Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 901

901. The Imperial March (4)

The Minister of Finance’s mutterings were no joke.

Considering the costs of transporting the Imperial Army to Italy, the expenses of stationing them there, and the compensation and veteran policies for those injured or killed in training and combat, it was cheaper to hire mercenaries and supply them with the Imperial Army’s weaponry.

This was also proven by various studies conducted to efficiently carry out Hyun’s orders.

-If the space needed to transport 100 Imperial soldiers is filled with supplies, it can transport supplies for 10,000 people.

“Is this figure even possible?”

To Hyun’s question upon receiving the report, Jang Hang-sun immediately replied,

“People need space to breathe, but objects do not, Your Majesty.”

“Ah, that’s right….”

“The operation to send troops from Shinji is scheduled to begin soon. However, considering the distance from Shinji to Italy, the constantly changing climate, and the possibility of epidemics, the maximum number of Imperial Army soldiers that can go from Shinji to Italy is 10,000. Therefore, it is tactically advantageous to hire as many mercenaries as possible and send supplies instead of people.”

Hyun nodded at Jang Hang-sun’s answer.

By adopting Hyun’s proposal, the Empire’s strategy changed once again.

-The Empire prioritizes securing control of the Mediterranean Sea. Ground warfare will be primarily conducted by the Florentine army and mercenaries.

The selection of Swiss mercenaries as suitable mercenaries was not solely based on the evaluation confirmed in Suez.

The geopolitical position of Switzerland also played a role.

Originally allied with France, Milan joined forces with the Habsburgs, and Venice, which had been allied with the Habsburgs, allied with France, highlighting Switzerland’s geopolitical importance.

With the fastest and most convenient route to Italy blocked for both France and the Habsburgs, the best detour was through Switzerland.

Therefore, it was easy to predict that France and the Habsburgs would try to take control of Switzerland.

“In that case, it’s best to drive a stake in the ground while we’re at it.”

Based on this decision, the hiring of Swiss mercenaries was decided.

As a side note, not long after the delegation departed, reports came to Seoul that France and the Habsburgs were making various proposals and threats to Switzerland.

After reviewing the report, Hyun clicked his tongue without realizing it.

“Tsk! People think the same way, even if they live in different places.”

* * *

After the mercenary contract between the Empire and Switzerland was concluded, the Swiss Federal Council widely announced this fact to the cantons [administrative divisions] within the federation.

-…We are recruiting able-bodied men to work as mercenaries.

Those who wish to work as mercenaries must meet the following conditions:

-Men between the ages of 17 and 30 with all their limbs intact. No religious affiliation.

-Those who can read, write, and do arithmetic.

(Omitted)

After checking the carefully written conditions and salaries, Swiss men immediately packed their bags and headed to the recruitment office.

“Hey! Who will look after the cow! The cow!”

“I have a younger sibling, I have a younger sibling!”

“Your younger sibling is only eight years old!”

“I’ve been tending cows since I was seven! Don’t stop me!”

To escape the harsh environment and to see the unknown land of Italy, young men from rural areas and apprentices from guilds threw themselves into a dangerous gamble.

Before returning to Florence, the delegation, briefly checking the recruitment situation, wore ambiguous expressions as they watched the Swiss men flocking to the recruitment office.

“They must know they have to risk their lives….”

“Their situation must be that desperate.”

The Minister of Finance, listening to the young officials’ conversation mixed with sympathy, said a word to the young men.

“If the Founding Emperor and the Supreme Emperor were not here, we might have been in a similar situation. When I was young, there were many people who sold themselves and their families into slavery to avoid poverty and hunger.”

“Yes.”

The young officials nodded at the Minister of Finance’s words, muttering inwardly.

‘Here it comes again. Back in my day….’

Whether he knew that the young officials were grumbling inwardly or not, the Minister of Finance looked at the scenery outside the window and wore a slightly troubled expression.

‘I don’t know if it was a good thing to insist on changing one of the clauses that His Majesty and the Supreme Emperor had in mind. From the perspective of the Minister of Finance, it was a reasonable decision, but from the perspective of a scholar who knows virtue and benevolence, it’s a bit unsettling.’

* * *

The ministers, examining the proposals created by Hyang and Hyun, strongly opposed one of the many clauses.

The clause they opposed was the compensation plan for those who died or were injured during combat.

-Provide the same compensation as the Imperial Army.

The ministers challenged this.

“This is too excessive!”

“That’s right! It’s too excessive!”

Faced with the strong opposition from the ministers, Hyun looked at Han Myung-hoi.

“Do you think it’s too excessive?”

“I believe so.”

“Even though they are soldiers who risked their lives for the Empire?”

“They risked their lives for money, not for the Empire. Please do not forget that they are mercenaries.”

Hyun was slightly surprised by Han Myung-hoi’s answer. Han Myung-hoi, who was nicknamed ‘the Emperor’s weathervane’ for following the Emperor’s will, was unexpectedly expressing his opposition in a cold voice.

‘Unexpected, unexpected.’

Slightly surprised by Han Myung-hoi’s unexpected appearance, Hyun continued to press.

“But wouldn’t it be a good way to bring their homeland, Switzerland, into our Empire’s embrace?”

