Black Corporation: Joseon

Episode 1075 Tosagu Feng (5)

“Chief. “Messengers from the Eastern pagans came out of the royal palace.”

“Where did you go?”

“The infidels have returned to their camp.”

“is it? “Have you heard anything from your friends at the palace yet?”

“It hasn’t been there yet. It is said that it is difficult to move these days due to the severe surveillance of traitors who have conspired with the prime minister. So I guess I’ll come in the evening.”

“I see…”

After receiving the report from his subordinate, the leader of Kizilbashi was lost in thought, his words slurred.

‘The Shah has become too engrossed in the world.’

Ismail was 15 years old when he went through a difficult period of struggle and opened the royal palace in Tabriz. Ismail was an Ismail who desperately wanted revenge for his parents and brothers who died as victims of a power struggle and followed Shia doctrine.

Ismail was the one who displayed the qualities of ‘the most ideal monarch who upholds the tenets of Shia’.

‘If it is Ismail, we can create the Shia kingdom we desire!’

The Qizilbashi decided this way and took control of Persia with Ismail as their monarch. However, from the moment Ismail became the monarch of Persia, the relationship between Ismail and the Qizilbashi began to widen.

‘Damn the prime minister and ministers! The innocent Charles has been tainted by the secular world!’

The Qizilbashi cursed the prime ministers and ministers who ran the state together with Ismail. He did not even try to convert the Sunnis, who were cursed heretics, but rather attempted to appoint Sunni Persians as officials. Of course, the attempts of the prime minister and ministers were thwarted due to the strong opposition of the Kizilbashi, but the bitterness still remained. The bigger problem was that Ismail was getting closer and closer to the prime minister and ministers.

“How can you not covet heavenly things and only covet earthly things!”

The Qizilbashi raised their voices, but Ismail was not the same Ismail he used to be. I was gradually becoming immersed in the mundane world of ‘politics’. In this situation, the confrontation between the bureaucracy symbolized by the Prime Minister and Kizilbash was gradually heading towards catastrophe. The problem was that the officials and ministers were also Shiites, even if they were from different factions.

* * *

“Chief! “It’s urgent!”

“Something!”

“The Shah’s soldiers are retreating from the infidel camp!”

The head of Kizilbashi analyzed the situation in response to an urgent report brought by those who were monitoring the camp of the three countries’ joint envoys.

‘The Shah’s army is withdrawing from its camp? why?’

The leader of Kizilbash thought about the reasons, but there was only one answer.

-If the pagans in the East heard anything, they would be concerned about their own safety. In that case, there is no way the Shah would be happy about the soldiers being bitten.

-Then, I don’t know what it was, but overnight the relationship between the pagans of the East and the Shah grew sour.

After thinking this far, the leader of Kizilbashi stood up with a bright smile on his face.

“It’s your chance! Tell your brothers! “We will destroy those heretics!”

The Kizilbashi who were with them were shocked by the leader’s order.

“stripe! No matter how pagan they may be, they are messengers!”

“Even the shinigami will be completely destroyed!”

“There could be war!”

“If the Shah can repent for his sins and return to the path of purity, war is a big deal!”

The Kizilbashis, who hesitated for a moment at the leader’s firm answer, made up their minds.

“We will gather brothers nearby!”

“Show no mercy to those heretics!”

“yes!”

After a while, Kizilbashi began to come out from all over Tabriz and form groups. The leader of the Kizilbashi, wearing a half-moon sword at his waist and holding in his hand a chief-style rifle boasting a long barrel and ornate decoration, rode on a flawless white horse. The leader of the Kizilbashi, holding the reins tightly in one hand, looked back at the Kizilbashi gathered around him and raised his voice.

“Brothers! The time of judgment has come once again! Let us exterminate those heretics who are disturbing the eyes and ears of the Shah! Let us destroy these infidels and prevent them from polluting the Kingdom of Allah!”

“Oooooh!”

The Kizilbashi responded to the leader’s words with shouts. When the shouts echoing everywhere subsided, the leader of Kizilbashi shouted again.

“Brothers! Do not be afraid of martyrdom! You will enjoy eternal happiness in Al Janna (الجنة Paradise)!”

“Ooooh!”

“let’s go!”

“Ooooh!”

With shouts, the Kizilbashi slowly drove their horses toward the envoys’ camp. The leader of the Kizilbashi muttered softly as he watched the Kizilbashis heading towards the envoys’ camp with great vigor.

“Pay for the sin of disturbing the Shah’s eyes and ears with death.”

The head of Kizilbashi, who had made a decision that was not a judgment while looking at the envoys’ camp, turned his attention to the shah’s palace.

“Repent for the sins you have committed. “War will be a path to penance.”

The head of Kizilbashi also judged that attacking the envoys of the three countries would lead to war. However, the leader of Kizilbash desperately wanted war to break out.

-If we attack the envoys, Ismail will try to hold us responsible. But Ismail won’t be able to do that.

Because there will be war.

-If war breaks out, Ismail will have no choice but to rely on us again.

-At that time, the court, which had been tainted by the secular world, was once again purified.

-And then properly build a Shia kingdom and convert all of Persia and Arabs to Shia.

This was the Kizilbash leader’s intention. Of course, he also knew well the strength of the three Eastern countries, especially the empire.

But he was making a fatal misjudgment.

