Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 682

Episode 682: Suez (2)

Negotiations were fierce.

The messengers from Portugal’s alliance with Ottoman France and Mamluk Spain’s alliance with the Holy Roman Empire engaged in a fierce war of words.

Although everyone agreed on the end of the war, neither side was able to achieve the goals they had originally envisioned.

– Complete control of the Egyptian region through the fall of the Mamluks

– Control of the Mediterranean Sea.

-Monopoly of trade routes to the empire

This was the goal the alliance set before the start of the war.

-The expulsion of the allied forces that invaded the Mamluks.

-Conquering the Mediterranean Sea.

-Securing imperial trade routes occupied by Portugal.

This was the goal set by the Allied powers participating in the war.

And both sides entered into negotiations without 100% achieving this goal.

What was interesting was that none of those sitting at the negotiating table were Italian city-states.

This was due to the characteristics of Italian city-states. Italy’s commercial city-states, symbolized by the Medici of Florence, were doing business with all European countries.

The moment you sit down at the negotiating table on either side of an alliance or union, your dealings with the countries on the other side will be thrown out the window.

“Of course, if the alliance had clearly won, it would have proudly taken the spot. But if we cut it off in such a haphazard manner, we have no choice but to hide.”

Cosimo’s complaints represented the feelings of the Italian city-states at the time.

Of course, I knew who in Italy was allied with the other, whether it was an alliance or coalition. However, unless it was officially revealed, the correct answer was to pretend not to know while knowing.

This was because the capital power of the Italian city-states was absolutely necessary for them.

However, seeing Italy’s situation like this, people who are worried about Italy’s future are starting to appear one by one.

* * *

The first place where people worried about Italy’s future appeared was at a university in Florence.

After the empire first appeared with the nickname ‘Land of Flowers’, there were a group of scholars who began to look at it with interest.

Afterwards, I learned more and more about the empire through letters sent by monks who settled in the empire’s research institute.

It was a heaven-sent opportunity for the empire to open its doors to such people.

Scholars at the University of Florence made desperate efforts not to miss the opportunity to actually see the empire they had only imagined after reading the sentences.

In order to participate in a visiting group organized to tour the empire, he appealed himself through various channels, and later, he used every means possible to obtain the position of professor in charge of leading international students.

Scholars who went to the empire and observed the actual state of the empire and the trends of neighboring countries such as the Ming and Japanese countries began to increasingly worry about the future of their hometown, Florence, and Italy.

* * *

-Although it has been overshadowed by the Empire, the Empire is always on the lookout for the Ming.

-Myeongseong, formerly called Kitai, has no problem being called the largest country in the East and Europe. This is because it boasts the largest size in terms of territory size, population size, and market size.

-On the other hand, the empire has powerful military power, technological power, and economic power comparable to that of the Ming, but is inferior to the Ming in both population and territory.

-The empire is well aware of this fact, so it actively encourages fertility.

-Not only is it encouraging childbirth, but it is also actively subjugating the indigenous people living in the surrounding areas of the empire.

-The biggest characteristic of the empire’s indigenous policy is that it does not regard indigenous people as slaves. This means treating the serfs who fled from city to city in Italy as equal citizens of the empire, just as they were treated equally with city residents.

-The empire is trying to solve the problem of supply and demand of talent by not only treating imperial people and natives equally but also providing opportunities for advancement for natives.

-This is similar to the policy that Rome followed during the old Roman Republic as well as during the Empire. This policy allowed Rome to maintain its strong hold.

Scholars who looked at the empire and its neighboring countries – especially the Ming Dynasty – compared these results to the situation in Italy, where they lived.

-If we look at the current situation in Italy and Europe, Italian city-states are dominating the European economy.

-However, even our proud city of Florence, which is said to be the strongest among city-states, is just a city located in a small region called Italy.

-If you look at the surrounding kingdoms, there are at least five or six cities like Florence, the territory is several times larger, and the population is dozens of times larger.

-Of course, most of those countries are divided into large and small independent fiefdoms and cities, like the city-states of Italy.

-However, places like the UK and France that have completely integrated into one country are starting to appear.

-The country of most concern is France.

-France is the country with the largest territory among European countries.

-The people of France also came to have a sense of belonging as French.

-If France actively promotes wealth and strong military power based on people with a sense of belonging, it will not be long before France becomes the strongest country in Europe.

-The process of becoming powerful is not easy, but maintaining that position afterwards is also not easy.

-The easiest way is to create political and economic dependencies.

-From that perspective, the best prey is Italy. This is because a lot of funds are needed to maintain the position of the strongest, and Italian city-states are the optimal source of funds.

-Our proud Florence as well as that damn Genoa and Venice are powerful, but compared to the whole of France, they are weak.

-If France attempts to defeat them individually, the Italian city-states will collapse helplessly.

