every time Hyang lived another year.

However, announcing the war in a situation where it is not enough to celebrate for a hundred days? It was not only the most unfilial thing to do, but it was also something that could be criticized for being incompetent. What made Woo even more troubled was that this was a problem that had no answer.

-Putting pressure on France? If it is France, which is full of high self-esteem and greed and has a frog-like mentality [easily provoked], it will surely run wild like a thunderbolt.

-So, do you want Hyang to pass away (薨) [a respectful term for the death of a high-ranking noble] before things happen? It was not something to do with a human face.

The conclusion was that ‘Let it happen at least after 10 years.’ was the only one.

‘But what if the Taesanghwang [Hyang] is still alive after 10 years?’

Woo shook his head without realizing it when he thought that far.

‘Then I have no choice but to hope that there will be no war until I run away to Shinji [a mythical land of immortals]!’

——-

Author’s words.

Hyang was already the Taesanghwang, so I used ‘훙’ instead of ‘붕’.