Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 626

626. Their Choice (6)

“Absolutely not!”

However, even before Hyang could finish speaking, a vehement cry of opposition erupted.

The cry was so fierce that the gazes of Hyang and the officials all focused on the one who had shouted.

The one who strongly opposed was Lee Sa-cheol.

“I, Lee Sa-cheol, Minister of Education, risk my life to speak to Your Majesty! Absolutely do not accept their wishes!”

At Lee Sa-cheol’s desperate cry, Hyang, looking rather intrigued, posed a question.

“Not acceptable? Let’s hear your reasons.”

In response to Hyang’s question, Lee Sa-cheol stated his reasons in a resolute voice.

“Your Majesty, the nature of the Waegu [Japanese people] is akin to that of beasts. No, they are worse than beasts. If a beast inflicts one harm upon a person, the Waegu add cunning to it, inflicting ten, no, a hundred harms. If such people were to produce Eulshik flintlock rifles, where would those guns be pointed? At first, they would devour each other, but in the end, they would surely turn towards our empire! Therefore, you must never grant them the license they speak of!”

At Lee Sa-cheol’s words, Hyang surveyed the surroundings. Quite a few people were showing expressions of agreement with Lee Sa-cheol.

Seeing this, Hyang asked Hwanghee,

“Prime Minister, what are your thoughts?”

Hwanghee, receiving the question, became very tense. It was because Hyang’s tone had changed drastically.

‘Considering what that wealthy family has done so far, unconditional opposition or unconditional agreement are both traps!’

In the end, Hwanghee had no choice but to give an ambiguous answer.

“While the Minister of Education’s words are not entirely incorrect, I believe they are worth considering. Especially when considering the damage the Waegu have inflicted so far.”

“Hmm….”

Hyang, nodding slightly at Hwanghee’s words, turned his attention back to Lee Sa-cheol.

“I will ask the Minister of Education. When studying the classics, there are those who memorize what the teacher simply tells them, and those who ponder on their own to find the answer and then learn the corrections through the teacher. Which of these two do you think will gain deeper learning?”

“The latter, Your Majesty.”

“Then, do you think that if we hand over the Eulshik flintlock rifles, the Waegu will not take them apart to examine them?”

“……”

“During the last war with Ming [Chinese dynasty], they took away many Ming artisans. Do you not think they will use those artisans to take apart and examine the flintlock rifles we handed over, as well as the Ming’s flintlock rifles? And do you not think that those who gain knowledge and skills through such contemplation will be even more fearsome?”

“……”

As Hyang’s sharp questions continued, Lee Sa-cheol’s head lowered further and further.

“Of course, there is no one who does not know that the nature of the Waegu is cunning, untrustworthy, and violent. However, are we to make even those who have already agreed to peace with us into enemies? Surely, reducing the number of enemies is always beneficial, so why try to increase them again? Is that your loyalty?”

At Hyang’s final question, Lee Sa-cheol prostrated himself on the floor and shouted,

“No, Your Majesty! It is just that they have not yet learned the virtues of the sages and only know the written word….”

“Are you unaware that many Waegu sent by Daenaega [a powerful Japanese clan] have already learned from us and returned? And do you not know where this scheme came from?”

“……”

Lee Sa-cheol’s mouth closed tightly again, and Hyang looked down at Lee Sa-cheol with a look of disdain.

After a moment, Hyang turned his gaze to the officials and opened his mouth.

“As the Minister of Education said, everyone knows that the Waegu’s character is fierce and cunning. However, are the Waegu the only ones who are cunning? It is human nature to devise all sorts of schemes to gain one’s own interests. Even if we handed over flintlock rifles with hidden mechanisms, those with any sense would have taken them apart to examine the mechanisms. I would have done the same. This request from Daenaega is the same. Do you think that request came about for no reason? They have already taken apart the rifles we gave them and realized the difficulty of production, so they made such a request. Therefore, it is right for us to take advantage of this. If we refuse, as the Minister of Education said, it would only be a foolish strategy that increases our enemies.”

