In the end, the situation was resolved when the Habsburg envoy, unable to contain his anger, kicked open the office door and stormed out.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. An envoy behaving so crudely. He’s not a nobleman, he’s a ruffian… Ah, bring me a cup of café, would you?”
“Yes, Your Excellency the Count.”
Watching the chancellor leisurely sip the coffee his attendant brought, his subordinate officials asked cautiously, “Sir… does the Duke of Orléans truly have plans to construct a steel mill?”
“That? Aren’t they already building one in the Pompey region?”
“The one in Pompey is a state-owned steel mill, Your Excellency…”
At his subordinate’s correction, the chancellor, still just as relaxed, asked back, “Is that a problem?”
“Malicious rumors could spread, claiming the state-owned steel mill was given to the Duke as his personal business. That could become a political problem.”
Even as his subordinate fretted about a trumped-up excuse becoming a political flashpoint, the chancellor remained unbothered.
“Who is the owner of the state-owned steel mill?”
“The King, Your Excellency.”
“And who is the man most likely to be the next king?”
“The Duke of Orléans, Your Excellency.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“…”
The chancellor’s question left his subordinates speechless. It was true that if the Duke of Orléans became king, there would be no problem at all. But the officials still had concerns.
“The state-owned steel mill is hardly a ‘small’ one, is it?”
“Well, that all depends on a person’s mettle, doesn’t it? To a man of small mettle, it’s an impossibly large mill. To a man of great mettle, it’s a mill that’s ‘finally become somewhat usable’.”
“…”
Seeing the exasperated look on his subordinate’s face, the chancellor offered a piece of advice that wasn’t quite advice. “Those who handle the nation’s affairs must be honest and faithful to their principles. But just as important as that is flexibility. You’re fine in all other respects, but your problem is that you lack that flexibility. Hmm… How would you like to go to Seoul for a practical training assignment?”
“Ah, no, sir! I will do my utmost here in Paris!” the official replied, his face pale with terror as he refused the offer. The rumor that the Empire’s officials were being crushed to death by work had spread far and wide, reaching even the great powers of Europe, including France.
“As long as they’re good at their job, it doesn’t matter if it’s a brown cow, a black cow, or a spotted cow.”
“A truly fine saying. Don’t you agree?”
“Ahaha…”
Every time the ‘great and mighty’ of Europe’s powers quoted that famous Imperial maxim, their subordinate officials had to break out in a cold sweat and force a smile.
Later, when word of the chancellor’s clever retorts reached Hyang, Hyeon, and the Empire’s officials, their eyes began to sparkle.
“Hoh?”
“Hmm…”
“How old is this French chancellor?”
“According to what is known, he is but a few years past his forties, Your Majesty.”
“In his prime, then… Hmm…”
After a moment’s thought, Hyeon went to Hyang to seek his counsel. “I believe he would be a fine addition to the Empire. What are your thoughts?”
“A man who is the Chancellor of France is surely the head of a renowned family. Would he really agree to come?”
“If he possesses the talent that rumor claims, he must also possess ambition. Even if the position is ‘second only to one, yet above all others’, the sheer class of that position is different in the Empire than it is in France, is it not?”
“Hmm…”
Seeing Hyang’s skepticism, Hyeon pressed his argument more forcefully. “We are already accepting international students and scholars as Imperial citizens, but there are many shortcomings. Therefore, starting next year, I am planning to officially accept immigrants from Europe. ‘If one must, choose the best,’ as the saying goes. Wouldn’t it be better to accept talented individuals as immigrants? If someone who is ‘undeniably great’ immigrates to the Empire, other talented people will follow in his footsteps.”
“Hmm… To be honest, I don’t think the policy of preferentially accepting talented people is a bad idea. However, the plan to recruit the Chancellor of France is, in my opinion, impossible. There are two reasons. One, he has already reached the pinnacle of power, ‘second only to one, yet above all others.’ Two, the workload of the Imperial court.”
And the foul tempers of the Emperors are a standard feature, to boot.
At Hyang’s words, Hyeon licked his lips. “Tsk. What a shame.”
Seeing Hyeon concede so quickly, the court historians added a line to the Royal Archives. ‘Thus, when the Emperor Emeritus pointed out the flaws, His Majesty the Emperor immediately relented.’ The historian states: The workload of the Imperial court is so great that His Majesty conceded and abandoned the plan. Even as the number of officials increases, the work does not lessen. It is truly a baffling state of affairs. Please, reduce the workload!
***
Although Hyeon had backed down in front of Hyang, his sense of disappointment lingered. In the end, he summoned Han Myeong-hoe.
“…This is the situation. What do you think about giving it a try?”
“As the Emperor Emeritus said, it is an endeavor bordering on the impossible, Your Majesty. In terms of the Challenge Records, it would be close to a The Foolish Old Man Moves Mountains. However…”
Han Myeong-hoe paused for a moment, a mischievous smile playing on his lips as he continued, “I still believe it is worth pursuing. If we succeed, it is a gain for us and a loss for France. And it would not be a simple one-to-one exchange. Would France not be suffering a double loss? Considering what they’ve gotten away with until now, it is high time we taught them a lesson.”
“Then proceed with it.”
Meanwhile, Hyang, left alone in Sugang Palace, replayed the situation in his mind and gave a bitter laugh. “That kid Hyeon, with his personality, he’s definitely going to make a move. I wonder if it’s even possible. This isn’t corporate headhunting. This is a man who has access to all of a nation’s secrets going to another country. We might see ‘polonium tea’ replaced with ‘cyanide coffee’ at this rate.”
