Chapter 455

Episode 455: Prophecy. (6)

Ouchi was expanding his military arsenal to the extent that anyone could notice if he paid even a little attention.

Not only that, but key people also changed.

Morimi, who had led the family until now, stepped down due to old age, and Mochiyo, the weir of the previous family head, took over as head of the family. And Norihiro, Morimi’s son, was adopted by Mochiyo and rose to the position of head of the family.

In this way, the successor structure that would become problematic later was stably established.

After completing the succession work, Morimi spoke to Mochiyo with an expression of relief.

“It was a good time. Kamisama (神様) is helping our family.”

Mochiyo bowed down and responded to Morimi’s words.

“hot! That’s right!”

“Stand up! From now on, you must lead the family!”

Mochiyo straightened her posture at Morimi’s words.

“From now on, this place is yours.”

Morimi, who left the position of head of the household to Mochiyo, lightly tapped Mochiyo on the shoulder.

“From now on, do your best to fulfill your family’s long-cherished wish.”

“under!”

While listening to Mochiyo’s firm answer, Morimi lightly tapped Mochiyo on the shoulder.

“Again, it was a good time. “If the previous shogun had still been alive, things would have become complicated.”

“That’s right.”

* * *

In order to strengthen the power of the shogunate, the previous shoguns were actively involved in the daimyō succession process.

Rather than appointing a designated successor within the daimyo’s family, he insisted on appointing as successor those who would follow his instructions or were likely to do so.

In this situation, the daimyō who did not follow the shogun’s will were mysteriously assassinated, and the daimyō had no choice but to follow Yoshinori’s will.

This was the same for Ouchi. In allowing Mochiyo to take over as governor, Morimi had to release considerable funds through Mochiyo to Yoshinori and his associates.

In this way, he succeeded in continuing the family headship of Mochiyo, but succeeding to the headship and handing over the position of head family to Norihiro were two different situations.

It would not have been a big problem for Mochiyo, who had gained Yoshinori’s trust, to succeed the family head, but it was certain that it would be very difficult for Morimi’s son, who distanced himself from Yoshinori, to ascend to the position of head of the family.

It was in this situation that Yoshinori was assassinated.

Less than a month after hearing the news of the shogun’s assassination, the succession structure, including the succession of the Ouchi family, was confirmed and notified to the shogunate.

And the shogunate could not say anything about Ouchi’s decision. The shogun was only 8 years old, and the Hosokawa family, who became his guardians, and his biological mother, Shigeko Hino, who became regent, lacked the ability to subdue Ouchi.

As an aside, Ouchi reported the news about the succession of the family head and the confirmation of the succession structure to Joseon before the shogunate.

King Sejong, who received letters from Morimi and Mochiyo through a messenger, responded as follows.

-It is truly regrettable that the internally sensitive person who has been fostering good-neighborly friendship with our country has no choice but to step down due to aging. In addition, Daenaejise (大內持世), the newly appointed head of the family, has promised good neighborliness, so we in Joseon sincerely hope that this spirit will continue for a long time.

At the same time as this answer, a large amount of medicine was delivered to Morimi through a messenger.

“You gave me so much precious medicine! Thank you so much!”

The lion who received the medicine was truly happy and bowed. However, the Joseon ministers who saw this muttered to themselves.

‘You must be very busy to pay for the medicine.’

* * *

Because the situation in the Ming and Japanese countries was like this, King Sejong and the ministers of Hyang became serious.

When war broke out in the Ming or a war broke out within the Japanese country, the first thing to collapse was the interior of the country.

Once a war or civil war broke out, it was like a ghost that constantly ate people’s lives and property.

The history up to now was that the people’s hard work would be squeezed to raise money for war, and those who could not endure this would either become refugees or become thieves.

Therefore, it was clear that if the war broke out to a greater extent, trade routes would be blocked. It was obvious to see that the time when Chinese pirates and Japanese pirates were prospering coincided with a period when China and Japanese were suffering from war.

It was certain that if maritime trade routes were blocked, the situation in Joseon would become serious.

Of course, it was not impossible for Joseon to control this trade route if the Joseon navy’s full power was properly mobilized.

