Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 614

614. The Beginning of the Empire – A Day Like Yesterday (2)

Not long after, Park Jong-woo, Im Soon-wook, and Kim Jeom visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“What brings the Vice Prime Minister here?”

Heo Hu asked, a slightly displeased expression on his face at the appearance of Kim Jeom, whom he considered a nuisance. In response to Heo Hu’s question, Kim Jeom pointed to Park Jong-woo and Im Soon-wook and answered,

“These fellows are still inexperienced and naive, so there’s a risk they might be taken advantage of. That’s why I’m here.”

“Ah….”

Heo Hu simply nodded at Kim Jeom’s answer.

* * *

Kim Jeom had risen from Minister of the Treasury to Minister of Economy and Finance, and now to Vice Prime Minister.

Almost nothing escaped his grasp, from transactions in the court and among private merchants to trade between countries. The only exception was the trade of firearms and incense with Seonje.

Moreover, even King Sejong had to be mindful of him at times, as the national budget had to pass through his scrutiny.

* * *

Heo Hu simply nodded and moved on after Kim Jeom’s response, but Park Jong-woo and Im Soon-wook stared at Kim Jeom with dumbfounded expressions.

‘Even though I’ve been handling finances in the Ministry of Economy and Finance for almost 20 years….’

‘I’m a former merchant. A head merchant, no less!’

“Hm? Why do you two have such expressions?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Then let’s get started quickly. I already have a pile of things to discuss with His Majesty and Her Majesty regarding this year’s Shinji [newly established province] budget.”

“Yes.”

* * *

Because of the large number of envoys who had arrived in advance, Henrique’s group had to return to their lodgings and wait.

It was three *shijin* (approximately six hours) later that Henrique’s group visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs again.

“I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Henrique stepped forward and replied to Heo Hu’s words.

“Ah, no. It is also our fault for visiting without making an appointment in advance, so please do not worry about it.”

“Thank you. So, what is the reason for your sudden visit?”

As Heo Hu went straight to the point, Henrique also replied immediately.

“We were truly impressed by the firepower that your country’s army demonstrated in yesterday’s training. Therefore, we would like to purchase some of your weapons.”

“I believe you have already purchased a considerable number before?”

Henrique fell silent at Heo Hu’s remark.

‘Compared to what we saw yesterday, those were just junk! And yet!’

Forcibly suppressing the curses that were about to burst out, Henrique carefully chose his words to answer.

“The muskets we purchased before are indeed good weapons. However, with those weapons, we can only gain a slight advantage. In contrast, with the weapons we saw yesterday, we can gain an overwhelming advantage.”

“Hahaha! I am truly pleased that you rate them so highly, but on the other hand, I am slightly worried that they are being evaluated too highly.”

Henrique immediately responded to Heo Hu’s modesty.

“It has already been proven through the battles with Ming, so it is not an overestimation.”

“Since you say so, I feel relieved. So, what weapons are you interested in?”

“The rapid-fire gun, the *hwacha* [rocket arrow launcher], and the musket.”

* * *

What had left the deepest impression during yesterday’s training was the explosive grenade. However, among the subordinates who had attended together, those with knowledge of cannons opposed it.

“We can also make similar shells.”

“Rather, that incendiary shell is the easiest to make.”

“Is that so?”

Due to the opposition from his subordinates, the Henrique’s group’s choices were reduced to three.

* * *

After hearing what weapons Henrique’s group wanted, Heo Hu wore a slightly troubled expression.

“Haha. Those are things that have not been deployed to our military for very long….”

As Heo Hu trailed off, Henrique explained why those weapons were needed.

“Isn’t your country also in trouble because of the war in the Suez region? The sooner that war ends, the better it will be for your country, isn’t it?”

“That is true. But….”

“I know what your country is worried about. So, I will be honest. Even if we win this war, the competition with other rivals will not end immediately. Therefore, nothing will happen that would cause us to be at odds with your country.”

Henrique spoke vaguely, but the underlying meaning was as follows.

‘Next is Spain, not you! So shut up and sell!’

“Hmm….”

Heo Hu, still wearing a troubled expression, glanced at Kim Jeom. Kim Jeom, who nodded lightly, stepped forward in place of Heo Hu.

“The trust that your country and our country have built up over the years is truly strong, so I will be honest. We need to reduce the size of the army that we hastily built up during the last war. Therefore, if our interests align, we can sell them.”

“Reduce the army?”

Mehmet II looked like he couldn’t understand Kim Jeom’s answer, but Henrique and Giovanni nodded as if they understood.

In the Ottoman Empire, which was in the midst of expanding its size, the idea of reducing the army was unthinkable, but it was not the case in Europe.

Maintaining an army properly was a costly endeavor. That was why feudal lords and mercenary groups had emerged. Of course, feudal lords were gradually decreasing and standing armies directly under the king were increasing in line with the trend of centralization of power, but it was not yet the dominant trend.

Kim Jeom, seeing Mehmet II’s expression, added an explanation.

“Wouldn’t the size of the army needed for defense be different from the size of the army needed for war?”

“Ah….”

At Kim Jeom’s answer, Mehmet II nodded as if he finally understood. And the three came to the same conclusion at the same time.

‘Joseon, no, the Korean Empire, seems to have no desire for territorial expansion.’

It was a fatal misjudgment.

