Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 1170

1170. The Calamity Came from the Sea (6)

Upon receiving the Duke of Liguria’s response from the messenger who had rushed back to Paris, Charles VIII flew into a rage.

“Surrender? He dares to call such nonsense an answer!”

* * *

In this era, the European concept of ‘surrender’ held a slightly different weight.

For European monarchs of this time—especially kings—’surrender’ was akin to ‘destruction’ or ‘national demise.’ Surrendering meant the monarch of the defeated nation had to relinquish their position to the victor.

However, for the nobles and commoners of the defeated nation, surrender was a more abstract concept. Since their power structures were built on nobles pledging allegiance to the monarch in exchange for guaranteeing their rule over their territories, they were often less resistant to a change in monarch.

Looking at the Hundred Years’ War, numerous French nobles switched allegiances between France and England to protect their interests and territories.

The commoners were even more indifferent.

Therefore, most conflicts were resolved through armistices or peace negotiations, involving reparations or ceding territory. This was necessary for the monarch to maintain their position.

Even though a sense of belonging and solidarity as ‘France’ and ‘French people’ had begun to emerge around the end of the Hundred Years’ War and was gradually taking root, the situation was still fragile.

* * *

It was against this backdrop that Charles VIII reacted so strongly to the word ‘surrender.’

“Surrender? Surrender, you say! Do they think this is the Roman Empire?”

Charles VIII was incandescent with fury, but no one dared to speak up.

‘If we surrender, Charles VIII will certainly have to give up his crown. But if we refuse to surrender, all of France’s ports will be ruined.’

‘Thinking coldly, ending it with just the king’s head might be a more definite benefit.’

Most of those gathered in the armistice hall were thinking along similar lines, but no one voiced their thoughts. The moment they opened their mouths, their heads would surely be on the chopping block.

In the end, Charles VIII chose a hardline response.

“Gather all the surviving warships! *Coule ou nage* [Sink or swim]! Let’s bet everything and strike those barbarians a blow! Mobilize all the army’s artillery units to the coast and build fortresses!”

“Your Majesty, it’s too dangerous! Please reconsider!”

“You traitor! Are you loyal to the Empire? Drag him out!”

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

After having the minister who had advised reconsideration dragged out, Charles VIII raised his voice even louder.

“No objections will be tolerated! Move according to my orders immediately!”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

The ministers and nobles bowed and left the armistice hall. Once they were gone, leaving only Charles VIII, Louis XII, and Francis I, Charles VIII revealed his true feelings.

“If we show them that we are not yielding—no, if we show them even greater fighting spirit—the Empire’s bastards will back down a step. A thorn under their fingernail hurts them more than a stake in someone else’s heart.”

Louis XII spoke up at Charles VIII’s true feelings.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just bow down once? Frankly, I don’t see any chance of our thorns properly piercing them.”

“We still have to show them.”

Charles VIII continued, his face weary.

“If we kneel to the Empire now, the nobles’ spirits will revive. We must prevent that at all costs.”

Louis XII pointed out the reality at Charles VIII’s concern about the nobles’ restoration.

“But the situation is not good at all. The nobles in the regions being crushed by the Empire’s bastards right now are the nobles loyal to us. And it’s not just the nobles. The merchants are in an uproar too.”

“Ugh….”

Charles VIII could only groan at Louis XII’s point.

* * *

The policy of strengthening royal authority, which had begun during the reign of Charles VII, had been producing quite encouraging results during the reign of Charles VIII, after passing through Louis XI.

The biggest reason for these results was active foreign trade.

Vast economic benefits were flowing in through Eastern trade using Suez and the colonial management of Terra [Newfoundland] and Gloria [possibly a reference to other French colonies]. The biggest beneficiaries of this active foreign trade were the nobles and merchants who ruled territories with ports.

Unlike the conservative noble groups that focused on agriculture and were wary of strengthening royal authority, they actively cooperated with strengthening royal authority. A strong central government gave them even greater benefits.

However, as they entered into a full-scale ‘military conflict’ with the Empire, starting with Gibraltar, they suffered enormous losses. The first problem was that transportation costs had increased several times over as the Mediterranean region was blockaded.

As the Toulon region was blockaded, all cargo sent to the Ottoman Empire or other Middle Eastern countries was transported via Italy on Italian cargo ships. Not missing the opportunity, Italian shipowners overcharged for freight.

Next, being expelled from the Suez Canal construction was the second blow.

As soon as the Gibraltar dispute occurred, the Imperial forces stationed in Suez seized and blockaded the construction site. Construction was continuing on-site, but the manpower mobilized from France could not enter.

The Empire’s intentions were clear.

-It is certain that the Empire will win this dispute as well.

-It is definitely more beneficial to continue this construction than to stop it.

-Construction costs? We can solve it later by emptying France’s pockets.

-Shut up and proceed!

And now, the situation was unfolding as the Empire intended.

Finally, as the Empire’s punishment began, the French economy was heading towards collapse at an uncontrollable speed.

-As logistics to the Ottoman Empire became sclerotic, the profits from the Ottoman Empire almost disappeared.

-The military funds invested in the war in Gibraltar increased madly.

-Astronomical economic losses occurred as major ports were destroyed.

-Residents who had fled from the coastal areas gathered in the cities, making both public order and the economy a mess.

* * *

Pointing out this situation, Louis XII pleaded with Charles VIII.

“If we don’t overcome this crisis properly, the conservative nobles are not the only problem. A rebellion could break out.”

