Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 828

Episode 828: Gyeruk (鷄肋) (2)

As he said to Wan, for Hyang, Australia was a worse card than Gyeruk.

‘Anyway, looking at the current situation of the empire, there is no need and should not be greedy for Australia and South America.’

As Hyang said, the empire’s territory was steadily expanding.

It wasn’t just about gaining Shinji.

The northern region of the empire continued to expand its territory.

* * *

After winning the war caused by Emperor Seondeok’s misjudgment, Joseon took control of the Liaodong region and transformed into an empire.

The acquisition of the Liaodong region was not just for the sake of ‘restoring the ancient land.’

The rich minerals and considerable population of the Liaodong region were obtained, and more importantly, the development of the Siberian region became smoother.

Before taking control of Liaodong, supplies and personnel had to be moved through a thin transportation route that ran from the Duman River along the coastline.

However, once the Liaodong region was taken over, the shackles disappeared.

Larger steel mills were built using iron ore and coal from Liaodong, and steel from those mills was used to build railroads heading north on a large scale.

Fur hunters and gold seekers traveled north through the railroads constructed in this way. And following them, merchants and farmers looking for new homes moved.

As people moved like that, the eastern part of Lake Baikal, where they had previously only planted flags, began to establish itself as a river area of the empire.

* * *

As the river area between the Northern and New Territories gradually expanded, the city once again realized the need for ‘selection and concentration.’

“I know where everything is, and if I’m being greedy, I say, ‘It’s all mine!’ I want to do this, but if I do that, it’s a disaster. First of all, the empire’s capabilities are lacking, and then the problem is the greedy people of Europe. The Ming and Japanese countries are also problematic...”

At the time, the Ming was under the reign of Emperor Gyeongtae, and Emperor Gyeongtae did not hide his hostility toward the empire.

In the case of the Japanese state, the situation was not good for peace of mind because Ouchi, who opened the new shogunate, was ‘pro-imperial’.

First of all, although the Ouchi shogunate was passionately reforming the Japanese country and strengthening its control, it did not completely control the Japanese country.

Therefore, there was a possibility that the Ouchi regime would collapse at any time and a new regime hostile to the empire would be born.

That wasn’t all.

Another problem was the age of the head of the Ouchi shogunate, which could be said to be ‘absolutely pro-imperial’, and of the successors.

Even when they stepped down and were replaced by a new generation, there was no confidence that they would be cooperative with the empire.

“No matter what, the location of the Japanese country itself is like a sword pointed under the chin of the empire...”

Hyang, who had been complaining about the geographical location of the Japanese country, smiled bitterly.

“For the same reason, the Empire of Japan annexed Joseon, right? “Then why should we eat soup?”

Hyang, who momentarily thought of the ‘annexation of the Japanese Empire’, shook his head.

“Aye~. Let’s not do the same thing and get criticized. And even if you eat Japan, you have to lose money.”

After erasing the ‘annexation of the Japanese country’, Hyang tapped the desk with his fingers.

“The problem is how to appease these greedy people. If we do something wrong, another crusade might be created and attack our empire. Or, they might attack, transcending race and religion, shouting ‘We are the World!’ “They have to throw food to each other to bite and tear.”

After making this decision, Hyang chose Australia and South America as the best prey to throw to Europe and Japan.

* * *

There were several reasons why the fragrance chose Australia and South America.

-There are many problems in pioneering Australia and South America with the current level of technology.

-It was not until the late 20th century that Australia and South America came into the spotlight as resource powerhouses.

-There are many problems with the current level of technology to overcome the wide desert of Australia and the Amazon jungle of South America.

Except for them, everyone else never returned.

Those who set out to explore the western route were loaded with abundant supplies and wealth in preparation for the long-distance voyage in case the exploration was successful.

And they came down south to avoid the rough waves of the North Atlantic.

The problem was that pirates from North Africa and the Mediterranean region set out on expeditions to prey on these expedition ships.

It wasn’t just pirates.

Portuguese and Spanish ships also pounced, looking for an opportunity.

It was the Imperial Navy that was waiting for the exploration ships that managed to overcome this crisis and headed west.

The sea defense system started by Sejong and continued by Hyang was almost in its final stages.

In particular, the township, which was aware of Columbus’ discovery of the New World, ordered the naval fleet stationed in New Earth to move its patrol area further south.

“According to Europeans, the northern part of the sea between Europe and New Zealand has rough waves and is not easy to navigate. If so, they will come further south and head to Shinji. So, send the fleet a little further south.”

“I follow your orders!”

Exploration vessels that attempted the ‘western route’ were caught in the maritime barrier moved to the south and disappeared into the sea.

As failures continued, interest in the ‘Western Route’ slowly began to fade.

This was because the nobles who had financed the continued failure either went bankrupt or gave up, and the sailors did not come forward.

In particular, sailors who were sensitive to all kinds of superstitions waved their hands whenever they heard anything about the ‘western route’.

“The Earth is round? gibberish! There was a huge cliff there that had been around for a long time! That’s why they all fell to their deaths!”

“Okay, let’s say the Earth is round like you smart people say. But don’t take the western route! That route is definitely a cursed route! “They are all cursed to death!”

As investment decreased and crews became increasingly difficult to find, interest in the ‘Western Route’ gradually waned.

At that time, rumors about ‘Shinji’ began to circulate among Europeans.

-They say the ‘Land of Flowers’ has discovered a new land in the east!

-It has been a while since the land was discovered and it was named ‘Shinji’.

“Where did this rumor come from?”

Europeans who heard the rumor soon began looking for the source of the rumor.

After the investigation, there were several sources.

-Things said by imperial sailors who landed in Suez while drunk at a bar.

“Isn’t that just nonsense that comes out when you’re drunk?”

“no. “No matter how drunk I was, as soon as the word ‘Shinji’ was said, people around me would stop talking.”

“Hoo?”

Another source was sailors who entered the empire to trade.

A considerable amount of time had already passed, so European sailors fluent in the imperial language were common.

“Of course, it was because of an insidious intention to seduce imperial women...”

Whatever the purpose, European sailors who were fluent in the imperial language understood the conversations between the imperial people and learned of the existence of ‘Shinji’ through those conversations.

“The second source is more credible. So that means the rumor is true...”

“Isn’t there some connection between Shinji and the disappearance of the expedition team?”

Europeans who wondered if there was a relationship between the two recalled forgotten memories.

It was a proclamation issued by the empire in the past regarding entry and exit into the imperial territory.

-All ships and foreigners wishing to enter the imperial territory must stop by the southwestern province to obtain permission! If you break this, you will be considered a pirate and will be sunk!

“no way!”