Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 796

The subordinate officer continued,

“Ssang Chogwan [Chief Ssang] and other natives say that many tribes hold deep grudges against those bastards, whether they’re called Aztecs or Mexica.”

“Not just Ssang and his tribesmen?”

“That’s right. If we can properly join forces with them, we can receive great help in supplying troops and maintaining supply lines.”

“Hmm…. That’s not bad. Sounds plausible. But things don’t always go as planned. Let’s review the plan assuming we operate independently with only Ssang and his tribesmen, or even just our military.”

“Yes, sir.”

Lee Jingook, who was giving orders to his subordinate officer, suddenly remembered something and pointed out another problem.

“Ah! And another thing. Are you properly emphasizing the ‘prohibited curse words’ list?”

“…Yes, sir.”

Lee Jingook grumbled at the subordinate officer’s stammering response.

“Why… why did they have to name them that way….”

* * *

In the process of returning to Shinji, some of the defecting natives were given Imperial-style names.

Most of the natives who received names in this way recognized the nicknames they were called while escaping with the Imperial Army, such as ‘Ssang,’ as their names.

Thanks to this, a tacit agreement was reached among the Imperial soldiers on the ship returning to Shinji.

-Do not use curse words that natives use as names.

And this agreement was immediately written into a report and sent to Hyang.

Hyang immediately gave an answer after confirming the report.

“The military should not use the curse words listed here.”

Jinpyeong, who was watching Hyang’s decision from the side, immediately pointed out the problem.

“Swearing comes out without thinking. Wouldn’t it be better to just ban swearing itself? Words show a person’s character, so wouldn’t it be better to ban the use of swear words on this occasion?”

Hyang replied with an indifferent expression to Jinpyeong’s words.

“Don’t you swear?”

“How can a nobleman be so vulgar….”

“Are you aware that there are multiple reports stating you are the most foul-mouthed person on the field?”

“…”

“And you said, how can a nobleman vulgarly utter swear words? If you think so, then is the Supreme Emperor not a gentleman?”

“Hup!”

Jinpyeong’s face turned pale at Hyang’s remark.

Sejong also swore without realizing it when he was furious. No, it wasn’t just Sejong. Taejong also swore. In particular, in the case of Taejo, who had spent most of his life on the battlefield, half of his words in private were swear words.

In Sejong’s case, he changed his habit to clicking his tongue instead of swearing. However, everyone knew the hidden curse in that tongue-clicking sound.

That’s why Jinpyeong’s face turned pale. If Jinpyeong’s words were misinterpreted even slightly, it would become an insult to the Supreme Emperor.

“I misspoke!”

Jinpyeong immediately bowed his head and admitted his mistake, and Hyang responded by clicking his tongue.

“Tsk!”

* * *

Hyang’s order was the same for the expeditionary force. To prevent any possible mistakes, the expeditionary force had to become familiar with this from the time they were trained at the headquarters.

-(Omitted) For these reasons, the use of the swear words listed above is prohibited. If you are caught using the above swear words, your salary will be reduced.

Soldiers who were not from the Banga family who read the order posted on the bulletin board either showed an expression that it was nothing special or even snickered.

“Well, it’s nothing special… it’s not like there are only those swear words….”

“Did the unit that had a fight in the south of Shinji only have surprisingly gentle guys? Even the kids who went to Samin School [schools open to all social classes] in my neighborhood use stronger swear words than that.”

Ironically, over time, the most penalized were the soldiers from the Sadaebu [scholar-official] families.

The Sadaebu families had lived lives far removed from swearing.

The place where they encountered swear words was mainly Samin School. This was because, according to the philosophy of ‘equality of the four classes of people,’ classes were conducted in one place regardless of class distinctions.

The problem was when the children of the Banga families used the swear words they learned at school at home.

“How can a child from a Sadaebu family use such vulgar words!”

“It seems they learned it from their peers at Samin School.”

“Then you should have stepped in and stopped them from using it!”

In this way, the Sadaebu families were taught and trained not to swear as downward spirals continued.

These people volunteered for the expeditionary force and underwent harsh military training, and before they knew it, swear words became ingrained in their mouths.

However, the swear words they were familiar with were mostly the swear words they knew as children, and the problem was that most of those swear words were on the prohibited list.

* * *

The expeditionary forces, who arrived at the southern naval base by iron horse [train], rested for a day and immediately boarded the ship.

“It’s going to be a long voyage!”

After a fortnight of sailing, the expeditionary forces, who arrived at their destination, began to establish a bridgehead under the command of Lee Jingook.

“Then I will return immediately and load the reinforcements.”

Lee Jingook nodded and accepted the words of the admiral leading the transport fleet.

“I’m counting on you.”

“Good luck.”

“Thank you. By the way, I heard a story on the way here that a European ship was found wrecked nearby?”

“Yes. Judging from the traces, it seemed to be a ship that escaped from our attack in the past.”

“Were there any survivors?”

“After searching the area, it seems they were attacked by those bastards.”

“I know what they must have gone through without even seeing it.”

The admiral nodded at Lee Jingook’s words. Lee Jingook continued speaking at the admiral’s appearance.

