Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 641

Florence. The Medici family’s mansion.

“I have returned.”

“Good work.”

Cosimo, after replying briefly, immediately got to the point.

“So, how did it go?”

At Cosimo’s question, Giovanni immediately lowered his head.

“I am sorry. I could not bring back good news.”

“Did the King of Joseon refuse?”

“The Emperor said I was not even qualified to speak with him.”

“What!”

Cosimo’s expression turned fierce at Giovanni’s answer. Unable to control his emotions, Cosimo continued in a rough voice.

“For a mere small ruler of the East to discuss qualifications for conversation is truly laughable! Ha!”

Cosimo was at a loss, dumbfounded.

His family was not just the rulers of Florence. They had built a financial network across Europe and controlled vast capital. Even the King of France, a great power, couldn’t speak informally to him, and most nobles wouldn’t even dare to meet his gaze.

And his representative was deemed unqualified to speak? Even if he was the ruler of Joseon, their largest trading partner, it was far too arrogant.

“Tell me in detail what that arrogant Joseon ruler said!”

“Yes, yes!”

Startled by Cosimo’s roar, Giovanni immediately recounted what Hyang had said.

“Hmm….”

By the time Giovanni finished speaking, Cosimo’s expression had changed. The anger that had been present until just before had disappeared, replaced by a mixture of seriousness and admiration.

“He made such a decision after only hearing about the ‘5/100 share’ I mentioned to the Foreign Minister?”

“That is correct.”

“Ha!”

At Giovanni’s answer, Cosimo let out a short exclamation that could have been either admiration or sarcasm.

Taking a sip of wine from his crystal glass, Cosimo continued.

“The young ruler of Joseon would be very successful even if he went into business. It’s a shame. A real shame.”

“He is not the Emperor of Joseon, but of the Korean Federal Empire.”

“That’s why I said it was a shame. Kitai, no, Ming, is a great power comparable to the entirety of Europe combined. To call themselves an empire after fighting and barely winning against such a country, they won’t last long.”

“I don’t think that’s the case.”

“Hmm?”

“I continued to gather information from the ports I stopped at on the way to Hanseong, no, Seoul. As a result, all the countries in the East have placed the Empire above Ming. The dominant power in the East has clearly shifted.”

“Hoh?”

Cosimo’s eyes lit up, and he straightened his posture.

“Tell me more details.”

“Yes.”

* * *

The war between Joseon and Ming was not just a war between two countries. From nearby Wa [Japan] and Ryukyu [Okinawa] to distant Melaka [Malacca] and Tianzhu [India], all the countries of Asia were carefully observing the flow of the war.

Tianzhu was concerned due to trade issues, but for other countries, it was a major event that could change their entire diplomatic relations. This was due to the tributary diplomacy, the basic form of Northeast Asian diplomatic relations. It was a critical question of whether the existing suzerain state, Ming, would maintain its position, or whether the rising power, Joseon, would supplant Ming.

* * *

After the war, while organizing this part in his memorandum, Hyang muttered to himself.

“The problem, as always, is this ‘G1’ [Global Power 1] position. Looking far back, from the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens to the US-China conflict in the 21st century… there’s a reason why they say ‘Thucydides’s Trap’, ‘The Inevitable War’.”

Hyang believed that Emperor Xuanzong’s planning of the war with Joseon was not so much a personal decision as it was a failure to overcome the pressure of the times.

When Sejong first started the reforms, Emperor Xuanzong was very favorable to Joseon. This was the case even as time passed, so much so that Emperor Xuanzong was nicknamed ‘Emperor of Goryeo’ and ‘Emperor of Joseon’.

However, as Joseon grew to the level of almost a complete transformation, Emperor Xuanzong’s favor turned into caution, and then into hostility.

This was not just Xuanzong’s change. Even in Ming’s private sector, the trend of ‘self-production and self-purchase’ was emerging.

Therefore, the war between Ming and Joseon was inevitable.

* * *

“So, in the East, the leadership has passed from Ming to Joseon, no, the Empire?”

“That is correct.”

“Hmm….”

At Giovanni’s words, Cosimo hummed and fell into thought.

‘I’ve met a more difficult opponent than I thought.’

His contemplation was deep, but the conclusion came surprisingly quickly.

“The Emperor of the Empire has not said anything wrong, so we must act accordingly. It will cost a little more, but if it goes as planned, it will bring permanent benefits to our family.”

Having reached a conclusion, Cosimo turned to Giovanni.

“Good work. You have done a great service to the family.”

At Cosimo’s praise, Giovanni lowered his head with a relieved expression.

“You flatter me.”

“Then, you may return… no, not yet. I have something to tell you before you go. A lot has happened thanks to the people you took with you.”

“Yes?”

* * *

The painters and sculptors Giovanni had taken with him completed many works during their time in Joseon and on the return voyage.

The paintings, prints, and sculptures they created soon caused a sensation not only in the Italian cultural scene but throughout the entire European cultural world.

Until then, they had only imagined the scenery of Joseon through letters sent by monks, but now they could see it with their own eyes, albeit through paintings or prints.

