Chapter 862

Episode 862: Their Ambition (13)

Wan continued reading Hyang’s manuscript.

-Saying that the dimensions of the parts are matched means that proper performance is achieved only if they are made according to those dimensions.

-European iron-making technology is still far behind compared to the empire. Parts manufactured according to the dimensions of the railway they made cannot perform properly.

-For this reason, even if Florence produces its own products, it must purchase parts from our country.

-Of course, Florence will be dissatisfied with this and will try to find an alternative.

-There are two alternatives they can choose from.

Either improve the quality of the iron that makes the parts or change the values of the parts to match the performance of the iron that they can produce or obtain.

-Both methods are possible only after much trial and error. This means that a lot of time and capital is invested.

-And our empire will be able to use that time to get ahead and at the same time prepare for a war that may occur.

As Wan read up to this point, it was clear that Lim Soon-wook wanted to say something.

Wan glanced at Lim Soon-wook’s expression and read the next contents of the manuscript.

-There may be some among the ministers who will oppose this plan.

-This is probably the reason they are against it.

Europe is already making great efforts to catch up with the empire’s technology. Greatly stimulated by this incident, they will work harder and the time needed to catch up with the Empire will decrease even faster.

-To counter this, there are probably many people who are preparing for war while looking at the situation in Italy.

From whales, warfare has greatly advanced technology. Bronze swords changed to iron swords, and gunpowder weapons also gradually developed.

-Europe has already accelerated its preparations for war. They would have planted numerous spies not only in our empire but also in rival countries.

-If the drawings of the Florentine Long Gun are handed over to Florence, it is certain that they will soon spread everywhere.

-In that case, they will not follow directly the path our empire took, but will return slightly.

-If that happens, our empire will be able to buy a little more time. Of course, gaining some wealth is a bonus.

“That’s it...”

Wan, who was putting down Hyang’s letter, and all the ministers who heard the contents had expressions of disappointment on their faces.

At first, I was full of admiration, but as time passed, the place was filled with disappointment.

“You’re leaving me with no room to refute anything...”

Everyone in Daejeon nodded at the same time as Wan muttered.

“If you don’t know, you can’t help but suffer, and even if you know, you can’t help but suffer... You leave me with nothing to say.”

Kim Jong-seo, who was nodding at Hwang Bo-in’s words, answered.

“He is someone to whom the phrase ‘sitting and looking out into the sky’ suits him. Since you know the situation so accurately with only the small information sent here, it’s a bonus to come up with an answer that suits it...”

At Kim Jong-seo’s words, Wan had to suppress the itching in his mouth.

* * *

Ministers could only receive information sent by employees of the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs dispatched to Europe, but Wan and Hyang were also receiving information from the Milwi.

Because Milwi was far superior in both the speed and quality of information delivery, Wan and Hyang knew the external situation better than the ministers.

‘No. Considering where you are...’ Even though

Milwi delivered information faster than the Ministry of National Defense or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shinji’s Hyang had no choice but to receive the information much later than Wan’s.

This was because they had to rely on regular transport ships going between the new site and the main site. If something was sent separately without a valid justification, it was certain that the ministers would notice the existence of Milwi.

Since the secret inspection of ministers and major generals was also the mission of the Secret Service, there was no good thing about the Secret Service’s existence being revealed.

* * *

“Big! “Keuhum!”

“Hmm... If you look at his abilities, he is a very capable person...”

“Didn’t His Majesty tell me something?”

“Me to you? What was it....”

“The standard for evaluating incompetence and competence. “You said that the standards by which the people evaluate you and the standards by which the emperor evaluates them should be different, right?”

“Oh, that?”

Only then did Wan look like he was remembering.

‘This teaching was also given to me by the situation.’

* * *

When Wan was just taking the crown prince’s lessons, Hyang said this to Wan.

“Personally, I like dating good people, good people, and trustworthy people. However, when it comes to manipulating people, we cannot only look at their human nature. “You have to lay down what a person is like and check the following.”

What the fragrance said next was as follows.

-If the people say they are ‘incompetent,’ then the monarch is also incompetent. It should not be appointed.

-The people said, ‘It’s normal.’ Or, if you say, ‘It’s okay,’ the monarch should think like this. ‘You can change it at any time.’

-If the people hear that the monarch is ‘competent’, they can trust him and use him for a long time.

-If the people hear that a person is ‘very capable,’ the ruler should use him but keep an eye on him until the end. ‘Highly competent’ people know that they are competent. Because of this, you can go astray and mess things up by only believing in your own abilities. In this case, it can lead to worse results than hiring an incompetent person.

– Therefore, if you are a monarch, it is better to hire competent people rather than very competent people.

Hyang, who had been explaining up to this point, suddenly laughed and gave another example.

“It’s the same with gisaeng. It’s best to avoid gisaengs who are too pretty. Those gisaengs are also arrogant because they know their pretty things very well. There are times when you go out to enjoy the arts, but end up feeling bad instead. “It’s better to avoid it.”

“yes? yes. ah! okay!”

* * *

“Hmm... Shin Sook-ju is definitely a ‘very capable person.’”

Hyeon put a little more emphasis on Wan’s words.

“It’s not just about what happened today. “There have been several instances where reports have been made of events that have crossed the line.”

“Jim knows too.”

Milwi quietly and persistently inspected high-ranking officials and commanders. And the results were reported to Wan and Hyeon.

According to Milwi’s report, people were gradually gathering around Shin Sook-ju.

Since there had been no illegal activities such as bribery or personnel corruption, Wan was just watching.

“Not yet. It’s hard to find someone as talented as Shin Sook-ju. “I am quietly looking into those who are slightly less capable than Shin Suk-ju but have sufficient experience, so the crown prince should not worry.”

Hyeon bowed his head in response to Wan’s answer and suddenly asked Wan as if he remembered something.

“your majesty. So what do you think about Hanmyeonghoe? “Isn’t he also very capable?”

“right. Very capable and ambitious. “It is a known fact that he is targeting the Prime Minister’s Office.”

“Then shouldn’t he take care of it somehow?”

In response to Hyeon’s concerns, Wan smiled slightly and shook his head.

“No, if it’s Hanmyeonghoe, you can rest assured. As talented and ambitious as he is, he is also cautious. What you can and cannot do. I know very well what I can do and what I should never do. So you can rest assured.”

“Ah...”

Hyun nodded at Wan’s words.

Han Myeong-hoe’s behavior in that way was partly due to his nature, but his scent also played a role.

This was because when he first came forward to reveal himself, Hyang was the first to understand his true intentions.

-It was a great opportunity, wasn’t it?

From that day on, Han Myeong-hoe could never harbor any other feelings toward Hyang and Wan.