“It’s the Head of Guards! Not just any official, but the Head of Guards!”
Jeon Gil-san exclaimed, startled by my declaration.
“I know. I’m going to squeeze money out of that Head of Guards.”
I promised Man Geum-jeon that I would prove it.
The Three-Eyed Sword, Inspector, Head of Guards. No one can refute my achievements.
“That’s not a pet name! I could throw you in prison with just one finger. I could make up a crime so severe you’d wish you never lived!”
“I know.”
“You don’t know! You really don’t know! Hey! The Inspector put his position on the line just to catch one Head of Branch! What do you think you can do as a lowlife like you? Even my grandfather would have to plead in person to get money back from that Head of Guards! You don’t mess with officials, punk!”
Gil-san, calm down, don’t spit while you’re excited.
If the Head of Branch is like a governor, the Head of Guards is like a mayor. Unless it’s a low-level inspector with a royal decree, a mere constable like you wouldn’t even touch the surface.
“I’m only saying it’s worth a shot. Miss Zhuge also acknowledged that.”
Everything adds up. When I glanced at Miss Zhuge, she nodded modestly.
“If it’s according to Master Kang’s plan, it’s possible!”
“Ha. This is insane. Do you really believe you can get money back? How? They probably won’t even meet you.”
That’s a valid point.
No matter what status I employ, if I request a meeting with the Head of Guards, it’ll end with a harsh dismissal. Chasing someone down for money repayment? I don’t even want to think about what will happen to me.
So obviously…
“I’ll make them plead to meet me.”
“What?”
“I have a method.”
I have a way to make the Head of Guards seek me out.
“What?! Asking for a raise? What on earth are you talking about?”
At the Paper Mill in Wuhan, the director scoffed at the black-haired man’s remark.
“Director, didn’t you say you’d bring more Joseon people and teach us the craftsmanship while raising the wages?”
The middle-aged Joseon man trembled with fear but clenched his teeth, determined to speak.
“You think becoming a craftsman is that easy?!”
“I’ve been working at this Paper Mill for ten years. Those who came before me have started shaping paper; yet, none of the Joseon people have become craftsmen!”
“You can’t even do your job right, and you’re talking about craftsmanship! Look at that wood over there! I told you to stack it properly on time! Do you not understand human speech, you barbarian?”
The director pointed at the wood with annoyance.
“I clearly told you to stack it before the next shipment…!”
“Now you’re sassing me? Ten years of work is all you’ve got?!”
The director pulled out an oiled whip from his pocket and swung it instantly.
“Uagh!”
With just a few lashes from the director’s whip, the courage the Joseon man had mustered slipped away hopelessly.
“…”
Being despised as a barbarian in Central Plains makes finding employment hard. Employers know this fact and thus treat them even more harshly.
They’re not people to them; they’re just beast-like creatures that should be beaten into submission.
Easily becoming the bait for anger, regular workers can’t even protest against the whipping they don’t deserve.
The verbal abuse and whipping unfolded before my eyes. The Joseon workers at the Paper Mill could only watch in frustration and sorrow, knowing the consequences if they resisted.
“Why are you all standing there with bulging eyes? Aren’t you going to work?!”
The director shouted angrily, even after seeing a Joseon man dragged away, unconscious.
“Sorry!”
“Just messing around. Those damn barbarian bastards are so lazy!”
“And that’s why they’re struggling. Don’t lose your temper, come and have a drink.”
The deputy director offered a drink to the fuming director, showing their camaraderie.
“After hiring them, they forgot their place and started climbing!”
“Is it just because the pay is low or that you don’t even provide meals?”
“Hey! You’re going too far! Anyone would misunderstand if they heard that. Those worthless barbarian bastards! I’m the one making them human!”
The deputy director chuckled, tapping the whip hidden in his pocket.
“Exactly. If we didn’t keep them in line with a whip, they’d get out of control.”
Working at the Paper Mill is tough.
They have to move thousands of pounds of lumber coming through Wuhan, drying it, and steam every day while boiling wood in hot water.
Since they need to break the wood down into pulp, they have to stir it constantly, leading to chronic diseases like dermatitis.
Becoming a craftsman changes the treatment they receive, yet for simple laborers, it’s a grueling and difficult job. This is why many Joseon people, who are treated like barbarians in the Central Plains, work at the Paper Mill.
“Brother, you should try pushing it.”
Normally, I’d be dead silent and obeying, avoiding the director’s anger.
