Black Corporation: Joseon
Chapter 157

“A throwing bomb?”

“Yes. It’s like a smaller version of the secret military explosives that can be used by regular soldiers.”

“Hmm…”

As the Inner Palace Guard Captain inspected the throwing bomb, Hyang gestured to a soldier standing nearby.

“Let me show you how to use it.”

“Yes.”

The soldier approached, and Hyang opened the bottom cap of the bomb by twisting it. The lower part of the opened pouch was sealed with paper, bulging out in the middle.

“This bulging part contains a detonator. The wick inside the pouch connects to the explosive head on top.”

After explaining the key parts, Hyang handed the bomb to the soldier.

“Throw! Throw! Throw!”

The soldier, after receiving the bomb, shouted warnings in all directions, then struck the bulging part of the bomb against a protective wall and hurled it far away, quickly ducking behind the wall. Hyang and the Inner Palace Guard Captain also ducked for cover.

Boom!

Soon after, a loud explosion occurred. As the bomb detonated successfully, Hyang stood up and turned to the Inner Palace Guard Captain.

“What do you think?”

After inspecting the explosion site, the captain stroked his beard and said,

“It’s similar to a traditional firecracker.”

“It’s more convenient than that. There’s no need to carry a flame to ignite it.”

“I see…”

Nodding, the Inner Palace Guard Captain turned to Hyang.

“How much stock do we have now?”

Following the captain’s decision, a large quantity of throwing bombs was discreetly distributed into Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Meanwhile, as the situation grew increasingly serious, Hyang called the Inner Palace Guard Captain to inquire,

“Is there a plan in place for the Queen’s evacuation?”

“Not yet…”

“What about an emergency evacuation plan for the Central Palace where the Queen resides?”

“Not yet…”

At the captain’s response, Hyang sighed softly.

“Ah…”

“Every time a coup occurred, the king was captured because he couldn’t escape. There was a reason for that.”

Seeing the Inner Palace Guard Captain’s face, unable to hide his remorse, Hyang calmly took out a piece of paper.

“Let’s prepare.”

While devising the emergency evacuation plan, Hyang gathered the Crown Princess, the concubines, and a very few trusted eunuchs, explaining the escape plan to them.

“Remember this well. If an emergency arises, act according to this plan.”

As Hyang finished speaking, the Crown Princess asked him,

“Will Your Highness not be joining us?”

To the Crown Princess’s question, Hyang replied firmly,

“I must stay and suppress the enemy.”

The Crown Princess bit her lip at Hyang’s response and made a shocking statement.

“Then I will stay as well.”

“Crown Princess! It’s dangerous!”

“If something happens to Your Highness, living would be meaningless. Whether I live or die, I will be with Your Highness!”

At the Crown Princess’s words, Yangje and Yangwon also stepped forward.

[TL/N: Yangje and Yangwon is Hyang’s second and third consorts]

“I too will stay!”

“I as well…”

Faced with the declarations of the Crown Princess, Yangje, and Yangwon, Hyang looked troubled.

“Ah…”

Yet, Hyang didn’t stop trying to persuade them.

“If a conflict breaks out, it will be dangerous.”

The Crown Princess smiled and responded,

“Have you forgotten? My skills with the firearm are better than yours, Your Highness.”

“Ah…”

Hyang was left speechless.

***

On the first night, trying to break the ice, Hyang discussed firearms with the Crown Princess, leading to a conversation about gunnery.

Intrigued by the Crown Princess’s confidence in archery, Hyang taught her how to shoot with both the shoulder-fired and horseback muskets.

And the result was…

‘Folks, we have a sniper here!’

Hyang was astounded to witness the Crown Princess, using the horseback musket — notorious for its reduced accuracy at 30 paces (about 36 meters) — accurately hit a target at 50 paces (about 60 meters).

“How do you feel about shooting the musket?”

“Better than archery!”

The Crown Princess replied with a flushed face.

Becoming fond of shooting, the Crown Princess regularly visited the shooting range with Yangje and Yangwon, turning it into a daily routine.

Naturally, frequent practice led to valuable feedback.

“Your Highness, I have something to suggest…”

The Crown Princess hesitantly started, and Hyang, smiling, encouraged her to speak.

“What is it?”

Responding to Hyang’s question, the Crown Princess broached the main topic.

“Shooting the musket often, I’ve noticed a few issues…”

Hyang’s face grew serious.

“Problems? Is it serious enough to call a physician?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just… when shooting the horseback musket, I thought it might be better if there was something to support it…”

“Something to support it? Go on.”

Encouraged by Hyang’s interest instead of criticism, the Crown Princess confidently explained.

“It would be helpful to have something to rest the musket on the shoulder, like with the long musket.”

“Hmm?”

Hyang’s mind raced with images of 21st-century firearms with buttstocks he had seen online.

‘A revolver with a buttstock?’

Pondering whether it would fit, Hyang recalled a similar firearm from a Western movie and nodded.

‘That could work.’

“I understand. I’ll give it some thought.”

“And the longer the musket, the farther it can accurately shoot, so it would be great if its length could be extended.”

“I’ll consider that as well.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Then… let’s continue!”

“Aha!”

Their honeymoon was ablaze with excitement.

***

Not long after, Hyang created a custom musket as the Crown Princess had desired. It had a detachable buttstock and an extended barrel. Seeing the custom musket, Hyang chuckled.

“In the world… I must be the only guy who made a custom pistol for his wife.”

Then, taking the newly created custom pistol to the shooting range with the Crown Princess, Hyang was astounded.

The Crown Princess turned a target 80 paces (about 96 meters) away into a honeycomb.

