What is going on right now?
I took another look at their faces. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical if this was reality. The future Chancellor, generals, artisans, merchants, spear instructors, diplomats, and so on… All the key figures who would lead the next generation of the Huang Nation were gathered in the unit I was supposed to train. Does that even make sense?
“Jae Sang-hae, why did you apply to the Commander of the Golden Guards?”
I focused my gaze on Jae Sang-hae. Each member of this unit was undoubtedly an extraordinary figure, but if I had to pick the most prominent among them, it would be this Jae Sang-hae who would surely rise to the position of Chancellor.
And he was also the most out-of-place individual.
It was obvious. The position of Chancellor is the pinnacle of a civil servant, yet a future Chancellor applied for the Golden Guards’ exam.
“I felt the conditions I was receiving were unreasonable, so I applied to the Commander of the Golden Guards.”
“I can’t quite understand what you mean.”
Jae Sang-hae’s response was utterly absurd.
“Our family, Aksan Jae, has always produced scholars. Because of that, even though my martial arts skills have reached the top tier, they all treat me as a scholar. Of course, I have knowledge that deserves to be called a scholar.”
“What are you even saying?”
“I want to be evaluated reasonably for my abilities. The government is utterly rotten! Traditions, connections, seniority! Other factors take precedence over a person’s abilities, so rather than endure such treatment, isn’t it better to dedicate myself to the military, which values skills and achievements?”
Hmm.
Okay, I understood what he was trying to say. How horrifying! Does this guy really think he will become a Chancellor? If I hadn’t heard his family name, I might have entertained the thought of him being a namesake instead.
After hearing his nonsensical answer, I lost my will to inquire further.
“Alright then. It was nice meeting you all.”
“Chung!”
Accepting the salute from Jo Ga-ju, I immediately went to find Song Chang-sik. Song Chang-sik glanced at me once and then turned his gaze back to the papers he was handling.
“What do you want from me?”
“Excuse me, but is my unit really made up of people unfit for the Commander of the Golden Guards?”
Song Chang-sik stopped the brush and looked at me. After a moment of assessing me, he opened his mouth in a somewhat perplexed tone.
“They have clear disqualifications that make them unsuitable for the Golden Guards. However, the selection test for the Golden Guards must be very fair. They will naturally fail to pass the first selection round, which is conducted by unit.”
“May I ask, does that mean they’ll be eliminated due to some natural interference? Or does it mean they’ve already failed, so there’s no need for interference?”
Song Chang-sik chuckled as if he found it ridiculous.
“Hahaha. Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? You should know how dangerous it is to manipulate a test.”
That was true. The test itself must be conducted in a completely transparent and fair manner. Manipulating the entire examination just to weed out a few individuals is nonsensical.
It could be said that the tail is bigger than the body.
“I… I’m a bit anxious after seeing the trainees. I feel like there are individuals who might pass by sheer luck.”
Song Chang-sik’s expected response made me feel like sighing.
“Ah… I didn’t want to mention this to you, but… to think that you’re so small-minded.”
Song Chang-sik beckoned me closer and lowered his voice.
“It’s crucial for instructors that their trainees succeed. The leadership of an instructor is assessed based on which trainees they produce. Generally, the details of the selection process for the same graduates remain a secret, but those who’ve been instructors for years inevitably get a sense of the examination trends.”
“And the first test will be a team competition by unit, and your unit will be one member short compared to others. Given the average capability of the unit members and the fact that you’re a novice instructor, even if your unit is united in effort, there’s doubt whether you can reach that passing threshold.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
“Indeed. Are you feeling more reassured now?”
Reassured? Not at all.
Number of members? Average competency? Are you kidding? Even the Avengers would struggle to perform with a line-up like this.
Look at Jo Ga-ju.
Yesterday, not a single person besides Jo Ga-ju saluted me; they merely stared blankly. But today, everyone stood up and saluted me.
That was clear evidence that Jo Ga-ju instilled discipline in them.
It’s not like anyone appointed me as captain. What kind of authority does a self-proclaimed acting captain even command?
Yet Jo Ga-ju achieved results in just a day.
Such talents are the current state of my unit. To say that my unit would fail simply because of the quality of training or a mere one member short is an overly optimistic prediction.
What the heck happened in the Golden Guards during this time that I ended up with a unit that looks like the next generation dream team of the Huang Nation?
I felt a burning desire to confront Song Chang-sik right now, but honestly, I had no words to say.
Before the Commander of the Golden Guards, I couldn’t demand that these future leaders of the Huang Nation shouldn’t be subjected to such trivial matters as a test. How could I express that the current training unit design was no match for such future greats without sounding ridiculous?
These are individuals who would leave significant historical achievements, yet they were merely bright young people at this moment, leaving me with nothing to argue about.
