Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 247

Episode 247: Henrique, the Voyaging Prince (2)

The reason Henry thought that Joseon was Prester John’s country was because of his golden pen.

When Henrique participated in the Mediterranean trade, the main items he dealt with were gold, ivory, slaves, pepper, and spices. As this progressed, items from Kitai (Khitan tuning fork, the name for China in medieval Europe) – mainly pottery and books – were often brought in, and these were mainly acquired by Italian wealthy people or European nobles.

Because these were very expensive items, there were a lot of counterfeits, and European merchants had considerable knowledge of Kitai’s script and culture to distinguish between the genuine and counterfeit items.

The problem was that Kitai’s culture was based on Marco Polo’s Travels to the East.

Regardless of whether the contents written in the Book of Visits to the East were true or not – the number of manuscripts alone exceeded 100 – it had been well over 100 years since the book was published.

In any case, Henrique also knew something about the Kitai script. And I also knew about the brush used to write the Kitai characters.

When judging the gold pen with such knowledge, it was Henry’s judgment that the metal pen called the gold pen was not suitable for writing Kitai characters.

“It’s uncomfortable to even write Arabic. The most suitable scripts…if you consider the era…are Latin and Greek.”

If he had smelled the scent, it would have been Henrique who decided to hold his stomach and laugh.

* * *

As I was consolidating my feelings, a merchant who worked under Henry hurriedly ran to him.

“Prince! Look at this thing!”

What the merchant held out was a glass bottle filled with perfume.

“It’s a beautiful glass bottle. “Why is this?”

The merchant answered Henrique’s question.

“Please look at the floor!”

“floor?”

At the merchant’s words, Henrique’s eyes widened as he examined the bottom of the glass bottle.

“This?”

There was a cross engraved on the bottom of the glass bottle.

Seeing Henrique unable to hide his surprise, the merchant expressed his opinion.

“There was a rumor that some Venetian craftsmen were captured by pirates. Among them, there are quite a few whose whereabouts are unknown. Could it be that the glass artisans among those captured were taken to Joseon?”

“Things like that happen, too. But look at the shape. “Isn’t it completely different from the glass products made by Italians?”

“Maybe that’s why they ordered me to make it that way…”

Henrique shook his head at the merchant’s words.

“It’s too natural for that. “I don’t think this was made by Italian artisans.”

“Then who?”

“Is it Prester John after all?”

“Yes?”

When the merchant was surprised, Henrique warned him.

“Shh! “I’m not sure, so I’ll keep quiet.”

“Yes old!”

“And is this the only one with a cross engraved on it?”

“no. “There are a few more.”

“Bring everything to me.”

“Yes, prince.”

After giving orders to the merchant, Henrique took the perfume bottle and returned to his room.

Henrique, sitting in a chair, looked at the gold pen and perfume bottle on the desk and muttered.

“I feel certain, but we cannot jump to conclusions. “We can’t repeat the failures of the past.”

Enrique, recalling the memory of his frustration in claiming to conquer Morocco, opened the door and called the driver.

“Jose!”

“Yes prince!”

“I have work to do!”

“yes!”

* * *

Under Prince Henry’s orders, Portuguese men and knights entered Alexandria and diligently collected information about Joseon.

“The merchants who went to Joseon have arrived!”

At that time, Mansour and his party, who had been to Joseon, arrived in Alexandria.

Portuguese merchants who went around Mansour’s group to gather information were able to obtain unexpected information: they had come by boat from Aden.

The merchants of Alexandria who heard the rumor all shook their heads.

“You came to Suez by boat? “Aren’t you crazy?”

The merchants of Alexandria all shook their heads and said they were crazy.

The reason they responded that way is that the only sea route from Aden to Suez passes through the Red Sea, and the Red Sea is famous for pirates.

The pirates of the Red Sea were usually fishermen who only caught fish. However, as soon as they saw a merchant ship of suitable size for hunting, they turned into pirates and plundered it.

That is why the merchants of Alexandria judged him to be reckless.

However, the merchants who spread the rumor provided new information.

“I’m not crazy, but they said the ship they came on was a huge ship.”

“still. “There will be a difference in the number of people…”

“It was equipped with a cannon.”

When the merchant who brought the rumor mentioned the cannon, the merchant’s eyes, who had reacted negatively, widened.

“Cannons?”

* * *

As mentioned before, due to the pirate problem in the Red Sea, merchants preferred to use land routes when moving valuable goods in large quantities.

It was because of pirates that the movement went against the usual use of ships to transport large amounts of cargo.

The existence of a ship itself had personnel limitations. In addition, the only weapons used by sailors and pirates during this period were bows and swords.

The Red Sea was not a wide ocean, but a narrow sea area with both sides blocked.

With these constraints, if pirates attacked beyond what the crew could handle, the merchant ship had no choice but to be robbed.

However, if you travel by land, the situation is different. Unlike ships, we were able to recruit enough men, and in the desert environment, we had time to spot the approaching bandits from further away and find an appropriate response – fight, flight, or negotiation.

Therefore, in the Middle East, it was standard to use land routes for safety.

But this time, the merchants from Aden broke the norm.

