Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 693

Episode 693: Rip-off (4)

“That’s true, but the cost is too much.”

Kim Jong-seo asked with an expression that he did not understand Henry’s point.

“You have been to our empire several times, right?”

“exactly.”

“Did that seem like an easy path?”

“It wasn’t an easy road.”

Kim Jong-seo’s voice gained strength little by little in response to Henry’s answer.

“You have to carry a lot of heavy iron on that road. If there is a shipwreck in the middle of the ship, it will all sink in the deep sea, so of course that part needs to be included in the estimate, and since a lot of manpower is needed, that part was also included in the estimate. Other parts also cost that amount for the same reason. “It is definitely not an excessive cost.”

The French representative, who had been examining the quotation while listening to Kim Jong-seo’s answer, put down the quotation and glared at Kim Jong-seo with his arms crossed.

“The problem is that construction costs are high, but iron horses, passenger cars, and railroad tracks are also very expensive. “It would be more appropriate to use our French one.”

“Foot! Oh, I’m sorry! I’m sorry! As I get older, I find it difficult to hold back laughter when I hear something even slightly funny.”

Kim Jong-seo burst out laughing at the French representative’s words, apologized with exaggerated gestures and intonation, and accepted the speech.

“Even in the Empire, I heard the story of your iron horse. It is so fast that it is as fast as a child walking, and its strength is so strong that even if you load only two carts, the movement speed is halved. “If you think you can make a profit with an iron horse like that, feel free to use it.”

“urg! “Such rudeness!”

The French ambassador, who could not bear Kim Jong-seo’s sarcasm, screamed and stood up.

“I can’t stand this kind of rudeness!”

With those words, the French representative left the conference hall. Giovanni, seeing this, hurriedly intervened.

“Let’s stop here for today. The construction cost has far exceeded our expectations, so we need to look at it more seriously. “How about resuming the meeting in two days?”

“Let’s do that.”

“I agree.”

Henrik and Osman’s representatives hastily agreed to Giovanni’s proposal. Kim Jong-seo saw that and stood up leisurely.

“Then see you in two days.”

* * *

That evening, the representatives of the alliances gathered together again.

“What is the reaction of the imperial representative?”

Giovanni answered the French representative’s question.

“I was relaxed.”

“Oh my… should I have pulled out a knife?”

At the words of the French representative, the expressions of the other three people were instantly crumpled. Seeing that, the French representative immediately spoke up.

“I’m kidding. I’m kidding. “Anyway, let’s pick the person who will place the fishing pole next.”

Henrik shook his head at the words of the French representative.

“I don’t think the representative of the empire is very capable, but is it really necessary?”

“I agree.”

The Osman representative nodded at Henry’s words. Seeing that, the French representative looked very angry and raised his voice.

“Wouldn’t that just make me a weird person? Proceed as you first promised!”

In the end, Giovanni came forward again and proposed an arbitration plan.

“I think we need at least one more time.”

“greatness!”

“Keuhum!”

At Giovanni’s words, Henrik and Representative Osman cleared their throats without hiding their uncomfortable feelings. But it was a promise already made. In the end, after a drawing of lots, the Ottoman representative was chosen, and Henrik and Giovanni made the sign of the cross without realizing it.

The representatives who had overcome this critical moment continued their conversation while examining the quotation submitted by the Empire. Henrik, who was looking at the feast of numbers filled with each page he turned, placed his hand on his forehead.

“Rather than dealing with these numbers, it would be easier to find and hunt the Kraken somewhere in the sea.”

“I agree. “It would be more convenient to charge at the Mamluks rather than deal with these numbers.”

The two people, who were clasping their foreheads as they looked at the numbers floating in front of them, looked at the French representative and Giovanni.

The two people also looked similar to themselves. No, Giovanni, who was calculating with an abacus next to him, had a very frustrated expression on his face.

“What’s the problem?”

Giovanni answered Henry’s question with a pained expression.

“I’ve been calculating for a while now, but there’s no mistake in my calculations. At least in the part I’m looking at now, everything is falling into place. “This is impossible…”

Giovanni, who was speechless, let out a long sigh.

“Whoa~. “Is that why the empire created the system? Damn it…”

The delegates, who were struggling with the difficult situation, had no choice but to quickly come to a conclusion.

“First of all, we have no choice but to postpone the meeting. “It would be a priority to bring in people who are good at calculations and people who are good at construction to analyze the estimate.”

Henrik nodded at Giovanni’s words.

“I agree. I’m sure we made a mistake this time. It’s a defeat that I didn’t know that the empire would compete with something other than politics. “If the Empire bet on numbers and experience, we should do the same.”

“I agree.”

“Me too.”

In the end, the alliance representatives sent a messenger to Kim Jong-seo.

Kim Jong-seo calmly nodded after checking the document, which had been written politely and according to etiquette, from beginning to end.

“Tell him I agree.”

“All right.”

* * *

Representatives of the alliance moved quickly to secure victory in the talks with the empire. The first thing they did was to bring in architects and accountants from Florence.

The people most skilled in large-scale building construction during this period were Italians. And as commerce flourished, Italy also had many talented accountants.

If you only calculate the distance, there was also the Ottomans, but the problem was that the Ottomans were a strong despotic monarchy. Since it was a country where the sultan’s orders were more important than issues of cost, it was bound to show weakness in this area.

