Chapter 98

Chapter 98: Fusion.

Meanwhile, as the empire was going through a turbulent period, the central continent was also undergoing a drastic change in a different sense.

“Damn those nobles! How long do we have to feed those pig-like tax collectors!”

At this time, discontent was gradually building up among the commoners of the central continent.

It was because most of the wealth was concentrated in the hands of the upper class, including the nobles.

“Sigh. Don’t do anything stupid and harm the rest of us who are living well.”

Of course, there were also many residents who simply adapted to the given reality and lived on.

After all, the concentration of wealth in the upper class had been going on since ancient times.

And as they interacted with the Wakan Tanka Empire, the quality of life of the residents improved little by little.

The chickens that had been broadcasted long ago were now very common, and the pigs that had recently arrived had multiplied in no time.

Thanks to that, protein deficiency became a thing of the past, and many people thought that this was a peaceful era.

But as time passed, the opposite voices continued to grow louder.

“What’s the difference between us and the nobles? Look at that huge Wakan Tanka Empire! Do they have a noble class under their great emperor?”

“No!”

“That’s right. The imperial constitution states that all people are equal under the emperor. Then why do we have to live hard under the oppression of the nobles? This is clearly wrong!”

“Right!”

“Wow!”

The man’s appeal shook the hearts of many people.

The Wakan Tanka Empire had become the dominant power of this vast continent before they knew it.

The residents of various regions looked up to the empire and admired its brilliant appearance.

And among them, the equality of status made many residents’ hearts flutter.

Especially when compared to the misdeeds of the nobles in their own regions.

This atmosphere grew even more thanks to the spirit faith.

There was this doctrine in the spirit faith.

-There is no distinction between high and low in front of the great spirits.

This doctrine was clearly no problem in the empire.

From the beginning, Kim Kiwoo, the emperor, was revered as a spirit, and the status of the rest of the imperial citizens was all equal.

But it was a problematic doctrine in regions where status existed.

The missionaries knew this, so they didn’t emphasize it much in these regions.

But as more and more residents believed in spirit faith and it became one of their major beliefs, and especially after the imperial missionary incident, things changed.

“Who would have thought that the empire would come out so strongly. We shouldn’t mess with missionaries unless we have to.”

The leaders who ruled each region experienced the overwhelming firepower of the empire and felt it painfully.

That there was nothing but cruel destruction for those who faced their guns.

So from then on, they paid a lot of attention to the safety of missionaries.

“If anything happens to hurt even a hair of missionaries, your heads will fly. Got it?”

“Yes!”

Each faction attached excessive escorts to missionaries who were doing missionary work in their regions.

For fear that if any crime occurred to them, imperial messengers would visit with guns on their shoulders.

As this happened, missionaries were able to do missionary work very safely, and they gradually began to spread some sensitive issues that they hadn’t done before.

“The great spirits do not discriminate against anyone and love everyone.”

“Do you mean that we commoners and those high-ranking people are treated equally?”

“Yes. Status is just a measure set by humans. To the great spirits, we are all just people.”

This was definitely a shocking claim for residents who had lived in a status society.

“There’s no difference between me and those nobles… Is that really true?”

“Yeah. We’re all humans who eat and breathe alike. There’s no difference.”

This claim shook the minds of commoners.

Thanks to that, spirit faith followers increased rapidly among ordinary people.

The nobles who were watching the situation started to protest.

“How dare you say that we are no different from the commoners! How can you spread such words in public? Stop it at once!”

The nobles despised the missionaries.

They thought that they had revealed their true colors after the missionary incident was over, when they had been quiet before.

But the missionaries did not back down.

“If you have any complaints, please appeal to the empire directly. I have only taught the doctrine as it is.”

“Who do you think you are fooling? You did not preach your arrogant doctrine before! Now that you have the imperial army behind you, you think we don’t know what you are doing?”

“I have only one thing to say to you. I am just a servant who spreads the stories of the great spirits. If you are not satisfied, send an envoy to the direct spirit.”

“Gah…!”

The noble wanted to smash the calm face of the missionary, but he bit his lip and suppressed his impulse.

He was afraid of the consequences that would follow if he openly oppressed the missionary in front of him.

Thanks to that, the missionary safely left his seat and continued his missionary work in the same area.

As time passed, more and more people began to cry out for equality in various parts of the central continent.

***

Receiving the report from the central continent, various thoughts crossed Kim Ki-woo’s mind.

‘Using religion as a weapon is not very pleasant after all.’

Of course, the current situation in the central continent was largely influenced by Kim Ki-woo’s intention.

Kim Ki-woo’s ultimate goal was to make the entire Wakan Tanka continent his own without much sacrifice.

He was sure that he could unify the Wakan Tanka continent with his current firepower.

The gap between the empire and the external forces was huge.

But the Wakan Tanka continent was too wide.

