Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 462

462. Caesar’s Things, God’s Things (2)

Enrique, having successfully visited Joseon [Korea] and returned, quickly became an idol in European high society.

Royal invitations, handwritten by the monarchs of various European countries—excluding Portugal’s eternal rival, Spain—were delivered to Enrique almost daily.

Enrique politely declined most of these invitations, citing the following reason:

“Thank you very much for the invitation. However, as I am scheduled to depart for Joseon again soon, I regret that I cannot accept your invitation.”

Despite rejecting most invitations, Enrique felt compelled to visit Florence.

The Pope, who had taken refuge in Florence due to conflicts with the Council [Council of Basel, an ecumenical council], had sent a personal invitation.

He decided to visit not only because it was a handwritten invitation from the Pope, but also because it was an excellent opportunity to deliver the letter Giovanni had requested and to secretly meet Cosimo de’ Medici.

* * *

The day Enrique visited Florence, prominent figures from Italy and Europe flocked to the city.

“Here is the letter written by Friar Giovanni, Your Holiness.”

“Thank you very much, Duke. May the Lord’s blessings be with you always.”

“Thank you.”

Pope Eugene IV, having received the letter from Enrique, unfolded it and frowned.

“Another smearing? Hmm….”

After reading the letter, Eugene IV handed it to his aide.

“Read it aloud.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

The aide read the contents of the letter to the high-ranking clergy and Italian intellectuals gathered around.

“I am very curious about the contents of the smeared parts.”

“Indeed.”

When the reading was over, the intellectuals present were all curious about what was written in the obscured parts.

Like Angelo’s letters, delivered through the Joseon trading company traveling between Joseon and Alexandria, Giovanni’s letter only deepened their curiosity due to the smearing.

Unlike the intellectuals, Eugene IV and his aides wore serious expressions for a different reason.

“An official document….”

“This is quite perplexing.”

“If we are not careful, we may provide grounds for the Council of Basel and the Duke of Savoy.”

The conflict between the Council of Basel and the Pope, concerning the question of whether the council or the Pope held supreme authority, was still ongoing.

In the midst of this conflict, a rebellion broke out, forcing the Pope to flee Rome. The Council of Basel declared Eugene IV a heretic and deposed him, electing Amadeus VIII, the Duke of Savoy, as the new Pope. This marked the emergence of Antipope Felix V.

In order to secure even a slight political advantage, Eugene IV made several attempts.

At the council convened in Florence, instead of the Council of Basel, an agreement was reached between the two sides, declaring unity with the Eastern Orthodox Church and reaching an agreement with the Armenian Apostolic Church.

However, these were agreements between factions divided under the larger framework of Christianity. Officially allowing the ancestral worship practiced by the non-believers of Joseon could bring about a tremendous backlash.

In the end, Eugene IV sighed and came to a conclusion.

“Let’s deliberate further before making a decision.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“That seems to be the best course of action.”

* * *

While carrying out his official duties with the Pope, Enrique continued his secret meetings with Cosimo.

“Here are the porcelains I brought from Joseon.”

Cosimo expressed his gratitude upon seeing the set of Joseon bone china teacups that Enrique handed him.

“Thank you, Duke.”

“I regret that I cannot allocate any shares, even though we had previously agreed to it.”

When Duke Enrique expressed his regret, Cosimo waved his hand, indicating it was of no consequence.

“It’s alright. Considering that I was able to shake off those persistent flies, it is a great benefit in itself.”

“I am grateful that you think so.”

Enrique was a prince of the Kingdom of Portugal and held the title of Duke. However, he could never look down on Cosimo.

Within Portugal, Enrique held a very high position and wielded great power, but Cosimo dealt with the ruling classes of all of Europe. In terms of power and economic resources that could be mobilized, Cosimo was not someone to be underestimated as just another merchant.

Therefore, clearing out the bad creditors with the profits gained this time was possible because of prior consultation with Cosimo.

-Considering the future, we must exclude the rabble!

According to this agreement, Enrique was able to clear out the bad creditors without any burden.

“Still, it is amazing that you can clear them out with just one voyage.”

Enrique nodded at Cosimo’s assessment.

“I was prepared for some sacrifices, but Joseon’s power is remarkable. At least when traveling in the seas east of the Arabian Peninsula, it is best to be with the Joseon navy.”

“To that extent?”

At Cosimo’s question, Enrique replied with an expression of disbelief, even after thinking about it again.

“No matter how I think about it, those Joseon guys are crazy.”

“Huh?”

“They have ships moving in the ocean, as well as small ships operating in the coastal waters, all covered in cannons. They are not in their right minds.”

“To that extent?”

“Thanks to them, I can move safely while traveling together, but even if I think about it again, they are not in their right minds. It’s like they have a grudge against cannons….”

At Enrique’s words, Cosimo could not hide his surprise and exclaimed.

“Hmph~. Then there is no way with force.”

“Force must be excluded unconditionally.”

“I see. Ah! Have you ridden the iron horse of Hanseong [Seoul] that I have only heard rumors about?”

“Iron horses are running not only in Hanseong but throughout Joseon. Moreover, they are bigger and faster….”

