Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 311

311. The Road to the Land of Flowers (8)

Just five days.

That’s how long it took Mansur to open his shop and sell off all the goods he had acquired, along with those Oha-seok had brought.

“Can this be real…?”

Mansur was half out of his mind as he settled the sales amount.

The Challenger, along with the goods brought from Joseon, amounted to two and a half times the quantity of the previous shipment.

There were bulky items like chandeliers, but also small items like Cha Il-kyung, which allowed them to bring two and a half times the amount.

Yet, all the goods were sold out in just five days. Previously, even with half the quantity and the popularity of Joseon products, it had taken about a week.

Seeing the faster-than-expected sell-out and the enormous sales, Mansur pondered the reason and soon thought of one person.

“Is it because of Cosimo de’ Medici, after all?”

He made his presence known at the auction house and then again by purchasing a large quantity of goods at the store.

Sales had skyrocketed after Cosimo made such a strong impression.

Before Cosimo came, merchants had carefully considered their purchases, but after he visited, they swept up the goods indiscriminately. And from the next day, the merchants who flocked in were even more enthusiastic about snapping up the items.

“He bought these items with high praise! That alone is enough to find buyers everywhere!”

“If you hesitate, you’ll miss out! Buy everything now! Otherwise, you’ll have to wait a year!”

The premium of being goods from the ‘Land of Flowers, Joseon’ was compounded by the premium of ‘Cosimo de’ Medici,’ causing a frenzy of buying among the merchants.

The merchants who flocked in paid the asking price without haggling and took the goods, resulting in record-breaking sales.

* * *

When Mansur mentioned Cosimo as the reason for the incredible frenzy, Oha-seok asked with a slightly puzzled expression.

“Are you saying that our Joseon goods didn’t sell well because they were excellent, but because of that merchant?”

“Joseon’s goods are excellent, but they are expensive. Normally, merchants would have hesitated and pondered before buying them.”

“Hmm…”

At Mansur’s words, Oha-seok stroked his beard and pondered.

‘Indeed…’

Recalling his memories of when he had followed Mansur to Alexandria before, Oha-seok nodded slightly.

Back then, merchants had flocked to buy goods as well. However, once inside the store, they would pick up and put down items, contemplating for a long time before making a purchase.

This was the same even for merchants who seemed to have money. They carefully examined the goods even when buying in bulk and haggled at length to cut even a penny.

‘Looking at it that way, it seems reasonable to say that the quick sales this time were due to that merchant…’

However, Oha-seok felt a little prideful to admit it right away.

So far, he had seen Joseon’s goods being the best in the world, not only in Ming and Waeguk [Japan], but also in Tianzhu [India] and here, with merchants scrambling to obtain them. He didn’t like the idea that the reputation of a mere merchant was greater than that.

‘Knowing yourself and your enemy leads to victory in every battle. He said he would visit soon, so it wouldn’t be bad to find out in advance.’

Having sorted out his thoughts, Oha-seok asked Mansur.

“What kind of merchant is this Cosimo?”

“He is a merchant and a ruler.”

“A ruler?”

At Mansur’s answer, Oha-seok immediately thought of Hyang. Quickly shaking his head and erasing the expression, Oha-seok continued his question.

“Is it possible for a merchant to become a ruler?”

“In Italy, including Florence, one city is one country. So, it is possible. What should I say? It’s closer to a Tyrannos (τυραννος, tyrant) [a Greek term for a ruler who seized power without hereditary right]?”

“Tyrannos?”

When an unfamiliar word came up, Oha-seok asked again.

Mansur explained in detail about the Greek word ‘Tyrannos.’ After listening to the explanation for a long time, Oha-seok came to a conclusion.

“Someone who wields power beyond their status without royal lineage… I think it’s similar to the military regime of the previous dynasty (前朝, Goryeo) [a Korean kingdom that ruled from 918 to 1392]…. What is the reason why such an outrageous person exerts such great influence?”

“As I said before, Italy is a city-state, so there is no one who rules the entire country. And he has a lot of wealth. There is no king in that damned Catholic country who does not trade with him. Among the merchants he employs, only those working on the battlefield deal with commoners. The rest all trade with kings or nobles.”

“So…”

Only then did Oha-seok nod as if he understood.

‘Goods bought by a merchant who only deals with kings and nobles.’

It was certain that those who wanted to stand out even a little would pay a fortune to obtain such goods.

‘Geumpil did that.’

Recalling the situation when Geumpil first came out, Oha-seok soon realized one fact.

‘Wait! Isn’t this the same as what the Crown Prince did!’

Whenever a new instrument was made, Hyang immediately presented it to Sejong. And at some point, the new instrument was used everywhere in the royal family, and after a little time, it became common among the wealthy living in Hanseong [old name for Seoul]. And after a little more time, it spread not only throughout Joseon but also to distant Ming and Waeguk.

‘Is it a coincidence, or did he aim for it?’

Although he strongly suspected the latter, Oha-seok stopped there.

‘What’s the problem? After all, he is the one who will inherit the throne, and almost none of the things the Crown Prince makes are useless…’

Having come to that conclusion, Oha-seok delved a little deeper into Cosimo.

“How did this Cosimo accumulate his wealth?”

“He started with the pharmaceutical industry, but soon grew significantly through the wool trade.”

Around the time of the Renaissance, Florence was famous as a city of wool. Wool made from processing wool imported from England and Spain was Florence’s main export. This wool industry was the main source of livelihood for those living in Florence. Among the merchants dealing only in wool, there were those who employed and operated more than 30,000 people. (Note 1)

“Wool? Do those Catholics wear clothes made of wool?”