-The reason the Shah’s army withdrew from the pagans’ camp was probably because the relationship between the pagans and the Shah had become soured.

-The pagans of the East are powerful, but they have a long way to go. Of course, I can’t give it my all.

-Although the East and the Ottomans are close, the Ottomans are currently unable to move due to the dispute between the successors.

-The Shah will have no choice but to rely on us, and a situation will arise where the Eastern pagans will fight a war with one arm and leg tied.

-If that happens, we who know the geography of Persia well will have an advantage.

-A draw is natural and if we do well, we can win.

This was his misjudgment.

* * *

A temporary watchtower built at the camp site.

The soldiers guarding all around in the watchtower rang the alarm bell and shouted when they saw the Kizilbashi approaching.

Ding ding ding!

“The enemy! Enemy! “Defeat!”

At the sentry’s shout, envoys and commanders came out of the tent.

“They are such impatient people… I thought they would at least show their interest for a day.”

Ming and Japanese officials smiled and nodded at the imperial official’s words.

“Anyway, the incident happened, so it’s the commander’s turn to step forward. Please take care of me.”

“Please leave it to me.”

The commander-in-chief answered confidently and gave orders to the commanders who followed.

“Let us show them what fear is.”

“Please leave it to me.”

“We will make sure you never think of targeting us again.”

“I wish you good luck.”

“Good luck.”

The commanders gave each other encouraging remarks and raised their voices as they ran to their assigned areas.

“All-out combat deployment!”

“Loosen your stomach!”

“Check the status of the weapon!”

“Okay then…”

The imperial official, who had been observing the situation where the guards guarding the camp were preparing for battle, returned to the tent and began gathering weapons. Ming and Japanese officials were surprised to see him wielding long guns, short guns, and even bows and arrows with familiar movements.

“no! “Are you going to participate in the battle?”

“Isn’t it obvious? “This is a natural thing for an imperial official to go abroad.”

“Of course?”

“It is a long-standing tradition that has been passed down since long ago, when Grand Admiral Kim Jong-seo was carrying out royal orders in the northeastern region. “Officers who go abroad in the empire must know how to use a gun, even if they are female.”

“Huh…”

In response to the imperial official’s reply, the Ming and Japanese officials were unable to close their mouths for a while.

‘Now that I think about it…did you say that one of the qualities an empress of an empire should have is archery and shooting skills?’

‘There was a joke going around that I didn’t know how to do housework, but it turned out to be true!’

“But why the bow…”

The Ming and Japanese officials who were about to ask another question immediately fell silent. Among the pastimes enjoyed by the imperial people, the most representative one was archery.

‘Did you tell the imperialists to quietly retreat if they had a bow in their hand?’

The Ming and Japanese officials, who were watching the imperial officials preparing for battle step by step, soon turned around and went to visit their own troops.

“If you have a spare gun, please give me some.”

“Why the gun all of a sudden?”

“Because sitting back and just watching is a disgrace to His Majesty the Emperor.”

“The imperial officials are stepping forward to fight, but if they stay back, they will have no shame in seeing His Majesty the King. “Wouldn’t it be more honorable to be a warrior than to commit seppuku?”

After hearing the answers from Ming and Japanese officials, the commanders handed over the long guns without hesitation.

“I will attach a soldier to teach you how to shoot, so make sure you learn it.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

While the soldiers and officials in the camp were preparing for battle, the Kizilbash ended the siege of the camp. When the siege was over, the leader of Kizilbash approached the camp accompanied by a brother holding a white flag.

As the leader of Kizilbashi approached, the envoys of the Three Kingdoms Alliance also put down their guns and headed toward the entrance of the camp. The leader and envoys facing each other with the entrance to the camp in the center began their final conversation.

“Infidels from the East, leave this place immediately!”

“Is that the Shah’s order?”

“no.”

“We are envoys who came here under the orders of the monarch. Only the Shah’s orders can make us retreat! “Your actions now are a disgrace to the Shah!”

“Do not try to deceive with subtle words and actions! This is the sacred land of Allah! “Infidels cannot be here!”

“Is that a law written in the scriptures? “As far as we know, there is no such thing in the scriptures?”

“Do not defile the Quran! This is the sacred land of Allah! “Unholy heretics cannot pollute this place!”

“So this is the Shah’s order! Are you threatening the envoys when there is no order from the Shah? “We will not give in to this unjust intimidation!”

When the imperial official declared on behalf of the envoys, the Ming and Japanese envoys also expressed their agreement. In response to the envoys’ reaction, the head of Kizilbashi also declared firmly.

“You unclean pagans! “You will pay with your life for rejecting good intentions!”

After finishing speaking, the leader of Kizilbashi turned his horse around and returned to Kizilbashi’s main camp. At this, the envoys also turned around and returned to their camp.

After a while, the Kizilbashi who were a little far away began charging towards the entrance of the camp, speeding up. As the Kizilbashi assault began, the imperial commander guarding the entrance gave an order.

“Wagon trucks, prepare for bombardment!”

“Ready!”

“Bangpo!”

Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-tang!

The imperial army’s freight cars forming a fire net centered around the entrance to the camp began spewing fire all at once.

It was the beginning of ‘the day that changed the fate of the Safavid Empire.’

And it was the day that the ‘East-West conflict’ began.