Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 643

643. Medici, Europe, Challenge Log. (3)

“I have to admit what needs admitting. Joseon, no, the Empire, has become too big for me to handle as I please.”

Cosimo cleanly acknowledged the situation.

“But, that doesn’t mean my pride will allow me to be pushed around. And, there’s not much profit to be gained either. Acknowledgement is acknowledgement, and profit is profit. I need to dig into the areas I can and seize the vital points.”

Cosimo thoroughly reanalyzed the situation.

“The weapons the Empire is offering to sell this time… it pains me, but I have no choice but to buy them. If I try to save money on that and go for a long-term battle, I’ll only suffer greater losses, especially with the current situation in Europe.”

* * *

Even before Nicholas V insisted on ‘reflection and repentance,’ Europe was slowly reducing conflicts and moving towards reconciliation.

One of the biggest reasons was the ‘fatigue’ of the people and nobles.

Long before the letters from the monks who arrived in Joseon ignited the situation, Europe had been suffering from religious disputes between the Pope and the Council of Basel.

In that situation, a single question posed by Hyang from Joseon fanned the flames, causing an even bigger fire.

As the religious disputes dragged on for over a decade, everyone from the nobles to the common people felt extreme fatigue.

* * *

In addition to these religious issues, economic problems also forced reconciliation.

Fierce, bloody conflicts erupted not only between religious figures and intellectuals but also between those who believed in different doctrines. And these conflicts escalated, leading to the devastation of many territories.

As a result, farmers and nobles facing economic difficulties began to pressure religious figures and intellectuals.

“Is this situation truly what God wanted?!”

The people’s resentment was the strongest pressure on religious figures and intellectuals.

The significant decrease in population due to the Black Death strengthened the position of serfs and independent farmers. Consequently, dissatisfaction also increased.

The means taken by lords and religious figures to appease these serfs and independent farmers was to hold festivals.

In addition to traditional festivals such as Easter and Christmas, festivals commemorating various saints were added.

Thus, many festivals took place throughout Europe, and merchants seeking to profit traveled all over Europe.

The most popular item sold by these merchants traveling around festivals was ‘Bongsu’ [a type of traditional Korean incense or medicine] exported from Joseon.

Meanwhile, these movements of nobles and commoners were also desired by wealthy merchants like Medici.

Most of the European nobles were debtors to wealthy merchants like Medici. Nobles were heavily indebted regardless of their rank or the size of their territory.

Therefore, the number of nobles who went bankrupt due to the prolonged religious disputes was increasing, and their bad debts were becoming a headache for the wealthy merchants.

* * *

“I can’t help but buy the weapons, but the condition the Empire has set is the problem.”

Cosimo reconsidered the ‘40% stake’ that Hyang had demanded.

“Since the Empire has come out like this, I have to rethink it as well. It’s a shame. I could have secured at least a 25% stake if things had gone well.”

As soon as Cosimo heard about the ‘four-nation joint venture’ from Giovanni, who had returned from the Empire, a plan immediately formed in his mind.

‘If this goes well!’

Cosimo didn’t miss that momentary flash of thought and immediately sent Giovanni back to the Empire.

After sending Giovanni to the Empire, Cosimo smiled with satisfaction.

“It’s not just Portugal that will be in trouble if the money I send stops.”

The Ottoman Empire was also indebted to Cosimo.

* * *

Although the Ottoman Empire was emerging as a new power in the Islamic region, maintaining that growth was not easy.

To expand its territory, the war front continued to expand, which meant that the proportion of military expenses in the finances was increasing. However, if they stopped expanding, those who were profiting from the war would surely revolt immediately.

There were two ways to solve this difficult problem.

One was to continue expanding until there was no more land to occupy or until the belligerent vested interests ran out of power.

The problem was that if an external invasion occurred in this weakened state, there was a very high risk of falling into ruin.

The other was to find another source of income not based on territory and take it as the Sultan’s own. Based on this resource, the Sultan would strengthen his power—military force—and then suppress the vested interests. If the vested interests could be controlled, expansion could be stopped at an appropriate level, and a stable national system could be established.

That was why they accepted Cosimo’s proposal. Occupying—though not monopolizing—the trade route to and from the ‘Land of Flowers’ [a poetic name for Joseon/Korea] would become a new source of income for the Sultan. In addition, attacking the treasure houses of Cairo and the fertile Nile Delta, famous for their wealth, would divert the attention of the vested interests symbolized by the Sipahi [Ottoman cavalrymen] and Timar [land grants given to Sipahi] systems.

When Murad II accepted the proposal, Cosimo supplied a significant amount of military funds and a large number of Florentine muskets copied from Joseon’s matchlock guns. And Murad II used the military funds and muskets he received to strengthen the power of the Janissaries [elite Ottoman infantry], the Sultan’s personal guard.

* * *

Cosimo was confident because he had Portugal and even the Ottoman Empire on a leash.

