The peace faction vehemently urged their monarchs to enter negotiations.
“The Great Han Federation Empire wants to negotiate! We must come to the table!”
“They want to negotiate? What’s your proof?”
“The fact that the former emperor of the Great Han Federation Empire has come here himself is all the proof we need! It means they’re willing to talk!”
“Hmm…”
“Your Majesty! Negotiations must come first! Please, consider their military strength!”
As the monarchs hesitated, the peace faction pressed their case for negotiations even more forcefully.
Even seeing this, the war faction couldn’t easily voice their opposition. The current situation in Italy was simply too dire to recklessly call for war.
***
While France and the other concerned nations engaged in a tedious tug-of-war of diplomacy, with envoys rushing back and forth, the Empire was diligently turning its Swiss mercenaries into a formidable fighting force.
Thanks to the Empire’s industriousness, they had raised their target of a 100,000-strong Swiss mercenary army in less than half a year.
Although a significant amount of finishing work remained, they had achieved their initial objective.
Well, if it comes down to it, I guess the final touches will have to be applied through live combat…
It was a rather ruthless assessment from the Imperial military instructors and commanders. But the pressure exerted by the sheer number of 100,000 was immense.
Right now, a combined force of 100,000, which comprises the Imperial Army, the Swiss mercenaries, and the Florentine standing army, was coiled in Florence, ready to strike.
What was even more terrifying was that this 100,000 was not the end. Through a reserve system modeled after the Empire’s, they could reinforce their ranks with up to 30,000 additional troops if needed. On top of that, Switzerland could mobilize at least 50,000 more.
“And I hear… the Empire’s standing army alone is 300,000…”
“That’s horrifying… Thank God they’re far away and we can breathe a little easier as long as we keep the Suez blocked.”
However, with the arrival of the Imperial fleet from the New Frontier, their troubles had multiplied.
Furthermore, flanking them through Switzerland had become impossible. This was because 25,000 of the mercenaries contracted by the Empire remained in Switzerland. Entrenched in the natural fortress of the Alps, this mercenary force had completely cut off any potential detour.
“Even if there were a detour, the biggest problem would still remain… That’s the real issue.”
“Exactly.”
Even if they managed to cross the Alpine corridor through Switzerland and enter Italy, they would still have to face the damned 100,000-strong army holding Florence. That fact hadn’t changed.
“This is going to be a massive headache if the three-nation talks fail…”
“We have to make sure the talks succeed. No matter what.”
The immediate task for the war faction was no longer to start a war, but to ensure the success of the trilateral negotiations.
***
This was the backdrop against which the war faction held their tongues. In the midst of this, a small group of extremists met in secret.
“Just how valuable do you think the Empire’s former emperor is?”
“Obviously, he’s of immense value.”
“And what if we could kill him? What do you think would happen to the morale of the Imperial forces in Italy?”
“Do you think the Empire would just stand by?”
“Think about it. The time it would take for news of the assassination to reach them, for them to decide on a response, and for them to finally act on it. By then, Italy will have already been sorted out.”
“You have to remember that the Imperial army in Italy is a force to be reckoned with.”
“Of course, they’ll act rashly, without thinking. That’s even better. If that happens, our own talkative cowards will have no choice but to fight for their lives. The times are changing! How long are we going to cling to chivalry? An era has come where you must risk everything to gain everything!”
“There’s truth in that. Let’s give it some thought.”
The extremists continued their discussion, draining their glasses. The problem was that most of the places where these extremists met were courtesan establishments established by the Secret Guard.
***
Upon expanding into Europe, the Secret Guard had established courtesan establishments in the capitals of the great powers and other major cities. These establishments were staffed with trained gisaeng and employees.
These gisaeng and employees were ‘red-haired, blue-eyed Imperials.’
After the young girls rescued by Kim Jong-seo from the slave market in Alexandria rose to fame as renowned gisaeng, similar cases followed. Merchants and other courtesan establishments, seeing the potential for profit, began purchasing young girls in Alexandria and raising them to be gisaeng.
And the Secret Guard had simply gotten in on the action.
We need to be in Europe, but our appearance is too different from theirs! This is the perfect alternative!
Having received Emperor Hyang’s approval, the Secret Guard moved quickly. They acquired young girls from Alexandria who were certain to grow into beauties and trained them as Secret Guard agents.
The Secret Guard’s origins traced back to the Shadow Sword, who protected courtesan houses, so their agents had a sharp eye for talent. The children they brought in grew up to be gisaeng of outstanding beauty.
But they weren’t just trained as courtesans. Girls with clear aptitude were selected for further espionage training whenever possible, and they were taught the languages of the European powers. Those who dropped out during this process were assigned to work as gisaeng in Secret Guard front companies on the mainland and in the northern territories, where they were tasked with monitoring the elite.
However, the primary focus was on instilling absolute loyalty to the Empire and the Emperor. Through a process that could only be described as brainwashing, they became devoted agents of the Secret Guard.
