Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 767

767. A Self-Inflicted Disaster… (2)

Clack! Clack!

As soon as they heard the gunfire, the soldiers sitting in the carts connected ammunition boxes to the Gatling guns and fed the belts into the weapons.

Other soldiers also cocked their Type 1 rifles and released the safety catches.

Having completed their combat preparations, the soldiers loudly shouted to their commanders,

“Ready!”

At the soldiers’ shout, Kim Jang-saeng, the Manho [military commander] leading the unit, stood upright on the cart’s saddle and scanned the direction of the royal palace with his telescope.

“Sir! It’s dangerous!”

To the soldiers’ warning, Kim Jang-saeng confidently replied,

“Hey! My name is Jang-saeng (Long Life), Jang-saeng! Don’t you worry!”

As he confidently replied and looked at the palace, Jang-saeng saw Admiral An and his party rushing out of the palace entrance.

Seeing that a couple of soldiers were being supported as they moved, likely injured during the escape, Jang-saeng immediately issued an order to the carts in front.

“The old man’s party is in danger! Carriages 1 and 3! Move out immediately! Rescue the old man’s party!”

“Yes, sir! Giddy up!”

Neigh!

At Jang-saeng’s command, two of the carts in the formation immediately darted out.

“Kyaaak!”

“Aaaagh!”

The Aztecs nearby screamed and scattered in all directions at the sight of the horses running wildly as if they would trample everything in their path.

Meanwhile, Jang-saeng, still standing on the saddle and surveying the situation, shouted to the soldiers as Aztec warriors rushed in from all directions.

“The game is up anyway! If they come within 100 paces, mow them down!”

“Yes, sir!”

Looking at the soldiers who answered resolutely, Jang-saeng continued,

“They’re man-eaters! Abandon all mercy!”

* * *

While An Sang-su and his party were horrified by the sight of human flesh inside Montezuma I’s palace, those outside were equally horrified.

The soldiers, who had formed a defensive line and were taking a breather, saw corpses being smoked with ropes around their necks.

“What is that!”

At the time, the Aztecs processed the sacrifices offered in human sacrifices in various ways.

One way was to collect the bodies that had rolled down the slopes of the pyramid, cut off their heads, dismember them, and boil them.

Another way was to hang them on ropes and burn them, as if carrying out a hanging.

However, this was not burning like cremation but more like smoking.

The soldiers waiting outside were horrified by this sight.

The soldiers from the mainland looked at the soldiers from Shinji.

“Did you guys do that too?”

“Not anymore!”

The soldiers from Shinji hurriedly denied it, feeling the suspicious gazes of the soldiers from the mainland. However, the soldiers from the mainland were not easily convinced.

“Not anymore?”

“We used to, but I heard it all disappeared after the Supreme Emperor forbade it! And I heard it wasn’t this severe!”

* * *

The Shinji soldier’s words were true.

Cannibalism was common among the natives of the New World.

However, it mainly targeted prisoners captured in war or those who invaded their tribe’s territory.

In particular, there was fierce competition to eat the heart of a warrior, believing it would make them braver.

The natives subjected the captured prisoners to brutal lynchings and torture before killing them and consuming their flesh.

This primarily provided spectacle and entertainment, and secondly, it was intended to give warriors a sense of vigilance.

-If you lose in war, you will be eaten like that!

Therefore, warriors fought more desperately and fanatically to avoid becoming food for other tribes. (Note 1)

The Joseon soldiers who explored Shinji reported this fact to the home country. However, Sejong, the Prime Minister, and the Deputy Prime Ministers immediately buried the report.

This was due to political reasons based on Neo-Confucianism, the national policy, and extremely practical reasons.

-It is clear that those who commit such heinous acts should not be spared, but they are those who have not learned morality in the first place. We must teach them morality and give them a chance for rehabilitation.

-Of course, it may be right to exterminate them all. However, considering the current population of Joseon, that method would be tantamount to abandoning Shinji.

Sejong, who made this decision at the time, sighed, resting his hand on his forehead.

“Hoo. Cannibalism has been reported from Jongjangbando and the northern islands from time to time, but how can the world be so cruel….”

Hwang Hee, who was the Prime Minister at the time, replied to Sejong’s words.

“Isn’t it because they lived in such isolated places that they didn’t learn morality, and they lived in areas where it was difficult to survive? I think the only answer is to do our best to teach them morality, civilize them, and create an environment where they can live like human beings.”

“I agree. And keep this report from the Crown Prince. That child has an unexpected fastidiousness in unexpected places…”

“I will do so.”

In this way, Sejong and the Prime Ministers concealed the cannibalism-related report and issued new orders to the Joseon army in Shinji.

-Persuade the tribes that have pledged allegiance or formed alliances to ban cannibalism. If they violate this, you may use force.

The Joseon soldiers who received Sejong’s orders actively carried out the orders.

The tribes that pledged allegiance to Joseon or formed alliances had to stop cannibalism immediately. At first, there was resistance, but soon they had no choice but to accept the order.

The strongest people around were the Joseon soldiers, and they had seen cases where entire tribes disappeared without a trace after resisting.

