Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 944

944. Divide and Conquer – Regionalism (4)

Xiang managed to hire Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo through a combination of fortunate circumstances and sheer luck.

At the time, Michelangelo was active in Florence under the patronage of the Medici family, while Leonardo da Vinci was working in Milan.

His motivation stemmed from the limitations imposed by being born an ‘illegitimate child.’

Having left his hometown, Leonardo da Vinci returned to Florence from Milan as soon as he heard of Xiang’s arrival.

“If it’s the ‘Sage of the East,’ he will understand my ideas!”

Filled with such hope, Leonardo da Vinci knocked on the door of the Imperial Embassy in Florence.

“Excuse me, but I, Leonardo da Vinci, would like to paint a portrait of His Late Imperial Majesty.”

It was the perfect excuse to approach Xiang.

The embassy official who greeted Leonardo da Vinci wore a peculiar expression.

In the past, there had been quite a few ‘self-proclaimed’ artists who had used similar excuses to meet Xiang. However, the name ‘Leonardo da Vinci’ carried considerable weight to simply ignore.

Therefore, his expression was a subtle mix of weariness, thinking ‘Not again?’, and surprise, wondering ‘Even this person?’

‘What should I do with this?’

After much deliberation, the official came up with the most reasonable solution: passing it on to his superior.

Eventually, after going through a similar process, Xiang also learned of Leonardo da Vinci’s visit.

“Leonardo da Vinci? Let him in.”

After a strict body search, Leonardo da Vinci entered Xiang’s office and immediately bowed respectfully.

“The insignificant painter Leonardo da Vinci greets His Late Imperial Majesty of the great Eastern Empire.”

“If Leonardo da Vinci is insignificant, then the value of that name has been severely underestimated. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“It is an honor.”

Leonardo da Vinci bowed repeatedly, keeping his back bent.

Most Europeans, except for diplomats and a few scholars and experts, knew little about the etiquette of the Empire, or rather, the East.

The primary source of information they could access was almost entirely Marco Polo’s ‘Travels of Marco Polo.’

And according to ‘Travels of Marco Polo,’ when meeting an Eastern monarch, one had to bend over and bow one’s head. Maintaining eye contact with the monarch while standing upright was considered great disrespect.

“Straighten your back and sit comfortably in the chair. It hurts my back just watching you.”

“Thank you.”

Da Vinci, who straightened his body at Xiang’s command, sat in the chair offered by the eunuch next to him.

Sitting cautiously, Da Vinci looked at Xiang sitting behind the desk and involuntarily exclaimed.

Xiang was known to be nearly 80 years old. However, Xiang, sitting upright in his chair and looking at him, did not look like such an old man at all. In particular, the faint smile and confident expression made Xiang’s face look even younger.

“So, you want to paint my portrait?”

“Yes, I do….”

Da Vinci paused for a moment, then opened the large leather bag he was carefully holding and took out a bundle of papers.

“I would like you to take a look at these.”

“Oh? Let me see. Eunuch.”

Handing the bundle of papers to Xiang through the eunuch, Xiang’s eyes lit up.

What Da Vinci had presented were records of his investigations, observations, and research. Xiang was internally exclaiming as he looked at the conceptual diagrams and blueprints of the famous helicopter and tank, as well as conceptual diagrams and blueprints that were not even known to exist in later generations.

‘I get to see this in its original form, a complete version at that? Kheu [an exclamation of excitement]! My fanboy spirit is burning!’

While exclaiming inwardly, Xiang calmly analyzed the situation in his head and smiled slightly at Da Vinci.

“Your true intention was not so much to paint my portrait as to find someone who could help you create these things.”

“That is also true, but I also wanted to be recognized by Your Majesty.”

“Recognized?”

“That it is not a preposterous delusion….”

Xiang nodded as he watched Leonardo da Vinci, who could not finish his sentence and lowered his head.

‘Well, there is some truth to that….’

Feeling a sense of camaraderie, Xiang opened his mouth.

“The idea itself is good. However, there are some problems.”

“Problems, you say?”

Da Vinci’s head immediately rose, and his eyes began to shine as he heard the criticism rather than ridicule or rebuke. Seeing Da Vinci suddenly come to life, Xiang continued.

“The first thing that catches my eye is the issue of power. Hmm….”

‘Zhang Yeong-sil [a famous Korean inventor] tried to solve everything with clockwork, while Da Vinci is trying to solve everything with manpower. Well, it is the easiest power source to obtain… Wait! The steam engine has been known in Europe for quite some time, hasn’t it?’

Thinking that far, Xiang asked Da Vinci.

“Looking at these drawings, most of them are powered by human strength. There is a limit to human strength alone. Have you not considered using a steam engine?”

“Steam engines give such a crude impression… How should I put it, they don’t seem to have any class….”

Da Vinci stammered, watching Xiang’s reaction. It was because he had criticized the steam engine in front of the person who created it.

Meanwhile, Xiang, hearing Da Vinci’s answer, shouted inwardly.

‘This guy is also from the Zhang Yeong-sil department!’

“Hmm… I see… You could think that way.”

Barely regaining his composure, Xiang got up from his seat and headed to the safe on one side.

Opening the tightly locked safe door, Xiang took out a thin booklet and handed it to Da Vinci.

“Take a look at this.”

“What is it?”

