Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 888

Episode 888 Prologue (3)

The report on the changes in the values of young boys in Florence and the confusion of Florentine intellectuals due to these changes was immediately conveyed to the Empire.

“Why on earth?”

“Why take something for granted?”

The ministers who checked the report expressed their doubts, saying they did not understand why Florence’s intellectuals were in confusion.

This was the same even for the Han Myeonghoe in the world.

“Why? “What do you think?”

“….”

“Huh~. His Majesty will definitely ask….”

“….”

Even when Han Myeong-hoe was summoned, none of the ministers opened their mouths.

As expected by Han Myeong-hoe, Hyeon asked the ministers the reason. But no one came forward to answer.

“It’s frustrating… I think my predecessors would have given an answer…” Hearing Hyeon

’s words filled with disappointment, all the ministers bowed to the floor and raised their voices.

“Please forgive the gods for their incompetence!”

The officer who was sitting on one side writing the essay recorded this and added the following.

-… The king was frustrated with this result, so the ministers bowed down and asked for forgiveness.

The officer says:

It’s really embarrassing. Are we wrong in thinking this is such a natural thing, or are Europeans wrong in thinking this is unfamiliar?

In the end, unable to find an answer from the ministers, Hyeon turned to Hyang and asked a question.

Hyang answered Hyun’s question simply and clearly.

“Because that’s how I learned it.”

“yes?”

“Learning is not just about reading books or learning at school. We learn from the adults around us and the actions and words of those we respect. And those adults learned from their predecessors. In this way, learning and teaching become very natural as they are passed down from generation to generation. Just like breathing. “Aren’t there people who wonder why humans and animals need to breathe?”

“Ah…”

At Hyang’s words, Hyun nodded as if he understood.

Looking at Hyeon like that, Hyang continued speaking.

“The same goes for Emperor Wen’s creation of the ‘Three Rivers of Conduct’ and having it used in the Social Democratic Institute. Even if it’s something as natural as breathing, we won’t know it unless we teach it. That’s why education is important. That’s why there’s an old saying, ‘With one year’s plan, grow crops, with 10 years’ plan, grow trees, and with 100 years’ plan, grow people.’ Therefore, our empire should not lose interest in education either.”

Hyeon bowed his head and responded to Hyang’s request.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

That night, Hyang sat alone in the bed, ruminating on the day’s events and muttering softly.

“I heard Moltke said that when he came back after winning the Franco-Prussian War, right? ‘The heroes of this war are not soldiers but elementary school teachers.’ So, you should be more careful. “If we do it wrong, we could fall into a militaristic state through education.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Florence, facing a higher-than-expected support situation, was faced with other concerns.

“If we do well, I think we can exceed the planned 30,000 and even reach 40,000…”

“The problem is financial resources. “We secured financial resources by reducing, cutting, and dividing here and there, but only 20,000 at a time is the best.”

“Whoa~.”

After analyzing the current situation, Florentine officials sighed.

No matter how many brains they thought of, they couldn’t come up with a clear number, so the Florentine officials sighed and wrote a report.

Lorenzo and Giovanni, who received the report, also sighed.

“It is unfortunate that 20,000 people at all times is the best even though the population of the area controlled by Florence has increased significantly over the past time.”

“It can’t be helped. Weapons can continue to be used as long as they are properly maintained, but humans inevitably grow old no matter how hard they try.”

At Giovanni’s words, Lorenzo nodded with a face full of regret.

The military was a group that consumed constantly.

Even when there was no war, the military constantly consumed human and material resources.

Over the years, Florence had become increasingly economically prosperous, but maintaining an army that was growing at a similar rate was quite difficult.

“But there is a problem with the 20,000-member system. Once a full-scale war begins, there will continue to be a need for troops and properly trained troops. “This problem must also be resolved.”

“That’s the problem…”

Lorenzo and Giovanni, unable to find an answer as expected, visited the imperial embassy again.

“If that’s the case, how about doing it this way?”

The person who answered Lorenzo and Giovanni’s questions was the responder.

“I think it would be good to introduce an imperial reserve force system and a veterans system.”

As Yu Eung-bu explained about the ‘reserve army’ and ‘veterans system’ that have been put to good use since the time of military service, Lorenzo and Giovanni looked at Yu Eung-bu with great admiration.

“As expected of a godfather!”

As the imperial army was deeply involved in the training of the Florentine army, Yu Eung-bu was nicknamed godfather and imperial army instructors were nicknamed brothers.

It wasn’t just a nickname.

The Florentine army even made military uniforms modeled after the imperial army’s uniforms and wore them to its soldiers.

It was a huge improvement compared to the armies and mercenaries of other European countries during this period, who could hardly escape the uniform of ‘armed civilians’.

Of course, it was not a 100% copy of the imperial army’s uniform, and there were twists and turns.

Florence was originally famous for its textile industry, and Italians had a good sense of fashion during this period as well.