However, Italian architects were budget-conscious. They were accustomed to working according to the given budget and the amount of labor they received.

After receiving that order, those who came to Suez in a hurry began to carefully examine the quotation provided by the Empire from beginning to end.

The architects and accountants who made calculations and examined the items over and over again shook their heads and reported.

“On paper, there is no problem at all. “The totals are exactly the same as the recorded costs for all items.”

Upon hearing the accountants’ report, the representatives frowned and looked at the architects.

But the architects’ answers were similar.

“There are no traces of adding unnecessary items to the construction.”

“I have never encountered a method of mixing iron and cementum, but considering the environment here, I think it is a very reasonable method.”

After hearing the answers from the accountants and architects, the representatives asked questions with perplexed faces.

“Are there any areas where costs can be reduced?”

“The most influential part is the construction means. “It is said that the Empire uses large quantities of unfamiliar tools such as excavators and tow truck cranes, but I think this can be reduced to some extent by replacing this with manpower.”

“manpower? “You mean slaves?”

“That’s right.”

“To what extent?”

“The more there are, the better.”

“Still, let’s talk about some certain numbers.”

“At least 20 percent.”

The faces of the representatives brightened at the answers from the architects and accountants.

“That’s right!”

“It’s worth a try!”

* * *

Three days later, the representatives of the alliance and Kim Jong-seo gathered together again.

“okay. “Can I hear a good story today?”

“I would like to make a new proposal.”

Kim Jong-seo’s eyes lit up at Henry’s words.

“New offer?”

“I will not use the tools that the empire uses for construction, such as excavators, tow trucks, or cranes. Instead, let us supply the slaves. Instead, let’s reduce construction costs by 35 percent.”

Hearing Henry’s words, Kim Jong-seo stroked his beard and muttered.

“A slave… a slave…”

Kim Jong-seo, who was muttering while stroking his beard, asked Henrique.

“Have you calculated the cost of clothing and feeding the slaves?”

“Of course.”

“Then how can we fill the empty seats left by slaves who died or were injured during construction? Also, if an epidemic breaks out and slaves die in droves, are you confident that you will be able to receive supplies right away?”

“It will take some time.”

“Have you forgotten that time is also money? And to replace tools that can do the work of a few hundred people at a time, at least tens of thousands of additional slaves are needed. What are the costs of acquiring those slaves? And what about the extended construction period?”

“We will deploy at least 100,000 slaves. “At that rate, the construction period will not increase significantly.”

The representatives had expressions similar to those of Henry, who answered confidently. But Kim Jong-seo dug in sharply.

“Do you know how much an iron horse weighs? The entire process of unloading the heavy iron horse parts from the ship, reassembling them, and putting them on the railroad tracks could all be replaced by human labor. But have you ever thought about how much space is needed to mobilize so many people? And have you calculated how large the detention facility would need to be for so many slaves to eat and sleep, and how many troops would need to be deployed to prevent the slaves from escaping?”

At Kim Jong-seo’s point, the smiles disappeared from the representatives’ faces. Kim Jong-seo continued speaking as he watched the representatives’ expressions becoming increasingly stiff.

“What about medical facilities to treat slaves injured during construction? What about the supply of medicines? How large will the burial site be for the slaves who died or fell ill during construction? And if you consume and resupply slaves in large quantities like this, their ransom will become more and more expensive. Have you ever thought about the increasing costs in the process?”

“….”

Looking at the representatives whose mouths were closed, Kim Jong-seo lightly clicked his tongue.

“Tsk! It’s because they can’t see ahead like this… Do you think our empire is bringing in excavators and tow trucks just out of greed for money? This is because it is cheaper in the long run. Whether it’s a tow truck or an excavator, the equipment used by the Empire will serve its purpose until the end of its life as long as it is properly maintained. But aren’t people like that?”

“…”

The representatives had no choice but to remain silent as Kim Jong-seo continued.

In the end, Henrik came forward again.

“That part needs to be reviewed, so let’s meet again in two days.”

“Anyway. But take note. The longer the meeting lasts, the more the start of construction gets pushed back. “If you miss the right time, you could miss half a year.”

“We will review it as soon as possible.”

After sending out Kim Jong-seo, the representatives called in accountants and architects to discuss measures.

But even accountants and architects did not have sharp skills.

“At least there are no gaps in the numbers written on the estimate.”

“If only we knew the unit cost that imperialists spend on construction in the empire,

we could make an accurate calculation, but since we don’t know that, it’s impossible.”

No matter how much they tried, the representatives who heard similar answers had no choice but to raise a white flag.

And the method they chose was towns.

“I would like to accept the Empire’s offer, but it is impossible to spend that kind of money.”

“Are you saying it’s impossible?”

“It’s impossible.”

After hearing Henry’s answer, Kim Jong-seo was silent for a moment, stroking his beard, and then slowly opened his mouth.

“Our empire proposes. Let us also invest in the joint venture you are planning to create. “If you provide a reasonable share, our empire will cover 70% of the construction cost.”

“A reasonable stake? “The 45 percent you mentioned last time?”

Kim Jong-seo shook his head in response to Giovanni’s question.

“No, it’s 50%.”