Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 514
Episode 514: Far and near. (7)
‘Life expectancy has increased, but your body will suffer throughout your life.’
As the ambassador said, Prince Gwangpyeong and Prince Pyeongwon were busy working.
* * *
As soon as they became adults and received military titles, the two had to join the government.
“How can there be superiors and subordinates in making this country rich and strong?”
According to King Sejong’s orders, the Grand Prince, his soldiers, and the princesses and princesses all had to find their own jobs.
What is interesting here is that King Sejong of the world had no intention of making even the princess and princess work at first.
However, the situation changed when Princess Jeongso announced that she would become a member of the National Assembly, and later, Princess Justice announced that she would research mathematics at a research institute.
As the king’s eldest daughter and second daughter offered to work at clinics and research institutes, the princesses, who were aware of the situation, also began to look for fields in which they could work.
The good news was that King Sejong’s children also had various talents, so they were evaluated as useful talents and were less likely to be overlooked.
Many of the military and military officials who took charge of the country’s affairs took up positions in Area 51 and research institutes, and this was due to Jinpyeong’s influence.
* * *
Jinpyeong, who started walking the path of Cheoldeok after suffering a Deoktong accident, worked hard to achieve his dream of becoming Cheoldeok. However, there were some things that could not be solved with effort, the most representative one being the budget.
“Get out you bastard!”
Jinpyeong, who was met with harsh treatment not only from his father King Sejong but also from Hyang every time he requested additional budget, had to find an alternative.
“First of all, they say it will be covered by the bonus I receive, but this is not enough.”
As the ceremony progressed, changes occurred in the food and nap provided to the royal family. Instead of increasing the number of households, which had been greatly reduced compared to the previous Goryeo period, the form of payment was changed with money rather than actual land. In the early days of Gyeongjang, the amount was even reduced significantly due to a lack of funds to reform the country.
And it was near the end of the tour that the reduced Bongrok normalized to some extent.
Because of this situation, there were limits to Jinpyeong’s ability to invest his wealth. This was because a considerable amount of money had to be spent just for the sake of the name Grand Prince.
In this situation, the alternative Jinpyeong came up with was simple and effective.
-Fish up your younger brothers!
With this purpose, Jinpyeong led the young princes and soldiers to the room where he had suffered an accident.
“Wow~.”
“Wow~.”
The young soldiers and soldiers who saw the model of the moving iron horse spouting steam couldn’t keep their mouths shut and let out exclamations of exclamation.
“How do you feel? “Isn’t it amazing?”
“yes!”
“Why don’t you study this iron horse with your brother?”
“great!”
* * *
In this way, a considerable number of great soldiers and military personnel came to work in Area 51 and the research institute, but there were also those who did not.
Prince Gwangpyeong and Prince Pyeongwon were representative examples.
Grand Prince Gwangpyeong, who loved poetry and prose from a young age and showed talent in literary writing (selecting good literary works), came to work with Anpyeong.
And Prince Pyeongwon, who was very interested in soldiers, especially the navy, came to work at the Ministry of National Defense.
But at some point, the two started sighing a lot.
* * *
“Even if the poetry and prose are the same, even the miscellaneous songs…”
Gwangpyeong, who was not only responsible for recording and classifying the miscellaneous songs that were passed down orally among the people, but also took on the responsibility of composing and writing lyrics for new miscellaneous songs, questioned Anpyeong.
“older brother! Let’s say it’s like recording a new type of miscellaneous song! But isn’t it too much to ask him to write and compose such a new song?”
Anpyeong immediately responded to Gwangpyeong’s objection.
“I’m doing it too. Even if it’s hard, it becomes fun after a while? Think about it. “I mean, people all over Joseon sing the new song you wrote.”
“Still…”
“Ah! The Crown Prince got permission from Abama. “Sinjapga also received recognition of its intellectual property rights.”
“What kind of money would that make? In other words, wouldn’t it be possible for officials to go into kibangs and marketplaces throughout Joseon and count who called and how many times?”
“But shouldn’t we know for generations who built it?”
Gwangpyeong’s expression became strange at Anpyeong’s words.
This was because he also did not want to end up as a royal greeting with only one line of his name.
In the end, Gwangpyeong waved the white flag.
“Okay, I understand. “I will try.”
“So that’s my brother!”
Gwangpyeong, who was returning to his office with Anpyeong’s death behind him, looked in the direction of the East Palace and grumbled.
“A person who is not even a singer sings something like a new song for no reason…”
* * *
“I wanted to go out to sea on a wire… Wow…”
It was plain that he was not satisfied with his work. It was the same with the Grand Army.
“I want to work in the military.”
“Is that so? Thank you so much!”
After learning of Grand Prince Pyeongwon’s intentions, Jo Mal-saeng and the high-ranking military officials of the Ministry of National Defense bowed down and threw him into the Ministry of Finance.
“Isn’t he a great general? “It will be of great help when obtaining the budget.”
“cancer! cancer!”
Grand Prince Pyeongwon, who received the rank of Deputy Director Jeong after the rank of Lieutenant General – 4th rank of Servant in the rank before the Lieutenant Commander – did not fight the waves at sea, but fought against numbers in the office, and had to listen to complaints and complaints related to the budget rather than hearing stories of heroism.
The front line of his battle was the conference room where he engaged in a war of words with the Ministry of Finance and Economy over budget allocation.
“Why me…”
At first, Prince Pyeongwon was in tears as he said this, but as time went by, he started working on his tasks with some enthusiasm.
“Joseon’s territory is expanding, but the strengthening of its military power is not keeping up with this! “To solve this, we need a bigger budget!”
