As full spring arrived, the first division of the New Frontier Punitive Force, which had departed from the mainland, arrived in the New Frontier.
The first division, having arrived at Chosi (First Market), briefly recovered from the fatigue accumulated during the nearly two-month voyage before beginning their journey toward the New Frontier Temporary Palace.
***
About half a month later, an event venue was prepared at the railway station located at the entrance of the New Frontier Temporary Palace to welcome the punitive force. On a temporarily constructed platform, Hyang and officials had gathered and were waiting for the punitive force to arrive.
“Despite the speed of the iron horses being improved through the efforts of Jinpyeong and the Area 52 craftsmen, it still takes nearly half a month. How unexpected.”
At Hyang’s observation, Jinpyeong, who was standing beside him, responded.
“They said it takes time because they’re conducting training along the way.”
“Is that so? By the way, once those madmen far to the south are dealt with, I’ll be busy again, won’t I? The Duchess will be somewhat disappointed.”
To Hyang’s words, Jinpyeong answered with a bright face.
“As a member of the imperial family, how could physical fatigue be a problem? Though I’ll have to endure another long separation from my family, my wife and children are also members of the imperial family, so they understand the necessity of such sacrifices.”
Seeing Jinpyeong’s words and expression, Hyang smirked and replied.
“Child, erase that smile hanging at the corner of your mouth before you speak. A man over fifty still can’t control his expressions.”
“Huh!”
***
‘What the Empire lacks is people.’
This was one of the problems that had yet to be resolved.
The shortage of talented individuals in the New Frontier was especially serious.
Although administrators were continuously brought in from the mainland, and natives were being educated to become administrators, many core positions, such as those of ministers and vice ministers, remained vacant.
Chiefs and elder warriors of native tribes had been absorbed into the bureaucracy and politics, but there were still limitations in their ability to see the big picture.
As a result, administrators who had come to the New Frontier from the beginning and risen to high positions typically held at least two concurrent positions.
Because of this, Sejong and Hyang continued to lead busy lives.
Holding concurrent positions meant fewer checks and balances, increasing the possibility of corruption.
The responsibility for auditing and checking to prevent this fell entirely on Sejong and Hyang.
Therefore, Sejong and Hyang had to examine documents and budget expenditures more meticulously and thoroughly than when they were on the mainland.
Naturally, it was too much for Sejong and Hyang alone, and they needed helpers.
Sejong chose the Empress as his helper, while Hyang selected Jinpyeong.
Empress Soheon, whose family had been completely annihilated through Taejong’s political machinations, could become Sejong’s greatest helper precisely because of this fact.
In Jinpyeong’s case, it was because of the iron horses and steam engines.
“You know well that if administrators become corrupt, you won’t be able to lay down railroads, right? Using the budget as an excuse.”
“I’m well aware.”
“Oh? Then find the problems on your own.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
At Hyang’s words, Jinpyeong’s eyes lit up as he cross-verified documents to find problems and went out for field inspections.
Hyang was able to use Jinpyeong comfortably because the railway construction in the New Frontier was progressing more smoothly than expected.
Unlike the mainland, where crossing one mountain meant facing another, most of the New Frontier was plains, except for the mountainous areas that had given them trouble at the beginning.
In other words, the difficult sections had already been mostly completed before Jinpyeong’s arrival, greatly reducing Jinpyeong’s burden.
Hyang didn’t just leave Jinpyeong alone but assigned him the role of auditor.
As an aside, Jinpyeong’s family was deeply grateful to Hyang for this decision. Jinpyeong, who had previously been constantly outdoors focusing on railway construction, now had regular working hours and could spend more time with his family.
However, Jinpyeong’s eyes were always on the railroad, and now with the news of the punitive force’s arrival, he was getting restless.
This was because if the punitive force conquered the south, the railroad could be expanded further.
***
Finding it boring to wait for the punitive force to arrive, Hyang and Jinpyeong continued their conversation.
“I hear there’s widespread praise for the good work of the Marquis of Euigyeong and the Count of Haeyang.”
At Hyang’s praise, Jinpyeong let out a sigh first.
“Whew~. What’s the use of them doing well? None of them want to follow in their father’s footsteps…”
Jinpyeong grumbled with a dissatisfied expression.
Unlike in the history before Hyang’s intervention, Jinpyeong did not take concubines. As a result, Jinpyeong and his wife, Lady Yun, had only two sons and one daughter in total.
This was a very small number of children in an era when having many children was the norm.
Because of this, Hyang had even muttered:
“Could this be the reason why the direct lineage of royal descendants almost disappeared from the mid-Joseon period, with collateral lines frequently emerging?”
The suspicion remained just that, and Jinpyeong’s children lived lives different from those in the history before Hyang’s intervention.
The most notable feature was that, unlike in the history before Hyang’s intervention, none of them died young.
In this situation, Hyang stroked his chin and his eyes gleamed.
“Could the unofficial history be right that they died young due to their father’s karma?”
However, as Jinpyeong lamented, none of his children followed in his footsteps.
His eldest son, Sung (Crown Prince Euigyeong), showed interest in administrative studies, especially in fields related to finance, and immediately devoted himself to the Ministry of Finance and Economy.
Though it was arduous work, requiring nightly overtime and wrestling with numbers, Sung enjoyed it.
From Sung’s perspective, the financial affairs of the New Frontier presented the best environment.
The second son, Hwang, also chose a path different from Jinpyeong’s.
As he was constitutionally weak, Jinpyeong and his wife paid much attention to his health. Seeing the couple’s concern, Hyang’s meddlesome nature was activated.
“Medicine is good, but moderately training the body is even better for health, according to medical books.”