“But we can’t just bow our heads to the Empire like that!”

“It’s better than bowing to the nobles! The Empire has already declared that it has no interest in territory. If we lose these forces now, we won’t be able to deal with a rebellion!”

Following Louis XII’s words, Francis I added.

“It’s not just the nobles that are the problem. You must consider the Habsburgs. If we lose any more troops, we could lose not only Lorraine, which we worked so hard to obtain, but also the Low Countries [Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg].”

“Hoo…,”

As Louis XII and Francis I both insisted on negotiations, Charles VIII sighed deeply.

“Give me some time to think.”

* * *

While Charles VIII was agonizing over ‘submission or rebellion’ in Paris, Spain was experiencing an even worse situation.

The Imperial and Swiss forces, which had wreaked havoc around Seville and near the Portuguese border, turned their direction and began to wreak havoc east of Seville.

The nobles, whose territories were at risk of becoming a mess or had already become one, rushed to Valladolid to pressure Ferdinand II.

It was only natural that Ferdinand II, under pressure, put pressure on the Marquis of Alba.

-Do something about it, please!

The Marquis of Alba, understanding the content hidden beneath the elegant prose that filled the letter, crumpled the letter and burst into anger.

“What do you want me to do! We’re being pushed back in terms of troops and supplies!”

As they continued to be pushed back, a joke, not entirely a joke, was circulating among the Spanish forces.

-Victory comes from the warehouse.

The Imperial forces, which were turning their country into a mess, were destroying everything in sight, but they were not even thinking about looting.

Of course, there were often cases where they took silverware or some valuables after destroying things, but they never made a mess to loot.

“The fact that they maintain military discipline even in such a situation is even more frightening.”

The fact that they maintained military discipline so strictly even in the current situation meant that they were that much more ruthless, so the Spanish forces shuddered even more at these Imperial forces.

“But there is a limit to the number of troops, so they will soon reach their limit too.”

This faint hope of the Spanish forces was shattered before long.

Because a large number of additional troops arrived from Switzerland.

Since the situation was certain to be a victory, Switzerland was sending as many troops as possible as quickly as possible.

It wasn’t just Switzerland.

Italy was also secretly making proposals through the Imperial Embassy.

“Do you need troops? We will support you! We will provide all the supplies needed by our army!”

The Duke of Iche, hearing Italy’s proposal through the embassy, ​​smiled strangely and wrote a reply.

-I express my deep gratitude for your country’s proposal and will carefully consider whether to accept it.

The Duke of Iche looked back at his staff as he stamped the seal on the wax that sealed the reply.

“Italy is in a win-win situation no matter what they do.”

“That’s right.”

Italy was already making huge profits by transporting logistics from France to the Ottoman Empire.

If Spain were to be crushed here, Italy’s share of the Mediterranean economy would certainly increase even further.

“By the way, I have to do politics too…. I feel like the salary is too low compared to what I do. Should I whine about it once?”

The Duke of Iche, who spat out such a joke, suddenly turned pale and waved his hand.

“Wait, wait! Erase what I just said from your memory!”

‘If it’s those people I know, they’ll immediately drag me to the home country or the new territory and make me work overtime!’

Iche knew Wan and Hyeon too well, even if he didn’t know Hyang well.

-Is work hard? Is that so? Then give up that position and come here to work!

But what Iche didn’t know was Hyang.

-Ah, really? Then I’ll go. I have to go and help my grandson because he’s having a hard time. Yes, that’s right!

Hyang would pack his bags and move at the same time as that word, and then what would happen….

Anyway, Iche was blocking the mouths of his staff several times.

* * *

The news that Italy was moving shook the Spanish political world once again.

But the real big shock was coming from the western border.

-Portugal is about to move!

Portugal had only added a fleet to the punitive fleet heading to France. Portugal, which had been pushed back by the size of the Spanish army in the ground war, was only defending its position.

However, as the southwestern region of Spain, centered on the Seville region, became a mess, Portugal began to calculate again diligently.

-If we can get just the Malaga region from Seville, we can get territory similar in size to our current territory.

-If we get that area, it means that the rear area of ​​Gibraltar will also be in our hands. It is also beneficial for the Empire to secure the rear of Gibraltar. In that case, we can also get the cooperation of the Empire.

Having finished these calculations, John II and his ministers quickly began to take action.

“It is certain that Spain will not be able to continue to hold out! We must intervene before that!”

“That’s right!”

“We will immediately dispatch the army!”

Portugal, sensing that the end was near, quickly formed troops and began to move towards the border in the direction of Seville.

By the time intelligence sensing this arrived in Valladolid, the vanguard of Portugal had crossed the border.

-Our ally of the Empire, Portugal, participates in the Empire’s punishment! The navy is already accompanying the punitive fleet, and now it is on the ground!

This was the justification that Portugal put forward.

And a tragedy occurred in Valladolid.

“Death?”

“That’s right.”

The Marquis of Alba hurriedly tore open the seal of the urgent report brought by the messenger and read the contents.

After checking the contents several times, the Marquis of Alba threw the letter away and cursed.

“What an irresponsible person! How could you die now of all times! How irresponsible!”

The Marquis of Alba, unable to contain his anger, opened the bottle of alcohol next to him and began to drink it whole.

Seeing this, the senior aide asked the messenger.

“Did he commit suicide?”

“No.”

Before the messenger could finish answering, the Marquis of Alba shouted.

“I’d rather commit suicide