“If we completely bring Switzerland into the Empire’s embrace, France and the Habsburgs will not stand idly by. Switzerland must remain neutral to avoid unnecessary conflicts and consumption in the future. It is best for our Empire to exclusively monopolize Swiss mercenaries.”

“Cold-hearted. But it’s a reasonable opinion. I will accept your opinions.”

When Hyun conceded, the ministers bowed their heads in unison and shouted.

“Your Imperial Majesty’s grace is boundless!”

And Han Myung-hoi, who had won the concession, moved busily.

“His Majesty’s intentions are not bad, are they? He thought so because he cherished even the people of foreign lands, but unconditionally dismissing it is not something a subject should do.”

“But we can’t revive the clause, can we? Then we might be suspected of playing with His Majesty!”

“So, let’s go for moderation. Moderation, the middle way. How good is that?”

“Moderation?”

Han Myung-hoi smiled and shared his thoughts. The ministers who heard Han Myung-hoi’s opinion soon agreed with him.

“Your Excellency’s idea seems very good!”

In this way, a new clause was created and presented to Hyun.

-Those who are disabled due to injuries sustained in battle will be paid three months’ salary, and the bereaved family of the deceased will be paid one year’s salary.

“Looks good. Add this clause.”

That night, Hyun visited Hyang.

“Did you hear about today’s events?”

“I did.”

“Indeed, Han Myung-hoi is Han Myung-hoi.”

“That’s right. So, we must be even more careful.”

“I will keep that in mind. But I feel a little resentful that I was pushed back by my subjects.”

Hyang wore an expression that said it couldn’t be helped at Hyun’s words.

“The justification put forward by the Emperor is ‘virtue,’ but the justification put forward by the subjects is ‘national interest.’ There’s nothing we can do about being pushed back in justification and losing in practicality, is there? But resentment is resentment. Then let’s stab them in the back later.”

“Stab them in the back?”

“That’s right. What I mean is….”

Hyun’s face brightened as he listened to Hyang’s story, and he nodded.

“That’s a truly delightful method! We must use it properly at the right time!”

It was a night when a conspiracy was brewing.

* * *

Surrounding countries reacted with near hysteria upon hearing the contents of the contract between the Empire and Switzerland.

“100,000? 100,000? Are these crazy bastards! Are they throwing money away!”

“Was it the ‘Land of Flowers’ [a nickname for the Empire] or the ‘Land of Gold’ [referring to a place of immense wealth]!”

Ordinary people were amazed by the enormous scale of the contract and its cost, and they chatted about it. However, the expressions of those discussing strategy in the palace and army barracks were more serious than ever.

“Releasing that enormous amount of money is surprising, but making all 100,000 of them riflemen is an even bigger problem. That’s not just shocking, it’s terrifying.”

“And with Florentine rifles….”

The performance of the Florentine rifles, as determined by sending spies, was remarkable.

-A rifle that can fire five shots in a row without reloading once.

With the appearance of the Florentine rifle, the great powers, including France, had to overturn all their existing rifle development, production, and supply plans and start over from scratch.

-We can’t get our hands on the Empire’s standard rifles, but maybe we can get Florentine rifles!

After fierce and persistent challenges, a small number of Florentine rifles flowed here and there.

The great powers who obtained the rifles disassembled them to understand their structure and began reverse engineering.

“The problem is still the ammunition….”

As long as they used black powder, the ammunition for the Florentine rifles had to be large.

The cartridge was also a problem. European powers were still using cartridges made by wrapping paper around a copper base plate with a primer.

The cartridges made of thick, tough paper soaked in oil were suitable for single-shot rifles. To load several rounds of ammunition into a magazine like the standard rifle, they had to be pushed in with force, which caused the paper cartridges to crumple or tear, causing problems.

“Copper cartridges are still the answer.”

The problem was that the level of mass production technology was much lower than that of the Empire.

In the end, the European powers had no choice but to make similar choices.

Existing ammunition for the replicas of Eul-sik Hwachas [Korean rocket artillery], and new ammunition with copper cartridges for the newly developed rifles.

Hwachas using a gravity-based free-fall method of ammunition did not have major problems even when using paper cartridges. In addition, mass production was easy using paper as a material, making it perfect for hwachas that consumed a lot of ammunition.

The military of the great powers, surprised by the Empire and Switzerland’s unconventional contract, soon came up with similar methods.

“Even the ‘Land of Flowers’ will take time to supply armaments for 100,000 people. Should we attack now?”

“Sounds good. Where should we attack?”

“It’s difficult to attack heavily armed Florence, so how about attacking Switzerland? That way, the Swiss bastards won’t be able to move from the Alps.”

“That sounds good.”

However, their attempts were thwarted before they could even begin.

What the Empire left in Bern was not just the contract money.

It was 10,000 Florentine rifles capable of arming 10,000 men, 1 million rounds of ammunition, and instructors to train them.

“10,000 Florentine rifles!”

And 10,000 Florentine rifles of reliable performance made directly in the Empire.

“The saying that transporting supplies for 10,000 people is possible in the space needed to transport 100 fully armed soldiers wasn’t just theoretically possible.”

The Imperial soldiers who transported these supplies also shook their heads, muttering.

The nightmare of loading and unloading those supplies came to mind.