Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 645

Episode 645: Hillbillies come to Seoul. (1)

The end of the 31st year of King Sejong’s reign (1449, Gisa Year). Florence.

smart.

“come in.”

The butler, who came in with Cosimo’s permission, announced the presence of a visitor.

“Gonfaloniere (gonfaloniere di giustizia) Representative to the National Assembly of the Florentine Republic. “A guest has arrived.”

“huh? “Who is it?”

“It is said to be the messenger of the King of France.”

Cosimo, who was sorting out documents with an indifferent expression, leaned back against the backrest and answered.

“Please take us inside.”

“yes.”

After a while, the messenger who entered the office under the guidance of the butler politely bowed to Cosimo.

“See you Gonfaloniere.”

“Welcome.”

Cosimo responded briefly and gave an order to the butler.

“I will show you to your seat and bring you a cafe.”

“Yes gonfaloniere.”

After a while, a conversation between Cosimo and the lion began over a teacup.

“So, how is the King?”

“Goodbye.”

“Thank goodness. So, why did King Victory send you?”

In response to Cosimo’s question, the lion opened the leather bag he had on his lap and took out a letter envelope.

“This is a personal letter from His Majesty.”

“A personal letter?”

Cosimo took the envelope and examined it. The coat of arms of the Valois royal family was clearly imprinted on the red wax that sealed the envelope.

“Hmm…”

After hearing the seal, Cosimo took out the personal letter inside and checked its contents, then let out a long sigh.

“Whoa~. Tell this to King Victory. ‘I’ll let you know as soon as the road opens.’”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Then it will be a long way to Paris, so I will provide you with a place to rest.”

* * *

After sending out the messenger, Cosimo sighed and grumbled again.

“Whoa~. “It’s been a while since I received threats.”

The contents of the personal letter sent by Charles VII were summarized as follows.

-I request that professors from the University of Paris be included in the inspection team sent to the ‘Land of Flowers.’

I look forward to your wise decision considering our future friendly relationship.

The words are ‘friendly relations’ and ‘wise decisions’. This was a threat.

-If you don’t let me join the inspection team, I won’t cooperate in the future!

It was a threat that Cosimo had no choice but to accept.

Cosimo, who was looking at the letter in his hand, shook his head.

“What kind of person was bragging about this? “You damn professors!”

Cosimo was convinced that there was a prime suspect among the professors at the University of Florence.

Looking at the situation of European universities during this period, Cosimo’s confidence was understandable.

Whenever I get a chance, I say, ‘You’re so handsome.’ He growled, saying, “I’m so good,” but it was the professors at European universities who formed a network of connections just as great.

It was inevitable that only a small number of the classical philosophy books that those professors mainly researched and lectured on remained. Therefore, in order to read or copy old books that I did not have, I had no choice but to rely on my personal connections.

And this led to the creation of a strong and strong network among university professors in various European countries.

Therefore, Cosimo was able to guess why this happened.

It was clear that someone among the professors had written a letter to his nemesis and boasted about it.

– You will go to the ‘land of flowers’! I’m going to go and see it with my own eyes and touch it! Are you jealous?

He would have written a letter with this content and sent it to the other person.

Cosimo, who filled his empty glass with wine, looked out the window and grumbled.

“Sooner or later, lions will come from all directions.”

Although he was grumbling with his mouth, Cosimo’s expression was surprisingly not bad.

“Anyway, you have to go through me to get to the empire. ‘A guide to learning’… It’s not bad for me and my family.”

And as Cosimo expected, messengers from kings of various countries flocked to the area.

* * *

Early March, 32nd year of King Sejong’s reign (1450, Gyeong-oh year).

Giovanni, sent by Cosimo, arrived in Seoul with messengers from Mehmed II.

Giovanni and the messengers, who bowed to him and retired, met with Huhu one by one.

“Thank you for coming all the way. So, did you bring the answer?”

“We are doing our best in that area right now. “The reason I came this time is because of other business.”

“Any other business? “What is it?”

“Professors from universities in Florence and Europe have requested that they want to see the empire. Therefore, I would like to obtain His Majesty’s permission for this.”

“huh?”

After hearing Cosimo’s words, Hu Hu thought for a moment and then answered.

“I understand. “I will report this to Your Majesty.”

* * *

After hearing Florence’s demands through Heohu, Hyang had differences of opinion with the ministers.

“So what level should university professors take?”

Heo Hu searched his memory and answered Hwang Bo-in’s question.

“If what I heard before is correct, they can be considered similar to the people in charge of education at various academies in the empire and the researchers working at research institutes.”

“Hoo? “They are highly educated people.”

“That’s right.”

The eyes of the ministers who nodded to Heo Hu’s explanation were full of greed. I opened my mouth while looking at the expressions of the ministers.

“They are already respected in Europe. “It won’t come down easily.”

Kim Jong-seo couldn’t let go of his regret after hearing Hyang’s words and asked Hyang.

“Wouldn’t it be possible, since there are similar people among the western monks in the institute?”

Hyang shook her head at Kim Jong-seo’s words.

“Monks have only fame, but they also have wealth. “They already have wealth and fame, but how many of them would give it up?”

“Ah…”

At Hyang’s point, the ministers could not hide their disappointment and sighed or licked their lips.

Looking at the ministers, Hyang continued speaking.

