Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 303

303. 천축국. (4)

Besides the chandelier, Park Hyun-soo had brought other gifts from Joseon. There were crystal products similar to those presented to the governor, and ginseng.

“Ginseng! I’ve heard from Kitai [Chinese] merchants that Eastern ginseng is a remarkable medicine!”

Park Hyun-soo smiled and bowed his head at Sha’s positive reaction.

“I am truly glad that you like it, Your Majesty.”

“However…”

As if he had never been pleased, Sha’s face turned serious.

“Did you say that the official name of the ‘Land of Flowers’ is Joseon?”

“That is correct.”

“And Joseon wants to trade?”

“That is correct.”

In response to Park Hyun-soo’s answer, Sha asked with a serious face,

“To trade means to exchange products with each other. It is embarrassing to say this, but my country does not produce anything like the goods made by Joseon. Doesn’t that mean you will come and sell goods, only taking our wealth? Now! Tell me honestly! Does Joseon want honest trade, or is it extortion?”

* * *

Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah, who now ruled the Bengal Sultanate, was a man of great judgment.

Sha’s father, Raja Ganesha, was a Hindu of traditional Indian nobility. However, Jalaluddin converted to Islam, securing the safety and power of the nation. Because of this decision, he was ousted from the throne once by his father and forced to reconvert to Hinduism.

Thanks to regaining the throne, he showed tolerance to Hindus and Buddhists. However, as time passed, to prove that he was a faithful Muslim, he converted Hindu people to Islam and supported the construction of Islamic educational institutions called Madrasas in Mecca and Medina. (Note 1)

Through this, he was evaluated as a ‘true Muslim’ and was able to maintain friendly relations with neighboring Islamic countries, protecting the country from the pressure of the Delhi Sultanate.

Having protected the country by walking such a precarious tightrope, he was able to grasp the dangers that trade with Joseon would bring.

* * *

At Sha’s direct question, Park Hyung-seok still answered with a smile.

“Joseon likes to share with its neighbors, not to take away unilaterally.”

“Everyone says that.”

“Your Majesty said that there is not much produced in this land, but how can there be nothing that benefits each other?”

“Hmm…”

As Sha still wore a suspicious expression, Park Hyung-seok continued.

“And, as I said before, our Joseon likes to share with its neighbors, but we do not make neighbors easily.”

“Huh?”

Sha’s eyes lit up at Park Hyung-seok’s words.

‘There is some hidden meaning!’

Silently pondering Park Hyung-seok’s words, Sha smiled and asked back.

“In this India, we are the only neighbors, right?”

“Joseon does not make neighbors carelessly.”

“Hahaha!”

Sha burst into laughter at Park Hyung-seok’s answer.

What Park Hyung-seok said now meant that the Bengal Sultanate, which he ruled, was the only place in this Indian continent where Joseon’s products would enter.

In other words, he could gain enormous profits by relaying Joseon’s goods to the surrounding countries.

In the end, Sha came to a conclusion.

“Good! I will become a close neighbor of Joseon!”

“Thank you! Joseon will be a good neighbor to Sha!”

Park Hyung-seok responded to Sha’s words, but added something else in his mind.

‘As long as your country’s reign is going well.’

According to Masur’s explanation heard in Hanseong [the capital of Joseon], the situation in India was literally a Warring States period.

The countries ruled by traditional Hindu nobles and the countries ruled by Muslims repeatedly gathered and dispersed, and their rise and fall were repeated.

It was common for countries to be destroyed as soon as the monarch who declared the founding died.

These countries did not even properly leave their names in history.

* * *

“The envoy said, ‘How can there be no items that benefit each other?’ What is Joseon seeking?”

Park Hyung-seok answered Sha’s question immediately.

“Medicinal herbs and spices, and saltpeter.”

“Medicinal herbs?”

“Some of the medicinal herbs used by our Joseon doctors come from here.”

“Hmm… Spices are welcomed everywhere, so let’s move on, what is saltpeter?”

Mansur immediately added an explanation to Sha’s question. Sha nodded as if he understood after hearing Mansur’s explanation.

“Saltpeter is essential for making gunpowder. Does Joseon not have saltpeter?”

“It does exist, but I would like to obtain a lot of it at a cheap price if possible.”

“Hmm…”

Pondering Park Hyung-seok’s words, Sha gestured to the manager next to him.

As the manager approached immediately upon seeing the gesture, Sha asked something in a small voice.

The manager, who received Sha’s question, paused for a moment to recall and answered in a small voice as well.

After thinking for a while after hearing the manager’s answer, Sha said to Park Hyung-seok.

“1 mond for 1 mond of silver.”

Park Hyung-seok turned to Mansur at Sha’s words.

“Is mond the unit of weight here? How much is it if you convert it to geun [Korean unit of weight]?”

“If you convert it to Chinese units, 1 mond is about 10 kwan (37.5kg). 100 mond is about 1000 kwan (about 3.75 tons).”

“10 kwan of silver (990 nyang [Korean currency]) for 1000 kwan of saltpeter…”

After calculating for a while, Park Hyung-seok looked at Jang Kwang-seok, who was standing next to him, and approached him closely and asked quietly.

“How much gunpowder does the military need?”

“The more, the better.”

“At least.”

“At least each division and garrison must have 10,000 geun (about 6 tons). Only then can we train with peace of mind and prepare for war. Even our navy, which is now known for using a lot of gunpowder, has only 2,000 geun (about 1.2 tons) in each naval base.”