Hyang, who was the Crown Prince at the time, had tremendous influence, so Jinpyeong and his wife sought out a renowned warrior.
Unlike in the history before Hyang’s intervention, Jinpyeong was obsessed with steam engines, so there were no warriors or strong men in his household.
Eventually, upon hearing the story, Sejong ordered the captain of the Royal Guards to select someone from the Royal Guards and send them to Jinpyeong.
Whether Hyang’s prescription was effective or not, Hwang gradually transformed into a healthier constitution.
The problem came next.
Hwang, who had developed an interest in martial arts through the Royal Guard who taught him, immediately applied to the military. Then, he became fascinated with Challenger-class warships and walked the path of the navy.
As a result, Hwang was now serving as a ship captain at an imperial naval base guarding the route between the mainland and Suez.
Finally, Euisook, the only daughter of Jinpyeong and his wife who was cherished, followed in the footsteps of her aunt, Princess Jeongso, and took the path of a medical professional.
As all of Jinpyeong’s children were competent, Hyang decided to bring them along when coming to the New Frontier.
There were two reasons:
- They are all talented individuals.
- To remove them from the mainland in case of unforeseen circumstances.
What made Hyang hesitate in this decision was Hwang.
“Both Sung and Hwang are capable, but if we’re not careful, both administration and military affairs could fall under Jinpyeong’s control.”
Based on this analysis, Hwang, unlike his siblings, continued to serve at the naval base in the Southwest Islands.
Interestingly, Jinpyeong and Sung, who came to live together in the New Frontier, bickered almost daily.
The disputes between father and son intensified even more when Jinpyeong took on the role of auditor.
“Listen here, Director of Finance! What is this budget! Why is the budget allocated for railway construction so small!”
“That amount is sufficient! Isn’t it 5% more than last year’s budget?”
“This is not enough! With this budget, we cannot increase the speed of railway construction!”
“Is railway construction the only work being done here in the New Frontier? In terms of priority, defense is more urgent! Currently, the construction of warships is being delayed due to budget shortages! That’s more urgent! It’s already been approved by His Majesty!”
“Hey, you brat!”
“As I said again, it’s already been approved! I’m in the middle of work! Please leave!”
Expelled from Sung’s office, Jinpyeong pounded his chest in frustration.
“In the past, only my brother treated me poorly, but now even my son treats me poorly! I can’t live with this injustice!”
***
“…Ah, elder brother! So, as I was saying! I can’t live with this injustice!”
“Yes, yes. I’ll pay more attention to it…”
As Hyang was listening to Jinpyeong’s complaints with a bitter smile, the distant sound of an iron horse’s whistle was heard.
Wheeee~.
At the whistle sound heard from afar, Hyang and Jinpyeong checked their attire again and straightened their posture with serious expressions.
From the iron horse that arrived at the station, soldiers carrying military gear began to disembark one after another.
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“Move quickly!”
“Maintain your rows and columns!”
Receiving directions from officers with whistles in their mouths, the soldiers took their positions at the event venue.
Observing the soldiers taking their positions in rows and columns, Jinpyeong slightly leaned toward Hyang and quietly asked.
“Brother, no, Your Majesty. Are those we’re seeing now soldiers or bandits?”
To Jinpyeong’s question, Hyang also answered quietly with a somewhat perplexed expression.
“I, no, I am curious about that too.”
The soldiers lined up before Hyang and Jinpyeong had close-cropped hair and bushy beards. And their eyes were filled with ferocity and killing intent.
“Military salute to His Majesty!”
“Loyalty!”
When Commander-in-Chief Lee Jing-ok ordered the military salute in a clear voice, the soldiers all presented their salutes at once.
Receiving the military salute from the punitive force, Hyang welcomed them with a short and simple encouraging speech.
“You’ve worked hard on your long journey. I wish for you to punish those cruel and inhuman people who enjoy cannibalism in the south, and properly establish principles in the New Frontier as well.”
“Loyalty!”
After finishing his short and simple speech, Hyang descended from the platform and inspected and encouraged the generals and soldiers.
While encouraging and inspecting the generals and soldiers, Hyang looked at Lee Jing-ok and briefly asked.
“I heard from the documents I sent and received that most of the punitive force consists of literati. But those I see now don’t look like literati, but rather…”
As Hyang slightly trailed off, Lee Jing-ok laughed heartily and answered.
“Hahaha! They are indeed from literati backgrounds! But now they’re not coming to the examination hall for the civil service examination, but to wage war, aren’t they? So we trained them a bit!”
Jinpyeong, who was listening to Lee Jing-ok’s answer from behind, muttered quietly.
“I wonder what kind of training turns literati into bandits…”
Officials nearby who heard Jinpyeong’s muttering all nodded simultaneously.
Listening to Lee Jing-ok’s words and inspecting the soldiers once more, Hyang looked at Lee Jing-ok again.
“Seeing how sturdy their bodies are, it seems you’ve selected only the finest. They are truly reliable.”
To Hyang’s words, Lee Jing-ok grinned and replied.
“We’ve done some ‘virtue reduction.'”
“Huh?”
“There were many whose hearts were so generous that their bodies were too, so to speak, hahaha!”
“Huh?”
At Lee Jing-ok’s hearty laughter, Hyang made an expression that seemed to say ‘Could it be?’, and from among the lined-up soldiers, a quiet sound of teeth grinding could be heard.
Grrrr!
This was because those who had their bodily generosity reduced through Lee Jing-ok’s “virtue reduction” were unconsciously grinding their teeth.
“Huh?”
“Where is that sound of teeth grinding coming from…”