Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 1067: Paving stones (2)

In the annex attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building on Unjong Street, working-level officials from the Empire and Ming Japan were gathered to analyze the situation and prepare for the future.

“First, let’s talk about the power that currently controls Persia.”

Ming and Japanese officials pretended to know what the imperial official said.

“As far as we know, the ruler of a sect called Safabia holds hegemony.”

“Japan knows that too.”

“That’s right. Then how much do you know about this Safabia?”

“…………”

The Ming and Japanese officials were unable to open their mouths in response to the imperial official’s question.

‘How did this come to be overpowered? ‘Not bad.’

The imperial official, who had easily succeeded in suppressing the initiative, calmed his voice and continued speaking.

“First, let’s learn about this sect called Safavidya, and then let’s talk about the ruler of this sect and the person who took over Persia’s hegemony. First, let’s look at this religious group called Safavidya…” -Starting with an Islamic

mystical sect . Afterwards, it transformed into a Shiite faction and settled in Ardabil.

-Subsequently ousted from Ardabil by the Black Sheep Dynasty. At that time, Sheikh Junaid went into exile to the Baekyang Dynasty.

-Afterwards, as they attempted to establish their own power, they were continuously oppressed, leading to a desperate situation.

-Ismail, the ruler of Tanggeum, was 7 years old at the time.

-Ismail, who had been living in hiding in Ardabil and seeking to regain power, formed the Qizilbashi and rose up again, taking advantage of the turmoil in the Persian region. succeeded in taking power.

The officials from Japan and Ming Dynasty who heard the explanation up to this point looked a little strange.

“Something looks very familiar?”

“A founding monarch who rose through difficult times… I feel all too familiar.”

“Spring and Autumn Battle, National Seven Heroes, and Chohan Battle.”

“If we consider that the shogunate was also a start-up…”

Imperial officials muttered to themselves after seeing the reactions of Ming and Japanese officials.

‘If you start a business in a time of peace, it’s a shame!’

“Big! Big!”

The imperial official, who drew attention by lightly clearing his throat, continued speaking.

“Ismail, the ruler of Tangjin, has acquired the title of ‘Shahansa.’ And the country he currently rules is gradually expanding its territory. That’s it for now. The rest is our job.”

The eyes of Ming and Japanese officials began to sparkle as they heard the imperial official’s meaningful words.

“That’s right! The really important things happen after the founding!”

“Am-am!”

Ming and Japanese officials nodded, making meaningful remarks.

‘The founding monarch appears to have the greatest power, but in some ways he has the weakest power!’

‘There are more than one enemy of a start-up monarch! Inside, there are successors who want succession and meritorious subjects who demand their shares, and outside, there are people who distrust the Yushin of Jeonjo (the remaining subjects of the fallen King of Joseon) who do not give up on restoration and the new founding monarch!’

“Hmm… I can see the strands. Who is the biggest contributor to Danggeum Shahansa!”

To the question of the Ming Dynasty official who caught the thread, the imperial official immediately answered.

“Kizilbashi.”

“Kizilbashi?”

“Let’s talk about the Kizilbashi item in the report we already delivered.”

The information about Kizilbashi that the Empire had ascertained was as follows.

-A group of Shia mystics.

-Turkish lineage.

-The name Kizilbashi was given because of the red bandana worn on the head.

-Boasts very strong solidarity and combat power.

-Cavalry is the main class.

– Bows are still used more favorably than gunpowder weapons such as artillery and long guns.

“……To put this in more detail, gunpowder weapons have not yet spread widely in Persia and nearby regions. The biggest problem is not being able to easily obtain gunpowder, and the next problem is not having money to easily obtain gunpowder weapons. “Because they couldn’t do it. Thanks to that, most of the long guns they have are still flintlock rifles. That’s why they prefer bows as long-range, rapid-fire weapons.”

In response to the imperial official’s explanation, the Ming Dynasty officials lightly shook their heads and muttered.

“The bows of the Turks have been a troublesome problem since ancient times…”

“It wasn’t the bows that were troublesome, but the stone palace itself.”

The officials of the Ming Dynasty, who had been mentioning the sudden upheaval that had plagued the central plains for a long time, returned to focusing on the main topic.

“The unity is strong and the power is excellent… I guess the problem is loyalty?”

Imperial officials responded immediately to the questions of Ming officials.

“There is no problem with loyalty to the monarch. However, I am not comfortable with the monarch’s review due to other issues.”

“another pair of boots?”

“It’s a sectarian issue.”

“The monarch is Shia and they are also Shia, so I don’t think there will be a problem?”

“The problem is that most of the people are Sunni.”

“aha!”

The Ming people pretended to know right away, but the Japanese officials looked puzzled.

“What’s the problem with sects?”

The Ming Dynasty officials and imperial officials muttered to themselves as they looked at the Japanese people’s expressions as if they had no idea what the problem was.

‘Ah, Japan’s ability to see the external situation is still immature.’

“Big! Big!”

The imperial official cleared his throat and explained the situation in more detail.

