Black Corporation: Joseon

After seizing Kyoto, Ouchi Mochiyoshi entered Heian Palace (平安宮) where the Tenno (天皇) resided.(Note 1)

The shogunate soldiers guarding the palace had already vanished. However, bloodstains remaining here and there revealed how they had disappeared.

Escorted by Ouchi soldiers, Mochiyoshi and his commanders entered the Tenno’s main hall and knelt before him, paying their respects.

“Zichougan’nin Tatara no Ōji clan’s Tatara no Ason Mochiyoshi comes to see the Tenno!”

Following established protocol, Mochiyoshi bowed while stating his court position, clan name, and kabane (title bestowed by the Tenno).

Trouble erupted immediately after.

Before Emperor Gohanazono (後花園天皇) could respond to Mochiyoshi’s bow, one of the attending nobles burst out:

“How dare some insignificant provincial warrior enter armed! This is the imperial presence!”

No sooner had the noble finished speaking than Mochiyoshi’s commanders glared fiercely at the offending noble. Mochiyoshi likewise looked at the noble and gave his order.

“He’s a treacherous official who colluded with rebels. Take him out and execute him.”

“Ha!”

The moment Mochiyoshi finished speaking, his commanders sprang up and dragged away the offending noble.

“Unhand me! You insolent wretches! Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

With both arms seized by the commanders, the noble pitifully begged the Tenno for his life as he was dragged away. However, neither the Tenno nor any of the attending nobles could open their mouths.

They were overwhelmed by Mochiyoshi’s force of presence.

Having instantly seized the initiative, Mochiyoshi led the situation as he desired.

“How you must have suffered due to the rebels all this time! Now that I have come, you may rest easy. Once we clean up not only the rebel clans but also the treacherous officials within the court who colluded with them, you will be able to find stability.”

At Mochiyoshi’s words forecasting a tremendous bloodbath, the Tenno swallowed dryly and answered.

“Is… is that so? I shall place my trust in you alone.”

“Leave it to me.”

“Please ensure the people of Kyoto do not suffer greatly.”

“It shall be done. The people of Kyoto will remain peaceful even after the capital relocation.”

“Capital relocation?”

“Capital relocation!”

The moment Mochiyoshi mentioned ‘capital relocation,’ the imperial court erupted in commotion.

“Must we relocate the capital?”

To the Tenno’s question, Mochiyoshi answered firmly.

“Many rebel remnants still remain, making it difficult to protect Your Majesty’s safety. Moreover, as time has passed and the energy has greatly declined, it is only natural to relocate the capital to revive the nation’s vigor.”

“Then where shall we go?”

“There is a place called Hiroshima in the Aki region. You shall move there as soon as the palace is completed.”

“…I understand.”

Mochiyoshi answered smoothly without hesitation. Seeing this, the Tenno, who had been about to say something, soon nodded with a resigned expression.

Having finished their audience, Mochiyoshi and his commanders strode out of the imperial presence with imposing steps. One of the nobles who witnessed this scene that day left the following record:

-As Zhong Ying (Dong Zhuo) of Later Han abandoned Luoyang, Ouchi Mochiyoshi abandons Japan’s Luoyang!

***

While Mochiyoshi was creating a new regime in Japan, Hyang was fidgeting restlessly.

“Ah! I have a mountain of things to say! My mouth is itching unbearably! To think I can only watch such interesting events! I want to get involved!”

What forced Hyang to suppress his itching mouth and fidgeting bottom was Won’s challenge.

The experiments that had continued since they began design and created prototypes were a series of failures.

In experiments jumping with wings made of thinly carved bamboo, paper, and feathers, injuries kept occurring, and the physicians assigned to Area 51 were busy treating those with bruises, sprains, and fractures.

Each time such failures continued, Won and the team members put their heads together to analyze the causes of failure.

“Were the wings too small? How about making them bigger?”

“That sounds good.”

The enlarged wings broke in the middle, unable to support their own weight as soon as they were spread.

“To increase strength… use thicker bamboo, and some metal parts too…”

The wings made that way were too heavy to lift alone.

Though experiments continued afterward, they kept resulting in failure. With such continued failures, the interest of prominent figures also began to wither.

“Well, of course. How could humans possibly fly in the sky?”

“Right! Right! What could be more preposterous than humans flying in the sky?”

Such backbiting from the prominent figures reached Won and his team members’ ears, and they fell into despair.

“Is human flight truly impossible…”

***

Finally, Hyang pulled the safety pin.

“Ah! I can’t stand my itching mouth anymore!”

Plus, he had a very convenient excuse.

“Growing sprouts need to be pushed up vigorously! Yes! That’s right!”

With the splendid justification of supporting his despairing son, Hyang happily got involved.

“I’ll just dip my feet in slightly! Just slightly! I’m not planning to steal my son’s rice bowl!”

***

“You called for me?”

“Yes. I hear the current experiments aren’t going well?”

At Hyang’s question, Won nodded with a gloomy face.

“It seems flying in the sky with human-made devices goes against nature rather than following it.”

