Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Did London Bridge Fall (6)

The Crimean War, the war where the world’s 3 great powers collided head-on.

“Must reinforce more troops in the Far East.”

“Is there need to do so?”

British people were literally fighting on the stage of the whole world, and because of that the area to cover was also absurdly wide. To fight on a wider battlefield than this would have to wait for a world war to break out.

First the Black Sea and Crimea direction where an enormous number of troops are dying from cold and disease.

And regions to block the evil Russians’ claws that might extend to <​jewel of the crown> India. In one word Persia and Afghanistan.

On top of this the entire Far East theater and even the Pacific.

Truly fighting was occurring everywhere.

Thinking that the country called the British Empire is originally a naval power, and the army although elite belongs to the small side for a great power this enormously wide battlefield naturally approaches as a burden. Because Britain is not <​Europe’s jjajang> France.

“Realistically, no matter how Russians are closer to beasts than people the possibility that they charge down toward Central Asia or the Caucasus direction is very low.”

“So if they cross the mountains and invade? If piercing our carelessness and really committing?”

“No really.”

“Then leave the Indian garrison as is? Not sending all those troops to Crimea?!”

In the parliament a feast of any words occurred. Originally opposition and powerless lawmakers enjoy such irresponsible pleasure instead of having no power.

The British army garrisoned in India that exceeded a full 150,000 left only about 20,000 and all were redeployed toward Crimea.

And practical officers who thickened residual bones fighting wars in India also the majority left for the Crimean Peninsula.

Some shouted ‘if withdrawing this much control over India will become precarious’, but the majority’s reaction was not so.

“There is the East India Company army?”

“What worry when there are sepoys.”

“Since achieved a great victory in the Far East direction can also apply great pressure to Russians.”

“How about snatching the interests obtained from China?”

“Then let’s increase Far East sepoys more.”

“Must be recognized that Joseon is our core interest zone!”

This war was the war where <​public opinion> began to be formed in real time for the first time in human history.

Lawmakers who somehow stamp face seals on reporters and voters and receive votes in elections continuously chattered leave persimmons leave pears, and the parliament could not plot among themselves like before. Even Palmerston who seized the prime minister seat reaped results after shooting from outside backed by public opinion?

However Palmerston who actually sat in the prime minister seat had no thought of listening to those half-baked guys’ nonsense.

“Doing bullshit and falling. Far East interests? Whose will?”

“Even now Russia doesn’t seem will obediently come out to the peace negotiation table, if saying give even interests in the Far East don’t know how much longer the war will lengthen.”

Foreign Minister Earl of Clarendon also actively agreed with Palmerston’s opinion.

The French Empire’s atmosphere was not quite good even as a joke.

“Why did we do this war?”

“Isn’t it that British people used our France to eat all Far East interests!”

“Your Majesty! Must not be dragged around by those cunning pirate bastards!”

Not for nothing the British government condoned France’s influence strengthening in Joseon and recalled Consul General Alcock.

From the beginning this war was a war for <​protecting the Ottoman Turks’ legitimate rights> and <​defending freedom of faith> not a war that burst because of the Far East.

[Why can’t tear interests in the Far East when the British Empire is doing all this war?]

[Britain’s evil scheme! France sheds blood and Britain takes interests!]

[France has no thought of acknowledging our Britain’s legitimate blood price!]

[Believe Britain because nothing to believe? Of course get backstabbed!]

Yellow presses swarming on both opposite sides of the Dover Strait were competitively writing disgusting articles seeing each other’s articles.

Even after fighting the war the alliance with France must not shake.

So must not try to eat something more in the Far East.

Joseon sepoy reinforcement was one of the products of that compromise.

Instead of tolerating France taking more interests in Joseon and expanding influence, for Britain to tightly hold at least the military power that can burn Joseon in case of emergency. Joseon’s will? Why is such a thing needed?

The thought that India will burn with the flame of rebellion and Joseon sepoys will be dispatched to other lands, no one harbored.

Except one.

***

The Tower of Babel built with injustice and corruption.

