Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 464

464. Caesar’s and God’s (4)

On the ship returning to Lisbon, Henrique stared at the water with a serious expression.

“Your Grace, Duke, you don’t look well.”

At the captain’s words, Henrique immediately composed himself.

“It’s nothing. Will we reach Ceuta soon?”

“Yes, we will arrive in Ceuta within two days.”

“I see. I’ll go inside and rest.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

* * *

After passing through Ceuta, Henrique arrived in Lisbon and immediately went to the royal palace to meet Afonso V.

“Duke Henrique of Viseu. I have returned safely.”

Henrique knelt respectfully and announced his return according to etiquette. Afonso V, who was sitting heavily on the throne, responded with a smile.

“You’ve worked hard, Duke. Is the Pope well?”

“Yes, he seemed to be in good health.”

Afonso V let out a sigh of relief at Henrique’s answer.

“Hoo~. That’s a relief. Have a chair prepared for the Duke.”

Soon after, Henrique, now comfortably seated, resumed his conversation with the King.

“So, how was Florence? Was it as splendid as they say?”

“Yes…”

Henrique began to tell the young King stories about Florence. The young King, who had never been outside the palace, listened with a dreamy expression.

“It sounds like a truly wonderful place. I would love to visit it someday. And Joseon, too.”

“You will be able to visit when you come of age.”

Afonso V’s eyes sparkled at Henrique’s answer.

“Really?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

* * *

Feeling tired from the long conversation, Afonso V yawned slightly and stepped down from the throne.

“Then let us meet again at the banquet later.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

Having concluded the audience, Henrique immediately went to Regent Pedro’s office.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Thank you.”

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Pedro got straight to the point.

“How was your meeting with Cosimo de Medici? Did you receive a promise of continued investment?”

“Yes. And I received an interesting proposal.”

“An interesting proposal?”

Henrique told Pedro about the railway connecting Suez to the Mediterranean and the potential connection with the Ottomans for this purpose.

“The Ottomans?”

Pedro’s first reaction was the same as Henrique’s had been.

“Does Cosimo de Medici not know about Portugal’s relationship with Islam?”

“Yes, he knows it well.”

“But he makes such an offer? Is he in his right mind?”

“He is perfectly sane.”

“And yet he makes such a proposal, and you accepted it?”

Despite Pedro’s anger, Henrique calmly responded.

“I thought it was a pretty good proposal.”

“Hey!”

“Cosimo mentioned Jerusalem.”

Pedro, who was about to shout, stopped at the word ‘Jerusalem’.

“Jerusalem?”

“Yes.”

“Explain in more detail.”

Perhaps because Cosimo’s ‘carrot’ looked quite appealing, Pedro, having calmed down, examined Cosimo’s proposal with a serious face.

“Hmm… not bad.”

“That’s right.”

“Of course, I am well aware that there are many problems to be solved, right?”

“I am well aware.”

How to share the maintenance costs of the railway, how to distribute the profits, and so on – there were still many problems to be solved.

Pedro, who had been quietly pondering Cosimo’s proposal, looked at Henrique.

“Are you confident that trade with Joseon [Korea] will continue to bring profits in the future?”

Many of the goods brought from Joseon were long-lasting items. Therefore, there was a high possibility that demand would decrease over time, and Pedro pointed this out.

At Pedro’s point, Henrique answered firmly with a confident expression.

“I am confident. And, in that East, there is not only Joseon, but also India, Kitai [China], and Zipangu [Japan]. If we secure that railway, there will be no need to bypass Africa.”

“That’s true…….”

As Pedro nodded, Henrique pointed out the most important issue.

“If that happens, we will have less need to rely on the nobles.”

As Henrique mentioned ‘the nobles,’ Pedro’s face turned fierce again.

* * *

Regent Pedro’s long-cherished desire was to reduce the authority of the nobles and strengthen the royal power.

The late King João I [John I] was able to ascend to the throne because he had the support of the bourgeoisie [middle class].

Therefore, Pedro had no choice but to concentrate on maintaining the support of the bourgeoisie and strengthening the royal power.

As a result, after becoming regent, Pedro continued to create laws that reduced or restricted the authority of the nobles.

Thanks to this, the relationship between the nobles and Pedro was not very good.

Henrique was in a similar situation.

In order to continue the costly exploration of Africa, Henrique had no choice but to incur debt disguised as investment. And most of those investors were nobles.

As a result, he had to hand over the areas acquired through exploration to the nobles.

The areas handed over to the nobles were valuable lands. The most representative area was the Madeira archipelago, including Porto Santo Island.

Starting with timber for dye extraction and wheat, sugarcane has recently begun to be cultivated on these islands, and the nobles who own these islands have been making huge fortunes.

However, Henrique was left with very little. He was only barely breaking even by supplying slaves to work on the island’s farms.

Therefore, animosity towards the nobles was a common denominator between the two.

“The nobles…….”

Pedro, who had been pondering the word ‘nobles,’ looked at Henrique.

“Do you know? The Count of Barcelos is gathering the nobles.”

At Pedro’s words, Henrique’s expression turned fierce.

“The bastard of a lowly concubine!”

