Two days later, Hyeon gathered the Prime Minister, Vice-Premiers, and cabinet ministers and placed the issue on the agenda.
“Reviewing the recent intelligence from Suez, the Ottomans, and Europe, the situation in Suez appears highly suspicious. What are your thoughts?”
At Hyeon’s question, Prime Minister Han Chi-hyeong stepped forward to answer. “Your humble subjects have also reviewed the intelligence, Your Majesty, but we find it difficult to see this as anything more than simple rumor. We believe you need not trouble your royal mind with it.”
At Han Chi-hyeong’s dismissive reply, Hyeon’s expression and voice sharpened. “Difficult to see as more than rumor? What is your reasoning?”
Tensing at the Emperor’s suddenly dangerous aura, Han Chi-hyeong hurried to explain. “First, Your Majesty, digging a canal is no simple undertaking. This is especially true given the unique conditions in Suez.”
Han Chi-hyeong’s explanation could be summarized as follows:
- Their goal in digging a canal is to move cargo directly, without the need to unload and reload it onto ships.
- To achieve this, the canal must be wide enough for at least two ships, approaching from opposite directions, to pass without colliding.
- The ships currently trafficking Suez are already considerably larger than our Panokseon, and they are only growing larger.
- Considering the ever-increasing size of these vessels and the harsh environment of Suez, such a canal is a project beyond the means of any single nation.
“And was there not intelligence suggesting they intended to partner with the Ottomans?” Hyeon pressed. Han Chi-hyeong replied again. “That, too, is no simple matter, Your Majesty.”
- The Ottoman method of selecting a successor is famously brutal.
- The problem lies in the elimination of the losers. If the losers are perfectly eliminated, it is ideal. If not, it becomes a source of profound and lasting trouble.
- The current Sultan, Bayezid II, is a prime example. His most powerful rival, his brother Cem, fled to Europe, forcing Bayezid to constantly worry about the possibility of a European-backed civil war.
“It is said this is precisely why Bayezid has refrained from the indiscriminate expansion of his predecessor, Mehmed II. He feared that if he provoked Europe, the great powers might use Cem as a figurehead to instigate a civil war. While the threat of internal conflict vanished when Cem died a few years ago, Bayezid himself is now far too old.” Han Chi-hyeong’s explanation continued:
- The current succession landscape for Bayezid II is a fierce three-way battle.
- The frontrunner, Korkud of Anatolia, failed to properly suppress a rebellion, throwing the race into a dead heat.
- If the European powers were to intervene in this situation, it is highly unlikely they would see a significant return on their investment.
- Furthermore, just as in Cem’s case, if a defeated rival manages to escape the Ottoman borders, the threat of civil war could continue indefinitely.
This was due to the very nature of the European powers. The animosity between them ran deep, and they were actors who would not hesitate to backstab an ally if it was profitable.
- Worst of all, there is currently no single, absolute power in Europe.
“When one is surrounded by rivals just waiting for an opportunity to rob one’s house,” Han Chi-hyeong concluded, “no sane leader would jump into a high-stakes gamble that requires an endless stream of capital.”
“And therefore, you conclude it is merely a rumor?” Hyeon asked.
“That is correct, Your Majesty. Of course, they may have entertained the idea at first. In fact, I am certain they did. However, as men who profess to manage nations, the moment they realized the risks could far outweigh the rewards, they would have abandoned it. That is the natural and logical course of action.”
Hyeon shook his head lightly. “I agree with your assessment of the logic, Prime Minister. However, I cannot agree with your conclusion that the Europeans will not undertake such a seemingly reckless endeavor. The Europeans are precisely the kind of people who, in the pursuit of profit, will readily cast logic aside. Indeed, are they the only ones? Look back to the Spring and Autumn Period. Why do you think the great sages so desperately emphasized Benevolence and dreamed of Way of King?”
At Hyeon’s words, Han Chi-hyeong boldly countered, “Then Your Majesty believes they will proceed, even if it is illogical?”
“I do.”
“But, Your Majesty, even if great wealth can be gained from Suez, it cannot be considered large when weighed against the fortune required to undertake such a massive project.”
“Do not think only of the canal. They are not only after the canal.”
At Hyeon’s statement, Han Chi-hyeong and the other ministers looked completely baffled.
“Not only the canal, Your Majesty? Then what… what else is there?”
“Petroleum.”
At Hyeon’s succinct reply, Han Chi-hyeong immediately raised an objection. “Petroleum? Your Majesty, is that not simply a more useful type of firewood than coal?”
“………”
Hyeon fell silent. He scanned the faces of Han Chi-hyeong and the other ministers, only to see the same look of mundane confusion mirrored on every one of them. He let out a long sigh, muttering inwardly.
Haaa… I suppose that is the conventional way of thinking. Even I would not have known if the Emperor Emeritus hadn’t pointed it out…
Sighing, Hyeon spoke. “Petroleum’s uses are not limited to fuel. It is the source of the lubricants used in our workshop machinery and steam engines. It is the source of the bitumen used to waterproof our roads and ships. It is certain that as our refinement techniques improve, we will be able to extract even more from it.”
“And you believe the European powers are aware of this, Your Majesty?”
“For now, they likely see it as you do: a slightly more useful fuel than coal. But given time, they, too, will learn.”
“Then you believe they will undertake this massive gamble for something they currently perceive as mere fuel? Forgive my impudence, Your Majesty, but… might this not be a… groundless fear?”
