Chapter 461 : Government Posts (1)

A ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍sudden shudder ran down Il-mok's spine as he pictured Dokgo Ryong and Han So-ryong in the same room. These two ‘Ryong’ would surely clash with each other the moment they met.

Il-mok ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍shuddered once to banish the image from his head.

"This ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍must be your first time up north."

Han ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍So-ryong was staring at him, clearly mistaking Il-mok's shudder of dread for the winter chill. Seeing no point in correcting the old man, Il-mok just went with it.

"Hahaha. ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Guess I dressed a bit too light for this trip. Ah, if you're willing to join us, what would you say to mobilizing the Northern Military Command right now so we can wipe out those Mierqi tribe bastards together?"

"I ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍would be more than happy to march on the Mierqi bastards, but moving the entire Northern Military Command is out of the question."

Il-mok gave a slight frown before quickly smoothing out his expression. "Might I ask why?"

"The Mierqi aren't the only enemy the Northern Military Command has to watch out for."

Deciding that words weren't going to cut it, the Commander suddenly bellowed at the door.

"Guards! Bring me a map!"

The moment his order left his mouth, a disciplined shout of acknowledgment rang out from beyond the hall and before an officer appeared carrying a map.

Han So-ryong spread the map out on the table and pointed to the area near the Northern Military Command's headquarters where they were currently stationed.

"This is where our Northern Military Command is positioned. And to the north of the Central Plains, the Mierqi have carved out a massive territory for themselves. But the entire grassland isn't theirs."

The Northern Military Commander's hand slid eastward across the parchment.

"North of the Heilongjiang River, the Jurchen tribes have taken root. The Khitans are still lurking around too, even if they aren't what they used to be. And finally south of the river lies the Kingdom of Silla. With all of them breathing down our necks, I can't move the Northern Military Command carelessly."

Every single one of those names was familiar to Il-mok.

He had heard them countless times while studying Korean history in preparation for his civil service exam in his past life. 

But out of all of them, the name Silla was the one that stood out the most.

'Wait, so in this world, Silla took over the Korean Peninsula after the fall of Goryeo instead of Joseon?'

Since Genghis Khan and the Yuan Dynasty didn't exist in this world, he had a feeling the way Goryeo fell must have played out quite differently from the history he knew.

From then on, Il-mok began firing off question after question about the Jurchens, Khitans, and Silla.

Maybe it was just his nature, but Han So-ryong answered curtly, though he still actually took the time to explain everything thoroughly. 

Of course, since he was a border general talking about enemy nations, half of his explanations were just him trash-talking them.

Il-mok filtered out Han So-ryong's personal opinions and pieced together the objective information in his head.

‘So there was no Yuan Dynasty, but the royal family and officials' corruption caused the nation to weaken and spark rebellion.’

The only things that had changed were the timing and the forces leading the rebellion.

As the conversation flowed, another realization suddenly came to mind.

'Wait, then the Hunminjeongeum definitely doesn't exist either.'

(TL Note: Just copy and paste it on Google if you are curious. Too long to explain.)

With the timeline this skewed, there was a good chance King Sejong the Great had never even been born. And even if he had, creating the Korean alphabet would have been practically impossible.

After all, even a king who wielded unchecked power like King Sejong the Great of his former world had faced relentless opposition before he was finally able to introduce Hunminjeongeum.

With the Kim Dynasty ruling the peninsula instead of the Yi, the invention of Hangul was simply a pipe dream.

Il-mok got to satisfy his curiosity, while Han So-ryong got to trash-talk about the enemies he'd spent his whole life fighting, so the conversation between the two of them stretched on for quite a while.

Noticing the sky outside the building began taking on a reddish-orange tint, Il-mok decided to wrap up the conversation. "I enjoyed our talk so much that I completely lost track of time. If it isn't too much trouble, would you mind if I spent a night here and headed out tomorrow?"

"Nonsense, I'm the one who kept a busy young man tied down all day with an old man's rambling. I'll have quarters prepared for you immediately, so please get a good rest for today."

Since the conversation wrapped up on a warm note, Il-mok stepped out of the building looking pleased with himself. But it had nothing to do with diplomatic success.

'Nice. Now I get a full day off before going back.'

The negotiations had actually ended a while ago. While Il-mok had intentionally dragged out the history lesson partly out of genuine curiosity, a large part of it was just to kill enough time to justify sleeping over. 

There is no way in hell he wants to spend the night on a bumpy ride. He had spent two grueling days on the road getting here; he deserved at least one day of rest.

***

The following morning, after finishing the simple breakfast provided by the Northern Military Command, Il-mok took his time getting ready to leave.

By the time he finally finished his preparation and strolled to his carriage, the sun was already high in the sky.

