Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 455

455. Prophecy (6)

Ōuchi was expanding its military might to an extent that anyone paying even a little attention could notice.

Moreover, key figures had also changed.

Morimi, who had been leading the family, stepped down due to old age, and Mochiyo, the posthumous son of the previous head, took his place. Then, Morimi’s son, Norihiro, was adopted by Mochiyo, securing his position as the heir.

This stabilized the succession, resolving potential future issues.

Having completed the succession process, Morimi said to Mochiyo with a relieved expression,

“The time is right. The Kami [god or spirit] is helping our family.”

Mochiyo prostrated himself in response to Morimi’s words.

“Yes, that is so!”

“Stand up straight! From now on, you must lead the family!”

At Morimi’s stern command, Mochiyo straightened his posture.

“From now on, this position is yours.”

Morimi, having relinquished his position as head of the family to Mochiyo, lightly patted Mochiyo’s shoulder.

“From now on, do your best to fulfill the family’s long-cherished desire.”

“Yes!”

Listening to Mochiyo’s firm reply, Morimi lightly patted Mochiyo’s shoulder.

“I say again, the time was right. If the previous Shogun were still alive, things would have been complicated.”

“Indeed.”

* * *

To strengthen the shogunate’s power, the previous Shogun actively intervened in the daimyo’s [feudal lord] succession process.

He insisted on appointing those who would obey him, or seemed likely to, as heirs, rather than those predetermined within the daimyo families.

In this situation, daimyos who did not follow Yoshinori’s will were assassinated under suspicious circumstances, leaving the daimyos with no choice but to obey Yoshinori’s wishes.

This was also the case with the Ōuchi. While allowing Mochiyo to inherit the position of head of the family, Morimi had to provide considerable funds to Yoshinori and his close associates through Mochiyo.

Although they succeeded in having Mochiyo inherit the position of head of the family, passing the heirship to Norihiro was a separate matter.

While Mochiyo, who had gained some trust from Yoshinori, inheriting the headship was not a major issue, it was certain that it would be very difficult for Morimi’s son, who distanced himself from Yoshinori, to take the position of heir.

In this situation, Yoshinori was assassinated.

Less than a month after hearing the news of the Shogun’s assassination, the Ōuchi confirmed the succession, including the heir structure, and informed the shogunate.

And the shogunate could not say anything about this decision of the Ōuchi. The Shogun was only eight years old, and the Hosokawa family, who became the guardian, and his birth mother, Hino Shigeko, who became the regent, lacked the capacity to suppress the Ōuchi.

As a side note, the Ōuchi informed Joseon of the succession of the head of the family and the confirmation of the heir structure before informing the shogunate.

Sejong, who received letters from Morimi and Mochiyo through envoys, replied as follows:

-It is truly regrettable that Daene Seonggyeon (大內盛見) [Ōuchi Morimi], who has fostered goodwill and friendship with our Joseon, has had to step down due to old age. Furthermore, as Daene Jise (大內持世) [Ōuchi Mochiyo], who has newly ascended to the position of head of the family, promises goodwill, our Joseon sincerely hopes that his heart will last for a long time.

Along with this reply, a large amount of restorative medicine was delivered to Morimi through the envoy.

“To give so many precious medicinal ingredients! I am truly grateful!”

The envoy who received the medicine bowed deeply, genuinely pleased. However, the Joseon officials who watched this muttered inwardly.

‘You’ll be very busy to pay for the medicine.’

* * *

This was the situation in Ming (China) and Waeguk (Japan), which made Sejong, Hyang, and the officials serious.

If a war broke out in Ming, or a civil war broke out within Waeguk, the first thing to collapse would be the internal affairs of the country.

Whether it was war or civil war, once it broke out, it was like a hungry ghost (餓鬼) [Gaki, a perpetually hungry spirit] that constantly devoured people’s lives and property.

To raise war funds, they would squeeze the blood from the people, and the people, unable to endure this, would become refugees or bandits, as had been the case throughout history.

Therefore, it was clear that trade routes would be blocked if a war broke out beyond a certain level. The fact that the rise of Chinese pirates and Japanese Wokou [Japanese pirates] coincided with the period when China and Waeguk were suffering from war was obvious.