“Hup!“
At Han Chi-hyeong’s words, the surrounding ministers all sucked in a sharp, terrified breath. What Han Chi-hyeong had just said was incredibly provocative.
Han is mad! To challenge the Emperor’s words directly! He’s lost his mind!
But Hyeon, surprisingly, remained calm. He fixed his gaze on the Prime Minister. “A groundless fear? You said groundless fear? Why do you think so?”
“Reflecting on their past actions, Your Majesty, it is difficult to believe the Europeans are capable of thinking that far ahead.”
“In other words, you find them to be… short-sighted?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Tsk!“
Hyeon clicked his tongue. The sharp sound made Han Chi-hyeong and every other minister in the hall flinch.
“Are their insights narrow, Prime Minister, or are yours?” Hyeon’s voice, no longer calm, thundered through the hall. “You say to look at their past actions. Look again. They are the ones who have chased us all the way to our very heels. And yet you mock them as short-sighted? You are so confident that they will never learn unless we deign to teach them? Are you so careless that you cannot imagine a future where we are the ones left behind?!”
At Hyeon’s verbal assault, Han Chi-hyeong prostrated himself, his face to the floor as he raised his voice in desperation. “I swear to the heavens, Your Majesty, your subjects are not careless! We forget to eat and sleep, dedicating our nights and days to the affairs of state, all for the security of the Empire and the peace of its people! It is because we are so diligent that I dared to suggest it might be a groundless fear!”
To Han Chi-hyeong’s anguished cry, Hyeon delivered a single, devastating reply. “This is not my concern alone. The Emperor Emeritus also shares this great anxiety.”
“Hup!” Han Chi-hyeong, already prostrate, froze solid.
To the Imperial court, Hyang was, for all intents and purposes, a living god. A concern of his was a fact. To not prepare for something he worried about had, in the past, led to disaster on more than one occasion.
“The… The Emperor Emeritus, too…”
“He is.”
“Please… please forgive my arrogance, Your Majesty!”
Han Chi-hyeong pressed his forehead flat against the cold floor, begging for forgiveness.
Hyeon looked down on him and clicked his tongue again, this time slowly, deliberately. “Tsk… tsk… tsk…”
He did it three times! Dammit all! One more wrong move and our heads will literally roll!
Terrified, the ministers all threw themselves to the floor in prostration. “Please forgive us, Your Majesty!”
Hyeon’s voice echoed over their bowed heads. “Your spirit in questioning my words, in not following blindly but seeking to discern right from wrong, is commendable. It is, after all, a minister’s duty to speak truth to power for the good of the monarch, the nation, and the people. But for such directness to have value, it must be backed by superior insight! A common man sees one thing and thinks one thing. A leader, a manager, must see one thing and think of two, three… even five or ten. This applies as much to managing a household as it does to managing a nation!”
He paused, taking a sip of water, before raising his voice again.
“But look at you now! The very men entrusted with managing this great Empire are seeing the world through the eyes of a common man! How can I possibly trust you? How can I hand the throne to the Crown Prince and trust that you will guide him? When the Emperor Emeritus is no longer with us, if this court is filled with men such as you… will this Empire truly be at peace?!”
At Hyeon’s stinging critique, the ministers lowered their bodies even further, begging for mercy.
“Please forgive us, Your Majesty!”
“Please forgive our complacency!”
“Rise!”
After the ministers had scrambled back to their feet, Hyeon issued a final warning to Han Chi-hyeong. “I will warn you, Prime Minister. Yesterday’s world and today’s world are never the same. A lack of ability, I can understand and even make allowances for. But complacency… that, I will never forgive.”
“I will engrave it upon my very bones, Your Majesty!”
“That goes for all of you. And for those who will one day take your places.”
“We will engrave it upon our bones!”
“Now, re-analyze the Suez situation and report back to me. As soon as possible.”
“We will do our utmost, Your Majesty!”
After being thoroughly shattered, the ministers filed out of the throne hall, collectively glaring at Han Chi-hyeong. “…I’ll buy you a drink.”
“We’ve just been handed a death march of overtime that means we won’t be going home on time for the foreseeable future, and you’re offering one drink? What the hell…” someone muttered from the back.
Han Chi-hyeong, hearing the genuine resentment, quickly corrected himself. “Two drinks! Three! I’ll buy as many as it takes!”
Back at Sugang Palace, Hyang chuckled as he received the report of the incident. “The analysis and prediction department… It’s the one place where, ‘if you’re right, it’s just expected, but if you’re wrong, you’re the only one to blame.’ It’s why you put your smartest people there, and it’s also why they get yelled at the most.”
Meanwhile, rumors that “the ministers got completely broken by the Emperor” spread through the bureaucracy. The lower-ranking officials tensed, bracing for the inevitable corporate culture, the top-down cascade of scolding. But this time, no scolding came. Instead…
“Data! Get all the data!”
“Re-analyze everything!” The workload had just exploded.
***
The ministers, having been thoroughly reprimanded by Hyeon, began their analysis anew. The cabinet ministers, armed with reports analyzing how the Ottoman situation would affect their respective departments, met daily with the Prime Minister and Vice-Premiers.
“The possibility of Europe making a move on the Ottomans is definitely there.”
“If the Emperor Emeritus said it, it’s not a ‘possibility,’ it’s a ‘certainty.'”
“In that case…” Han Chi-hyeong listened, then looked around at his ministers. “What if… we sprinkle some ash on their plans? Seeing as they’re the reason we’re taking all this heat we didn’t deserve?”