Chapter 131

Chapter 131: Inspection.

The guns that the two brothers made were demonstrated in the palace soon after.

And Kim Kiwoo uttered one word after seeing the two types of guns.

“Insane.”

Even without the pistols and machine guns in front of him, the enemies of the Wakantanga Empire were hard to find.

But depending on the tactics, environment, and climate, the outcome could change.

However, if those two weapons were supplied to the imperial army, the story would be different.

‘No army can break through those monsters.’

First of all, they could never lose in a frontal battle.

There was no concept of trenches in this era.

Large-scale dense tactics were used in almost all battlefields.

Or something like a cavalry charge.

The machine gun would surely turn these tactics into relics of the old age.

Either way, they would be nothing but good targets in front of the machine gun.

‘And what about the six-shot pistol?’

Being able to fire six bullets quickly was a very big advantage.

And it was light enough to hold with one hand.

‘It would be invincible in horseback combat.’

Kim Kiwoo imagined himself riding a horse and firing a pistol at the enemies who approached him.

In this era, cavalry was still the center of tactics.

The outcome of the battle depended on the clash of cavalry and cavalry.

In this situation, the appearance of gun cavalry would bring nightmares to the existing cavalry.

‘That’s enough talk.’

It had been quite a long time since horses first came from Europe.

Not only that, but after the navigation ban was relaxed, they imported livestock, including horses, from all over the world.

Thanks to that, horses were no longer scarce livestock.

While Kim Kiwoo was thinking about this and that,

Finally, all the gun demonstrations were over.

Clap, clap, clap.

“I’ve seen enough. I can see your hard work.”

“Th-thank you, Your Majesty!”

“Alright. You can leave now.”

Kim Kiwoo sent the two brothers away.

Then the demonstration hall became noisy in an instant.

“It’s really an amazing gun. With these weapons, the imperial army will be invincible.”

“Indeed. Who can stand against the imperial army armed with these powerful weapons on steel steamships?”

“Hahaha! This is the prosperity of the empire.”

Kim Kiwoo quietly watched his ministers pour out praises.

Then he saw a dark expression on his defense minister’s face.

“The defense minister doesn’t seem to like those guns.”

“…I apologize.”

He didn’t bother to hide his uneasy emotions.

Kim Kiwoo asked him with an interested expression why he felt that way.

“Why is that? The improvement of the imperial army’s weapons should be the best news for you.”

“I’m sure it would be nice if the imperial army’s armament improved. But I’m worried.”

“Worried?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. That small repeating pistol seems to have a lot of potential for accidents. Aren’t there many gun incidents happening in the empire right now?”

“Hmm.”

At that remark, the public security minister stepped forward.

“The defense minister is right. There are already many problems, but if a repeating pistol that can fit in a pocket falls into the hands of criminals… Horrible crimes will occur.”

Kim Kiwoo understood their concerns.

‘They still allow some gun use in civilian areas.

It was inevitable.

There were still many unexplored lands in the continent of Wakan Tanka.

There were many beasts there, and the countless wild animals that lived on the continent were a great threat to the civilians.

The empire allowed the possession of firearms as a means of self-defense against them.

Of course, as the exploration progressed and the need for firearms decreased, the regulation was becoming stricter.

But anyway, if one wanted to get a firearm, they could get it easily enough.

And the emergence of such a convenient and powerful revolver was a double-edged sword.

“I sympathize with your worries. But it is not right to neglect weapon development because of such concerns. Isn’t it up to the authorities to prevent unpleasant things from happening?”

Kim Ki-woo had no intention of allowing firearms to civilians like the United States in the original history.

The United States and the Wakan Tanka Empire were different.

The United States was a country that grew by the private capitalists.

But the Wakan Tanka Empire had reached this point under Kim Ki-woo’s leadership.

Even if he banned the possession of firearms by civilians throughout the empire right now, they would not resist like the American arms dealers.

They would have a hard time surviving in the empire if they did.

‘I have to ban civilian possession of firearms like Korea when the exploration is over.’

Of course, it would take a lot of effort because the territory of the Wakan Tanka Empire was too large, but it was better than having the imperial citizens live in fear because of firearms.

“Industrial Minister.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please give me your order.”

“Pay attention to the mass production of those two weapons you developed, especially the six-shot revolver. And Defense Minister, follow me.”

Kim Ki-woo went straight to his office and discussed the establishment of a firearm unit.

The Defense Minister could not hide his admiration.

“Indeed… As expected, Your Majesty has grasped the most ideal way to use a revolver in an instant. It would be truly formidable if a firearm unit is formed as Your Majesty said.”

“You never know when and where you will project the empire’s power, so do your best to train elite firearm soldiers. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will never disappoint you.”

The eyes of the Defense Minister who answered were burning like flames.

***

At this time, the history of the whole world was changing rapidly by the empire.

This was also true for Joseon.

A long time had passed since the hundred or so envoys sent by Joseon returned from the empire.

Many things had happened in Joseon during that time.

“Ugh… How can they inject cow pus into human bodies!”

“But they can cure smallpox, can’t they?”