The East India Company whose name is also brilliant.

This company’s inefficiency and corruption have aged hundreds of years so already not a problem that can be resolved just because the government does some knife work. Because already snatching became one system.

People never get a job at the East India Company because of salary.

If doing well at the East India Company can earn enormous huge money whether sucking or back hole yum yum and return so strained to get a job there. If cannot grab a share which madman will go all the way to India and work for a few tens of years?

I immediately pulled this chain of corruption.

“This is small but my sincerity.”

“Heum heum. What all this.”

“How can Lee & Gladstone Company, and Far East Company safely do business? All because of the East India Company’s protection? So just returning part of the profits in a pure sense.”

- If returning profits must do dividends, this crazy guy...

Oh. Even as a beast know dividends? Smart.

Anyway I tightly hold logistics within Joseon.

So to continuously supply Joseon sepoys of course using my ships is the most economical.

- Right.

But in the East India Company common sense doesn’t work.

If I don’t take care of this bribe like this, don’t know who else will intervene in military supply saying <​how decide the work of feeding the East India Company army arbitrarily!>. So early strike medicine saying don’t touch and see.

Nevertheless there were too many senior boarders on this chain of corruption.

“Look at this. A weapon that just made a prototype, I named it <​Gatling gun> in the meaning of respecting the person who made me think of the first concept of this weapon. Like this making it shoot bullets in bursts-”

“Eum. This will be hard to adopt.”

“Now no capacity to introduce new weapons. Because progressing the great business of replacing rifles!”

An enormous business of replacing all weapons of hundreds of thousands of sepoys.

Firearm introduction does not end with just one gun. Gun, firearm import tools, bullets, oil, bayonet... anyway if attaching all become business items.

How much the bribe network entangled here exceeds imagination could not even guess.

- Got rejected too refreshingly? Wasn’t trying to earn money selling Gatling?

No.

Will inform the basics of sales.

Once make a difficult demand first, if that gets rejected then push a easier proposal next.

Since rejected in the huge business of new weapon introduction a very slight but mental debt arose in them.

“Then how about this? Also thinking of building a gunpowder factory in Joseon.”

“This this. Too greedy?”

“Anyway even the Joseon government army has great needs for gunpowder.”

“Heuum...”

“Think well. We will anyway build a factory in Joseon local and begin producing dynamite. In various infrastructure constructions across Asia all will use Nobel & Lee’s dynamite. How about entrusting Joseon sepoys’ gunpowder to us too?”

The decision makers of the East India Company were moved by my utmost hospitality and sincere patriotism, and grand vision. No relation whatsoever to one Eastern virtue that brings luck and fortune - golden toad appearing one each at home.

Military supply was successful.

Since took a considerable part of the interests regarding Joseon sepoys, naturally the Joseon army will also receive that influence.

“And small but please accept this too.”

“No? Don’t do this.”

“If receiving this much from Henry’s son we are also embarrassed!”

“Haha. Nothing special. Instead if just raising our older brother’s rank a bit-”

“Ah. Daniel? Of course!”

“That friend is the pillar of Far East sepoys. Of course the company must take care!”

Daniel who had only trivial local conflicts in India and collisions in the Far East eaten for free as merits walked the path of high-speed promotion in an instant with the power of cash.

Easier than 21st century Republic of Korea MMORPG.

There no matter how much cash even minimal hunting must do. Since can raise level with cash alone we are a bit better.

I take care of older brother thriftily like this.

Definitely the older brother in Joseon is also crying freely moved by my overwhelming brotherly love. If not even not a person.

- Really? Your older brother doesn’t seem a person full of desire for advancement...

Where is a person who dislikes advancement!

***

Joseon Kingdom.

The heaven-sent famous general Daniel Lee suddenly looked up at the sky.

“I started military life at seventeen. If guys who started military at that age are 100, guys living as much as me now-”

“Properly for a great hero to be born must obtain heavenly timing, geographical advantage, human harmony, so the general also received Joseon’s energy and established such excellent merit!”

Now knew as much as to know.