As Hyang’s words ended, the officials all bowed their heads and replied,

“What Your Majesty has said is truly appropriate!”

“That is correct!”

While bowing their heads, they were also glaring at Lee Sa-cheol, cursing him with their eyes.

“Then, what kind of shackles does Your Majesty have in mind?”

At Hwanghee’s question, Hyang replied simply,

“The first shackle is that Joseon [Korean kingdom] will unconditionally produce and hand over the casings for the bullets used in the Eulshik hwacha [rocket artillery]. Next, if the Eulshik flintlock rifles are to use first-generation paper cartridges, we will supply the bottom plates containing Pok-eun [a type of gunpowder]. The third shackle is that the Daenaega’s insignia must be stamped on the barrels of the Eulshik flintlock rifles and Eulshik hwacha produced by Daenaega. If any rifles or hwacha are found without this insignia, Daenaega will be held strongly accountable. Finally, all the iron materials needed to produce the Eulshik flintlock rifles and Eulshik hwacha will be supplied by our empire.”

“Hmm….”

The officials who heard the ‘shackles’ that Hyang spoke of all nodded their heads. The first condition, Pok-eun, was a shackle that had to be included. Starting with Ming, many countries were trying to find the method of producing Pok-eun, but the situation was still unclear. In other words, it was certain that the Imperial Army would always have the upper hand until other countries could produce Pok-eun as well.

Of course, it was not the case that all situations would be reversed just by being able to make Pok-eun. Unless a powerful smokeless gunpowder represented by Pok-yu and Deokgap-style gunpowder came out, it was certain that the Imperial Army would be at least half a step ahead.

As such positive reactions were emerging, Minister of Justice Hwangbo-in pointed out a problem.

“It seems that Daenaega will not easily accept the third shackle. It could be seen as interference in internal affairs.”

At Hwangbo-in’s point, Hwanghee stepped forward in place of Hyang.

“No, Daenaega will gladly accept it. What did they say when they brought up the strange word ‘license’? They said it was to suppress those who do not listen to them, didn’t they? Rather, if unbranded, illegally manufactured rifles appear, it will be a very good excuse for Daenaega. But, if they oppose it? Then that general of Daenaega will be called a foolish man.”

“Ah….”

At Hwanghee’s answer, Hwangbo-in immediately agreed and closed his mouth. Following this, Kim Jeom asked a question.

“Will the iron materials supplied to Daenaega be the same as those used in the existing Eulshik flintlock rifles and Eulshik hwacha?”

At Kim Jeom’s question, Hyang replied with a voice full of regret.

“I would like to give them something one grade lower if I could. However, if I did that, the difference in performance would be so noticeable that it would be better not to give them anything at all, so I will provide them with the same grade. Of course, looking at the current situation of the empire, we are using even better iron materials….”

As Hyang said, the empire was constantly continuing its research related to iron materials. Thanks to this, the empire’s ironmaking technology continued to develop, and more diverse types of steel were being released into the market. Thanks to this, the gunpowder weapons equipped by the Imperial Army were becoming lighter, stronger, and more lethal.

* * *

In the end, it was decided to follow Hyang’s thoughts regarding the request from Daenaega.

“Hmm… Come to think of it, Minister of Education.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please ask.”

At Hyang’s call, Lee Sa-cheol answered with great tension. It was because of what had just happened.

Looking down at the very tense Lee Sa-cheol, Hyang continued to speak.

“The Ministry of Education is in charge of the education and practical training of those sent by Daenaega, correct?”

“That is correct, Your Majesty.”

“If Daenaega were to seize power again, raise the qualification standards for those sent by Daenaega even higher. If the existing qualifications were sufficient at the level of the Samin Academy, raise them to the level of the Middle School Academy. In return for this, increase the scope of practical training from the existing clerk level to the administrative officer level.”

“Yes?”