Not only the Imperial Army, but also civil servants at the embassy and civilian merchants all placed their hands on their foreheads when they saw the military uniforms, which had the characteristic Italian bravado added to them.

“Is this a military uniform or street clothes?…”

Lorenzo looked slightly intimidated by Yu Eung-bu’s not-so-good expression. This was because he was the one who had a hand in setting the military uniform design.

“Is it that bad?”

“A lot…”

Yueungbu and imperial army instructors pointed out the problem.

-The colors are so colorful. Military uniforms using the primary colors of red, blue, and yellow may be good for marching, but they are definitely not for combat.

-Most European armies were already armed with breech-loading rifles. This type of long gun has the ability to hit an enemy from a distance of approximately 100 shots (approximately 300 meters). Additionally, since it is a breech-loading rifle, it is easy to shoot while lying down or hiding. Would you wear such a fancy military uniform in such a situation? You just become a target.

-The width of the military uniform is too small. When a battle breaks out, you have to run, roll, and move non-stop, but if you wear tight clothes like that, your fighting power decreases.

-There are not too many pockets. There are many things to take care of to properly prepare for battle. Most of them can be put in a backpack or bag, but you still need a pocket.

“So you’re saying it’s not this military uniform?”

“exactly.”

“But if you change everything you pointed out, it will be stylish…”

“If you want to die looking for style, why not just make it and dress it as is? However, our imperial army would never wear uniforms like that.”

“But…”

“How much are you going to spend on military uniforms, which are already under budget?”

“….”

Lorenzo and the Italians, in tears, changed the design of the military uniform due to the cold criticism of the military and imperial army instructors and the realistic limitations of the budget.

The last thing that came out was a military uniform similar to the imperial army, with the top and bottom all in black.

“It’s black….”

“That’s better than the colored military uniform.”

“It’s much better.”

“It’s not something we’ll wear, so that’s okay.”

In this way, the black uniform became the symbol of the Florentine army.

The ‘Black Legion’, which was the nickname of Florence’s mercenary unit in the past, had become a symbol of the entire Florentine army.

However, this did not mean that Florence was unconditionally influenced. Starting with the imperial army instructors, the imperial army stationed in Florence and Livorno were also influenced by the Florentine army.

The most representative military cap was decorated with black grouse feathers.

This kind of feather decoration was not unfamiliar to the imperial army. The military uniform worn during the Joseon Dynasty also had pheasant or eagle tail feathers, and in the case of kings, peacock tail feathers.

Naturally, the official military caps of the imperial army had similar decorations, and the imperial army stationed in Italy replaced them with rich grouse feathers like those of the Florentine army.

As Florence was famous for its textile industry, it produced most of its military uniforms and military uniforms, but only one item had to be imported from the empire.

They were military boots.

Imperial military boots, initially made with leather soles and later with chicle soles, became a must-have item for soldiers.

On the other hand, officers and cavalrymen wore boots modeled after the cavalry boots of the imperial army.

An interesting scene was created as uniform uniforms were issued to the Florentine military.

The scenes of conversations between the Imperial Army wearing green imperial uniforms and the Florentine military wearing black Florentine military uniforms in the downtown area of Florence, at the port of Livorno, at the training ground on the outskirts of Florence, gave a routine yet somehow unfamiliar feeling.

This was the same for painters and sculptors supported by the Medici family. Inspired painters and sculptors immediately began painting and carving.

This was the moment when the trend called ‘Florentine art’ was born.

* * *

Meanwhile, competitors, stimulated by Florence’s military strengthening, followed Florence’s lead.

They also began to strengthen elementary education and expand the size of the standing army.

But little by little, their paths with Florence began to diverge.

Although the goal of ‘Italian unification’ was the same, the paths diverged into several paths.

What showed this most clearly was ‘elementary education.’ Florence’s competitors chose the traditional method of indoctrination based on violence, and the young people who received this education showed a very passive behavior.

Next was the military.

Florence’s rivals and their associates, like Florence, organized standing armies. In particular, the subordinates organized a large standing army suitable for a powerful nation.

However, the standing army they created was not the ‘city’s army’ or the ‘state’s army’, but the ‘tyranny’s army’ and the ‘king’s army’.

The mercenary personality had not yet been completely washed away.

This was due to social limitations that prevented them from escaping from the feudal system.

The king’s grip was becoming stronger, but the power of the nobles was still strong.

Therefore, there was no choice but to recruit soldiers, not through conscription.

Nobles and wealthy people with money or power were exempt from military service by paying a ‘military service exemption tax (scutage).’

Of course, among them, those who were aiming for a higher rank or entry into the prestigious upper class applied to become officers.

No, he became an officer by purchasing the appropriate rank with money.

Therefore, most of the most important ordinary soldiers were from the lowest class of society. And the means of turning them into soldiers was violence.

By making these different choices, Florence and her competitors began to stand at the starting line with similar yet different personalities and appearances.