Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 915

915. The Imperial March (2) – Charge Guiseon, Running on the Ground. (3) [This title likely refers to a naval vessel type and the frantic activity surrounding the Emperor’s visit.]

Even as the European powers were embroiled in internal strife, Hyang’s tour continued smoothly.

To be precise, while Hyang was moving smoothly and leisurely, those beneath him were running around sweating bullets.

When Hyang arrived at a port and disembarked, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and officers from the Imperial Army met with the commander of the port garrison.

“This is the Supreme Emperor’s schedule. We would appreciate it if you could inform the next port of call.”

“Understood, thank you.”

“Then, we’ll be going.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The base commander, after seeing off the officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the officers, examined the schedule and immediately called his adjutant.

“Copy this and send it to the next port of call immediately. Which captain is known for their speed?”

“That would be Captain Han of Haeung No. 44.”

“Really? Send him.”

“Yes, sir.”

In this way, as soon as Hyang arrived at a port, a Haeung-class battleship immediately departed for the next port.

Thanks to this relay system, when Hyang arrived in Enriche, a Charge Guiseon was waiting to take him.

Hyang, seeing the Charge Guiseon floating before him with a dignified appearance, looked deeply moved.

“Welcome aboard, Supreme Emperor! It is an honor to serve you!”

“Thank you for the welcome.”

“Attention!”

Following the captain’s welcome, all the crew members standing on the deck gave a crisp military salute.

Having received the salute, Hyang boarded the bridge of the Charge Guiseon.

“Is this the first ship of the 2nd generation, Maenggyeok (Fierce Strike) class?”

“That is correct, Your Majesty!”

“Were there any problems passing through the East Sea [Sea of Japan]?”

“No, there weren’t!”

Hyang’s expression turned stern at the captain’s answer.

“If there weren’t, that would be even stranger. The reason why the first ship is the most important is because it is the actual battleship that was first created. No matter how deeply the artisans contemplate and build the ship, there are bound to be flaws somewhere. Of course, such parts are carefully examined and corrected before launching and commissioning, but they continue to appear. Of course, defects continue to be seen even after the second, third, and even the last ship. Still, the importance of the first ship should not be ignored.”

“I am sorry, Your Majesty!”

The captain, sweating profusely, asked for forgiveness at Hyang’s words, which weren’t really a scolding. Hyang patted the captain’s shoulder with an understanding expression.

“I’m not blaming you. As someone who played a part in designing and building this ship, you need to know the problems to fix them.”

“Yes, Your Majesty! Then, I will report! While crossing the East Sea….”

The captain searched his memory and reported the problems that had been discovered during the voyage.

“Hmm, hmm… I see.”

Hyang, who listened to the captain’s story while nodding, gave an order as soon as the captain’s story ended.

“You’ve recorded all of that, right?”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Did you send it to Seoul?”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Hmm… it seems our paths crossed. Submit a copy later.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The captain, who answered loudly, soon had a question in his mind.

‘Huh? Couldn’t you have just told me to submit it as a report later?’

* * *

Amid such a small commotion, the Charge Guiseon carrying Hyang left the port of Enriche.

The Charge Guiseon, taking the lead in a small fleet carrying attendants and supplies, began sailing towards Livorno.

In the bridge of the Charge Guiseon, which was cruising powerfully through the Mediterranean Sea, the officers in charge were becoming strained.

This was because Hyang was sitting in the bridge. They had to keep an eye on Hyang with one eye and the sea with the other, so they unintentionally became tense.

However, the biggest concern was the captain.

The captain, sitting in the captain’s seat, became restless and glanced at the seat next to him. The captain, looking at Hyang sitting behind and slightly lower than the captain’s seat, spoke with an uneasy expression.

“Your Majesty, wouldn’t you be more comfortable in this seat?”

“Huh? Why would I? That seat is for the captain of this ship. I am not the captain of this ship, am I? That would be an overreach of authority. The captain’s seat is for the captain, as a matter of principle.”

“…I understand, Your Majesty.”

In the end, the captain had no choice but to give up.

‘I heard that even the Queen cannot sit in the captain’s seat of a British warship? I think that’s right.’

Hyang was acting according to the knowledge he had in the 21st century, and he thought it was right.

As a side note, thanks to Hyang’s actions, an unwritten rule was created in the Imperial Navy.

-Only the captain can sit in the captain’s seat.

“Even the 1st Emperor didn’t sit there, and you sat there? Who do you think you are!”

No matter how famous a politician or figure was, the moment they sat in the captain’s seat, they would be criticized by public opinion and forced to apologize publicly. No, it would be fortunate if it ended with an apology. In many cases, it led to social ostracism.

While such a thing was happening on the bridge, everyone else on the Charge Guiseon, regardless of their position, was thinking the same thing.

‘Please, please. I pray to the heavens and earth. No, I pray to the Supreme Emperor. Please stay only on the bridge!’

‘Let those who are going to die be the ones on the bridge!’

* * *

As Hyang’s arrival drew near, the port of Livorno began to bustle with activity.

No less than three Bigu [airships] were floating in the sky at the same time, observing in all directions, and more than 10 tugboats were waiting to help the Charge Guiseon dock.

On the pier, the Imperial military band, dressed in full regalia, took their places and looked out at the sea, and fully armed Imperial Navy and Army soldiers stood in formation, awaiting Hyang’s arrival.

Among the soldiers, a red carpet led to a platform built at the rear.

