Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 775

Distributed by Ajit Novel (formerly Ajitun Novel).

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775. A Self-Inflicted Disaster… (10)

Jonathan Brow, the captain of the flagship leading the fleet, faced questioning from the clan’s representative and other captains regarding his proposal.

“Rescue the slaves?”

“Captain Brow, are you suggesting we use slaves as crew members?”

Amidst the barrage of questions, Captain Jonathan Brow calmly explained his reasoning.

-It’s difficult to find crew members now, even with offering a premium, especially upfront.

-If we can’t secure skilled sailors, we’ll have to settle for inexperienced or completely untrained individuals.

-Therefore, buying slaves and using them as crew is a viable option.

-If we promise them freedom upon a successful voyage, they will work diligently even with minimal compensation.

Brow’s explanation led the clan’s representative and other captains to nod in agreement.

“It seems like a decent idea….”

“The problem is the cost of buying slaves. We might end up spending more than offering a premium for sailors.”

In response to the clan representative’s concern, Captain Thomas, who had been listening, spoke on behalf of Captain Brow.

“There will be hardly any additional costs. Rumor has it that the slave market in Ceuta [a Spanish city on the North African coast] is overflowing with slaves these days.”

“Ceuta has an oversupply of slaves? Why?”

“The railway being constructed in Suez [a city in Egypt, at the southern end of the Suez Canal] is nearing completion. As a result, the unneeded slaves are being released back into the market.”

“Hmm…. Doesn’t that mean they’re only getting rid of the ones who can’t work properly?”

Captain Brow responded to the representative’s concern.

“That’s not necessarily the case. According to rumors, those from the ‘Land of Flowers’ [likely a reference to a powerful empire known for its meticulousness] have managed them diligently, so their health is good and they work well. They supposedly got rid of the incapable ones early in the construction. The people from the ‘Land of Flowers’ were thorough in that regard.”

“Hmm….”

At Captain Brow’s explanation, the clan representative stroked his beard and began calculating in his mind.

As Captain Brow mentioned, those dispatched from the Empire took great care in managing the slaves.

Initially, the management of the slaves was handled by people sent from Portugal and the Ottoman Empire.

However, their management was a mess.

The slaves had to endure harsh labor while receiving inadequate meals. If they were injured in accidents during construction, proper treatment was out of the question, leading to frequent cases of them being crippled and abandoned in the desert.

This sight caused the railway construction workers dispatched from the Empire to revolt.

“Damn it! At this rate, even a project that could succeed will fail!”

Eventually, the railway construction workers took over the management of the slaves themselves. The alliance only had to supply the slaves.

The railway construction workers taking over the management of the slaves was due to practical reasons and superstition.

“You feed a cow properly before you make it work! How can they work properly if they’re fed like that?”

“If they get hurt, you should think about treating them properly and using them again! Or, you should supply slaves in a timely manner without missing the opportunity!”

‘Smooth project progress’ was the practical reason, while superstition was about fearing the vengeful spirits of the dead slaves.

Just as sailors believed in all sorts of superstitions and jinxes, those carrying out the railway construction also believed in superstitions and jinxes.

Regardless of whether it was the mainland, North, or New territories of the Empire, laying railways was a life-threatening task.

The sites were filled with all sorts of wild beasts and bandits, as well as heavy equipment and explosives.

The slightest carelessness could lead to death or disability, which made those in charge of the construction sensitive to superstitions and jinxes.

It was standard practice to hold a ceremony to pray for safe progress before starting construction, and if they saw indigenous religious facilities similar to village guardian shrines, they would either detour or hold grand rituals before demolishing them.

This was also the case in Suez.

First, the Empire held a ceremony to pray for a trouble-free construction, and priests and imams blessed the site.

In this situation, it was only natural that the Empire’s people were outraged to see slaves dying indiscriminately.

“It’s one thing if bandits attack and die! But even if those black devils are slaves, you can’t just kill them like that! How are we going to appease their vengeful spirits! What if the tracks we’ve laid are cursed!”

“It’s already unfair to die or get hurt, but if they die like dogs like that, they’ll come back as ghosts to take revenge!”

Thus, with practical reasons and superstition combined, the Empire’s people took full charge of managing the slaves.

As the Empire’s people took over the management of the slaves, the treatment of the slaves changed significantly.

Immediately, the quality and quantity of food that the slaves ate became substantial. Also, work was stopped during excessively hot hours, and sufficient rest and water were provided.

Slaves who were injured in accidents or fell ill were able to receive adequate treatment, and if they lost their lives, they were respectfully buried and a joint memorial service was held.

With the Empire’s people taking the lead, the railway construction in Suez proceeded smoothly, picking up speed.

* * *

“It’s good, but I’m concerned that slaves are the kind who only move when disciplined with a whip.”

Seeing the clan representative still hesitant, Brow added.

“We can select the useful ones and then give them a choice: become a sailor or go to a sugarcane plantation.”

At Brow’s words, the clan representative nodded with a bright expression.

“Ah! There was such a method!”

The sugarcane plantations in the Azores [an autonomous region of Portugal] and the Portuguese colonies in Africa were the places that bought the most slaves from the slave market in Ceuta.

The sugar produced from the sugarcane plantations in the Azores and Africa was the main source of income for the Portuguese nobles.

