Her Majesty’s Secret Service

076. Bullets are equal for everyone.

Among the numerous rooms in London’s Whitehall Palace, this luxurious room is one of the ten in terms of size and splendor.

Princess Jane Gray of Suffolk, or rather ‘Jane Lee’, wife of Baron Logan of Grinstead, the royal head chef and captain of the trading ship ‘Mary’, was looking at the deep blue afternoon sky outside the window.

“Haaa… What is Logan doing right now? .”

Jane, who was muttering while looking at the eastern sky where her husband had left, turned her head and looked at the bed where her and Logan’s child was lying.

“I want to quickly show this child to Logan… .”

The bulging belly that had been protruding when my husband, Logan, set off for the east, had long since become slender.

Six months ago, Jane, who had endured childbirth, was able to give birth to a cute baby boy. She took her queen’s advice as Richard and was glad she didn’t have Logan at the time.

Why? This is because Logan said she wanted to name her child ‘Arthur’.

‘Arthur’. Isn’t this the name of a king in a folktale? He even wants to tell his child stories from pagan folktales.

No matter how much I love my husband, I was a little angry at that time. Perhaps if Logan had been in the position to decide on the name of her child, she would have decided to name her child ‘Arthur’ anyway.

It was obvious that Logan was stubborn like a child sometimes. What an embarrassment it would have been for her in front of the Queen and her other relatives.

“aaah.”

Jane, who was continuing to think about Logan, walked towards the bed where Richard was lying when he heard Richard cry.

When Richard was just born, Jane used to panic because she didn’t know why he cried, but now Jane was so used to raising him that she could understand why he cried.

“Okay, Richard. Mom is here. “Is it because you’re hungry?”

Jane approached Richard, skillfully breastfed him and stroked his head. Then Richard, who had been crying a moment ago, stopped crying and smiled brightly.

“lol… “It’s good, is it that delicious?”

Jane smiled brightly and looked down at her son Richard, who was nursing. Richard, who must have felt Jane’s gaze on her, smiled and cooed, stretching out her small arms toward Jane’s face.

“How, how can it be so lovely? Richard. “Do you like your mom that much?”

“Abu bu abu bu!”

“Yes, yes, Mommy loves Richard too.”

Jane answered Richard’s babbling with a bright face, patted Richard’s head, and prayed to God in her heart.

It is a simple prayer that Logan can return safely to England as soon as possible and be able to hug Richard, who has grown up healthy.

* * *

The third night at Dongpyeong Gwan.

Tomorrow he was scheduled to go to the royal court and meet the king and ministers of Joseon. They say people come at the beginning of the fourth quarter of the year, but when I remember, it was around 9 a.m. Who would have thought that X number of devices would be of help here.

Anyway, I haven’t gone to bed yet because I thought I should organize the last things I would like to ask the king before going to court.

“First, get permission to anchor in Busan port, and then start pottery. I need ceramics that are as colorful and blue as possible. In that neighborhood, if it’s blue, they’re crazy about it… . Just in case, take some white porcelain with you… Eight ginseng from the Ming Dynasty… Okay, I almost forgot this. ‘Tribute Certificate’. “I must take this.”

I was planning to receive a confirmation from the king of Joseon in addition to the right to trade and anchorage. A confirmation letter guaranteeing in the name of the King of Joseon that a delegation from the faraway country of England has come to pay tribute to the Emperor of China.

Among the current European countries, Portugal was the only country that could enter the huge market called ‘myeong’.

Portuguese merchants were reaping profits by monopolizing the Macau market and taking advantage of the difference in gold and silver prices, as well as monopolizing Chinese silk, ceramics, and spices.

“Good things should be shared, cancer.”

If the king of Joseon, who is treated as a friendly nation of the Ming Dynasty, guarantees that we are a tribute envoy, Ming officials will have no choice but to open the port.

To somehow meet the emperor and open up the market monopolized by Portuguese merchants. This was my goal.

It would be great if the king accepted my proposal the first time, but if he did not, I planned to contact Yun Won-hyeong to receive a guarantee. If it were Yun Won-hyung, he would be able to put pressure on the king by moving the royal family.

After putting my plan together for the last time, I lay down and closed my eyes, and Jane’s face, which I left behind in England, came to mind.

By the time I set sail, my stomach had started to swell, so I would have still had time to give birth. To be honest, I’m dying of anxiety.

I wonder if Jane did anything wrong while giving birth, if the child is born, will the child be healthy, and if the child is healthy, will it be a boy or a girl? Oh, you were going to name me ‘Arthur’?