“Are ships still coming from Europe these days?”

“They come occasionally, but we are sinking or capturing them as soon as they arrive.”

“His Majesty must be very worried.”

“He said we have to hold out for at least five more years.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Thank you.”

The fleet, having finished unloading troops and supplies, immediately turned its ship and returned to its home port.

Lee Jingook waved goodbye to the returning ship and turned his body.

“Now the real beginning. How should I deal with these bastards…”

Lee Jingook was exuding murderous intent towards the Aztecs.

“It’s become easier than expected because there are large ships, so I have to do it properly.”

According to the plan, the expeditionary force would arrive at the bridgehead through a total of 10 transports.

It was a large operation to move 3,000 people at a time, and this was possible thanks to the deployment of five large transport ships newly designed by Hyang.

It was a transport ship slightly larger than the Challenger class, but it was equipped with only the minimum amount of armaments for self-defense. It was a ship specialized in transporting passengers or cargo.

“I was able to make it thanks to the large and strong trees of Shinji, but it’s a ship that can’t be taken out until we seize control of the Atlantic. Or, rework it….”

While expressing his slight regret, Hyang sent the blueprint of the problem to the headquarters. It was certain that it would be useful in the Suez route, where he had already secured control of the sea.

When the expeditionary force’s transportation continued safely up to the fifth time, Lee Jingook finally began to move.

He created three units consisting of 1,000 people and dispatched them with Ssang and other returning natives. Their mission was to contact Ssang and other natives’ tribes and elicit cooperation.

“Ssang Chogwan said it would take at least a month for a round trip…. What should I do to pass the time?”

After a moment of contemplation, Lee Jingook soon summoned his subordinate officers.

“Did you call, sir?”

“I have something to do.”

“Give me your orders.”

Lee Jingook raised his hand and pointed to the jungle in front.

“Push that all down.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Troops will continue to come in the future, and this land is hotter and more humid than expected. If we’re not careful, we’re likely to get tired or sick before we even fight. So, we need to secure a sufficiently large space in advance. And that jungle is blocking our view, so we could be ambushed. So, we have to push it down as much as possible to reduce our weaknesses and maximize our strengths.”

All the subordinate officers nodded at Lee Jingook’s explanation.

“I will execute it immediately.”

Before long, all the soldiers except those in charge of guarding left the bridgehead with logging swords, saws, and axes.

“Somehow, they said they were sending a lot of logging swords, axes, and saws…”

“Did I come here to fight or to cut down trees….”

The soldiers grumbled, but they began to gradually push down the jungle.

Later, Hyang, who read the report Lee Jingook sent, shuddered slightly.

“The division commander said, ‘Move that mountain,’ and the mountain was moved…. Ugh~. I suddenly get goosebumps….”

* * *

The units that had left the bridgehead began to return about a month and ten days later.

Behind the returning unit, dozens of native warriors armed with macuahuitls [a wooden club embedded with obsidian blades] were following.

Lee Jingook, who was watching the scene from the watchtower, smiled slightly.

“It seems to be going well.”

Lee Jingook, who judged that things were going well, came down from the watchtower to greet the returning unit.

“Chung!”

“Good job! Let the soldiers rest, and you come and report!”

“Yes, sir!”

After dismissing the soldiers, the commander led Ssang and the native warriors to Lee Jingook.

“Again, good job. I was a little worried because it took longer than expected, but I’m glad to see that most of you have returned safely.”

“Thank you.”

“Okay, report.”

“Yes, sir.”

The commander began to report to Lee Jingook.

The commander’s report can be summarized as follows.

-Ssang’s tribe is hiding in a deeper jungle than where they originally lived.

-Ssang’s tribe, having heard of the offensive against the Aztecs, promised full cooperation. Their animosity towards the Aztecs is beyond imagination.

-Ssang’s tribe plans to move the entire tribe near the bridgehead. This is to ensure the safety of the tribe and increase the efficiency of joint operations.

-They are requesting weapons for combat. The weapon they want most is the logging sword.

“Logging sword?”

Lee Jingook, who was slightly questioning the words ‘logging sword,’ soon nodded after seeing the macuahuitl held by the native warriors.

“Indeed….”

Compared to that wooden sword made by embedding obsidian, the logging sword was a much superior weapon. In addition, the logging sword was a weapon that they could use immediately without receiving any special training.

“They weren’t mindless. I thought they would ask for muskets unconditionally….”

Lee Jingook, who muttered softly, answered his subordinate commander and Ssang.

“We will provide logging swords as soon as the operation begins in earnest. Is there anything else?”

The commander immediately answered Lee Jingook’s question.

“The Aztecs are said to be cursed.”

“Cursed?”

“Yes. According to them, it seems like smallpox is spreading.”

“Smallpox? How?”

Lee Jingook asked with a face that he couldn’t understand.

Smallpox was a disease that had almost disappeared, both at headquarters and in Shinji. One of the first things to be done whenever natives living in newly reclaimed areas pledged allegiance was cowpox vaccination.

That’s why Lee Jingook made an incomprehensible expression at the word ‘smallpox’ that suddenly popped out.