-Therefore, in order to avoid this tragic outcome, the unification of Italy is inevitable.

-If Italy, the birthplace of the great Rome, is unified, it can establish itself as another powerhouse in Europe.

Scholars who came to this conclusion began to argue for the ‘Italian unification theory.’

However, the leaders of the city-states reacted indifferently to their claims.

Even Cosimo de Medici, who was known to have excellent insight into the future, reacted as follows upon hearing this opinion:

“It’s definitely a high possibility. However, France cannot be considered to have achieved complete unity yet. And if France tries to do something like this, Britain and the Holy Roman Empire will not stand still. If something like this happens, you can use those two. “Just like it’s always been.”

Scholars naturally reacted to Cosimo’s words.

“If we were to unify into one Italy, that wouldn’t even happen!”

In response to the opposition from scholars, Cosimo smiled and pointed out the problem.

“What you say is correct. But that’s it. That’s the biggest problem. Who do you think will be the monarch who will unify Italy? me? Of course, it is true that I am a worn-out politician. But I am a politician and a merchant, not a king’s bastard. So who will be the monarch? The tyrants of Genoa or Venice? Speaking of the resurrection of Rome, the Pope of the Vatican? Who will be the monarch? Or are Italians now aware that we are Italians? “Even I just think of myself as a Florentine?”

“….”

The scholars fell silent at Cosimo’s point. Looking at such scholars, Cosimo came to a conclusion.

“Unified Italy? That’s a good thing. But I will say it again: Italy is not ready yet. And the possibility of an invasion of France is considerable, but considering France’s current situation, it will take at least 100 years.”

Cosimo’s words ultimately forced the scholars to retreat.

But this was Cosimo’s misjudgment.

In history before the intervention of the French, the French invasion of Italy began in 1494.

With this invasion, Italy’s tragedy began. It was revealed that the Italian city-states were economically prosperous but militarily weak. Afterwards, Italy became the stage of competition for hegemony among European powers and was torn apart.

There was less than 50 years left. In addition, no one knew what kind of butterfly effect the sudden variables of fragrance and empire would have.

Another characteristic was that the movement calling for a ‘unified Italy’ surfaced sooner than expected.

In history before the intervention of the township, it was almost 400 years from the ‘First Italian War of Independence’ that took place in 1849.

Later, a political ideology called ‘Risorgimento (Resurgence and Revival)’, borrowed from the ‘Resurgence of Rome’ advocated by scholars, was born.

* * *

While such movements were taking place inside Italy, negotiations were continuing tediously.

“Your demands cannot be accepted!”

“Are your demands like that sane?”

“what? “I know it’s sweet!”

“Someone is saying something!”

Whenever a meeting took place, there was shouting, and when bored, people would hit the desk with their fists and point at each other.

Seeing this scene, the soldiers standing guard at the negotiation site had the same thought regardless of their alliance or union.

‘Ah! Stop making a fuss, come out calmly and fight! ‘Whether it’s punching or stabbing, it’s easy to do as the winner says!’

The negotiations to end the war, which had caused serious stress to the soldiers, were concluded after half a year.

-The Mamluks give up territories occupied by their allies.

-Portugal and Spain stop attacking each other’s African colonies.

-Stop attacks on ships of other countries in the Mediterranean.

Afterwards, agreement was reached on several minor details, and the allies and allied countries signed the document ending the war and declared the end of the war.

“Is this the beginning of peace?”

Many people who heard the rumor thought of peace, but those who looked at the details more closely shook their heads.

“Spain and Portugal will continue to fight.”

“why? “You said you would stop attacking colonies and stop attacking ships in the Mediterranean region.”

“The most important part, the eastern coast of Africa, is missing.”

“Ah…”

This was true.

The east coast of Africa was one of the ‘golden routes’. Ships loaded with gold, silver, ivory, and slaves from Africa were moving along the east coast of Africa.

And the treaty omitted the part about stopping fighting along this route.

This was because, in a sense, the interests of the two countries coincided.

-If you touch a colony, you have to be prepared for a lot of blood loss, but it’s not a ship, right?

* * *

Once the treaty went into effect, officials from Portugal, Ottoman France, and Florence gathered again.

“ruler! “Then let’s talk about this Suez transit route.”

“Let’s do that.”

“Then first of all, is waterway the only answer?”

In the first agenda item, all participants – especially Europe – had serious faces.

This was because I had experienced what the desert was like during the last war.

“I think that mobilizing slaves, as I first mentioned, was a huge waste of both time and money.”

“Then, as expected, an iron horse?”

“That’s the best way, but…” When

the Portuguese representative trailed off, the Florence representative expressed everyone’s feelings.

“Isn’t the problem that all iron horses and railways have to be imperial? “Just like in war, the empire will make the most profit.”

“It would be true to say that ‘only the empire’ makes money.”