Black Corporation: Joseon

Episode 431: What was expected, what was unexpected. (8)

“Huh~”

“Is this the world we live in?”

The ministers looked at the map posted by Mansour and evaluated it with voices filled with curiosity.

Seeing that, Lee Maeng-gyun corrected the truth.

“Wouldn’t it be right to call it the west of the world we live in?”

“He is like that too…”

Hwang Hee said to King Sejong while the ministers nodded at Lee Maeng-gyun’s answer.

“If the world looks like this, I think it will be difficult to say that it is neutralized anymore.”

Sejong responded to those words with a small nod.

“Right. “It’s a shame, but the continent called Africa is also huge… If I draw it correctly on paper, the Ming and Joseon Japanese countries will be pushed to the east.”

Mansour continued speaking after Sejong.

“In Catholic countries, Ming and Joseon are already called ‘Absit Orientis.’”

“What does that mean?”

“Eh…”

In response to King Sejong’s question, Mansour blurted out his words with an embarrassed expression on his face. In the meantime, I had become somewhat familiar with the Korean language while traveling back and forth between Joseon, but using advanced expressions was still difficult.

When Mansour could not answer properly, the fragrance opened its mouth.

“It probably means Far East.”

‘It is a word that has become somewhat of a dead language in the 21st century, but it is still the most familiar word.’

* * *

The frequency of use of the word ‘Far East’ has decreased significantly in the 21st century, thanks to the fierce backlash that the word ‘Far East’ itself symbolizes Western chauvinism. However, there have continued to be people who patronize the word not only in the West but also in the East.

* * *

“Far East…. Hmm….”

After hearing Hyang’s words, King Sejong stroked his beard and muttered softly. Seeing King Sejong’s expression, the ministers muttered to themselves.

‘You don’t like it.’

King Sejong, who was quietly pondering the word ‘Far East,’ asked Mansour.

“It’s the Far East… Don’t these Westerners know that the world is round?”

“There are quite a few people who know that it is not round because it has been used customarily since ancient times.”

King Sejong could not hide his displeasure at Mansour’s answer.

“That’s funny.”

Sensing the discomfort in Sejong’s voice, Mansour bowed down.

‘The king of Joseon was successful in making Catholics look unfavorable. It has to stop here! If you make a mistake, even I will be punished!’

Sensing danger, Mansour closed his mouth and bowed down.

“Anyway… Why did an Italian merchant named Cosimo give me this map? Looking at the precision of the map, it is definitely not an ordinary item. No, the map itself is not something that ordinary merchants can freely acquire. “How did he get this map?”

Mansour answered King Sejong’s question carefully.

“Cosimo de’ Medici is the head of a great merchant family. “He is someone that even the kings of most Catholic countries cannot treat with carelessness.”

“ah. “I remember.”

King Sejong nodded at Mansour’s answer.

“I remember saying it was similar to the Women and Girls Committee. Is that why he obtained this map and sent it to me?… Yes, in that case, I can understand why he obtained the map. “But why did he send me this map?”

“This is because the people who made this map have a violent nature, so I want you to prepare in advance just in case.”

Mansour explained about Spain, Portugal’s strong rival, Portugal, the country that created this map.

-As you probably know well in Joseon, Joseon’s products are gaining explosive popularity not only in Islamic countries but also in Europe.

-Portugal and Spain are the ones acting most passionately to pioneer this route to Joseon. Of course, England and France have also joined this competition, but the two countries have not yet established themselves properly due to internal problems.

-Such large-scale exploration activities require a lot of money. Portugal and Spain are engaging in slave trading and plunder to raise these funds.

“Slave trade… Do Catholics use a lot of slaves?”

In response to King Sejong’s question, Mansour kept his mouth shut. After thinking for a moment, Mansour seemed to have made up his mind and opened his mouth to answer King Sejong’s question.

“Catholics also use slaves… but those who trade and use slaves the most are Islamic nobles.”

“I understand that Catholicism and Islam are at odds with each other?”

“When wealth is involved, even enemies become friends. And because there are slave traders in the middle, direct transactions are rare.”

“When wealth becomes intertwined, even enemies become friends… Hmm… That’s not true.”

Sejong nodded and asked the question again.

“Is the merchant Cosimo opposing Portugal and Spain because of their slaves?”

“No.”

Mansour explained what Cosimo wanted.

-The route discovered by Portugal and Spain had to bypass the African continent. If that happens, the costs will be very high, and Portugal and Spain are likely to use very rough methods to make up for the losses and even gain profits.

-If Portugal and Spain monopolize trade rights without using violence, Italian merchants will suffer great losses.

-Therefore, Cosimo de’ Medici and the merchants who joined hands with him began to think that it was best to maintain the existing trading method.

“So that merchant named Cosimo de Medici handed over the map?”

“That’s right. “I’m asking you to tell Your Majesty what happened while making that map.”

King Sejong, who nodded slightly in response to Mansour’s answer, gestured.

“His and your thoughts about Joseon are truly beautiful. I appreciate it. “I will repay you accordingly, so please return today.”

“I am devastated! May Allah bless you!”

