Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 544

Episode 544: All-out war. (2)

Ju Ju-jin, who heard Emperor Seon-de’s words through Wang Chong, kept his mouth shut. Jo Byeong-deok and the other generals standing next to Joo Gi-jin looked at Joo Gi-jin with very nervous faces.

Joo Ji-jin, who had been contemplating for a while, opened his mouth with difficulty.

“I guess it will take a lot of time. In the meantime, let the soldiers prepare a station and training ground.”

“I follow your orders!”

“And the funds sent by His Majesty must be stored in a safe place and guarded thoroughly. “Keep in mind that this is a must-have fund no matter what the outcome is!”

“I will keep this in mind!”

After being greeted by the generals, Joo Ji-jin entered the official residence of the Liaodong governor.

* * *

The generals who carried out the orders given by Joo Gi-jin gathered at Jo Byeong-deok’s military tent and talked.

The faces of the generals who attended the conversation were as serious as ever.

“What should we do?”

“What should I do? “When the commander gives an order, you just have to follow it.”

“Don’t you know that this situation cannot end with just such stereotypical stories!”

“Then what shall we do? Are you going to desert?”

“Why is there desertion here?”

“What can’t you do, even desertion?”

“And yet you are Daemyung’s general!”

As a war of words broke out between the generals, the atmosphere became increasingly hostile. As the atmosphere became increasingly heated and reached a point where it would not be surprising if a stabbing occurred, Jo Byeong-deok hit the desk with both hands.

bang!

“What a disgrace! “It is written in the Art of War that a person who has lived a long life must be heavy in his words and thoughts, so how can he show such a careless attitude!”

The generals responded to Jo Byeong-deok’s shout by lowering their heads.

“I’m sorry!”

“sorry.”

Jo Byeong-deok continued speaking as he looked at the generals.

“Honestly, I am not unaware of your concerns. But I also have a lot to think about. In the end, the conclusion is simple. “Whether we were generals guarding the frontier under a feudal lord or generals of a newly founded nation, we have only one job to do.”

“What do you mean by just one?”

Jo Byeong-deok gave a simple answer to his subordinate general’s question.

“Bringing Joseon to its knees.”

“Do you speak Joseon?”

Jo Byeong-deok nodded.

“exactly. What does Your Majesty’s secret mission mean? And what could be the reason for the movement of the ‘Asset Sisters’ that have been circulating among the governors who have been staying in Choya for some time now?”

“hmm···.”

“ah···.”

The generals began to nod their heads one by one at Jo Byeong-deok’s words. The generals who found out about their situation soon began swearing.

“What the fuck…”

“Damn it…”

“Fuck, I’m swearing…”

Joo Ji-jin slightly shook his head at the Korean language swearing coming from all directions.

* * *

Looking at the current situation, if you want to go out and pretend to be anywhere, you have to have at least one or two high-quality items made in Joseon.

Even in the process of getting children married, it was necessary to have a few luxury items made in Joseon as part of the gift to preserve one’s reputation.

Furthermore, it has become a trend to mix in a few words of Korean when talking to others.

And among the mix, the most profanity was almost always swearing.

* * *

Jo Byeong-deok calmed the generals’ uproar by saying the following.

“Even if the form and color of the military flag displayed in front of us may be different, our mission remains the same. To subdue Joseon! To achieve this, we will need to devise a strategy, prepare sergeants, and train the soldiers!”

“I follow your orders!”

* * *

Joo Ji-jin went into hiding for three days. Joo Ji-jin, who was not even eating properly and was worried over and over again, finally made a decision.

“Even though they said they would allow the title, at best it would be ‘outer king naeje (????)’…”

Joo Gi-jin set the limit of what was possible even in the case of title-making to the external king-nae system.

“But it is natural for a great man to build a family, so isn’t it also my duty to build a country myself?”

In the end, Joo Gi-jin took the bait offered by Emperor Seondeok.

Ju Joo-jin left the room and shouted loudly.

“Gather the generals!”

* * *

At a gathering of all the generals, Joo Ji-jin spoke about his decision.

“Therefore, here I announce to heaven the opening of a new country, Great Yan!”

At Joo Jin-jin’s declaration, the generals looked like they knew what was coming would come. Joo Ki-jin continued speaking after seeing the generals not opening their mouths easily.

“Anyone who does not wish to join my cause must leave immediately! I’ll give you some time to check in! “Anyone who rashly leaves after this will be considered desertion and will be punished immediately!”

After saying these words, Joo Ji-jin kept his mouth shut and the generals looked around at their surroundings.

At that moment, Jo Byeong-deok knelt down and shouted loudly at the same time.

“I will join the cause!”

Jo Byeong-deok’s decision seemed to have sparked the fuse. Soon after, other generals knelt down and shouted at the same time as they fired.

“I will join the cause!”

* * *

As Joo Jin-jin made a decision and the generals decided to join in, things quickly began to take shape.

In the main conference room of Liaodong Taoist Temple, Ju Ji-jin held a meeting with Wang Chong generals. Sitting around a desk with a map depicting the topography of Liaodong and Joseon, Jo Byeong-deok pointed out the issues that were immediately problematic.

“Recruiting and training soldiers is important, but making weapons for them to use is also important. Especially the most important ones are guns and artillery. “The supply and demand of resources to create them is important.”

“Soshin knows the answer to that part.”

Wang Chung stepped forward and responded to Jo Byeong-deok’s point. Wang Chong walked in front of the map and pointed out a place on the map.

“Here, Fushun (??) may be the answer. It is a place rich in wood, coal, iron and copper. “This place can provide sufficient resources to make the necessary weapons.”

“That’s a good thing.”

