Black Corporation: Joseon
Chapter 233

On his way back to Hanseong, Kim Jong-seo’s complaints were ceaseless.

“What kind of official’s life is like a floating weed? Going north, going south…”

Kim Jong-seo, grumbling like this, returned to Hanseong.

After arriving in Hanseong, Kim Jong-seo stopped by the Ministry of Rites as per the orders he received.

“Huh? Isn’t it Ji-bong?”

“Oh? Jeol-jae! Long time no see!”

Hwangbo In and Kim Jong-seo, who ran into each other at the Ministry of Rites, greeted each other with pleased faces.

As the two conversed with laughter, an official from the Ministry of Rites came out and guided them to a large room.

In the large room, those who would participate in the envoy group to Japan this time had gathered.

Shortly after, the Minister of Rites, who entered the room, asked the official who had entered first.

“Is everyone here?”

“Yes.”

“Good work.”

The Minister of Rites, after lightly complimenting him, opened his mouth as he looked at those gathered in the room.

“The reason I gathered you all here today is that we must soon send envoys to Japan.”

At the Minister of Rites’ opening remarks, one of those gathered asked a question.

“Are we going as a diplomatic mission?”

“Similar.”

“Pardon?”

Most of those in the room stared at the Minister of Rites’ face, filled with doubts.

“The task of going to Japan this time…”

***

After the Minister of Rites’ explanation ended, the faces of those leaving the room were unprecedentedly serious.

It was because the mission they heard through the Minister of Rites was unprecedentedly grave.

Kim Jong-seo was among those who came out with such serious expressions. Emerging with a deeply furrowed face, Kim Jong-seo spat out a curse.

“Damn it! Of course! With my luck…”

***

When he received the sudden order from Hwang Hui to go to Kyūshū, Kim Jong-seo had thought optimistically.

“While going to Kyūshū isn’t an easy task, it’s still better than just looking at documents here.”

‘I obviously don’t have what it takes to be the chief envoy, so at best, I might be the vice envoy. No, considering my career, I probably don’t have what it takes to be the vice envoy either. Then, I’ll be one of the officials in the envoy group? In that case, I’ll have plenty of free time… Is the old man letting me rest a bit?’

Having assessed the situation, Kim Jong-seo’s mood improved.

“I wonder what Japanese gisaeng houses look like? What would be good for my wife?”

Kim Jong-seo had a grateful heart toward Hwang Hui in his own way.

***

However, Kim Jong-seo’s optimistic hopes were ruthlessly shattered.

‘Succeed in negotiations with the Ōuchi clan, who controls the northeastern region of Kyūshū! The items to negotiate are…’

What Kim Jong-seo had to succeed in were the establishment of a trading post and joint silver mining.

‘Damn it! Just one of these could cost me my neck if things go wrong!’

As Kim Jong-seo was grumbling about being tasked with such a risky job, Hwangbo In walked up beside him.

“How about a drink?”

At Hwangbo In’s words, Kim Jong-seo nodded.

“All right! Let’s have a drink! On a day like this, we should drink! Which gisaeng house is famous these days?”

In response to Kim Jong-seo’s question, Hwangbo In suggested an unexpected place.

“Let’s have a drink at my house.”

“At your house? Why?”

“Isn’t it a safe place even if we can’t resist the alcohol and blabber?”

At Hwangbo In’s words, Kim Jong-seo clicked his tongue.

“Tsk! What a wretched fate that I can’t even go to a gisaeng house with peace of mind! What sins did I commit in my past life?!”

***

Anyways, the two ended up drinking at the men’s quarters of Hwangbo In’s house. When they were well into their cups, Hwangbo In asked Kim Jong-seo.

“Why do you think His Majesty and the court are conducting this matter in such a complex and secretive manner?”

“What do you think?”

“Me?”

Hwangbo In, after pondering for a moment with a flushed face from the alcohol, grinned and opened his mouth.

“Shall we imitate an old story?”

“An old story?”

Hwangbo In took out a sheet of paper from the desk pushed back, tore it in half, and held out one half to Kim Jong-seo.

Seeing this, Kim Jong-seo chuckled and accepted the paper.