As a postscript, when the military saw the newly improved musket, they begged Hyang for it.

“Please supply the army with this musket!”

“Why?”

“It’s the perfect weapon for cavalry! The horseback musket is useful in close combat but has a short effective range. The long musket is good for one shot, then it’s just a club!”

“Ah…”

Eventually, Hyang’s custom pistol was supplied to the cavalry as ‘long-range muskets’.

When the artisans received the design of the long-range muskets, they were puzzled by the Western characters written at the top of the diagram.

“What does this say?”

“I don’t know. Another whim of His Highness, I guess.”

At the very top of the diagram, next to ‘long-range muskets’, it was written in English:

-Queen’s custom

***

When the Crown Princess talked about her shooting skills, Hyang had no choice but to keep quiet.

“Then perhaps others…”

“I am the same.”

“I can hold my own in musket shooting as well.”

“Ahem…”

At the declarations of Yangwon and Yangje, Hyang could only smack his lips in resignation.

As the Crown Princess and Hyang grew closer through musket shooting, Yangje and Yangwon also devoted themselves to improving their shooting skills. Their proficiency soon surpassed that of the royal guards, and Hyang had to make custom pistols for them too, for domestic peace.

This led to some unintended consequences for Sejong.

From the Queen to the concubines, they subtly prodded Sejong.

When Sejong noticed the unusual reactions from the Queen and the concubines, he investigated the cause. Discovering it was due to Hyang’s gifts to his family, Sejong muttered,

“Do I have to make cannons as gifts now?”

The eunuch shook his head.

“Surely not?”

‘If he does, he’ll be firing cannons from the Central Palace to the Kangnyeongjeon.’

Ultimately, Sejong had to empty his pockets.

***

As the ‘Tax Reform’ was announced, the local leaders, especially those in the Samnam region, felt compelled to make a decisive stand.

“We’re at a dead end now! We have no choice but to rise up!”

While the number of nobles advocating for an uprising increased, there were also many who advised against it.

“Calm down! That’s rebellion! Better to submit a petition instead!”

“How many times have we submitted petitions, and what was the response? It was like reading scriptures to a cow! Now, the only solution is to use force!”

“But an uprising is nothing but treason!”

Despite the fierce debate over the use of force, there was one thing everyone agreed on.

“If we remain passive, it’s the end for us!”

“But we need a just cause! We need a reason!”

While those determined to rise were pondering over a plausible cause, a few came up with a suitable one.

“Purging treacherous officials seems a good cause!”

“Purging treacherous officials?”

“It’s because of these treacherous officials that the king is blind and deaf to our plight! We must eliminate them and enlighten the king’s vision and hearing!”

“Exactly!”

“Correct!”

“Purge the treacherous officials! Purge the treacherous officials!”

Those united in the cause of ‘purging treacherous officials’ began gathering like-minded individuals.

As influential figures joined, the discussions took a more serious turn.

“The issue of military force…”

“Each household has its own private soldiers, right? Let’s mobilize them.”

With the frequent incursions of Japanese pirates, the southern local leaders had been maintaining private soldiers under the pretext of ‘defending against pirates.’

However, some nobles, claiming to be knowledgeable in military tactics, pointed out another issue.

“Private soldiers alone aren’t enough. We need more numbers.”

“That can be solved by mobilizing the serfs.”

“The serfs?”

Hearing the suggestion of ‘mobilizing the serfs,’ the nobles pondered and then nodded in agreement.

“That’s a good idea. Just hint at ‘exemption from serfdom,’ and they’ll fight fiercely.”

“The issue of arms…”

“Even spears would suffice for the serfs.”

“Hmm…”

After further discussion, the local leaders who had somewhat formulated a plan came together to resolve the last remaining issue.

“When would be the best time to mobilize forces?”

“Neither too hot nor after the harvest. Winter comes right after the harvest.”

After much heated debate, the chosen date for mobilization was ‘three days after the Mid-Autumn Festival.’

“The Mid-Autumn Festival is when everyone from the family gathers, so we can rally more support.”

“And it avoids the impiety of missing the Mid-Autumn Festival sacrifices.”

“Let’s pray for the success of our cause to our ancestors and the deities through the festival.”

“Agreed!”

However, with many people gathering, word inevitably leaked out, and several local officials who obtained intelligence reported it to Hanyang.

A few days later, the local officials who had sent the intelligence reports were discreetly visited by the Golden Army.

“This is a secret response from His Majesty.”

The local official, filled with suspicion, scrutinized the Golden Army envoy.

“Without any notice? And why this attire?”

Usually, in formal circumstances, a fully dressed military officer or official would come, publicly read or deliver documents in front of everyone. However, the person in front of him was wearing a plain robe, claiming to have been sent from Hanyang.

To the official’s question, the Golden Army soldier looked around cautiously and whispered.

“It’s confidential. Please accept this secret response.”

“Ah…”

Upon hearing this, the official broke the seal of the letter and bowed deeply after placing it down.

The letter, stamped with Sejong’s seal, was written in Sejong’s own handwriting.

The official read the content of the letter with trembling hands.

“To thoroughly suppress the actions of the rebellious, avoid rash actions. In case of an incident, ensure the transfer of the family registry and land registry to a safe location.”

After confirming the content, the official looked at the Golden Army soldier.

“I have understood.”

“Then, please return the letter.”

“Why?”

“It’s a royal command.”

“Ah…”

Without further question, the official returned the letter. The Golden Army soldier immediately burned the letter upon receiving it. The official’s body stiffened at the sight.

“What! That precious document! It’s His Majesty’s own handwriting!”

“It’s a royal command.”

“Dammit…”

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