Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 893

Chapter 893: Prologue (8)

Shin Suk-ju pretended to know what Yu Eung-bu pointed out.

“But weren’t there a lot of military officers with practical combat experience from the battle to conquer Messika that took place about 10 years ago?”

“Not really. But…”

Yu Eung-bu seemed to be frustrated, lifted his teacup, quenched his throat, and continued.

“The problem is that it has been over 10 years. The guys who were running wild at the front with the soldiers back then have now taken a step back and moved up to a position where they can only lift their fingers. “Newbies still have to taste it to know if it’s poop or soybean paste.”

Seong Sam-moon and Shin Suk-ju both nodded at Yu Eung-bu’s words. Even though they were tattooists, they were able to empathize with the ‘experience problems of newbies’.

* * *

The reactions of those who had just entered the workforce could be broadly divided into two.

-This guy doesn’t move unless you tell him to.

-A guy who runs wild without being told to do so.

In the first case, the guys who did ‘just’ what they were told showed potential.

However, the problem was that there were more people who were not good at what they were told to do or could barely do it.

This was a situation we were increasingly seeing as the empire entered a period of stability.

-If you want to make money, get a job at a top company or start an investment business using your family’s money as a seed. Why do you manage it? The biggest advantage of management is that you can live a stable life as long as you don’t make mistakes. Since these were people who came in with the goal of

‘a job that is long and thin and will have some reputation after retirement’,

the number of people who ‘burst their hearts out just by looking at them’ was increasing.

Of course, the guys in the second case were also troublesome.

Although he did not yet know anything about work, he ran wild, causing all kinds of trouble on the flat ground and causing accidents that ‘made people stop work with a hoe with a phlegm.’

Those in the second case were mostly ambitious people.

-Shouldn’t we go from ‘one person to all people’ like Grand Master Han Myeong-hoe, who has already been in office?

Their idol was Han Myeong-hoe.

This was because Han Myeong-hoe was a person who rose to the top position through his own efforts, even though he came from a down-and-out family, not a famous and prestigious family that had been passed down for generations.

The problem came after the accident. There were people who fully reflected on their accidents and did not repeat them, but there were also people who constantly repeated accidents.

And the bosses used it as a great strainer.

– Those who do exactly what they are told are the best at running a stable government.

-Those who reflect on their mistakes and never repeat them can make the empire keep up with changes.

* * *

“But the Navy is fine, isn’t it?”

Yu Eung-bu sighed at Shin Sook-ju’s point.

“Whoa~. That’s not the case these days. The pirates have dried up. Even now, the only pirates that can be seen are small fish, so they can be subdued with the armament of most merchant ships. But we can’t rush in and out first… And since most of the upcoming battles in Italy will be ground battles, isn’t it also impossible to bring the front lines to land and fight them?”

Seong Sam-moon and Shin Suk-ju also looked embarrassed at Yu Eung-bu’s words.

“It is indeed a difficult situation. Thanks to the efforts of the empire, peace has been achieved, but on the other hand, the imperial army may become a foreign currency guest…”

After hearing Seong Sam-mun’s words, Yu Eung-bu concluded with an expression of helplessness.

“The only answer is to prepare through actual training. And I just hope that incidents like the current war between Hungary and the Habsburgs will not happen again. “As the number of enemies familiar with guns and artillery increases, it becomes more of a headache.”

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

“huh? “Isn’t that actually a good thing?”

“What do you mean it’s good? “The number of opponents who are familiar with actual battles is increasing, so is this good?”

Yu Eung-bu’s expression did not improve, but Shin Sook-ju smiled slightly and explained in more detail.

“Gunpowder is an expensive product. Thanks to this, the monster that eats up money is war, but it now eats up even more money. If another war breaks out before the war in Italy and the war funds are used up, wouldn’t there be a need for time to replenish those war funds? We will gain that much time. And although you will gain soldiers and commanders with actual combat experience, won’t you also lose many of the soldiers and commanders you invested money into? “Wouldn’t it take time to replenish the lost commanders and soldiers?”

“You could see it that way.”

Seong Sam-moon nodded his head in understanding, and Yu Eung-bu also began to think over Shin Suk-ju’s opinion with a serious expression.

Seeing that scene, Shin Sook-ju continued speaking.

“And from a diplomatic standpoint. This is the easiest way for junior ships to make up for the war expenses wasted in this way. They are reaching out to the Italian cities that depend on them. It would be nice if that were appropriate, but….”

When Shin Sook-ju slightly trailed off, Seong Sam-moon continued speaking.

“It would never be appropriate. “The same thing that happened to me when I was pretending to be Sang-guk will happen again here.”

“That’s right. In the worst case, Italian cities will move to find other ships. And that will be the spark.”

Hearing Shin Suk-ju’s words, Yu Eung-bu stroked his chin and muttered.

“Even if the process changes here and there, war will break out in Italy.”

“Isn’t it good that we have bought some time? “In particular, I have a good cause to comfort that fierce Lorenzo de’ Medici.”