Later, as Sejong, who arrived in Shinji, began to manage Shinji directly, the custom of cannibalism in the Shinji area quickly disappeared.

He actively civilized the natives using Samin Hakdang [schools for civilizing natives] and at the same time, he used various carrots to win over the chiefs and warriors.

Sejong did not only use these moderate policies. If necessary, he used force decisively.

Thanks to this, there were several tribes that disappeared without anyone knowing during Sejong’s reign.

Sejong’s carrot-and-stick policy was successful, so Hyang, who arrived later, could only confirm this fact through reports.

However, as Shinji’s territory increased, tribes with cannibalistic customs continued to be discovered, and Hyang smacked his lips and muttered.

“This is… doesn’t it remind me of that controversy from the 21st century?”

* * *

To be precise, it was a controversy over a topic that frequently appeared in movies dealing with the American Revolutionary War or the history of the Wild West in the mid-20th century.

The topic was ‘scalping.’ It was a scene where Indians who won the war killed their defeated enemies—mainly white people—and then scalped them.

This scene sparked a controversy.

-It is a traditional custom of the Indians.

-No, the white people started it originally. They started it first to discourage the Indians who resisted them. Later, due to cultural superiority, the idea that ‘civilized white people could not have done such barbaric things’ led to the Indians being blamed.

Unfortunately, Hyang was not interested in this, so he did not know who the winner was.

* * *

“Controversy is controversy, but now it’s reality, so we have to find an answer.”

As he pondered, Hyang immediately found the answer.

-Regarding cannibalism, the policies of the previous generation will be continued and implemented.

As a result, according to the policies of Sejong and Hyang, the native tribes who pledged allegiance quickly abandoned cannibalism.

And, at some point, the new generation of Shinji natives came to abhor cannibalism itself.

Thanks to this, the soldiers from Shinji who saw the large-scale human sacrifice in Tenochtitlan were also horrified.

* * *

“It’s our ally!”

“It’s our ally! Cheer up!”

An Sang-su and his party, who were escaping from Montezuma I’s palace amid fierce fighting, were delighted to see carts carrying allies approaching.

“It’s our ally! Cheer up!”

Admiral An Sang-su and a small number of cavalrymen, riding horses tied to one side, blocked the path between the party and the Aztec warriors, buying time.

Bang! Tatang! Bang!

Admiral An Sang-su and the cavalrymen, whose single-shot pistols had run out of bullets, took out the curved swords they had tied to their saddles. Then, they immediately cursed.

“Ah, damn it! The sword is too short!”

* * *

After the reorganization of the military, there were two places in Joseon and the Empire that used blades, especially curved swords, as secondary weapons. One was the cavalry, and the other was the navy.

However, even if they were the same curved swords, the shapes and sizes of the cavalry’s and navy’s curved swords were different.

The cavalry’s curved sword was similar to a saber, while the navy’s was similar to a cutlass.

Although the sizes were different, their purpose was the same. It was used in close combat situations. Thanks to this, their appearances were very similar.

However, Admiral An Sang-su and the cavalrymen cursed because of the smaller size of the cutlass compared to the saber.

Those sitting on horseback had to lean their bodies greatly to the left and right to properly use the cutlass. If they made a mistake, they could be caught by approaching enemies and fall off their horses.

To avoid this, Admiral An Sang-su and the cavalrymen swung their swords more to threaten and prevent the enemy from approaching than to kill the Aztec warriors.

“Disperse! Disperse!”

As the shout of ‘disperse’ was heard from the carts that arrived in time, Admiral An Sang-su and the cavalrymen dispersed to the left and right.

As only the Aztec warriors were left in the suddenly opened space, the Gatling guns mounted on the carts fired simultaneously.

Tatatatatang!

As the eight Gatling guns on the two carts fired simultaneously, the Aztec warriors who were rushing in from the palace and nearby began to fall like bundles of straw.

Instantly, the Aztec warriors, who had been rushing in with great momentum, froze like ice at the same time.

It was a battle and death they had never seen before.

They had often seen warriors at the forefront being sacrificed in sieges or other battles. Mainly by stone throwing, arrows, or javelin attacks.

However, there were hardly any cases where the front line collapsed in an instant like the attack of these foreigners.

When the long things attached to the strange vehicles these foreigners were riding spewed flames, the brave warriors who had filled the space died as they were.

“It’s not an arrow, but…”

“I didn’t even see it…”

As the Aztec warriors who had fallen into panic froze, Admiral An Sang-su immediately shouted.

“Escape! Join the main camp!”

The carts carrying the guards continued to fire and left the plaza in front of the palace.

* * *

An Sang-su and his party, who joined the remaining people in the plaza where the great temples were located, immediately turned their horses and began to escape.

Tatatatatang! Tatatang!

Bang! Tatang! Bang!

The Gatling guns on the carts and the riflemen hiding in the shadows of the carts relentlessly poured bullets at the Aztec warriors rushing in from all directions.

“Mow down anyone who rushes in!”

“Abandon mercy! Everyone you see is an enemy!”

“If you want to live, abandon mercy!”

To survive in the surrounded situation, the Imperial soldiers pulled the trigger on every Aztec they saw.

—–

(Note 1)

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