It was a fact that it was too much for him to raise an imperial army and maintain supplies with his current capacity.

To do this, he had to give up a significant part of the empire’s current development situation.

‘I can’t do that.’

He must not forget.

Kim Ki-woo’s top priority was to develop civilization quickly and prepare for the collision of the asteroid Narvas.

A reckless war was the last option he had to think about.

And even after that, he had to unify the continent by force, there were problems.

‘Forceful conquest always leads to resistance.’

Especially when it is far away from the mainland, this tendency becomes stronger.

The farther away it is, the more different the culture and language are, and due to the limitations of the era, communication is poor, so anything can happen.

There is a high probability that resistance will follow this.

If this happens, it will cost a lot more.

That’s why there is a saying that imperialism itself was inefficient before it arrived.

‘They have to be induced to act voluntarily.’

And now, the situation in the central continent was perfect for that.

‘In the end, they will reap what they sow.’

Many nobles, merchants, and high-ranking warriors were taking too much advantage of them.

And lately, this has gotten worse.

After the war caused by the missionary incident ended, imperial merchants took away some of the trade rights for certain items.

This naturally led to a situation where their interests were reduced.

But they did not accept it.

They tried to make up for their reduced profits elsewhere.

As a result, prices of other imperial goods went up and people’s lives became more difficult.

‘It may be good for now, but it’s not a good choice in the long run.’

Even a worm will turn if you step on it.

Look. Isn’t this why people’s dissatisfaction is increasing?

‘That’s why people are so sympathetic to the empire’s constitution and doctrine of spirit worship.’

Any claim that is not accepted by local residents is nothing but an empty cry.

It was too easy for him, almost like a sponge absorbing water. It meant that there was a chronic problem in that region.

‘But it still needs time to ripen.’

It was better to intervene only when the situation got out of hand.

He had to show them that he made a great decision at their desperate request. 

Then, the empire could have both a righteous image and their gratitude and welcome.

While he was thinking about this and that,

Knock, knock.

“Your Majesty. The head of the military has arrived.”

“Let him in.”

The head of the military entered the office before he knew it.

“Did you call me, Your Majesty?”

“Sit down.”

After he sat down, they had some tea time and chatted about various things.

Then, he brought up the main topic.

“How is the armament status of the imperial army?”

“It’s very good. The soldiers are very happy with the new guns that have been supplied lately. The defect rate has decreased drastically.”

Even without Kim Kiwoo’s involvement, the weapons were steadily developing. And now, thanks to the steam engine and the hot forge process, the production volume and precision had increased greatly.

This enabled the imperial army to arm most of them with relatively modern weapons.

“But most of the old weapons must be stored in the warehouse.”

“…You are right, Your Majesty.”

The head of the military did not deny it.

Of course, some of the guns were distributed to the front-line hunters who used them for hunting deer and beavers for their fur.

But most of the weapons were stored in the warehouse, and those that were too old or rusty were discarded.

Kim Kiwoo gave a short order.

“Open the warehouse.”

“Do you mean the weapon warehouse?”

“Yes. I’ve already instructed the crown prince separately. Just load the usable weapons that are not rusty on a ship and send them to the central continent’s direct territory.”

“Hmm…”

A thick question mark appeared on the head of the military’s face.

He couldn’t figure out why he suddenly wanted to move the weapons to the central continent.

But he didn’t express his doubt in the end.

‘Your Majesty must be drawing a new big picture.’

He just thought so.

“I understand. I’ll prepare right away and report back to you.”

“Good. Thank you for your hard work.”

After the head of the military left.

Kim Kiwoo sank into his chair.

‘There’s no need to spill the blood of the imperial army in this struggle.’

Kim Kiwoo knew very well.

One of the most important factors when the people rose up was their armament status.

When the people rebelled on a large scale, they often had an advantage in numbers.

But one of the big reasons why they were suppressed was their poor armament.

Of course, there were many other reasons, such as military training and dispersion of command. But those were obstacles that could be overcome if they had enough weapons.

‘The preparation is done.’

If he placed the weapons in their direct territory, which was close to them, he could deal with whatever happened in the future flexibly.

‘The crown prince’s role will be very big.’

Kim Kiwoo thought of his eldest son’s face, who had grown up firmly, and smiled.

‘That should be enough for the central continent…’

Kim Kiwoo looked at the bottom of the map, at the southern continent.

Currently, along the east coast of the southern continent, imperial citizens were working hard to develop ports.

In this process, they tried to harmonize with the natives as much as possible, but if they resisted fiercely, they didn’t hesitate to use force.

They had a reason to develop the east coast in preparation for Europeans.

And as for the Andes region, where many people lived…

‘It feels like I’m looking at the past central continent.’

It was following in the footsteps of the central continent.

After a neutral zone was created, it became more quickly dyed with imperial colors.

‘Good.’

Kim Kiwoo smiled deeply at the very smooth sight.