Chapter 608

Episode 608: Gaecheon – Enthronement, and Seonwi (1)

Due to the pressure from the Naegeumwi, the three people were somewhat discouraged and were able to arrive at the entrance to Geunjeongjeon.

The three people who entered Geunjeongjeon under the guidance of the eunuch walked in front of King Sejong under the guidance of the eunuch.

The three people politely bowed according to their own etiquette and spoke with one voice to King Sejong.

“I congratulate you on your great victory and wish your country great success.”

“It must have been a lot of hardship on the road, so thank you very much. I heard that your country is currently going through a lot of trouble due to the war. “I pray for a quick end to the war and victory.”

“thank you.”

* * *

After exchanging well-wishes and presenting the gifts they had brought to King Sejong, the three envoys left Geunjeongjeon.

“Whoa~.”

The three who came out of Geunjeongjeon took a long breath as if they were finally going to survive. Mehmut II opened his mouth with an expression of slight boredom.

“There was no one I was afraid of except my father, but I never thought I would meet someone like my father here again.”

The other two people both nodded at those words. Because they also felt the same way.

‘After all, do all rulers feel this way?’

“Surely that mighty Kitai is now Ming? “He was worthy of achieving victory against that great empire.”

Henrik, who was nodding at Giovanni’s words, changed the topic.

“To me, the first prince of Joseon seems unusual. What do you think?”

Mehmed II immediately responded to Henry’s question.

“It’s another Lion Sider. “If the current king of Joseon is a slightly aging lion, he felt like a lion in his prime.”

Giovanni nodded to Mehmet II’s evaluation.

“I agree. Even at first glance, it was clear that he was something out of the ordinary.”

“So I think this country has a lot to worry about as well.”

“huh?”

“why?”

Henrik and Giovanni simultaneously expressed doubts about Mehmet II’s unexpected remarks. Mehmet looked back at Geunjeongjeon and continued speaking.

“Isn’t there only one leader in a group of lions? Don’t you all know? “A monarch’s most powerful enemy is his own successor.”

“Ah...”

Henrik and Giovanni nodded at Mehmet II’s words.

It was customary for those in power to be unwilling to share that power. On the other hand, the successor to a powerful person had the ambition to take over that power as soon as possible.

Thanks to this, most of the power struggles between the king and his son ended in terrible bloodshed.

But the current situation in Joseon was very different. No, it was completely different.

If Joseon officials had heard this, most of them would have laughed.

“Your Majesty the Lord and the Crown Prince will have a power struggle? “Wow!”

“If the Lord lord says that there is no such thing as superiority, the crown prince is the one who will shout ‘Your Majesty the Lord!’ on the spot!”

“I should add words to that. ‘If possible, the budget is a bit...’”

“And what follows is ‘Get out! ‘You bastard!’”

They were Joseon officials who knew well the relationship between King Sejong, who was trying to get work done at all costs, and Hyang, who was trying to avoid taking on work as much as possible.

“You’ll have a good argument!”

* * *

After the audience ended, the three people went back to their lodgings and instead of resting, they visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Heo Hu, who welcomed the three people, gave up his seat and got to the point.

After sharing refreshments prepared by a servant working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heo Hu got straight to the point.

“So, why did the nobles of the Western Region visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?”

Henry stepped forward and answered Hu Hu’s question.

“I want to build a railway connecting Suez and the Mediterranean Sea.”

“Aqueduct?”

Everyone except Lim Soon-wook was confused by the completely unexpected answer.

“why?”

In response to Henry’s question, Lim Soon-wook explained in a little more detail.

“To properly move an iron horse, you need firewood, but first of all, you need clean fresh water. Considering the current performance of the Iron Horse, you would have to go through the water sources on the map or the nearest place, but then you would have to take a considerable detour. In other words, the route you mentioned earlier is absolutely not possible.”

“It’s okay to turn around to some extent.”

Henrique took a step back, but Lim Soon-wook shook his head again.

“Transportation of materials to lay the railway is also a problem. Not only the iron horse but also the iron tracks that will be laid on the railroad must be transported. There is no major problem with loading and departing from Korea, but the problem lies with arrival. How will you unload and how will you transport it to the site? “I’ll tell you in advance, you can’t move it with an iron horse, track, or one or two cows.”

“Oh my...”

After hearing Lim Sun-wook’s explanation through the interpreter, Henrik listened with an expression of disbelief.

“Is it really impossible?”

“My previous position was as the president of a railroad company. “I am confident that I know the most about railroads and iron horses among those present.”

After hearing Lim Soon-wook’s answer, Henrik and his group looked devastated.

This was the same for Joseon officials.

‘If I did well, it was an opportunity to do something big!’

Park Jong-woo, who could not hide his disappointment, asked Lim Sun-wook.

“Are you saying that in the end, water is the only answer?”

“That’s right.”

Heo Hu let out a long sigh in response to Lim Sun-wook’s answer.

“Huh~. “If you look at the waterway seen in Ming Dynasty, it seems to be quite a complicated item...”

Park Jong-woo also nodded at Heo Hu’s words.

The waterways they knew were very tricky. If the area through which the waterway passed was not flat, locks and water wheels were necessary, and it was a problem even if there was a flood or a drought. The sediment that accumulated there every day also had to be thoroughly cleaned.

Lim Soon-wook, who saw the frustrated expressions of Henrik and his group and Heohu Park Jong-woo, asked the question again.

“Are there many villages around the route you set earlier?”

“No, it’s all desert.”

“Is there a difference between high and low in the desert?”

“As far as I know, there are a lot of sand dunes, but it’s basically flat.”

“You mean there are no mountains or valleys?”

“exactly.”

Im Soon-wook responded to Henrik’s answer with even more confidence.

“Then a waterway is optimal.”

“huh?”

“why?”

When everyone expressed doubts, Soonwook Lim explained the reason.

-The route designated by Henry is a flat area with no permits and no mountains or valleys. This means that you can take a straight path without having to turn around.

-Based on the above conditions, the depth and width of the waterway can be set as desired. This means that ships can go directly to the Mediterranean region without having to unload at Suez.

-Finally, Suez is in the Red Sea and the destination is in the Mediterranean Sea. This means that there is no need to worry about drought or flood since the sea is the source of water.

“Unbelievable!”

“This way!”

The faces of Henrik and his group brightened at Lim Sun-wook’s explanation. However, Heo Hu, who was listening to the story, stopped.

“That would be an incredibly large feat, but is it really possible? “At least hundreds of thousands of people would have to be mobilized?”

Henrik and his party, who heard Heo Hu’s story through the interpreter, also looked at Lim Sun-wook with similar expressions.

However, Lim Soon-wook immediately responded with an expression that said it was no big deal.

“Of course we will need a lot of manpower, but don’t we have an excavator?”

At Lim Sun-wook’s answer, Joseon officials simultaneously clapped their knees in admiration.

“aha!”