Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 870

Episode 870: Generational Change (1)

Cosimo’s decision became the decisive key, and Florence and the empire moved quickly.

Among them, those who moved the fastest and most passionately were Giovanni and Lorenzo.

As soon as Cosimo’s permission was given, Giovanni crossed the Mediterranean again and headed for Suez.

As soon as he arrived in Suez, Giovanni looked at the ship and looked embarrassed.

“There are no ships…”

All of the merchant ships belonging to the Medici family had set sail.

* * *

During this time, the port of Suez was bustling with trading ships from Europe, the Middle East, and Japan.

Most of the trading ships that entered and left the port of Suez from sunrise to sunset belonged to European countries.

Suez during this period was the starting point of the ‘Golden Route’.

Not all European trade ships were destined for the empire.

More trade ships went to India than to the empire.

Indian spices and various dyes have been famous in Europe since ancient times.

Until the connection between Suez and Prince Henry’s port, Indian spices and dyes were monopolized by Muslim and Italian merchants.

Among the reasons for the outbreak of the Crusades was the operation of Italian merchants to monopolize the spice and dye trade.

However, through the Crusades and subsequent developments, Islamic merchant forces gained the upper hand.

In this situation, the construction of the Suez-Prince Henrique Port Railway was tantamount to opening a new era.

European merchants flocked to India, bypassing the African continent or carrying ships built in the shipyards of Suez.

And as a result of this chain reaction, maritime traffic in the Mediterranean became more active.

This was because the cargo that arrived at Prince Henry’s Port from Suez had to cross the Mediterranean to take it back to their home country.

And by acting as an agent for cargo transportation and operating warehousing businesses, Italian merchants once again established themselves as a central force in the European economy. And the person with the greatest influence on this Italian merchant power was the Medici family.

Cosimo’s insight shone through as he recognized Shinji’s existence early on amid various rumors and took action.

* * *

Upon hearing that the family’s ships had already set sail, Giovanni took his group and headed straight to the empire’s military port.

This was because there was a very high possibility that confidential information would be exposed if you boarded a ship from France or another country.

“Aren’t they clueless? “He was obviously watching my movements the whole time, so there was no need to give him a chance.”

To prevent leaks of confidential information and ensure personal safety, Giovanni headed to the empire’s military port.

“And there are always imperial ships in the imperial military ports.”

The empire’s ships, both military and merchant ships, stayed at the empire’s military ports. Therefore, among those trying to go to the Empire, Ming Japan, or India, those who missed the ship unconditionally headed to the empire’s military port.

This was because at any time, there were at least two ships heading to the empire’s military port.

Giovanni and his party boarded a ship heading to the empire and stayed in the cabin to check their requirements.

“If you can get this, definitely get it. “It would be good to get this as much as possible, and to get this…” After

meticulously adjusting the priorities of the demands they would present, Giovanni and his group let out a long sigh and put down their stylus.

“First of all, we’ve finished sorting things out…”

“Will the empire really listen to our demands?”

“To be honest, I also agree.”

Giovanni responded with a slight smile to his subordinates’ concerns.

“We have already been thinking about getting involved since the Empire proposed it to us. “Now that it is involved in the huge gamble of ‘Italian unification,’ the empire has no choice but to keep betting in order not to lose its stake.”

‘That’s what my father said.’

“iced coffee. okay!”

“As expected, Giovanni! “You are truly amazing!”

Giovanni smiled humbly and waved his hand at the compliments from his subordinates.

“What’s so amazing… Come on! “Let’s review it one more time when we have time!”

“yes!”

Giovanni muttered to himself as he watched his subordinates reviewing the demands again with serious faces.

‘It’s my mistake and my shortcomings that I didn’t realize the true intentions of the empire until my father told me! Need to try harder! There are no double mistakes!’

* * *

Giovanni, who had made such a firm decision, visited Shin Suk-ju again as soon as he arrived in Seoul.

Shin Suk-ju, who accepted Giovanni’s demands, sent the original to Seungjeongwon and immediately went to Hwang Bo-in to submit a copy.

“Hmm…”

Hwang Bo-in, who was reviewing the copy handed out by Shin Sook-ju, ordered an aide who was waiting.

“Go and get the deputy prime ministers.”

“Yes, Captain.”

After a while, the deputy prime ministers who heard the news gathered together and Hwang Bo-in presented Florence’s demands to them.

“Hmm…”

“Huh…”

Among the Deputy Prime Ministers who carefully checked Florence’s demands, the first to speak was Kim Jong-seo.

“I think they realized that our empire was also planning to get involved.”

After Kim Jong-seo finished speaking, Lee Gyeon-gi added.

“I’m just saying that since you’re involved in the game, you should bet your stake properly.”

Hwang Bo-in also nodded at the words of Kim Jong-seo and Lee Gyeon-gi.

“I think so too. So what should I do? “Where should I place my bet?”

“That’s not true.”

“I guess not.”

At Hwang Bo-in’s words, Kim Jong-seo and Lee Gyeon-gi shook their heads at the same time.

“I think it would be a bad idea to bet on everything from the beginning.”

“I agree. “I don’t know what the hidden cards of those who get involved in the game are, but it’s a shameful thing to place a bet unconditionally.”

Hwang Bo-in nodded silently at the words of Kim Jong-seo and Lee Gyeon-gi. Seeing that, Shin Suk-ju opened her mouth with an expression of surprise.

“I guess you three enjoy gambling?”

