Black Corporation: Joseon

Episode 1069: Paving Stone (4)

“It’s an all-out war… I understand that policies and laws related to this have already been prepared, right?”

Hyun, who was next to Wan, also nodded at Wan’s point. After two major wars, Hyang first proposed a plan for all-out war, laid the foundation and framework during Wan’s reign, and fleshed out and refined it during Hyeon’s reign. However, when ‘all-out war’ was mentioned again, objections were raised.

‘No way, even if he’s senile…. No! ‘Let’s not have any profane thoughts!’

When Wan and Hyeon were worried rather than worried, Hyang received a message.

“I know that part very well. That’s why I didn’t say anything until now. I also thought this was enough. But…”

Hyang paused for a moment and continued with a long sigh. .

“Phew~. But the world is changing too quickly. No, it has changed. I thought it would take about a hundred years to redefine the concept…” “

Such a write-up… …”

At Hyang’s words, Wu tried to spit out a small swear word without realizing it, but quickly covered his mouth. Hyeon glared at Woo, who was looking around in great confusion, and said to Hyang.

“Isn’t an all-out war an all-out war? You can add and lose weight, but I think it’s unnecessary to start over from scratch.”

“That is true because it is not the same all-out war. The all-out war so far can be called the ‘all-out war of the government,’ and the new one to be considered will be the ‘all-out war of the nation.’”

“huh?”

“uh?”

At Hyang’s words, Wan and Hyeon’s faces hardened and they fell into thought.

‘It is subtly different between the government and the state… something subtly…’

Meanwhile, Wu looked at Wan and Hyeon with an expression that clearly asked, ‘What are you talking about?’ Wu bowed his head to Hyang, who was looking at Wan and Hyeon, who had closed their mouths, lost in thought.

“So-sun’s learning is short, so he cannot properly understand what Tae-sang-tae said. Please teach me.”

Hyang responded to Wu’s request with a light smile.

“It’s not that I’m short on learning, it’s just that I lack experience. It’s because I don’t have much experience looking at the overall national situation at once, weighing its importance, and looking at the situation not only in the empire but also in other countries.”

As Hyang said, Wu still lacked experience. The empire’s policy was to develop basic skills through the operation of institutions traditionally handled by the crown prince, such as Area 51 and research institutes, and then experience actual combat through proxy administration.

And Wu had just begun his proxy cleaning.

“I will explain why I am writing this proposal for the Crown Prince. This will be better than simply reading it in writing.”

“Thank you!”

Wu expressed his sincere gratitude, and Wan and Hyun’s faces brightened at the unexpected good fortune.

The description of the scent was summarized as follows.

-The reason why the current all-out war is called ‘the all-out war of the government’ is because it can be seen as the private sector making up for what the government lacks.

-Let’s give the easiest example. According to the current plan, when a situation of all-out war arises, civilian craftsmen will be summoned to the armory to make weapons.

In other words, the shortcomings in coordination are taken up by the private sector.

-But with the new concept of all-out war, the situation is the opposite.

If an all-out war breaks out, everything that can be handed over must be handed over to the private sector, and the government must focus its efforts on carrying out the war while only managing and supervising.

-Unlike the case mentioned above, in the new all-out war, the government entrusts all production to the private sector and dispatches artillery craftsmen to the private sector to supervise management.

“That’s roughly the difference.”

“Why is this difference made?”

Hyang answered Woo’s question right away.

“The world has changed. Wagons and assault cars are no longer exclusive to empires. Some countries imported them from the empire, but many countries made their own. To put it another way, ‘mass production and mass consumption’ will become a symbol of war. “If you look at the report…”

While listening to Hyang’s explanation, Hyang and Hyeon-woo hurriedly turned over the report.

“…This is a comparison of the amount consumed in the Liaodong War we fought with the estimate of the amount consumed in the recent war between France and the Habsburgs in the Lorraine region.”

“…Oh my God…”

After seeing the comparison table, both Wan and Hyeon-woo looked disappointed.

“There is no significant difference in the amount of supplies consumed in the past all-out war, in which the fate of the nation was at stake, and the modern local war…”

“If this consumption rate were to be applied to the current all-out war…”

The faces of Wan and Hyun, who had been calculating for a moment, turned pale. Woo asked Hyeon, who had a similar expression.

“Abama. When the report on the war between France and Habsburg came out, there were no ministers who mentioned the part you mentioned. There’s no way they didn’t know this figure either.”

Hyang responded to Woo’s point on Hyeon’s behalf.

“This is because the empire’s governance has grown tremendously since its founding. No, not only its governance, but also its military power has grown immeasurably. The Ming Dynasty is the only country that can wage an all-out war against Tang Jin’s empire. “Isn’t it unique? In such a situation, it would be best to think seriously about such a local war. If you think about it seriously, you would say it is excessive.”

“Still, missing this is considered problematic.”

“It’s force majeure.”

“yes?”

Even Wan and Hyeon looked like they couldn’t understand the word ‘force majeure’. Hyang, seeing the expressions of the three people, asked Wan.

“Do you remember the Liaodong War?”

