Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 541

541. Conspiracy (7)

With the King, nobles, and ministers all supporting Pedro, things progressed rapidly.

First and foremost, the Royal Army’s size was significantly expanded. This wasn’t just a matter of hiring a large number of mercenaries as in the past, but an actual expansion of the regular army.

The biggest reason this was possible was Pedro’s purge of the nobility.

Starting with Duke Braganza, he purged the most prominent nobles in the kingdom, effectively turning mainland Portugal and its colonial territories in Africa into possessions of the crown. This created a massive source of income, enabling the kingdom to support a large-scale regular army.

Furthermore, most of the purged nobles’ private soldiers were absorbed into the regular army, leading to growth in both quantity and quality.

As this growth occurred, new firearms began to be supplied from Joseon [Korea] and Italy.

“The difference is significant, even though they’re both snaplock muskets,” Pedro said, examining the Joseon and Italian versions side by side, unable to hide his disappointment.

Pedro’s bodyguard captain, standing next to him, explained the issues.

“The Italian-made ones are larger and heavier than the Joseon ones.”

“What about the range?”

“It’s superior to the existing ones, but still falls short of the Joseon ones.”

“Hmm…”

Pedro groaned softly, unable to hide his disappointment as he looked at the Italian-made firearms.

“Mediocre… What about the price?”

“You can buy three Italian ones for the price of one Joseon one.”

At the captain’s report, Pedro turned to Cosimo, who was standing next to him.

“Is it impossible to improve them further?”

“Not in the short term. This is the best we can do.”

Cosimo’s words were sincere.

He had set aside 20 out of the 200 firearms he received from Pedro and attempted to replicate them. However, the replication failed due to the vicious black box [intellectual property protection] Xiang had implanted.

“What to do…”

As he continued to struggle with the repeated failures, one artisan had a flash of inspiration.

“What about this, everyone?”

“What are you talking about?”

“We may not know the exact internal structure, but we’ve figured out how it moves to ignite the fire, haven’t we? Then, we should be able to design the framework ourselves.”

“Huh?”

“It’s impossible to make them exactly the same, but I think we can make them perform the same actions with a little research.”

“Wait… wait…”

The artisans who heard the suggestion began to ponder deeply. After a long period of contemplation, they soon nodded.

“Indeed, that’s right. It’s possible.”

“That seems to be the best way.”

“Let’s try it!”

The artisans agreed to the new proposal and immediately began their research. And before long, they were able to produce a plausible result.

The reason they were able to achieve results so quickly was thanks to the experience they had accumulated while making arquebuses [early muzzle-loading guns] and muskets.

* * *

Before Xiang intervened, the firing method for personal firearms in Ming [China] and Joseon involved inserting a fuse and having someone else light it from the side, or firmly fixing the gun barrel to the right side and bringing the burning fuse to the touchhole with the left hand.

In Europe, the initial method was similar, but over time, they began to incorporate crossbow triggers.

And as time passed, they created muskets and arquebuses that combined springs, levers, and triggers.

And this accumulated experience created different results from Ming.

After a series of failures, Ming introduced the matchlock firing method from Europe via India and Central Asia, while Europe independently evolved into the snaphance lock system like Joseon.

* * *

The Italian-made snaphance long gun—later known as the Florentine Gun or Medici Gun—created using this experience had superior performance to the existing arquebuses or muskets but was still inferior to the Joseon-made ones in many ways.

Without the technology to produce and process steel as excellent as Joseon’s, the Florentine artisans had no choice but to create and use larger and thicker parts.

And the most crucial part, the barrel, was also made using the method Xiang initially used: rolling iron plates.

These factors combined to make the snaphance long guns made in Florence much heavier than the Joseon ones. Therefore, the Italian snaphance rifles had to be used with a bipod, like the existing muskets.

However, thanks to the barrel that the Florentine artisans carefully crafted, stimulated by the Joseon snaphance guns, they had superior range and accuracy compared to the existing muskets or arquebuses.

* * *

After listening to Cosimo’s explanation, Pedro stroked his chin and fell into thought. After much deliberation, he finally came to a conclusion.

“We need to place an additional order with Joseon.”

At those words, Cosimo asked with a serious expression.

“So, you’re saying you won’t use the long guns made in Florence? Won’t there be problems with cost and time?”

Pedro shook his head at Cosimo’s question.

“That’s not it. The long guns you brought are excellent. But the weight is the problem. That weight is suitable for defense, but it’s difficult to move quickly. I think it’s better to equip the troops that can move quickly and strike with Joseon long guns.”

Pedro had participated in the Reconquista [historical period of Iberian Peninsula history] and several other armed conflicts. Through that experience, he was well aware of the need for a force that combined mobility and firepower, so he made the decision to supply the two types of long guns differently depending on the mission.

And Pedro’s experience led him to order another item from Cosimo.

“And what about the cannons you mentioned before?”

“They’re already in production, and we’ll be able to receive prototypes soon. But…”

Cosimo paused for a moment, then continued with a voice full of concern.

“But will such small cannons really be useful?”

The expression on Cosimo’s face as he asked the question was full of genuine worry.