As a result, the Medici family’s mansion, where the paintings were hung, was constantly visited by European dignitaries, and the collections of prints were sold at high prices.

The sensation created by these artists was not limited to culture alone.

The depictions of Joseon’s developed state in the paintings and prints stimulated political and religious leaders in various European countries.

“How long will we continue to fight? That country in the East is so far ahead; we cannot be left behind!”

“Either settle it decisively, or reconcile!”

As these opinions became mainstream, the whole of Europe was once again greatly shaken.

Charles VII of France, who had earned the title ‘Charles the Victorious’, began to reorganize the country in earnest after strengthening the royal authority.

‘I will make France the Joseon of Europe!’

This was the slogan he put forward.

Interestingly, France and Charles VII were not the only country and ruler to advocate for a ‘Joseon of Europe’.

Meanwhile, the religious world was also experiencing similar changes. Nicholas V, who succeeded Pope Eugene IV, devoted himself to the stability and harmony of the clergy.

The situation at the time was also favorable to him.

He concluded the Vienna Concordat with Frederick III in 1448, and the Antipope Felix V abdicated. The Council of Basel, which had been at odds with the Vatican, recognized Nicholas V as the one and only Pope and dissolved itself.

Nicholas V, faced with a situation favorable to himself, actively used it.

“The rulers of Joseon are said to have gathered not only the wisdom of the East but also the wisdom of Rome to seek the truth! Repent and reflect! And research!”

Thus began the reign later known as the ‘Age of Reflection and Repentance (Tempus reflexionis et poenitentiae)’.

Nicholas V, who put forward the above slogan, supported humanists and changed the design to further expand the size of the Vatican Library, which was under construction.

* * *

Giovanni, hearing Cosimo’s story, stammered in embarrassment.

“S-Surely… all of that happened because of me?”

At Giovanni’s words, Cosimo shook his head lightly.

“Not all of it. Charles, and the Vatican, there have been such movements since the letters came from Joseon. You were a catalyst. It’s just that this time, because they could see it with their own eyes, everyone started to move.”

“Ah….”

Giovanni nodded at Cosimo’s words. Looking at Giovanni, Cosimo smiled and continued.

“Thanks to you, I was able to gain a lot of profit. My network became a little thicker, and I was able to set up a few more branches.”

“Congratulations!”

“Up to this point, it’s a celebration. But there are also problems that have arisen.”

The smile disappeared from Cosimo’s face as he continued.

“Tell me about ‘The Book of Challenges’.”

* * *

Giovanni, Enkh, and Mehmed II were not the only ones who learned about the existence of ‘The Book of Challenges’.

The artists Giovanni had brought were fascinated as soon as they saw the Iron Horse [early tank or armored vehicle], and stayed close to draw or remember its appearance. In the process, they became acquainted with the monks working in the research institute, and through them, they learned about the existence of The Book of Challenges.

The returning artists did not just complete works. In between completing their works, they wrote or dictated accounts of what they had seen and heard in Seoul, creating travelogues.

Then, publishers who smelled money clung to them, and these publishers’ travelogues quickly became bestsellers.

And European scholars who learned about The Book of Challenges through those travelogues hurriedly packed their bags.

“I must go to Joseon, no, the Empire, right now!”

The fact that Joseon had changed to the Korean Federal Empire through letters from monks and artists was widely spread. And, from some point on, among European intellectuals, the Empire (Imperium) became a word referring to the Korean Federal Empire.

– A country where the ruler encourages learning and allows free research regardless of religion, as long as they do not insist on proselytizing.

-The Book of Challenges and the Book of Responses alone make it a country like the scholars’ ideal!

– After the fall of the Roman Empire, the only country that deserves to be called a true empire is the Korean Federal Empire!

This was the judgment among European intellectuals of the time.

* * *

Unlike the scholars who learned about the existence of The Book of Challenges and packed their bags to go to the Empire, politicians and merchants reacted differently.

– Just knowing the challenges written in The Book of Challenges will prevent you from getting lost! No, you can overtake them!

– If I can properly obtain The Book of Challenges and the Book of Responses and make them my own, the hegemony of the world will be mine!

They believed that The Book of Challenges and the Book of Responses were the basis for Joseon’s rapid development and its ability to develop into an empire based on that development.

Those who thought that far all faced the same problem.

“But how do we get it?”

* * *

Cosimo, after listening to Giovanni’s explanation, stroked his chin and continued his questions.

“So, both The Book of Challenges and The Book of Responses are kept hidden under strict security even in the Empire?”

“That is correct.”

“Shall we hire skilled thieves?”

“It’s impossible because they look different from the start [referring to ethnic differences].”

“That’s certainly a problem. Then, the monks… ah, this has already failed… hmm… Shall we ask the Pope?”

At Cosimo’s words, Giovanni continued to shake his head.

“He might even renounce his vows.”

“He refused Mehmed II’s offer to renounce his vows, didn’t he?”

“Isn’t this a different case?”

Cosimo made a dumbfounded expression at Giovanni’s answer.

“Is it that serious?”

“It’s not an exaggeration. Judging from the reaction of the monks I met at that time, it’s safe to say that The Book of Challenges is under God, and the Pope is under that.”

“This is….”