Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 875

Episode 875: Generation Change (6)

Of course, it wasn’t Cosimo if he just lay still in bed and swallowed his regrets.

As soon as Cosimo realized what kind of trap the ‘imperial favor’ shown in the negotiation treaty Giovanni brought was, he called Lorenzo and Giovanni.

“…I think this is what the empire is aiming for.”

“Ah….”

“Oh my…”

Lorenzo and Giovanni made expressions of regret at Cosimo’s point.

In particular, Giovanni, who returned with great joy, saying that he had made a great profit in the negotiations with the empire, blamed himself with a disappointed look on his face.

“sorry! I was stupid! “If I had known that this trap was hidden, I would have prevented it in advance!”

Cosimo waved his hand at Giovanni’s remorse.

“No, even if I knew, I should have accepted it.”

“Even if you knew in advance?”

Cosimo nodded in response to Lorenzo’s question.

“Yes. In order for the ‘great cause’ you mentioned to succeed, Florence’s power alone is not enough. Inevitably, external help is needed. “If you think that way, the Empire is a good opponent.”

“Then can we just overlook this incident?”

“It’s a matter of leadership.”

“Initiative?”

“This is what Florence, we Italians, are doing on Italian soil. However, if you neglect even the slightest caution, Florence will lose its initiative and become a mercenary of the empire. Well, if you think about the situation of the empire and the personalities of its emperors, Italy will not be swallowed up. But all we can take away will be glory. “The honor of being the ‘protagonist of Italian unification.’”

“Ah…”

At Cosimo’s words, Lorenzo and Giovanni’s faces brightened as if they finally understood.

Looking at the two, Cosimo continued.

“In relation to unification, most of the work done with the empire will be a situation where we will pretend to be deceived while knowing each other. But you must never forget that if you are truly deceived, from then on it will only drag you down.”

“yes.”

“First of all, let’s accept the ‘imperial favor’ for now. The development of the port of Livorno and the construction of a railway leading to Florence are essential. “There is no need to stop the empire from doing things that cost a lot of money with their own money.”

Giovanni and Lorenzo nodded at Cosimo’s words.

“That’s right.”

“It’s a benefit for us.”

“Then take this incident as a lesson and deal with the empire properly. “Now I want to get some rest.”

“yes.”

Cosimo, left alone in the bedroom, looked at the closed door and muttered.

“Both of them are just a little bit inexperienced, but they’re not stupid, so they’ll do well.”

However, after seeing the imperial ambassadors who had visited him, Cosimo’s expression became serious.

“It won’t be easy. “We sent the worn-out guys.”

* * *

Lorenzo and Giovanni, perhaps aware of Cosimo’s concerns, were pushing and pulling against the imperial ambassadors.

“Where do you think the embassy should be established?”

In response to Lorenzo’s question, Shin Sook-ju stroked her chin for a moment and then answered.

“I’m thinking of the San Donino area.”

Lorenzo, who was looking at the map to check the location, slightly frowned at Shin Sook-ju’s answer.

“It’s a bit far from here.”

“That is true.”

Shin Sook-ju calmly nodded to Lorenzo’s point. There was a considerable distance between San Donino, where the empire decided to build an embassy, and the Medici Palace.

“Wouldn’t it be better to build it here, near the palace? “There will be a lot of things to discuss in the future, right?”

Shin Sook-ju shook her head at Lorenzo’s point.

“That’s why we need to move it further to the outskirts. There are probably many spies from other cities and countries hiding here in Florence. “You have to think about their eyes.”

“But…”

“There are many other problems besides that. The roads around the Medici Palace here are very narrow and complicated. And the biggest problem is that there is a cathedral right in front of you, isn’t there? “How many years have we been asking for an answer regarding the current situation of our empire?”

“Ah…”

Lorenzo was at a loss for words at Shin Sook-ju’s point.

There is still no answer to the ‘issue of ancestral rites’ that was sent to the Vatican when Hyang was the Crown Prince.

By the time the answer arrived, a lot of war of words had broken out over this issue, and the complex internal situation at the time had added to the problem, leading to a religious dispute.

And now….

‘How many humans are left to remember that problem? ‘The empire has never had a proper recruitment since then.’

There was mention of this issue through students who studied in Seoul or professors recruited to the research institute. However, because it was not an official recruitment of the empire, it was not officially discussed again in the Vatican.

After thinking that far, Lorenzo answered Shin Suk-ju.

“I know a lot of people in the Vatican on that matter, so I will try to get a decision made as quickly as possible.”

“There is nothing urgent in our empire, so take care of it.”

“But no matter how much I think about it, San Donino is too far away.”

“Even if it’s far, it’s quick if you ride a horse. And if you float a boat on the Arno River, you can avoid being noticed.”

“Ah…”

“And I didn’t mention it earlier, but when I saw the houses and roads near the Medici Palace on the way, there was a problem with disease…”

Shin Suk-ju slightly trailed off, but Giovanni interjected with a blush on his face.

“We are also working to solve sanitation issues in urban centers and residential areas. Of course, it is still not as good as Seoul, but it will soon catch up.”

