Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 903

Episode 903: The Imperial March (6)

With the arrival of the first group of Swiss mercenaries under contract with the Empire, the military barracks on the outskirts of Florence were crowded with people.

“I can’t even get you to sleep properly at this rate!”

“Sleep is not the problem! I can’t even feed him properly! “Even cows must be cooked properly before they are put to work!”

“cancer! cancer! “You have to eat well and eat well to do your part!”

As an empire that was a country of ‘food, clothing, and shelter’ rather than ‘food, clothing, and shelter’, the imperial army mobilized a large number of manpower to expand the barracks and restaurants in the camp.

Of course, in order to save time and cost, most of the manpower was new mercenaries from Switzerland.

The new mercenaries looked tearful as they moved around carrying materials.

“This is not why I became a mercenary…” Although

there were many relatives or hometown people who went out as mercenaries and returned crippled or disabled, the new mercenaries still harbored illusions.

-Becoming a hero on the battlefield, receiving praise from people and being courted by beautiful women.

Of course, in reality, he was treated as a villain or a thief, and instead of a beautiful woman, he was flirted with by a cheap bar farmer.

“This is training too! “You have to quickly build camps and forts on the front line to increase your win rate!”

“Yes yep!”

While construction was being carried out under harsh criticism from imperial army instructors and senior Swiss mercenaries, officers of the Florentine army were chatting and watching the scene from the side.

“I don’t understand why you would expand the restaurant before the training facility.”

“Isn’t it like the ‘land of flowers’? “That is the ‘land of flowers.’”

“That’s true, but…”

“Why didn’t you hear that rumor? ‘If you want to see when the Army of the Flower Country is at its most energetic and ready to fight, aim for mealtime and start a fight.’”

“There are rumors like that….”

* * *

The process by which the Imperial Army instructors train the Florentine army. The first thing to be checked and supplemented was the lodging facility – the restaurant, to be exact.

As a country with food, clothing and shelter, there were things that people were concerned about eating, but there were also more practical issues.

“According to what we have observed, too many outsiders are coming in every time the soldiers eat.”

“There is no choice if the soldiers have to find food.”

“That’s the problem.”

As the imperial army instructors pointed out, the Florentine army’s camp was crowded with outsiders during meal times.

This was because the soldiers’ families and merchants flocked to give or sell food to the soldiers. There were even women who came in to sell their bodies to the soldiers under the pretext of drinking.

Unlike the imperial army instructors who found this a problem, the Florentine army officers did not consider this a big problem, which was a cultural difference.

They began organizing a standing army, but until then, the troops that protected the city were mercenaries. Because of this, the mercenary culture remained intact.

“I don’t know if we fight with spears and swords like before, but this place is overflowing with all kinds of classified equipment, including guns and artillery. But you’re bringing in outsiders? “That’s nonsense!”

It was precisely because of this problem that the Imperial Army was serious about building a restaurant.

Initially, a significant number of Florentine officers and soldiers rebelled.

“Isn’t it enough to just fight well in battle? Why are you even interfering with this! charge!”

“There are no idiots who leak confidential information! Training is training and practice is practice!

However, the imperial army soon silenced such opposition.

This was done through random inspections, internal roll calls, and an insanely meticulous inventory survey.

Using this meticulousness, they caught those who leaked a significant number of Florence long guns. Among them, there were even those who attempted to steal a military boxcar, one of the empire’s confidential equipment.

Through an intensive investigation, the imperial army discovered the organizations trying to steal the weapons and arrested the soldiers and officers who had handed over the weapons to them in exchange for bribes, and immediately reported this to the ambassadors.

“Are you saying we are going too far when there are so many people who have tried to sell off guns and classified equipment for a few pennies?”

“….”

Lorenzo and Giovanni’s faces turned red from embarrassment at Shin Sook-ju’s reprimand.

In the end, the arrested soldiers and officers, as well as the thieves who tried to bribe them and run their business, were all beheaded.

“Please have mercy….”

“Father, for my soul….”

“Hey, let’s decide who goes up first. “Roll the dice.”

“okay. “You’re going to die anyway.”

Some begged Lorenzo and Giovanni for mercy or asked the priest to help them go to heaven. However, some who did not feel remorse gambled with dice to determine the order in which they would be executed.

After the purge, the number of outsiders coming in and out of the Florentine military camp stopped.

The only time the Florentines could fly with outsiders was when they went out on the weekends.

“I understand because something happened, but….”

“They are such toxic people.”

The Florentine army and citizens of Florence clicked their tongues and said this whenever they saw the imperial army.

The imperial soldiers who heard the story later smiled bitterly and muttered.

“It wasn’t like that for us from the beginning.”

* * *

The imperial army did not completely ban outsiders from entering the camp from the beginning.

Even during the Joseon Dynasty, people often served as military commanders and local governors simultaneously.

Therefore, it was common for there to be gisaengs around military commanders, or for commanders and gisaengs to gather together and hold a party after training. Since the commanders were like this, it was common for outsiders to come and go in the barracks and sell goods or engage in prostitution.

However, as King Sejong proceeded with the Gyeongjang, all these practices disappeared.