“Shouldn’t it be the palm, if we’re doing it properly?”

“Isn’t it bothersome to wash hands while drinking?”

“True…”

Kim Jong-seo, nodding at Hwangbo In’s words, rummaged through his sleeve and took out a gold-tipped brush and ink stick.

A moment later, the two checked what the other had written and burst into laughter.

“Hahaha!”

“Haha!”

On both pieces of paper, the word ‘subjugation’ was identically written.

After laughing heartily, Hwangbo In and Kim Jong-seo continued their drinking session, but at some point, the task they were assigned had turned into a drinking snack.

“But you know, why do you think we need to use such a strategy instead of a direct approach?”

In response to Hwangbo In’s question, Kim Jong-seo gave a short answer.

“Because Joseon is weak.”

At Kim Jong-seo’s words, Hwangbo In tilted his head.

“Joseon is weak? Right now, out at sea, the pirates are busy fleeing at the mere sight of our turtle ships, and in the north, the Jurchen tribes are continuously submitting to us.”

“We can’t catch those who flee, so the number of pirates isn’t decreasing, and we’re already struggling just to pacify the Jurchen tribes who have submitted.”

Kim Jong-seo, pointing out the reality, emptied his cup and continued.

“If we were truly a strong nation, pirates wouldn’t even think of appearing nearby, and we would have strength to spare even after pacifying those who submitted.”

While pouring alcohol into the empty cup, Kim Jong-seo reached a conclusion.

“Joseon is still weak.”

At Kim Jong-seo’s words, Hwangbo In’s face turned serious.

“To that extent? Even with the weapons created by the Crown Prince, which are said to have the best performance?”

“The performance of the weapons is good. The problem is that we still lack the ability to make those weapons earn their keep.”

Kim Jong-seo’s face was filled with regret as he emptied his cup again.

“To put it simply, with Joseon’s current capabilities, it’s easy to win battles but difficult to win wars.”

“To that extent?”

“Think about it. The main weapons of the Joseon military all use gunpowder. That means if the logistics don’t function properly, they’re useless. Looking at the current situation in the northeast region, worries are piling up like a mountain. We’re worried about the east because we don’t know what’s there, and we’re terrified of the west because we know too well what kind of bastards are holding out there.”

“Ah… Oh!”

Hwangbo In, who was nodding at Kim Jong-seo’s words, suddenly exclaimed as if he had thought of something.

“If gunpowder is the problem, can’t we import it from Ming?”

“Do you think Ming will give it to us? That precious gunpowder? Those guys who wouldn’t even give us rhino horns?”

“Ah…”

At Kim Jong-seo’s point, Hwangbo In smacked his lips with a regretful expression. Seeing Hwangbo In’s expression, Kim Jong-seo added.

“Also, Ming’s gunpowder has poor performance.”

“Poor?”

“Compared to the gunpowder the Crown Prince has refined, it’s so poor in performance that it’s filthy. And after using it once, you have to disassemble and clean the barrels and cannons because of the dirty residue left behind. In a word, it’s too filthy to use.”

“I see…”

Hwangbo In kept nodding at Kim Jong-seo’s harsh evaluation.

***

The issue of gunpowder supply was always a headache. And the main culprits causing this problem were potassium nitrate and sulfur.

Although Hyang used the pastures on Nabi Island to make firecrackers and mobilized various methods to increase the production of potassium nitrate, the consumption kept rising.

Fortunately, as trade with Japan increased, the inflow of sulfur grew, and several sulfur mines were discovered, providing some relief.

However, the problem was potassium nitrate. This alone remained a suffocating situation.

“How about reducing the training that uses gunpowder?”

In response to Kim Jeom’s suggestion, the Ministry of Military Affairs, of course, and even Hyang strongly opposed.

“Talk sense! When all the main weapons of the military use gunpowder, are you saying not to train at all?! Aren’t you a former general?!”

Jo Mal-saeng, heated up, jumped around, forgetting that they were in Geunjeong Hall, and Hyang calmly explained the reason.

“Gunpowder weapons emit a loud explosion and flames. One must become accustomed to these to be able to properly engage in actual combat later.”

