Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 635

Wild Wild North (1)

635. Wild Wild North (1)

In the end, Giovanni had to take the Iron Horse [a train] to Mokpo first thing the next morning.

“There was nothing wrong with what His Majesty said. I hope you come back next time with an offer I can’t refuse.”

Giovanni bowed his head in response to Heo Hu, who came to see him off.

“I certainly will.”

Giovanni, who boarded the Iron Horse, looked out the window and sighed deeply, muttering.

“Hoo… I wonder if I’ll be able to return within this year…”

In the rice paddies visible outside the train window, the ears of rice were ripening to a golden hue.

“Aden is the problem…”

* * *

The journey from Mokpo to Aden was smooth. There were still pirates in the Jiangnan region of Ming, and near Luzon and Malaya. However, they only caused trouble in the coastal and offshore areas. Even the most notorious pirates did not dare to show themselves in the deep-sea routes used by merchant ships.

This was thanks to the naval vessels and merchant ships of the Federal Empire, which had thoroughly tamed the seas.

In particular, what the pirates dreaded were the merchant ships operated by the Empire’s trading companies.

Despite being merchant ships, they were as sturdy as the Empire’s warships and carried even larger loads than the Empire’s warships.

Moreover, despite being merchant ships, they carried as many cannons as a decent nation’s warships.

Thanks to this, in the trading port of Malacca, there were various rumors about ‘whether that ship is a merchant ship or a warship,’ and the Empire’s sailors who heard the stories replied:

“Of course, it’s a merchant ship! Compared to our navy’s warships, that’s just the minimum armament for exercising self-defense!”

And the sailors of other countries who heard this all said the same thing:

“You’re comparing it to the wrong thing! Are your country’s warships even warships? They’re floating fortresses! You didn’t put cannons on the ship, you put a fortress on the ship!”

However, it wasn’t just this defense and firepower that made pirates dislike the Empire’s merchant ships.

The problem was the merchant ships’ meddling.

Whether they were attacked or not, if the Empire’s merchant ships discovered a pirate ship, they would slowly follow behind the pirates. Then, after identifying the locations presumed to be the pirates’ hideouts, they would go straight to the nearest Imperial naval base and inform them.

Most of the merchant ship’s crew members were experienced, so their guesses were very accurate.

And the Imperial Navy, having received this information, would mobilize a fleet to crush the unfortunate pirates.

Thanks to this, the journey from Mokpo to Suez and Aden was peaceful.

The problem was what came next. The climate of the land route from Aden to the Mediterranean was harsh, and the security was poor. Fortunately, security had somewhat stabilized as the Ottomans pushed down, but there were still many loopholes.

However, compared to the Mediterranean, this land route was very safe.

The Mediterranean was a hotbed of pirates. Pirate ships, crewed by a mix of Christians, Muslims, blacks, whites, Arabs, Portuguese, Spaniards, and even Englishmen and Norwegians from the north, were stirring up trouble in the Mediterranean.

Even more problematic was that most of these pirate ships usually acted as normal merchant ships. Then, if trade was poor and they were in the red, or if they heard rumors of a ship loaded with expensive cargo passing by, they would immediately turn into pirate ships.

“Hoo…”

Giovanni, whose vision blurred when he thought that far ahead, sighed deeply.

“It’s daunting…”

Giovanni, feeling discouraged after being rejected by Hyang, boarded the ship again and muttered, looking at the Challenger-class warship passing by.

“If things go well and the waterway is opened, will we see that warship in the Mediterranean? The pirates will be terrified.”

After imagining the changed Mediterranean for a while, Giovanni chuckled.

“Hah! That would be quite a sight. It’s like thugs meeting even scarier thugs.”

If it was the Imperial Navy, which gets excited at the sight of pirates, even the notorious pirates of the Mediterranean would tremble.

* * *

Hyang, who had sent Giovanni away, continued to deal with the piled-up problems.

