Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 308
Episode 308: The road to the land of flowers. (5)
The atmosphere of the auction was intense.
The first chandelier sold for 82,000 ducats, the second chandelier for 97,000 ducats, and then the last one, the male host told the merchants.
“ruler! Now it’s the last one left. If you don’t get it this time, you’ll have to wait until next year. It’s been a year… Some people may be waiting, but please consider this. “It comes from a long sea.”
What the moderator meant was simple.
-If you have an accident at sea, you won’t be able to see anything for at least two years!
The atmosphere of the participants who understood the host’s words became heated.
“ruler! Well, to make the process go faster, we start from 80,000 ducats!”
“90,000!”
“92,000!”
The auction house became white-hot.
Oh Ha-seok, who was watching the scene from behind, looked back at Mansour.
“I need to apologize to my merchant owner. ‘The competition among merchants is as hot as war.’ “I didn’t believe it, but it was as fierce as any battle.”
Mansour responded with a smile to Oh Ha-seok’s words.
“It’s fierce. And there are actually wars.”
As Mansour said, many of the wars and battles taking place in the Mediterranean region were, on the surface, under the banner of a nation, but were actually clashes between merchant powers.
* * *
After fierce competition, the last chandelier went to a merchant from Florence.
The amount the merchant paid was 124,000 ducats of gold.
“Let’s see… The total amount sold at auction is 303,000 ducats. If you subtract the commission from that, does that mean you get 270,000 ducats?”
“That’s right.”
In response to Mansour’s answer, Oh Ha-seok muttered to himself.
‘The crown prince was calling for trade to be destroyed, so he didn’t think it was too much and thought it was too much, but it was understandable. Oh Ha-seok was liking it, but
he was making a fatal mistake. The difference in value between ducats and nyangs is 10:1. Simply put, 10 ducats were equal to 1 cat.
Although Oh Ha-seok overcalculated, the amount he secured through the auction was a huge amount. Oh Ha-seok, who was keen on the need for trade as he saw the enormous amount of money coming in, looked back at Mansour.
“Anyway, there will be a lot of night guests from now on.”
“That’s right.”
“I need to prepare well.”
* * *
Meanwhile, those gathered at the auction house were muttering as they watched the Florentine merchant who took the last chandelier.
“You must have a lot of money to take two out of three.”
“With that kind of money, you could buy a decent castle or a number of large manors with good profits…”
Those watching from the back and on the second floor thought they were just ‘rich Italian merchants’, but those competing at the front were surprised. He was looking at the merchant in question with full eyes.
‘It’s him! It’s definitely him!’
‘Cosimo de’ Medici! Why is the monarch of Florence here?’
‘Why is someone who should have been counting gold coins in Florence here?’
He is the owner of a bank with branches in 16 European countries and a powerful person behind the scenes who uses enormous capital to create political power.
Cosimo de’ Medici, one of Europe’s most powerful men, could not hide his disappointment as he watched the chandelier being repackaged.
“I should have gotten all three…”
Cosimo, who was disappointed that the last chandelier had been taken away by a merchant from the Ottomans, ate it.
There was a fierce competition between the Ottoman merchant and Cosimo.
Through the process, two chandeliers came into Cosimo’s hands, but he had no choice but to hand over the last one to an Ottoman merchant due to lack of funds.
“Well, I could have gotten it by using a bill, but…”
Cosimo had no more regrets.
Cosimo turned as he watched the packed chandeliers being transported under heavy security.
“We could send one to the Vatican and the other to the Habsburgs. I guess I’ll have to send it to France next year. Because they’re probably still out of their minds. “The expenses were quite large, but we can extract more by using them, so it is not a loss-making business.”
The Vatican had a Pope, and the Habsburgs had Albrecht V, who would take over as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
France was still at war with England. But Cosimo knew that the war was already over.
The war taking place now was a war to gain the upper hand in negotiations.
“So there’s still room.”
Cosimo made that calculation and turned France back.
It was a war that lasted for nearly 100 years.
Even if the war was stopped right now, it would take a considerable amount of time to regain strength.
Cosimo did not look down on France. It was one of the countries with the largest territory in Europe.
It was certain that if the war ended and the country began to grow its power again, it would grow into a country that would influence the political situation in Europe.
“It might be okay to pursue a marriage later…”
The Habsburg family was also a family that had steadily increased its power in Central Europe, and Duke Albrecht V of Austria was the son-in-law of the current Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Considering Italy’s location, it had to be visible.
Vatican? Nothing good came from ignoring the Pope.
“By the way, it’s Joseon…”
Cosimo, who was returning to his lodgings surrounded by bodyguards, became interested in ‘Joseon’.
* * *
At first Cosimo had no plans to come to Alexandria.
As in the past, the only thing he did was send merchants belonging to the family and check the incoming news.
Cosimo immediately responded to the report that merchants had not arrived from Aden for over a month.
-If you don’t come back after 10 days, we will withdraw.
However, within a few days, the people in charge of Jeonseo-gu rushed to Cosimo.
“There is urgent news from Alexandria! They say Koreans are coming with merchants from Aden!”
When Cosimo received the urgent news, he felt a powerful emotion.
‘This is an opportunity!’
Cosimo, believing his own feelings, crossed the Mediterranean and came to Alexandria with a large amount of money.
And then I found the chandelier at an auction house. Although a large amount of money was paid, these were items that would have been well worth it if handed over to European powers.
* * *
Now Cosimo’s attention was shifting to Joseon.
“The glass products sent from Joseon flattened the noses of the Venetians.”
