Black Corporation: Joseon Chapter 246

Episode 246 Prince Henry the Navigator (1)

Prince Henry the Navigator (Infante Dom Henrique o Navegador Prince Henry the Navigator)

Ceuta on the coast of northern Morocco.

smart.

Prince Henrique, who was checking documents at the sound of a light knock, answered quietly.

“come in.”

At Prince Henry’s command, the door opened and a knight came inside.

“What’s going on?”

“The ships have returned from Alexandria.”

“okay?”

Henrique smiled happily at the knight’s report and got up from his chair.

* * *

Enrique, who was watching the cargo being unloaded from the ships docked, looked back at the captains.

“What about things from Joseon?”

“It’s getting off over there.”

Hearing the captains’ words, Henrique moved his seat.

“Get down carefully! “If the product is damaged, even if you work all your life, you won’t be able to pay for it!”

“careful! careful!”

Sailors and slaves were carefully unloading cargo boxes amid the shouts of supervisors who managed the unloading of cargo.

Henrique’s expression hardened as he looked at the amount of cargo being unloaded from the ships.

“The amount is less than you thought?”

The official in charge of purchasing responded to Henrique’s point while breaking into a cold sweat.

“The Italians attacked with all their might…”

“Damn you mongrels!”

In response to the official’s reply, Henrique swore, forgetting about the prince’s physical condition.

* * *

A few years ago, great items came into the Alexandria auction house. In terms of quality and beauty, these products were far superior to those traded in the markets of Islamic regions and Europe at the time.

“Where are these things made?”

European and Islamic merchants who gathered in Alexandria asked the Adenite merchants who brought the goods where they came from.

“It’s a secret.”

“Let’s know!”

“It’s a secret!”

The merchants of Aden kept it completely silent, but the merchants who purchased the goods continued to try.

In this way, a merchant who had been tricked by bribes and alcohol opened his mouth.

“This is not the product we sought. “A merchant from Aden cleared the way.”

“So where is it?”

“They said it was Joseon.”

“Shipbuilding? Where is Joseon?”

“I don’t know that far.”

Therefore, for a while, Joseon was called a ‘land of mystery.’ had to be treated

It was only when Joseon products were released for the second time that the merchants’ curiosity was resolved.

The merchants who brought goods from Joseon for the second time, merchants from the Otaibi and Azram families of Aden, sold more diverse and larger quantities of goods to the auction house in Alexandria than the first time.

Expectations that prices would fall due to increased volume were greatly different. After hearing the rumor, more merchants flocked than the first time.

The merchants who flocked in like that asked the same question again while looking for goods.

“Where is Joseon?”

The merchants of the Otaibi and Azram families responded calmly.

“It’s to the east of Kitai (another name for Khitan tuning fork China).”

“East of Kitai? “Then isn’t it Jipangu?”

“It’s a country between Kitai and Zipangu.”

“Yes, thank you.”

After hearing the answer, the merchants expressed their gratitude and withdrew. Seeing this, the merchants of the Otaibi family and the Azram family smiled in conversion.

‘why? Want to visit?’

The reason why the Otaibi family and the Azram family were confident was the route and licensing issues.

Europe did not know the route to Kitai at all. Of course, there were quite a few Muslim merchants who knew the route to Kitai, but they were well aware of the dangers of that route.

Lastly, merchants who knew some information about Kitai and Zipangu were well aware of the existence of a ‘trade permit’. They were well aware that without this permit, only dangerous and low-profit smuggling would be possible.

‘As long as Joseon’s goods are released like that, smuggling doesn’t make sense!’

As Joseon products became popular, those who responded most enthusiastically were Italian merchants.

Based on the economic power they had secured through intermediary trade, Italian merchants bought goods from Joseon at random.

“These are items that will return several times as much gold as soon as they cross the Mediterranean!”

* * *

In this situation, merchants led by Prince Henry became involved in the competition between Italian merchants and Muslim merchants.

Prince Henry got involved in this competition for both economic and religious reasons.

As soon as Portugal, which had founded the country after expelling the Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula, gained strength, it invaded North Africa and secured Ceuta.

The reason Ceuta was secured was to secure a share of the trade routes in the Mediterranean region and to oust Islamic forces.

“Let’s conquer Morocco!”

Henrique, who contributed most to the capture of Ceuta, persuaded his father and other brothers to conquer Morocco.

The reason he made this claim was because of a story he heard from a merchant in Ceuta.

-There is a gold trade route that extends from the south of Africa across the desert to Morocco in the north.

In this story, Henrique strongly advocated the conquest of Morocco.

“If we conquer Morocco and secure its golden trade route, Portugal can instantly become a powerhouse!”

The king and other princes all agreed with Henrique’s argument. Because they too had heard and seen things. It has long been a well-known rumor that a significant amount of gold entering Morocco comes from somewhere in southern Africa.

However, Henrique’s challenge was immediately blocked by reality.

What stopped Henrique and Portugal were the mountains and deserts of Morocco.

The capabilities of Portugal, a new nation, were not enough to conquer Morocco by crossing these mountains and deserts.

In the end, Henrique steadily expanded Portugal’s stake in the Mediterranean trade route and simultaneously conducted exploration of the western coast of Africa.

