Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 540

540. Conspiracy (6)

Late in the 28th year of Sejong (1446, Byeong-in year).

The proclamation that Pedro had issued was delivered to Joseon.

Mansur obtained the proclamation that had spread through merchants traveling between Portugal, Italy, and Alexandria.

“I heard that the turbulent situation in the Mediterranean these days is due to this.”

“Is that so?”

The customs officer who received the proclamation from Mansur immediately passed it on to his superiors.

The proclamation, after being translated by interpreters, was immediately made into several copies and delivered to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Seunghwa Hall [the King’s Secretariat, responsible for delivering royal decrees].

Hyang and the ministers gathered in the conference room of Seunghwa Hall and discussed the proclamation.

“It seems more appropriate to call this a statement rather than a proclamation,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Heo Hu said.

The other ministers nodded in agreement.

In particular, Minister of Education Lee Sa-cheol had the most serious expression.

“‘Mandate of Heaven’ does not mean this… it does not mean this….”

Lee Sa-cheol, who kept muttering ‘it does not mean this…,’ eventually asked the Minister of Finance.

“Could it be that the officials who wrote that document have fallen into heterodoxy?”

“I saw a copy of the document they handed over, and that was definitely not the case. I will bring it and show it to you if you wish,” the Minister of Finance retorted, annoyed by Lee Sa-cheol’s question.

“Is that so? As expected, problems like this arise because they are not properly taught. Hmm….”

Lee Sa-cheol, examining the contents of the proclamation once again, continued.

“Should we print this in large quantities and distribute it to the seminaries nationwide….”

“Huh?”

“Uh?”

At the unexpected remark, Hyang and the ministers all looked puzzled. Lee Sa-cheol smiled slightly, raised the proclamation, and pointed here and there with his finger.

“Looking at the way the content is expressed, truly each character is a *bipjeom* [a critical point], each phrase is a *gwanju* [a string of pearls].”

In the process of grading the test papers submitted by those who took the civil service examination, marking well-expressed parts with red dots was called *bipjeom*, and putting red circles on excellent sentences was called *gwanju*.

Lee Sa-cheol nodded repeatedly and continued.

“Hmm… indeed… as expected of someone with recognized scholarship in Europe, this is truly an excellent piece of writing. It’s just that the content is the problem.”

“Isn’t the fact that the content is the problem the biggest problem?” Hwang Hee remarked.

Lee Sa-cheol smiled and responded, “That’s right. However, the excellence of the writing is worth learning. Therefore, we must attach a warning below. ‘The *exterior* is worth learning, but the *interior* is not. Those with such an interior will become traitors or rebels in history and destroy their families.’”

At Lee Sa-cheol’s words, Hwang Hee offered a short and simple conclusion: “If you really want to do that, submit your resignation first. Or, drink poison instead of tonic.”

With that, the ministers lost interest in the proclamation.

After all, it was something that happened far away in the West.

The reason the ministers showed interest in the proclamation was that the country called Portugal was one of the countries that benefited greatly from trade with Joseon. They examined the contents with a cautious mind, but since there were no negative stories about trade, they lost interest.

After the meeting, Hyang, who remained alone to organize the documents, examined the proclamation again and muttered.

“I looked at it again, but… what is this? This terrible hybrid…. ‘Divine Right of Kings’ and ‘The end justifies the means’ from ‘The Prince’… it’s all mixed up.”

Examining the proclamation once more, Hyang came to a conclusion.

“I miss the popcorn. Considering they additionally purchased Su-Seok muskets, it seems like it won’t just end with a turbulent situation.”

Hyang, muttering with a voice full of regret, looked at the map hanging on the wall and muttered.

“Anyway, Europe is more turbulent than expected, so we can buy some time. In that situation, it will be difficult to find a sponsor, so things like the exploration of the New World are likely to be delayed to a similar time frame as I knew, or even later. Then we can fully digest the new territories. Then His Majesty’s planned ‘maritime barrier’ will be properly completed.”

Looking at the map and estimating the future, Hyang chuckled as he looked at the Mediterranean region.

“Hmph! If the discovery of the New World is delayed more than expected, only the Italian merchants will be happy? Shouldn’t I receive a plaque of appreciation for this?”

* * *

Meanwhile, Pedro, who had seized all the power of the state, moved quickly.

He nationalized all the territories seized from the nobles who had been executed as traitors and incorporated the nobles’ private soldiers into the army. Of course, quite a few people left as mercenaries in the process, but he tried to recruit as many talented people as possible to stay in the army.

King Afonso V, frightened by the tragedy that had unfolded before his eyes, handed over a significant portion of the confiscated territories to Pedro as rewards, but Pedro refused them all.

“You have made great contributions to this matter, so why do you not accept the rewards?” Afonso V asked.

Pedro answered firmly, “My greatest reward is for our Portugal to become a powerful nation, and for Your Majesty to reign over the monarchs of Europe. I desire nothing else.”

“Regent….”

Afonso V’s expression as he looked at Pedro was complicated. On one hand, he was moved by Pedro’s loyalty, but on the other hand, he was afraid of Pedro.

However, Afonso V was inherently weak. With the Duke of Braganza faction purged, there was no other choice.

It was best to entrust everything to Regent Pedro.