At Hyang’s words, Lee Sa-cheol looked at Hyang with surprised eyes. Forcibly suppressing his desire to immediately refute, Lee Sa-cheol carefully chose his words and asked Hyang.

“I am foolish and cannot immediately fathom Your Majesty’s sacred will. Please explain it in a little more detail.”

“Tsk!”

As soon as Lee Sa-cheol finished speaking, Hyang clicked his tongue, and Lee Sa-cheol and the surrounding officials flinched.

‘It’s finally here!’

‘Ugh! Should I just feed that human a bowl of brightening soup!’

‘But, I don’t understand it either.’

Hyang, who had clicked his tongue like that, explained in more detail.

“If it is at the level of the Samin Academy, they are only busy knowing the words of the ancient sages, but even at the level of the Middle School Academy, they are able to ponder what the words of the sages mean, are they not?”

“That is correct.”

“That is why I am telling you to raise the level. If done well, you can release a potent poison into Waegu.”

Hyang’s explanation was as follows:

– What Daenaega is aiming for now is a centralized government like the empire.

– Even if those who come to Waegu to learn practical skills are only at the level of middle-level officials, they will be able to increase the level of completion even more than now.

– In this process, those who learn from the empire and return will become the core of power, and many will emulate them and try to learn and discuss the classics.

“In this process, the empire can aim for two things.”

– The first aim is to change the nature of the Waegu, who value military force.

– The second aim is that Waegu will fall into chaos again due to the contradictions of the Waegu shogunate.

Hwanghee immediately asked a question at Hyang’s words.

“Did you say contradictions?”

“That’s right. Ming and we call the shogun of the shogunate the King of Japan, but he is not a real king, is he?”

Huhuh immediately answered at Hyang’s point.

“Certainly, there is an emperor in Waegu.”

Hyang nodded at Huhuh’s answer and continued to speak.

“That is correct. Although they are called the King of Japan, if we properly investigate, the shogun of the shogunate is a vassal who serves the emperor and receives orders. According to the records left by the envoys who used to travel to and from Waegu, the Gongga nobles, who are the civil officials serving the emperor, compared the shogun of the shogunate to the Emperor Wu of Wei (Cao Cao) or Emperor Gaozu of Tang (Li Yuan).”

Stopping there suddenly, Hyang clicked his tongue once more.

“Tsk! I wonder how far the talk went in the absence of our envoys!”

As soon as Hyang’s words ended, the faces of the officials stiffened.

The common point between Emperor Wu of Wei Cao Cao and Emperor Gaozu of Tang Li Yuan was that they both set up puppet emperors and controlled the government. And this was an issue that could also be connected to Taejo Lee Seong-gye.

Because of this, the faces of all the officials in the Grand Hall had hardened.

“We must immediately inflict Chidogon on these damned bastards….”

Hwanghee, unable to contain his anger, unknowingly uttered profanity. Seeing Hwanghee’s appearance, Hyang smiled and continued to speak.

“Hoo! We are only presuming, so let’s not jump to conclusions. In any case, because there are such fundamental contradictions, we must make the Waegu’s learning deeper. If we do that, Waegu will fall into self-destruction on its own. It is a matter of loyalty for whom. From top to bottom, is it founding (創業) or restoration (復權)? If it goes well, we can make Waegu fall apart without dirtying our hands.”

The officials who heard Hyang’s explanation seemed to see what would happen.

If Ouchi were to complete a certain degree of solid centralism and even gain the hearts of the people, there was a very high possibility that those centered on Confucian scholars would advocate for a ‘reversal of destiny.’ If that happened, a conflict would certainly arise with those who advocated for the preservation of the emperor (存置). In another case, after Neo-Confucianism had fully established itself, those who saw Ouchi’s rise to power as the ‘rise of a hegemon (霸者)’ could appear, advocating for the restoration of the emperor. Even if this happened, it was clear that Waegu would fall into chaos.

Hwanghee, who had thought that far, glanced at Kim Jong-seo. Kim Jong-seo was looking at Hwanghee with sparkling eyes.

“If this goes well….”