Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 301
Episode 301: Heavenly Kingdom. (2)
At the drinking party that took place in the tavern, the Joseon sailors were surprised by two main things.
The first thing that surprised me was the variety of alcohol available. Bottles containing all kinds of alcohol, starting with all kinds of fruit wine, Arab wine, and even strong spirits, were brought to the sailors’ tables one after another.
“Hey! “This is heaven!”
“If Taebaek Lee had come here, he would have settled down and lived!”
The sailors had fun drinking all kinds of alcohol, each with their own unique characteristics.
The second thing that surprised me was the exorbitant price of alcohol.
“Now I have to go back soon.”
“Ugh! “That’s how it should be.”
As the atmosphere slowly became more positive, the store owner found the sailors whom he had become acquainted with through the previous written conversation and handed them a piece of paper with the amount written on it.
The sailors who took the paper with moderately intoxicated faces checked the numbers written on the paper and rubbed their eyes.
“What? “Is this real?”
“Ugh! “Are you sober?”
The first thing the sailors thought after checking the amount several times was that it was a rip-off.
“You really ripped us off? “Just shake this crap!”
“Hold on! “Nothing has been confirmed yet!”
As the atmosphere became tense over the price of alcohol, Cho Seok-bong, the most senior member of the group, came to a conclusion.
“Let’s pay for the drinks first and then come tomorrow with the interpreter Na-ri and discuss it.”
“Brother Cho!”
“Seokbong!”
“Everyone is drunk now. What do you think will happen if the commotion gets louder here? This doesn’t even make sense? “Are you going to do anything more than just punch me?”
“Ugh….”
“If you say it’s a rip-off, just don’t come to this bar again. Could it be that there is only one bar in this port?”
In the end, the sailors pooled their money and paid for the drinks. The sailors grumbled as they each paid 1 nyang of silver.
“You can’t believe you spent half of a month’s salary in one night… damn it…”
* * *
At the time, the salary of enlisted soldiers in the Joseon Navy was 2 nyang of silver per month. The monthly salary paid to the sailors who participated in this voyage, including special bonuses, was 3 nyang of silver, and 1 nyang was paid to their families in Joseon.
As military training progressed, soldiers’ bonuses changed to being paid directly by the country rather than through donations. Thanks to this, soldiers were able to receive stable salaries. And the salary of 2 nyang of silver received by the lowest-ranking soldier was a considerable amount of profit in the economic situation of Joseon at the time. Therefore, the number of people applying to the military was gradually increasing.
* * *
The sailors who came out after paying for their drinks continued to grumble.
“Wow! “I sobered up!”
“For 1 nyang of silver, how much Takju is worth?”
“Holy shit! “Guess I’ll never come here to drink again!”
The sailors who returned to the ship with all kinds of complaints kicked off their blankets and expressed their anger.
“Wow! “Get pissed!”
As soon as the sun dawned the next morning, the soldiers and senior soldiers ran to their captain and reported the events of the previous day.
The captains who received the report gathered together to discuss countermeasures.
“Cases like this must be resolved immediately.”
“That’s right. “If you do something wrong, you could still get caught.”
After reaching a consensus, the captains gave orders to the interpreters.
The three interpreters who received the order discussed their opinions and soon made a decision.
“You guys keep doing your jobs. “I’ll go to the tavern.”
“Please.”
The interpreter in charge led the senior Jinmu soldiers to the tavern in question.
“Is this the right place?”
“Yes, Nari.”
“I understand.”
The interpreter, with the soldiers behind him, went into the tavern and found the owner.
After talking for a while with the store owner, the interpreter looked back at the soldiers with a perplexed look.
“What did you guys write here yesterday?”
“I wrote to ask if I could use silver banknotes.”
“Then.”
Jinmu, who wrote the interpreter’s words, immediately responded.
“We were in a hurry to drink a lot.”
“Whoa~.”
The interpreter let out a long sigh in response to Jinmu’s answer and then opened his mouth.
“The owner said that he thought he was asking for various types of alcohol and served all types of alcohol in the bar.”
“yes?”
The sailors also looked perplexed at the interpreter’s explanation.
The Chinese character for ‘da’ means ‘many.’ It had the meaning of ‘many’, but it also had the meaning of ‘many’.
The interpreter, seeing the expressions on the sailors’ faces, spoke.
“okay. According to the store owner, the word ‘da’ followed by ‘grade’ was used, so all the prepared alcohol was served in bottles. “Did you know that the same alcohol costs more if you put it in a bottle instead of a barrel?”
“yes.”
“Thanks to the word ‘da’, the store owner was cleared of any crime.”
“Keueuung….”
The soldiers could do nothing but groan at the interpreter’s explanation.
“It may make you feel sick, but you must have had a nice mouth. “I even drank alcohol whose name I had only heard of.”
The soldiers grumbled at the interpreter’s words.
“I mixed everything up and ate it, so I didn’t even know what it tasted like.”
“Oh my…”
In the end, the soldiers had to resign and retreat.
After receiving the report from the interpreter who returned to the ship, the captains shared their opinions and immediately called the interpreters.
“I would like to forbid them from disembarking, but there is also a problem with the morale of the soldiers, so please do your best.”
“All right.”
In this way, interpreters accompanied the sailors when they went out. The interpreters’ reaction was not bad. Because they too were hungry for alcohol.
* * *
After experiencing such turmoil and finishing supply, the coalition fleet left Melaka.
The destination of the fleet traveling north along the strait was Chittagong.
With the help of ocean currents, the combined fleet arrived in Chittagong in 12 days.
Following Mansur’s merchant ship, the Joseon fleet sailed up the Karnaphuli River and arrived at Chittagong Port.