While most female agents were supplied through this process, the majority of male agents were from the baekjeong⁵ class or were of mixed blood.
As interactions with foreign nations increased, so did the number of foreigners who were scouted and settled in the Empire, as well as the number of men who formed relationships with women abroad.
When tales of the latter began to surface, Sejong and Hyang immediately enacted a law.
- -Anyone who forms a bond with a foreigner must marry them and bring them into the Empire.
- -In the case of bigamy, the individual will be severely punished.
“We’re short on people as it is; we have to use every method we can!”
As a result, the mixed-race population in the Empire grew, and the Secret Guard turned them into agents. They, too, underwent a process of near-brainwashing and rigorous training before being dispatched to Europe.
In the front establishments set up across Europe, these agents operated as the masters, gisaeng, and employees of the courtesan establishments, while high-ranking Secret Guard officials moved among them disguised as servants.
Thanks to this, the European elite felt almost no aversion to these establishments. After all, the people running them looked just like them.
And the Secret Guard’s courtesan establishments proved to be quite politically useful.
The leaders of opposing political factions were always under a state of semi-constant surveillance by their rivals. If one were to host a banquet, the guest list would be meticulously scrutinized to distinguish friend from foe. Furthermore, hosting a banquet was a considerable expense.
In the courtesan establishments, however, they could arrange meetings under the guise of coincidence, and the cost was relatively low compared to a formal banquet.
Moreover, as members of all factions gathered at the courtesan establishments, it became a neutral ground where unexpected political negotiations could take place.
Consequently, the courtesan establishments became an indispensable gathering place for the nobility.
Thus, ‘Courtesan House Politics’ was born, at least 200 years before the ‘salon politics’ that had become popular during the age of absolute monarchy in the original timeline.
***
The extremists’ plot to assassinate Hyang reached the ears of the Secret Guard almost immediately.
Upon receiving the report, the branch chief made a swift decision.
“Execute first and report later.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Who’s the best shot?”
“James is the best, sir.”
“Get him in here. Now.”
“Yes, sir!”
As his subordinate left to summon James, the chief unlocked a safe in the corner and took out two long boxes and a slightly smaller one.
“You sent for me, sir?”
“There are men plotting to assassinate His Majesty, the Emperor Emeritus. They must be eliminated. Can you do it?”
“I will eliminate them without fail,” the blond man called James answered, his face resolute.
Hearing his answer, the branch chief opened the smaller box and took out a small book.
“This is a license to kill. Write your name, sign it, and stamp your handprint.”⁹
“Yes, sir!”
James wrote his name on the license the chief spread open and then added his unique signature. Afterward, he drew the small dagger he carried, pricked his hand to draw blood, and pressed a red handprint onto the license to kill.
After wiping the blood and bandaging his hand, James stood at attention again. The chief pushed the two boxes toward him.
“A silenced rifle. How long will you need to get reacquainted with it?”
“Two days will be sufficient.”
At James’s reply, the branch chief took a key from his desk drawer and handed it to him.
“Use Underground Room 2.”
“Yes, sir.”
***
Five days later, in a high-end residential district in Paris.
This was an area where nobles with country estates kept their city manors, alongside the mansions of wealthy merchants and capitalists.
Just as darkness had completely fallen, a carriage stopped in front of one of the noble mansions.
“Welcome back, my lord Baron.”
“Yes. I’ll be changing and going out again immediately. Have everything prepared.”
“Yes, my lord.”
As the servant waiting at the entrance opened the door, the baron stepped out of the carriage, relaying his schedule as he climbed the steps to the front door.
Thwack!
Just as the baron reached the door, a bullet, flying from somewhere in the darkness, struck him in the head.
“My lord!”
“Baron!”
“Assassination!”
“It’s an assassin!”
The servants and coachman who followed screamed as they rushed toward the fallen baron.
“What’s going on?”
“Gah!”
Drawn by the commotion outside, those inside the mansion were horrified at the sight of the baron, dead with blood pouring from his head.
Their faces pale, the men grilled the servant who was cradling the fallen baron.
“Where did the shot come from?!”
“I… I don’t know!”
“You must have heard the gunshot!”
“I didn’t hear anything!”
“I didn’t hear it either!”
“What?”
At the answers from the servant and the coachman, the men looked up, scanning the surroundings. But they could find no trace of the killer.
Meanwhile, in a dark alley about 200 meters away from the scene of the assassination, James quietly disassembled his silenced rifle, hid the pieces in a secret pocket sewn into his overcoat, and walked away.
That smell…
James wrinkled his nose slightly at the distinct, acrid smell of burnt gunpowder, then smirked.
This is Paris, this is Europe… a place overflowing with smells far worse than this.
Whether in the districts of the rich or the slums of the poor, Paris and all of Europe reeked with the stench of overflowing excrement and rotting garbage.
I miss Seoul…
This assassination was not an isolated incident in Paris. Similar events unfolded in Vienna and Madrid.
And in all three nations, the nobility assumed it was the work of rival factions, sparking a vicious cycle of revenge.