“The Emperor of Ming will take care of the situation in Ming, so we just need to wait for the right time… Hmm…”

Hyang, who was reviewing the documents, picked up a file on one side and asked the ministers after examining the contents.

“Is the resettlement of people to Shinji going well?”

In response to Hyang’s question, Hwang Hee stepped forward and answered.

“Yes. Official notices will be sent out to all regions of the mainland soon after this Mid-Autumn Festival.”

“What do you think the reaction will be?”

“There seems to be considerable interest, as many rumors about Shinji have already spread.”

Kim Jongseo continued after Hwang Hee finished speaking.

“There are many people who will apply for resettlement out of curiosity. In particular, there are rumors that herbalists are buzzing about it.”

Hyang became curious at Kim Jongseo’s words.

“Herbalists? What’s the reason?”

“It’s because of velvet antlers.”

“Velvet antlers?”

* * *

After Shinji was discovered and many people moved there, rumors about Shinji began to circulate among the people.

-If you take a boat straight east from Jongjang Island, you’ll find a huge island called Shinji!

-Shinji is a huge land! It’s a continent!

When they first heard the story, the people of the mainland had expressions full of disbelief.

“Eh~. It’s probably just a big island.”

“They said it’s a continent.”

“Do you believe the sailors’ exaggerations? Sailors are the ones who say that there are schools of fish called whales in the sea that are bigger than decent tile-roofed houses, and that there are so many *duruchi* [old name for sharks] that are so huge that they can cut decent men into two pieces with one bite!”

“Eh! I saw it, and the whale was indeed big! Well, there was some exaggeration, but if they insist it’s a continent, it must be a big land.”

While they were talking back and forth with half-belief and half-doubt, more and more stories about Shinji’s specialties began to circulate. Then, the situation flowed in a rather negative direction.

“What, the mountain range is so high that it can be seen from 1,000 *li* (about 400km) away? Come on! Tell me something that makes sense!”

“What? The deer are as big as thatched houses? And bears run away? Bears from deer? Tell me something that makes sense!”

“The bear was chased by a bison? No, are the bears living in Shinji just neighborhood stray dogs? Always getting pushed around here and there?”

“I thought it was the sea, but it’s freshwater, a lake? Come on!”

The more stories there were about Shinji, the more distrust the Joseon people accumulated. It was a story that went beyond their cognitive realm.

The reason for diluting people’s distrust was the full-scale development of the northeastern forest area.

As time passed, the development of the area near Dongbing Port gradually went deeper inside.

In the process, a moose was captured and presented to Gyeongbok Palace. “Wow! Look at the size!”

“Is that a deer or a bear?”

The people who were admiring the huge size of the moose being unloaded from the train station and moved to Gyeongbok Palace soon moved on to other thoughts.

“Wait, they said the deer in Shinji are as big as thatched houses? So it’s not a joke?”

Those who went a little further smelled money.

“Look at those antlers! If you cut those antlers and sell them as velvet antlers… gulp!”

The people who had thought that far soon stroked their chins while looking at Gyeongbok Palace.

“A big land has been discovered, so they’ll accept resettlement like the Bukji or Daeseol Island, right? Hmm… let’s see…”

* * *

“Huh…”

Hyang shook his head after listening to Kim Jongseo’s explanation. In the 21st century, the deer in America that he saw when he ran away to America to indulge in his hobby were no joke in size.

‘Was it just the deer? What about the bears? If the deer are armored cars, the bears are tanks!’

Hyang, who was shaking his head, soon gave an order.

“It’s good that there’s a good response, but we must prevent those who are aiming for a quick fortune from flocking there. Prepare to conduct strict screening.”

“I obey your command!”

After organizing the agenda, Hyang picked up the next file and opened it.

“Hmm…”

Hyang, who read the contents carefully, looked at the ministers with a serious expression.

“Is the security in the North still unstable?”

