Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 694

694. Sixty-First Birthday (1)

“55 percent? That’s absurd!”

“Are you even making sense?”

“That’s a joke taken too far!”

“This is highway robbery!”

No sooner had Kim Jong-seo finished speaking than all the representatives shouted in unison.

The atmosphere was so tense a brawl could break out any second, but Kim Jong-seo remained unfazed.

“Another cup of black bean tea here, please.”

Kim Jong-seo took a sip of the freshly poured tea and asked, looking genuinely puzzled, “What’s the problem? Our Empire is covering 70% of the expenses you claim you can’t afford, and we’re only asking for 55% in return? Don’t you realize how generous the Empire’s offer is?”

“How is this a good deal?”

At the French representative’s outburst, Kim Jong-seo turned his gaze to Giovanni.

“I’ll ask the representative from Florence over there. Since the representative from Florence comes from a famous merchant family. Have you ever seen people pool money to start a business and divide the shares equally?”

“…No, I haven’t.”

Giovanni hesitated before answering, and Henrique immediately jumped into the conversation.

“This situation is different!”

“How so?”

“It’s a matter between nations! Not a simple partnership between merchants! There’s a difference in national power, which must be taken into account!”

Kim Jong-seo smiled wryly at Henrique’s words and retorted, “Take the difference in national power into account? In that case, our Empire could demand 80%, couldn’t we?”

“Now listen here!”

The Ottoman representative couldn’t stand it any longer and shouted, but Kim Jong-seo ignored him and continued, addressing each point meticulously.

“First, who controls the sea route from Suez to the Empire? Has the Duke of Portugal forgotten who he is?”

Henrique hesitated before answering Kim Jong-seo’s question.

“…The Empire does.”

“Second, where did most of the weapons that brought you victory in this so-called war come from?”

“…The Empire.”

“Then, would you say the national power of the Empire, which possesses tens of thousands of soldiers armed with those weapons, is weak or strong? For your information, our Empire is the nation that defeated the Ming Dynasty, which you call Kitai [an archaic name for China].”

“…I acknowledge the Empire’s strength.”

Kim Jong-seo drove the point home with Henrique’s admission.

“Then, according to the Duke’s logic, our Empire has every right to demand 80%, wouldn’t you agree? We’re covering 70% of the construction costs and we have the strongest national power.”

“….”

When Henrique couldn’t answer and fell silent, the French representative stepped in.

“Hmph! That may be true east of Suez! But is the Empire truly a great power west of Suez?”

Kim Jong-seo’s smile turned even more sardonic at the French representative’s provocation. The representatives instantly realized one thing from Kim Jong-seo’s bitter smile.

‘This man! He’s not just a bureaucrat! He’s a veteran of the battlefield!’

With a smile that seemed to reek of bitter blood, Kim Jong-seo responded, “Shall we find out? Should our Empire join hands with the Mamluks [a former slave soldier class in Egypt] and Spain and start another war? Our Empire doesn’t start fights, but we never back down from one that’s brought to us. And we’ve won them all. Feel free to try us if you’re confident.”

“You dare!”

The French representative jumped up from his seat and shouted. The Ottoman representative hurriedly intervened.

“War only brings pain to everyone! It seems the French representative misspoke! I apologize on his behalf! Let’s stop here!”

At the Ottoman representative’s mediation, the French representative sat back down, and Kim Jong-seo lightly raised his hand to offer an apology.

“My apologies. I should be more restrained at my age, but it’s not easy. Hahaha.”

He laughed, but Kim Jong-seo’s eyes did not smile.

With the atmosphere barely calmed, the discussion resumed.

“Frankly speaking, we shed a lot of blood to win the last war. So, it’s hard to accept the Empire demanding so much.”

Kim Jong-seo nodded at the Ottoman representative’s honest statement.

“I’ve heard from the Empire that it was quite a difficult war. But war is war, and business is business. I hope you’ll keep that in mind.”

“But the reason we waged war was…”

“Hold on.”

Kim Jong-seo cut off the Ottoman representative’s words with a cold voice.

“There’s something you must not forget. The Empire doesn’t need to know, nor does it want to know, why you waged war. Why? Because our Empire didn’t instigate the war. On the contrary, our Empire suffered immense losses as the trade routes were disrupted by the war you waged. Please keep that in mind.”

At Kim Jong-seo’s firm stance, Giovanni sighed deeply and rose from his seat.

“Haa… It seems difficult to reach a conclusion today. We’ve heard the Empire’s terms, and we need time to consider them. Let’s call it a day.”

And so, the first day of the meeting came to an end.

* * *

Over the next two months, a grueling war of words ensued. Kim Jong-seo and the representatives of the alliance engaged in a fierce battle of wits over the Empire’s share.

Shouts and curses flew back and forth, creating a hostile atmosphere. Countless recesses and adjournments were called, and just as many carrier pigeons and messengers traveled across the Mediterranean.

As the representatives of the alliance struggled in Suez, fierce debates raged in their home countries as well. And more and more people crossed the Mediterranean to help the alliance representatives.

Through this process, the representatives’ arguments became sharper, but Kim Jong-seo calmly deflected their attacks with a relaxed expression.

‘Have you ever experienced the Situ era [likely a reference to a period of political turmoil or a specific historical figure known for strict governance] or the current Emperor? Or been scolded by the Ministry of Finance officials over budget issues? How amusing!’