“Yes. Not only those damned Catholics but also our Arabs are looking for a lot of wool.”

“But the ramie cloth we brought is also well-received, isn’t it?”

“It is welcomed because it is as thin and soft as muslin, yet wide and long. The price is also reasonably cheap.”

“I see…”

* * *

After finishing the conversation with Mansur, Oha-seok began to organize the information about Cosimo and write a report.

-Merchant and ruler.

-A merchant who trades with rulers and nobles in the land of the Westerners called Europe.

-Therefore, his influence on the rulers and nobles of the West is considerable.

While organizing things about Cosimo, Oha-seok stopped Geumpil and muttered.

“Such a great man said he would visit, but is this a misfortune (凶) or a blessing (福)…” [Is this a bad or good omen?]

* * *

Two days later, Cosimo de’ Medici visited Mansur’s mansion.

Having already made an appointment the day before, Mansur and Oha-seok, who had been waiting in advance, greeted Cosimo politely at the entrance of the gate.

“It is an honor to see the head of the great Medici family again.”

“Thank you for the warm welcome.”

After exchanging simple greetings, Mansur led Cosimo de’ Medici inside.

As Cosimo sat on the soft cushions laid out in the reception room, servants brought in teacups and a teapot and poured tea.

Tea was still unfamiliar to Europeans, but Cosimo skillfully picked up the teacup and savored the aroma.

“The aroma is very good.”

“It’s tea from Joseon. Cahuwa [Coffee] is good too, but Joseon tea has its own flavor.”

“Come to think of it…”

When Mansur mentioned ‘Joseon,’ Cosimo turned to Oha-seok.

“How far is Joseon from here?”

“It’s a little farther than Ming [China].”

“Ming?”

As Cosimo tilted his head slightly, Mansur added.

“Kitai [an old name for China]. It’s been quite a while since the country name was changed to Ming.”

At Mansur’s explanation, Cosimo clicked his tongue slightly.

“And yet they still call it Kitai…. So, what kind of country is Joseon? Is it as hot as here?”

“It’s quite hot in the summer, but terribly cold in the winter. The scenery of spring and autumn is tearfully beautiful.”

“Our Italy’s spring and autumn are also beautiful.”

After that, the three talked about the scenery of Joseon and various other topics for a long time.

* * *

Thinking that the atmosphere had softened to some extent, Cosimo slowly got to the point.

“Will Joseon continue to visit Alexandria in the future?”

“I am a soldier, so I don’t know much about that. However, if good results continue like this trade, I think it will be possible enough.”

Cosimo’s eyes began to sparkle at Oha-seok’s answer.

“Then, how about crossing the Mediterranean Sea right away?”

“It is impossible for a ship to pass through the desert.”

“You can go around, can’t you? Sailors say there is no detour, but merchants are coming up from the south even farther south by land. If you listen to them, they say there is a sea in the south, so wouldn’t a detour be possible?”

At Cosimo’s words, Oha-seok immediately replied.

“That part is something that the higher-ups will decide, not me.”

“What do you think personally?”

At Cosimo’s words, Oha-seok answered simply and clearly.

“It is unnecessary. I think our Joseon is sufficient with the trade route to Suez. I think it is best to secure the safety of the trade route from Joseon to Suez.”

“Hmm…”

Cosimo stroked his chin at Oha-seok’s answer.

‘How much of that is sincere?’

After pondering for a moment, Cosimo asked again.

“There is a lot of land west of Suez, and there are many people to enslave, don’t you want it?”

“Most of that land is barren, and our Joseon is reducing even the slaves we have.”

“Huh…”

Cosimo had a difficult expression at Oha-seok’s answer.

‘Reducing slaves? Is that possible?’

Confused by the unexpected answer, Cosimo unknowingly spoke his true feelings.

“Joseon is a truly interesting country.”

“I think so too.”

“So, is Joseon’s position to only consider the east of Suez as its sphere of influence?”

“It’s not our Joseon’s position, but a personal opinion. And it’s not a sphere of influence, but securing the safety of navigation. And, a sphere of influence… I don’t know how many countries there are east of Suez.”

Cosimo closed his mouth at Oha-seok’s point. At this time, the knowledge of the East for Europeans was almost entirely Arab, India, Kitai, and Zipangu [Japan].

Joseon was a newly discovered country that had come to be known recently.

* * *

Oha-seok’s thoughts were also the thoughts of the Joseon Navy.

While creating new battle lines and securing naval supremacy (制海權) [control of the sea] near the Korean Peninsula, the Joseon Navy was calling the West Sea and the East Sea ‘West Inland Sea (內海), East Inland Sea.’

The west was close to an inland sea no matter what anyone said, and the East Sea would be in a situation where it could be called an inland sea from the moment the islands north of Waeguk, which are currently being promoted, were secured.

The Joseon court and navy were putting more effort into advancing in the northeast direction.

-The west is already occupied by many countries, including Ming.

-Excessive expansion of power can lead to armed conflict with them.

-That would unnecessarily consume a lot of national power.

-Therefore, advance to the east, which is full of ownerless lands (無主地) [unclaimed territories].

-The westward advance is limited to securing the safety of trade routes.

* * *

Note 1) Life History of the Human World – Renaissance, Korea Daily – Time Life, 1978.

Author’s words.

I am correcting Cosimo de Medici to Cosimo de’ Medici. It was written as ‘de’ in the original, but why did I read it as ‘deu’?

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