If the sea trade routes were blocked, the situation in Joseon would certainly become serious.

Of course, if the Joseon navy’s power was properly mobilized, it was not impossible for Joseon to control these trade routes.

The problem was the supply of war funds to be consumed in the process and the exploration of unclaimed lands in the East.

If a large amount of power was invested to secure and manage trade routes, the exploration of unclaimed lands, which had just begun to gain momentum, would certainly come to a halt.

If they missed the opportunity in this process, there was a high possibility that they would engage in fierce competition with the Europeans who would come from the West.

“In the end, we need to have a clear advantage in both quantity and quality.”

Hyang, who was summarizing the situation, circled the word ‘quantity’ and became depressed.

“The problem is that I am confident in quality, but I am not confident in quantity. The sea is wide and the ships are limited. No, ships are not the problem either. Gunpowder is the problem….”

Hyang, who continued to delve into the problems, wrote ‘gunpowder’ and circled it.

“Should I give up black powder….”

The artillery units of the army and navy were using Deokgap-style gunpowder, a smokeless gunpowder, but the riflemen, who were the basic force of the army and navy, were using Eul-style gunpowder, a black powder.

“The dualized supply is also a problem…. The explosive power is also a problem…. It would be efficient to unify all places where gunpowder is used, from land to sea, with Deokgap-style gunpowder…. The problem is glycerin….”

Dynamite – called Jitongpok (紙桶爆) [paper tube explosion] in Joseon – used in civil engineering sites and Deokgap-style gunpowder contained a large amount of explosive oil (爆油) [nitroglycerin] – nitroglycerin. To supply the glycerin to be used in this nitroglycerin, waste oil was being collected from Gyegak stores and homes, but the situation was still insufficient.

“What should I do with this….”

Hyang, who was contemplating a solution, raised his head and turned his gaze to cool his frustrated head. A map came into Hyang’s eyes, who was looking around without thinking, and Hyang jumped up from his seat.

“I forgot about the South!”

The Southern Fleet, which was created to stabilize trade routes, was scheduled to depart soon.

“When the Southern Fleet establishes itself in Temasek [old name for Singapore], we will be able to obtain a large amount of coconut fruit!”

Hyang, who had found his own solution, immediately began to write a report.

“Source? How many people have been to that neighborhood now?”

* * *

While that was happening in Hanseong [capital of Joseon], Henrique was riding the iron horse around Joseon.

Henrique was impressed by the beautiful scenery of Joseon and was able to select and contract for goods that he had not seen in Hanseong but had good marketability.

However, what captured Henrique’s heart the most was the iron horse [train].

“Certainly useful.”

Henrique, who was impressed by the usefulness of the iron horse, returned to Hanseong and brought up the topic on the last day of the consultation.

“As I have traveled around Joseon, I have seen that it is a truly beautiful country.”

The official in charge of the practical affairs smiled and replied to Henrique’s compliment.

“Our Joseon’s scenery is famous for being beautiful.”

“To move around to see that beautiful scenery, you have to go a long distance, and the iron horse seems to play a very big role.”

“Even now, the number of people riding the iron horse for sightseeing is increasing.”

“Is that so…. Hmm, can Joseon give me that iron horse?”

The smile disappeared from the official’s face at Henrique’s words. The official, with a very stiff face, carefully asked Henrique.

“What do you mean by giving us the iron horse?”

“The iron horse can carry people and cargo to far places without rest, so it seems very useful. So I want to lay railroads in my country and colonies.”

At Henrique’s explanation, the official immediately stood up from his seat.

“This matter does not seem to be something that I can decide on my own. May I report and come back for a moment?”

“Do so.”

The official, who had received Henrique’s permission, bowed and quickly disappeared outside. Watching the officials disappear in a hurry, Henrique ordered Pedro.

“Prepare maps of Africa and Arabia.”

“Yes? Confidential information may be leaked.”

“It’s worth taking the risk. Prepare it.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After some time, the officials returned.

“The Minister said, ‘This is not something that can be decided unilaterally.’ He said that he would receive an answer from His Majesty the King within two days at the latest.”

“I’ll wait. Then let’s finish the discussion on trade with what we’ve talked about so far.”

“I will do so.”

* * *

Two days later, Prince Henrique sat face to face with Kim Jeom.