Standing there waiting to see him off was the Commander himself.

"Safe travels."

It was a brief farewell that perfectly suited his personality, and Il-mok responded in kind.

"Specific matters and official positions will likely only be decided after I return to Beijing, but if it is alright with you, would you mind reorganizing your troops and preparing for fighting the Mierqi as fast as possible?"

"If it's about marching North to kill invaders, I'm always ready."

With their business concluded, the two men exchanged a formal salute.

Il-mok and his group climbed straight into the carriage and set off once more on the journey back to Beijing.

‘The talks went well, I got my curiosity sorted out, and I even got a day of rest. Guess you could call this a pretty successful trip.’

With that thought in mind, they traveled by carriage for two more days and arrived back in Beijing once again.

Il-mok headed straight for the Forbidden City once he arrived.

The recent war had left the Imperial Palace in ruins. The Inner Palace had been practically bombed to kingdom come, and the Outer Palace was in a state of disrepair. They were using one of the only surviving halls as a makeshift council room.

When Il-mok walked in, Wi Jin-hak and the Divine Cult's top brass were already waiting for him.

"You have worked hard traveling all the way to the North while your body is still not fully healed."

Then you should not have sent me in the first place.

"I only did what needed to be done."

Once the formality dispensed, Il-mok gave a quick rundown of his meeting with Han So-ryong while conveniently leaving out all the trivial talk.

"Han So-ryong is a general with an upright temperament. He is a military officer who wants nothing more than to spend his whole life keeping foreign invaders out and has no interest in domestic affairs."

"From the information this Cult Leader receives, I’m inclined to agree to that assessment as well, Left Guardian.”

Wi Jin-hak nodded once and issued an order. "Prepare two decrees to be sent to the northern border immediately. One goes to the Right Guardian, and the other to the Northern Military Commander."

It seemed Wi Jin-hak had picked up on Il-mok's intention as he instantly decided it was best to simply absorb the Northern Military Command as it was.

"It's getting late. The rest of you are dismissed. I will draft the letters to the North myself."

As the gathered crowd filed out one by one at Wi Jin-hak's word, Il-mok also turned to head off and rest. But Il-mok only made it a single step.

—Youngest, stay behind for a moment.

Wi Jin-hak's voice transmission nailed him right in the back of the head. He stood frozen for a moment to school his expression before turning back on.

Once everyone had left and Wi Jin-hak finished writing out the two decrees, he finally spoke.

"Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord, hand that over to the Left Guardian."

At his command, the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord who had been standing quietly in the corner picked up a rather large sheet of paper and handed it over to him. Just a quick glance was enough to tell him exactly what it was.

"This is the central government structure we've been working on for the past five days. But as I look at it, I feel it is still missing something. Since you couldn't attend the councils, I kept you behind to get your opinion. It already includes the input of the other higher-ups, so feel free to speak your mind on it too."

"Allow me a moment to look at it.”

Skimming over what was written on the paper, he got a rough idea of how it was put together.

'They just haphazardly smashed the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's structure into the original Han Dynasty's system.'

They kept all the basic administrative seats and then slapped on a few extra of the Divine Cult departments for religious purposes.

The chief example of this is the Missionary Hall.

‘I need to get back and rest soon, so let me just answer based on what I already know and wrap this up.’

The system Il-mok knew best was obviously the modern government of South Korea. Thanks to his obsessive cramming for the civil service exam, he also had the ancient bureaucracies of Goryeo, Balhae, and Joseon memorized. But he figured the modern 21st-century model was a lot more efficient. Not that he was going to copy-paste it as is.

'If I start spouting nonsense about democracy or the separation of powers, I would be lucky not to be burned at the stake.'

After organizing his thoughts, Il-mok voiced his ideas. "First of all, instead of a Missionary Hall, we should establish a Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

"Spreading the teachings of the Divine Cult far and wide is the single most important task there is. How could we do away with the Missionary Hall? Furthermore, the Ministry of Rites already handles diplomacy, so is there a need to create a new one?"

"It's precisely because spreading the Divine Cult's teachings is the top priority, Cult Leader. Since the doctrine will already be taught throughout the Divine Cult’s territory via the education system, the Missionary Hall and the Grand Teacher Pavilion would end up working side by side on virtually every matter. The result would be needless overlap and slower administration. And it wouldn't stop there. The Missionary Hall could easily find itself involved in the affairs of every ministry."

Now that they'd effectively become a religious state, every single government project was going to have a religious angle to it.

"I think I see your point. But if that's the issue, why not just scrap the Missionary Hall entirely and let the Ministry of Rites handle it? Why spin off a brand new Ministry of Foreign Affairs?"