What made it possible was a being called ‘Cannon’.

* * *

“Where did you get that expensive cannon?”

“They said they got it from Joseon… It’s not the kind of cannon we know. “They said it was very small.”

“The cannon is small. What is it used for?”

The merchant who showed interest in the word “cannon” quickly lost interest when he heard that it was “small.”

In response to that reaction, the merchant who had been spreading the rumor threw up his hand.

“They say it’s difficult to destroy a castle, but it’s perfect for capturing people.”

“Okay, let’s say…”

“They say pirates were massacred in the Red Sea.”

“huh?”

The merchant who had lost interest in those words began to show interest again.

Meanwhile, behind them, the merchant sent by Henrique was remembering intently.

* * *

The information obtained through these operations was immediately delivered to Henrique.

As he read the reports containing information, Henrique began to draw increasingly hopeful conclusions.

-The Joseon people believe that the son of a god named Hwanung came down to their land and established a country. It is said that the reason Hwanung came down to earth was to benefit mankind.

“Is there only one God and Jesus Christ?”

-Joseon’s nobles persecute shamans. Joseon’s nobles believe that shamans trick innocent people into falling into harm’s way.

-Joseon people, especially nobles, emphasize fidelity between married couples. This also applies to ordinary people. If married people commit adultery, they are harshly criticized.

“You keep the Ten Commandments!”

-Joseon officials did not work one day out of seven. Little by little, the people began to live similarly.

“At least the nobles keep the Sabbath?”

After analyzing the information that was gradually accumulating, Henrique finally came to a conclusion.

“Joseon is Prester John’s country! “Although a lot has changed, this is what happened during a long period of isolation!”

It was Henrique’s fatal lapse in judgment.

In addition to Catholicism, there were several religions that believed in one god, including Judaism and Islam.

The same was true for the Sabbath. Jews also kept the Sabbath, and Muslims also kept the Sabbath.

Negative views on adultery between spouses were also the same in both Catholicism, Judaism and Islam.

The same was true for negative reactions toward shamans.

Not only Joseon Dynasty but also Ming Dynasty did not give good evaluation to shamanism.

This was the influence of studying abroad.

Although Henrique said he was being cautious, in the end he forced the evidence into his conclusion.

* * *

Around the same time. Hanseong Glass Workshop.

“You damn bastard!”

“Why again?”

Raphael raised his voice in response to Pietro’s naturally virtuous answer.

“Is the cross a talisman or an amulet?”

“‘Let it be done to you according to your faith.’ I don’t know?”

“bastard!”

Raphael grabbed Pietro’s collar and gritted his teeth.

The full story of the incident was like this.

Glass is a very fragile object due to the characteristics of its molecular structure.

Therefore, it was a daily occurrence for glass craftsmen to encounter accidents where the products they worked hard to create were broken due to unintentional mistakes.

Pietro, who saw the Koreans sighing over such a thing, was playing a joke.

“There is an amulet used in our hometown. Would you like to try it?”

“charm? “Can you get me some paper and a shot?”

“It’s not that kind of amulet…”

What Pietro taught me was to carve a cross into the bottom of a glass product.

“Hmm…”

The Koreans who heard Pietro’s explanation looked at him with suspicious expressions. This was because I knew his usual behavior well.

Then one day, a product that a craftsman had worked hard to create fell to the floor during the cooling process.

“omg!”

Not only the person who made it but also the colleagues around him had faces full of surprise and sadness, and then something strange happened.

The glass item that fell was intact.

Not only the person responsible but also nearby colleagues approached in surprise at the intact appearance of the glassware that had fallen from a height that would have easily broken it.

“Why…”

While carefully examining the glassware in question, the craftsmen discovered a cross engraved on the bottom.

“Just in case, I engraved it once… It’s a new product!”

“That’s right!”

“Anyway, I’ll do it once…”

All the Korean glass craftsmen began carving crosses on the bottom of the glass products they made.

Of course, there was no way that all products would be strong just because they had a cross engraved on them.

Naturally, products that faced breakage broke, and only a very lucky few survived.

But the craftsmen all shouted with one voice.

“Atta! “That western region talisman is so good!”

That’s why Raphael grabbed Pietro by the collar and growled.

“You unbeliever, you will be damned to this hellfire!” “Is the cross a talisman?”

“Well, it was used similarly in Italy, right?”

“bastard!”

It was Pietro who shrugged his shoulders with a natural expression despite Raphael’s shouting.

* * *

Meanwhile, Henrique, who had come to a conclusion, visited his father and brothers.

“… That’s why we need to secure a sea route to Joseon.”

“Are you sure that Joseon is Prester John’s country?”

To his father’s question, Henrique answered firmly.

“I believe it!”

Seeing Henrique like that, his older brother Duarte, who was next to him, opened his mouth.

“Even if Joseon is not Prester John’s country, if we can open up trade routes, it will bring enormous benefits.”

His father, King João I, nodded at Duarte’s words. He was also well aware of the popularity of Joseon products that had spread not only to the Mediterranean region but also to Northern Europe.

Finally, after thinking for a while, King Joao I came to a conclusion.

“You can move forward with your plan.”