It was three months after the Secret Guards sent their intelligence that the Imperial Army Intelligence Department reported about explosive silver.
The expressions of Wan and the ministers who received the report submitted by the Imperial Army Intelligence Department were grave.
However, the reasons for the ministers’ and Wan’s serious expressions were entirely different.
“Huh… This is…”
“In the end…”
“What was coming has come…”
While the ministers were focused on the matter of ‘explosive silver development,’ Wan was concerned about a different problem.
The time delay is too long! A three-month difference! Has the bureaucratic disease already reappeared?
***
When Wan was still learning about state administration and various matters as Crown Prince, Hyang told him about things he should pay special attention to as Emperor.
“Wan, do you know what officials like most?”
At Hyang’s question, Wan thought briefly before answering.
“I believe it’s leaving work on time.”
“That is an answer, but not the complete one. Besides, leaving work on time isn’t something only officials enjoy. What officials like is ‘today like yesterday, tomorrow like today.'”
Hyang explained in more detail.
“Officials hate variables most of all. When variables arise, work increases.”
“What they hate as much as increased work is responsibility. They only want to bear responsibility equal to their given authority.”
“Therefore, they don’t step forward rashly. If they step forward carelessly and things go wrong, they suffer in performance evaluations, receive nothing but criticism, and work just increases.”
“This is how ‘today like yesterday, tomorrow like today’ is created.”
“And to maintain this situation, officials become unprecedentedly strict. In other words, ‘flexibility’ disappears.”
“Even general reports or documents that aren’t contracts get rejected immediately if they deviate from wording or format. Or they’re rejected for the reason of ‘no precedent.'”
“Of course, when it comes to the people’s safety or lives, insisting on principles is right. But as time passes and better technologies, methods, or equipment appear, rejections happen without proper examination.”
“When this happens, the Empire doesn’t move forward but stops in place or worse, falls behind.”
“…In worse cases, it goes off track. That’s why the Records Office never lacks people. Tsk!”
Clicking his tongue with a clearly displeased expression, Hyang continued.
“When Great-Grandfather first implemented reforms, the most common words and petitions he heard were ‘there’s no precedent.’ Thinking about the time spent fixing such behavior… Therefore, not just me, but when you become Emperor, and the Emperors who succeed you, you must not tolerate the spread of this ailment—I’ve named it ‘bureaucratic disease.'”
At Hyang’s teaching, Wan bowed his head and answered.
“I will engrave these golden teachings deep in my heart!”
***
Remembering Hyang’s teachings, Wan wore a serious expression.
The content is more detailed and includes trends not just from France but other European nations. However, it’s not substantial enough to be three months late!
“Hmm…”
As Wan made a serious expression and groaned, the ministers hurriedly offered positive remarks.
“Your Majesty! We’ve known for some time that various European countries and people were researching explosive silver! The research institutes and Area 51 are already working hard on it, so please don’t worry too much!”
Following Hwangbo In’s words, Kim Jong-seo and other ministers also bowed and continued.
“Indeed! Looking at the report, they’ve just taken their first steps. Of course, we shouldn’t take this lightly, but neither should we exaggerate it.”
“Correct! With explosive silver alone, it’s still far-fetched for them to surpass the Empire’s weapons! While we should monitor the situation, there’s no need to respond oversensitively.”
The ministers who had serious faces just moments ago were now making positive remarks one after another as if nothing had happened, trying to ease Wan’s concerns.
At the ministers’ words, Wan sighed and responded.
“I too have long known that Europe is using every method to create explosive silver. No, is it just Europe? I know that Ming, Japan, and the Ottomans are all making every effort to create explosive silver.”
As Wan said, among the nations that had encountered the Empire’s explosives, all those with sufficient technological capability were striving to create explosive silver.
Leading this challenge were, of course, Europe and the Ottomans.
***
Europe and the Ottomans could take the lead thanks to their alchemists.
What the alchemists first focused on was the meaning of the term ‘explosive silver.’
“What does explosive silver mean?”
To understand the meaning of explosive silver, alchemists and their disciples headed to Alexandria.
“So explosive silver means ‘exploding argentum’… Silver, they say…”
“Silver explodes?”
Having learned the meaning of explosive silver, alchemists soon began conducting various experiments with silver.
After investing enormous time and budget and experiencing all sorts of trial and error, European and Ottoman alchemists competed to create substances similar to explosive silver.
They had created silver fulminate.
However, despite literally creating ‘exploding silver,’ the alchemists’ expressions were far from pleased.
“It’s too unstable.”
“Too sensitive.”
“It explodes even underwater? Absolutely unusable for military purposes!”