Seong Sam-moon looked troubled at Shin Sook-ju’s words.

“Are they just hot-blooded, ignorant of the world, or overly confident?…”

Looking at the current situation in Florence and the Empire, the hardliners in Florence, symbolized by Lorenzo de’ Medici, were insisting on a quick start to the war, and the Empire was preventing this. .

“There is still not enough time. “Please wait a little longer.”

“How long should I wait!” “Our power is already at its strongest!”

After a back-and-forth war of words with the Florentine radicals, the empire was able to gain two years.

– Make sure to secure at least 2 years.

It was the result of Shin Sook-ju’s hard work to fulfill the orders from Seoul.

“Why on earth two years? why?”

“And I don’t understand the command that followed. “Do you want to double the size of the Viville coal depot built in Livorno?”

The ambassadors could not hide their doubts after confirming the order, which was only briefly conveyed due to problems of distance and means of communication.

“We are going through all the trouble to keep the existence of the coal warehouse built in Livorno a secret, but are you asking us to double it? “Do you think it’s possible to keep it secret?”

“I need to check this again in Seoul.”

The ambassadors immediately questioned Seoul. And the answer that came back after a long time made me even more curious about the lines.

-That’s why I’m telling you to just hold on for two years.

“Why on earth!”

* * *

It was because of Shinji that the Empire needed two years.

This was because a huge saltpeter mine was discovered in Shinji. Or, to be more precise, we discovered a place where a lot of raw materials for saltpeter were piled up.

A coastal exploration vessel of the Imperial Navy discovered a guano mine.

In order to make Xinji definitely part of the empire, King Sejong and Hyang promoted the construction of a ‘sea wall’ on the eastern coast and sea of Xinji.

To complete this plan, most of the navy raised in Shinji was deployed to the sea east of Shinji.

However, this did not mean that the empire was just watching the western coast and sea of Shinji.

Every year, a small exploration fleet was organized and traveled down the western coast of Shinji to survey and investigate the environment.

However, compared to the nature of the work, which can be called persistent, there were not enough workers and the work pace was slow.

Thanks to this, the cornerstone of the problem was discovered only after Wan came to Shinji.

The exploration vessel that discovered the guano mine immediately turned its bow and returned at full speed.

Upon arriving at Chosi, the probe’s captain delivered an urgent message to Wan.

Wan, who received the urgent news, jumped up from his seat and cheered.

“This is heaven’s blessing for the well-being of the empire! Deliver this to Seoul immediately! ASAP!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Seoul was put on alert after receiving the report from Shinji.

“Now that things have come to this, I think we will have to change our strategy regarding Italy.”

“That’s right.”

There were no ministers who opposed the county’s decision.

To be honest, when considering the well-being and interests of the entire empire, the saltpeter mine that had just been discovered was overwhelmingly more important than Italy. In particular, it was the time when Europeans based in the Southern Continent began launching exploration ships one by one toward the east.

And the cornerstone was a strategic material of utmost importance regardless of the empire or Europe. In particular, it was an empire that imported all of its saltpeter from the Bengal Sultanate. If the Sultanate of Bengal cut off trade or the supply of saltpeter was blocked for various reasons, there would be a serious threat to the safety of the empire.

Therefore, the county gave the highest priority to this line of saltpeter mines.

“The biggest problem comes with naval power. Currently, most of the navy stationed in Sinji is staying on the east coast of Sinji. Wires can be made at a shipyard in Chosi, but people cannot. We need to remove people from the Shinji Navy stationed on the east coast. Regarding the Italian issue, please order the ambassadors to buy as much time as possible.”

Hyeon pointed out the problem in Jang Hang-seon’s words.

“The problem is the time. “Keep it as short as possible. How many years do you need?”

“It takes 5 years….”

“It’s too long. Let’s set it to two years.”

“I follow your orders.”

That’s how ‘at least 2 years’ was decided.

Meanwhile, Hyang, who heard the report following Hyun, scratched the back of her head and muttered.

“This clearly reveals the problem that geography is not my area of expertise…”

Unless it was an area he liked, Hyang was almost a blank slate.

It was such an urgent matter, and as the number of eyes on the empire grew, the empire only sent simple orders and only the ambassadors suffered.

* * *

Meanwhile, many things have changed in Shinji.

Jinpyeong was the first to move.

“We need to change the priorities of construction.”

Jinpyeong smiled brightly and responded immediately to Wan’s command.

“Of course it comes! “I will change it right away!”

Wan, who saw Jinpyeong moving as soon as he received the order, muttered to himself.

‘You bet everything on the railroad, so you like the increase in work? It is truly incomprehensible.’

Thus, the construction of a new railway heading south from Chosi began.

Due to the importance of the issue, construction on all sections except those in the process of completion was halted. And all the personnel in charge of construction moved to the western part of Shinji.

Additionally, workers from the Empire who would participate in construction boarded ships and headed to Shinji.

It was a war, not a war in which the empire’s capabilities were concentrated, and the opponent was time.