The historians and scribes paused for a moment at Wan’s declaration.
“Is His Majesty’s statement not too arrogant?”
“And what if Florence’s actions go against the natural course?”
They hesitated for a moment, minds filled with many thoughts, but then resumed tapping diligently on their typewriters.
Their duty was to record everything happening and every word spoken right here and now.
Their own opinions could be written after finishing all the records.
Although the historians and scribes thought Wan’s words arrogant, Wan was fully confident.
At this moment, the empire’s army, combining both land and naval forces, numbered over six hundred thousand.
Considering that at the founding of Joseon the army was about three hundred thousand, and weighing the empire’s size and the nearby Ming army — which after Shenghuaji’s massive troop reductions still boasted 1.5 million — the empire’s forces might seem comparatively small.
However, the ‘three hundred thousand troops’ in early Joseon were only numbers on paper.
During the chaotic end of Goryeo and early Joseon, many refugees fled conscription or became slaves.