Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 859

859. Their Ambition (10)

Wan’s declaration caused the scribes and recorders to pause momentarily.

‘Isn’t His Majesty’s statement a bit arrogant?’ one scribe thought.

‘What if Florence’s actions are unreasonable?’ another worried.

These thoughts caused them to hesitate, but the scribes and recorders diligently resumed their work.

Their task was to record all events and conversations taking place in that very spot.

Their personal opinions could be written down after completing the official record.

* * *

While the scribes and recorders considered Wan arrogant, Wan himself was quite confident.

The Empire’s army now exceeded 600,000 soldiers, combining both the army and navy.

Considering that the Joseon army numbered about 300,000 at the time of Joseon’s founding, and given the Empire’s current size, as well as the Ming army stationed right next door—Emperor Chenghua had implemented a large-scale troop reduction, but it still numbered 1.5 million—one might think the Empire’s force was surprisingly small.

However, the ‘300,000 strong army’ of early Joseon was merely a number on paper.

Due to the chaos of the late Goryeo and early Joseon periods, many people were displaced, and many fled to avoid military service or became slaves.

In fact, even in the case of the conquest of Tsushima Island, which took place in the early years of King Sejong’s reign, there was such a shortage of troops—especially naval forces—that anyone who could steer a ship or shoot a bow, from the nobility to the jesters of the Jaeye Pae [traveling entertainers], were all mobilized.

However, the 600,000 imperial troops were not just numbers on paper but actual, well-trained soldiers.

Moreover, they were elites proficient in the weapons they wielded.

Furthermore, with proper administrative organizations in place from Bukji to Shinji, it was possible to quickly expand to at least 2 million. Of course, Shinji, which still had a long way to go in terms of development, was excluded from the reserve forces mobilization plan.

This was the Empire under Wan’s rule, and this was the Imperial Army.

Besides this, there was another reason why Wan was interested in Florence.

It was ‘combat experience’.

What the Imperial Army lacked right now was practical experience in large-scale warfare.

Most of those who had experienced the battles between Ming and Joseon in the past had retired.

Most of those who had participated in the Yellow Sea naval battle afterward had become high-ranking commanders.

In other words, most of the commanders who would have to fight on the front lines had very little recent combat experience.

Of course, the navy had fought against pirates, and the army had fought against bandits in the Mongolian border region. However, the scale was so small, and the pirates and bandits had almost disappeared, so only a few commanders experienced it.

At least in the case of the army, many officers gained combat experience through the recent conquest of Shinji.

However, those confronted in the conquest of Shinji were natives armed with obsidian weapons.

The problem with the Imperial Army was that there were hardly any commanders who had experience fighting enemies properly armed with guns and cannons.

Of course, the Imperial Army was honed with rigorous training close to actual combat, but training was training, and actual combat was actual combat.

Experience was needed to face proper enemies, similar to the Imperial Army.

Therefore, he was trying to actively intervene in Florence’s movements.

And Hyang agreed with this.

-As much experience as possible with minimal bloodshed, without straining the Empire.

This was what Hyang and Wan were thinking.

And Florence’s request for cooperation was the best opportunity.

The European armies were well-armed with guns and cannons. Furthermore, it was a place where countries likely to clash with the Empire for various reasons were gathered.

If Florence’s army was trained and equipped like the Imperial Army and put into actual combat, and the results were carefully examined, it would be possible to know exactly what needed to be fixed and changed in the Empire’s own forces.

* * *

“Florence’s request will certainly be helpful to our Empire in many ways. However, we cannot accept it rashly without knowing more. Has there been any report on the movements of other cities besides Florence in Italy?”

“Yes, it’s here.”

After Hwangbo-in’s words, a court attendant presented Wan with a tray containing thick books.

“Hmm….”

Wan, after carefully reading the contents of the report, raised his head and looked at the ministers.

“Have you all read it?”

“Some have read it, and some have not,” Hwangbo-in replied.

Wan stroked his chin for a moment and gave an order to Hwangbo-in.

“It seems that this matter should not only consider the opinions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense. Prepare to hear the opinions of those who are qualified to attend the court as evenly as possible. And do it quickly.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Tell the Crown Prince to attend as well.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor’s order was immediately conveyed to the working-level officials. The working-level officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense gathered in one place and began preparing for the presentation, starting with creating a chart.

“It’s going to be a late night again tonight,” one official sighed.

Meanwhile, Crown Prince Hyeon, who received Wan’s order, pouted and grumbled.

“I have so much work to do….”

“His Majesty ordered me to convey this: ‘It is time for the Crown Prince to understand how the Empire’s affairs are managed and to learn how to make sound judgments.'”

“I’ve already learned that part to the point of exhaustion every time I receive budget allocations….”

“He also ordered me to convey this: ‘Either step up, or the Emperor will sigh in disappointment.'”

“…Please tell him that I will definitely attend and that it is a great honor to witness His Majesty’s management of state affairs.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

* * *

The next day, the prepared briefing began.

It was a briefing held with all the high-ranking working-level officials who usually did not attend.

“…That is all.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Your Majesty’s grace is boundless.”

