Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 580
Episode 580: Broken Dream (3)
Eui, who arrived almost dragged by the eunuchs, urgently checked Emperor Seondeok’s condition and took out acupuncture needles from the needle case.
“Pooh~!”
As the medical doctor placed needles of various thicknesses on Emperor Seondeok’s head and hands, Emperor Seondeok exhaled deeply and came to his senses.
“Oh oh! “Your Majesty has awakened!”
“hurray! hurray! hurray!”
“It is truly a divine medicine!”
Seeing Emperor Seondeok return to consciousness, his subjects were happy and praised King Eui.
“You did a great job indeed.”
After standing up, Emperor Seondeok praised King Eui and looked back at his subjects.
“I’m sorry for being so rude for a moment. “The country’s situation is critical, so let’s start the meeting again.”
However, Eui blocked Emperor Seondeok with a serious face.
“You have just passed a critical juncture. “You need to rest.”
In response to Eui’s words, the assistant cabinet member stepped forward and reported to Emperor Seondeok.
“The gods will do their best to find the answer. “Your Majesty, your priority is to find your strength.”
“But the country is on the verge of collapse…”
“Our name is a giant tree that occupies the center of the world. We can withstand a storm of this magnitude. But if Your Majesty falls, the sky will fall. Please get some rest.”
“But…” As
Emperor Seondeok continued to hesitate, all the ministers present in the main hall, including the Minister of Cabinet, cried out, throwing all their hands on the floor.
“Please believe in your beliefs!”
“I will risk my life to find a solution!”
In response to the earnest petitions of his subjects, Emperor Seondeok took a step back.
“Then I’ll just trust the gentlemen.”
* * *
As Emperor Seondeok disappeared into the palace, supported by eunuchs, the cabinet secretaries and ministers began to devise countermeasures in earnest.
“Sick record.”
“Speak.”
“How long will it be possible to mobilize the additional 3 million troops that His Majesty ordered last time?”
To the Cabinet Secretary’s question, the Minister of Invalids answered with a gloomy face.
“It’s impossible.”
The assistant cabinet secretary asked urgently with a white face.
“Why is it impossible!”
The Cabinet Secretary, who was asking the reason, remembered the previous war of words between Emperor Seondeok and the Minister of Invalidity and looked as if he could not believe it.
“no way! “Are you fooling the sky?”
In response to the Cabinet Secretary’s question, the Minister of Military Affairs shook his head with a gloomy face.
“I would never do such a disloyal thing.”
“Then why?”
After seeing the Cabinet Secretary asking for the reason, the Minister of Invalids asked back with a still gloomy face.
“Do you think creating soldiers is something that can be done overnight?”
“We’ve already prepared everything, starting with the military register, so what’s the problem?”
“Don’t you think about the time it takes to recruit those on the military list and the time it takes to train them?”
“Aren’t we just training ordinary soldiers?”
“Do you think that if I hand over Eomsim-gap and a helmet spear, it will be the end? Shouldn’t we at least teach them how to move in accordance with the commands? “That alone will take at least a month.”
Hearing the words of the sick man, the Assistant Cabinet Secretary turned to the left and right governors. To the silent question posed by the Assistant Cabinet Secretary, the provincial governors responded by silently nodding their heads.
After confirming that what the sick report said was correct, the Cabinet Secretary let out a long sigh.
“Whoa~. “This is how it is…”
Whether he knew the thoughts of the assistant cabinet secretary or not, the sick report pointed out the bitter reality.
“If I had known that King Dong would do such a reckless thing and that Joseon’s military power was stronger than expected, I would have prepared in advance. If we had moved at least three months earlier… Then, even if the 500 that His Majesty mentioned was impossible, at least 2 million would have been possible. Of course, you can barely move according to commands.”
“Ah…”
The cabinet secretary placed his hand on his forehead in response to the illness inspector’s comment. The assistant cabinet secretary, who had been thinking for a while with his hand on his forehead, asked the sick inspector again.