To Won’s seemingly resigned answer, Hyang asked again:

“Do you truly think so?”

“Not only your son but all team members have tried every method we could think of, but failed. Therefore…”

“Then how do kites fly in the sky? What about sky lanterns? Aren’t they both human-made? Reading the reports, I wondered. When there are human-made objects that fly in the sky like kites and sky lanterns, why insist only on bird forms?”

To Hyang’s question, Won immediately answered.

“Aren’t kites and sky lanterns just riding the wind to float up? But birds fly freely in the sky as they please, so naturally…”

“You brat!”

Hyang cut off Won’s words.

“What you’re saying now is like a baby who’s just learning to crawl insisting on getting up and running! First learn how to properly float! Once you know how to float properly, you just need to research and add methods for moving in specific directions!”

“Ah!”

Won’s mind suddenly cleared at Hyang’s scolding, and he bowed his head.

“That’s absolutely right! Hearing father’s words, I feel as though my eyes have been opened! I’ll restart the research right now!”

After expressing gratitude to Hyang, Won immediately sprang up and rushed outside. Watching Won run energetically with renewed spirit, Hyang smiled slightly and muttered:

“Just a taste for now?”

***

Returning to Area 51 excitedly, Won gathered his team members.

“Let’s think again from the beginning!”

“What?”

Seeing the team members unable to grasp his meaning, Won continued.

“I was called to Seunghwadang and…”

When Won relayed what he heard from Hyang to the team members, they all wore expressions of having been hit with an epiphany.

“Indeed!”

“Indeed so! We got the order of things wrong!”

Having found hints from Hyang’s advice, Won and the team members began moving energetically again.

“First, let’s divide into two teams.”

“One team researches kites, and the other researches sky lanterns?”

“Right? Wouldn’t that help us gain some speed?”

At Won’s decision, typical of a people who love “quick quick,” all team members nodded.

“Yes, sir!”

Thus Won and the team members divided into two teams to begin research.

The team based on kites made and flew kites of various sizes while researching whether they could indeed carry people.

“If we base it on shield kites, we might succeed?”

“Right?”

After finding this direction, they soon wrote up proposals and designs. And when Hyang received their proposals and designs, he shook his head.

“What are you, ninjas?”

However, though expecting negative results, Hyang still stamped his approval.

“This will all become important data anyway…”

Meanwhile, the sky lantern research team was also producing their own results.

“Analyzing the principles of sky lanterns, it appears they fly by trapping hot air.”

At Man-bok’s report, Won nodded.

“I think so too.”

“Then if we make the pouch that traps the hot air large enough, couldn’t it float even with a person?”

At Man-bok’s suggestion, another team member added an opinion.

“When making such a large pouch, will the shape hold? Wouldn’t it be better to put a frame inside the pouch?”

“Frame?”

At Won’s question, the team member added explanation:

“Yes. The best method to fill the pouch with hot air is to blow hot air from below the pouch. However, if the shape isn’t properly maintained, the hot air might leak in other directions, or worse, it might catch fire. That’s why we put a frame inside the pouch.”

“Hmm…”

“Hmm…”

Won, Man-bok, and the team members fell into deep thought upon hearing the suggestion. However, Won shook his head.

“We should skip the frame. It might be too heavy to float even with hot air.”

“Then if we make it even bigger…”

Man-bok cut off those words.

“Then wouldn’t the frame we need to build have to be bigger too? Wouldn’t that put us right back where we started?”

“Ah…”

***

After such varied heated discussions and model experiments continued, another challenge was prepared.

Among the two teams, the kite research team challenged first.

People gathered again at the news of experiments happening by the Han River.

“Buy taffy! Taffy!”

“Buy chicken skewers! Chicken skewers!”

“Got sweets too!”

Amid the shouts of vendors selling all sorts of snacks, the gathered crowds watched the team members preparing the experiment with excited eyes.

“It’s a kite? A kite!”

“It’s huge! Big as a house!”

A shield kite truly as big as a house was erected on the riverside beach. A basket for carrying people was hung in the center of the shield kite, and team members gathered below for final preparations.

“Heave-ho!”

The team members who loaded heavy sand bags into the basket that should originally carry a person ran to report to Won standing to one side.

“Preparations complete!”

“Then begin!”

And the experiment failed. The shield kite tied to ropes pulled by four fine horses soared into the sky but soon lost control, spun around and around, and crashed straight into the sandy beach.

The moment the kite crashed, the beach filled with people’s sighs.

“Ayyy~”

“Oh my~”

Though the spectators couldn’t hide their disappointment, Won and the team members’ faces shone brightly.

“But it did properly float, right?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Then let’s analyze what the problem was and try again!”

“But the budget…”

“Don’t worry about the budget!”

Won casually made statements that would make the Minister of Finance and Kim Jeom grab their necks.

And indeed, the Minister of Finance and Kim Jeom grabbed their necks while grinding their teeth.

“Father and son together, really!”

“He didn’t need to take after this!”

***

Note 1) Please note that “Tenno” here is simply used as a term referring to the Japanese Emperor of that period.