Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 538

538. Conspiracy (4)

The deaths of Duke Braganza and his son froze the banquet hall solid.

Moments before, some had been trying to argue against Pedro’s words, but after the Duke and his son died, they clamped their mouths shut, their eyes darting around.

Bang! Bang-bang! Bang-bang!

-Waaaaah!

-Kill them!

-Subdue them!

-Don’t stop firing!

-Aaaagh!

The frozen nobles flinched as the sounds of gunfire, shouts, and screams suddenly erupted from outside.

‘Have the guards moved?’

‘If we do well….’

‘It’s over….’

The expressions on the faces of the nobles in the banquet hall varied with the noises from outside.

* * *

It was customary for nobles to always be accompanied by at least ten guards. Naturally, they were accompanied by guards today as well, and they were being treated to food and drinks in a separate building.

“Wow! Such liquor!”

“The Duke’s hospitality is indeed something else!”

The Braganza Ducal guards’ faces turned slightly uncomfortable at the praise from the guards of other families who had received strong wine and rich food.

“Ahem! Ahem!”

“Be sure to come when our Duke hosts a banquet sometime! You’ll truly know what hospitality is!”

“Hahaha! Really!”

“I’ll look forward to it!”

The guards from other families couldn’t hide their anticipation at the words of the Braganza family’s guards.

Bang!

Just then, a gunshot rang out from the main building.

“What’s that sound?”

“It’s a gunshot!”

As soon as they heard the gunshot, they realized something had happened and jumped up from their seats.

Thump! Bang!

When they burst out the door, Pedro’s soldiers were already aiming their matchlock rifles from the windows on the second and first floors of the main building.

“Don’t move!”

“Drop your weapons!”

The Braganza Ducal commander raised his sword at the command of Pedro’s commander.

“Charge! Let’s rescue our lord!”

“Waaaaaah!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the guards charged towards the main building.

“The distance isn’t far! Just endure one shot!”

The guards hadn’t charged thoughtlessly due to intoxication.

The number of soldiers aiming guns at them was at most about 200, and the distance from the detached building to the main building was about 30 fathoms (approximately 54 meters).

If they were arquebuses or muskets, they would only become dangerous within 20 fathoms (approximately 36 meters), and at that distance, they would be able to enter the main building before they could even fire two shots.

However, the first problem was that Pedro’s soldiers were holding Joseon-made matchlock rifles, and the second problem was that the number of riflemen aiming at them was not 200 but 800.

When used by properly trained individuals, the Joseon-made matchlock rifle guaranteed accurate hits within at least 30 fathoms.

And while there were 200 soldiers aiming at them from the windows, an additional 600 soldiers were waiting behind them.

“Fire!”

Bang-bang!

As soon as the commanders’ orders fell, Pedro’s soldiers simultaneously pulled their triggers and thrust their empty guns back. The soldier behind them immediately exchanged it for a loaded gun, and the soldier who received the new gun pulled the trigger again. And behind them, other soldiers were reloading the empty guns.

* * *

As time passed, the noise from outside gradually subsided.

As the noise subsided, despair began to settle deeply on the faces of the nobles.

‘It’s over, it’s over.’

‘I’ll have to lay low for a while.’

‘The regency will last a long time.’

The nobles could roughly guess how the political situation would unfold afterward.

After a while, Duke Pedro’s commander, reeking of gunpowder, entered and reported to the Duke.

“Suppression complete.”

“Casualties?”

“Minor.”

“Good work. But don’t let your guard down.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

The commander finished his report, gave a military salute, and left.

Duke Pedro, guarded by his soldiers, walked towards Afonso V.

“Stop!”

As Duke Pedro approached, the captain of the guard, who was guarding Afonso V, shielded Afonso V’s body and blocked Pedro. Duke Pedro spoke confidently at the sight of the captain of the guard blocking him, prepared to draw his sword at any moment.

“Step aside. I need to report to His Majesty.”

“Speak from there.”

“I will.”

At the captain of the guard’s words, Pedro stopped in his place and began to speak.

“I report to Your Majesty. A group of rebellious traitors with disloyal hearts attempted treason. I should have reported it in advance, but there were too many hidden eyes and ears of the traitors, so I had no choice but to carry out this plan.”

Afonso V asked in a frightened voice at Pedro’s words.

“Treason, you say?”

“Yes. They, with the already deceased Duke Braganza as their ringleader, tried to overthrow Your Majesty and establish Duke Braganza as king. We have secured testimony that they were trying to receive support from Spain for this.”

“Hmm….”

Afonso V groaned at Pedro’s specific explanation. The content was too specific to be seen as mere slander to eliminate political rivals. And Afonso V was well aware that Duke Braganza and those who commanded him were favorable to Spain.

In the end, Afonso V had no choice but to side with Pedro.

“The regency should handle it. Please do your best for the safety of the nation.”

Pedro bowed and replied to Afonso V’s permission.

“I will do my best.”

* * *

Later, Pedro carried out a large-scale purge in the wake of this incident, which was called the ‘Bloody Banquet’.