Prince Pyeongwon, who believed that the current situation was critical, engaged in a fierce war of words with the Ministry of Finance and Economy and tried to obtain even a penny more budget.
And seeing Prince Pyeongwon’s appearance like that, Jo Mal-saeng and high-ranking officials in the military smiled happily and cheered him on.
* * *
As time passed, Oirat’s messengers arrived in Hanseong under the heavy escort of the Joseon Army cavalry – more like a convoy.
“Welcome. “I am the crown prince of Joseon.”
“This is a messenger sent by Taishi of Oirat. “It is an honor to meet you, Crown Prince.”
The messenger of Oirat bowed respectfully and offered respect to the incense.
“You worked hard to come a long way. “I have prepared an empty room at Bukpyeong-gwan, so I would like you to relieve your travel difficulties first.”
“Thank you.”
That evening, a banquet hosted by the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs was held at Bukpyeong Hall.
While exchanging glasses with Oirat’s messenger, the Vice Minister tried to find out in advance why he had come to Joseon. However, because the messenger was also not an easy person, Joseon was unable to find out the purpose until the meeting was officially held.
* * *
After the meeting began and various good stories were exchanged according to diplomatic etiquette, the messenger of Oirat got to the point.
“We, the Oirat, want to purchase weapons from Korea.”
“You mean a weapon? “I’ve never heard that Oirat is in danger?”
The messenger of Oirat immediately answered Heohu’s question.
“Oirat has a lot of land and a shortage of people. However, these days, the number of bandits targeting trade routes is increasing rapidly. We need Joseon weapons to suppress these bandits.”
Heo Hu, who nodded because the messenger’s explanation seemed plausible, asked again.
“So what kind of weapon do you want?”
“I want Joseon’s artillery.”
Heohu’s eyes opened wide at Lion Oirat’s words.
“Cannons?”
“That’s right.”
“Why do you want Joseon’s artillery?”
“I have seen artillery pieces operated by the Joseon army in Liaodong. Artillery mounted on a large cart and moving with the cavalry is the optimal weapon for our Oirat.”
Heohu, who had been silent for a moment at the messenger’s explanation, opened his mouth.
“This cannot be answered right away, so let’s stop here for today.”
Hearing Heohu’s words, the lion bowed his head and made a request.
“I hope that a decision will be made that will benefit both Korea and our Oirat. “We, the Oirat, are ready to pay a good price.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
* * *
When Heo Hu reported the contents of the meeting, all the governors and ministers were lost in doubt.
“Why artillery?”
The person who had the strongest doubts was the scent.
‘Why artillery? The cannons of this period just use single-piece bullets? You’re using monolithic bullets against bandits? ‘It’s not cost-effective?’
Hwang Hee was the first to speak up, as if Hyang wasn’t the only one who had such doubts.
“Minister of Defense: Wouldn’t long guns be better than artillery against thieves? “If it were artillery, it would be almost a waste, right?”
“Similar thoughts. Hmm….”
Jo Mal-saeng, who was thinking deeply about something while nodding his head in response to Hwang Hee, called out to his subordinate.
“Go and call General Lee Jing-ok.”
“yes.”
* * *
Lee Jing-ok, who had previously been busy in the north with Choi Yun-deok, Hwang Hee, and Kim Jong-seo, returned to Hanseong not long ago.
Upon returning to Hanseong, Lee Jing-ok, who earned the title ‘General’, was appointed as the head of the ‘North Korea Operations Department’.
Based on the experience he had accumulated in the north, he became the head of the department that studied strategies and tactics for the aftershocks of Liaodong and ground warfare against the Ming.
* * *
Lee Jing-ok, who heard Oirat’s request, ‘I will buy artillery,’ gathered his thoughts for a moment and opened his mouth.
“It is quite possible.”
“what is the reason?”
In response to Hwang Hee’s question, Lee Jing-ok began to explain the reason.
-Both the armored long guns used by the Joseon military and the iron guns used by the Ming Dynasty are full-length guns. This is not an item that is easy for cavalrymen to use continuously on horseback. Even for infantrymen, not cavalry, the rate of fire of a bow surpasses that of a long gun. Our Joseon Army cavalry, which has solved the problem to some extent through high-intensity training and improved equipment based on practical experience, also prefers the Eul-style horseback rifle unless it is for long-distance sniping.
-Again, the vast majority of cases where our Korean cavalry uses armored long rifles are when long-distance sniping is necessary. The range and rate of fire of the long-barrel type or Ming iron guns sold by our Joseon Dynasty to the Japanese are inferior to the bows used by the Oirat.
Therefore, the Oirat would have judged that long guns were not that important.
-However, the power of artillery is not only powerful, but the ability to suppress the enemy with its gunfire is also significant. In particular, our Joseon artillery has good mobility, so it may be what the Oirats want.
“Hmm…”
“Hoo…”
“Maybe…”
The ministers nodded at Lee Jing-ok’s explanation. However, Hyang slightly shook his head and asked Lee Jing-ok.
“It seems like a reasonable opinion, though. If the bandits in the area where Oirat are located, wouldn’t they also be cavalrymen? “Can a monolithic shell be very effective against highly mobile cavalry?”
Lee Jing-ok nodded at Hyang’s point.
“There is definitely that aspect to it. Therefore, our cavalry mainly used the tactic of drawing them into the fire net of the Bigyeokjincheonroe against the Jurchen cavalry.”
“Then why do you think Oirat requested artillery?”
Lee Jing-ok pondered for a moment before answering Hyang’s question again.
“There are two things that are most likely. One is that they confused regular artillery with bigyeokjincheonroe. As for the other one, I plan to deal with something other than a thief.”
“Other?”
“I think it’s a castle wall.”