Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 119
Episode 119 Made in Joseon. (2)
The confusion of the leader who returned from looking around the marketplace became even more intense as the captains reported.
“I didn’t see the inside of the Joseon naval base, but I looked at the sailing ships. “The ships that escorted us, as well as slightly smaller ships, were equipped with artillery.”
“entire?”
The captains gave short answers to the leader’s question, which was full of disbelief.
“Everything.”
“Huh…”
The captain let out a long breath in response to the captains’ response. Seeing the head like that, the most experienced captain – the captain of the ship on which the head of the Otaibi family rode – Sulaiman added something.
“Of course, the ships equipped with nearly 20 cannons are of the same class as the ships that escorted us. Small ships were equipped with two to four guns. Smaller ships did not carry artillery at all.”
The leader shook his head at the captain’s report.
“I have no idea what this country is like. If you look at the market during the day, it is as underdeveloped as a market in a village far away from Aden. Tables in alley restaurants are lined with expensive china and glasses, and navy warships are loaded with expensive cannons… What the hell is this Joseon? “What kind of country is this?”
Sulaiman answered the leader’s words succinctly.
“I do not know.”
“It’s a country I also can’t understand.”
Seeing the leader in confusion, an elder who had visited Joseon last time came forward.
“Hassan and Said, who work as officials in Joseon, said that the country is developing rapidly as the king ascends the throne and the prince who will succeed him is decided.”
“It was like that.”
The leader, who lightly nodded his head at the elder’s answer, sighed softly.
“Whoa~. I need to reflect on this. I was disappointed just by looking at the market outside the base. “Unless you’ve seen the ceramics and glassware.”
The leader reflected deeply on himself.
* * *
After learning that the Joseon goods brought by the elder were of great value, the chieftain boarded the ship with great hopes.
“We started a little late, but let’s do our best. “There’s a lot of money at stake!”
It took some time to obtain the good breed of horses requested by the Prince of Joseon, but the chieftain was not particularly worried.
The merchant fleet that departed from Aden endured great hardships and passed through the Malay Strait and the South China Sea, which were teeming with pirates.
The leader was disappointed when he saw the Joseon market that had arrived after such a narrow crisis.
The leader, who had lived in China during the Yuan Empire in his youth, especially in Hangzhou, could not help but be disappointed when he saw the shabby marketplace of Joseon compared to the splendid culture of Hangzhou.
“Is there really anything worth money in a country like this? Wasn’t that last time just luck? “I never thought the country right next to China would be this shabby.”
However, the moment the leader saw the small items hidden in the shabby place, he had to change his mind.
‘A guy with the goal of making his family big! This guy is aiming for the grand prize! I’ve been telling others not to be fooled by appearances, but I’ve actually forgotten!’
He was a leader who deeply reflected on his mistakes.
Five days later, the priest Cheomjeol, who received the bidap that returned from Hanseong, delivered the news through an interpreter.
“This is an order to leave as soon as the sun rises tomorrow and come to Hanseong. Our navy’s ships will escort and guide you.”
The chieftain was pleased with the words of the Cheomjeoljesa.
“Thank you!”
Once the departure date was set, the crew of the fleet prepared for departure all night long.
The next morning, at the bow of the ship heading north, the leader made a firm determination.
“You can’t make a mistake twice!”
* * *
After several days of sailing, the merchant ships arrived in Jemulpo and began unloading their cargo.
Because there was a large amount of cargo unloaded from six large dhows, the head of the Otaibi family requested a cart from a family living in Joseon waiting at the dock.
“I will prepare soon.”
“Please do me a favor.”
In this way, while the cart was being arranged, the unloaded cargo was meticulously checked by Hojo.
The official of Hojo, who recorded the list, quantity, and price of the cargo, diligently flicked the abacus and said something to the translator. The interpreter again spoke in Chinese to the interpreter at the top, and the interpreter relayed the contents to the head.
“I pay 40 taels of gold as customs duties.”
“40 nyang of gold? “Even though it was a product brought at the request of the Prince of Joseon?”
To be precise, the only thing the Hyang asked for was a stallion, but the chieftain was reluctant to pay the tax, so he emphasized the phrase ‘the prince’s request’.
However, despite such emphasis, Hojo’s officials remained steadfast.
Eventually, Hojo, the officials, the interpreter, and the interpreter at the top began to argue.
The quarrel calmed down to some extent when a relative who had gone to collect the cart arrived.
“If you look at the license here, there is an item that says you have to pay a tariff at a certain rate.”
“Even though these are items and horses brought at the request of the Prince of Joseon?”
“yes.”
“Huh…”
The leader, whose merchant nature was activated, looked despondent. Seeing that, the elder comforted the leader.
“You think of it as an investment. invest.”
The leader groaned at the elder’s words.
“Ugh… I guess you should think so. But what kind of officials are so inflexible?”
“Well… it may be inflexible, but it’s not corrupt, right?”
“Keuung…”
The interpreter who was listening to the conversation between the chief and the elders relayed the words to the interpreter. This was because the interpreter also had the same mindset as the leader.
The interpreter smiled and answered the interpreter’s words.
“Have you ever heard of a recorder?”
“Recordist?”
After a short quarrel, the head of the Otaibi family, who paid a huge sum of 400 ducats (equivalent to 40 gold ducats), headed to Hanseong to soothe his bitter stomach.
* * *
The head of the Odaibi family led the people to the Hoehoein collective residence south of Hanseong.