* * *

Around the time the proclamation arrived in Joseon, Pedro summoned the nobles and ministers and issued a new order.

“The nobles must immediately hand over their private soldiers! We must prepare for war!”

“War?”

“War, you say?”

The nobles and ministers began to stir greatly at the word ‘war.’

“Are we finally going to face Spain?”

Amidst the commotion, one of the nobles asked a question. Pedro shook his head.

“No, the Mamluks.”

“The Mamluks?”

“Absolutely not!”

“That’s right! The Mamluks are absolutely out of the question!”

No sooner had Pedro’s words come out than voices of opposition erupted from everywhere.

Portugal had continued to lose in battles against Islam, except for the Battle of Ceuta. And that was against the Sultanate of Morocco, which was weaker than the Malacca Sultanate mentioned now.

The opposition gave reasons one by one to oppose the war.

-The Mamluk soldiers, especially the cavalry, are famous for their strength.

-The strength of the soldiers is a problem, but the procurement of war expenses is also a problem. Everyone knows the wealth of the Mamluks. If they replenish their soldiers based on that wealth, we cannot compete.

-There is also the problem of supply. The Mamluks have the fertile Nile Delta, so there is no great difficulty in supplying them, but we have to cross the Mediterranean. Spain or Morocco will not stand still.

Pedro nodded at the opposition’s remarks.

“That’s right. It is unreasonable to face the Mamluks with Portugal’s power alone. Therefore, we will form an alliance.”

“If it’s an alliance, will you ally with the Spanish bastards?”

At the question mentioning Spain, Pedro shook his head again.

“No! Not Spain! If it were them, they would send soldiers to Lisbon instead of Cairo. Our alliance partner is the Ottomans.”

“The Ottomans? The Ottomans, you say!”

“Absolutely not! They are heathens!”

“That’s right! They are heathens! It is impossible!”

“There is a problem with allying with heathens.”

The opposition raised their voices once again. This time, even those who supported Pedro expressed their concerns.

As many people opposed, Pedro raised the Bible he had placed on one side and raised his voice.

“What is written in the Bible! ‘The Lord works together for good’! Joining hands with heathens now is not just a collusion but to follow God’s will! The reason I joined hands with the Ottomans is also related to Jerusalem!”

Everyone fell silent when the word ‘Jerusalem’ came out.

“Regent. What is the connection between joining hands with the Ottomans and Jerusalem?” Afonso V asked.

Pedro told Afonso V about the agreement with the Ottomans.

“The Ottomans have confirmed in writing that they will allow free passage to Jerusalem and the stationing of the Knights Templar. Here is the document.”

Pedro took out a document from the box he had placed next to him and handed it to Afonso V.

Afonso V, who checked the contents of the document written in Latin and Arabic, nodded.

“That is certainly the case.”

After Afonso V’s confirmation, the nobles and ministers approached the table and checked the contents of the agreement.

After checking the contents of the agreement, the opposing atmosphere subsided a lot. Pedro put more strength into his voice.

“You know well what the Mamluks did after taking Jerusalem! They allowed pilgrimages in words, but they blocked the pilgrims’ paths, saying there was a famine or an epidemic! The Nile Delta, the granary of the world, had a famine? We had to believe that lie even though we knew it! And what happened to Jerusalem in the meantime!”

Even after the Mamluks drove out the Crusaders and destroyed the Kingdom of Jerusalem, many Christians and Jews lived in Jerusalem for a while. However, the Mamluks expelled or killed them for various reasons, and the Christians and Jews residing in Jerusalem had almost disappeared.

Pedro, who pointed out this situation, raised the agreement high and continued.

“Therefore! Retrieving Jerusalem from the hands of these wicked people is to do God’s will, and joining hands with the Ottomans is only choosing the best tool to carry out God’s will! Think carefully about the Bible verse ‘The Lord works together for good’! What is working together!”

The nobles and ministers had confused expressions at Pedro’s words. Pedro’s remarks were plausible yet implausible.

Looking at the reactions of those nobles and ministers, Pedro put the agreement on the table and pointed at it with his finger.

“Look closely at the contents of the agreement! It also states the rewards that God can give if we succeed according to God’s will.”

At Pedro’s words, the nobles and ministers examined the agreement again. The nobles, who had only focused on the word ‘Jerusalem,’ finally checked the other contents and began to shine their eyes.

“Free import of grains from the Nile Delta, and joint management of the shortest route from Suez to Alexandria without going through Alexandria?”

Until then, goods coming from Joseon had to be unloaded in Suez and then go through Alexandria. The amount of money extorted by Alexandrian merchants and customs officials in the process was considerable.

In addition, the Nile Delta has been a famous granary since ancient times. If grain was supplied stably, the kingdom’s development would be on a smooth path.

Pedro put the final touch as he looked at the nobles and ministers with shining eyes.

“If we follow God’s will, join hands with the Ottomans, and recapture the holy city of Jerusalem, we can receive the blessings of heaven and at the same time gain secular benefits! If we make it possible to freely pilgrimage to the holy city again, we will gain the blessings of heaven, and if trade with Joseon becomes free, we will also gain secular wealth!”

In the end, Afonso V and the Cortes [the Portuguese parliament] actively supported Pedro’s war.