“How much saltpeter goes into gunpowder?”

“It depends on the type, but in the case of Eul-sik gunpowder, which is most commonly used, it is a little over 80%.”

In the case of Eul-sik gunpowder developed by Hyang, the proportion of saltpeter increased relatively as sulfur was removed.

Removing sulfur reduced the amount of smoke and made it safer to store, but removing sulfur, which is a catalyst that lowers the ignition point, had the disadvantage of raising the ignition point. (Note 2) However, Hyang solved this problem by using fulminate of mercury.

After hearing Jang Kwang-seok’s explanation, Park Hyung-seok calculated this and that.

In Joseon, lawsuits and appeals regarding the saltpeter fields were endless.

It was because of the problem of manure sprayed on the saltpeter fields.

Human and livestock manure were important raw materials for making saltpeter fields, but they were also important raw materials for making fertilizer.

990 nyang of silver for 1000 kwan of saltpeter was by no means a small amount, but compared to the lawsuits and the resulting time and financial losses that are still occurring in Joseon, it was a much better deal.

‘Sha must have added a premium, but even considering that, it’s still a good deal.’

Park Hyung-seok, who had come to a conclusion, immediately answered Sha.

“I will buy it at that price.”

Sha’s face brightened at Park Hyung-seok’s answer. The amount he called was 20% higher than the price he had been selling to the surrounding areas, including Melaka.

However, the envoy from Joseon accepted the amount.

However, the envoy from Joseon was not easy.

“However, I will only accept it if you make a document promising to maintain that price in the future.”

“I swear to Allah that I will keep my promise.”

“There is an old saying in Joseon, ‘Words from the mouth disappear with the wind, but words left in documents last a lifetime.’”

Sha smacked his lips at the Joseon envoy’s firm answer and replied.

“Okay, I’ll write it down in a document. So how much are you going to buy?”

“I will buy as much as I can load on the ship with the money I sell the goods here.”

“Okay. Then let’s write the document tomorrow, and let’s enjoy the banquet today. A big guest has arrived, so we must hold a banquet.”

Park Hyung-seok and his party enjoyed the banquet hosted by Sha and rested in the accommodation provided by Sha.

Jang Kwang-seok, who was writing a report to be submitted later when he returned to Joseon, sighed deeply.

“I will never let my child become a civil official, even if I die…”

Jang Kwang-seok was determined as he watched Park Hyung-seok turning the conversation this way and that.

* * *

After completing the writing of the agreement, Park Hyung-seok and his party returned to Kolkata, retracing their steps.

The group, who returned to the port near Kolkata, sorted out the situation.

“Then the Mujukho and Maengjinho will return to Chittagong, and the Challenger will go to Aden.”

“Will it be okay with just the Challenger?”

Oh Ha-seok answered confidently to Kang Nam-gil’s question.

“It’s okay.”

“Then let’s do that. Now that we have obtained saltpeter, it is better to return as soon as possible.”

At Oh Ha-seok’s assurance, the group quickly decided on the next route.

The group, who stayed for another day to relieve their fatigue, left the port as soon as the day dawned.

The ships that came out to the sea along the river parted ways to their respective destinations.

“Farewell!”

“I pray for your safe voyage!”

“Be careful!”

“See you in Joseon!”

The captains and sailors waved their hands at each other and wished for each other’s safety in loud voices.

* * *

Thus, Mansur’s fleet and the Challenger, which had left the Bay of Bengal, diligently sailed towards Aden.

It was a voyage of about 14,000 li [traditional Chinese unit of distance, approximately 500 meters], (about 5700 km), but fortunately, thanks to the good weather, the fleet arrived safely in Aden.

Even in the port of Aden, the Challenger became a spectacle for people.

It was the first time they had seen a ship as large as the Challenger since the ships of the Zheng He fleet that had stopped by in the past.

What caught people’s attention was the hull and sails of the Challenger, which were all gray.

Seeing the gray hull and sails, the Azram family and other family members stroked their chins and muttered.

“If you paint it like that, it won’t be easily visible from a distance. Should we try painting it like that too?”

“That’s true, but the ship looks big and strong, which is very good. If the price is right, shouldn’t we consider purchasing it?”

Thanks to his experience of sailing for a long time, he became greedy as soon as he saw the Challenger.

In addition, Mansur’s anecdotes told to the heads of the families who had allied with him fueled their desire to purchase.

“Shall we really buy it?”

However, their desire to purchase was extinguished by Mansur’s words that followed.

“The ship alone costs 100,000 nyang of gold. The ship price excludes the cannons. And the repair costs are separate…”

“Damn it…”

* * *

The fleet, which had rested for five days in Aden, raised its anchor again.

The fleet’s destination was Suez, located at the end of the Red Sea.

Their last journey was to go to Alexandria by land from Suez.

As the soldiers escorting the cargo to Alexandria disembarked with their weapons, Oh Ha-seok looked back at the deputy.

“Please take good care of the ship.”

“Don’t worry. I will protect it firmly.”

“I trust you.”

“Have a safe trip.”

The group, who had fully loaded the cargo onto camels and horses arranged by the Mansur Merchant, began their journey to Alexandria.

(Note 1)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalaluddin_Muhammad_Shah

(Note 2)

http://usmsori.com/agora24/42501