Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 304

304. The Road to the Land of Flowers (1)

As Mansur and Oh Ha-seok’s party, having dropped anchor in Suez, began their journey to Alexandria, the city subtly buzzed with anticipation.

“Isn’t the merchant caravan from Aden due to arrive soon?”

“They’re a bit late this year, aren’t they?”

The residents of Alexandria murmured, gazing towards the southern gate.

“I wonder what treasures they’ll bring from the Land of Flowers [a poetic name for Joseon, or Korea, emphasizing its beauty and cultural richness] this time?”

Meanwhile, Arab and European merchants based in Alexandria awaited Mansur’s caravan with bated breath.

“The funds are secured, correct?”

“Yes!”

“The vault is secure?”

“Yes! We’ve even reinforced it with extra guards!”

“I’ll say it again, this is war! Remember, the amount of goods you secure from the ‘Land of Flowers’ will determine your annual profit margin!”

“Yes!”

As Arab and European merchants prepared for the ‘war of money,’ thieves and swindlers flocked to Alexandria, drawn by the accumulated wealth.

As these thieves and swindlers stirred up trouble, the officials of Alexandria wore a bittersweet expression.

To obtain goods from the ‘Land of Flowers,’ merchants from nearby Arab countries, across the Mediterranean, and even from the distant Hanseatic League [a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northwestern and Central Europe], flocked to the city.

As these merchants and their entourages gathered and stayed, Alexandria’s economy experienced a tremendous boom.

However, with robbers, swindlers, and other criminals seeking the merchants’ wealth, enormous efforts were required to maintain public order.

Nevertheless, the benefits clearly outweighed the losses, so the officials of Alexandria eagerly awaited the caravan’s return from the ‘Land of Flowers’.

But this year, the situation was unusual.

It was more than a month past their expected arrival time.

Compared to the past, when they were never more than fifteen days late, this was definitely cause for concern.

“Did something happen?”

“Perhaps…”

Navigating the ocean was always a life-threatening endeavor.

Therefore, as a month passed, the excited atmosphere gradually subsided.

“Should we prepare to return?”

Just as merchants from other regions began to consider leaving, homing pigeons arrived from Suez.

Employees who untied the notes from the pigeons’ legs and read the contents immediately ran to the heads of their respective merchant groups.

“They’re here! They’re here! The merchant ships have arrived in Suez!”

“Oh! Really!”

“And the ‘Land of Flowers’ ship is with them!”

“What!”

The news spread throughout Alexandria in an instant.

“The ships have arrived in Suez!”

“They’ve finally arrived!”

Small merchants who awaited goods brought personally by sailors or small merchants belonging to the larger groups, and merchants who had prepared goods needed in Joseon, all cheered with brightened faces.

The citizens, already excited, were even more thrilled by the following news.

“The ship from the Land of Flowers is here with them!”

“They say the cargo unloaded from the Land of Flowers’ ship is enormous!”

The rumors spread like wildfire, causing the citizens of Alexandria to ‘boil over’ with excitement.

The eastern country where the legendary ‘Kitai’ [an old name for China] was located.

A country that produced everything from rare and expensive items for kings and nobles to incredibly useful items loved by everyone.

People from the eastern country, better known as the ‘Land of Flowers’ because of the flower pattern stamped on the boxes packaging the goods, had come directly.

This was huge news.

Upon hearing that Joseon people were among them, influential figures in Alexandria gathered.

“We must protect these people who have come from afar!”

“That’s right! It would be a disaster if they were harmed by robbers! It could ruin our future opportunities!”

Worried about making a bad impression due to robbers, influential figures visited the city hall and persuaded the mayor.

“We must send troops to protect them!”

“Send troops immediately!”

Faced with the influential figures’ urging, the mayor shook his head and replied.

“Alright, alright. I’ll select and send troops right away.”

The next morning, as soon as day broke, a considerable cavalry force left the city gate and headed south.

Some worried they might miss each other, but those with knowledge were not concerned.

A significant portion of the road network built during the old Roman Empire still remained, and in the desert, the locations of oases or villages were almost fixed.

* * *

While this commotion took place in Alexandria, Mansur and Oh Ha-seok’s party steadily moved towards the city.

“We should arrive in about seven days,” Mansur said, explaining the route with a map. Oh Ha-seok nodded and spoke.

“Every time I look at the map, I think about how much labor we could save if we dug a canal…”

Mansur, hearing Oh Ha-seok’s words through the interpreter, smiled and replied.

“I’ve heard there used to be a canal in the old days. But it was too difficult to maintain, so it disappeared. As you can see, there’s plenty of dirt and sand.”

Oh Ha-seok nodded after hearing Mansur’s explanation.

“Well, a canal is no easy feat.”

* * *

As Mansur explained, the Suez region had been an ideal location for building canals since ancient times.

Canal construction was attempted since ancient Egypt, but it was repeatedly thwarted until completed and put into operation during the reign of Darius I of Persia. It continued to operate through the Ptolemaic dynasty and the Roman Empire.

However, due to the area’s characteristics, silting was severe, making operation difficult without national management.

In the end, this ancient canal became a legend.

* * *

Leaving behind the regret over the absence of a canal, the procession set off again.

As he watched Oh Ha-seok and the Joseon people moving, Mansur asked the interpreter.

“Is that hat really cool?”

“It is cool.”

Mansur fell into a small dilemma at the interpreter’s answer.

“It looks useful. Should I try to acquire one officially?”

Oh Ha-seok and all the Joseon people wore variations of the Pith Helmet [a lightweight helmet made of cork or pith, often covered in cloth, designed to protect the wearer from the sun].