Hyang’s explanation had a precedent. In the 17th-18th centuries, gunpowder was also an expensive item in European nations. Therefore, when training, they trained without using gunpowder. In other words, they fired blank shots. In contrast, Britain, which could obtain large quantities of potassium nitrate at low prices, used large amounts of gunpowder in the training of its army and navy.

And that difference manifested as the unstoppable advance of the British forces.

“This time, the Minister of Military Affairs and the Crown Prince are correct.”

When even Sejong sided with Jo Mal-saeng and Hyang, Kim Jeom had to close his mouth.

However, Hyang had no intention of just letting this part pass.

“Once enough Challenger-class ships are built, we must immediately start building merchant ships. As soon as we have a sufficient number of ocean-going merchant ships, we must head to India.”

Staring at India on the map, Hyang’s eyes shone.

Hyang knew well where Britain purchased large quantities of potassium nitrate from. Until potassium nitrate was discovered in Chile, the largest producer of potassium nitrate was India.

The problem was not knowing exactly where in India. To resolve this, Hyang subtly probed Mansur.

“Do Muslims also use gunpowder?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“Where do they obtain the ingredients for gunpowder?”

“We procure them through trade from various places.”

“Then where do you obtain potassium nitrate from?”

“We get it from Delhi. Your Highness, shall I procure some for you?”

Mansur, who had now grasped Joseon’s situation to some extent, cautiously made an offer, but Hyang shook his head.

“No need. It’s just personal curiosity.”

Hyang, flatly rejecting Mansur’s proposal, muttered inwardly.

‘Anything else can be intermediary trade, but not potassium nitrate! It’s a defense material! I absolutely cannot place my lifeline in someone else’s hands!’

Having found out the location in this way, Hyang was now just waiting for the right time.

***

While the education for the diplomatic mission and envoys to be sent to Japan was underway, the court continued to refine the plan.

“But, Your Highness, if all the cotton is produced in Japan, won’t those who produce cotton in Joseon suffer a great loss?”

In response to Kim Jeom’s question, Hyang expressed doubt.

“As far as I know, there are none who have staked everything on cotton, right?”

At Hyang’s point, Kim Jeom explained in more detail.

“Of course, that’s true. However, there are quite a few who earn a tidy profit from cotton cultivation. Of course, if we only consider the wide cloth, this plan is the best, but there will be a lot of complaints.”

“That’s probably true.”

Hyang nodded with a bitter face. Although it could be called an ‘inevitable sacrifice’ or ‘victims of change,’ it was certain that there would be those who blamed the country.

“So, I’ve thought of something. I plan to order cotton seeds from Mansur’s merchant group that will arrive soon.”

“Cotton seeds, you say?”

“I heard that the cotton from a country called Egypt is of such good quality.”

“Do you mean…”

“We’ll make the cloth to be sold cheaply with cotton imported from Japan, and for the expensive high-end products, we’ll use cotton cultivated from seeds imported from Egypt. Then, those who grow cotton in Joseon will also be somewhat satisfied.”

***

Hyang learned about Egyptian cotton due to a connection from his university days.

Among the very few people Hyang built friendships with during his university life, there was one gold spoon.

Hyang gave him, who was also his senior in the department, the nickname ‘Stealth Gold Spoon.’ It was because he gave almost no impression of being a gold spoon with his plain attire.

However, that was a trap. Those plain-looking clothes were ultra-high-end luxury brands that only famous foreign celebrities wore, most of which were unheard of in Korea.

One day, Hyang, out of boredom, investigated the prices of the clothes that senior was wearing and almost fainted. When he added up the prices of everything he wore from head to toe, the price of a mid-range car from the German Big Three popped up.

“When you go out into society, you need to have a few luxury items for when it’s absolutely necessary. It may seem materialistic, but still.”

While advising Hyang, that senior explained various things. In the process, Hyang learned about Egyptian cotton.

***

Kim Jeom, nodding at Hyang’s words, asked again.

“But Egypt and Joseon have different climates, so will it grow well?”

“We’ll test it first, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll have to improve the variety.”

Hyang nonchalantly said something that would make the officials of the Seed Research Institute gasp in shock.