“He is the Vice Prime Minister.”

Following the interpreter’s introduction of Kim Jeom, Kim Jeom lightly bowed to Henrique.

“I am pleased to be in the same place as the Portuguese Daegun (大君, Prince) [Great Lord, Prince].”

“I’m glad to see you too.”

After a brief introduction, both sides immediately got down to business.

“Did you ask for the iron horse?”

“That’s right.”

“Do you know how much the iron horse costs? With five iron horses, Daegun can build one of Joseon’s large battleships.”

“Gasp!”

Henrique was momentarily breathless at the price that exceeded his imagination.

‘Are these guys trying to rip me off!’

Henrique examined the expressions of Kim Jeom and the officials sitting in front of him, suspecting that he was being overcharged. However, Kim Jeom went one step further.

“To operate the iron horse properly with the purpose of making a profit, it is absolutely impossible with one or two units. At least 10 units are needed to start, but will your country be able to do that? In addition, it is useless to buy only the iron horse. You also need to grind the railroad tracks on which the iron horse will run, and you also need passenger cars and freight cars to carry people and cargo. That’s why our Joseon had to prepare for a considerable amount of time.”

At Kim Jeom’s words, Henrique seemed to immediately understand.

‘They are really worried about whether I am going to buy it!’

Henrique, who understood what the Joseon people were worried about, reorganized his thoughts once again. Henrique, who reorganized his thoughts based on what Kim Jeom said, honestly answered Kim Jeom’s question.

“If it’s that expensive, it’s impossible for our kingdom alone. So, how about Joseon joining hands with us?”

“Did you say join hands?”

“That’s right. Portugal and Joseon jointly lay a railroad that crosses Africa.”

“Did you say cross Africa?”

“That’s right. Pedro!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

As soon as Henrique’s order fell, Pedro unfolded the map, and Henrique pointed to the southeastern coast of Africa and drew a virtual straight line to the north.

“This is how we lay the railroad, then we can carry African slaves, ivory, and all kinds of precious goods, and Joseon’s goods.”

Kim Jeom, who was examining the map while listening to Henrique’s explanation, shook his head.

“Why do we have to go down there?”

“Huh?”

“For our Joseon, there is no need to go down to southeastern Africa. Slaves? Slaves are of no use to our Joseon. Ivory and other precious goods can be obtained in Alexandria.”

“But it’s expensive.”

“Considering the time it takes to go down to southeastern Africa, the lifespan of the ships, and the safety of the crew, it is not a big loss. And….”

Kim Jeom, who paused for a moment, continued, drawing along the virtual straight line that Henrique had drawn.

“The iron horse is not just about having railroad tracks. It must be a place with a solid foundation to firmly support the railroad tracks, and there must be safe stopover points where water and fuel can be supplied in the middle. What is the distance from the south to the north?”

“About 2,700 leagues (League. About 8,640km, the actual length of Africa from north to south is about 8,000km).”

Kim Jeom, who estimated the length according to the advice of the interpreter and officials, replied to Henrique.

“Do you think it is possible to lay more than 22,000 li [unit of distance, approximately 0.39 km] of railroad tracks? Our Joseon thinks that the existing land route is sufficient.”

“The existing land route?”

“From Suez to Alexandria.”

Kim Jeom, who answered briefly, continued.

“Of course, we would consider it if it were shorter.”

In the end, the negotiations on the iron horse ended in failure.

* * *

Sejong, who heard the story in Geunjeongjeon [main hall of Gyeongbokgung Palace], looked back at Hyang.

“Will that Portuguese Daegun give up?”

“He will give up. If he tries to lay the railroad as we suggested, a war will break out immediately.”

Sejong and the officials nodded at Hyang’s answer.

The place that Joseon chose as the optimal route was the border area between the Mamluks and the Ottomans. It was clear what would happen if Portugal intervened there.

“But….”

Lee Maeng-gyun, who was listening to Hyang’s story, carefully opened his mouth.

“If Portugal is serious about doing it, what will happen?”

Only silence flowed through Geunjeongjeon at Lee Maeng-gyun’s question.

After a long silence, Sejong opened his mouth.

“If we’re not careful, that prophecy will come true. It’s not what we wanted, but it will.”