“Hmm… I understand. If I’m worried, I just need to work hard, right?”
“Hahaha! Exactly. I’ll put my trust in you, external advisor.”
“Yes. I’m sorry for causing a commotion.”
That’s just how it is for me. It seems I have to take charge to resolve this matter as well.
* *
“Hmmm.”
“Commander, what did the external advisor say?”
“What do they think they know…?”
“Yes?”
Commander Song Chang-sik ignored the questioning gaze his son was sending him and fell deep in thought. Unaware of the series of events that had occurred in the royal palace, he had no idea about the situation centered around Ho Cheon-an.
All he knew about this matter was that the emperor himself intervened for a certain rogue.
‘What is he doing? I know he’s working together with Governor Samayeom, but…’
Since he was being watched by the emperor, it was only natural to think that he wasn’t the culprit…
The Golden Guards’ exam was one of the few opportunities available for provincial talents to enter the central government. There are hardly any other central positions that are regularly and publicly tested, like the Golden Guards.
While there was a system where one could climb to the center by amassing public merit, it was practically unrealistic.
Even in the provinces, individuals were indeed part of the imperial army, and unless someone had a strong desire to succeed in the central region, they wouldn’t abandon the stronghold of the local foundation they had worked so hard to build.
For young talents, whose positions weren’t secure and lacked connections, one could say that the Golden Guards was the only path to seize a central key position.
‘Fundamentally, even if they fail the Golden Guards’ exam, they’re all selected talents from their provinces, each with their own skills.’
The first step was broken by the alumni. While examining candidates for the Golden Guards, they discovered individuals suitable enough to be part of the alumni and absorbed some from among those who were eliminated.
Now that they tasted the talent, the alumni began questioning, “Isn’t it advantageous for the Huang Nation to utilize these attributes, even if they’re termed as failures?”
Yoo Gyeong and Song Chang-sik agreed with that view.
To properly process the suggestion presented by the alumni, increasing the frequency of public recruitment exams for provincial talents was the right answer, but in the midst of ongoing war with the powerful nobles, it was practically impossible.
So, they began to pick out talent among those who applied to the Golden Guards.
As more than ten years passed, provincial individuals realized that even if they failed the Golden Guards, someone would still take them to the center. As candidates continued to emerge who would get established in the central government over the years, even if both the Golden Guards and alumni kept their lips sealed, they had no choice but to take note.
As a result, local officials started writing commendation letters for anyone they considered talented and sending them to the capital. Even if they went to the Golden Guards’ exam and succeeded, it was a good thing, but for those who failed, the notion of catching a pheasant instead of a chicken still applied—there was no reason to hesitate.
The number of applicants for the Golden Guards increased every year, and the average standard of applicants continued to rise.
Of course, not everything was good. There were also downsides to randomly sucking in talents, leading to situations where those obviously better suited for different fields began to apply and succeed in the exam for the Golden Guards.
Outstanding talents could usually achieve some level of success even in fields unrelated to their own.
To filter out such individuals, the “elimination unit” was created. Why do those who have excelled in other fields suddenly apply for the Golden Guards’ exam? While some might be resolutely determined, for most, that wasn’t the case.
Those truly serious about joining the Golden Guards could simply wait six months and retake the exam.
‘Usually, it’s typical for individuals to go through about three or four attempts before finally entering the Golden Guards. A single failure isn’t a significant flaw.’
While it’s unfortunate for those affected, it was necessary for the Huang Nation’s progress. In the future, once Yoo Gyeong fully controls the Huang Nation, this issue would disappear.
No matter how much Sam Ma Gyeong-hwi and Yoo Gyeong cared about Ho Cheon-an, the chance that they discussed such drawbacks was quite low.
Then, could it be that Ho Cheon-an had discovered this sense of dissonance within his unit on his own?
Commander Song Chang-sik asked his son and aide, Song An-seong.
“Aide, has the external advisor spent a lot of time with the trainees?”
“No, sir. He finished work right away yesterday, and considering the time he came to see you today, he probably didn’t have long conversations with the trainees.”
Yet here he was, perceiving the trainees as talents.
“So that was the case…”
Commander Song Chang-sik imagined Ho Cheon-an’s figure. He didn’t seem like someone easily satisfied by explanations, so he likely devised some countermeasures to tackle the current situation.
“Interesting. This will definitely be worth watching.”
It seems that monitoring the selection for the Golden Guards this time would be quite entertaining.
With such thoughts, Commander Song Chang-sik smiled.
* *
While Commander Song Chang-sik smiled, Ho Cheon-an was deep in thought.
“Black Cat Miss.”
“Yes?”
“I… I think I like Senior Ho.”
While drinking tea at a teahouse, Hyeok Gi-rin confessed his feelings to the Black Cat.
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