"Because the Ministry of Rites is bogged down with countless other duties. Our Divine Cult now shares borders with several different nations, and a new empire has even risen up in the territory of the Muslims to the West. So we need to focus more heavily on diplomacy, and we need to spread our Divine Cult's teachings and do missionary work abroad as well."

Apparently finding Il-mok's reasoning fair enough, Wi Jin-hak nodded, "Then who do you think would be the right person to head this Ministry of Foreign Affairs?"

Il-mok thought it over for a moment.

'Technically, the job should go to Baek Un-hak since he used to run the Missionary Hall...'

But entrusting the diplomacy of a massive empire to that attention seeker was a nightmare he wouldn’t even wish on his worst enemy.

The very thought of it made his head spin, yet it was difficult to entrust the role to anyone else.

‘Sixth Brother is actually the perfect fit since he's spent years traveling the West and the North...'

Come to think of it, diplomacy had already been a secondary duty of the Missionary Hall. It was just that now the primary and secondary roles would be swapped.

But there was no way he could make his Sixth Brother the boss while demoting Baek Un-hak to be his underling; that would be just another political minefield waiting to explode.

This was the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult after all, a den of lunatics that valued martial strength above all else.

"For now, I believe the best approach would be to appoint the current Missionary Hall Master as the Minister and the Deputy Master serving as his Vice Minister.”

Il-mok hoped things would improve a little once enough time passed and Baek Un-hak eventually retired.

‘It would be ideal if Sixth Brother headed diplomacy while the Baek Family acts as agents for missionary work, but it is what it is.'

As he pictured that future for a moment, something suddenly struck Il-mok.

'Hold on. If I play my cards right... I can dump literally every single job onto someone else!'

With that goal in mind, he furiously restructured the administrative system and quickly slapped the appropriate figures for the head of each ministry.

As long as the heads of every remaining ministry were filled, he could safely make his merry way to an early retirement!

Fueled by his burning hatred of overtime, Il-mok's brain shifted into maximum overdrive.

"Moving on! We should keep the Dark Shadow Pavilion and the Hidden Guard Pavilion, but we should adjust the Dark Shadow Pavilion's role a bit. The Hidden Guard Pavilion would continue its duty of assisting and protecting the Cult Leader, while the Dark Shadow Pavilion would take charge of internal oversight across the Central Plains."

If he were to translate it to his past life, he was basically turning the Hidden Guards into the Secret Service and the White House Staff, while turning the Dark Shadows into a hybrid of the CIA and the Board of Audit and Inspection.

'In historical terms, I'm basically making the Hidden Guards Pavilion as the new Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Dark Shadows as the Eastern Depot.'

That said, Il-mok had no intention of turning all the Dark Shadow Pavilion's martial artists into eunuchs. If he went that far, his Third Brother might show up in the dead of night with a blade clenched between his teeth.

Shaking the thought away, Il-mok kept talking.

"Ultimately, our Divine Cult’s core mission is to spread our faith and care for the people. Because of that, we need to strip education away from the Ministry of Rites and create a brand new department as well. Obviously, the Grand Teacher Pavilion should take this over. And who better to run it than the Head of the Hyeokryeon Family?”

Without feeling the littlest of guilt, he dumped the most gruelling department on Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang.

"Likewise, we should create a separate department specifically for public aid. I think the Ministry of Welfare would be a fitting name. They'll be entirely responsible for feeding and housing orphans, beggars, isolated seniors, and anyone else who can't even scrape together a basic living on their own."

"Hahaha. Well, that one is obvious. The Beggar King and his Beggars’ Gang are the perfect fit for that."

Sometimes all Il-mok had to do was explain what a new ministry would handle, and Wi Jin-hak would go ahead and pick out exactly the right person to lead it on his own.

***

Once they'd finished organizing the new administrative system and wrapped up the discussion over who would head each ministry, Il-mok bowed in respect and took his leave.

Wi Jin-hak gazed at the spot where Il-mok had just left for a moment, then spoke with a fond smile. "The Left Guardian really is something else, isn't he?"

"It's truly remarkable that he could come up with so many changes in such a short amount of time."

But to the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord's surprise, Wi Jin-hak slowly shook his head.

"I wasn't talking about his intellect. I was talking about that incorruptible spirit of his. Despite achieving the greatest merit of anyone in this war, he never once tries to get his own name attached to any position."

"He is a rare breed, indeed. But Cult Leader, do you really plan on leaving the Left Guardian without an official post in the new empire?"

Wi Jin-hak threw his head back and burst into booming laughter.

"Hahaha. Of course not. I knew the Left Guardian would turn down every single post out of modesty, so I deliberately set aside a position for him without ever mentioning it."

It was a revelation that would have made Il-mok weep tears of blood had he heard it.