“In the end, we have to solve this crisis with the 3 million we have now?”
“2.75 million. Have you forgotten that our navy was destroyed in the Battle of the Yellow Sea not long ago? And this time, the Cheongju military port was attacked by the Japanese.”
“Oh my…”
In response to the illness inspector’s comment, the cabinet secretary placed his hand on his forehead again.
Looking at the cabinet report, the sick report revealed the cold reality.
“This is the current situation. The loss of the navy alone is estimated at 20,000 due to the last Battle of the Yellow Sea and the recent Japanese pirate attack. The remaining naval force is 150,000, which is not enough to even defend the coast of the Gangnam area. Then, all that is left is 2.6 million troops defending various castles and border areas. The problem is those northern moons. “They also have ears, so they won’t sit still, and since we have to defend them, we can’t remove the troops from that direction.”
“Then do we need to bring up the southern troops?”
“It is the best, but it is not easy. “This is because the two biggest problems arose because of the point where the Japanese pirates invaded.”
The sick person who had spoken up to that point looked at the provincial governors on the left and right.
“The governors will know that well.”
“greatness!”
“Keuhum!”
When the sick inspector suddenly mentioned them, the provincial governors cleared their throats with an uncomfortable look on their faces. The assistant cabinet secretary opened his mouth in response to the provincial governors’ reaction.
“What are the two biggest problems?”
The left governor opened his mouth in response to the Cabinet Secretary’s question.
“Traditionally, Japanese pirates mainly plundered in the Gangnam area. But this time we came to the central region. The problem is that we don’t know whether the Japanese pirates who came this time will plunder only the central region or whether they will plunder Gangnam again like before. “If you think about that, we can’t bring in all the troops in Gangnam.”
“I understand. “Then what about the other problems?”
“Since we do not have enough troops, the 3 million reinforcements to Liaodong that His Majesty ordered is impossible.”
“Oh my… I’m in the middle of a mountain.”
After hearing the Left Governor’s explanation, the Assistant Cabinet Secretary placed his hand on his forehead again.
The Cabinet Secretary, who was suffering with his hand on his forehead, screamed without realizing it.
“Dongwang! “Why did this brave great man do something for which he cannot be held accountable and create this situation?”
The cabinet secretary who shouted loudly looked around in shock, but no one was criticizing him. Even the eunuchs belonging to the same class seemed to agree.
To be honest, the words that Na Subo spoke just now were words that represented everyone’s feelings.
It wasn’t a problem because he wasn’t criticizing the emperor, but rather criticizing Ju Ji-jin, who had been expelled due to lack of qualifications.
till now.
* * *
After pouring out what he had been holding inside, the assistant cabinet secretary continued the meeting with a much lighter expression.
“Then let’s start by adjusting the order of things first.”
The Cabinet Secretariat summarized the future tasks one by one.
-First of all, the dispute with Joseon that took place in Liaodong.
The 800,000 troops already decided to be sent will be sent as is. However, since we know that Joseon’s military power is stronger than expected, avoid unnecessary battles.
A full-scale battle with Joseon will take place after reinforcements are made.
-The number of troops stationed in the Gangnam area will be raised to 300,000 out of approximately 800,000. With these 300,000 troops, the Japanese pirates who invaded the central region were repelled.
-After clearing out the Japanese pirates, large-scale conscription is carried out nationwide. Gather at least 3 million people and attack Liaodong and Joseon.
“I hope it goes on like this, but what do you think?”
In response to the Cabinet Secretary’s question, the Minister of Health and the right and left governors all nodded.
“I think it’s most appropriate.”
“I think it’s the best answer for this situation.”
“Then let’s report it to His Majesty like this. Phew~.”
The head of the cabinet, who had completed the measures to be submitted to Emperor Seondeok, let out a long sigh.
“It is fortunate that the crown prince is in Nanjing. “I can move quickly.”