And at the very front of these gathered people stood ambassadors and the Jiedushi [military governors] of the Army and Navy.

* * *

Meanwhile, the security of the pier was extremely strict in preparation for any possible incident.

All other ships had been removed from the pier where the Charge Guiseon was to dock.

The warehouses around the pier were thoroughly searched inside, and then the doors and windows were locked and sealed. Soldiers with loaded rifles continued to patrol, checking the condition of the seals and ensuring that the doors and windows were properly locked.

As the day of Hyang’s arrival approached, snipers and spotters from the Chakhogun [elite guard unit] began to climb onto the roofs of the warehouses to survey the surroundings.

It was not only the security of the pier that had become strict. The nearby village also had strict security. Those who were not residents of the village had to undergo the Imperial Army’s terribly thorough inspection.

The houses in the village were no exception.

Imperial Army soldiers went door-to-door, blocking the windows facing the pier with thick wooden planks. The Imperial Army soldiers, who even nailed them down tightly and attached seals, gave the residents a request that was not a request.

“Please bear with it for a few days, even if it’s inconvenient!”

After that, they patrolled every morning and evening, checking the sealed state of the windows.

Most of the villagers knew what was going on, so they didn’t complain much.

* * *

Bang! Pow! Pow!

“He’s coming!”

When a signal Shin-gijeon [rocket arrow] was fired from one of the Bigu floating in the sky, the soldiers who had been relaxed tensed up again and checked their attire.

About half an hour later, the Charge Guiseon entered the naval port, spewing black smoke.

“Gulp!”

The soldiers swallowed hard as they watched the Charge Guiseon, led by tugboats that had stuck to it like ants, approach the pier.

This was because almost all of the soldiers in this place were seeing Hyang, no, the Emperor, for the first time.

It wasn’t just the soldiers who were nervous and swallowing hard.

Lorenzo and Giovanni de’ Medici, and the envoys of the great powers, who were on the platform behind the soldiers, all swallowed hard and looked at the Charge Guiseon, which had completed docking.

When the gangway opened and the ladder was lowered from the Charge Guiseon, which had completely docked, the ambassadors and Jiedushi standing right in front froze and stared only at the gangway.

“Attention!”

“Attention!”

As Hyang appeared, receiving the military salute from the officers and soldiers guarding the gangway, the ambassadors and Jiedushi became so frozen that they screamed inwardly.

‘Ugh! He really came!’

‘It was good while it lasted!’

As Hyang slowly descended, holding onto the railing, the Imperial military band began to play ‘The Imperial March’ powerfully.

As the march resounded loudly in the sky of the naval port, Hyang, who had come down the ladder, looked at the ambassadors and Jiedushi waiting in line.

“Attention!”

“We greet the Supreme Emperor!”

The ambassadors and Jiedushi, who made eye contact with Hyang, shouted at the top of their lungs and paid their respects.

“Thank you for your hard work. I can tell from the reports how much you’ve suffered. Now, let’s go.”

“We are deeply grateful, Your Majesty!”

The ambassadors and Jiedushi, who answered Hyang’s words with vigor, quickly moved behind Hyang and walked along the carpet.

“Attention!”

“Attention!”

“Attention!”

Hyang returned the military salute of the soldiers on the left and right sides of the carpet and slowly headed towards the platform.

The people of the Medici family and the envoys of the great powers, who had been sitting in their chairs and stood up, were breathless with an unknown pressure as they watched Hyang approaching.

‘What is it? What is this pressure?’

‘Is this what majesty is?’

‘Is he a human more suited to a tyrant than a sage?’

‘How can someone who is almost 80 have such energy!’

The people on the platform, watching Hyang approaching slowly, began to be seized with terror beyond astonishment.

Hyang, approaching them, boasted a tall height and dignified appearance. Despite being almost eighty years old, his back and waist were straight, and he was walking vigorously without a cane.

His attire also played a big role.

He was wearing a black Jeonlip [traditional Korean hat] with black peacock feathers on his head. He was wearing a black Imperial Army coat and uniform, and black cavalry boots on his feet. A black shoulder strap extending from his right shoulder to his left side had a wooden holster finished with black lacquer on the right side of his black belt. And the pistol grip of the new silver-finished cavalry pistol sparkled outside the holster.

Finally, there was Hyang wearing a black cloak.

Hyang, unified in black from top to bottom, was exerting a strong pressure just by walking on the red carpet.

As Hyang approached the platform, the guests could see Hyang’s facial expression.

Because of the Jeonlip worn slightly forward, his eyes could not be seen, but his lips, with a short but well-groomed beard, had a light but confident smile.

Seeing that, the guests all thought the same thing.

‘The Supreme Emperor of the Empire has come with confidence in victory!’

And this was an accurate perception.

* * *

Hyang, who ascended the platform, spoke to the guests in fluent Latin.

“Nice to meet you. I am Lee Hyang, the former Emperor of the Empire.”

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty.”

“It is an honor.”

Hyang, who finished greeting with a light bow, turned his body and looked at the soldiers lined up on the pier.

Looking at the soldiers who had fixed their eyes on him, Hyang walked to the megaphone in the center.

“My loyal soldiers of the Empire! I will not speak long. We have always been victorious, and we will continue to be victorious in the future! Soldiers! Seize the glory of victory! Long live the Empire!”

At Hyang’s lead, the soldiers shouted with all their might.

“Long live the Empire!”

The ambassadors and Jiedushi standing behind him immediately understood Hyang’s intentions.

‘You are forcing us to choose.’