All kinds of worries are running through my head. I wanted to finish work as quickly as possible and return to England.

It was a time when I felt a little depressed, but tried to kill the feeling and go to sleep. I heard a voice calling me from outside.

“This ball! This ball!!”

It was a familiar voice. When I thought about it carefully, I realized that this was the voice of a soldier guarding the front of our dorm.

At first, it was a bit odd, but I was able to quickly recognize his voice because he was the person I talked to when I was bored for the past three days.

“No, what’s going on at midnight?”

“that… That is… Hey, it’s an enemy attack. Enemy attack! “A group of bandits has attacked!”

What kind of novel sound is this?

This is Hanyang. It means the capital of a country. What kind of group of thieves would appear in the capital of a country?

“Wait a minute, a bunch of thieves? “What is that?”

As soon as I could say those words, an urgent bell sounded from the entrance. The sailors who were sleeping in their rooms seemed to wake up because the bell rang.

“Captain, what’s happening all of a sudden?”

Perhaps distracted by the chaos, Drake, wearing only pants, came running toward me, panting. I looked at Drake and gave an order in an urgent voice.

“I tell you to gather the crew right now and get your swords. A thief, a thief. Oh, who has the gun?”

“Yes, the people on watch at the warehouse were supposed to take care of the guns, so the brothers who are in the warehouse now… .”

“okay? Then call them right away. Oh, I’m going crazy. “Suddenly, what the fuck is this?”

I frowned and swore in English before turning my head towards the soldier.

“Try explaining the situation. “What’s going on and how?”

“that… That is… .”

“Don’t be too nervous, take your time. While taking deep breaths. “Why is your voice so loud?”

“Yes, yes, this ball! So the current situation is… .”

The moment the soldier, barely able to calm down and catch his breath, was about to open his mouth, a loud voice was heard from the main gate of Dongpyeong Hall.

“It’s Lim Kkeok-jeong! “It’s a surprise attack by Lim Keok-jeong’s gang!”

what? Lim Kkeokjeong?

Why is Lim Kkeok-jeong here?

* * *

Ye-sun, a soldier of Jang Yong-wi, who was dispatched to watch over the strangers staying at Dongpyeong-gwan and prepare for any unexpected situation, and Dae-jeong, the two men who led them, were looking at the main gate of Dongpyeong-gwan with trembling eyes.

Every time a loud thumping sound was heard from outside the gate, which was tightly locked with the gate raised, the gate shook and it seemed as if it would break at any moment.

“shit! What is this? Im Kkeok-jeong! Why did Lim Keok-jeong’s gang appear in the capital? Plus, on a day when I’m working… !”

“Kim Daejeong Nari! The door! It looks like the gate will be opened soon! Lim Keok-jeong That guy is a monster… It’s a monster! They knock on the door with an iron club that looks like it weighs dozens of pounds… !”

The two military officers leading the soldier frowned at the sound of the soldier’s report mixed with screams.

Looking around, everyone’s faces were white, as if they were frightened by the name Lim Keok-jeong. If the soldier’s morale was this low before the fight, the outcome was already decided.

“Kim Dae-jeong (隊正). Lim Keok-jeong They say that guy is a monster who can handle a hundred people on his own… “Can we stop it?”

“What the hell can I do! There’s only one door, so you can’t escape, so you have to fight somehow. For some reason, I was wondering why they were giving me five more soldiers… . Daejeong Park, what do you think their purpose is?”

“Of course it’s a real product from the warehouse, right? Damn it, I don’t know what kind of guy he is who sprinkled sugar on the author, but if he gets out of here alive, I’m going to catch him first. Damn… .”

Even as the two military officers swore, the thumping noise continued to be heard.

Soon, the bamboo hanging on the gate seemed to crack, and due to the continued impact, it eventually broke in half with a crunching sound.

As soon as the general’s neck blocking the gate was broken, the gate was wide open, and the two soldiers immediately gave orders to the soldiers.

“Stop those thieves from getting through the gate!”

“Don’t be scared! Those guys are just idiots! Form groups of two and fight! The number of people who can enter at one time is less than five! “We have more numbers!!”

The command given by the two great masters at this moment was absolutely perfect.

Since the walls of Dongpyeong-gwan were so high that it was difficult to get over them without a ladder, the only way for Lim Keok-jeong’s gang to enter Dongpyeong-gwan was through the gate.