The Minister of Health and the Provincial Governors also nodded at the words of the Assistant Cabinet Secretary.
* * *
Joo Ki-ok, who succeeded Joo Ki-jin as crown prince, was receiving princely training in Nanjing.
This was not simply learning about kings. In Nanjing, a court almost identical to the court in Beijing was established. The crown prince was to learn how to run the country through this adjustment.
This was not a simple exercise. It was a way to efficiently manage the vast territory of the Ming Dynasty in a situation where transportation and communication were poor.
* * *
“This is urgent news!”
When the ministers, who thought they had just passed a critical juncture, were taking a moment to catch their breath, a young general rushed in with an urgent look on his face and shouted.
“What’s going on?”
In response to Governor Wu’s question, the general held out a general and shouted.
“This is Jang-gye from Deokju! Jinan has been attacked!”
Clink!
At the general’s shout, the byeongsangseo unknowingly let go of the teacup he was holding in his hand.
Governor Wu, who quickly received the general order, read its contents and looked at the others with a bewildered look on his face.
“The canal has been cut off…”
At Governor Wu’s words, all the other ministers looked devastated. In particular, the sick person muttered with a completely dejected expression on his face.
“Are you saying it was a letter of disqualification for speaking to the east?…”
At the words of the sick report, the provincial governors on both the left and right made similar faces and nodded.
The assistant cabinet secretary, who heard the sick report and the governors’ words, looked in disbelief.
“Are you saying that Joseon is behind the raid by Japanese pirates?”
“That’s right. Indeed… now the anglerfish is finally coming into its own. “You’re right.”
The left governor, who was mumbling to himself, looked at the others.
“Now I understand why the Japanese invaded the central region. Joseon is now trying to cut off our backs.”
To the words of the left governor, the Minister of Injury added in a somber voice.
“I’m not trying to quit, but I’ve already quit more than half of it.”
No sooner had the sick-injury letter finished speaking than the head of the cabinet shouted.
“Why did it get to this point and there was no report!”
“He probably didn’t have the presence of mind to report because of the Japanese pirates’ attack….”
That was exactly what the medical certificate said.
The Ming army that engaged the Joseon and Ouchi fleets sailing up the Yellow River was destroyed to the point where they could not even afford to send generals, and their garrisons were also reduced to rubble by the Ouchi soldiers.
And in the areas where the main force of the Japanese landed, it was difficult to even understand the damage suffered by the Japanese.
* * *
The first thing that came to my senses in this bewildering situation was the sick doctor.
“In the end, we had to review it again from the beginning. First, let’s think of a way to send a messenger to Nanjing.”
The officials, who came to their senses after hearing the sick and ill official’s words, put their heads together again.
“The situation is like this, so let’s change the order of things.”
The first person to make a proposal was Ye Yebusangseo.
“How can you change the order of things?”
“We must gather all the troops that can move right now and send them to Liaodong to attack Joseon.”
The assistant cabinet secretary screamed at Ye Bu Sang-seo’s words.
“You are crazy! “There are already reasons why it shouldn’t be done!”
“I’m not crazy. But it is true that it is a story that will blow my head off.”
“Why on earth… Phew!”
The Cabinet Secretary sighed and continued.
“Let’s hear the reason.”
Ye Bu Sang-seo took a moment to catch his breath and began to speak.
“The biggest reason is that His Majesty is in very critical condition right now. If your Majesty were to die, how would you bring the crown prince from Nanjing? Are you confident that if the sky over Beijing empties, there will be no one seeking to take its place?”
“….”
Ye Busangseo continued while no one could easily open his mouth to Ye Busangseo’s point.
“The fastest way for you to get to Beijing is by sea. But now the sea is in Joseon’s hands. In that case, we will eventually have to negotiate, but as things stand now, we have no choice but to be dragged around by Joseon. But if we win in Liaodong, we can see eye to eye with each other.”