Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 1148

1148. A Killer Gift (13)

The Empire’s fury wasn’t solely due to the department store’s ‘special event.’ It ran much deeper.

To the Empire and its people, Hyang wasn’t just an emperor figure, he was a foundational figure:

– He was one of the first to establish the Empire.

– He laid the foundation for a powerful, wealthy Empire.

– He remembered the Empire’s beginnings, a time now forgotten by most.

– Even a commoner leaves a mark on history after living a hundred years, let alone an Emperor.

– Conclusion: Hyang *was* the very symbol of the Empire.

Therefore, when France attacked Gibraltar, Hyang felt compelled to move his aging body.

“Such a regrettable thing!”

“Have you ever seen such vile bastards! There’s a limit to how much you can ruin someone else’s party!”

Upon hearing the news, the people of the Empire, regardless of status, were enraged and began to mobilize.

“Honey! Get my uniform out and iron it!”

This anger was even more intense in Shinji, particularly among Empire citizens of South Shinji origin. To them, Hyang’s presence was immense. He was the one who cast the Mexica [a pre-Columbian civilization known for its practice of cannibalism] who practiced cannibalism and terrorized the surroundings, into the abyss.

He brought learned individuals to teach them knowledge and guided them to a better life. Unlike the Mexica, he provided opportunities to rise higher based on ability.

With all of this combined, Hyang was a ‘living god’ to the natives of South Shinji. France’s attack on Gibraltar was seen as an act of defiling the name of this god.

“Death to those who defile the name of the gods!”

This cry echoed throughout South Shinji.

It wasn’t just empty words. The actions of the Sang family were a prime example. Initially, they were just surrendered natives, but eventually, they became Imperial Army officers. The family received the surname ‘Sang’ from Hyang himself.

Starting with ‘Ssang,’ they produced military officers for three generations, and from the third generation, they even produced civil officials, rising to become the most prestigious noble family in South Shinji. Upon hearing the news, all the men of the Sang family flocked to the military.

“Hey, didn’t you retire because you were happy you didn’t have to work overtime anymore? Why are you here?”

“How can I just sit still when those French bastards, who are worse than the Mexica, have done something outrageous!”

“Okay, but why are *you* here? You’re a civil official, aren’t you?”

“Is this the time to distinguish between civil and military officials?”

“When a civil official picks up a gun, the situation is already dire! Before it even starts… Tsk! Go back and do your job!”

The officer in charge, saying something Kim Jongseo [a famous Korean general known for his strict adherence to duty] would have retorted with ‘What, man?’, sorted out the situation.

Despite this small commotion, most of the adult men from the Sang family volunteered for military service. And this movement occurred throughout South Shinji.

Interestingly, when news of this movement in South Shinji spread, the number of people volunteering for military service in North Shinji also surged.

– Even those country bumpkins from South Shinji are doing that; we can’t just sit still!

– When you think about it, our North Shinji has a deeper tradition; we can’t show ourselves being timid!

– We are the descendants of the warriors who showed the spicy taste of the tomahawk [a type of axe traditionally used by Native Americans] in the last Italian War! Let’s step forward!

A competition, if not a rivalry, had begun.

* * *

While these events were unfolding throughout the Empire, Hyang and Wan were also on the move.

The first thing they did was seek permission from Wu.

“I will summon the prime ministers, ministers, and vice ministers who have resigned. I will have them assist His Majesty and the officials,” Wu replied with a bright face to Hyang and Wan’s proposal.

“If you do that, it will be a great help. Those who lead the court now have no experience in fighting a major war.”

“That’s why we’re stepping forward, but our role will be limited to advice and assistance.”

“You can help a little more.”

Hyang explained the reason for Wu’s words.

“As Your Majesty just said, among those who lead the court now, there are none who have experience in fighting a major war. They need to gain experience to help the next generation.”

Wu and the ministers nodded at Hyang’s words.

* * *

As Wu said, those who newly formed the court had no experience in war. The Italian War, which could be called a major war, was already decades ago.

Almost all those who worked in the field at the time had retired, and most of those who run the court and government now only knew the war through records. However, no matter how detailed the records, they could not replace direct experience.

Therefore, it was obvious that considerable trial and error would occur in the process of carrying out this war. In response, Hyang and Wan stepped forward to assist by calling in those who had retired. It was to minimize trial and error, accumulate practical experience, and pass this experience on to future generations.

‘The scary thing about the US military in the 21st century isn’t just their powerful weapons, but the feedback from the wars they fought almost every 10 years, right?’

* * *

With Wu’s approval, the retired ministers, vice ministers, and prime ministers gathered at Sugang Palace.

“Minister, it’s been a long time!”

“Oh! Minister, you’re still alive?”

“Thanks to the tonic someone sent me, I’m still going strong!”

“Grrr!”

“Krr!”

The former high-ranking officials, who had reunited after a long time, expressed their joy in various ways.

“The Grand Senior Emperor and the Senior Emperor are entering!”

At the announcement of the eunuch, all the former officials checked their attire and bowed respectfully.

Hyang and Wan, sitting in the seats prepared by the eunuchs, looked at the former officials gathered in the front yard of Sugang Palace and talked.