The vaccination method transmitted by thin wires was initially met with all kinds of rumors and had very poor recognition, but soon took root in Joseon with its effects.

And what Yi Hwang and his fellow envoys brought back turned Joseon society upside down.

“Ha ha ha! Look at this sturdy grain!”

“It’s amazing… It’s incomparable to the old seeds.”

Among them, various seeds had the most impact.

The seeds of the empire were those that had been improved in modern times.

As a result, there was a huge difference in yield between Joseon’s rice and rice brought from the empire.

Moreover, Kim Ki-woo brought seeds that were most suitable for Korea’s climate from modern times, so they grew very well in Joseon where there were four distinct seasons.

In addition, potatoes and sweet potatoes, which are tuber crops, also grew very well in Joseon’s barren land.

As a result, fewer people starved in Joseon.

In addition, cheap and excellent products from the empire shook Joseon society from its roots, just like other countries.

Many people were very curious about Wakan Tanka Empire because of these series of events.

“Now is our chance.”

Yi Hwang did not miss this social atmosphere.

He and his comrades who swore to share their will spread various knowledge of the empire to intellectuals.

“Ha! What nonsense are you spouting! How can you call yourself a scholar who follows the will of the Lord, when you say such things!”

There was a lot of resistance in the process.

Joseon was a Confucian society that embraced Neo-Confucianism.

But when they suddenly tried to spread the empire’s practical and realistic learning, the scholars who were already wrapped in fixed ideas could not accept it at all.

However, Yi Hwang did not care about the many attacks he received.

He thought that Joseon could only keep up with the changes of the times if they woke up from the shell of Neo-Confucianism, just as he had done.

“Learning must change according to the times. Look at the Wakan Tanka Empire. They have amassed immense wealth with their realistic learning. The grains and numerous goods brought in from the empire prove this. They have laid railways on a vast continent that is wider than Ming, and they can reach faraway places in an instant. And they are still developing at a frightening pace right now.”

“Is that so?”

“Is that all? The great emperor who rules the empire has ruled the empire for the last hundred years and has not aged at all. He looks exactly like he does in this coin.”

“Hmm. I don’t believe it.”

“Haha. I was like that at first too. But, if you go to the Wakan Tanka continent yourself, you will know that my words are not exaggerated at all.”

Thanks to Yi Hwang and his colleagues’ persistent rhetoric, many scholars flocked to him.

Especially, Kim Ki-woo’s eternal youth, which was a powerful proof, quickly spread the belief in spirits throughout Joseon society.

Thanks to this, they quickly became a huge force with Yi Hwang as their leader.

But this appearance gave a sense of crisis to the privileged class.

“Hehe. These days, there is a young fellow named Toegye(Yi Hwang) who is spreading nonsense and causing trouble for the people.”

“Spirits? Where is there such a thing in the first place…”

“That’s right. How can we leave such a bastard alone? Since when did Joseon become a country that accepts barbarians’ learning?”

They began to send a huge amount of petitions to Lee Yeok.

But what they didn’t know was that Lee Yeok had already secretly met with Yi Hwang.

Lee Yeok recalled the past.

***

“Your Majesty. The Wakan Tanka Empire was more than you can imagine.”

“Oh? How so?”

Then Yi Hwang told Lee Yeok many stories about the empire.

As he listened, Lee Yeok’s face turned into shock.

“…Is that really true?”

“It is the truth without any exaggeration. Joseon cannot stand still like this. Not only me, but many envoys from other countries have visited and will soon follow the Wakan Tanka Empire and carry out numerous reforms.”

“Hmm…”

The word reform made Lee Yeok’s face frown.

He remembered Jo Gwang-jo’s radical reform that had passed through his head.

To be honest, Lee Yeok was not very interested in such reforms.

All he wanted was to strengthen royal authority.

Yi Hwang noticed this mood of Lee Yeok.

“I know what you are worried about, Your Majesty. But we have no intention of following Jo Gwang-jo’s wrong course. This reform will help you achieve what you want.”

“What do I want?”

“That’s right. Don’t you want to strengthen your royal authority, Your Majesty?”

“Haha. Well…”

Lee Yeok spoke vaguely, but Yi Hwang’s confident words continued.

“As you know, the Wakan Tanka Empire runs all its affairs under the absolute power of the emperor. This is because the emperor of the empire is a living spirit. He does not age at all even after a long time passes. That is proof.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

At that, Yi Hwang took out a letter from his bosom and handed it to Lee Yeok.

“What is this?”

“This is a letter from the emperor to Your Majesty, and this is the translation of its contents.”

“Oh.”

Lee Yeok took it and read it down.

After a while.

“…!”

His face hardened.

Shiver.

Even his hands were trembling.

After confirming all the contents of the letter.

“Is this really true?”

“There is not an inch of falsehood in it. If you wish, you can ask the envoy from the Wakan Tanka Empire who enters Joseon. The seal on the letter is clearly that of the emperor of the empire.”

“No, why would they…”

Lee Yeok read the letter again.

But there was no way that the contents of the letter would change.

As a result, he could not shake off his confusion for a while.