***
While a ‘talent acquisition operation’ that would go down in history was being meticulously prepared in Seoul, the situation in the Lorraine region was growing increasingly ominous. French military units, properly organized with artillery and cavalry, began to establish bases in the region one by one.
Receiving this report, the Habsburgs again sent an envoy to Paris to lodge a furious protest. But the chancellor, still with his indifferent expression, explained the situation.
“The security in the Lorraine region has been rather unstable lately. We paid a pretty penny for that coal and iron, and we can’t very well let thieves steal it, so we simply sent an escort.”
“Hah!”
The envoy was dumbfounded by the chancellor’s response. However, the envoy who had come this time was very different from his predecessor.
“I hear those ‘thieves’ speak French?”
At the envoy’s pointed remark, the chancellor shot right back. “Is that the rumor in the Habsburg lands? What I heard was that they speak Habsburg dialects, Latin, and Italian.”
The chancellor’s words, which jabbed at the Vatican’s declaration of heresy and the ensuing Habsburg military action, caused the envoy’s expression to grow grim.
“The declaration of heresy was issued through legitimate procedures. The Holy Roman Empire, as the protector of Catholicism, is merely taking righteous action.”
“The directive is to protect Catholics from the blades of the Muslims, not to kill fellow Europeans, or so I thought?”
“Heretics are just as harmful as Muslims.”
“Is that so… I believe the former Emperor of the Empire said something of the sort when he visited Italy, did he not? ‘People will go to heaven according to their own beliefs.'”
Faced with the chancellor who parried his every thrust without yielding an inch, the envoy let out a long sigh. “Hooo~. Let us stop this wordplay. Lorraine is the territory of our Holy Roman Empire. If you do not withdraw immediately, the Holy Roman Empire will designate France as an invader and we shall go to war.”
“I am not engaging in wordplay, but a serious discussion. First, let us be precise about what needs to be precise. Lorraine—no, Lorraine—is indeed territory of the Holy Roman Empire, that is true. However, it is not Habsburg territory. And as history shows, we, France, also have the right to claim ownership over the territories of the Holy Roman Empire, including Lorraine.”
“That is a distortion! An absurd distortion! If you have any conscience…”
“You should ask England about that.”
“Kgh…”
At the chancellor’s infuriatingly relaxed reply, the envoy could only let out a pained groan. He knew exactly why the chancellor had mentioned England. The Hundred Years’ War had begun when England’s Edward III claimed the right of succession to the French throne. In short, because France and the Holy Roman Empire had split from the same root, France could claim ownership.
Realizing that any further conversation was a waste of time, the envoy rose from his seat. “France will be held responsible for its excessive greed.”
“Whether it is greed or not is something we shall only know in time.”
“Yii!”
The envoy, barely swallowing the curse that threatened to erupt, glared at the chancellor before turning and storming out of the office.
Once the envoy was completely gone, the chancellor’s leisurely expression vanished, replaced by a grave one. He addressed his subordinates, “All that remains is war! We will land a proper blow on those opportunists!”
“Yes, sir!”
“I am going to inform His Majesty!”
***
Maximilian I of the Habsburgs, having received the report from his empty-handed envoy, immediately issued a proclamation.
‘The Pope has designated the new denominations spreading in the Lorraine region as heretical.’ ‘Not content with heresy, the lords of Lorraine have now committed an act of treason by welcoming the French army.’ ‘Therefore, I, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, shall mobilize the army to punish those who believe in heresy and to chastise this treason!’ ‘Hear me, you lords of Lorraine who are stained with heresy! Repent your heresy at once and return to the fold!’ ‘Furthermore, expel the French army that has entered your lands and beg forgiveness for your treason! Beg for my magnanimous mercy!’
When the lords of Lorraine, especially those of the new denominations, received Maximilian I’s proclamation, they came to rely on France even more.
“Even if we ‘repent’, it won’t end with just repenting. They’ll demand an enormous sum of money as ‘penance’ for the sin of believing in heresy. No, we’d be lucky if that’s all it was. Our lands will be reduced, and in the worst case, our territories could be confiscated entirely.”
Worried about their bleak future, the lords clung desperately to France.
“Thanks to this, we’ve bought some breathing room on the war-funding problem,” the chancellor reported.
Charles VIII also looked relieved. One cannot wage war without money. This was especially true now that gunpowder weapons had become the main actors in war, causing military expenditures to increase exponentially.
“What is the expected strength of the Holy Roman Empire’s forces?”
At Charles VIII’s question, the chancellor stepped forward to answer. “It will not be as large as anticipated, Your Majesty. The opposition in the Imperial Diet is formidable.”
Immediately after issuing his proclamation, Maximilian I had presented an agenda to the Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire to request the mobilization of troops and financial support for the war. However, the proceedings were at a complete standstill.
The lords who believed in the new denominations were not just in Lorraine. Many more lords throughout the Holy Roman Empire also adhered to the new sects. Because of this, they fiercely opposed Maximilian I’s request.
‘After Lorraine, it will be our turn!’
This problem of survival was the reason for their opposition. The next problem was the conflict between the Habsburgs, who were attempting to centralize power, and the lords who resisted it.
‘To accept the Emperor’s request is to put a noose around our own necks!’
Even the lords who supported Catholicism and the Pope on religious grounds showed strong resistance on this particular issue. For these various reasons, shouting matches erupted in the Imperial Diet every day, and the deployment of troops was pushed further and further back.