Black Corporation: Joseon

After successfully returning from his visit to Joseon, Henry quickly became the idol of European high society.

Personal invitations from royal courts across Europe, excluding Portugal’s eternal rival Spain, arrived almost daily at Henry’s residence.

Henry politely declined most of these invitations with the following explanation:

“I am deeply grateful for your invitation. However, I regret that I cannot accept as I plan to depart for Joseon again soon.”

While Henry declined most invitations, there was one place he had to visit – Florence.

The Pope, who had taken refuge in Florence after conflicts with the council, had sent a personal invitation.

Not only was it the Pope’s personal invitation that prompted his decision, but it was also the perfect opportunity to deliver the letter Giovanni had requested and to meet Cosimo de’ Medici secretly.

***

On the day Henry visited Florence, notable figures from Italy and Europe gathered in the city.

“Here is the letter written by Brother Giovanni, Your Holiness.”

“Thank you indeed, Duke. May the Lord’s blessing continue to be with you.”

“Thank you, Your Holiness.”

Pope Eugene IV received the letter from Henry, opened it, and frowned.

“More ink blotting? Hmm…”

After reading the letter’s contents, Eugene IV handed it to an aide.

“Read it aloud.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

The aide read the letter’s contents to the gathered church dignitaries and Italian intellectuals.

“The contents under those ink blots are truly intriguing.”

“Indeed they are.”

After the reading finished, all the intellectuals present were curious about what lay beneath the blotted portions.

Like Angelo’s letters transmitted through Joseon merchant groups traveling between Joseon and Alexandria, Giovanni’s letter only deepened their thirst for knowledge due to these ink blots.

Unlike these intellectuals, Eugene IV and his close associates wore serious expressions for different reasons.

“An official document…”

“This is quite problematic.”

“If we handle this wrongly, it could give the Council of Basel and the Duke of Savoy ammunition against us.”

The conflict between the Council and the Pope over supremacy was still ongoing.

During this conflict, a rebellion forced the Pope to flee Rome, and the Council of Basel declared Eugene IV a heretic and announced his deposition. After ousting the Pope, the Council had recently elected Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy, as the new Pope – the emergence of Antipope Felix V.

In this process, Eugene IV had made various attempts to secure political advantage.

He had declared unity with the Eastern Orthodox Church and reached agreement with the Armenian Apostolic Church at the council he convened in Florence instead of Basel, as there had been agreement between both sides.

However, these were agreements between denominations split under the broader framework of Christianity. ‘Officially’ permitting ancestor worship practiced by non-believers from Joseon could trigger tremendous backlash.

Finally, Eugene IV sighed and reached a conclusion.

“Let’s deliberate further before making a decision.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“That seems the wisest course.”

***

While attending to his schedule with the Pope, Henry maintained secret meetings with Cosimo.

“Here are porcelain pieces brought from Joseon.”

As Henry personally handed over a set of Joseon bone china teacups, Cosimo expressed his gratitude.

“Thank you, Duke.”

“Though we had already agreed, I regret I cannot offer you dividends.”

When Duke Henry expressed his regret, Cosimo waved his hand dismissively.

“It’s fine. In fact, it’s a great benefit considering we could shake off those persistent flies.”

“I’m grateful you see it that way.”

Though Henry was a prince of Portugal and held the rank of duke, he could never look down on Cosimo.

While Henry held an immensely high status and wielded tremendous power within Portugal, Cosimo dealt with ruling classes across Europe. In terms of deployable power and economic might, Cosimo was not someone who could be dismissed as just another merchant.

Therefore, clearing the toxic creditors with this profit had been possible only through prior consultation with Cosimo.

-Looking to the future, we must exclude the riffraff!

Under this agreement, Henry could clear the toxic creditors without burden.

“Still, it’s remarkable that you could clear everything with just one voyage.”

Henry nodded at Cosimo’s assessment.

“Though I was prepared for some sacrifice myself, Joseon’s capabilities were extraordinary. When operating in the seas east of the Arabian Peninsula, it’s safe to say traveling with the Joseon navy is absolutely essential.”

“To that extent?”

At Cosimo’s question, Henry answered with an expression of lingering disbelief.

“No matter how I think about it, those Joseon fellows are madmen.”

“Oh?”

“Not just their ocean-going vessels, but even their small coastal boats are completely plastered with cannons. They’re clearly not in their right minds.”

“That serious?”

“Thanks to that, we could move safely while traveling with them, but thinking about it again, they’re definitely not sane. It’s as if they have some grudge against cannons…”

At Henry’s words, Cosimo couldn’t hide his surprise and exclaimed.

“My… Then military force is out of the question.”

“Military force must be absolutely ruled out.”

“I see. Ah! Did you ride the iron horse of Hanseong that I’ve only heard rumors about?”