The problem was the supply of war funds that would be consumed in the process and the problem of exploration of unoccupied areas in the East.

It was certain that if a large amount of power was invested to secure and manage trade routes, the exploration of terra incognita, which had just begun to get off the ground, would come to a halt.

If the time was missed during this process, there was a high possibility of a fierce competition with Europeans coming from the West.

“In the end, we must have a clear advantage in both quantity and quality.”

“Did you ask for an iron horse?”

“exactly.”

“Do you know how much an iron horse costs? “If you have five iron horses, you can make one of Joseon’s great ships that the great king saw.”

“Sigh!”

Henrik was momentarily taken aback by the price that exceeded his imagination.

‘Are these people trying to make unprofitable profits?’

Henrik, suspicious of price gouging, looked at the expressions of Mr. Kim and the officials sitting in front of him. But Kim Jeom went one step further.

“If you want to properly operate an iron horse with the purpose of making a profit, it is absolutely impossible with just one or two. You have to be at least in your teens to start, but is it possible to return to your country? To add, if you only buy an iron horse, it will be of no use. The railroad tracks for the iron horses must be built, and there must be carriages and freight cars to transport people and luggage. So, Joseon also had to prepare for quite a long time.”

Henry’s doubts seemed to be immediately answered by Kim Jeom’s words.

‘They’re really worried about whether I’m going to buy it!’

After understanding what the Koreans were worried about, Henri organized his thoughts once again. Henrik, who organized his thoughts based on what Kim Jeom said, answered Kim Jeom’s question honestly.

“If it’s that expensive, it’s impossible for our kingdom alone. So, how about North Korea joining hands with us?”

“Did you say we would hold hands?”

“exactly. “We, Portugal and Joseon, are joining together to build a railroad across Africa.”

“Did you say you were going to cross Africa?”

“exactly. Pedro!”

“Yes prince!”

As soon as Henry’s order was given, Pedro unfolded the map, and Henry traced the southeastern coast of Africa with his finger and then drew an imaginary straight line heading north.

“If we build a railroad like this, we can transport slaves from Africa, ivory and other valuables, and goods from Joseon.”

Kim Jeom, who was looking at the map while listening to Henrik’s explanation, shook his head.

“Why do we have to go down there?”

“huh?”

“For Joseon, there is no need to go all the way to southeastern Africa. slave? Slaves are of little use to our Joseon people. “Ivory and other valuables can be found in abundance in Alexandria.”

“But it’s expensive.”

“Considering the time it takes to get to southeastern Africa, the life of the ship, and the safety of the crew, it is not a big loss. And...”

Kim Jeom paused for a moment and continued speaking while tracing the imaginary straight line drawn by Henrik.

“An iron horse requires more than just railroad tracks. It must be a place with solid ground to firmly support the railroad, and a safe stopover where necessary water and fuel can be supplied along the way. “How far is it from south to north?”

“It is about 2,700 leagues (about 8,640 km, the actual length of Africa from north to south is about 8,000 km).”

Kim Jeom, who measured the length according to the advice of interpreters and officials, answered Henry.

“We need to lay over 22,000 miles of railway. Do you think it is possible? “For Joseon, I believe that the existing land route is sufficient.”

“Existing land route?”

“From Suez to Alexandria.”

Kim Jeom, who answered briefly, continued.

“Of course, if it’s shorter than that, I’ll consider it.”

In the end, negotiations regarding the iron horse ended in failure.

* * *

After hearing the story at Geunjeongjeon, King Sejong looked back.

“Will the great Portuguese army give up?”

“I’m going to give up. “If we try to lay the railroad as we suggested, a war will immediately break out.”

King Sejong and the ministers nodded at Hyang’s answer.

The place that Joseon chose as the optimal route was the border area between the Mamluks and Ottomans. It was clear what would happen if Portugal intervened.

“But I’m telling you...”

Lee Maeng-gyun, who had been listening to Hyang’s story, cautiously opened his mouth.

“What will happen if Portugal is serious about this?”

In response to Lee Maeng-gyun’s question, there was only silence in Geunjeongjeon.

After a long silence, Sejong opened his mouth.

“If we are wrong, the prophecy will come true. It may not be what we wanted.”