In response to Hyang’s words, Hwang Hee stepped forward and bowed his head.

“I am sorry. It is because of our lack of ability that we have caused Your Majesty to worry.”

“I am not blaming you. I am just curious about the reason.”

Hwangboin stepped forward and answered Hyang’s question.

“The problem is the Jurchens of Jianzhou and the remnants of the Ming people in the Liaodong area.”

Hyang’s expression sharpened at Hwangboin’s answer.

“Remnants of the Ming people? Still?”

“I am sorry to report, but that is the case.”

“Tsk!”

Hyang clicked his tongue as if he didn’t like Hwangboin’s answer, and at that moment, all the ministers flinched.

Regardless, Hyang shook his head.

“I told them to leave if they didn’t like the Empire from the beginning, but why are they staying and causing trouble… Tsk!”

Hwang Hee stepped forward and answered Hyang’s words.

“They seem to believe that their land will soon return to Ming’s territory.”

Hyang raised his voice at Hwang Hee’s words.

“Foolish people!”

* * *

Ming, which had admitted defeat in the last war, had to hand over both Liaoxi and Liaodong to Joseon.

Joseon, which had acquired the Liao River region in this way, widely publicized this fact to the residents of the Liao River region.

-Now the Liao River region is our Joseon’s territory! Everyone living in this area must follow our Joseon’s laws! If you do not want this, pack up your belongings and leave!

Among the Ming people who received Joseon’s proclamation, many strongly protested.

“We are the people of the Great Ming! We will not be ruled by Joseon, and we will not leave!”

The reason they protested was because they thought Ming would return soon.

-Ming is a great power! There is no way it can be defeated by the small country of Joseon! This time, it just retreated because of bad luck! It will soon return!

Most of the Ming people living in the Liao River region had this thought, so they strongly protested against Joseon’s proclamation.

No, they went one step further from simple protest and even started an armed uprising.

Ming soldiers who had deserted and hid during the last war joined the uprising or provided weapons. In addition to that, the rebels, who had found weapons buried or hidden by the Ming army that had retreated in a hurry during the last war, resisted the Joseon army.

However, the uprising of the Ming people in the Liao River region failed miserably. There were no people who knew how to command properly, and the Joseon troops stationed in the Liao River region were those who had gained combat experience through the last war.

In the end, most of the rebels were unilaterally suppressed, and the few rebels who barely escaped turned into bandit groups and engaged in a chase with the Joseon cavalry.

As the situation became like this, a considerable number of Ming people began to pack up their belongings and return to the Central Plains.

However, a large number of Ming people still remained.

“This is the land where we have lived for generations! We cannot leave!”

That’s what they insisted, but in reality, most of them had not been in the Liao River region for 100 years.

It started with the people who were moved to the area by Ming, which was founded after driving out the Yuan, to Sinicize the Jurchen region.

What these people, who had failed in the uprising and did not leave, chose was disobedience.

-Soon the Emperor’s heavenly soldiers will return! Then our loyalty will be rewarded!

These were the Ming people who continued their disobedience with such firm belief.

Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]

Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]

BCJ, 블랙기업조선
Status: Completed Author: , Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] Imagine a world where the brilliance of King Sejong the Great collides with the unbridled passion of a modern-day maniac obsessed with military strategy and steampunk innovation. Reborn as the king's son, our protagonist finds himself in the heart of Joseon, a land ripe for transformation. But progress comes at a price. Witness the dawn of a new era as the maniac-wise prince, alongside his father, pushes the boundaries of Joseon, sparking both innovation and exploitation. Prepare to be captivated by a dynasty on the brink, where the nights are illuminated not by stars, but by the relentless glow of overtime. Dive into a world of political intrigue, technological marvel, and the human cost of ambition. Will Joseon rise to unprecedented heights, or will it crumble under the weight of its own relentless drive? Discover the fate of the Black Corporation: Joseon.

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