Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 904

904. The Imperial March (7)

“Is that all?”

“Is there nothing more you can say?”

Following the Minister of Finance’s words, Shin Suk-ju and Seong Sam-mun pressed for more information. However, the Minister of Finance remained silent.

Meanwhile, Yu Eung-bu, who had been deep in thought, asked an unexpected question.

“What is the size of the military band being dispatched to Florence?”

“I didn’t get an exact number, but I believe it will be composed of at least 50 members. That’s about what it takes to properly perform the ‘Imperial March’.”

“Hmm….”

Yu Eung-bu hummed and nodded at the Minister of Finance’s response. Seeing Yu Eung-bu’s expression, which suggested he understood something, Shin Suk-ju and Seong Sam-mun grumbled inwardly.

‘What is it? Is there something we don’t know?’

‘Good grief… I want to grab the Minister of Finance and ask more, but I don’t want to lose face… I’ll have to ask Byeokryang—Yu Eung-bu’s pen name—later.’

As if sensing Shin Suk-ju and Seong Sam-mun’s thoughts, the Minister of Finance got up.

“Now that I seem to have finished my business here, I must hurry back. My desk in Seoul feels precarious. I wonder how many documents are piled up… Hooo~.”

The ambassadors wore sympathetic expressions at the Minister of Finance’s lament, which ended in a sigh.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“You’ve accomplished a great task. His Majesty will surely praise you greatly.”

The ambassadors rose from their seats and offered words of goodwill to the Minister of Finance.

* * *

As soon as the Minister of Finance left, Seong Sam-mun and Shin Suk-ju bombarded Yu Eung-bu with questions.

“What is the significance of the size of the military band?”

“What have we missed?”

Yu Eung-bu replied with an indifferent expression to Seong Sam-mun and Shin Suk-ju’s questions.

“Haven’t you gentlemen heard the Imperial March many times? What is its characteristic? Isn’t it that it requires at least 30 musicians to perform it properly?”

“That’s true….”

Shin Suk-ju and Seong Sam-mun nodded at Yu Eung-bu’s answer.

* * *

The Imperial March was famous for its unique grandeur and intense sense of oppression.

Thanks to this, foreign envoys—especially those from Ming [China] and Japan—would hear the Imperial March first upon arriving in Seoul.

When an envoy arrived in Seoul, it was customary to pay respects to the Emperor first.

And from the moment the foreign envoys passed through Gwanghwamun, the main gate of Gyeongbok Palace, to meet the Emperor, they began to feel intimidated.

Fully armed guards were lined up on both sides of the paved road leading from Gwanghwamun to Geunjeongmun, and the envoys had to pass through that road.

And the moment the envoys passed through Geunjeongmun, the Imperial March began to play.

More guards were lined up in the courtyard in front of Geunjeongjeon [the main hall of Gyeongbok Palace], and as they approached Geunjeongjeon, high-ranking officials stood in formation.

And at the wide-open door of Geunjeongjeon, the Emperor sat on his throne, waiting for the envoys.

As they moved forward, listening to music that suppressed their hearts and minds and receiving the gazes of the guards and high-ranking officials—gazes that were anything but friendly—the envoys were already thoroughly intimidated. As a result, when they arrived before the Emperor, the vassals naturally knelt and paid their respects.

Having experienced this many times, the high-ranking officials of the Empire truly realized the value of the Imperial March.

“To make people kneel with just a melody! We must not disregard music!”

Also, the envoys who had this experience returned to their countries and advocated for the need for similar music.

As a result, the great powers of Europe were the first to create similar songs.

This was aided by the existence of similar music such as church hymns.

On the other hand, Asian countries such as Ming and Japan struggled with composition. It wasn’t that Asian countries didn’t have solemn and heavy music, but there was almost nothing that gave immediate pressure like the Imperial March.

In the end, the musicians of Ming and Japan created music similar to the Imperial March, or rather, music that could be called plagiarism, and were severely scolded by the emperors of Ming and Japan.

“You’re going to play this in front of the envoys sent from Seoul? How much do you want to make a laughingstock of Us! Seize him! Drag him out and behead him immediately!”

* * *

This was the Imperial March, and it sounded best when played with many musicians.

Yu Eung-bu continued.

“This Imperial March is often played when welcoming soldiers marching from a long distance or returning victorious from battle. However, because many musicians are needed, it is customary to play it only when many soldiers are moving.”

“How many is ‘many soldiers’?”

“At least a ‘bu’ (部) or more….”

“A ‘bu’….”

Shin Suk-ju and Seong Sam-mun stroked their chins and began to calculate at Yu Eung-bu’s answer.

‘A fully manned ‘bu’ has over 3,000 people. It’s a large number, but it’s not enough to make a statement.’

‘They said they would perform the Imperial March properly. Then….’

Shin Suk-ju and Seong Sam-mun, who had been doing their own calculations, turned to Yu Eung-bu.

“At least a ‘wi’ (衛)?”

Yu Eung-bu nodded at Shin Suk-ju’s question.

“Considering the cost of stationing and supply issues, a ‘wi’ would be the maximum.”

“A fully manned ‘wi’ is close to 18,000 people. Is a ‘wi’ possible?”

“It will be difficult to come all at once.”

“Hmm… Does Shinji [a region] really have that much capability?”

Yu Eung-bu answered without hesitation to Seong Sam-mun’s concern.

“Isn’t there also Suez?”

“If a war breaks out, won’t Suez be immediately blocked?”

Yu Eung-bu chuckled at Seong Sam-mun’s point.