After politely bowing, Mansur left Geunjeongjeon.

* * *

Florence, Italy.

While Mansour was in the midst of reporting to King Sejong, Cosimo de’ Medici looked at the eastern sky and muttered.

“Mansour, do you think he would have arrived in Hanseong by now?”

Cosimo, who was looking at the eastern sky and mumbling, turned to look inside the room.

On one wall of Cosimo’s office was a large map of the world. It was a very large world map created by combining geographic information obtained from Portugal, which had joined hands with him, with geographic information stolen from Spain through a bribe, and a map of the East obtained through Mansour.

Cosimo muttered as he surveyed the blank area on the east coast of Africa.

“Three years at most….”

If Portugal and Spain were in a frenzied competition, the gap would have been filled within three years at most.

“And after that, it will be India, Kitai, Joseon, and the Cane…”

Cosimo muttered quietly as he was assessing the future.

“After all, you don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

Although we were currently collaborating with Portugal, we did not know the future. There was a possibility that Portugal, blinded by the huge profits, would monopolize the profits, and there was also a possibility that Spain would monopolize the sea routes first.

That is why Cosimo handed the map to Mansour. One of the alternatives was to build friendships with Joseon and maintain business relationships using the stepping stone called Mansour. Additionally, it was an added bonus that Joseon, which had received Mansour’s warning, was able to keep Portugal and Spain in check.

“If Joseon’s ships are as powerful as rumored, neither Portugal nor Spain will be able to install them as they please.”

And another alternative was to dig a waterway from Suez to the Mediterranean.

Cosimo thought that the best way to maximize his profits was to build an aqueduct. It was a project that would cost quite a lot of money, but considering the losses that would occur in the process of bypassing the African continent, even greater profits could be made permanently.

“The question is: Alexandrian Mamluks and Ottomans?”

* * *

When talk of ‘building an aqueduct’ emerged, those who opposed it most vehemently were Alexandria.

The most economical route was through the narrowest area between Suez and the Mediterranean. The problem was that the area was about 53 leagues (about 224 km) east of Alexandria. It was certain that if the northern entrance to the aqueduct were made there, Alexandria would be wiped out.

And the next question was who would own the land where the waterway would be built. Egypt was now under the rule of the Mamluk dynasty. But Osman was keeping an eye on him.

To be exact, it was not the site where the waterway was to be built, but Alexandria. Because the waterway was still only rumored.

However, those with even the slightest knowledge among the Mamluk and Ottoman leaders knew that the moment the rumored waterway was built, gold, not sea water, would flow there.

Therefore, the Ottomans turned back the Vatican’s strategy and began to move south. The Mamluks, noticing these Ottoman movements, also began to gather troops in the area.

Cosimo, who was once again checking the situation in Tanggeum, crossed his arms, glared at the map, and muttered.

“There’s no need to worry about Alexandria’s whining, hmm…. Which would be better to bet on: the Mamluks or the Ottomans?”

* * *

While Cosimo was looking at the map and thinking about where to place his bets, King Sejong and his ministers were also worrying in Hanseong.

“Take this map and start calibrating it.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The eunuch who received the map via a merchant ship transferred the map with a sense of physiognomy.

Then, King Sejong began discussions in earnest.

“The possibility of coming into contact with countries such as Portugal and Spain is increasing. What should I do? “If you listen to what Mansour says, they seem like quite violent people, right?”

Kim Jeom was the first to answer King Sejong’s question.

“If you want to make a deal, I think it would be reasonable to do so, but if you use violence, I think you have to respond sternly.”

Following Kim Jeom’s words, Lee Maeng-gyun continued.

“I’ll buy it back. The problem is that what they mainly trade in is slaves. Slaves are not that necessary in our Joseon Dynasty. In other words, trading is not easy.”

“Or there’s a good chance they’ll hard sell slaves.”

“The possibility of that happening is quite high.”

While the ministers expressed various opinions, King Sejong silently stroked his beard and nodded.

Meanwhile, Hyang, who was looking at the situation going on under the temple, muttered to himself.

‘It’s definitely the Joseon Dynasty.’

Most of the opinions of the ministers speaking to King Sejong were based on the following facts.

‘For Joseon, slaves are not marketable.’

In other words, the problem was not because slavery itself was immoral, but because slavery was unmarketable, people opposed it.

Although incense was sometimes forgotten, there were slaves in Joseon.

In the process of taking away the power of the nobility and expanding finances, the ratio of sanobi was greatly reduced. However, since those who committed serious crimes became government slaves, a significant number of slaves still existed in Joseon.

In other words, slave ownership itself was not immoral or unfamiliar in Joseon during this period.

“I also agree with your opinions. “The proper response would be to prepare in advance and be alert.”

Jo Mal-saeng stepped forward and responded to King Sejong’s decision.

“It is indeed so. According to Mansour, their behavior is similar to that of the Jurchen tribe, so I think it is appropriate to prepare accordingly.”

When I gave the example of Jurchen, who carried out normal trade when the Joseon Dynasty was strong and plundered villages and took the people as slaves when they found the slightest opportunity, all the ministers nodded.

“That is so!”

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