“Doesn’t seeing them remind you of the old days?”

“Indeed. They have aged a lot too.”

“‘Old ginger is spicy’ [an idiom meaning that older people have more experience and wisdom], let’s look forward to it. Will the Senior Emperor step forward?”

“I will.”

After a light conversation, Wan stepped forward and opened his mouth.

“A war has broken out. It’s Gibraltar now, but no one knows the future. However, those who are running the court now have not experienced a major war. Therefore, we must help.”

At Wan’s words, those gathered bowed in unison and replied.

“It is the duty of a gentleman to step forward when the country is in crisis. We will do our best.”

“I trust you all.”

Afterward, one of the Sugang Palace’s buildings was entirely transformed into a large conference room.

“Let’s see. How do we arrange the seats…”

There was a brief confusion over who would sit where, but the situation was soon resolved.

It was naturally arranged in order of who became prime minister or minister first. Hyang and Wan, and the historians and scribes newly assigned to record their actions, recorded this movement and added the following:

– Layer upon layer of subordinates.

Most of them had gradually risen through the ranks rather than suddenly becoming ministers or vice ministers, so the hierarchy was naturally organized.

In other words, the equation ‘former minister, vice minister = their senior and superior’ was established. As a result, the most recently retired vice ministers became the youngest and had to do all sorts of chores. Nevertheless, the atmosphere was still chaotic, and Hyang lightly clicked his tongue.

“Tsk! I miss Han Myeong-hoi and his gang. Ugh! Why did they leave so early!”

At Hyang’s grumble, the former prime ministers, ministers, and vice ministers became very disciplined.

* * *

‘Han Myeong-hoi and his gang.’

They were the ones who controlled the Empire and the world with Hyang during the old Italian War.

They were talented enough for Hyang to acknowledge, but their dirty tempers were also famous. Only Hyang and Wan could control them, and other officials were constantly scolded by them.

Those gathered here were also figures who could cause those around them to panic with just a cough, but they trembled like mice in front of a cat in front of ‘Han Myeong-hoi and his gang.’

* * *

With Hyang’s one word, the former officials who had quickly come to their senses began to process the work quickly.

“To give proper advice, there is a limit to relying only on experience and memory. Proper data is needed.”

“That’s right.”

At the same time, the former officials’ gazes turned downwards one by one. Eventually, the most recently retired junior officials stood up.

“We will take charge.”

However, as this became a daily routine, they also came up with a trick.

– Do we have to serve at this age?

– But if we ask for the current officials to be attached, we will be scolded to death.

– Then?

They soon found easy targets.

They were retired low-ranking officials.

– Is the country in a state of crisis, and you’re just going to watch?

– Wouldn’t it be better to shake off your seats again and leave a beautiful name in history?

The retired low-ranking officials, who received letters that were either proclamations or threats, had to sigh and leave their homes.

“Why are these damn French bastards causing trouble!”

With the addition of the retired low-ranking officials, the advisory council of Sugang Palace – also known as ‘the sisters-in-law’ [a humorous nickname implying they were gossipy and interfering] – began to move on track.

As the advisory council ran smoothly, Wu and the top-ranking ministers received a lot of help, but those below them began to groan. The task of the retired low-ranking officials was to be in charge of the receipt and management of the data requested by the advisory council.

The problem was this ‘management’ part.

It wasn’t just about bringing and classifying the documents containing the requested data, but also included the task of analyzing the data and making it meaningful. It was this ‘management’ that caused the current low-ranking officials and those below them to groan.

“…Here are the requested materials.”

“You’ve worked hard. Ahem! Let’s see…”

The person in charge complained in a disgruntled voice at the sight of his senior opening and checking the materials he had received on the spot.

“Do you really have to do it here now?”

“How far is it from Yukjo Street to Sugang Palace? Do you want me to go back and forth at this age? My knees are already aching.”

The former low-ranking official, who immediately silenced the complaint, scrutinized the data.

“Huh? This?”

The former low-ranking official, who found a problem in an instant, glared at the person in charge.

“Huh? Why? Is there something wrong…?”

The person in charge, who received the former low-ranking official’s fierce gaze, turned pale and began to sweat.

Regardless, the former low-ranking official pointed out the problematic part and began to raise his voice.

“Why are the base years different in this part and this part? How can we trust it when the base years are different!”

“I-I’m sorry!”

“Tsk! In my day!”

After nearly half an hour of lecturing, the retired low-ranking official packed up the data and stood up.

“The work is urgent at Sugang Palace, and I can fix this part to some extent, so I’ll be on my way. I hope this doesn’t happen again next time. I’m saying this for your own good. If these mistakes accumulate, your promotion will be out of the question. Be careful. Then I’ll be going.”

The former low-ranking official left behind words that were either advice or threats, but the office was as quiet as a mouse.

The subordinates of the person in charge were in a state of panic, only looking at the person in charge’s expression.

Then, the person in charge shouted.

“Everyone down to the administrative officer under me, come out now!”

Thanks to this, the officials of the Empire became more angry than the people of the Empire because of this incident.