The number of people who could enter the gate at once was limited to five, and if soldiers armed with spears tightly blocked the gate, it was natural that no matter how fierce the bandits were, they would have no choice but to be defeated due to their numbers.

However, Im Keok-jeong was a thief with a different path.

“You guys! “You can’t really get out of the way!”

Lim Keok-jeong, with his massive body, rushed towards the soldiers holding spears with quick movements that were not suitable for his body.

“aaah!! Do not come!! Do not come!!!”

Although they were said to be soldiers of the royal court, the soldiers, who had little experience in actual combat, were frightened by the sight of Im Keok-jeong running towards them holding a large sword and swung their spears at random.

Lim Keok-jeong scoffed at the sight of such a soldier, grasped the spear pole with his left hand that was not holding the sword, and pulled the spear toward his body.

Due to Lim Keok-jeong’s incredible strength, the soldier holding the spear was instantly pulled into Lim Keok-jeong’s body, and without hesitation, Lim Keok-jeong blew off the soldier’s head with the sword he held in his right hand and shouted loudly.

“Wanko! “Now!”

Following Im Keok-jeong’s signal, the king leader, along with some of the bandits who were moving with him, rushed into the ranks that Lim Keok-jeong had broken down.

“Hahaha! You weak things! “Do you think you can even put a scratch on an old man’s body?!”

Like a tiger ravaging a flock of sheep, the bandits led by Lim Keok-jeong and Wang Duryeong began unilaterally slaughtering Jangyongwi’s soldiers.

Lim Keok-jeong and Wang Du-ryeong, who boasted of exceptional martial arts, disrupted the ranks and started a wild fight, so the orders given by the two great masters could not be kept.

One of the two Daejeongs who was watching this situation, Daejeong Park, barely managed to block the sword of the thief charging towards him and shouted at Daejeong Kim, who was just driving the sword into the thief’s head.

“Daejeong Kim! Let’s retreat for now! We have to reorganize our ranks somehow… !”

“Don’t talk nonsense! If you give a retreat order in this situation, you will be annihilated! The already disorganized ranks will become even more disorganized, and even the soldiers holding on will collapse! “We have to stop them at the gate somehow!!”

Even while the two Daejeongs were arguing, Im Keokjeong’s gang was gradually reducing the number of Jangyongwi soldiers.

It was a time when the Jangyongwi soldiers were unilaterally slaughtered.

“Fire!”

Papa Pang –

The sound of something exploding rang out, and some of the thieves who had been slaughtering Jangyongwi’s soldiers fell to the ground, spouting blood. Blood spurted out from Lim Keok-jeong’s shoulder. Im Keok-jeong, who had been slaughtering soldiers for a while, suddenly felt pain in his shoulder! and let out a short scream.

“Kill them all!”

“aaar!!!”

Immediately after the sound of something exploding, a shouting sound that neither Lim Keok-jeong’s gang nor Jang Yong-wi’s soldiers could understand was heard.

“W-what are these guys?!”

“aaah!! goblin!! “It’s a goblin!!!”

Immediately after the inexplicable shouting, people wearing hoods over their heads and drawing swords that were clearly different from those of the Joseon Dynasty appeared and attacked Lim Keok-jeong’s gang.

Those who appeared from the darkness were the envoys of Dongpyeong-gwan. It was a group of envoys from England whose location was unknown.

Footer:

*Unlike the Goryeo Dynasty, the Joseon Dynasty’s Daejeong (隊正) was an unemployed official without a rank, and was the leader of a military system comprised of Dae, O, and Jol. The unit consisted of 25 people, and in modern times, I would appreciate it if you thought of it as a rank equivalent to a platoon leader.

*Logan’s party was armed with five muskets and 20 swords. The type of sword each sailor carries varies.

*Around 1560, when the story is set, both musket and arquebus were used as words to refer to ‘guns’, and were called muskets or arquebuses depending on the caliber. The arquebus had a shorter barrel and was lighter than the musket, and most armies preferred the musket over the arquebus.

From noble mtl dot come

It is said that mercenaries who used muskets were more expensive than those who used arquebuses, and because of this, mercenaries with arquebuses often misrepresented their weapons as muskets when telling their employers about their weapons.

*According to records, Dongpyeong-gwan was located at the northern foot of Namsan Mountain, and was strictly guarded by building high walls and gates on all four sides to prevent smuggling. It also installed an official residence and warehouse to store grain and entertain Japanese envoys. It is also said that the district was divided into four and an office was established in each district. Based on this, I wrote this thinking that it must have been quite large.