Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 642

Episode 642: Medici, Europe, Jeonjeonrok. (2)

“So… since you are a monk who believes in God, are you saying that God is the highest and then the Jeonjeonrok?”

“That’s right.”

Cosimo shook his head in disbelief at Giovanni’s answer.

“The monks who struggled in the monastery were originally single-minded, but to that extent…”

“These are the people who refused on the spot even though Mehmed II offered to give them as many women and wealth as they wanted.”

Giovanni described in detail the circumstances of his meeting with the monks.

As Giovanni’s explanation continued, Cosimo kept shaking his head.

“The people sitting in the front are old people who have already lost all their energy, so even the young people sitting in the back did the same… Are you saying that only those who deserve the title of saints went?”

* * *

Cosimo’s assessment was similar in the empire.

-Just pretending to be a person who provides food and clothing is enough. step! The challenge record and response record cannot be compromised!

Saying this, the monks used only the minimum amount of money provided by the institute and used the rest to relieve the poor.

“It’s quite a bit of wealth. Do you think it’s okay?”

“Eating and clothing are enough for now. “Isn’t it the greatest blessing to pursue the truth while alive and praise God before Him when you die?”

These were monks who smiled and said this.

The government officials and the people all said the same thing as they saw the monks devoting themselves to research and charity, content with their research quarters that others would have wanted to escape as quickly as possible.

“High priests from the West Station have arrived!”

“The people who walk around wearing silk robes should be imitated!”

“What kind of monks are those monks? Since ancient times, that’s what a monk should be like!”

Meanwhile, these rumors came out from the officials who served Hyang, who was the crown prince at the time.

“They say all the western monks are wizards? But what is magic?”

This was a misrepresentation of what Hyang muttered when he saw the monks who did not drink much and were not interested in women.

“Maybe a great wizard will emerge soon… Maybe that’s why he didn’t succeed in life.”

And Cosimo also gave a similar evaluation of the scent.

“That’s why it’s hard for bishops and cardinals to come out of monasteries!”

* * *

But Cosimo still did not give up.

“Still, try to recruit him somehow! “It’s okay to have money, have a woman, and be a man if you want!”

Giovanni responded to Cosimo’s words with a bitter smile.

“I will try my best. But it would be quicker to say that we will bring the record to Florence.”

“That’s it!”

Cosimo’s face brightened at Giovanni’s words, which came out without any thought.

“Tell them this. ‘There can be no monopoly of knowledge! So, why not come back to Florence and create their own challenge record?’

“There doesn’t seem to be much different from what Mehmed II said. Will they respond?”

“Big difference! “Mehmed II said he would give me worldly wealth and women, but I will leave my name in history!”

“Hmm…”

Giovanni, who had been considering the possibilities for a moment at Cosimo’s words, nodded.

“I’ll try it out next time I go. But getting there is the problem. “I need an answer to give to the Emperor.”

“I’m not telling you to go right away, so don’t worry.”

“yes.”

* * *

As more and more monks began to stay in Joseon and participate in more and more research, those who were concerned raised the issue to the Hyang through King Sejong.

“It is true that their qualifications are very excellent and helpful for research. But wouldn’t it be a problem if they were too deeply involved?”

Hyang immediately asked back at Sejong’s point.

“Are you concerned about them leaking information or returning to their own countries?”

“Yes. “Isn’t it true that the beginning of life only occurs when one dies?”

Hyang responded to Sejong’s point with a small smile.

“It is certain that over time it will leak or return to its own country. And it is also true that it takes strength to prevent this. There is a problem of justification and the problem of supply and demand of new brains becoming difficult.”

“The point is that it is difficult to redeem a human being. Hmm…”

Hyang thought for a moment and then nodded his head.

“Of course… there is no reason to stop it unless you are a criminal or a slave. However, if we forcibly arrest people, good people will not think of coming to us. Of course, it is not that our Joseon – it was Joseon at the time – is devoid of talent, but stagnant water tends to rot, so the influx of new talent from outside is absolutely necessary.”

“That’s right.”

“But the countries we trade with are desperately trying to catch up with us. Aren’t the monks of the Western Region highly desirable to them? Prevention measures are needed.”

“Two conditions will prevent them from easily catching up, even if they know it.”

“Two conditions?”

“One is time and one is Area 51.”

“I understand Area 51 vaguely, but I don’t understand time.”

Hyang explained it to Sejong in more detail.

“The time requirement is that they have to catch up with the time our Joseon research institute has already spent.”

“Catch up with time?”

“The results obtained from research are important, but the experience gained during the research is also important.”

“Right. It’s important to have experience. Hmm… Area 51 is because of the artisans?”

“That’s right. “If researchers at the institute do not have the craftsmen and facilities to create and prove what they have only imagined, their efforts will be doomed to failure.”

The scent that was described up to that point continued with a sinister smile.

“But… if necessary, you should also keep in mind to spill it in moderation.”

“Leaking water?”

Sejong, who was thinking about Hyang’s words, glared at Hyang.

“Even if you twist it just a little bit when it’s slipping away, those following you will be confused. And on the pretext of chasing them, will you whip a running horse? “Such a sneaky guy!”

“Isn’t a good thing a good thing?”

The officer who recorded this conversation between father and son added the following.

-The work of an officer is said to be difficult because there is no rest, but it is still better than a researcher at a research institute. I must be faithful to my duties.

* * *

After roughly finishing the story related to the challenge record, Cosimo moved on.