This was also a joint product between Sejong and Hyang.

“What do the commanders think of training? Do you think he went out hunting or on an excursion? “Why are you accompanied by gisaengs?”

In response to King Sejong’s reprimand, the military generals at the time bowed their heads and made excuses.

“I apologize! But this is a tradition that has been passed down for a long time….”

“It’s probably not a tradition, it’s a bad custom! “How can there be properly disciplined soldiers when the general commanding the soldiers is drunk and drunk?”

According to King Sejong’s decision, gisaengs and ordinary people were prohibited from entering the barracks.

However, sometimes it was ‘tradition’ that had a stronger power than the famous names.

Even though King Sejong gave this order, there were still commanders who took gisaeng with them.

And here, Hyang dug a trap.

They secretly stole or copied one or two confidential military documents through gisaengs associated with or recruited by the Military Intelligence Committee.

And the things taken out in this way were delivered to Hyang as is, and Hyang passed them on to Sejong.

“I’m sorry to tell you, but there are many things I haven’t come to my senses about yet.”

Sejong was on fire after checking the confidential and related documents in his hand.

“Have you seen these killers! Are they people who think that the name of a fish is less important than a dog’s dick! Hello! “Call Uigeumbu Manufacturing right away!”

As a result, a harsh wind of purge swept through the county. Military officials and local leaders who violated the commandments were removed from their official positions and had to be imprisoned in the Record Office. And that too indefinitely.

With this purge and the subsequent separation of military and administrative organizations, this practice disappeared.

As a side note, King Sejong’s comment that he was a “dog’s dick” was also recorded in the Annals. However, according to historical records, it was a much more direct swear word than that, and the officials and scholars of the time desperately tried to purify it.

* * *

Once the expansion of the camp was completed, training for new mercenaries began.

Senior Swiss mercenaries who had already been treated well by the Imperial Army instructors became instructors and provided intensive training to the new recruits, while the Imperial Army instructors quietly said a word or two behind the scenes.

“That’s not how you do it…”

“The results were worse than expected…”

Every time these words were heard from behind, the Swiss instructors increased the intensity of the training.

The Imperial Army instructors did not stop at simply saying a word or two in passing.

At the end of each day’s work, the Imperial Army instructors summoned the Swiss instructors and evaluated the day’s training.

It was a time of mixed joy and sorrow for Swiss instructors.

Instructors who received good evaluations were more likely to receive a salary increase or rapid promotion, while those who received good evaluations were more likely to remain at the bottom.

“Aren’t we setting the bar too high?”

In response to the Swiss army commander’s question, the imperial army officers shook their heads with stern faces.

“If war breaks out, never think about a short war. It will take longer than expected and require more people than expected. In that case, it is important to have people who will properly teach the new recruits.”

In response to the Imperial Army officers’ answer, the Swiss Army officers asked again with serious faces.

“Are you sure it will be a long fight?”

“With considerable probability.”

The Swiss army officers had similar questions in response to the imperial army officers’ answers.

‘Right now, the combined forces of Florence, the Empire, and Switzerland are close to 100,000, so it’s going to be a long-term war? ‘There are no countries that can mobilize close to 100,000 people?’

* * *

A similar story was coming out of the ambassador’s office.

“The Italians believe there is little chance of a long-term war. “In fact, I think we think that our prediction that there is a high possibility of a long-term war was a misjudgment.”

Yu Eung-bu shook his head slightly at Shin Sook-ju’s words.

“I’m so worried that they don’t even think about the joint union. If they do something wrong, a situation could arise where our empire has to grab them by the collar and take over everything. “This is a big worry.”

Both the ambassadors and the Minister of Finance and Economy nodded at Yu Eung-bu’s words. As soon as Yu Eung-bu finished speaking, Seong Sam-moon sighed and continued.

“Whoa~. It’s not like there were no stories of joint alliances in their history…”

Shin Sook-ju raised a counterargument to those words.

“Isn’t it because the assassination of someone behind the scenes is more common than the death of a joint union?”

“Maybe…”

Shin Sook-ju asked the Minister of Finance and Economy as the conversation continued to worry about a business partner who did not think about the long-term game.

“When will Seoul send the imperial army? Even if you hire 100,000 Swiss mercenaries, you still need the Imperial Army. “Isn’t it possible to entrust the empire’s standards to mercenaries?”

Minister of Finance and Economy nodded to Shin Sook-joo’s question and answered.

“That is correct. The imperial army should also be here. There should be actual units, not instructors. That way, Europeans here won’t be able to misjudge it either.”

“So when are you coming? It’s not like Seoul doesn’t know about the situation here, right? “If you fail, the damage the empire will suffer will be enormous.”

“It will come soon. But I don’t know the exact date and time.”

“why?”

“Seoul thinks there are too many rats in Florence.”

“But wouldn’t you like to know when it’s coming so you can make some preparations here too?”

The Minister of Finance and Economy responded to Shin Sook-joo’s protest with a meaningful expression.

“Soon the imperial military band will arrive in Florence. And the imperial military band will arrive in Florence and play the imperial march within two months at the latest.”