* * *

Oh Ha-seok, having traveled to Aden and Alexandria with Mansur, formally reported the need for a hat suitable for hot regions.

Joseon had been a country of hats since ancient times. Even during the Three Kingdoms period, men wore ‘munrageon’ [a type of head covering] regardless of status.

The only difference was that those of high status added gold ornaments to the silk ‘geon’ [another type of head covering], while commoners wore hemp ones without ornaments.

Those who didn’t wear this ‘munrageon’ or ‘ogeon’ [another type of head covering] were prisoners.

Therefore, even after the Joseon Dynasty began, Joseon men didn’t go around bareheaded.

They either wore a hood like in the old days or a bamboo ‘jungnip’ [a type of hat] or ‘chorip’ [another type of hat].

Therefore, Oh Ha-seok raised the need for a hat to be used in hot regions.

The ministers who received this report showed a lukewarm response.

“Wouldn’t it be enough to just wear a jeonlip [a type of military hat]?”

However, Hyang had a different idea.

“No! Why would the saying T.P.O. (Time, Place, Occasion) exist?”

Hyang called the artisans in the Sanguiwon [a Joseon government office in charge of clothing and royal attire] and began making ‘bangseomo’ [a type of sun hat].

The ‘bangseomo’, made by splitting bamboo to create a frame and covering it with cotton cloth, was quite decent and distributed to sailors going to Alexandria and Tianzhu [an old name for India].

On the journey to Alexandria, the ‘bangseomo’ made by Hyang was well-received by the Joseon soldiers.

The ‘bangseomo’ made of bamboo and cotton cloth was light.

The air circulated through the holes on the sides and top, allowing heat to escape.

The best feature was the long brim extending forward and backward.

The front brim protected the eyes from the strong sunlight, and the rear brim, descending in a graceful curve, protected the back of the head and neck.

“Ah! Please keep in mind that there is absolutely no defensive capability.”

Following Hyang’s warning, the soldiers carried their helmets on their waists.

However, after departing from Suez and experiencing two encounters, the soldiers collected all their helmets and armor and threw them into boxes.

This was because no robbers approached close enough to shoot arrows.

The soldiers’ rifles knocked down the robbers before they could get close.

* * *

Four days from Alexandria, Mansur and Oh Ha-seok’s party met the cavalry force from Alexandria.

After confirming the cavalry’s identity in a tense situation, Mansur said to Oh Ha-seok.

“It’s a cavalry force from Alexandria. They say they’ll escort us.”

Oh Ha-seok, hearing Mansur’s words, asked with suspicious eyes.

“Have we ever had an escort before?”

“No.”

“Then why now?”

As Oh Ha-seok and the Joseon soldiers remained guarded, the cavalry’s messenger explained the reason.

Mansur smiled and explained to Oh Ha-seok after hearing the explanation.

“They say Alexandria was in an uproar because we were a bit late. They sent them because they heard people from the ‘Land of Flowers,’ Joseon, had come directly.”

“Is that so?”

Oh Ha-seok nodded at Mansur’s explanation.

He remembered the numerous homing pigeons soaring into the sky when they arrived in Aden and Suez.

After roughly understanding, Oh Ha-seok gave orders to the soldiers.

“Maintain Eulho alert status [a high state of alert].”

At Oh Ha-seok’s words, the soldiers lowered their rifles, but their eyes were full of vigilance as they looked at the cavalry.

* * *

Escorted by the cavalry, Mansur and Oh Ha-seok’s party arrived in Alexandria.

After confirming the gates of Alexandria, Oh Ha-seok finally ordered the soldiers.

“Engage safety locks.”

Upon receiving Oh Ha-seok’s order, the soldiers engaged the safety locks on their rifles and looked relieved.

“Wow!”

“They’re people from the Land of Flowers!”

Oh Ha-seok, the Joseon people, and even Mansur were taken aback by the enthusiastic welcome from the residents of Alexandria.

“I’ve never had such a welcome in my life.”

“You too? Why on earth?”

The group, bewildered because they couldn’t figure out the reason, unloaded their luggage at the mansion prepared by the Mansur Merchant Group.

* * *

While moving the luggage from the mansion’s yard to the warehouse, Mansur asked the mansion’s managers why such a grand welcome had occurred.

Mansur made an absurd expression after hearing the managers’ answers and explained the reason to Oh Ha-seok.

“It’s the same as what the cavalry said. They thought we had suffered a great misfortune because we were late, but we came safely, and they’re doing this because people from the ‘Land of Flowers,’ Joseon, have come.”

“Why us?”

Mansur explained in more detail.

“To the people of Alexandria, Joseon is like a ‘country in a fantasy,’ like Kitai, Ming [the Ming Dynasty of China]. There was a brief exchange through the Yuan Empire [the Mongol-led dynasty of China], but that was only for a moment, and after that, there was no contact until Zheng He’s fleet [a fleet of ships led by the Chinese admiral Zheng He in the early 15th century] came. Zheng He’s fleet only stopped by briefly. But Joseon has appeared. For real.”

“I see…”

Oh Ha-seok, stroking his beard and sorting out the situation, grumbled inwardly.

‘What the Crown Prince said was right!’

-When you go this time, you should find out where our Joseon trading post will be located.

‘To set up a base for a trade trip that comes once a year? That seems like a waste?’

Oh Ha-seok thought negatively after hearing Hyang’s words, but he had to reconsider after seeing the enthusiastic welcome from the citizens of Alexandria.