“Hmph?”

Enrique explained in more detail than when he spoke to the King and the Pope. This was because Cosimo was still the largest investor, and Enrique had to do his best to secure even more investment in the future.

“Hmm….”

Cosimo, having listened to Enrique’s explanation, stroked his chin with a serious face. As he pondered, Cosimo asked Enrique.

“Is that iron horse so useful?”

“When transporting goods on land, it is definitely more useful than most carriages or carts. Of course, the cost of introducing the iron horse and building the railroad is not cheap.”

“Hmm….”

At Enrique’s words, Cosimo closed his mouth and fell into thought again.

After being lost in his own thoughts for a while, Cosimo asked Enrique again.

“What do you think about the iron horse, Duke?”

“If we can secure the optimal location, I believe we can achieve the best results.”

Enrique walked to the Mediterranean map hanging on the wall of Cosimo’s office. Standing in front of the map, Enrique drew an imaginary line with his finger from Suez northward.

“If we install a railroad along this route, there is no need to bypass Africa. And there is no need to go to Alexandria.”

At Enrique’s explanation, Cosimo raised an objection.

“Recently, there has been talk of moving west of the Strait of Gibraltar to reach Joseon.”

“I have heard of it too. But….”

Enrique stopped talking and shook his head.

“If the sea west of Gibraltar is even slightly wider than we think, it is absolutely impossible with the ships we have now.”

Cosimo nodded at Enrique’s answer.

The biggest reason why Portugal and Spain, which embarked on exploring alternative routes to Joseon, and the latecomers France and England, built colonies on the African coast was for supply.

Enrique, who stated that the western route was impossible, added.

“Ah! If it is about the size of a Joseon ship, the possibility may be higher. The problem is that Joseon is unlikely to sell that ship.”

Cosimo nodded at Enrique’s words. As Enrique examined the map, he frowned and grumbled.

“India and Joseon are all in the East; it is truly an unfair world.”

“It must be God’s mischief.”

The conversation that had strayed to the side soon returned to its original course.

“Does it have to be that area?”

“It’s the shortest distance.”

“The Mamluks will not stand still. No, even the Ottomans will not stand still.”

“But if we move to Alexandria, we will only be enriching those heretics.”

“However, if we seize that area by force, we may only lose money due to the military expenses incurred. Duke, if we are not careful, we may relive the nightmare of Ceuta.”

When Cosimo mentioned ‘Ceuta,’ Enrique’s expression turned sharply worse.

* * *

Ceuta was a symbol of Enrique’s glory and a symbol of his disgrace.

After expelling the Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula, the Kingdom of Portugal attacked Ceuta. At that time, Ceuta was the center of the Moroccan kingdom’s trade routes. Occupying it would put the trade routes of the Mediterranean and Africa in their hands.

Enrique was at the forefront of the conquest of Ceuta.

However, the fact that Morocco, having lost Ceuta, made Tangier a new trading hub and a military base to check Ceuta at the same time, brought great disgrace to Enrique.

* * *

At Cosimo’s point, Enrique replied with difficulty.

“I will not make the same mistake twice. This time, I can get definite support.”

“Are you sure?”

Enrique nodded at Cosimo’s question.

“Because there are more than one or two people who have seen others make a lot of money with goods brought from Joseon.”

“If we are not careful, the flies may stick to us again.”

Enrique replied immediately to Cosimo’s concern.

“So, I will persuade the Regent.”

“The Regent? Hmm….”

When Enrique mentioned ‘Regent,’ Cosimo began to recalculate the possibilities.

* * *

The current King of Portugal, Afonso V, was only eight years old.

When the late King Duarte died suddenly from the Black Death, six-year-old Afonso V ascended the throne. Because the King was young, the King’s mother, Queen Leonor, and Afonso V’s uncle, Duke Pedro of Coimbra, were jointly appointed as Regents.

However, as public opinion against appointing the Queen, who was from Aragon, as Regent reached its peak, the Portuguese Parliament resolved to appoint Pedro as the sole Regent in 1439. And the ousted Queen was exiled to Castile.

It seemed that the situation had been resolved, but another political conflict arose here.

A political conflict arose between the Regent Pedro and the nobles.

In order to strengthen the King’s power and enrich the country, Pedro restricted the power of the nobles and focused on fostering the bourgeoisie [middle class].

This naturally provoked the nobles’ opposition, and at the forefront of that opposition was Afonso, Count of Barcelos, Pedro’s half-brother.

Afonso had been dissatisfied with the low title he had received. Afonso, who had acquired enormous wealth by marrying the daughter of a meritorious founding family, used that wealth as a basis to co-opt dissatisfied nobles and establish himself as Pedro’s political rival.

Knowing this internal situation of Portugal, Cosimo once again began to calculate the probabilities.

* * *

“It seems alright, but….”

Cosimo, nodding at Enrique’s opinion, asked Enrique with a serious face.

“Leaving aside the issue of faith, let’s think about purely political and military issues, and the future. How about adding another helper for a more certain success?”

“Who are you talking about?”

Cosimo replied briefly to Enrique’s question.

“Ottoman.”