Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 307

307. The Road to the Land of Flowers (4)

“Truly magnificent!”

Emperor Xuanzong, having received the chandelier as tribute, exclaimed in admiration to Li Mengjun, the envoy from Joseon.

“The skills of Joseon artisans are truly remarkable!”

“Moved by Your Majesty’s graciousness towards Joseon, the artisans dedicated their utmost efforts. I understand that producing even three of these pieces in a year is exceedingly difficult,” Li Mengjun replied.

“Three in a year….”

Xuanzong trailed off, lost in thought. He pondered for a long time before speaking again.

“Envoy, listen closely. Joseon shall offer three of these chandeliers as tribute for the next five years. Of course! You will be handsomely rewarded.”

A murmur rippled through the Ming officials present. Xuanzong, raising a hand to silence the Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet, continued, “This is a precious item, worthy of boasting for generations. Therefore, upon receiving the tribute, one shall be placed within the palace halls of the Forbidden City, and the others will be bestowed upon loyal subjects. This shall be my reward for those who serve me and the empire diligently.”

Li Mengjun bowed deeply and responded to Xuanzong’s command.

“I obey!”

Li Mengjun, having received a tremendous amount of gold and copper—half the annual import volume of Joseon—as a reward, reported the emperor’s decree to Sejong. Hyang, overhearing Li Mengjun’s report, muttered softly beside him.

“That man is no fool. A fierce competition for displays of loyalty will surely erupt.”

* * *

The crystal chandelier, which ignited a competition for loyalty within the Ming court, also sparked considerable interest in Alexandria.

While many merchants and citizens were keenly anticipating the items to be unveiled at the auction house and market, others were intrigued by different aspects.

Prince Henrique was one such individual.

As the Aden merchants were expected to arrive in Alexandria, Henrique, disguised as a merchant, entered the city with his men.

Henrique’s objective was not trade.

– First, to negotiate with the Aden merchants to secure one or two who would join his voyage. Through them, to confirm the existence of ‘The Land of Flowers,’ Joseon.

However, the merchants failed to appear even after a month had passed since their expected arrival in Aden, and Henrique began contemplating abandoning his plan.

Just then, a subordinate who had ventured into the city returned hastily and reported to Henrique.

“Merchants are arriving from Aden! But they are not alone! People from ‘The Land of Flowers’ are accompanying them!”

Upon hearing his subordinate’s report, Henrique immediately issued an order.

“Inform the innkeeper that we will extend our stay!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“And deploy our contacts! We must gather as much information as possible!”

“Understood!”

* * *

Fifteen days later, the entire city of Alexandria buzzed with excitement.

“Merchants have arrived from Aden!”

“People from ‘The Land of Flowers’ are here too!”

“Wow!”

Amidst the clamor of the Alexandrian citizens, Henrique, positioned on the inn’s rooftop, observed Oh Ha-seok and his entourage passing through the city gates.

“Amazing, truly amazing!”

Henrique exclaimed in admiration as he watched Oh Ha-seok’s procession.

Nearly 100 camels were laden with wooden boxes of varying sizes. Considering that the number of camels carrying luggage was only about 30 to 40 during the last visit, this was a substantial increase.

Henrique, estimating the number of camels, began calculating.

“How many ships did they arrive on? At least three?”

The largest dhows [traditional Arab sailing vessels] favored by Arab merchants could typically carry cargo equivalent to what about 10 camels could transport.

For shorter voyages, they might carry enough cargo to require about 15 camels, but for long distances, the maximum was around 10 camels’ worth due to the space needed for food and water.

In fact, a merchant named Mansur consistently used three ships for his voyages to and from Joseon. And the number of camels carrying luggage when he came to Alexandria averaged around 30.

That was why Henrique estimated that there were at least three Joseon ships.

* * *

When Oh Ha-seok presented the chandeliers to the Alexandria market and the Sultan, the news rapidly spread throughout the city.

Influential figures who had heard the rumors visited the market, accompanied by their servants, and shared their impressions of the amazing items they had witnessed with their acquaintances, further disseminating the story throughout Alexandria.

While Italian, European, and Arab merchants focused on the goods that Joseon had brought, Henrique issued orders to his men.

“Have the Joseon people ventured out since their visit to the Alexandria City Hall?”

“No, Your Highness, they haven’t.”

“Hmm….”

Henrique paused, pondering his subordinate’s report, before speaking.

“Contact the Aden merchants who accompanied the Joseon delegation.”

“Are you planning to meet the Joseon people directly?”

“First, we must gather information about them. We need to learn about their customs and the ships they arrived on.”

“Understood.”

Following Prince Henrique’s instructions, his subordinates cautiously approached the members of the Mansur trading company. However, they unexpectedly obtained information from a different source.

The source was a bar.

Not all employees of Mansur’s merchant ship were Muslims.

A significant number of Copts [Egyptian Christians] were employed as sailors, and they frequented bars to unwind after their long voyage.

Interestingly, sailors of Muslim origin, who were typically forbidden from drinking alcohol, were also enjoying drinks alongside them.

The life of a sailor was undeniably arduous.

For sailors belonging to the Mansur trading company, visiting Alexandria was a highlight.

They discovered that sharing anecdotes about the distant land of Joseon resulted in a steady flow of complimentary drinks.

For the people of Alexandria, tales of the distant East were more valuable than a glass of wine.

Consequently, the sailors made the rounds of various bars, enjoying free alcohol.

“Who will buy me and my colleagues a drink? I will regale you with stories of Joseon!”

At the shout of a bearded sailor, Henrique’s subordinate, Jose, immediately approached.

“I’ll buy!”

“Oh! You have braved the Mediterranean! May the Holy Mother protect your voyage!”

