Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 273
Episode 273: Hamheung Temporary Palace. (1)
“Your Majesty! The Great Victory is coming!”
“Has the news finally arrived?”
King Sejong, who was reviewing the report sent from Hanseong, was pleased with Choi Yun-deok’s shout and asked.
“Yes, Your Highness! We have news! The Great Victory is coming!”
Choi Yun-deok handed Sang-seon the general message sent by Yi Sun-mong. King Sejong, who received the handbook through a merchant ship, opened the scroll and read its contents.
As he read the contents written on the scroll, King Sejong’s expression became brighter.
King Sejong, who had read the precepts to the end, leaned back against the chair and took a long breath.
“Whoa~. “The North’s greatest worry has finally been relieved!”
“That’s right!”
“Where are their heads?”
“It’s in the garden.”
At Choi Yun-deok’s words, King Sejong got up and went outside.
In the inner courtyard of Hamheung Temporary Palace, long wooden boards were laid out in rows on the floor. Dozens of severed heads lay on a wooden board.
“This is the stuff from the Muntemu family, and this is the stuff from the Lee Manju family.”
“Does your face look a little messed up?”
“It was found dead on the battlefield.”
“exactly?”
While listening to Choi Yun-deok’s explanation and examining the cut supplies, King Sejong discovered something unusual.
The supply and demand of those belonging to the Odori tribe, including the Muntemu, had many injuries, but the supply and demand of Lee Man-ju’s family was due to the fact that the number of people with such injuries was small. In particular, the supply and demand of Lee Man-ju was very clean.
‘They said that compared to Lee Man-ju, Muntemu’s military power was very small…’
King Sejong muttered softly as he recalled the contents of the records posted before the war and the reports after the war broke out.
“Have you been pushed into the crosshairs because your stake is small?…”
“Yes?”
When Choi Yun-deok, who heard Sejong muttering to himself, expressed doubts, Sejong pointed to the Muntemu clan’s servants.
“Seeing as their supply and demand were severely damaged, it appears that most of them were in the middle of the battlefield.”
“According to reports, yes.”
“Hmm…”
Sejong, who had been silently examining the supplies, turned around.
“There is another reason for our Joseon to become stronger.”
“yes?”
“If the country’s strength is weak, it will become prey to powerful countries, and if it is weak, won’t it become a target for arrows like that Muntemu?”
“I guess so.”
Even though he immediately nodded at Sejong’s words, Choi Yun-deok was a little worried.
What the king said just now was the right path. However, there were degrees of rightness. If all national power was poured into national defense, it would not be a degree but a defeat and tyranny.
King Sejong continued speaking as he returned to the main hall of the temporary palace.
“Even if you don’t need the power to force others, shouldn’t others be able to force you without permission?”
“You are right!”
It was Choi Yun-deok, who answered loudly and sighed.
“How are the preparations for the soldiers’ triumphal ceremony going?”
“yes. “We are preparing step by step.”
“Please do your best.”
Since the last conquest of Tsushima Island, it was a battle in which Joseon did its best to project its power externally. Unlike the conquest of Tsushima Island, which ended lukewarmly, this conquest ended in a great victory.
The plan was to publicize this widely to raise the morale of the people and at the same time warn the surrounding Jurchen tribes not to move carelessly.
“Your Majesty, here is your expense report. And this comes with a budget for a veterans policy for those who died or were maimed in this conquest and their families. And this is the war cost consumption that has been confirmed to this day.”
Sejong received the reports from a young official from the Chief of Staff and checked the numbers written in the reports with a serious face.
“Are these numbers certain?”
Sejong’s voice as he asked the official a question was trembling slightly. The official answered King Sejong’s question with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“The numbers have been verified at least three times.”
Sejong checked the numbers and let out a long sigh.
“Whoa~. There will be chaos in Hanseong. “It must be hard for the Crown Prince.”
Sejong, who remembered the hardships he must have endured in Hanseong, looked south with a somber expression on his face.
“Could it be that I left too much luggage behind?”
* * *
As King Sejong worried, Hyang was wrangling fiercely in Hanseong.
However, the person with whom Hyang would argue was always determined.
It was Kim Jeom, the Minister of Finance and Economy.