“If the land route is difficult, just take the sea route!”

In such a situation, information and items about ‘Joseon’ came in.

* * *

Henrique’s explosive interest in Joseon began with a golden pen.

While walking around the market in Alexandria disguised as an ordinary merchant, Henrique heard the cries of an Islamic merchant.

“Buy a pen! Buy a pen from Joseon!”

“Shipbuilding? The Joseon of rumors? “Why is something that should only be found at an auction house here?”

Enhique, who was curious to hear that it was a product from a country where merchants were rumored to be making a fuss, walked towards it.

“Let’s take a look at the pen that came from somewhere in Joseon.”

“Yes sir! “It’s a very good pen, called Geumpil in Joseon!”

At Henrique’s words, the merchant took out the box containing the gold pen and opened the lid.

“Hoo!”

When Henrique saw the contents of the opened box, he let out an exclamation.

Inside the box was a gold pen that sparkled silver and a sack for inserting the gold pen. The patterns engraved on the gold pen were beautiful, but the hilt, made with mother-of-pearl lacquerware and boasting gorgeous patterns and luster, was also an extraordinary item.

When Henrique showed interest, the merchant eagerly continued the introduction.

“Isn’t it amazing? Do you see the floral pattern engraved on the inside of the box here? It has three flowers! “It’s not as good as a five-piece made of gold, but it’s still luxurious enough!”

“If it’s such a high-end item, why are you selling it here instead of putting it up for auction?”

The merchant answered Henrique’s question with a humble expression.

“When I went to Joseon to follow my elders, I spent all my own money to buy just one pen… And there is a quill pen that is light and easy to find, but no one buys an expensive pen made of silver.”

“If you were rich, would you buy it?”

“Those people don’t know me.”

“Hmm…”

Hearing the merchant’s words, Henrique looked at the merchant and nodded.

“Obviously…”

The merchant in front of me was so young that it would be more appropriate to say he was young. And although the clothes were clean, they were not nice clothes.

‘You’re a newcomer. ‘I guess I did it alone to gain experience.’

Enrique could understand the merchant’s struggle to sell gold pens.

It was one of the ways that quite a few merchants raised their successors. The idea was to give small funds to young people who had learned enough to work within the merchants and let them buy and sell products so that they could gain their own experience rather than experience taught by others.

Henrique felt a strange sense of kinship with that merchant. Feeling like he had failed in his attempt to conquer Morocco, Henrique asked the price.

“How much?”

* * *

Henry, who returned to his lodgings after purchasing a gold pen, put it in the bag, dipped it in ink, and wrote a sentence on paper.

“Hoo!”

Henrique, who tried writing with a gold pen, let out an exclamation.

This exotic silver pen, called the gold pen, had an amazing writing experience. The letters were written so softly, like a ship passing through a calm sea. Regardless of whether it is expensive paper or rough and cheap paper.

Henrique looked closely at the golden pen. It was clearly a mixture of silver and other metals, so it was thin yet had the necessary strength. Ink was sucked into the groove located along the center of the sharp pen nib, making it possible to write.

But what impressed me the most was the tip of the pen nib. It was not simply pointed, but slightly rounded so that it could be written without difficulty even on paper with a rough texture.

“That’s amazing.”

Henrique, who was smiling with joy at finding something greater than expected, had a different thought.

“Should I make this and sell it? I think the French would be crazy…”

While examining the box, assessing the possibilities, Henrique saw a warning engraved on the inside of the box’s lid.

The contents of the warning, written in Kitai characters and Arabic and Latin, were as follows:

-We will not engage in any transactions with people or countries that have copied without permission from Joseon.

“It’s Gwang-oh. “That’s great confidence.”

Henrique, who was laughing while looking at the warning, soon thought differently.

‘It is rumored that all the Joseon products on the market are all amazing. What if the country that manufactures such items starts trading directly?’

After thinking about all that, Henrique sighed.

“Whoa, it’s not just confidence.”

* * *

Henrique, who was so interested in Joseon, actually purchased Joseon items on the market and confirmed their value with his own eyes.

“These are items that will bring definite benefits!”

Convinced, Henrique immediately ran to his father and brothers and persuaded them that they should unconditionally purchase goods from Joseon.

Henrique’s persuasion was successful, and Portugal also entered the competition to purchase shipbuilding products.

However, the situation continued to be pushed back by Italy, which had powerful capital, and Henrique uttered an insult.

* * *

As competition intensified, Henrique’s interest in Joseon grew even more.

“What kind of people live in this country that can make these things?”

Products from Joseon, such as ceramic bowls and tea sets with beautiful patterns engraved on them, and subtle but captivating perfumes, all caught the eyes of merchants and people.

In the end, Henrique was not the only one interested in Joseon.

In that process, information about the location of Joseon was released.

-A country located between Kitai and Zipangu.

After hearing the rumor, Henrique looked at the gold pen in the pen holder and muttered without realizing it.

“No way… Prester John?”

Enrique was the name of a powerful Christian nation somewhere in the East that appeared in Marco Polo’s Travels to the East dating back to the time of the Crusades.