“I’m not saying anything. However, I chose San Donino because there were more than one family that would accompany the officials working at the embassy, and among them were many children.”

Lorenzo, who was completely pushed out of his cause, had no choice but to wave the white flag.

“Then it would be better to go to San Donino. “What size will you make it?”

“I think it would be best to decide on that after examining San Donino in person.”

“Then let’s do it.”

* * *

Shin Sook-ju and her group, who spent some time relaxing at a guesthouse set up in the Medici Palace, headed to the San Donino area under the guidance of Florentine officials.

Shin Sook-ju and Seong Sam-mun’s courtier, who were looking at the outside scenery through the carriage window, frowned.

“Looking at it again, the condition is so bad. Even the back alleys of Ming and Japan would be clean compared to this.”

“I agree. “If this is the case, I think diseases that never existed will develop.”

“If there is a plague, it will be the end. “The temporary barracks built during the Liaodong War will be cleaner than this.”

Outside, the streets of Florence were overflowing with sewage everywhere, and the wind blowing in through the window was filled with a foul odor.

But the three people didn’t know.

The situation in Florence is at least good.

Most of Italy’s influential cities have their origins from the Roman era. Thanks to this, most Italian cities had water and sewage facilities.

The problem was that it was just ‘existing’.

As the technology of the Roman era disappeared, proper maintenance was no longer possible, and the cities’ water and sewage facilities fell into disrepair. In particular, the first thing to disappear was the water supply facility symbolized by the aqueduct.

To some extent, the sewage facilities were holding up, but not 100%.

Because of this, the streets of Florence are now a mess.

“In order to survive, I will have to settle down in the San Donino area.”

Seong Sam-moon and Yu Eung-bu silently agreed to Shin Sook-ju’s words.

* * *

Upon arriving at the San Donino area, Shin Sook-ju and her party looked around and looked satisfied.

“Good….”

“It’s a good area.”

“It’s also good for taking refuge in an emergency.”

At this time, the San Donino area was a farming village located on the outskirts of Florence.

Thanks to this, the resident population was small, so the amount of compensation paid could be reduced.

From a military perspective, it was possible to move directly to Livorno by using the Arno River located right in front. Conversely, it was also possible to move directly from Livorno to Florence.

Even if the railroad was cut, the imperial army could move using the Arno River.

“Now that I think about it, the person dispatched from the railroad construction company seemed very dissatisfied…”

Yu Eung-bu immediately responded to Shin Sook-ju’s words.

“It was easy to sigh after looking at the map of the Arno River provided by our military. Why are you so twisted? Also, the mountains in the distance are a problem. “The best way is to install a railroad along the river, but if it’s twisted like that, it’s easy to sigh that the iron horse won’t move as fast as it should.”

Shin Sook-ju’s face became serious at Yu Eung-bu’s words.

“Then isn’t this a serious problem?”

“So he said he had a few ideas.”

“Hmm… they are the ones who know the most about railroads….” * *

*

The people who knew the most about railroad construction and maintenance were railroad construction employees. Even in situations that would have made them sigh, they found the answer and completed the railroad.

People on the outside may not know, but inside the railway construction, there was something that seniors would tell newcomers first.

“If you don’t do it right, Duke Jinpyeong will come right away. Can you bear the glare from Duke Jinpyeong? In the past, when a railroad was being built in Bukji. A tiger blocked the area, but when the Duke glared at it, it started urinating and rolling over. “Can you endure that?”

“I will do my best!”

“Keep in mind. ‘The person scarier than Mama Hwahwan is Duke Jinpyeong. The person who is scarier than him is his older brother.’ got it?”

“If that’s your older brother… Ah!”

* * *

Because the selected area of San Donino was liked, the ambassadors immediately began follow-up work.

The ambassadors, who used Florentine officials as intermediaries to purchase the area, soon called in those in charge of construction.

Those in charge of constructing the imperial embassy and imperial residence in the San Donino area were imperial army engineer officers disguised as imperial top and top employees.

Engineer officers meticulously surveyed major transportation routes and nearby areas in the name of paving the road from San Donino to Florence.

Next, surveying crews dispatched from the railway construction moved along the Arno River and conducted surveys.

And all these results were immediately copied and headed to Seoul.

In Seoul, employees at the railroad company headquarters and officers of the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff covered their heads with copies of this copy.

Railroad construction workers were concerned about how to lay more efficient railroads, and imperial army officers were concerned about how to efficiently move the imperial army.

“Which branch should I send it to?”

“artilleryman! artilleryman!”

“It is true that artillery is important, but….”

“Artillery! artilleryman!”

“Shut up!”

“artilleryman! artilleryman!”

“It’s an established fact that artillery is the center, so shut up! That’s why they call us ‘po-bang-bu’ from the outside!”

No matter what anyone says, the main force of the imperial army, especially the army, was artillery.

‘I attack with a powerful weapon from a greater distance than others! That is the path to victory.’

This was the imperial army’s theory.

Therefore, what the imperial army officers are currently worried about is which branch should be sent first as an auxiliary unit to the artillery unit.