In any case, as Mehmet II properly understood, the story began to speed up a bit.

“So, how much can your country sell?”

“How much can your country buy?”

“Wouldn’t it depend on the price?”

At Henrique’s answer, Kim Jeom rummaged through the documents next to him and presented the desired price.

“If you buy in units of a thousand, it’s 8 Joseon silver coins per musket. If you buy in units of ten thousand, it’s 7 Joseon silver coins per musket.”

Henrique immediately questioned Kim Jeom’s offer.

“I remember that the muskets we bought last time were 12 Joseon silver coins per musket, which is a bit strange.”

“Those that your country bought at that time were brand new items that had never been used since the test firing, and these are items that have been used in battle.”

It was a way of saying that they were selling them cheaply because they were used.

“Hoo~.”

Henrique nodded, understanding Kim Jeom’s explanation. Giovanni, sensing Henrique’s expression as if he was about to take out the contract, intervened in the conversation in place of Henrique.

“If they were used in battle, aren’t there any defects?”

Kim Jeom scoffed at Giovanni’s remark.

“Humph! Have you ever seen an item with our country’s emblem that had any defects?”

One of the reasons why Joseon was called the ‘Land of Flowers’ and gained popularity was its reliable quality. The Joseon royal family’s emblem was a symbol of trust.

“Huh! If you don’t trust us that much, let’s end it here! We can just melt them all down!”

Giovanni hurriedly waved his hand at Kim Jeom’s actions, which seemed like he was about to call it quits.

“Ah, no! It’s just that I was worried because they were used on the battlefield. And the price was cheaper than expected.”

“Are we just going to send something that has been used once? It’s a matter of our country’s honor! We will thoroughly inspect and verify the performance of everything. And the reason why the price is cheap is because it has already been used once. If you still don’t trust us, how about buying new ones? Those are 15 Joseon silver coins per musket.”

Giovanni’s eyes lit up at Kim Jeom’s suggestion.

“If a new item is 15 silver coins, and a used item is 8 silver coins, isn’t that too much of a difference? Even if it has been used once, the difference is too big, isn’t it?”

“We are handing over items that we would just melt down anyway, and it is an expression of goodwill towards the country that is buying them. If you don’t like it, you can buy new ones. Why do you keep repeating the same words?”

Giovanni replied with an embarrassed smile to Kim Jeom’s words, which were filled with unpleasant emotions.

“It’s just that the price is so good that I can’t believe it. It’s not that I don’t trust your country, so please don’t be angry. I sincerely apologize.”

“Ahem! Ahem!”

Kim Jeom cleared his throat loudly to organize his emotions and continued.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“We will buy the used items as your country suggested.”

“How many muskets? I’m only telling you this, but the maximum quantity that our country can offer is 50,000 muskets. And since quite a few countries have already expressed their intention to purchase, there is not much quantity left.”

“How much is left….”

At Giovanni’s question, Kim Jeom stroked his chin with a troubled face and replied.

“Well, I’m not sure. Since I have to go back to my country to get approval, only the approximate quantity has been determined. Based on that, about 9,000 muskets?”

“If it’s about 9,000….”

Seeing the three people making expressions that seemed like that would be enough, Kim Jeom continued.

“Ah! In addition, the numbers they have written down are the minimum quantities. They are all countries that know Ming well.”

Giovanni’s face changed drastically at those words.

They were the ones who had visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs even more urgently than themselves. And it was also true that they knew Ming even better than themselves. The performance was proven by the fact that those who knew about Ming were moving urgently. It wasn’t just Henrique who thought that way.

The problem was that the pre-emptive quantity was the minimum quantity. In other words, it could change depending on who brought the money first.

‘But wouldn’t about 9,000 muskets be enough?’

Giovanni, who was accustomed to the European battlefields where a maximum of thousands to 10,000 to 20,000 troops were mobilized, soon changed his mind.

‘No! Looking at the situation in Suez now, that’s not enough!’

The Mamluks and Ottomans mobilized an average of 40,000 to 50,000 troops per battle. Adding the mercenaries sent from Portugal, Spain, and Italy, both sides were putting about 70,000 troops into battle. And this number was getting bigger and bigger.

‘In this situation, just increasing it little by little will only prolong the war. We have to put in a large amount at once!’

Just as Giovanni was about to open his mouth, Mehmet II spoke first.

“The Ottoman Empire will purchase 10,000 muskets alone.”

“Huh?”

“Oh!”

Giovanni and Henrique, horrified by Mehmet II’s sudden action, quickly whispered to each other and joined the competition.

“We will also purchase 10,000 muskets!”

‘To seize priority in the Suez region in the future, we must not be pushed back by the Ottomans!’

“Are you sure?”

Mehmet II nodded confidently at Kim Jeom’s question.

“We can handle that much!”

“We too!”

After confirming several times that the Henrique’s group’s determination was firm, Kim Jeom moved on to the next topic.

“Alright. Then what about the bullets?”

“Why the bullets?”

“Our country’s muskets only perform to their full potential with the exclusive bullets made by our country.”

“How much do those bullets cost….”

“1 silver coin per 20 bullets.”

The three wore expressions as if they had been hit hard by Kim Jeom’s answer. Regardless, Kim Jeom continued.

“In addition, the *hwacha* [rocket arrow launcher] must also use those exclusive bullets.”