Pedro replied briefly to Cosimo’s question.

“I heard the Joseon cannons aren’t that big.”

* * *

At this time, the cannons in Europe and the Middle East were literally large cannons.

The role of cannons at this time was as siege weapons to break down castle walls. Therefore, the cannons boasted enormous sizes. A cannon recently made in England boasted a bore of 20 inches.

Naturally, cannons with large and heavy sizes had limited usability and reduced value as a force. Except for sieges, or even in actual sieges, their effectiveness was often minimal.

The Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385, where Spain possessed 16 large trebuchets [a type of catapult] but the victor was Portugal, which had not a single cannon, was the most striking example. (Note 1)

Despite these examples, European and Middle Eastern countries preferred large cannons. This naturally led to budget constraints, and even if they operated artillery on a large scale, it was only a few dozen cannons at most.

However, Pedro, after trade with Joseon and reading reports about the Challenger-class battleships he saw in Suez and the Joseon artillery units he encountered on the Joseon mainland, clapped his hands in admiration.

“This is it! There’s no need to insist on only large cannons! We’ll possess a large number of small, mobile cannons and engage in battle! This is the answer!”

And Pedro ordered Cosimo to make light cannons that could be mounted on carts and moved quickly.

In the history before Xiang’s intervention, this was a full 50 years earlier than the appearance of Charles VIII’s French army, which invaded Italy in 1494. (Note 2)

* * *

In the process of preparing for war step by step, the biggest concern for Pedro and Portugal was their arch-enemy, Spain.

Unless they could tie down Spain, or more precisely, the union of Castile and Aragon [historical Spanish kingdoms], Portugal would not be able to wage war properly. If things went wrong, they could end up making significant concessions to the Ottomans in the process of dividing the spoils later, or face the worst-case scenario of suffering losses and maintaining the current state of affairs.

Returning to his office, Pedro pointed this out to Cosimo.

“Have you found a way to tie down Spain?”

Cosimo replied immediately to Pedro’s question.

“France will move.”

“France?”

Pedro nodded upon hearing Cosimo’s answer.

“That’s fortunate.”

France was a military powerhouse. Although the war with England had not yet concluded, it was almost certain to end. Therefore, France could utilize its powerful military force.

In addition, there had been several disputes with Spain over territories in the border area, and they were still snarling at each other.

“They didn’t give me the exact date of the start of the war, but as soon as the Duke and the Ottomans start their work, the border area between Spain and France will become very noisy. And I even received a promise to provide troops if necessary.”

“That’s good.”

Pedro poured wine into a Joseon crystal glass and handed it to Cosimo.

“When the long guns and cannons from Florence are properly supplied, the final card will be in place. So, you have to send them properly.”

“Don’t worry.”

Listening to Cosimo’s firm answer, the two raised a toast. Pedro smiled as he looked at the crystal glass sparkling in the candlelight.

“It shines even brighter today.”

* * *

March of the 29th year of King Sejong (1447, Jeongmyo Year) [Korean King].

The Portuguese army landed on the west coast of Alexandria.

Almost simultaneously, the Ottoman Empire began its advance towards the Lebanon region.

As soon as April began, France began armed conflicts in the border area with Spain.

The international war, later called ‘World War I,’ had begun.

* * *

As war broke out in the Mediterranean region, Joseon was immediately affected.

“The trade route to Alexandria has been blocked!”

Xiang, who received the urgent report, immediately ordered his ministers.

“We must obtain as much information as possible! And we need to be especially careful as there may be impacts on trade routes to India and other regions!”

“We obey your command!”

At Xiang’s command, the ministers and officials moved quickly.

Meanwhile, the merchants who heard the rumors were dismayed.

“War! What a disaster!”

“We made a lot of goods to send to Alexandria!”

On the other hand, those who invested in the ‘Adventure Capital Fund’ were also in a panic.

“I heard the trade route to the West has been blocked. Should we withdraw our investment?”

“Should we wait and see a little longer?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to withdraw now?”

The patrons who put money into the fund gathered in small groups to find the answer.

Xiang, who heard the report related to this, immediately called Hwang Hee, Kim Jeom, and the Minister of Finance to discuss the matter.

“If we’re not careful, money could pour out of the fund in droves and become a mess! We need a countermeasure for this!”

Hwang Hee turned to Kim Jeom at Xiang’s point.

“What percentage of our Joseon’s external trade does the West account for now?”

“About 35%.”

“That’s quite a bit…”

Hwang Hee muttered in a troubled tone. Xiang continued his questioning.

“Does that entire 35% go to Europe?”

“No. About 20% goes to Europe, and the remaining 15% goes to countries near Alexandria.”

“Hmm…”

After a moment of thought, Xiang came to a conclusion.

“Let’s use Aden.”

“Aden, you say?”

* * *

While Joseon was moving frantically to find a solution, there was someone who was smiling with satisfaction.

It was Emperor Seondeok.

“Finally, the time has come to get rid of the troublemakers.”

* * *

Note 1) Cannons, Sails, and Empires.

Written by Carlo Cipolla. Miji Books

Note 2) Cannons, Sails, and Empires. Written by Carlo Cipolla, Miji Books