Black Corporation: Joseon
Chapter 173

Upon seeing Sejong’s favorable reaction, Hyang opened his mouth once more.

“Your Majesty, I have another request to make.”

‘When opportunity knocks, row your boat!’ he thought.

As soon as the word ‘request’ popped out, Sejong replied in a stern voice.

“Another? If it’s about the budget for Area 51, there isn’t any.”

“It’s not about Area 51. It’s for the defense of our Joseon.”

Sejong, who had been tense in anticipation of another budget-related request, slightly relaxed upon hearing Hyang’s words.

“Let’s hear it.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Eunuch, go to the Eastern Palace and bring the ‘fortification model.'”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Following Hyang’s order, the eunuch hurried out of the Geunjeongjeon Hall.

The ministers, especially those from the Ministry of Taxation, Ministry of Personnel, and Ministry of Public Works, swallowed dryly and prayed inwardly.

‘Please! Anything but a budget-heavy project!’

‘Something with minimal personnel!’

‘The best would be for His Majesty to refuse it!’

A moment later, four eunuchs entered, groaning under the weight of a large board covered with a cloth. The ministers closed their eyes tightly, alarmed by its sheer size.

‘It’s doomed! We’re doomed!’

‘Look at the size of that! I can already hear us groaning!’

‘I won’t look! I refuse to look!’

Sejong looked at the model placed on the large conference table brought in by other eunuchs.

“It’s quite large, isn’t it? What is it?”

“In making the terrain model, it became somewhat large. The actual thing isn’t as big.”

The ministers, who had their eyes tightly shut and weren’t even looking, cautiously opened their eyes upon hearing the conversation between Sejong and Hyang – particularly Hyang’s words ‘It isn’t as big.’

“Remove the cloth.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

As the eunuch removed the cloth, a mock terrain made of plaster and weeds was revealed.

At the center of the terrain was a slightly elevated hill.

Hyang began his explanation, holding a pointer.

“Upon examining the geography, our Joseon’s land features an east-high-west-low terrain. Hence, looking at the records of invasions since the ancient Three Han period, the western plains have been the main route of attack.”

“That’s true.”

“However, even in this western plain, the traffic routes are limited, and one must inevitably pass through hills and valleys.”

“That’s also true.”

Sejong nodded thoughtfully in response to Hyang’s words. Even as he earnestly answered her questions, Sejong couldn’t hide his curiosity.

‘Why is he so diligently discussing facts that we all know?’

Whether Hyang knew what Sejong was thinking or not, he continued his explanation with enthusiasm.

“Stationing defense forces at all these strategic points would be a waste. In fact, with Joseon’s military budget, it’s impossible.”

“I’m well aware of that.”

“Therefore…”

Hyang pointed to the wooden model placed on the hilltop.

“Therefore, I propose installing rockfall barriers at these strategic points.”

Sejong began to show great interest in Hyang’s explanation.

“Rockfall barriers?”

“Put simply, it’s like causing a landslide with human intervention.”

What Hyang was proposing was akin to the anti-tank rockfall barriers that could still be seen in the northern areas of Seoul in the 21st century.

‘In the 21st century, these might be considered somewhat outdated, but their effectiveness now would be tremendous!’

Sejong, descending from his throne, examined the model Hyang had created in detail. The ministers also gathered around Sejong and scrutinized the models closely.

“Hmm… So, these pillars hold it up, and then we place these square structures on top of them, is that right?”

“That’s correct. Just like this.”

When Hyang tapped the support holding the rocks with a pointer, the square wooden pieces on it came tumbling down.

“O-ho~?”

Seeing the wooden pieces blocking the road, Sejong let out a small exclamation of admiration and his eyes lit up. Hyang continued, pointing to the wooden pieces.

“Although we used wood for this model, in actual construction, we would use iron-reinforced stones.”

“If we’re using iron-reinforced stones, the weight will be considerable. The supports must be very strong.”

The Minister of Public Works interjected into Hyang’s explanation, to which she nodded.

“That’s right. Therefore, the supports will also be made of iron-reinforced stones.”

Responding to Hyang, the Minister of Public Works raised a concern.

“With the strength I know iron-reinforced stones to have, their sturdiness is incomparable. If we use them for the supports, wouldn’t it take a long time to trigger the rockfall?”

The ministers all nodded in agreement with the Minister of Public Works’ point. After a brief pause, he continued.

“It’s intended to block the enemy’s advance, but if mishandled, it could hinder our own troops’ retreat or miss the timing and allow the enemy to advance. Wouldn’t that reduce its effectiveness?”

“That’s a valid point.”

Hyang did not argue but simply nodded in agreement to the Minister of Public Works’ remark. Surprised by Hyang’s unusual response, the Minister of Public Works momentarily wore an expression of doubt.

Leaving the Minister of Public Works’ reaction behind, Hyang continued to explain to Sejong and the other ministers.

“Of course, relying purely on manpower or mechanical force would consume a significant amount of time. In the urgent context of a battlefield, this can be extremely dangerous. Therefore, in situations where we need to block roads with rockfalls, we use gunpowder.”

“Gunpowder? Gunpowder…”

As Sejong looked skeptical, Hyang picked up a model that he had set aside.

“This is a scaled-down model of the support. As you can see, we’ve pre-drilled holes of appropriate size in the middle of the pillars. If necessary, we place gunpowder in these holes and detonate it.”

“Is this to scale?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Sejong, assessing the size of the holes drilled in the pillar, turned to Hyang.

“Is the amount of gunpowder that fits into these holes sufficient to bring it down?”

“Yes. We’ve tested it.”