The substance they had painstakingly created had too many flaws. No, there was an even greater flaw than those.
“Silver as an ingredient! That precious silver!”
Alchemists challenged themselves once again to reduce production costs and increase stability, but they continued to face failure after failure.
Rumors related to these alchemists’ challenges spread in all directions and reached the Empire’s ears.
Meanwhile, a few alchemists tired of continuous failure changed their thinking.
“What if the ‘silver’ in explosive silver doesn’t mean silver but something else?”
“Chinese characters don’t always have just one meaning, do they?”
The alchemists who changed their perspective began searching for minerals with silver in their Chinese names or with a luster similar to silver.
The most representative was lead.
As time passed, more alchemists made this shift in thinking, and after fierce competition, they finally produced a substance similar to the explosive silver used by the Empire.
***
After lightly wetting his throat, Wan continued speaking.
“Prime Minister, let me ask you something.”
“Please ask, Your Majesty.”
“You said we shouldn’t take this lightly, but also shouldn’t exaggerate?”
“That is correct.”
“Is it really an exaggeration?”
“Pardon?”
At Hwangbo In’s expression showing clear incomprehension, Wan held up the problematic report and continued.
“This report—when did it arrive in Seoul? No, when did the field acquire this intelligence, when did they decide to report it, and when did it arrive in Seoul?”
“Well… that’s…”
“Check that first right now and report back.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Shortly after, Ministry of Defense officials who received Hwangbo In’s orders ran desperately toward the Ministry of Defense building.
***
After reading the report documenting the route and time taken for the intelligence to reach Seoul, Wan clicked his tongue.
“Tsk!”
As Wan clicked his tongue, the ministers became restless. Regardless, Wan continued clicking his tongue.
“Tsk tsk tsk… Really now… Intelligence painstakingly acquired was stuck in Suez for two months… Tsk!”
At Wan’s criticism, the ministers became like turtles pulling in their necks, only watching Wan’s mood.
This incident was definitely a problem.
***
At the Imperial Navy base in Suez, at least two Challenger-class warships were always on standby.
Their mission was to bring urgent reports that could affect the Empire’s security to the Empire as quickly as possible.
However, in this case, the person in charge hadn’t mobilized these warships but waited for regularly scheduled transport ships.
It was the handler’s fatal misjudgment.
In contrast, for the Secret Guards, speed was the priority. Secret Guards agents carrying confidential letters for Seoul sought the fastest ships regardless of nationality to move to Seoul.
This created the three-month time difference in this instance.
***
Wan continued pointing out problems.
“To prevent delays in intelligence related to the Empire’s security, we stationed ships on standby in Suez and gave handlers authority to move them. So why did this happen?”
“…”
At Wan’s criticism, the ministers kept their mouths shut and bowed their heads. Looking at such ministers, Wan clicked his tongue.
“Tsk! Is it a cost issue after all?”
Moving a single Challenger-class warship involved considerable expense. Therefore, the Suez regional handler had waited for scheduled transport.
Authority was authority, but being criticized later was a separate matter.
Looking at the ministers who remained silent, Wan muttered to himself.
Is this why Father said we need fast and accurate communication tools?
Though carrier pigeons existed for high-speed long-distance communication, using carrier pigeons from Suez to Seoul was terribly inefficient.
Therefore, the Empire had accepted the cost and stationed ships on standby in Suez.
***
Wan continued pointing out problems.
“Considering the time for intelligence about explosive silver to reach Suez and the time from Suez to Seoul, France would have already had time to build factories to produce explosive silver and more. Not only that, looking at the trends of other European countries appended to the report, there are rumors they’ve also created similar things. So is it really an exaggeration?”
“…”
“Looking at the firearms Europeans have made, don’t you all know well that except for explosive silver, they’ve caught up to our Empire in many areas? Yet you call it an exaggeration?”
Wan’s voice began to grow increasingly sharp.
The first weapons the Empire released to Europe were flintlock muskets. Though smoothbore guns without rifling, they boasted superior performance to the matchlock guns Europe used at the time.
From then on, European gunsmiths desperately imitated Imperial firearms. Understanding the principles came later; they first began faithfully catching up starting with parts they could imitate.
This continued even after the Model Gap rifles were introduced.
European craftsmen who examined Model Gap rifles soon began cutting rifling in their own firearms.
Without knowing why rifling was necessary, simply because the Empire had done it…
The problem was that just by copying, the performance of flintlock muskets made by European craftsmen improved significantly.
Afterward, an almost religious belief arose among European gunsmiths.
“When it comes to weapons, unconditionally copy whatever the Empire does! Understanding principles and reasons comes later!”