“According to what I learned from the monks at the institute, in European universities, you learn the so-called ‘seven liberal arts’ and then choose one of the three disciplines to study.”

Hyang explained the ‘7 free courses’, which are divided into ‘3 departments and 4 departments’, and the ‘3 professional courses’, which are specialized courses.

“So, we accept their requirements, but we also want to put some conditions on it. Those who will visit the empire will receive only professors of industry and science called algebra and geometry in the 3rd specialized department, medicine and 7th free department, and professors of astronomy and music.”

After hearing Hyang’s suggestion and thinking about it for a while, Hwang Hee asked Hyang.

“Are you looking forward to the arrival of students?”

“That’s right. It is clear that our empire is ahead of theirs, so we will send students to learn from them. “We are targeting them.”

In response to Hyang’s words, Lee Sa-cheol carefully pointed out the problem.

“If you do it right, it is an opportunity to easily recruit talent, but if you do it wrong, it can cause problems with the budget.”

“Are there any problems with the budget?”

“That’s right. From what I remember, during the old Samhan period, many talented people from the Samhan Dynasty went to the Tang Dynasty and learned academics. At this time, I understand that the money needed to obtain the scriptures was provided by the home country, but the party paid for food, clothing and shelter. “It is truly a pleasure for European students to come to study and admire the learning of our empire, but if the number is excessive, it will be a problem for the budget.”

Hyang asked Lee Sa-cheol’s comment with a look of incomprehension.

“Why should we provide them with food, clothing, and shelter?”

“yes?”

“We can provide housing. But of course you have to pay for eating, clothing, and learning. At the very least, the people of our empire also pay school fees from middle school and above. “It’s not fair.”

Lee Sa-cheol stuttered and refuted Hyang’s words.

“But, I admire our empire’s learning…”

Hyang immediately cut off Lee Sa-cheol.

“We didn’t ask you to come, did we? Didn’t they come of their own volition? “If you don’t want to pay that fee, you can just tell them to work like the Japanese.”

In Hyang’s words, Kim Jeom pointed out the problem this time.

“If we do that, we may miss out on talented people.”

“The ones coming this time are different from the monks from the West. Rather, it is a similar case to the Japanese. “How many Japanese people remained after learning and practical training?”

“There were almost none.”

Like Kim Jeom’s answer, most of the Japanese who came to Joseon to learn administration and practical skills returned to the Japanese country.

This was an obvious choice.

Because if I just returned to Japan, I could work at the core of power.

Hyang continued speaking.

“It’s the same. Think about it carefully. Cosimo, who made the offer this time, is a well-known merchant in Europe. Would he want to send his students away without any preparation? Even if we provide tuition and other necessary offerings, we will fill the students’ pockets in advance. I have to be indebted to them so that I can return later. So, it is best to take what you can.”

In response to Hyang’s words, Lee Sa-cheol continued to point out the problem.

“Your Majesty, what you said is truly correct, but we may miss out on a talented person.”

“There is a solution to that problem. “We can benefit as well.”

“You mean benefits? “Please let me know what benefits you would like to give.”

“What would you like?”

‘This person! ‘Where do you get honey sucked through your butt!’

As Hyang’s tone of voice changed, the ministers became very nervous and began to shake their heads.

After a while, Kim Jong-seo opened his mouth.

“Isn’t it best to answer riches with riches? Methods such as marrying a woman can actually be scandalous. “If we give rewards and waive tuition to those who have a good attitude toward studying, have excellent grades, and have great prospects for their future, we will be able to secure at least six out of ten.”

“That’s what Jim thought.”

When the scent responded with a satisfied face, the ministers sighed in relief.

‘Whoa~. ‘I passed it!’

Looking at the ministers, Hyang added an explanation.

“If necessary, you can set a period of time to stay and work. If you work hard for about 10 years, you are guaranteed to return home and you are paid a significant reward. Then, the burden will be less on the parties. Even if you stay for 10 more years, you will still be returning to your hometown and you will also be able to gain wealth. “I will return there having learned more than those who returned there first, so the rulers of my home country will not have any problems with it.”

The ministers nodded at Hyang’s words. However, it wasn’t long before Kim Jeom raised a counterargument.

“Wouldn’t it be a dangerous move to send them back? “If you do it wrong, you could end up creating strong competitors.”

“That’s what we were aiming for.”

At Hyang’s answer, all the ministers widened their eyes and asked in one voice.

“yes?”

Looking at the ministers, Hyang calmly explained the reason.

“As I said before, this is to prevent stagnation in the empire. We all know the saying, ‘If water stagnates, it rots.’ To prevent this stagnation, it is a good idea to continue to recruit and bring in fresh talent from outside, but it is not the whole solution. It doesn’t stop if there is a competitor. “Haven’t you all had a running race with your friends or competed with your classmates in math when you were young?”

“ah!”

The ministers all exclaimed in exclamation at Hyang’s words. But Kim Jeom couldn’t hide his worries.

“But as time passes, you may be overtaken.”

Hyang responded firmly to Kim Jeom’s words.

“Anyone who gets overtaken in this situation is stupid.”

At Hyang’s firm answer, all the ministers had the same thought.

‘His Majesty is confident that he will never be overtaken during his time! The problem is that it is not pride! The bigger problem is that thanks to this, we are in trouble!’