“I heard you say earlier that the countries of the East are deeply interested in the conflict between Ming and Joseon. As a result, the Ming stepped down and Joseon established itself as an empire. What was the reaction of the surrounding countries?”

“It still looks favorable. This is because the emperor of the empire officially declared ‘non-interference in internal affairs’ in accordance with the principle of ‘non-existence and inevitability’. “I also said I would not accept any tribute.”

“Hoo? “You think weaker countries will like it?”

“yes.”

“Anyway, it’s non-interference in internal affairs… Why did you do something that would cause harm?”

Cosimo frowned, not understanding the choice of scent.

“I thought you were competent, but maybe you’re not?”

* * *

However, the choice of Hyang was a reasonable choice based on the situation of the empire.

“If you think about tribute diplomacy with the Ming Dynasty. “I don’t think we need to accept tribute.”

The elder ministers all nodded at the village’s decision.

“It’s a wise decision.”

“You shouldn’t suffer losses because of your pride.”

When Joseon paid tribute to the Ming, the Ming gave Joseon several times that amount of goods in return. And it was Joseon that had a lot of fun using this custom, and those who implemented it were senior ministers.

However, tribute was not necessarily beneficial to Joseon. Many women were presented to the Ming Dynasty as princesses, and many people suffered hardships to obtain the prize.

Therefore, the complaints of the general public against the Ming and Joseon governments did not subside easily.

Knowing this well, the Hyang and ministers gave up on tribute diplomacy.

– Avoid useless spending and avoid being criticized by those who buy our products!

– If the empire wants to get what it needs from another country, it should be done through trade, not tribute!

Likewise, it was for this reason that he declared non-interference in internal affairs.

– In order to interfere in the internal affairs of another country, one must be able to project the military power of the empire to that country. But now the empire has neither the power nor the will to do so.

– If you carelessly interfere with the internal affairs of another country, you will incur the resentment of the people of that country. This damages the empire’s trade. Therefore, they do not interfere carelessly as long as it does not cause damage to the empire.

In this way, when Xiang, the emperor of the empire, officially declared ‘abolition of tribute’ and ‘non-interference in internal affairs’, the surrounding countries all cheered this decision but also laughed at it.

“Even if tributary diplomacy is like that, does this mean non-interference in internal affairs? Giving up the greatest benefit the empire can gain? “Are the emperor and his subjects all idiots?”

The reason why the county and its subjects were able to boldly declare ‘abolition of tribute’ and ‘non-interference in internal affairs’ was because of the strength of the empire that had already been secured and was gradually being secured.

“It’s not for nothing that the saying ‘generousness grows in the barn’ came about. “Why do you go out and do something that will get you criticized?”

There was nothing wrong with what Hyang said. And this was the same for the ministers, including Kim Jeom. When I first heard of Shinji’s existence, Kim Jeom said something similar and insisted on active pioneering.

As long as the resource zone of Liaohe, symbolized by Fusun, the northeastern forest zone, the resources buried there, and the resources buried in Daxue Island were properly managed, the empire had no worries.

But it was Shinji who played the biggest role. The mines discovered in the Daeho-gun area and the underground resources such as iron and copper that came from them were of great value.

Simply put, the empire had no problems growing even if it completely cut off ties with other countries.

“Why are isolationists rampant in the United States even in the 21st century? “There will be problems in the market, but that can be solved by promoting population growth in the empire.”

After sorting out the situation, Hyang smiled confidently and muttered to herself.

* * *

Cosimo, left alone in the room after finishing his conversation with Giovanni, muttered while holding a glass of wine.

“Even if it’s a makeshift plan… should we think again from the beginning?”

Cosimo began to take interest in the Far East when he first saw Joseon’s products and recognized their marketability.

Until then, for Cosimo and other Europeans, the East meant the Middle East and India, where the Ottoman Empire was located.

Of course, thanks to the records of the ‘Silk Road’ during the Roman Empire and the Mongol Empire’s invasion of Europe, we knew about the existence of ‘China’ or ‘Kitai’ further east. But in reality, it was the realm of ‘legends’ that few people knew about.

The basis for this judgment was Marco Polo’s ‘History of the East’. The records written in the Book of Visits to the East were, in the opinion of Europeans, very illusory. This was because the splendor of the East, the unexpected objects, and the techniques for making them described in the Book of Visits to the East were beyond the cognitive realm of Europeans.

However, as Joseon products entered Europe through Alexandria, people like Cosimo realized that it could not be fiction and immediately began investigating.

After the investigation, Cosimo gave up his name.

“It’s too big for me to handle.”

Instead, the target was Joseon.

“It’s a weak country that pays tribute to the Ming Dynasty. Of course, it is a wealthy country, but it is small compared to the number of people. “I can handle it well.”

But as time went by, this belief was slowly cracking.

-A much stronger military force than expected.

-Even though it has such military power, it is focusing on advancing east rather than west.

Cosimo, who sensed the existence of the New World, made a union between Portugal and the Ottomans in order to avoid losing economic interests.

At this point, deep in his mind, the judgment that Joseon was a difficult opponent was already growing stronger, but Cosimo was trying to ignore this. It was a matter of pride.

“There is no way Cosimo de’ Medici was wrong in his judgment!”

However, once Joseon pushed out the Ming Dynasty and became the ruler of the Far East, it was in a situation where it had to acknowledge this and reconsider from the beginning.

And what ensured this was the ‘abolition of tribute’ and ‘non-interference in internal affairs’ proclaimed by the township.

-The empire has already secured a large source of revenue to the point where it can give up the huge profits it could gain through this!