“It’s at the level of entertainment.”

“It’s Pungryu, it’s Pungryu.”

“greatness! “Keuhum!”

Shin Sook-ju muttered to herself at the three people’s reactions.

‘I didn’t hear it…’

According to the rumors, the three people’s gambling skills were considerable. Although he is said to enjoy it as long as it does not raise questions from the Board of Audit and Inspection, it was rumored that he boasts skills that would make him a master at various gambling games, including baduk and janggi, as well as Ssangnyuk and golpae.

“greatness! Hmm…”

Hwang Bo-in, who cleared his throat and returned his attention, hastily came to a conclusion.

“First of all, we will have to discuss it again in Daejeon, but let’s start by placing moderate stakes. “Is it okay if I report this to Your Majesty?”

“I agree.”

“Let’s do that.”

Once the conclusion was reached, Hwang Bo-in gave an order to his aide.

“Make several copies and hand them to the ministers of each department. As they say, His Majesty will ask for an answer sooner or later, so prepare well. No, no. Tell him to think of an answer by tomorrow and then come to me. “You should avoid hearing people click their tongues.”

“Yes, Captain.”

* * *

Three days later, Wan summoned the ministers.

“Have you seen the demands sent from Florence? “Jim thinks it’s a call for the Empire to bet on something made in Italy?”

Hwang Bo-in stepped forward and answered Wan’s question.

“Even the small gods think so.”

“Is that so? Hmm….”

Wan thought about Hwang Bo-in’s answer for a moment and then immediately asked the next question.

“Then I think it’s right to bet, but how much should I bet?”

Soonwook Lim came forward and answered Wan’s question.

“The reason you place a bet on a gambling table is because you are confident that you will win the game and win money. There are two main ways to win big at the gambling table. One way is to bet big only when you have a good hand. If I do this, the opponent will suspect that if I bet a large amount of money, it is a good hand and will back off. “If this suspicion builds up, even if I play a bad hand, I will back down if the stakes are high.”

“Hmm… it’s okay… then what is the other one?”

In response to Wan’s curious question, Lim Sun-wook continued.

“The other thing is that you keep losing it little by little at first. If you lose little by little like that, you will incur less losses and you will be able to learn about your opponent’s habits by observing the successive rounds. “If you know your opponent, you can win the biggest game.”

“That’s interesting. “Then what method do you want the Minister of Finance and Economy to use?”

Lim Soon-wook answered Wan’s question without delay.

“If you believe in it, you will use the second method.”

“why?”

“I can assure you that the situation taking place in Italy is not a proper situation. As we lose little by little, we must first find out who is a swindler (a type of Chinese gambler who wins money through deception) and who is a cheater, and whether Florence will be able to hold on to the game with the empire until the end. Therefore, I believe that the second method should be used.”

“That sounds plausible. “Then do you have any other opinions?”

Han Myeong-hoe stepped forward in response to Wan’s question.

“I believe it would be more appropriate to make a big statement from the beginning.”

“why?”

“As the game continues, not only do we get to know our opponents better, but they also get to know us. However, if it is the first or second edition, they will not know us properly and will just guess. If you make a big fuss from the first episode, they will be scared and start shrinking. If that happens, we may end up spending less time, money, and people than expected.”

“Should we use bravado?”

“Rather than bragging, it would be closer to not hiding anything.”

“Hmm… What the Minister of General Affairs said makes sense…”

Wan and the ministers all nodded at Han Myeong-hoe’s words. In fact, Wan and the ministers were already aware of Lim Sun-wook and Han Myeong-hoe’s claims.

This was because Lim Sun-wook and Han Myeong-hoe had a war of words at the meeting hosted by Hwang Bo-in before Wan convened it.

-Anyway, it is a job that requires a lot of time and money from preparation to completion. It is right to taste the seasoning little by little and aim for a good match.

-Costs incurred during the preparation period are unavoidable. However, when the odds are against you, it is best to win by making as big a deal as possible from the beginning rather than holding on sluggishly while waiting for a victory that may come at any moment.

Since both of their opinions made sense, no conclusion was reached easily, and Hwang Bo-in left the decision to Wan.

“You both have a point. But I can’t make a decision easily, so I’ll report it to His Majesty and wait for his answer.”

So now, a war of words broke out in front of Wan once again. And Wan, who was already aware of the war of words between the two through various channels, was once again on the verge of recovery.

The difference was that the ministers who attended Hwang Bo-in’s meeting divided into groups and participated in a war of words. In order to have the opinions they supported adopted, the ministers fleshed out the opinions of the two men.

The problem was that the way it was expressed compared it to gambling.

The officer who recorded this situation added this to the record:

-… So, when the Emperor asked for an answer to Florence’s request, the ministers began a war of words, coming up with various methods.

The officer says:

Daejeon became a gambling den.

* * *

Meanwhile, as time passed, Hyang learned of the situation through a letter sent by Wan and burst into laughter.

“Im Soon-wook did it like Im Soon-wook, and Han Myeong-hoe did it like Han Myeong-hoe.”

Lim Sun-wook, who had lived as a solid merchant even before entering government service, presented a conservative yet solid plan, and Han Myeong-hoe, who had been a fortune-teller even before the intervention of Hyang, was aiming for a big deal.

Hyang, who was analyzing the current situation in the empire and Europe, looked at the map and muttered.

“Was the ‘Great Game’ played over Italy in the 15th century?”