As the conquest progressed, due to the huge amount of war expenses being spent, Hyang and Kim Jeom continued to argue, and it was the main daily routine of the day for other ministers to watch the scene.
* * *
“The cost of war effort is high.”
Hyang responded to Minister of Finance and Economy Kim Jeom’s words with an expression that said there was nothing he could do.
“War is such a big deal, isn’t it something that can’t be helped?”
Hearing Hyang’s words, Kim Jeom let out a long sigh.
“Whoa~. Still, the cost of war ended up being more than expected. “The artillery area is especially severe.”
“Gunpowder is a bit expensive, though.”
The answering scent was bitter to the taste.
* * *
As the focus of battle shifted from spears and swords to artillery, the consumption of gunpowder increased significantly.
But gunpowder was never cheap.
In Joseon, gunpowder was a product containing large quantities of sulfur and saltpeter, which were difficult to obtain.
To resolve this, King Sejong and the government had to do their best.
In the case of sulfur, several mines were found in Joseon, but they were extremely unprofitable. Therefore, only the two mines with the better profitability had to be mined and the rest had to be imported from Japan. Fortunately, the new Japanese merchants who came to Waegwan were cooperative and the products were coming in steadily, but the products were still expensive.
In the case of saltpeter, saltpeter was supplied and operated by making saltpeter in pastures built throughout Joseon, but it was still insufficient.
In particular, the problem of this saltpeter was serious. Saltpeter and saltpetre were used not only in the existing black gunpowder, Gapsik gunpowder, but also in the improved brown gunpowder, Eulsik gunpowder, Bokyu (nitroglycerin), Noehong, and Deokgap gunpowder. It was acetic acid made from saltpeter. To put it simply, among the items containing the word ‘pok’, there was none that did not contain the word cornerstone.
Therefore, Hyang was thinking of sending Haeung to India as soon as he reached the number. I heard a rumor that the Ming, a country right next door, also had a saltpeter production area, but as in the case of Gakgung (the export of ox horns was banned), the Ming did not like the strengthening of Joseon’s power.
And in Hwang’s case, he had Hokkaido in mind.
“There was a famous sulfur hot spring in Hokkaido, right?”
Hyang, who was worried about the supply and demand of sulfur, also thought about it while looking at Mt. Baekdu marked on the map.
“That place is also a volcano… There is no way there is no sulfur…”
* * *
Kim Jeom continued to pressure the Hyang regarding the consumption of war funds.
“If you look at the conquest that took place this time, the amount of gunpowder consumed during the conquest that lasted only 20 days is enormous. It’s almost as if I’ve used up all the gunpowder materials I’ve been collecting over the past two years! “This is the amount we have collected over two years!”
“….”
At Kim Jeom’s words, the local government officials had no choice but to keep their mouths shut.
In the first year of King Sejong’s reign, an appeal was made to King Sejong at the Military Flag Gam.
-Currently, the amount of salt vinegar in the military warehouse is 3,316 geun (about 2,100 kg), and the amount of salt grass consumed per year is 4,000 geun (about 2,400 kg). Additional manufacturing is required.
As the expansion progressed, the production of gunpowder continued to increase, but Joseon still did not have sufficient gunpowder inventory.
* * *
“So, what do you want me to do, Captain?”
Kim Jeom answered Hyang’s question right away.
“I think it would be good to reduce live-fire training conducted by the military.”
“It’s impossible.”
“Lowering!”
When Hyang immediately dismissed the request, Kim Jeom raised his voice.
But Hyang did not back down from his decision.
“Have you forgotten, Captain, the disgraceful behavior displayed by the soldiers when armored rifles were first supplied in large quantities?”
“That is…”
Kim Jeom looked embarrassed at Hyang’s question.
* * *
Through a demonstration held in Area 51, the adoption of the Gap-sik Jang-chong-chong was decided, and mass-produced Gap-sik Jang-chong-tongs were supplied to the Naegumwi, the 5th Military Camp, and the Gyeonggi Barracks.
In the first training conducted by the Naegumwi using the Gapsikjang gun barrels supplied in this way, even the Naegumwi soldiers, who were considered the most elite soldiers in Joseon, were shocked and embarrassed by the explosion of the gun they fired.