Among the glass products distributed in Europe during this period, all of the highest quality products came from the Venetian island of Murano. However, as glass products made in Joseon were distributed, the Venetian glass industry suffered a serious blow.
Low- to medium-priced products had to compete with products from other European countries, and high-priced products used by the nobility were gradually being encroached upon by Joseon products.
Of course, Venetian craftsmen also showed their skills and made and distributed items comparable to those of Joseon, but the power of the golden flowers that made Joseon called the ‘land of flowers’ was enormous.
European nobles and their servants, even if they paid a little more money, were able to obtain items from Joseon with golden flowers engraved on them, rather than items from Venice.
The reason that happened was simple.
The golden flower was a symbol of trust.
In addition, an amazing product called ‘Glass Mirror’ made in Joseon was a must-have for noble women.
Although there were glass mirrors in Europe and the Middle East, they were Joseon mirrors that boasted a quality that could never be compared.
Glass products were not the only items that came from Joseon.
Tableware made of porcelain and covered with gold leaf stimulated the vanity of the nobility.
Simply put, if you were an aristocrat in continental Europe, you had to have at least one or two items from Joseon to support your shoulders.
Cosimo muttered as he looked at the wooden boxes.
“If Joseon had the ability to distribute products of the same quality as those in large quantities…”
Cosimo paused for a moment and imagined what would happen next.
Cosimo stopped and imagined what would happen next and sighed.
“Whoa~. “Whoever can reach Joseon will control the European market.”
After reaching a conclusion, Cosimo gestured to the merchant who followed him.
“Did you call me?”
“You said there were more items from Joseon, right? “Where can I find those items?”
“They say you can see it at Mansour’s store starting tomorrow.”
“Mansour?”
“I am the first merchant to open trade with Joseon.”
“okay? “Tomorrow… then you…”
Cosimo, who was about to give an order to the merchant, paused for a moment. After gathering his thoughts for a moment, Cosimo continued.
“I guess it would be better to see it in person. “You should find a way to contact the Koreans.”
“yes.”
* * *
Cosimo was not alone in reaching that conclusion.
Among those who have seen items sent from Joseon and seen chandeliers up for auction, all who have the slightest insight have come to similar conclusions.
“The one who can draw a line with Joseon is the winner!”
Those who came to that conclusion looked for an opportunity to somehow contact the Koreans, especially Oh Ha-seok.
Among those seeking this opportunity was Prince Henrique.
* * *
“Ugh!”
When Henrique saw Cosimo winning the bid and taking the chandelier at the auction house, he writhed in sorrow.
As soon as he saw the chandelier, Henrique was reminded of his father’s palace in Lisbon.
“If only I could hang that in Abamama’s palace!”
However, Henrique could not participate in the auction.
It was because there was no money.
Although he had the support of his viceroy, building a ship and hiring experienced captains and crews was an expensive undertaking.
Therefore, although he hid it by manipulating the ledgers, Henrique was under the pressure of considerable debt.
If it had not been for transactions made through slave traders whom he contacted while exploring the west coast of Africa, it would have been safe for it to have gone bankrupt long ago.
Because of this, Henrique had to struggle with sadness while watching the fierce auction battle.
“It can’t just stay like this!”
Henrique quickly gathered his emotions and organized the situation.
-The products made in Joseon are not only expensive items. There are many different grades of goods, but they all boast the highest quality in their grade.
-That means it can be sold to everyone, from nobles to commoners.
-It is said that if the sea routes and trade routes can be connected with Joseon, there will be enormous benefits.
-There is India, the country of spices, in the East, but competition is fierce. Joseon can be a sufficient alternative.
After sorting out the situation, Henrique drummed his fingers on the table and muttered.
“The first thing to solve is the 26 degrees north latitude problem. Breaking through Cabo Bojador.”
Cape Bojador, which Prince Henrique talks about, was forbidden to European sailors.
There was a widespread belief that if you go beyond that point, the sea will boil over and everyone will die.
Although previous explorations had advanced into the vicinity, no one had yet come to challenge the cape.
“I guess I should put a bounty on it.”
Henrique planned the next steps. If it is proven that they can pass Cape Bojador safely, they will continue heading south and bypass Africa.
If this process is successful, we will then move up the east coast of Africa and secure Suez.
After thinking that far, Henrique clenched his fists.
“If we secure Suez, even the Arabs will be unable to move!”
From then on, all that was needed was to secure a route to India and Joseon.
It seemed like that part could be solved surprisingly easily.
This was because there were many Copts who knew the route well, and there were also quite a few Italian sailors.
“Jose!”
After sorting out the situation, Henrique called his subordinates.
“Yes prince!”
“Find a way to contact the Koreans.”
“All right.”
* * *
Author’s note.
The amount from the auction and Cosimo de’ Medici’s wealth were based on the following:
The source is ‘Life Human World History – Renaissance’ published by Korea Time Life in 1978.
According to Lorenzo de’ Medici’s letter to his son, from 1434 to 1471, he spent 663,755 florins only on building charity taxes, excluding all other expenses.
And most of this amount was spent during Cosimo’s time.
Based on the 2:1 exchange ratio between florins and ducats checked on Wiki, it can be calculated as approximately 332,000 ducats.
In other words, public spending alone, including taxes, is more than 330,000 ducats.
There is also a story that the Medici family’s fortune, converted to modern standards, is about 144 trillion won, so the description was slightly exaggerated.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the reader who pointed this out, I would like to explain it for other readers’ understanding, and I look forward to your continued advice.