“Hmm…”

Sejong closed his mouth upon hearing Hyang’s reply that he had already tested it. He wanted to ask ‘when?’ but it wasn’t necessary, considering the reputation of Area 51.

‘Area 51 is known for its work; if there’s no sound of gunpowder exploding, that’s when there’s a big problem.’ It was the place where various devices were tested daily, along with gunpowder, cannons, and firearms.

As Sejong was inspecting the rockfall barrier model, he turned to Kim Jeom.

“You, as the Minister of Taxation, probably have the most to say. Please, speak first.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Kim Jeom, who had been impatiently waiting in the background, immediately started to question Hyang as soon as Sejong gave him the opportunity.

“I understand what the Crown Prince has stated and its effectiveness. However, the issue is the cost. Though it’s called a rockfall barrier, it’s still a structure. Structures require continuous maintenance. Considering that, wouldn’t the cost outweigh the benefits?”

Hyang nodded in agreement with Kim Jeom’s words.

“That’s true. However, such rockfall barriers don’t have elements like doors or windows, so they don’t require a lot of time and money to build. As for maintenance, only structural issues like cracks need to be managed.”

“Well, if that’s the case…”

Satisfied with Hyang’s clear explanation, Kim Jeom stepped back, rethinking his position.

Several other ministers took turns asking questions, but Hyang had no difficulty answering them.

Finally, Sejong posed the last question.

“So… Crown Prince, your explanation makes it seem effective in hindering the enemy’s movement. But wouldn’t it also obstruct us if we were pursuing the enemy?”

“If we prepare enough horses and cattle in advance, it won’t be an issue.”

“But wouldn’t the enemy do the same?”

At Sejong’s question, Hyang once again explained the purpose of installing these barriers.

“The purpose of this rockfall is not to completely block the enemy, but to delay their advance momentarily, allowing our forces to reorganize. Whether the enemy clears the rockfall, crosses over it, or finds a detour, they will waste time. This time can be used for our troops to regroup, reducing our own casualties in the process.”

“To ‘reduce our own casualties’…”

Sejong pondered Hyang’s words.

Sejong was not ignorant of military strategy. According to military tactics, an army suffers the most casualties when retreating under enemy attack.

‘Unstoppable momentum, overwhelming victory’ was a phrase pleasant to the ears of the attackers, but utterly dreaded by those on the receiving end. Therefore, in such cases, it was common to organize units to hold back the enemy, even at the cost of high casualties.

‘However, with the equipment the Crown Prince mentioned, we can hold back the enemy while reducing our losses. But the problem is…’

After organizing his thoughts, Sejong posed a final question to Hyang.

“All this is well and good, but I’m not pleased with the assumption that we’re allowing an enemy invasion. Is our Joseon army so weak?”

At Sejong’s question, Jo Mal-saeng responded loudly.

“Absolutely not! Our Joseon army would never permit an invasion by foreign enemies! I, Jo Mal-saeng, swear it on my life!”

Hearing the military commander’s response, Sejong turned to Hyang.

“What do you say to that?”

Hyang calmly replied.

“The words of the military commander are correct. The primary objective of our Joseon army is to defend the homeland and ensure the safety and peace of Your Majesty and the people. Hence, they are vigorously training and vigilantly guarding against enemies on the border. This is beyond doubt.”

As Hyang spoke, Jo Mal-saeng and the other military generals nodded vigorously. Glancing at them, Hyang continued.

“However, it is said, ‘Better safe than sorry.’ Preparing for ‘the worst-case scenario’ allows us to establish more effective measures. This is not a matter of pride, but of survival.”

“Not pride, but survival…”

Sejong, mulling over Hyang’s words again, let out a long sigh.

“Sigh… Lord Kim, Minister of Public Works, and Minister of Personnel.”

At Sejong’s call, the ministers, starting with Kim Jeom, bowed their heads.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You all will need to put in some extra effort. And to the rest of fellow ministers, please review the matter and coordinate with other departments as necessary.”

“We will heed your command.”

The ministers bowed and replied.

‘Another task added to the pile…’

‘It’s a regrettable necessity with no grounds for objection.’

* * *

Back in the court, Sejong turned to Jo Mal-saeng.

“Is this the end of the military issues?”

“No, it is not.”

At Jo Mal-saeng’s response, Kim Jeom asked with a trembling voice.

“Is there more?”

Responding to Kim Jeom’s water-laden question, Jo Mal-saeng replied softly.

“My apologies.”

“What is the issue, military commander? Speak.”

At Sejong’s command, Jo Mal-saeng brought up his concern.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Though it may seem disloyal to mention, during the recent suppression of the rebels, the Crown Prince used a new type of musket. Both the Royal Guard and the Inner Palace Guard praised its performance, suggesting we mass-produce and deploy these muskets to the Joseon army.”

“Ah? A new type of musket? Now that I think about it…”

Sejong, recalling the past event, turned to Hyang. He remembered that at that time, the Crown Prince had a musket he had never seen before. He hadn’t seen it properly, but it definitely wasn’t the standard matchlock musket.

‘But, the Crown Prince hid it immediately after the situation was resolved, didn’t he?’

Sejong, piecing together his memories, glared at Hyang.

“I remember that too. Crown Prince, you indeed used a new musket then. Explain what that was about.”

At Sejong’s words, Hyang glared at Jo Mal-saeng.

‘Ah, this old man! Why must he speak so much!’

Cursing Jo Mal-saeng inwardly, Hyang explained to Sejong.

“Yes, I did use a new musket. However, that musket was experimental and has many issues that prevent its mass deployment in the Joseon army.”