Whenever he saw the representatives wearing confident expressions as if they had landed a critical hit, Kim Jong-seo scoffed inwardly and dealt with them skillfully.

“…Well, this issue needs to be discussed with my home country.”

And whenever these words came out, Kim Jong-seo mercilessly dug into their insecurities.

“When I came here, His Majesty entrusted me with all responsibility and authority. But since you are not in the same position… Hmm…”

‘To not have the trust of your monarch, your situation is truly pitiful!’

The representatives could guess the unspoken words that Kim Jong-seo had cut off. And each time, their faces contorted in agony.

* * *

After such fierce debate, the alliance and the Empire were able to reach an agreement.

-The Empire will be responsible for 60% of the total construction cost.

-The Empire will supply the railroad tracks and materials for constructing the railroad, as well as the iron horses [early trains], freight cars, and passenger cars.

-The Empire will manage the necessary equipment and technicians to ensure that the construction proceeds without disruption.

-The Empire will take 40% of the shares in the joint venture that will manage this railroad and port.

However, the biggest gain for the Empire was the last item.

-To ensure the safety of the sea route from the Empire to Suez, the Empire may establish a naval base in Suez. In return, the Empire must reliably guarantee the safety of the sea route.

-This naval base will be recognized as permanent territory of the Empire.

Kim Jong-seo, who had signed the agreement, gathered the documents containing the agreement and its supplementary clauses.

“I don’t think I’ll be scolded too badly with this. Now that the agreement has been signed, the Empire will do its best to uphold it.”

“I hope you keep your word.”

“Don’t worry. The materials and technicians will arrive starting next year.”

As Kim Jong-seo rose from his seat after making that promise, Henrique asked him.

“Aren’t you going to stay and see how the remaining shares are divided?”

Kim Jong-seo smiled slightly at Henrique’s question and shook his head.

“That part is your problem, not the Empire’s, isn’t it?”

Kim Jong-seo left the negotiation room and returned to his lodgings, where he examined the agreement and its supplementary documents and burst into hearty laughter.

“Hahahaha! I’ve caught a big one!”

In the pre-negotiation process with Hyang, Kim Jeom, and the other ministers before coming from Seoul, the last item was the one that Hyang had proposed and the other ministers had actively supported.

“If we can just build a naval base, we can concede up to 35%. I won’t hold you responsible.”

Kim Jong-seo had replied with a determined expression to Hyang’s words.

“I will risk my life to not go below 40%!”

And Kim Jong-seo had kept his promise.

That wasn’t all.

Even if the Empire was responsible for 60% of the excessively calculated construction costs, there would still be a profit left over. And the railroad being laid in Suez was just the beginning. The moment countries saw the excellence of the Empire’s iron horses and railroads, they would flock to it.

Of course, they would hesitate at the cost of the Suez railroad construction, but by the time the Suez railroad was completed, the Empire would be at the point of running the new iron horse it was currently developing.

-For this reason, I’ll sell it cheaply, though it’s used. Will you buy it?

If they made an offer like this, more than one or two countries would jump at the chance.

Finally, the Empire would not be the only one using the Suez railroad.

The Suez railroad was also the perfect means of sending slaves or other valuable goods secured from the east coast of Africa to Europe or other regions.

No, not just Africa, but the Suez railroad was also the best way to send goods from India, the Indochina Peninsula, and Ming to the Mediterranean, and to export European goods.

To put it another way, the Port of Suez would grow into the largest trading port encompassing the Mediterranean, Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula.

And the Empire’s naval base would be established in this Suez.

Of course, the alliance was not unaware of this. However, they were insufficient in every way to seize control of the sea lanes from Suez to the Empire, so they had no choice but to hand it over to the Empire.

Kim Jong-seo, who had analyzed the future situation, looked east and muttered.

“So, that’s why you kept saying ship, ship, navy, navy? Just how many steps ahead did you see?”

* * *

Meanwhile, while the Empire was taking a large chunk, the representatives were continuing their fierce battle over what was left.

“You must not forget the blood our kingdom shed in the last war!”

“We shed that blood too!”

“Don’t forget who supplied the war expenses, mercenaries, and weapons!”

The warm atmosphere in which they had united to face the Empire had disappeared far away, and the representatives of the alliance were engaged in a mud fight.

After such fierce debate, the shares were divided as follows.

Ottoman 2, Portugal 1.5, France 1.3, Florence 1.2

None of the representatives wore a satisfied expression after the distribution. Everyone was full of dissatisfaction.

However, Giovanni was smiling inwardly.

‘I secured 1 percent more than what my father told me to secure! Including the Empire, no one has exceeded the majority! With this, our family can reap the greatest benefits!’

* * *

While light and darkness were diverging in Suez, Hyang was proceeding with another trick and act of fandom.

Hyang, who had summoned the artisan Wan from Area 51 [a fictional or humorous reference, implying advanced technology or unusual origins], handed him an order.

“Design and build a ship according to these specifications.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Wan, who had checked the order, looked at Hyang with surprised eyes.

“Are you ordering me to build a paddle steamer that uses a steam engine?”

“That’s right.”

“Wasn’t the paddle steamer that uses a steam engine buried because it was less efficient than the current windmill method?”

“That’s why I’m telling you to build it.”

“Yes?”