Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 352

Episode 352: Battle of the Strait of Gibraltar (1)

Ceuta, northern Morocco.

There was a Portuguese naval fortress built by Prince Henry here.

Despite the hot weather, at the watchtower on the northern wall of the fortress, soldiers and knights wearing breastplates and helmets were watching the sea.

“Damn Espanhol…”

Ricardo, the knight in command of the guards, gritted his teeth as he looked toward the northern horizon.

Just 5 leagues (about 21 km) north of Ceuta was Gibraltar (later Gibraltar), the site of the naval base of the United Kingdom of Castile and Aragon.

It was this naval base that caused Ricardo and the soldiers to vent their anger.

Instead of calling it the United Kingdom, they call it ‘Hispania’, a long-established name dating back to Roman times, and act as if the entire Iberian Peninsula is their territory. These arrogant bastards are the Portuguese sea – to be exact, the west coast of Africa – was aiming for.

* * *

After Prince Henry supported exploration in earnest, the west coast of Africa was gradually revealing its secrets.

When Prince Henry’s expedition pioneered a sea route, scholars and merchants followed suit.

While scholars were researching and compiling geographical information, merchants were picking up anything that could make money, most of them slaves.

As the profits from the west coast of Africa became significant, Portugal – specifically Prince Henrique – strengthened its support.

In addition, as the presence of Joseon, also known as the ‘Land of Flowers’, became more prominent, the importance of the west coast of Africa became more and more prominent.

The current situation was that Islamic forces were controlling the roads leading to Joseon and India. If we could bypass Africa, we could obtain the profits that the Islamic forces had been taking.

Prince Henrique gathered the captains of the expedition ships, geographers, and instructors at ‘Vila do Infante’ (Prince’s village) in Sagres and told them about the situation.

“We already have some knowledge of the route from India to Kitai Joseon. So all we have to do is find a route around Africa! Don’t forget! “If we can find a route to India and Joseon, enormous wealth will come into our hands!”

As Prince Henry became more ambitious, Portugal’s exploration of Africa accelerated.

Thanks to this, they broke through Cabo Bojador at the end of 1431, almost three years earlier than before the intervention.

Until then, it was called ‘Bulhoeguigot (不回歸串)’ and it was rumored that if you go over it, you will die.

As it was proven that one would not die even after crossing Cape Bojador, the exploration accelerated further.

In that situation, those hateful Espanyol hybrids stepped in.

* * *

Ricardo, who was gnashing his teeth while glaring at Gibraltar over the horizon, burst into anger as he remembered other targets this time.

“Stupid Venice bastards. They say they are good at building ships…”

The people who criticized Ricardo for being stupid were Venetian shipbuilders.

Venice’s shipbuilding industry had a reputation. As rumored, the ships made in Venice were as good in performance, and the pride of shipbuilders was sky-high.

The problem was that the ships they built were mainly galleys, and their main use was in the Mediterranean.

Therefore, Portugal and Venice were in trouble from the moment the first ship was built.

“No need for oarsmen! “We need to build a warehouse to store materials there, make the hull bigger, and strengthen it!”

“I understand the oarsman problem. “It takes some time to grow the hull and strengthen it.”

“Can’t we just increase the size of the Karak and Caravel we use?”

“That’s the hull enlargement you’re talking about. It’s not just about growing ‘a little’! It measures 120 to 140 cubits (about 62 meters)! It’s more than twice the size of the caravel you guys are driving right now! Since we need to load a lot of cannons there, do you want us to increase its strength? I think a stomach is the same as baking bread in the oven! “It’s a pear!”

“No, Joseon, the country of flowers, was created that way!”

“Do not be ridiculous! “I’ve never heard of or seen a ship that big built!”

In fact, the galleys made in Venice were not weak. Florence, which mainly processed wool, was importing wool from England and France using galleys and caravels made in Venice.

However, the performance required by Portugal was a problem.

-Hull size nearly twice that of existing ships. Hull strength sufficient to engage in an artillery battle.

-This is the minimum requirement. The faster the speed, the better.

The Venetian craftsmen were so excited by the conditions put forward by Portugal.

Despite Venice’s protests, Portugal took a strong stance.

“I’ll say it again, Joseon’s ships are that big!”

Venice also responded to Portugal’s claim.

“Are you really sure! “Give me a reason!”

“The sailors of the Islamic merchant class, who moved like Joseon’s ships, said so. And our drivers also reported the same thing!”

“You want me to believe what the sailors say? “Don’t you know how much bluff sailors talk about?”

“Why do you forget that the drivers also reported the same thing? Are you really going to say that even knights are bluffing?”

“….”