“Surely Shinji won’t just send transport ships? Wouldn’t they naturally send an escort fleet as well? Surely you don’t think that escort fleet will just quietly protect the transport ships? No, before that, do you think the transport ships will be poorly armed?”

“Looking at the merchant ships operated by the Empire’s merchants, they don’t have many cannons compared to their size, do they? As far as I know, it’s only about ten small cannons and a few Eulshik Hwacha [rocket launchers]….”

Yu Eung-bu shook his head with a smiling face at Seong Sam-mun’s answer.

“You can’t help but be an Imperial, sir. To think you would consider that level of armament weak. With that level of armament, Europeans would call it a warship, not a merchant ship.”

“Ah….”

As Seong Sam-mun nodded, Yu Eung-bu continued with a smile still on his face.

“The arrival of a fleet from Shinji means that not only the sea south of Suez but also this Mediterranean Sea will become our Empire’s sea. And yet, they would touch Suez? Our Empire’s stake will increase a lot. Isn’t that a good thing?”

A smile was on Yu Eung-bu’s face as he continued his explanation. However, that smile was too bitter.

Seeing Yu Eung-bu’s smile, which reeked of blood, Seong Sam-mun and Shin Suk-ju muttered inwardly.

‘He’s hoping they’ll provoke us.’

‘If we’re not careful, not only Italy but the entire Mediterranean will become a mess. I can only hope that the Europeans don’t make a foolish decision….’

Thinking that far, Seong Sam-mun suddenly chuckled and muttered.

“Hoo! But they’ve already made a foolish decision from the moment they decided to wage war….”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Ah! It’s nothing. I just think the Europeans seem to have made a big misjudgment.”

“Ah….”

* * *

The Imperial delegation, having finished its business, left the military port of Livorno with a grand farewell.

The ambassadors who saw off the delegation had to move even more busily.

“What to do with these… immature warmongers….”

The most urgent task was to appease the pro-war faction in Florence.

The size of the Swiss mercenaries stationed in Florence already exceeded 30,000 and was heading towards 40,000, and the mercenaries remaining in Switzerland to handle defense also exceeded 10,000.

“We have enough troops! Let’s start the operation now!”

“North! North! Let’s take Milan and Venice!”

The pro-war faction, led by Lorenzo de Medici, was clamoring to mobilize troops and advance north right now.

Thanks to this, dissuading these pro-war factions was the majority of the ambassadors’ daily routine.

“We don’t have enough troops yet. Let’s be patient a little longer.”

“Combining the Swiss mercenaries and the Florentine army, we have over 60,000! What do you mean that’s not enough!”

“The numbers look impressive. But let’s not get drunk on the numbers. We don’t have the ability to handle a two-front war yet.”

“A two-front war means….”

“The Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples. The moment a war breaks out, the alliance will collapse and they will become enemy states. We must also consider that. In particular, do not forget that the Kingdom of Naples is in a position to block the sea route to Livorno.”

“Oh….”

-To counter the foreign powers flocking to Italy, we must unite our forces.

Before the great cause of survival, Florence, Venice, Milan, the Papal States, and the Kingdom of Naples were allied with each other.

However, from the moment the first gunshot of the Italian unification war rang out, this alliance would become a scrap of paper, and from then on, they would become enemies of each other.

And the Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples, which occupied southern Italy, were formidable adversaries.

Their commerce and industry were far behind the northern cities, but they boasted vast farmlands and a large population based on those farmlands.

The great powers facing Florence would not leave them alone, and Florence and the Empire had to endure a two-front war.

While the ambassadors were struggling against the pro-war faction, breaking news arrived from Livorno.

-Imperial Army Military Band Arrives.

-Size: 80 members.

“Finally!”

Shin Suk-ju and Seong Sam-mun were delighted by the news they had been eagerly waiting for, and Yu Eung-bu became even more serious and muttered.

“Now, all that’s left is who will pull the trigger first….”

* * *

With the arrival of the military band and a massive amount of supplies, the atmosphere in Livorno changed once again.

The atmosphere of the Imperial soldiers stationed in the military port of Livorno gradually became more serious, and their actions slowly began to sharpen.

Livorno was the beginning. The changed atmosphere of the Imperial soldiers and Imperials was transferred to Florence.

Imperial Army instructors conducted another round of intense training for the Swiss mercenaries and the Florentine army, and meticulously checked the inventory and condition of ammunition and other supplies.

And, at some point, a Bigu (비구, 飛球, a type of hot air balloon used for reconnaissance) appeared in the sky over the Livorno military port, and the patrol range of the Imperial fleet stationed in Livorno gradually widened.

Two months and ten days after the military band arrived, the Bigu in the sky began to send out frantic flashing signals.

The signalman who deciphered the signal sent by the Bigu immediately ran to the commander and reported.

“Urgent report from the Bigu! ‘Imperial Fleet Arriving! Multiple Columns of Smoke Confirmed!'”

“Send it to Florence immediately!”

“Yes!”

The officer who gave the order immediately climbed the signal tower. Soon, columns of black smoke began to appear in the eyes of the officer, who was scanning the horizon with a telescope.

“One, two, three, four, five, six? What!”

The officer, who counted the number of smoke columns once again, soon sorted out the situation.

“They said they were developing new warships and transport ships with steam engines in Bonji and Shinji. They said they would develop the transport ships first because there are assault galleons, right? Then are they all transport ships? No, what kind of crazy bastards are our navy? There’s no way the assault galleons are missing. At least two of them….”

The officer, who had analyzed that far, smiled and continued.

“This Mediterranean will also become our Empire’s sea….”