Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 305
Episode 305: The road to the land of flowers. (2)
As the Koreans unloaded their belongings at Mansur’s mansion, the attention of the residents and merchants of Alexandria became one.
‘When will the items be released to auction houses and marketplaces?’
This interest grew even more when the Koreans did not move for more than two days.
Meanwhile, a rumor spread throughout the city of Alexandria.
-Soon, the people of Joseon, known as the ‘Land of Flowers’, will meet the mayor of Alexandria!
And on the third day.
As the sun slowly set to the west, the gate of Mansour’s mansion opened and Mansour and his Korean party walked out the gate.
The Koreans in unfamiliar attire, led by Mansour, headed to Alexandria City Hall with two camels carrying a large box on their backs.
“The Koreans came out!”
“The people of the flower country have arrived!”
“where? where!”
Citizens of Alexandria and merchants from Europe gathered around the people’s cries.
Mansour and Oh Ha-seok and their party headed to Alexandria City Hall under the strict escort of sailors carrying Gap-style rifles on their shoulders.
“What are they carrying on their shoulders?”
“It’s not a window?”
Those who didn’t know much about weapons were merely curious, but those coming from Europe and soldiers from the Middle East had sparkling eyes.
“Is this a new gunpowder weapon?”
Mansur and Oh Ha-seok and their group headed to Alexandria City Hall, receiving all kinds of attention from all kinds of people.
When the group arrived at the city hall, the city hall official who had been waiting in advance welcomed the group.
“Come quickly! “We welcome those from the far-off East!”
Oh Ha-seok, who heard the official’s words through the interpreter, stepped forward and slightly bowed his head in response.
“Thank you for the welcome.”
“Please come in.”
Hearing the official’s words, Oh Ha-seok looked back and gestured.
The men who followed Oh Ha-seok’s gesture unloaded the large box from the camel’s back and inserted a stick into it.
As Oh Ha-seok’s men carefully moved the wooden boxes, the official in charge of guidance showed interest.
“What are those boxes?”
“One is a gift to the person who rules here in Alexandria, and the slightly larger one is a gift to the monarch who rules this land.”
“ah! Is that so!”
The official, growing increasingly curious, hurriedly ushered the group inside.
* * *
After entering City Hall, Oh Ha-seok and his party immediately headed to the mayor’s office.
“It seems like the evenings are busier here too.”
Mansur responded to Oh Ha-seok’s words with a slight smile.
“The Arab day really begins at night. “It’s too hot during the day.”
Oh Ha-seok nodded at Mansour’s words. The days in this neighborhood were too hot. No, it was too hot.
* * *
After a while, Oh Ha-seok and his party were able to meet the mayor of Alexandria in the reception room.
“With the blessing of Allah, we are able to welcome precious guests from the East. Welcome. “I am Abdul Hamad Saqum, the mayor of Alexandria.”
Oh Ha-seok bowed his head politely in response to the mayor’s welcome speech.
“I am truly grateful for your hospitality. I hope that our good relationship with North Korea will continue in the future. “I am Oh Ha-seok, the captain in command of the Challenger.”
“I hope so too. By the way, was the way here comfortable?”
“Fortunately, the weather was good so I came comfortably. “On the way overland, we were attacked by bandits, but we were able to successfully defeat them.”
“Oh my!”
When Oh Ha-seok mentioned thieves, Mayor Abdul opened his eyes wide and expressed surprise.
“I’m so glad we defeated it safely. “It is something to be thankful to Allah for.”
Oh Ha-seok responded to Abdul’s words by lightly nodding his head.
“Hmm… If we are to continue traveling between Alexandria and Joseon in the future, it will be essential to ensure the safety of the land route.”
Oh Ha-seok immediately responded to Abdul’s words.
“That’s right. I heard on the way here that there used to be a canal. How about developing it again?”
When Oh Ha-seok mentioned the canal, Abdul, who thought for a moment, answered with a face full of regret.
“Constructing a canal between Suez and Alexandria requires a lot of airspace. Even after construction, it is not easy to manage it. Therefore, it is impossible to build a canal.”
Oh Ha-seok immediately agreed to Abdul’s answer.
“Obviously managing a canal is not an easy task.”
After ending the conversation about the canal, the two sides continued talking about tax issues.
“I don’t know if the captain knows, but Joseon products are popular with merchants. Therefore, with the hope that Joseon can continue its relationship with Alexandria for a long time, I will reduce taxes. “Let’s only charge half the tariff to Joseon.”
“Thank you so much!”
Oh Ha-seok expressed his sincere gratitude for Abdul’s favor. Abdul responded to Oh Ha-seok’s reaction by lightly waving his hand.
“Again, this decision was made with the hope that Joseon will continue its relationship with Alexandria for a long time.”
“We, Joseon, will also not abandon the mayor’s generosity. In that sense, I would like to give you a gift from Joseon.”
“Thank you.”
When Abdul expressed his gratitude, Oh Ha-seok gestured to his subordinates.
As the men put down the two boxes, Oh Ha-seok explained the boxes to Abdul.
“This is a gift to the mayor, and the larger one here is a gift to the monarch who rules this land. Originally, it was polite for envoys to personally greet the monarch (visit a high-ranking person) and offer a gift. However, since this was my first voyage and I was not sure of the envoy’s safety, I only brought a gift. “I apologize.”
When Oh Ha-seok apologized for his rudeness, Abdul smiled and answered.
“ha ha ha! It is not easy to come here from the far east. Don’t worry! “I will inform the Sultan at my al-Qahira (Arabic name for Cairo)!”