While the head of the Odaibi Gamu, who was dressed as a woman, was recovering from his illness, Hassan and Said, who had retired, visited the leader.
“Brothers Hassan and Said meet the chieftain.”
Seeing Hassan and Said politely but happily bowing, the leader also happily returned the favor.
“I am so glad that Hamed’s children have grown up so well! In particular, Said looks better than the last time he came to Aden… doesn’t it look good? “Where does it hurt?”
The leader asked, full of worry, as he saw his dead brother with dark spots under his eyes.
“It’s no big deal. I have a lot of work to do these days…”
“Oh my! “If you guys are healthy, our family will be strong. Can you give me some medicine?”
As soon as the leader mentioned the word ‘medicine’, Brother Hassan became thoughtful and waved his hands.
“Oh no! No need for medicine! “Thank you for your concern, but you absolutely do not need medication!”
“huh?”
When the leader expressed doubt, the Hassan brothers’ father, Hamed, explained the reason.
“Among the officials of this Joseon Dynasty, the use of ‘yak’ or ‘tonic medicine’ is a forbidden word.”
“huh?”
The leader could not hide his doubts at Hamed’s words.
In recent years, among government officials, the act of ‘giving medicine or tonics as a gift’ had the same meaning as ‘You should die!’ When a superior gives medicine to a subordinate, it means ‘I’ll beat you to death!’, and when a superior gives medicine to a subordinate, it means ‘I’ll fuck you soon!’
After the brief commotion subsided, Brother Hassan handed over the document to the chieftain.
“This is an order to come into the palace tomorrow.”
“tomorrow? Okay. Hmm… Will I be able to enter the palace every time I come to Joseon from now on?”
Hassan gave a negative answer to the question of the leader who was very excited, thinking that there might be an unknown opportunity.
“no. This time, the crown prince brought the things he had requested, and since the leader himself came, he called me as a courtesy. Next time, you will probably talk to a person in charge of the government office called Hojo.”
“is it? It’s a bit disappointing. Tsk.”
The leader couldn’t hide his disappointment at Hassan’s answer and quenched his appetite.
* * *
The next day, the properly dressed chieftain headed to the palace accompanied by the Hassan brothers and the elders.
“These are the signatures that have been received from His Majesty the Lord.”
At the gesture of the gatekeeper who received and checked the document handed out by Hassan, Gwanghwamun opened and the merchants walked inside.
The eyes of the gatekeeper and his subordinates, who were watching with curious faces, soon opened wide.
“What? “That?”
* * *
“Please, Your Majesty, please~!”
The merchants politely bowed to the merchant ship.
“You worked hard to get to Wonro (a long way). Take it easy.”
The merchants who heard King Sejong’s order through Hassan cautiously stood up.
‘You’re young! ‘So you’re active?’
After briefly checking King Sejong’s face, the leader politely introduced himself.
“Mansur Mohammed Kamal Al Ottaibi, head of the Ottaibi family, is honored to meet His Majesty the King of Korea!”
King Sejong, who received Mansour’s greeting through Hassan, smiled and responded.
“Nice to meet you too. “Chief Mansour, please straighten your posture.”
“Thank you.”
After the short meeting, King Sejong went straight to the main topic.
“I heard that the crown prince brought the horses he requested. Did you arrive safely?”
Mansour immediately answered King Sejong’s question.
“Yes, we were exhausted and emaciated from the long voyage, but we brought everyone back safely.”
“Can you see it now?”
“I’ve put it up outside the door now, so you can see it right away.”
At Mansour’s answer, anticipation began to appear on the faces of King Sejong and the ministers who followed him. In particular, it was Jo Mal-saeng who was looking forward to it the most.
“Bring it to me.”
As soon as King Sejong’s order was given, the Geunjeong Gate opened and horses came in.
“What is that!”
“That’s a horse!”
The ministers who were watching the horses coming in through the open door became fixated on the horses coming in last.
The scent was equally surprising.
‘What! A horse that a king might ride at the end of this century!
The horses that came in ahead were also one foot taller (approximately 34cm) than the horses of the Jeju horses or the Jurchen tribe. However, the four horses that came in last were one foot taller than those horses.
When the horses arrived, King Sejong came down from his throne and began to look at the horses in person.
“He’s big, but he looks really sleek.”
Mansour responded to King Sejong’s generous evaluation with an expression full of pride.
“This is a horse that has few breeds that can compete with it in terms of running speed and endurance.”
“I see, what does Byeongpan look like?”
Byeongpan Jo Mal-saeng bowed his head and answered King Sejong’s question.
“Although it is thin, if you look at its muscles, it looks like it would be difficult to compete with Jeju Horse.”
“Compared to what the Jurchen people said?”
“It looks superior to the horses of the Jurchen tribe. Of course, I’ll have to check it properly later…”
“I see. And…”
Sejong walked towards the large horse that was the most curious question.
“I have never seen such a huge horse in my life.”
Mansour responded immediately to Sejong’s evaluation.
“It was my first time seeing a dwarf, too. In the process of looking for horses, I got horses from Catholic merchants. “They said it came from a land called France.”
King Sejong expressed doubts about Mansour’s answer.
“huh? “I heard that you and the people who believe in the Catholic religion are on bad terms?”
“You can’t stop doing business just because you don’t have a good relationship, right? “There are merchants who don’t get along even though they believe in the same god, and there are merchants who get along well even though they have different beliefs.”
King Sejong burst out laughing at Mansour’s answer.
“ha ha ha! “This is a foolish question and a wise answer!”