Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 832

832. Chicken Ribs (6)

Spain did its best, but the situation in the Mediterranean and West Africa was not good.

When they first competed with Portugal to secure the West African coast, things weren’t so bad.

Rather, despite the limitations of being a union of kingdoms, they slightly edged ahead because their population was larger than Portugal’s.

Thanks to this, the leaders of the united kingdoms at the time viewed the situation optimistically.

“It’s time to punish those Portuguese traitors!”

“We can annex Portugal again!”

However, before they knew it, Portugal had not only caught up with Spain but had also begun to surpass them.

“Why?”

The Spanish monarchs and nobles couldn’t understand why the situation had turned out differently from their expectations.

This was the result of Portugal’s focused efforts combined with Spain’s inherent limitations.

* * *

There were several reasons why Spain faced these limitations:

– Politics and economy dominated by Catholic fundamentalism.

The Spanish united kingdoms and Portugal were established as nations with Catholicism as the state religion after driving out the Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula through the Reconquista [the historical period of the Iberian Peninsula when Christian kingdoms reclaimed land from the Moors].

Although both Portugal and Spain had Catholicism as the state religion, their policies toward non-believers differed significantly.

In the case of Portugal, Muslims and Jews could continue to live there if they remained loyal.

On the other hand, Spain took the opposite approach.

Spain expelled all Muslims and Jews residing within its territory.

This wasn’t just a simple expulsion.

As they expelled Muslims and Jews, Spain lost a significant portion of its capable merchant class. With the disappearance of Muslim and Jewish merchants, Spain’s commerce and finance greatly contracted, and the valuable human networks that these merchants possessed also vanished.

In the end, Spain had no choice but to entrust the operation of its economy to Italian merchants from Genoa.

The traditional feudal nobles, primarily focused on animal husbandry, largely ignored this problem because there were no immediate major issues other than having to buy luxury goods at higher prices. Later, as the importance of international trade grew, this shortsightedness became a major obstacle.

-Portugal preempted trade with the ‘Land of Flowers’ [a common term for the Orient, particularly China, due to its rich culture and beautiful landscapes].

The competition on the West African coast saw Portugal and Spain alternately taking the lead.

However, the ambitious Prince Henrique [Prince Henry the Navigator] secured trade with the Empire [likely referring to a powerful Eastern empire, possibly China] first, which became the driving force for Portugal to surge ahead.

And this led to the next problem.

-They fell behind in the competition for talent.

Although Spain had a larger population than Portugal, its naval power was weaker.

Looking at the situation in Europe at the time, most of the key figures operating the ships of each country—captains, first mates, navigators, etc.—were hired regardless of their nationality.

Not only officers but also experienced veteran sailors often moved to different ships for better pay and opportunities.

Ships with capable and experienced officers and sailors were more likely to survive unforeseen events such as storms or pirate attacks. And a higher probability of survival meant more profit for the shipowners.

The criteria for capable sailors choosing a ship weren’t just about pay. The safety and reliability of the voyage were as important as the salary.

In this regard, Portugal had a significant advantage over Spain.

The routes to and from the Land of Flowers were completely controlled by the Imperial Navy. Therefore, as long as they sailed with the Imperial fleet, they only had to be wary of the waves. In fact, even the waves weren’t a major problem when traveling with the Imperial fleet.

If a storm seemed likely, the Imperial fleet would turn its bow to the nearest port. No port ever refused the Imperial fleet’s request to dock.

And Portugal was a country that had national-level trade rights with the Empire. In other words, the Empire guaranteed their identity and safety. Thanks to this, Portugal was able to safely enter and trade with various Asian countries.

‘A ship from a country that can travel safe and profitable routes.’

Few captains would refuse to operate a ship under such favorable conditions.

Therefore, Portugal’s naval power, which attracted many capable captains and sailors, became superior to that of Spain.

-Finally, the Suez trade route is controlled by Portugal and its allies.

The construction of the railway connecting Suez and Prince Henrique’s port in the north dramatically changed the economic structure of North Africa and the Mediterranean.

* * *

The decline of Alexandria, the largest trading port and center of trade in North Africa, marked the beginning of this change. And the decline of Alexandria accelerated the fall of the Mamluks [a ruling military class in Egypt and Syria].

It wasn’t just the Mamluks who suffered.

Based on the huge dividend income from the Suez trade route, Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire greatly strengthened his military power.

In particular, Mehmed II, seeing the success of the Empire and Portugal, significantly expanded his navy and used the strengthened fleet generously.

As a result, the maritime power of the Kingdom of Aragon, a major political force in Spain, collapsed. They lost their trade rights in the Levant region to the Ottomans.

Having succeeded in seizing control of the Levant and Caspian Sea regions, Mehmed II finally conquered the Eastern Roman Empire [Byzantine Empire].

With this, the eastern Mediterranean region fell into the hands of the Ottomans.

This change in the balance of power in the Mediterranean also had a significant impact on Italy.

* * *

What became apparent first was the Medici family’s firm grip on Florence.

Cosimo de Medici, who wielded influence over European monarchs with his vast wealth, also faced numerous challenges.

The architectural projects he had undertaken in Florence and other regions had largely failed, and he had spent enormous sums on various wars and political interventions.

Therefore, as soon as there were signs that the Suez War would turn into a protracted conflict, Cosimo’s vassals, the wealthy merchants, sought him out.