“Iron horses run not just in Hanseong but throughout Joseon. And they’re even bigger and faster now…”

“Oh?”

Henry explained in more detail than he had to the king and Pope. As Cosimo was currently his biggest investor and would likely invest more in the future, he had to do his best.

“Hmm…”

Having heard Henry’s explanation, Cosimo stroked his chin with a serious expression. After contemplating for a while, he asked Henry.

“Are these iron horses truly that useful?”

“For transporting goods over land, they’re definitely more useful than any cart or wagon. Of course, the costs of introducing iron horses and constructing tracks are not insignificant.”

“Hmm…”

At Henry’s words, Cosimo fell silent and sank back into thought.

After being lost in his own thoughts for a while, Cosimo posed another question to Henry.

“What do you think about the iron horses?”

“I believe we could achieve the best results if we can secure the optimal location.”

Henry walked to the Mediterranean map hanging in Cosimo’s office. Standing before it, he traced an imaginary line northward from Suez with his finger.

“If we install tracks along this route, there’s no need to circumnavigate Africa. And no need to go to Alexandria either.”

Cosimo raised an objection to Henry’s explanation.

“There’s talk lately of moving west of the Gibraltar Strait to reach Joseon.”

“I’ve heard that too. However…”Pausing, Henry shook his head.

“If the western sea is even slightly wider than we think, it’s absolutely impossible with our current ships.”

Cosimo nodded at Henry’s answer.

The main reason Portugal, Spain, and latecomers France and England had established colonies along the African coast while exploring alternate routes to Joseon was for supplies.

Having dismissed the western route as impossible, Henry added:

“Ah! With ships the size of Joseon’s, the possibility might be higher. The problem is that Joseon is unlikely to sell those ships.”

Cosimo nodded at Henry’s words. As they examined the map, Henry frowned and grumbled.

“Both India and Joseon being in the far East makes this truly an unfair world.”

“Must be God’s mischief.”

The conversation that had strayed soon returned to its main track.

“Must it be that region?”

“It’s the shortest distance.”

“The Mamluks won’t sit idle. No, the Ottomans won’t either.”

“But if we divert to Alexandria, we’ll only be fattening the purses of those heretics.”

“However, if we try to control that region by force, we might only lose money on military expenses. Duke, you might experience the nightmare of Ceuta again if we’re not careful.”

When Cosimo mentioned ‘Ceuta,’ Henry’s expression darkened considerably.

***

Ceuta was both a symbol of glory and shame for Henry.

After expelling Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula, the Kingdom of Portugal had attacked Ceuta. At the time, Ceuta was the center of Morocco’s trade routes. Capturing it would give them control over Mediterranean and African trade routes.

Henry had led the charge in this conquest of Ceuta.

However, when Morocco made Tangier their new trade hub while simultaneously turning it into a military stronghold to check Ceuta, the resulting events brought great shame to Henry.

***

Henry responded painfully to Cosimo’s observation.

“I won’t make the same mistake twice. This time, we can secure definite support.”

“Are you certain?”

Henry nodded at Cosimo’s question.

“There are quite a few who’ve seen the fortune made from goods brought from Joseon.”

“The flies might swarm again if we’re not careful.”

Henry immediately answered Cosimo’s concern.

“That’s why I’ll persuade the Regent.”

“The Regent? Hmm…”

When Henry mentioned ‘the Regent,’ Cosimo began calculating possibilities again.

***

Portugal’s current king, Afonso V, was only eight years old.

When the previous king, Duarte, died suddenly of the plague, six-year-old Afonso V had ascended to the throne. Due to the king’s young age, the prince’s mother Queen Leonor and Afonso V’s uncle, Duke Pedro of Coimbra, were jointly appointed as regents.

However, as opposition to appointing the Aragonese queen as regent reached its peak, the Portuguese parliament resolved in 1439 to make Pedro sole regent. The ousted queen was forced to exile in Castile.

Though the situation seemed settled, another political conflict emerged.

A political clash arose between Regent Pedro and the nobles.

To strengthen royal power and make the nation prosperous, Pedro restricted the nobles’ power and focused on nurturing the bourgeoisie.

This naturally provoked resistance from the nobles, led by Pedro’s half-brother, Count Afonso of Barcelos.

Barcelos had been deeply dissatisfied with his low title. After marrying the daughter of a founding merit subject’s family and acquiring vast wealth, Afonso used this financial power to recruit disgruntled nobles and establish himself as Pedro’s political rival.

Knowing this internal situation in Portugal, Cosimo began calculating probabilities again.

***

“It seems feasible…”

After nodding at Henry’s opinion, Cosimo asked with a serious expression.

“Setting aside matters of faith, let’s think purely about political and military issues, and the future. How about adding another helper for more certain success?”

“Who do you mean?”

To Henry’s question, Cosimo gave a brief answer.

“The Ottomans.”