* * *

Count Afonso of Barcelos was the illegitimate son of Henrique’s father, King João I. He was favored by João I and was able to marry the only daughter of Nuno Álvares Pereira, a meritorious subject who founded the country, and acquire the Pereira family’s vast wealth.

However, he was still full of dissatisfaction.

“Among my father’s children, I was the most favored! Why am I only a Count!”

Afonso, dissatisfied with his title, began to gather nobles who were opposed to Regent Pedro’s policy of suppressing the nobles. And at the same time, he was making every effort to win the favor of Afonso V.

* * *

“…This is the situation. So, you must capture the King’s attention. Is that possible?”

Henrique nodded at Pedro’s question.

“I don’t know about before, but now that I have the best card called Joseon, it is possible.”

“I’m counting on you.”

“I will do my best.”

At Pedro’s request, Henrique immediately bowed his head and answered.

Having finished discussing Count Afonso of Barcelos, Pedro returned to the main topic.

“And contact Cosimo de Medici and politely ask him to come to Lisbon. There are things I want to ask him directly.”

“Do you think he has other intentions?”

“That’s right. There are rumors circulating among the bourgeoisie these days about the ‘Western Route’.”

“Western Route?”

Henrique nodded at Pedro’s question, then understood the meaning and asked back.

“Are you thinking that because the Earth is round, you can go to Joseon by going west?”

“Yes. If that idea is proven to be true, Florence, Venice, and Genoa will be finished. I suspect that he is trying to prevent this.”

At Pedro’s words, Henrique wanted to dismiss it as a joke, but he couldn’t.

The person in front of him was a prince who was recognized as the most knowledgeable in Portugal and throughout Europe.

He was not one to speak carelessly.

Therefore, Henrique pondered over and over again, then shook his head and answered.

“To be honest, the ‘Western Route’ may exist, but it cannot be confirmed at this time.”

“Cannot be confirmed at this time? Why?”

“The sea west of Lisbon has no information whatsoever. The Eastern Route has Africa, which provides supplies, recreation, and refuge, but that sea has nothing. To explore such a sea, we need ships that are larger and stronger than the ones we are using now. At least they need to be like the ships used by Joseon to be able to explore. Also, we need more precise surveying instruments to determine our location.”

“That means…….”

“Even if Cosimo de Medici has other intentions, it is beneficial to work with him for the time being, at least for 20 to 30 years.”

“Is that so? Even so, I must see him.”

“Understood. I will send a messenger.”

* * *

Cosimo, having heard Pedro’s request, immediately accepted the invitation.

After leaving Florence, Cosimo secretly met with Pedro. At the meeting with Pedro, Cosimo was very polite. Although he had the same title of Duke as Henrique, Pedro was the Regent of the King.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Pedro mentioned Henrique, who was not present, and slowly proceeded with the conversation.

“I wish the Duke of Viseu could have been here as well, but he left for Joseon again recently.”

“Is that so? That’s a bit of a shame.”

Pedro, observing Cosimo’s face, which did not hide his disappointment, immediately got to the point.

“I heard through the Duke of Viseu that you want to lay a railway from Suez to the Mediterranean?”

“Yes. I am confident that this will be of sufficient benefit to Portugal as well.”

“Of course, it could be. Because we don’t have to bypass Africa. But…….”

Pedro lifted the Joseon-made teacup placed on the table, moistened his lips, and continued.

“Will the products from Joseon continue to be popular in the future? They are good, but they are expensive and have a long lifespan. Doesn’t that mean that the market is likely to shrink?”

Cosimo nodded at Pedro’s point.

“Of course, that is possible. However, Joseon’s products are not only for the nobles. Even commoners want to get Joseon’s products if they have money, so there is enough marketability.”

“Aren’t there many imitations circulating?”

“The imitations make people want to get the real thing even more.”

“In the end, there is enough marketability?”

Cosimo nodded at Pedro’s question.

At that sight, Pedro pointed out another problem.

“You talked about joining hands with the Ottomans; don’t you know our position in Portugal?”

“There is a saying in the East: ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend.’ In the trade with Joseon, what is Portugal’s biggest obstacle?”

“Alexandria. The Mamluks…”

Pedro’s eyes began to shine as he mentioned those who have been profiting the most from trade with Joseon so far.

“Are you going to use the Ottomans to check the Mamluks?”

“That’s right.”

“But the Ottomans are also Muslims.”

“But if you consider the national interest, they are a good partner. Did Christ say this? ‘Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.’ Did you hear it from the Duke of Viseu? Jerusalem is for God, and the railway is for His Majesty the King.”

“Then what about you?”

“I will have a small commission left over.”

Pedro, analyzing the situation while listening to Cosimo’s words, soon held up two fingers.

“If I am convinced that I can obtain sufficient profit through two more voyages, including this one, and if the problem of Jerusalem is resolved, I will fully cooperate.”

“Thank you.”

“But! Do not forget that the problem of Jerusalem must be resolved.”

Cosimo smiled slightly at Pedro’s words and replied.

“It is entirely possible. There are more than one or two kings who need their own strong power.”

In this way, the framework of Wu-Yue [referring to a historical period of cooperation] cooperation began to take shape.