Joseon people... don’t listen well to others’ words.

Indians experienced before were similar in being hopeless, but Joseon people’s optimism truly exceeded imagination.

“Incheon Count please don’t worry too much! Since the best famous general is in charge of the East’s strongest strong army the Joseon army, from now on accumulating martial merits and achieving grand merits comparable to that Tang Taizong is never a dream!”

Joseon that accepted foreigners completely overturned the meritorious subject related systems.

Until now if saying meritorious subject gave something buwongun or something gun title, but knowing Westerners use titles similar to five ranks completely took out the old-smelling five ranks again.

As a result... Daniel Lee became the Incheon Count whose name is also brilliant.

This is also cut. At first said will give duke rank so had to refuse several times doing ‘bowing on a straw-made carpet’ according to Joseon etiquette. If received duke rank would definitely become a laughingstock in mainland Britain for a long time.

The damn bastard called younger brother? That guy only said strange sounds like ‘how about Aoji rather than Incheon Aoji’ and went away inserting only dot damage into his mental. Really a bastard of no help.

He who moderately responded to Joseon people who listen dirty to words only possessed time alone much later.

And seeing the brightly shining moon, sighs and laments burst out naturally.

“What on earth are you thinking?”

A gunpowder factory is built.

Dynamite is produced.

New Enfield rifles are introduced and Brown Bess muskets scheduled to become obsolete flow from India to Joseon.

The prototype made for fun once, <​Gatling> is beautifully packaged and brought in from that London.

Not only this.

As if an invisible hand is pushing too naturally, Joseon people began building new factories themselves.

A yangban trying to utilize the overflowing cowhide in Joseon built a leather factory.

This yangban was of course the eighth cousin of the in-laws of a high official of the Joseon government, and as if waiting the Joseon government ordered military boots for Joseon army officers and soldiers to wear to this person.

In Britain did not do this. If saying a factory equipped with machines and turning properly a spinning factory or weaving factory.

However in Joseon factories were established to supply things the army needs from one to ten, and factories that secured holes where money comes out with military supply began supplying logistics little by little even to civilians.

Visible in the eyes of the soldier Daniel who knows a considerable number of things discussed deep in the court even as an outsider.

Joseon is going the path of a barracks state.

Not that Arthur is manipulating these.

The king, the prime minister, the foreign minister were changing their country like that with clear purpose and will.

Once asked out of curiosity.

“With the Joseon Kingdom’s financial scale shouldn’t raise a smaller army than this?”

“Ah. As expected Heavenly Strategy General is different! Noticing this quickly!”

And they readily nodded.

“But. This country called Joseon always had to have the ability to block a million great army to protect the ancestral shrine and state.”

“A million...?”

“Yes. To block a million would need 100,000.”

Optimism.

Endless optimism.

“But... if just closing eyes and somehow gathering only 300,000, seems can recover the old territory and destroy the barbarians. How does the general see?”

“If losing while doing that what happens?”

“What happens. The country will collapse.”

Not simply seeing the world positively.

“Why so nihilistic? Solidly managing the state-”

“That is to the end the way of thinking of a great country. A luxurious method a country with the power to promise the future can do.”

These guys collectively went bad.

Knew the reason the kind and cute Arthur became strange. After losing parents spent childhood in this mad country no way sane?

Must bounce.

Must not be here.

If continuing to be here really seems will advance toward Beijing at the vanguard of 300,000 Joseon army.

Daniel even went out to social gatherings he usually didn’t attend and grabbed those in the same industry and complained.

“What? The opportunity to stand at the vanguard of a 300,000 great army and capture the Chinese emperor as prisoner?”

“Stupid bastard! If dissatisfied with that get out!”

“Why such an amazing thing you kind of guy!”

“How much! How many pounds to buy a brigade commander position!”

Thinking about it no way the humans pushed out from India and dispatched all the way to Joseon are normal bastards.

Daniel who only ate gazes full of jealousy and curses fled.

The only two-eyed in the one-eyed village his refuge was only concubines and gisaeng and literature.

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