* * *
Hyang continued to explain why it was impossible.
“Soldiers who handle rifles and artillery must become familiar with the explosions produced by the weapons they handle in order to fight properly in actual combat. And the same goes for the warhorses they will use. And wasn’t its effectiveness proven in this conquest?”
“I admit that, but I just want to reduce the number.”
Hyang immediately clicked his tongue at Kim Jeom’s words.
“Tsk!”
As soon as the scent hit my tongue, Kim Jeom flinched.
‘Wow! ‘The sound of that guy clicking his tongue!’
Hyang, who clicked his tongue with a pitiful expression, glared at Kim Jeom.
“Let’s cut down on firing just 10 shots per soldier once a month? Do you think you can train like that and record a record like this again?”
“That’s if you have the will…”
“If you can win with just the will, will you win even if you go out with a twig instead of a spear sword? Or will you wipe out a 100,000-strong army by yourself?”
“….”
Kim Jeom’s mouth immediately closed at Hyang’s sarcasm. Kim Jeom’s face turned bright red, but he had nothing to say.
‘Wow! If he were like my grandson, he would hit me with a leg club right away…’
Grinding his teeth inwardly, Kim Jeom came up with another plan.
“Guns and artillery are like that. But Singijeon must definitely be retired!”
“Don’t you have a criminal record?”
“The amount of gunpowder consumed is too much compared to previous results!”
This time Hyang kept his mouth shut.
As pointed out by Kim Jeom, the amount of gunpowder consumed by Singijeon was enormous. Of course, it had its own merits, but it was inferior to the amount of gunpowder used.
Kim Jeom compared it to Bigyeokjincheonroe and pointed out the problems with Singijeon.
“Bigyeokjincheonroe also consumes a lot of gunpowder, but its performance is incomparable to Shingijeon! That’s why Singijeon must be retired!”
In the end, Hyang waved the white flag.
“I think that’s something to think about, so let’s look into it.”
* * *
After that, a few more items were dealt with, followed by a short break.
Other ministers expressed their doubts at the sight of Kim Jeom leaving the East Palace while humming lightly.
“No, sir. “Is something good happening?”
“ah! “I feel good because I achieved my desired goal.”
“The goal you wanted?”
The ministers remembered what Kim Jeom had said, but other than the part where they were pushed back by Hyang’s words, there was nothing special.
Maeng Sa-seong, who was remembering for a moment, looked back at Kim Jeom with surprised eyes.
“Could it be Singijeon?”
“There is a saying, ‘Seongdonggyeokseo’, right? ha ha ha!”
It was Kim Jeom, walking away with a refreshing laugh.
Meanwhile, in the East Palace, Hyang scratched his head and muttered.
“I feel like I got hit…”
Kim Jeom, who returned from a pleasant day out, saw Jang Gye, who had come from Hamheung, and grabbed the back of his neck.
“Triumphal ceremony? “It’s an improvement ceremony!”
* * *
“It may seem like excessive spending now, but let’s think about the future.”
When Hyang said this while looking at Kim Jeom, who seemed ready to run to Hamheung at any moment, Kim Jeom screamed.
“Lowering! The future! If this type of improvement becomes a custom, it will be a problem!”
Maeng Sa-seong intervened in Kim Jeom’s words.
“If wars become so frequent that triumphal ceremonies become a custom, wouldn’t that also be a problem?”
“Of course.”
Following Maeng Sa-seong, Heo Jo received the message.
“If you look at the royal decree, it is said that His Highness called all the chiefs of the nearby Jurchen tribes to this triumphal ceremony. If we show them the majesty of our Joseon military, will they try to do things carelessly in the future? “The future you spoke of is this part.”
“You saw it right away.”
In response to Heo Jo’s words, Hyang explained further.
“Through the ceremony, the Jurchen people will see with their own eyes the strength of our Joseon military. If that happens, we will engage in trade rather than plunder, and may even become wealthy. If you do that, won’t you save more money than conquering every time?”
Hearing Hyang’s words, Kim Jeom let out a long sigh.
“Whoa~. “I understand.”
Kim Jeom, who took a step back, gritted his teeth inwardly.
‘If you don’t bring back the proper loot, I’ll kill you all!’