“It would be best to withdraw from Suez!”

“That’s right! A huge amount of money is being poured in right now! We’ll go bankrupt if we’re not careful!”

“Other families are just waiting for our family to go bankrupt! Especially the Pazzi family is showing their teeth!”

The vassals strongly argued for withdrawing from Suez, specifically mentioning the Pazzi family, a powerful rival of the Medici family that owned a prominent bank in Florence.

“You fools! Don’t just look at the immediate situation; think long-term!”

However, Cosimo de Medici did not heed his vassals’ warnings. In fact, he went even further and actively invested more funds in Suez.

Cosimo’s gamble paid off handsomely.

Although his stake was nominally the smallest, he held a delicate casting vote between the Empire and its allies. To prevent Cosimo from joining hands with the Empire, the allies secretly handed over a significant portion of the profits to Cosimo.

It wasn’t just the dividend income.

Most of the military funds consumed by the allies in the Suez War were ‘borrowed’ from Cosimo.

Thanks to this, a significant portion of the enormous profits earned by the allies in Suez went to Cosimo in the form of loan repayments and interest.

Based on these incoming funds, Cosimo once again began to dominate European politics, and the Pazzi family was relegated to a secondary position.

This marked the beginning of Cosimo’s Medici family once again, and completely, seizing control of Florence.

* * *

While Cosimo’s Medici family, and Florence, were increasingly gaining momentum, Genoa, Florence’s most powerful rival, was gradually declining.

As Spain and Portugal entered into full-scale competition in Africa, Genoa actively supported Spain.

It was an opportunity to gain even greater profits for Genoa, which was already making a substantial amount of money by controlling Spain’s economy.

The fact that Florence was the economic sponsor of Portugal was also a major concern. Genoa, which was fiercely competing for economic control of Italy and Europe, could not afford to back down.

The proxy war between Genoa and Florence, waged through Portugal and Spain, reached its peak during the Suez War.

They couldn’t afford to miss out on the enormous economic benefits that could be gained through trade with the ‘Land of Flowers’.

To defeat the visible enemies, the allies, and Florence lurking behind them, Genoa responded in kind.

They orchestrated the alliance between Spain and the Mamluks and attempted to tie down France by mobilizing the Habsburg Holy Roman Empire and England.

But this strategy was only partially successful.

England was distracted by its own civil war, and the Habsburgs, preoccupied with suppressing rivals vying for the throne of the Holy Roman Empire, only offered superficial assistance.

Therefore, Genoa provided considerable funds to the Eastern Roman Empire, which was in a state of near collapse.

This was an attempt to hinder the Ottomans, even if only slightly.

Genoa did its best to win in a high-stakes gamble, but in the end, it lost.

This was because the allies played their strongest card, the ‘Empire’, first.

Having lost the gamble, Genoa had no choice but to decline.

They were unable to replenish the enormous resources they had squandered in the Suez War.

It would take a long time just to sell the slaves and spices that Spain had acquired in Africa.

To make matters worse, Mehmed II’s destruction of the Eastern Roman Empire dealt a fatal blow.

This was because they had lost the Levant region, a major market for slaves and spices.

* * *

Thus, England, Spain, and Genoa, driven into a corner, became desperate to find a way out.

For those who were desperately trying to escape the looming crisis, the rumors related to the ‘unknown southern continent’ were a beacon of hope.

“If we can find it, we can escape this crisis!”

“We must find it!”

As with the ‘Western Route’ [likely referring to a westward sea route to Asia], a craze related to the ‘unknown southern continent’ began to sweep through England and Spain.

It wasn’t just a craze; it was a frenzy.

Not only nobles and merchants but also intellectuals and ordinary people talked about the ‘southern continent’ whenever they met.

Of course, there were also many who expressed skepticism and worried about this obsession.

“Isn’t it too much confidence without any concrete information?”

“It’s just a rumor circulating among the natives, isn’t it?”

To these objections, the confident faction retorted:

“There are multiple natives saying the same thing, right? Then there’s a high probability that it’s true!”

“Look at the Empire’s Shinji [likely referring to a specific exploration or project undertaken by the Empire]! There’s not enough evidence to definitively prove the existence of an unknown continent, but there’s no certainty that it doesn’t exist either!”

After a fierce debate between the two camps, the ‘Empire’ was brought into the discussion.

“The Empire must have heard these rumors, but the Empire isn’t taking any action! That means there isn’t one!”

The confident faction was momentarily silenced by the negative faction’s argument. Then, new rumors emerged from Suez.

-The Empire isn’t not doing it; it’s that they can’t do it!

-The Imperial Navy desperately requested permission for an expedition, but the Emperor and Prime Ministers of the Empire refused. The reason is that Shinji alone is already a massive undertaking!

The European intellectuals who heard these rumors realized the hidden truth within them.

-If the Empire had the resources and capacity, they would have already launched an exploration!

-That means the Empire believes there is a high probability that the rumor is true!

-Considering the Empire’s incredible ships, they have likely already conducted some preliminary investigation and are leaning towards the belief that it exists!

The Europeans who analyzed the situation to this point jumped up from their seats simultaneously.

The Empire had inadvertently fueled a situation where Europe was already on the verge of spontaneous combustion.

“The unknown southern continent exists!”