The sugar produced from the sugarcane plantations was a lucrative product that was sold not only in Europe but also to the Empire.

Of course, there were those who suffered from this sugar: the sugarcane farmers of Ming [the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644].

The price of sugar produced using slaves was lower than the price of sugar produced by Ming farmers. As a result, over time, the Portuguese sugar began to increase its market share in the Empire and Wa’s sugar markets.

To make matters worse, Portuguese sugar began to encroach on Ming’s sugar market, and Ming began to consider countermeasures.

* * *

In the end, the clan representative accepted Brow’s proposal.

Fortunately, they had secured the minimum number of crew members needed to operate the ships in the fleet.

“Then let’s depart! Where are we going first? Ceuta, as expected?”

At the clan representative’s question, who had joined the voyage, Brow shook his head.

“No. Calais [a city in northern France] is the priority.”

“Why Calais?”

“We need to join the trade ships heading to Italy. To avoid pirates.”

At this time, Calais was English territory and England’s largest trading port. It was where English merchant ships heading to Italy, Alexandria [a major city in Egypt], and various regions of the Mediterranean gathered.

The merchant ships gathered in Calais traveled through the Mediterranean in large groups.

This was due to the Barbary pirates [pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa], who had established themselves in North Africa, especially in the Morocco and Algeria regions.

The entrance to the Mediterranean had always been a pirate-infested area.

Over time, as Muslims and Jews who were pushed out during the Reconquista [a period in the Iberian Peninsula of about 781 years between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711, the expansion of the Christian kingdoms throughout Hispania, and the fall of Granada in 1492] joined the pirates, their power grew even stronger.

To defend against the attacks of the strengthened pirates, the merchant ships chose to organize and move in large fleets.

Brow explained in more detail.

“Our fleet has a total of five ships. It’s not a large number, and the bigger problem is that we have too few crew members. It’s best to hitch a ride with the fleet departing from Calais.”

“Hmm… I see. Then let’s go to Calais first.”

Three days later, the fleet led by Brow departed from the port of London.

Consisting of two carracks [a three- or four-masted ocean-going sailing ship] and three caravels [a small, highly maneuverable sailing ship], it was the first expedition to find the ‘Western Route’.

Many London citizens gathered at the Port of London to watch the departure of the expedition, called the ‘Brow Fleet’ after the surname of Brow, the head captain leading the fleet.

“Wow~.”

“God bless you!”

“We wish you success!”

Receiving the cheers and blessings of the London citizens, the fleet moved towards Calais.

Watching the fleet gradually move away, the members of other clans moved busily.

“We may have missed the ‘first’ title, but we must not miss the ‘success’ title!”

“Go to the shipyard immediately and check the situation!”

* * *

Upon arriving in Calais, the captains of the ‘Brow Fleet’ moved busily.

They inquired about the departure date and size of the fleet heading to the Mediterranean, and on the other hand, they went around to recruit additional crew members to join the voyage.

As the captains moved busily, rumors naturally spread, and a group of scholars approached after hearing these rumors.

“You said you would join the voyage?”

“That is correct.”

“Why would scholars want to do that?”

“If the existence of the ‘Western Route’ is proven, it will be a contribution that will be remembered in academia. Therefore, you must allow us to participate.”

Hearing the scholars’ request, Captain Brow and the clan representative looked at the scholars with suspicious eyes.

Seeing their expressions, the scholars hurriedly added.

“We are not French!”

“We will also provide funds!”

Whether it was the second answer that they liked, five scholars were allowed to join the voyage.

* * *

After spending fifteen days in Calais, the ‘Brow Fleet’ joined the fleet heading to Italy and departed.

As they slowly sailed south and passed through the ‘Pillars of Hercules’ [the two promontories that flank the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea], Captain Brow took out his spyglass after spotting ships in the distance.

“Those are Portuguese.”

After confirming the flags on the masts of the ships in the distance, Brow gave orders to the crew.

“Raise the flag! Make it clear that we are English ships!”

“Yes!”

At Captain Brow’s command, a flag with a red cross on a white background was raised to the top of the mast.

Brow explained the situation to the representative.

“In some ways, the Portuguese and the Spanish are similar to pirates. If they don’t know the nationality of the ship in front of them or if they look weak, they will attack unconditionally. No, they attack even if they know.”

“They attack even if they know?”

“Trade ships traveling between Africa and the Mediterranean are lucrative. Therefore, we must never fall behind until we arrive in Ceuta.”

At Brow’s warning, the clan representative looked at the Portuguese ships in the distance with a worried expression.

* * *

After safely passing through the entrance to the Mediterranean, the Brow Fleet parted ways with the trade fleet near Ceuta.

“From now on, pay close attention! Now, we are truly on our own!”

“Yes!”

Brow’s fleet headed to Ceuta as quickly as possible, guarding all sides.

Upon safely arriving in Ceuta, the Brow Fleet soon caught the attention of Ceuta’s merchants and the Portuguese navy.

“Why have English ships come?”

“The ships are quite numerous for just trying to get slaves, aren’t they?”

“The ships are all brand new.”

Before long, rumors about the purpose of the Brow Fleet spread, and the expressions of the Portuguese became strange.

“The Western Route?”