“Mehmed II made grand promises to the Empire, but he can’t escape from me.”

Although Mehmed II was the most powerful candidate for the next Sultan, Cosimo’s wealth was enough to manipulate this outcome.

And Mehmed II knew this. Therefore, Mehmed II could not ignore Cosimo’s words.

“Of course, he can change his words once he ascends to the Sultan’s throne, but I learned something good from the Empire’s actions.”

Before the competition among the Sultan candidates began in earnest, he would obtain a document from Mehmed II acknowledging the promise. Of course, like the Empire did, ‘in the name of Allah’.

After settling the situation in that way, Cosimo planned to obtain a 5% stake from Portugal and the Ottoman Empire, respectively. Of course, through a secret agreement that would not be disclosed to other countries, just like he did with the Empire. They would only find out after a dispute arose.

If he added the 5% he would obtain from the Empire, the Medici family’s stake would be 25% of the total.

With that level of stake, the Medici family would be able to maximize profits by coordinating between the three countries.

However, Hyang, the Emperor of the Empire, put a stop to this.

* * *

Analyzing the situation so far, Cosimo filled an empty glass with wine and stared at the map.

“Hmm… The Empire has landed a blow on me, so I need to land one on them, too, right?”

Cosimo’s gaze was fixed on France.

“Portugal alone is not enough to deal with the Ottoman Empire and the Empire. But…”

Cosimo moistened his throat with wine and continued.

“But, if it’s France, things will be different.”

* * *

Was it a butterfly effect caused by Hyang’s intervention? It ended almost six years earlier compared to the history before Hyang’s intervention.

It was Charles VII’s choice to win the struggle against the nobles—even including his own son.

“Normandy and Calais remain, but we can always take them back later! Right now, we need to suppress those nobles first!”

Charles VII, impressed by the Eastern monarchy he learned about through the monks’ letters, began to strengthen the royal authority in earnest.

Thanks to this, royal power strengthening policies, such as the increase in standing armies that existed in the history before Hyang’s intervention, were being carried out more vigorously.

And Charles VII actively utilized the division of the clergy to strengthen this royal authority.

By supporting reformist religious figures and intellectuals favored by the people and criticizing fundamentalists and conservatives, he weakened the power of the nobles, who were the traditional supporters of the conservatives.

However, what was absolutely necessary for all these schemes and tricks was money, a lot of money. Thanks to this, the relationship between Charles VII and Cosimo was very close.

Cosimo smiled bitterly as he recalled the political situation in France.

“Paris will be tempted, but Burgundy will also be tempted.”

At that time, Louis XI, Charles VII’s son and most powerful rival, was in Burgundy.

* * *

Whether it was Paris or Burgundy, France at the time was the country with the most soldiers with experience in actual combat—large-scale battles fought on a national level.

“If the weapons bought from the Empire are added here, we can quickly see the end of that tedious war. And, if it’s Portugal and France, the Ottoman Empire won’t be able to insist on its own way.”

After organizing his thoughts to that point, Cosimo poked the Suez region on the map with his finger and chuckled.

“And, the canal… I need to take advantage of the Empire’s mistake.”

Cosimo thought that the Empire’s recommendation of the canal was clearly a mistake.

“It’s not wrong. It’s true that transporting iron horses [trains] and railroads costs a lot of money. And, we have to worry about the leakage of technology. It’s also true that the process of unloading from the ship, loading onto the iron horse again, and then loading back onto the ship at the destination is cumbersome and costly.”

Cosimo refilled his empty glass with wine and continued with a grin.

“But, the problem is that while railroads and iron horses have to rely on the Empire for everything, canals don’t. The excavator that Giovanni mentioned is great, but it can be replaced. We can hire more laborers, or we can bring in more slaves. The excavator is not the only answer.”

As Cosimo said, this was a mistake made by Hyang and the Empire’s officials.

* * *

As Sejong began the reforms and the full-scale promotion of commerce and industry progressed, private slaves, except for government slaves, had almost disappeared.

To suppress the power of the local vested interests who opposed the reform policies symbolized by the reforms of private slaves, the court treated private slaves as property and raised the property tax rate.

As a result, a large number of private slaves were emancipated and released as commoners.

This was not only aimed at weakening the power of the local vested interests. It was also aimed at increasing wage laborers, who were necessary labor for the growing commerce and industry, an important consumer market, and a source of tax revenue to cover the increasing finances.

As private slaves became an endangered species, the concept of slavery faded from the minds of Sejong, Hyang, and the court officials.

Of course, a huge number of government slaves still remained, but the vast majority of them were political prisoners, that is, prisoners, so it was not relevant.

However, in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, slaves were still an everyday existence and the easiest means of securing labor.

Cosimo was trying to exploit this loophole.

“Why do I need the Empire’s excavator? Slaves are cheaper, aren’t they? And the more the Empire’s influence decreases, the more I benefit.”