When Joo Jin-jin looked relieved, a young general stood up and pointed out the problem.

“To use guns and artillery properly, you need a sufficient amount of gunpowder. So we also need to resolve the supply and demand of gunpowder.”

At the young general’s point, everyone’s eyes focused on Wang Chong. Wang Chong answered with a look on his face that said it was no big deal.

“Twenty craftsmen who make gunpowder are also here. The problem is the supply of saltpeter and sulfur. “For this part, we have to borrow the help of merchants.”

Ju Ji-jin made a decision based on Wang Chong’s answer.

“For the time being, let’s seek saltpeter and sulfur in the name of Dongwangbu, not Daeyeon.”

“I will do so.”

After hearing Wang Chong’s answer, Ju Ji-jin looked back at the generals.

“Is there anything else we need to prepare in planning Joseon?”

In response to Joo Ji-jin’s question, a young general who had been sitting in the last seat stood up.

“We need strong artillery to break through Joseon’s walls.”

At the young general’s suggestion, Jo Byeong-deok asked on Joo Jin-jin’s behalf.

“With the performance of the artillery we have now, we can take down quite a few castle walls. “Is that not enough?”

The young general immediately answered Jo Byeong-deok’s question.

“The wall built by the Koreans is not an ordinary wall. “I don’t know what kind of skill it was made with, but Joseon’s castle walls are not made of stacked bricks or stones, but are made of a single stone wall.”

“Let me explain in more detail.”

After the young general’s explanation was finished, Joo Joo-jin and Jo Byeong-deok slightly shook their heads.

“It’s hard to believe.”

As soon as the two people looked like they couldn’t believe it, young generals from all over the place stood up and added their words.

“I also saw the warden.”

“The small intestine too…”

As the young generals continued to report, Joo Joo-jin and Jo Byeong-deok’s faces became serious.

“They are all people who used to watch military service in the border area with Joseon. If that’s the case, it certainly seems like we need to take measures.”

“Right···.”

Joo Ji-jin, speechless, looked back at Wang Chong.

“Is there any solution?”

“Please wait a moment.”

As soon as he spoke, Wang Chong disappeared outside. After some time, Wang Chong returned, holding a large scroll in his arms.

“I think this might be the answer.”

As he spoke, Wang Chong unrolled the scroll on the desk.

“It’s called Hwaryongpo (???).”

“Oh oh!”

“oh!”

Joo Joo-jin and Jo Byeong-deok exclaimed in exclamation after seeing the cannon depicted on the scroll. When the other generals also showed interest in the sight of the two, Joo Ji-jin gave an order.

“Let’s take turns looking at it.”

As they turned the scroll, the generals continued to let out exclamations. Meanwhile, Ju Ji-jin asked Wang Chong.

“Even though I was staying in Nanjing and studying state affairs, I received reports on most things. But I’ve never heard anything about that gun. “Does the real thing really exist?”

Wang Chong answered Ju Ji Jin’s question right away.

“Only one gun was made, and it went into storage immediately after one launch test.”

“why?”

“The power was good, but there were many problems with operation.”

“Still, with that level of power, wouldn’t it be safe to call it invincible?”

While Joo Ji-jin expressed regret, Jo Byeong-deok nodded.

“It’s definitely too big to be used for defense. “It may be the best for siege purposes, but moving it to the battlefield must have been a big task.”

Wang Chung nodded to Jo Byeong-deok’s point.

“That’s why I ended up in the warehouse.”

“Then, for what reason did Your Majesty create such a cannon?”

“It was made because such guns were used in the Muslim countries of the western region.”

“her···.”

Joo Ji-jin and Jo Byeong-deok let out strange exclamations at Wang Chung’s explanation.

* * *

As foreign trade between Ming and Joseon became more active, various butterfly effects occurred, and the change in cannons was one of them.

Portugal, having seen Joseon’s artillery, chose to operate large quantities of small, highly mobile artillery, while the Ming imported the concept of sandstone artillery from the Middle East and Europe to create heavy artillery.

* * *

The generals who looked at the blueprints that Wang Chong brought with them answered Joo Ji-jin in unison.

“If I had that gun, I would be able to break down Joseon’s walls!”

After hearing the generals’ answers, Joo Ji-jin immediately made a decision.

“They say it has good power, but it has many shortcomings. So, let the generals work with Wang Chong to find a solution!”

“I follow your orders!”

* * *

Meanwhile, Joseon was also able to obtain intelligence on the movements of Ju Gi-jin.

“You sent the crown prince to Liaodong?”

Heo Hu immediately answered Hwang Hee’s question.

“They said they sent the prince because they feared that the Oirats with the cannon might do something wrong.”

In response to Heo Hu’s answer, Hwang Hee looked back at the other ministers.

“You sent the prince for something like that? What do you guys think? Do you think it is reasonable?”

The ministers responded unanimously to Hwang Hee’s answer.

“It’s too much or too little.”

In response to the ministers’ answers, Hwang Hee nodded and stood up.

“Let’s go to Seunghwadang.”

* * *

“I also received the report. It is said that not only the crown prince went, but also 150,000 troops. What does the Department of Defense think?”

Jo Mal-saeng answered Hyang’s question right away.

“The number of troops is said to be about 3 million. And if it is simply for the sake of stability in the Liaodong region, the number of 150,000 can be seen as somewhat reasonable. But the problem is that this is unprecedented. Looking at the practice so far, when there was concern about Oirat or aftershocks, the Ming strengthened the power deployed to the wall. But you sent troops directly and even sent the crown prince with them? It is clear that another dark world is hiding.”

Following Jo Mal-saeng’s words, Hwang Hee responded.

“There is a clear excuse for the disturbance.”