First, among the nobles who attended the banquet, 30 major nobles belonging to the Braganza Ducal faction and their children were executed on the spot.

Following that, he immediately returned to the palace with Afonso V and proceeded with the next task.

First, the remaining family members of the Braganzas and the executed nobles were all executed, and all their territories were confiscated and turned into the king’s direct territory. And those who were considered to be part of the noble faction but did not engage in direct activities had their territories confiscated and were then exiled abroad.

Next, Duke Pedro posted proclamations throughout the kingdom.

-All trials within the kingdom will be handled by judges dispatched by the kingdom!

-Taxes will be collected by the kingdom’s tax collectors according to the established tax rate!

-All nobles will only be allowed to have as many guards as prescribed by future laws!

In short, the powers that the kingdom’s nobles had wielded—judicial and taxation rights—were returned to the king.

This was a more radical policy than what his grandson, John II, had implemented.

* * *

In the history before Hyang intervened, Duke Braganza, who won the civil war, thoroughly carried out noble-centered politics.

Thanks to this, the wealth and power of the nobles greatly increased, the power of the king greatly decreased, and the growth of the bourgeoisie stopped.

John II, who grew up seeing the tyranny of the nobles and the incompetent and weak appearance of his father, participated in politics from his time as crown prince and began to strongly pressure the nobles.

Naturally, the nobles resisted and plotted a rebellion centered on Fernando, the Duke of Braganza at the time. John II, who had been closely watching the movements of the nobles, moved one step ahead of them and arrested and executed the Duke of Braganza.

By executing the Duke of Braganza, the center of the noble faction, John II further pressured the nobles. In response, the nobles again plotted a rebellion centered on Diogo, the 3rd Duke of Viseu, a member of the royal family, but this time as well, John II crushed their plot by executing the Duke of Viseu.

In this series of purges, John II confiscated all the nobles’ lands and restricted the nobles’ exercise of judicial power.

And now, in the changed history where Hyang intervened, Pedro, who became the victor, was implementing even stronger policies than those implemented by his grandson, John II.

* * *

Pedro’s words made Afonso V’s eyes sparkle.

“Joseon, you say?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. According to letters sent by those staying in Joseon, Joseon is located between Kitai, now called Ming [referring to the Ming Dynasty of China], a vast empire, and a barbaric country called Jipangu [Japan]. However, despite being in such a dangerous position, Joseon exists proudly and is even known to us, isn’t it?”

Afonso V nodded at Pedro’s words. Pedro, watching Afonso V’s reaction, continued.

“Isn’t our Portugal’s position similar to Joseon’s? Next to us, that treacherous Spain is aiming at us, and above us, France is suppressing us. In this situation, in order for our kingdom to become strong, we must thoroughly examine Joseon and take what will be helpful to us.”

“I see.”

Before he knew it, Afonso V was engrossed in Pedro’s explanation.

“Looking at Joseon, everything follows the king’s decision. The duty of the officials is to advise the king to make the right decisions and to faithfully carry out the orders they are given. And these officials cannot become officials simply because they are nobles, but only intellectuals who have passed a rigorous selection process can become officials. And becoming king is only possible if there is ‘God’s will’.”

“‘God’s will’, you say?”

Pedro replied briefly to Afonso V’s question.

“In Joseon, they call it ‘Heaven’s Mandate (天命)’ [Cheonmyeong in Korean].”

* * *

As trade with Joseon greatly increased, interest in Joseon greatly increased in Europe.

The letters sent by the monks who had settled in the research institute established by Hyang were one of the few means to satisfy this interest.

Although they were letters covered with numerous blots, through these letters, Europeans gradually learned about Joseon.

At first, Pedro, like most Europeans, was only satisfying his intellectual curiosity.

However, as he spent time with Henrique and Cosimo, Pedro wanted to know more about Joseon, even the political aspects.

And what further strengthened Pedro’s desire was the word ‘Heaven’s Mandate’ written in one of the letters that had been passed down.

“‘Heaven’s Mandate’? Is it like the ‘Anointing’ of the Old Testament? Interesting.”

Pedro, intrigued, wanted to know more about this part, but there were no letters written in detail about it. In the end, Pedro ordered the captains through Henrique.

“Find out more about what this ‘Heaven’s Mandate’ is!”

And the captains who accepted this order all cursed.

“What the hell! Do they think we’re scholars!”

But an order is an order. As soon as the captains arrived in Joseon, they clung to the interpreters and customs officials to solve this problem.

“Heaven’s Mandate? What kind of fortune-telling is that? If it’s fortune-telling, go find a skilled shaman in the marketplace.”

“That’s not it….”

Amidst all sorts of misunderstandings, the interpreters and customs officials were eventually able to understand what they were asking.

“It seems they are asking about ‘Cheonmyeong (天命)’ [Heaven’s Mandate].”

“I see.”

The customs officials and interpreters, who understood what the captains were asking, soon began to explain.

“This is a bit of a long story….”

Although they were low-ranking officials, the customs officials were individuals who had confidently passed the civil service examination.