“Big! “It’s bigger than Malacca!”
Gangnam-gil, looking at the port of Chittagong, let out an exclamation.
Ships of all types and sizes, from Chinese ships to Arab dhows, came and went in the port.
* * *
As Joseon ships approached Chittagong Port, the port was in chaos. This was because gray ships as large as the ship that Jeonghwa of the Ming Dynasty came on approached the port.
As the soldiers in charge of defending the port rushed to the dock, Mansour, who had boarded the ship first, got off the ship and went to look for the official in charge of the port.
“Hello! “I’ve come to tell you something about that ship!”
“Do you know that boat?”
“I know! Those ships are from Joseon! “They say they want to trade!”
* * *
Mansur’s report went straight to the governor of Chittagong.
“Shipbuilding? “Where is that country?”
At the governor’s question, the officials all searched their memories.
“It seems like a name I’ve heard of…”
“I think so…”
An official who was remembering the country called ‘Joseon’ suddenly brightened his expression and answered the governor.
“ah! Taesu! It is the ‘Land of Flowers’!”
“Land of flowers?”
Tae-soo’s eyes widened for a moment as he tilted his head.
“The ‘Land of Flowers’?”
“yes! “The name of that country is Joseon!”
In response to the official’s reply, the governor stood up from his seat and ordered.
“Tell them that entry is allowed immediately! “If the ‘Land of Flowers’ wants to trade, we should welcome them right away!”
* * *
The governor’s order was quickly delivered and the three ships docked at the Chittagong Port dock.
During the berthing process, not only the small ships on board the ship but also the small ships in the port rushed to help the huge hulls of the Challenger-class ships safely dock.
When the ships docked safely, the captains, starting with Oh Ha-seok, came down from the ship first through the connected pier. Afterwards, the interpreters and officials from the Ministry of Finance and Economy came down, and Mansour introduced them to the officials.
The official introduced by Mansour walked in front of the captain and the Ministry of Finance official and politely bowed and greeted them.
“We welcome people from the ‘Land of Flowers.’”
Oh Ha-seok and his party, who listened to Mansour’s interpretation, simultaneously expressed doubts.
“Land of flowers?”
Mansour, seeing the expressions of his companions, immediately added an explanation.
“ah! Countries far away from Joseon call it the ‘land of flowers.’ The reason is because of the flower patterns stamped on the products sold by Joseon.”
“Ah…”
Everyone in the group nodded at Mansour’s explanation.
* * *
Among the items sold in Joseon, those shipped through royal workshops or exhibition halls belonging to the Ministry of Finance and Economy all had the pear flower pattern engraved on them.
No, the Ewha pattern was used as a standard to guarantee quality not only for products released overseas but also for products traded internally.
This was because everyone knew that the color and number of flowers stamped with gold, silver, and bronze were the best guarantee.
Thanks to this, both the artisans who make and sell the products and the merchants tried to receive better reviews.
Of course, there were those who occasionally attempted forgery, but these only became good prey for those seeking rewards and Ministry of Finance officials seeking fines and seizure of property.
* * *
Oh Ha-seok conducted a field trip on behalf of the group who understood the meaning of ‘Land of Flowers.’
“Please tell me thank you for welcoming me.”
The official who heard Mansour’s interpretation spoke again, and Mansour relayed it.
“The Governor wants to meet you all.”
“as soon as?”
“‘The Land of Flowers’ is an object of curiosity.”
Hearing Mansour’s words, Oh Ha-seok looked back at his companions. When everyone nodded, Oh Ha-seok spoke to Mansour.
“I’m sorry, but I need to get ready for a bit, so please tell me to wait a moment.”
“yes.”
After hearing Mansour’s answer, the official immediately replied that he would wait, and once again a wooden box was brought down from the Invincible, which was carrying goods for trade with the Kingdom of Heaven.
Meanwhile, Oh Ha-seok looked back at the interpreters who had learned Arabic.
“Can you translate?”
“This is not the Arabic we learned.”
“Oh my…”
As Oh Ha-seok looked frustrated, Mansour intervened.
“Captain, the language they use is Persian. Of course, since we are Muslims, we know some Arabic. And if necessary, I can step in like I do now.”
“Shouldn’t the merchant be leaving with us? “If the trade is successful, I’ll have to ask you to find someone who can teach you how to speak.”
The Minister of Finance and Economy intervened in Oh Ha-seok’s words.
“As I entered the port, it seemed like there were quite a few people from famous countries. Wouldn’t it be okay to talk in Chinese if necessary?”
Oh Ha-seok’s face brightened at the words of the Ministry of Finance and Economy official.
“That could have happened. There is no doubt that among the government officials, the Ministry of Finance and Economy officials are the best.”
“That’s too much praise.”
In this rather warm atmosphere, the process of checking whether the contents of the wooden box were damaged was completed. After receiving the report that the gift in the box was intact, Oh Ha-seok and his party began to move toward the governor’s residence, following the officials.
* * *
The meeting that followed at the governor’s official residence had a bright atmosphere from the start.
“I have known for a long time that products from the ‘Land of Flowers’ are of excellent quality. “I am very happy to be doing business with such a country.”
The governor’s words were not simple sugarcoating.
Joseon products were not unfamiliar not only to the Sultanate of Bengal but also to many countries in India. Merchants from Ming countries or Arab merchants who obtained goods from Alexandria came to India and sold Joseon goods.
The price was high because it had to be crossed over several bridges, but due to its excellent quality, Indian nobles, regardless of whether they were Hindus or Muslims, purchased items from Joseon.
That is why the governor of Chittagong welcomed those from Joseon. Since the goods came directly without any middlemen, the prices would naturally be low, and Chittagong could make money through intermediate trade.