“If we think about the future, we need a big ship! “Build a ship according to the conditions presented!”

“It takes too much time and money! no!”

When Portugal and Venice were drawing parallel lines, Cosimo of Florence intervened.

“Both opinions make sense. “Would you like to listen to this merchant’s story for a moment?”

“Of course.”

“All right.”

The representatives of Portugal and Venice had to be silenced.

Although he said he was a businessman, Cosimo de’ Medici was one of the absolute most powerful men in Europe at the time. I absolutely could not ignore it.

“It stands to reason that Portugal needs large, strong ships. Of course, I also used the merchants under my command to take a look at the Joseon ship, and they said it was large.

But Venice has a point in saying it is impossible. No matter how good you are at building ships, building a large ship without any experience is a dangerous gamble. Considering the cost and time wasted through trial and error, it is not a situation where you must insist on a large boat. So let’s do it this way. “How much bigger can Venice build than the ships it is building and operating now?”

“First of all, the maximum is about 20 cubits (about 9 meters).”

“How much artillery can you load at that level?”

“14 doors.”

“Hmm…”

Hearing the Venetian representative’s words, Cosimo searched his memory for a moment. Transport ships transporting wool and other goods were also loaded with naval guns for self-defense. Among them, the amount of guns loaded on the ships in charge of escorting the fleet in the outermost area was 10 guns.

‘Not bad.’

“Hmm…”

A certain conclusion was reached, but Cosimo pretended to think about it a little more with a serious expression on his face.

While the nervous-looking representatives of Venice and Portugal waited, Cosimo, who had been silent, opened his mouth.

“First of all, I think it would be better to be satisfied with the largest ship that Venice can build. Until a route that completely bypasses Africa is discovered, I think it can be operated with a ship of that size. If you build a large ship without even verifying it and then lose it, the loss will be severe. “How do you feel?”

Although the words were a suggestion, in reality it was a notification of a decision. It was said that Portugal and Venice and Florence joined hands, but this was because Florence had the largest financial stake.

There was a simple reason why Florence invested heavily in this project.

‘The more ways to obtain items from India and Joseon, the better.’

* * *

Florence’s mediation was accepted, and shipyards in Portugal and Venice began building ships.

However, contrary to Henrique’s wishes, new ships did not come out anytime soon.

In the case of the Venezia, it was not a traditional galley, but a new sailing ship that relied 100% on wind power, so trial and error had to be experienced from the design process.

The Portuguese shipyard was also slow. Although we were already familiar with sailing ships by building caravels and carracks, the trial and error that had to be experienced in the process of increasing the size was unavoidable.

In addition, as the thugs in Espanyol were taking out a significant number of craftsmen, the mass operation of new sailing ships was being pushed back further and further.

Because of this situation, there was a lot of criticism of Espanyol not only in Ceuta but also in Sagris and Lisbon.

* * *

While people were swearing in Portugal, Spaniards were swearing in Gibraltar (Gibraltar in Spanish).

“Damn Ceuta! Damn Portuguese!”

If the northern pillar of the famous ‘Pillars of Hercules’ was Gibraltar, the southern pillar was Ceuta.

The Portuguese, who had taken control of Ceuta, set sail from Gibraltar and sailed out to the Atlantic Ocean in large numbers to monitor Spanish ships.

It was understandable that Spanish ships would react that way if they were heading north. If you go that far north, it was Portuguese territory.

But what upset the Spaniards the most was if they headed south. This was because Portugal was claiming that the ports it visited were its own territory.

To avoid this, Spain itself had to create a new port of call, but the optimal location was already occupied by Portugal.

Therefore, Spain had to find a useful location and build a port on its own. But finding such a place was not easy, and building a port was even more difficult.

In the end, Portugal had broken through Cape Bojador and was moving southward, but Spain had just rounded the northwest corner of Africa.

Despite this gloomy situation, Spain could not give up its exploration of West Africa. Portugal’s considerable wealth from West Africa was desirable, but even more desirable was the circuitous route to India and Joseon.

If they could find and secure that bypass route, they could gain enormous wealth, so Spain joined hands with Genoa and sent ships south.

Because of this situation, Spain did not look kindly on the Portuguese camped in Ceuta. In fact, unless they encountered a fatal crisis while sailing along the west coast of Africa, they could not even enter the Portuguese port.

In addition to this situation, the sediment created by the past history of separation from the Kingdom of Castile during the Reconquista was added. Portugal and Spain were in a situation where each side cursed the other as a ‘despicable traitor’ and ‘a scoundrel blinded by greed.’ With this historical background and economic problems overlapping, Gibraltar and Ceuta were staring at each other with their swords pointed.