As the presenter took his leave, Wan turned his head towards the ministers. Wan and the ministers all had unpleasant expressions.

“This is….”

“Huh….”

“Tsk!”

Amid the negative reactions, Wan looked at Hwangbo-in and asked.

“What does the Prime Minister think? Do you think their choice is reasonable?”

“It is not reasonable. If one’s own strength is insufficient, the proper and natural course is to increase one’s strength. But now, because one’s strength is insufficient, one borrows the power of foreign forces? This is heresy and 逆理 [against reason].”

“I agree.”

Following Wan’s words, most of the officials in the room nodded.

“Then, if they bring in foreign forces to carry out their work, do you think they will succeed?”

At Wan’s question, Kim Jong-seo stepped forward and answered.

“It will be extremely difficult. The foreign forces they are trying to borrow power from are enemies of each other, so preventing the assistance of other foreign forces will be the first thing they do. If foreign forces enter, oppression will inevitably follow, so the people will not welcome the foreign forces, let alone those who brought them in. If the people do not welcome them, the possibility of the work being accomplished is extremely low, so this is the second thing. Finally, even if the work is accomplished, they will have no power or merit, so the foreign forces will take over the results.”

“I see… Is there any objection?”

“….”

At Wan’s question, the ministers all answered with silence. Wan nodded slightly and continued the question.

“Then, what about me responding to Florence’s request? Our Empire is also a foreign force.”

At this, Kim Jong-seo once again stepped forward and answered.

“The circumstances are different.”

“The circumstances are different?”

“Yes. In the case of other cities, they are trying to accomplish things by borrowing the power of foreign forces, but in the case of Florence, they are asking for help in increasing their own strength. This is a different case.”

“I see. Then, what can our Empire gain if we accept their request?”

At Wan’s question, Foreign Minister Shin Suk-ju stepped forward and answered.

“Florence is one of the leading cities in Italy and is famous for its trade. If we owe them a favor, we can approach Europe and the Ottoman region more easily with them as a stepping stone. Of course, our Empire does not often experience inconveniences even now. However, if we use Florence, it will become even easier. Also, protecting our Empire’s interests in Suez will also become easier.”

Following Shin Suk-ju’s words, Defense Minister Jang Hang-seon stepped forward and answered.

“It is also helpful in military terms. Our Imperial Army lacks combat experience. In particular, we have no experience in fighting large armies armed with guns and cannons, other than the battles that took place in the Yalu River and Liaodong in the past. Most of the armies in Europe are currently armed with guns and cannons, so if we train the Florentine army in the ways of the Imperial Army and then put them into the expected war, we can identify and fix our shortcomings without shedding our own blood.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Wan nodded with a satisfied expression when Jang Hang-seon expressed an opinion similar to Hyang’s and his own.

Seeing Wan’s expression, the officials all thought the same thing inside.

‘It’s decided.’

“Then, is there any other opinion?”

“….”

Since they had already figured out Wan’s intentions, no one stepped forward to question Wan’s words asking for different opinions, except for one person.

The protagonist was Im Sun-wook, the Minister of Finance.

“Your Majesty, the words of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of National Defense are reasonable, but there must be limitations.”

“There must be limitations?”

“Yes. It is considered that there is no major problem in accepting Florence’s request and sending instructors. However, allowing production rather than simply selling guns and cannons is a different matter.”

Im Soon-wook’s subsequent opinions can be summarized as follows:

-To other cities in Italy and foreign forces, the fact that Florence produces the Empire’s weapons means that we are Florence’s allies.

It is not just a simple alliance but a military alliance.

-Looking at the current relationship between our Empire and Florence, they are just good trading partners. However, if we become allies, especially military allies, the Empire will also have to deploy troops as needed.

-Deploying troops to Florence is a costly undertaking.

-No matter how bad the situation is, if we do not set limits, the Empire’s finances will be greatly damaged.

“…Therefore, it is best to set limits.”

Shin Suk-ju opposed Im Soon-wook’s words and stepped forward.

“Your Majesty, the words of the Minister of Finance are reasonable in some respects, but unreasonable in others. The statement that the Empire’s finances should not be strained is reasonable. Also, the statement that it will become a military alliance is also reasonable. However, if a war breaks out and the tide of the war becomes unfavorable to Florence, it is unreasonable not to mobilize more troops than the pre-determined limit. If we do so, Europeans will think that our Empire has no integrity, and no country will want to maintain a good relationship with the Empire. No one likes those who 감탄고토 [bitterly spit out what they sweetly swallowed – using someone then discarding them]. This is 소탐대실 [penny wise, pound foolish].”

Starting with this, a war of words broke out between Shin Suk-ju and Im Soon-wook.

It was a fierce war of words between Shin Suk-ju, who argued that ‘large-scale investment should be tolerated for the future,’ and Im Soon-wook, who argued that ‘the Empire should not be strained no matter what.’

Meanwhile, unexpected victims occurred in the fierce war of words between the two.

It was the scribes and recorders.

They screamed inwardly as they frantically typed to record their war of words.

‘Argh! My fingers!’

‘Damn! Should I just use a gold pen?’