But there was a strange atmosphere flowing among the Joseon workers at the Paper Mill.
“Really?”
“Trust me.”
“Alright. Has that person ever spoken a word in vain?”
“What are you all doing not working? Do you want to be whipped again?”
The Joseon man who had just fainted from the whip staggered to his feet at the director’s shout.
“…I won’t do it.”
There was a resolute determination in the Joseon man’s eyes that no whip could erase.
“What did you say?”
“I said I won’t work!”
The man’s cry echoed throughout the Paper Mill.
“What? Are you insane?! Do you want to get fired?!”
The Joseon workers, who would usually disperse at such shouts, were different this time.
“Collectively? Yes, collectively!”
If one cannot make it, then two will. If two can’t, then three will.
If three aren’t enough, we will stand together.
“What’s happening?”
“Workers of the Paper Mill, unite!”
With their fists raised, the workers shouted out the rallying cry that came from somewhere.
“Unite! Uwaaaaaah!”
“Unity! Unity! Unity!”
The Joseon workers at the Paper Mill erupted into action in an instant.
“What, what is this?!”
“Throw them out! If they resist, beat them out with whatever!”
“Director?!”
“Get lost!”
The director was quickly overpowered, and one by one, the managers were chased out of the Paper Mill, beaten as they went.
“What the hell is going on?! Are you trying to start a rebellion?!”
In response to the deputy director’s panic, a Joseon worker shouted resolutely.
This was the means for the workers, who had long been suppressed, to resolve the issue. With someone they trusted, they could finally take this final step.
“No! It’s a strike!”
“A… strike?”
“Our laborers at the Paper Mill will now go on an indefinite strike!!!”
A strike demanding workers’ rights. The first Joseon strike that broke out in Wuhan.
“It’s a rebellion!”
“A rebellion has broken out! Constable and Constables, hurry to the Head of Guards’ Paper Mill!”
“Wow, who would have thought a rebellion would occur at the Head of Guards’ Paper Mill?”
I didn’t expect it to happen this quickly. I said to Jeon Gil-san, who looked stunned in the carriage.
“Y-You did this?”
“Who knows?”
The strike at the Paper Mill was my first move to draw the Head of Guards out.
“Are you out of your mind? The ringleader of a rebellion will never evade punishment!”
“I came here to prevent it from becoming a rebellion.”
“What?”
I also don’t want to suddenly be tagged as the leader of this riot.
Even if I somehow become a martial arts genius overnight, I have zero interest in going toe-to-toe with the golden storm inside the Imperial Palace.
“Kang Ho Pil’s carriage! Clear the way!”
“Thanks for the hard work. So, what’s the situation?”
Upon arriving in front of the Paper Mill, the constables and constables surrounded the mill as a blockade.
“The Paper Mill workers have started a rebellion. They are holding the director and some craftsmen hostage, looking for you, Kang Ho Pil.”
“They’re looking for me?”
I acted surprised, pretending I had no clue why.
“Since most of the workers are Joseon people, it seems they want Kang Ho Pil. The authorities have also placed full power over this incident in your hands.”
Although Ho Pil had a reputation as a renowned constable, it was still strange to hand over authority to the newly appointed one.
Anyone could guess that if someone coughed in front of the officials now, they would shiver in fear. There’s a person sitting there who would make everyone nod in disbelief with just a casual remark.
“Isn’t there someone who can explain what’s going on?”
It wasn’t necessary to explain, yet I nodded and asked.
“I will bring the deputy director over.”
“Constable! I’m glad you’re here! Those barbarian bastards!”
The deputy director approached, his snake-like eyes squinting as he greedily eyed me.
“Barbarian bastards…?”
What? I looked him up and down with an indifferent expression.
“No… why is your hair color…?”
As soon as the deputy director saw my hair color, he couldn’t hide his surprise and muttered.
“What? Do you have an issue with my hair color?”
The deputy director shook his head fervently.
“No, no! It’s just, those barbarian bastards…”
“So this barbarian is listening well. Go on.”
This guy keeps calling me a barbarian until the very end.
“Uh, um, the thing is…”
How well did being called a barbarian roll off his tongue at the Paper Mill? The director seemed to forget the term Joseon people out of sheer panic.
Perfect. Just as I suspected, this is where I can dig in. I let out a sigh of disappointment and then opened my mouth with a composed expression.
“Have someone choose a representative from the Paper Mill. I need to hear why this is happening.”
Now that a strike has initiated, it’s time to move to the next stage.
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