“A part of the Challenge Log.”

At Xiang’s answer, Da Vinci’s eyes widened as much as possible, and his hands began to tremble.

“Th, th, th, this is the Challenge Log… Among scholars and intellectuals, it is called the secret book of secret books, the one they wish to see even once in their lifetime….”

Da Vinci’s eyes began to shake violently as he struggled to turn the pages with his trembling hands.

“Th, this is….”

On the opened pages were drawings and designs of objects that looked similar to the helicopter or tank he had imagined, but moved with completely different mechanisms.

“Ah, ah, ah~.”

Da Vinci, examining the contents of the Challenge Log, let out a sound that was impossible to tell whether it was lamentation or joy and collapsed into the chair.

“What do you think?”

“I have come to realize how foolish I am.”

Xiang shook his head at Da Vinci’s self-reproach.

“It is not that you are foolish. It is just that your knowledge was narrow. In our Empire and the East, we call this ‘a frog in a well’ [idiom for someone with limited knowledge]. Sitting in a well and thinking that it is the whole world.”

“Ah! I was exactly such a frog!”

Xiang, watching Da Vinci exclaim, continued in a subtle voice.

“How about it? How about going to the Empire with me later? Would you like to work in Area 51 or Area 52 of the Empire? Of course, I will allow you to paint whenever you want.”

“Area 51!”

At Xiang’s suggestion, Da Vinci jumped up from his seat. If the Challenge Log was a secret book, Area 51 was a secret land and an ideal world. At Xiang’s suggestion, Da Vinci immediately nodded his head.

“I will do it! I am so grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I don’t know what to do!”

“I look forward to working with you.”

Xiang replied in a calm voice, but clenched his hands behind his back and cheered inwardly.

‘I caught him! I’m glad I brought it!’

It was a copy of the Challenge Log that he had brought with him to Italy to find and obtain Da Vinci. It was a copy with various scribbles and deletions added just in case, but it faithfully fulfilled its role as bait.

On the day he caught Da Vinci, Xiang, left alone and looking outside, suddenly became curious.

“Wait, what will happen to the Mona Lisa now? Surely, a Mona Lisa wearing a hanbok [Korean traditional dress] and a gache [Korean traditional wig] or jokduri [Korean traditional coronet] won’t appear, will it?”

As an aside, the ‘frog in a well’ that Xiang mentioned left a great impression on Da Vinci. Afterwards, Da Vinci left behind a considerable number of paintings, and these paintings always included a frog with his signature, or a frog as part of the background or subject matter.

* * *

Having hired Da Vinci in this way, Xiang even borrowed Michelangelo to create propaganda paintings.

Although the two were quite different in age, they were famous for being tremendous rivals.

Thanks to this relationship, the two, having received Xiang’s request that was not quite a request, did their best to complete the propaganda paintings.

Xiang, receiving the first completed version, put his hand on his forehead.

“Do you think these paintings can be printed?”

“But, if you consider the aesthetic value….”

“What I wanted was not a beautiful painting.”

After explaining in detail what needed to be corrected, Xiang sent them out.

“Bring it back again. Keep in mind that the deadline must be strictly observed.”

“Yes.”

“Then what about that draft….”

“I’ll keep it just in case. If all else fails, we’ll have to use this.”

The two men’s eyes blazed at Xiang’s words, which subtly scratched their pride.

“We will definitely bring a painting that will satisfy Your Majesty!”

“I’ll be expecting it. Ah! Sign here before you leave.”

Xiang, having sent out the two men who had finished signing the submitted completed version, muttered with a gleeful expression.

“A series of works by historically significant painters… It’s a treasure among treasures, isn’t it?”

* * *

The propaganda paintings that Xiang made Da Vinci and Michelangelo slave over began to attract young people from Florence, as well as Milan and Genoa.

However, Xiang’s expression was not very pleased as he received the report.

“More and more people are gathering, but the rate of increase is too low. Considering the training period and southern Italy, there is not enough time.”

After pondering something for a long time, Xiang sighed deeply.

“One more bad review will be added to my name.”

Two weeks later, new posters were additionally posted in the cities and towns of the Florence, Milan, and Genoa areas.

-Brothers of the Arno and Po rivers! Let us become one! Northern Italy, let us become one!

The cities of the Tuscany region, including Florence, were located along the Arno River, and the cities further north, such as Milan and Genoa, were located along the Po River.

The sound of the Arno and Po rivers becoming one meant that northern Italy would become one.

However, in order to achieve this, Venice had to be included as well.

Here, Xiang’s trickery was used again.

Starting with the towns and cities in the Genoa area, another poster began to be posted.

-Only Venice remains!

-Let’s go! To Venice!

“Venice, you say?”

The expressions of the residents of the Genoa area who saw the posters turned fierce.

Over the past years, Genoa’s greatest enemy had been Venice.

In order to seize control of the Mediterranean trade market, Genoa and Venice had been constantly engaged in fierce battles.

This long and fierce battle ended with Genoa’s defeat in the Battle of Chioggia in 1380.

Therefore, the gaze of the Genoese people towards Venice could never be kind.

In the end, the recruitment offices in the Genoa area were overwhelmed with young and middle-aged men from Genoa.

“Yes, let’s go! Let’s go to Venice! Let’s go to Venice to smash those Venetian bastards!”