“Well… I was young, so I don’t remember much. All I remember is that at that time, Emperor Yuan and Tai Shang made serious faces every day, and the ministers spent every day with expressions of desperation on their faces.”

“That is why it is called force majeure. Those who experienced the Liaodong War have already disappeared into history, and people today only know about the Liaodong War through records and numbers. Those who actually experienced it and those who only know it through knowledge have different judgments about the severity of the matter. “It is an unavoidable force majeure.”

Hyang paused for a moment, lightly moistened his throat, and continued speaking.

“The same goes for the total war part. When it was first planned and the framework was created, there were a lot of people who had experienced the Liaodong War from top to bottom. They were people who had experienced a war that risked everything for the country in just one war. Hmm… .. I guess that’s what you’re talking about, right?”

In response to Hyang’s question, Wan and Hyunwoo both nodded.

“Yes, I understand. I will tell you to prepare for a new all-out war.”

“I am truly grateful that you accepted me without criticizing me as an old man’s advice.”

“That’s too much praise. How can we take lightly the Tae Sang-tae’s patriotism?”

“Thank you. I think I can rest comfortably now.”

“Please trust us.”

As Wan and Hyunwoo left, Hyang stretched out with a relieved expression.

“Ugh… I guess I’ve finished all my work. Now, let’s just relax and do our homework…”

* * *

Returning to Gyeongbokgung Palace, Wan and Hyeon-woo put their heads together over the homework that Hyang had assigned to them. .

“I understand what Tae Sang-taeng is worried about… Is there any possibility that an all-out war will break out at the level you think it will?”

Hyun answered Wan’s question with an ambiguous expression.

“It’s hard to say that it doesn’t exist. This is the problem.”

“I see. That’s the problem. A ruler should not ignore any problem, no matter how small.”

“Yes. And when I think back, the war was turning more and more into a war of attrition.”

Wan nodded at Hyun’s words.

“A long time ago, General Lee Jing-ok said that. War first changes people, then supplies, and finally changes the country. That wasn’t wrong.”

“You left a famous message. Hmm… I guess I’ll have to hand it over to the Prime Minister.”

Wu expressed his disapproval at Hyun’s decision.

“It’s still overloaded.”

“Then what will you do? Prince, will you do it?”

“Huh? Soja’s experience is too shallow to be entrusted with such a huge responsibility…”

Hyeon cut off the conversation with a chuckle at Woo’s hasty evasive maneuver.

“It’s not ability, it’s experience… You never say you’re incompetent, right? You’re confident in your abilities, right? Hmm… I guess I’ll have to leave it to you, the crown prince. Anyway, it won’t be long before you take the throne. . From now on, it’s your time, so it would be better for you to take charge of it yourself.”

“Oh no, Your Majesty! Soja, you still lack a lot!”

“This is a good opportunity to fill that deficiency! The crown prince should take charge and do it properly. It is the emperor’s order.”

He responded to Hyun’s command with a tearful expression.

“I follow the Emperor’s command.”

“You, the crown prince, are the ones who said that the prime minister and ministers are suffering from overload. So, don’t be dependent on the prime minister and ministers and try your best.”

“……yes.”

Wan, who saw Woo retreating with a very tired face before he even started, asked Hyun with a look full of worry.

“Have you not entrusted the crown prince with too great a burden?”

“This is the guy who will soon take over Bowie. I have to do this at least.”

“But when I look at the gun, it looks so bad…”

“That guy’s expression is just like that. A guy with good skills is just trying to do what he tells him to do, so he uses a lot of trickery…Tsk!”

Wan made a strange expression as Hyun clicked his tongue while mentioning Woo’s irritable appearance.

“Huh? Why do you look at it that way?”

“…Do you know why the emperor didn’t do that? When I think of how he wasted his time building a steam iron ship…” ”

…..”

* * *

Meanwhile, Woo, who had taken on the homework, thought about it repeatedly to find a solution.

“For the first time . Doing everything from start to finish is the worst of all. Who said that? ‘Finding the right person and handing over the work is truly the power of a high being.’ Hmm… Who should I hand this to…”

The easiest way was to hand it to the prime minister. . Then, the prime minister would distribute it on his own and pass it on to others. But this method was already blocked by the prefecture.

“Hmm… What would be better?”

Wu, who was thinking about finding the best solution, fixed his eyes on the calendar hanging on the wall. No, Woo’s eyes suddenly began to sparkle as he looked at the daily schedule hanging next to it.

“This is it! I’ve finally found people willing to pass it on. I’ve found people willing to risk their lives to do it!”

The people Wu targeted were mid-level officials who had taken a competency assessment test.

* * *

Imperial officials had to be diligent in order to be promoted. They had to be recognized for their sincerity through excellent attendance, and they had to be recognized for their abilities based on the results of their assigned tasks. If you diligently and steadily built up your experience and performance, you could easily advance to level 6.

When moving up from level 6 to level 5, a separate test had to be taken, but the test to move up to level 5 could be seen as a formality. The real challenge was the exam to go from level 5 to level 4. Only by breaking through level 4 could one be promoted to a truly high-ranking position. And Wu was targeting those who attempted this test.