“Sunni and Shia were divided over who should be the successor after the death of the founder of Islam. And they have been enemies for nearly a thousand years. And those Qizilbashi are the ones who openly say, ‘All Sunnis should be killed.’ I heard that those Qizilbashi are still wandering around Persia and witnessing massacres.”

After hearing the imperial official’s explanation, Japanese officials immediately showed understanding.

“The monarch of Persia must be in trouble.”

Just as the first Japanese king did, the newly founded monarch thoroughly rooted out his enemies to the point where it could be said that they were cruel. However, ordinary people without power were largely untouched. This was because the people were needed to run the government. Furthermore, the people who turned their backs were a more fearsome enemy than anyone else.

“And yet you go around massacring people just because they belong to different sects? That monarch named Ismail must be a pain in the ass.”

Japanese officials who understood the situation looked back at the imperial officials and Ming officials.

“From Ismail’s point of view, if his own safety and power were guaranteed, wouldn’t he want to purge the Kizilbashis first? But the current situation is difficult, so we will leave them alone… In that case, we can replace the Kizilbashis. oh?”

The Ming Dynasty official answered the Japanese official’s question first.

“It would be a shame to replace Kizilbashi. You could end up like Kizilbashi.”

Following the words of the Ming official, the imperial official continued.

“The best thing is to give Ismail someone to fill Kizilbashi’s vacancy.”

“You’re saying we’re going to create an army to fill the empty space?”

“It will be Ismail’s army and our army.”

A Japanese official expressed doubts about the imperial official’s words.

“I understand ‘Ismail’s army,’ but I don’t understand ‘our army.’”

The imperial official immediately responded to the Japanese official’s point.

“If it is armed with weapons made by us, made up of soldiers trained by us, and commanded by commanders who have been trained by us, can it not be called ‘our army’? As long as the relationship between us and Persia is not completely broken, Ismail’s The army will become our army and protect our interests.”

After hearing the imperial official’s answer, the Ming and Japanese officials knew immediately what the imperial official was thinking.

‘The military is the most powerful means of protecting power, but it is also the most powerful force that threatens power. If things go as the Empire thinks, Ismail will have no choice but to move with us! Also, Ismail’s army will most actively protect our interests! The truly scary thing is that the other person has no choice but to accept it knowingly!’

Ming and Japanese officials, who had felt a chill down their spines due to the meticulousness of the empire, suddenly froze.

‘Then what about us?’

‘There is no way an empire with that level of depth would have joined hands with us due to lack of ability! then? then!’

”We too were like Ismail!’

There was no way the empire did not know that Ming and Japanese officials would make this judgment after hearing the empire’s plans. Nevertheless, the explanation for this was that the Empire’s offer was an ‘irresistible attractive offer.’ In other words, Japan could share significant benefits with one person holding the hand the empire extended.

As long as we are holding hands with the empire.

-The moment you let go, the sharing of benefits ends. No, it’s the beginning of a conflict.

-Are you confident that you will win against the Empire?

-Do you want to head towards a difficult time that may lead to catastrophe, or do you want to head towards a time of abundance, although you may have to be cautious? The choice is yours.

Japan, who clearly saw the power of the empire next to Ming, which had already suffered fatal defeats twice, had only one choice. In the conference room of Unjong Street, not the battlefield, Ming and Japan had no choice but to wave white flags to the empire.

The imperial officials, seeing the ever-changing expressions of the Ming and Japanese officials, smiled inwardly.

‘I broke it.’

‘I broke it.’

It was a matter of the three countries moving together. First of all, the order of rank had to be clearly organized so that future work would go smoothly. Therefore, before starting work, the imperial working-level staff conducted thorough rehearsals. It was a rehearsal in which Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister took on the roles of imperial officials, and imperial working-level officials took on the roles of Ming and Japanese officials.

The working-level officials responsible for managing Ming and Japan engaged in a fierce war of words with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Vice Minister and Prime Minister. In most cases, the working-level staff were refuted in this dry run. However, there were several cases of the opposite, and each time, the working-level staff and Vice Minister Jang put their heads together to come up with a countermeasure.

And from the beginning, it broke the spirit of the Ming and Japanese people.

* * *

The empire, which had successfully defeated the Ming and Japan from the beginning, began to plan according to the empire’s ideas.

“Then let’s assume that the army to be dispatched to Persia will be centered around Ming and Japan, with the empire taking charge of logistics and artillery.”

Ming and Japanese officials nodded at the imperial official’s words. The characteristics of the armies of the Three Kingdoms during this period were as follows.

Myeong: What is in abundance is people?

Japan: At least there are only people.

Empire: Artillery Artillery Artillery!

Or, there is everything except people.

Thanks to the overflowing population, they were able to mobilize large numbers of troops, but heavy weapons were relatively lacking.

-It is cheaper to mobilize more soldiers than to possess large quantities of heavy weapons, which consume a lot of money.

This was my decision.

On the other hand, Japan, which still lacks many things, had no choice but to make up for its shortcomings with people. The empire has long been a country that started with artillery and ended with artillery, and thanks to these characteristics, it had secured a supply capacity that was more robust than anyone else’s.