“Thank you.”
“Then, if you don’t mind, may I ask what it is? “If it’s something that violates the law, it’s a problem.”
Oh Ha-seok answered Abdul’s question simply.
“It comes with a lampshade made of crystal glass.”
“Crystal glass?”
When Abdul showed curiosity about a word he had never heard before, Oh Ha-seok answered confidently.
“This is newly made glass made in Joseon, and it is as beautiful as crystal.”
“Hoo?”
Abdul’s curiosity grew even more as he heard Oh Ha-seok’s confident answer. Oh Ha-seok, who saw that the officials present also had curious faces, smiled slightly and gave orders to the soldiers.
“Open the box.”
“yes.”
At Oh Ha-seok’s command, the soldiers pulled out the nails in the box with a presser bar. When the box was opened, the soldier standing by took out the warranty card inside the box and handed it to Oh Ha-seok.
Abdul, who received the certificate of guarantee through Mansour, looked at the copper plate attached to the certificate and his eyes lit up. Five golden flowers, which made Joseon called the ‘Land of Flowers’, were embedded in a copper plate.
“The shapes of those flowers are the highest in this newly created grade.”
“Is that so?”
Following Mansour’s explanation, Abdul looked at the cloth-covered gift with an expectant face.
* * *
The crystal chandelier sent as a gift from Joseon made not only Abdul but also the officials present speechless.
As it was the largest trading city in the Mediterranean, both Abdul and the officials had precious jewels and accessories.
“I swear to Allah, I have never seen such a treasure!”
However, like Abdul’s exclamation, this was my first time seeing such a fancy item.
The conversation with the mayor ended in a cheerful atmosphere, with the chandelier culminating in the event.
“With a gift like this, the Sultan will be very satisfied!”
“Thank you!”
* * *
Abdul, who sent Oh Ha-seok and Mansoor’s group off, looked at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling and let out a series of exclamations.
“This is truly a great item. “It really deserves the title ‘Land of Flowers.’”
“According to what they said, there are several more boxes like that.”
Abdul shook his head at the words of his subordinate.
“There will be a war at the auction house. “There will be a great war.”
All subordinate officials looked in agreement with Abdul’s words. This was because they, too, had been unable to take their eyes off the chandelier since it lit up.
“Prepare to be sent to Al Qahira. “There will be a lot of people targeting you, so don’t forget to prepare well.”
“yes.”
One of the officials who responded to Abdul’s orders made a suggestion to Abdul.
“Wouldn’t it be a good idea to look into waterways? “Once the waterway is completed, won’t more goods come in from the ‘Land of Flowers’?”
Abdul shook his head firmly at the official’s suggestion.
“Not a waterway. “The moment the waterway is dug, Alexandria will fall.”
“yes?”
Abdul explained why the waterway should not be built.
“A long time ago, I looked for and read records about waterways. Do you know where the waterway is connected? It is the easternmost tributary of the great Nile. They transport goods from there to here in Alexandria? If those great things from Joseon were there, wouldn’t it be faster for a city to be built there? “If that happens, our Alexandria will be over.”
“Ah…”
The officials all nodded at Abdul’s words. Considering the poor means of transportation at this time, it would have been cheaper to build a city there.
“And another reason is because of those wicked Timurs. “Do you think they would stay still if there was such a lucrative trading city nearby?”
The officials remained silent at Abdul’s point.
Timur had been greatly weakened by the civil war after his death, but his power was growing again as Shah Rukh ascended to the throne.
What was most needed in that process was capital.
If there was a trading city nearby where a huge amount of money was exchanged, it was certain that they would not just pass over.
“So don’t even think about the canal.”
“yes.”
“Then go to work.”
“yes.”
After dismissing the officials, Abdul looked at the chandelier and then turned his head to the south.
“I’m worried about whether sending it to Al Qahira is the right thing to do.”
Abdul’s self-talk was full of worry.
Now Alexandria was the territory of the Mamluk dynasty.
Al-Qahira, the capital of the Burji dynasty following the Bahri dynasty, was the largest city in the world during this period.
As it was the world’s largest city, its splendor was incomparable. And the sultans of the Burji Dynasty, intoxicated by the splendor of the city, were becoming more and more addicted to luxury.
That’s why Abdul was worried.
This was because the sultan might lose control the moment the item, which had a splendor worthy of the epithet ‘appalling’, arrived.
“Shall I destroy it?”
Abdul, who was thinking about destroying it during transportation due to an inevitable accident – say, an attack by bandits – quickly shook his head.
“Then I guess I’ll have to send that thing hanging over there. Joseon will not send us there just this once. “It’s a futile effort.”
Abdul muttered with a feeling of supplication as his anxiety continued to rise.
“Inshallah (as Allah wills).”
* * *
Rumors soon spread throughout the city of Alexandria through the mouths of those working at the city hall.
– Amazing items have arrived from the Land of Flowers!
As rumors spread, curious city officials visited the city hall, making various excuses. And the moment I saw the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, I couldn’t close my mouth.
“It’s a huge thing!”
“I’ve never seen such an incredible object in my life!”
“If there was a merchant who could get his hands on that product, he would make a huge profit!”
Those who came to see the chandelier told their friends about their impressions, and the word quickly spread throughout the city.
As the rumor spread, the merchants’ fighting spirit was aroused.
“If it’s such a great item, you must get it!”
“Stop unnecessary transactions! “We need to raise funds!”
As Abdul had predicted, war was about to break out.