The sailor, expressing his gratitude with exaggerated gestures, accepted the beer and drank it heartily.

When he and his colleagues emptied their glasses, Jose ordered another round.

“Oh oh! Thank you! What would you like to know?”

“I’m curious about the ships built in ‘The Land of Flowers.’ How many arrived here?”

In response to Jose’s question, the sailor raised his right index finger.

“One ship.”

The sailor’s answer caused a stir among the onlookers.

“One ship?”

“No way!”

Almost everyone in the port city of Alexandria had some knowledge of ships.

That was why the onlookers reacted with disbelief.

However, the sailors from the Mansur trading company smirked and ridiculed the onlookers.

“You know little of the East! Have you forgotten the size of the ships that came from Kitai [China] in the past?”

The mention of ‘Kitai’ reminded the onlookers of the rumors surrounding Zheng He’s fleet [a massive fleet of Chinese ships that explored the Indian Ocean in the 15th century], and they began to whisper among themselves.

“It seems the countries of the East possess the technology to build such large ships?”

“The East is truly amazing….”

Once the onlookers had calmed down, Jose asked again.

“How large is the ship?”

At Jose’s question, the hairy sailor glanced back at his colleagues.

“It looked at least 120 cubits [about 58 meters], right?”

“Probably around 120 to 140 cubits [about 62 meters]. Maybe.”

The sailors’ words left Jose, as well as the surrounding onlookers, speechless.

None of them had ever seen ships of such immense size.

“Is it really that big?”

In response to Jose’s question, the hairy sailor nodded.

“It has to be that big to carry so many cannons, right?”

“Cannons? How many did you load?”

As Jose asked urgently, the sailor shook his empty glass. Jose called out to a passing employee.

“Bring the whole barrel here!”

“You’re most welcome!”

When a barrel full of beer was placed on the table, the sailors answered readily.

“It looked like at least dozens of them.”

“Dozens? Even at 120 cubits, that seems excessive, doesn’t it?”

“Hey! They’re not as big as the cannons used in siege warfare. But they were enough to wipe out the pirates we encountered while sailing from Joseon to Suez. Hey! How many pirate ships did we sink on the way here?”

“At least 40 ships.”

“In addition, about 30 ships attacked us in the southern sea of Kitai, but all of them were sunk by three Joseon ships.”

“Huh….”

Jose, who had been merely exclaiming at the sailors’ stories, asked again.

“If it’s that big and powerful, it must be slow?”

“It’s damn fast.”

“Really?”

“If you don’t believe me, go to Suez. I don’t lie when I’m getting free drinks.”

At the sailor’s words, Jose shook his head.

“According to your explanation, it’s an amazing ship.”

“It is amazing. Our head merchant was so tempted that he considered buying it, but gave up because of the cost.”

“Huh….”

* * *

Jose, upon returning to the inn, recounted the sailors’ stories to Henrique.

“Can you believe that?”

“There may be some exaggeration, but I believe there’s some truth to it.”

“Huh….”

At Jose’s report, Henrique leaned back in his chair, emitting a breath that conveyed both admiration and apprehension.

“A ship over 120 cubits?”

The most advanced ship built in Portugal was a caravel [a small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century] with a length of 48 cubits (about 21 meters). While larger galleys existed, none reached 120 cubits.

Yet, the ship from the East was at least 120 cubits long.

‘But, the sheer volume of items they brought this time suggests the story is plausible.’

If the cargo transported by over 100 camels truly originated from a single ship, then the story was likely accurate.

After a moment of contemplation, Henrique put down his pen and muttered.

“Is the technology of the East ahead of us? If so, by how much?”

As he pondered this unresolved question, another subordinate entered the room and reported.

“Tomorrow, Joseon’s goods will be exhibited at the auction house.”

“Okay. Thank you. Go and rest. Jose, you too.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Henrique, after dismissing his subordinates, sighed deeply and assessed the situation.

“I’ll gain a better understanding when I see the items on display tomorrow.”

* * *

The following day, a large crowd gathered at the largest auction house in Alexandria.

The wealthy and influential entered first, securing seats in the front, while those who came to witness the Joseon items took seats on the second floor.

“Then, let the auction begin!”

The auction commenced with the auctioneer’s announcement.

The auction proceeded with the sale of slaves brought from Africa and Europe, but the audience’s attention remained fixed on the Joseon items scheduled to be presented last.

“Er…. Now, finally, we present the items from Joseon, ‘The Land of Flowers,’ located in the far East. We have a ‘candelabrum’ made of ‘Crystal Speculo’ [likely referring to a type of crystal or glass].”

As the host concluded his announcement, eight burly men carried in a chandelier covered with cloth.

After the men carefully placed the chandelier on the stage, the host elaborated.

“This item is of the highest quality, guaranteed by Joseon. Only three of these are available at this auction. We will begin the auction for the first one.”

After finishing his explanation, the host removed the cloth covering the chandelier.

Instantly, the auction house erupted with exclamations.

“Oh oh!”

“Amazing!”

Amidst the widespread admiration, the host announced the starting price.

“We will start with 20,000 gold ducats!”

As soon as the host finished speaking, hands shot up from all corners of the room.

The competition to acquire the chandelier was intense.

The auction, which began at 20,000 gold ducats, quickly escalated, reaching nearly 70,000 ducats, surpassing 60,000 ducats.

Oh Ha-seok, observing the proceedings from the back of the auction house while listening to Mansur’s translation, muttered in disbelief.

“They offered 20,000 gold *nyang* [a Korean currency unit] to the Ming emperor…. If things go this well, I’ll earn enough to build a Challenger-class battleship.” [referring to a modern, powerful warship]