Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 886

Episode 886 Prologue (1)

Chicle-related products, which were an ambitious project of the imperial court and government, gradually established themselves through various commotions.

In particular, the Japanese, who wore straw sandals or geta (which were much simpler than the clogs worn by the imperial people) similar to the common people of the empire, were enthusiastic about these chicle shoes.

It was the same for Myeong-guk. The shoes commonly worn by Ming Dynasty people at the time were shoes made by adding marks or fabric to wooden soles.

Unlike hard wooden soles, thick soles made of chicle were comfortable on the feet, and there were no famous people who disliked them.

Meanwhile, insoles made of chicle began to gain popularity in Europe.

In Europe, the soles of shoes were also made of wood or leather.

Additionally, the streets of Europe were famous for being dirty. In order to avoid the feces and other waste that littered the streets, high-heeled shoes – heels made of thick wood or iron frames – caused considerable fatigue to the feet.

In this situation, chicle insoles exported from the empire were the best product loved by everyone in Europe, from nobles to peasants.

And here a problem arose.

* * *

Substitutes existed for many of the goods sold in the empire.

It could be produced in Europe or replaced with low-cost products produced in Ming or Japan. For parts that guaranteed reliable performance and quality, or for luxury items such as chandeliers, imperial products had to be used, but even these were gradually being replaced by products made in Europe.

However, items made of chiclo were only produced in the empire. In addition, things like insoles really scratched the user’s itch and were reasonably priced.

Thanks to this, those who once tasted it continued to purchase these items.

And here once again the European countries began to suffer a deficit against the empire.

In particular, if you were not too poor, you could buy products made from chicle without much burden.

As everyone made purchases together, the saying ‘your clothes will get wet in a light rain’ became a reality.

Thanks to this, European monarchs and merchants began sending spies once again.

-Where did the Empire secure that chicle?

However, the first to find the answer to the problem were European scholars.

-The etymology of the word chicle cannot be found even in the imperial language.

-Then this means that it was not secured from the original territory of the empire.

-Then, it is an external area like Daeseoldo and Jongjangdo in the northern part of the empire, but if you think about the time when this area became the territory of the empire, Chicle came out too late.

-Then it’s Shinji!

Subsequent information received through sailors and spies made this claim a fait accompli.

-The first emperor of the empire was involved in the development of chicle products!

“Considering that Shinji is where the first emperor stayed until recently, it is true that it is Shinji.”

European monarchs and merchants were convinced that the goods in question came from New Zealand, but they had no choice but to satisfy their appetites.

“I knew it was Shinji, but…”

“The problem is that it’s Shinji.”

It was a certainty, not a doubt, that the empire was involved in the disappearance of the expeditioners who had already set out to explore the Eastern Sea Route. Even if they wanted to protest against this, there was no clear physical evidence, and the Empire was exercising its right to remain silent every time such questions were asked.

However, when it came to holding them accountable through military action, the empire was too far away and their military power was no joke.

Therefore, Europeans searched for similar substitutes in Southeast Asia and Africa.

But this wasn’t an easy task either.

The problem was that we didn’t even know what chicle was made of.

“We don’t know if it’s a mineral or a by-product from animals or plants…”

Another reason was the situation in Southeast Asian countries.

As a result of early active exchanges with Imperial Japan, not only did the political system and culture develop considerably, but the military sector also developed significantly.

Simply put, when the Europeans brought out their guns and cannons, they also brought out their guns and cannons. Performance did not lag behind either.

Therefore, Europeans had to treat them as objects of trade rather than colonizing them.

The only areas where Europeans could roam around exercising violence as they pleased were the inland and southern regions of Africa and the New World to the south, which had been discovered about 10 years earlier.

In the end, most European monarchs had reached a tacit agreement.

-Sooner or later, we must give the empire a military blow!

And it was certain that the flames of war slowly rising in Italy would become that opportunity.

* * * The

reason why European powers saw Italy as a place of opportunity was because of the ‘Italian unification movement’ that was taking place in various cities in northern Italy – which can be seen as the yolk of Italy.

Initially, it started among a small number of intellectuals, but by this time, it had become ‘generalized’ to the point that even ordinary citizens were shouting slogans.

The problem was the subject of unification.

-Unify Italy and revive the glory of old Rome!

-The Holy Roman Empire was just the Gallic barbarians borrowing the name of Rome!

-It is only we Italians who can truly revive Rome!

-So you guys from other cities, follow us!

This last part was the problem. Influential cities in northern Italy, such as Milan, Genoa, Venice, and Florence, were claiming that they should be the agents of unification.

The movements of these Italian cities immediately caught the attention of European powers.

After analyzing it with the monarchs of the European powers who received the report, they concluded as follows.

-It is impossible by one’s own strength.

And this conclusion was reached by the Italian city-states as well. Many city-states looked for their allies and formed alliances.

The successors were France, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, and finally the Empire.

And here the European powers found an opportunity to give the empire a blow.

-The empire joined hands with Florence.

-If war breaks out, the empire has no choice but to deploy military power.

-But Italy and the empire are too far away. It is impossible for the empire to deliver troops and supplies in a timely manner.

-In the end, the empire has no choice but to be defeated.

-The defeated empire has no choice but to give up many of its interests to us.

What the Holy Roman Empire of France, Spain, and Spain all coveted was the shares of Suez owned by the empire and Florence. Spain was also targeting Portugal.

-If the empire and Florence collapse, Portugal will have no one to rely on! You can eat it then!

The problem was that neither France, the Holy Roman Empire, nor Spain had any intention of sharing the shares of Suez owned by the empire and Florence with other European powers.

This hinted at another war.

In this way, the European powers began to prepare for war step by step in order to keep the profits from Italy for themselves.

* * *

Meanwhile, the empire was not just sitting idle.

By building the military port of Livorno, the empire secured a bridgehead with strong defense capabilities and built a railroad network connecting Florence, Livorno, and surrounding cities.

Many people and officials of the empire expressed opposition to the fact that the empire was leading, that is, pouring money into building a railroad.

“Why should we use our own money to build a railway in Italy?”

“We should also ask for funds from Florence because it is also helpful to Florence!”

Although there was opposition, Wan exercised his authority and proceeded with the project.

After the railroad was completed over a period of five years, it brought many benefits to the empire.

First of all, railway fares belonged to the empire. Although it was a relatively short distance between Livorno and Florence, it was of great help to merchants.

Merchants using this railway were not only those from the Empire and Florence.

The route between Prince Henry’s port and Livorno was secured by the Imperial Navy, and many merchants sailed along this route to avoid the famous pirates of the Mediterranean or loaded themselves and their cargo on imperial and Florentine transport ships.

The imperial navy commanders smiled bitterly at these merchants’ movements.

“The sight of a small ship like this is enough to scare the pirates… What the hell…” * *

*

The ships of the Imperial Navy that guarded the Livorno route were built at the shipyard in Prince Henry’s Port. Of course, it followed the European style, not the imperial style.

Imperial navies called these ships scrap ships. This was because it was a smaller ship than not only a challenger-class ship, but also a sea emergency ship. The reason was that the Mediterranean was a place where mobility was more important than long-distance navigation performance, and it was to prevent secrets of the Challenger class or maritime emergency front from being leaked to Europeans. Where the imperial taste was clearly reflected was in the number of guns mounted.

-20 guns on the port and starboard sides combined.

Funnily enough, this front was the strongest front not only in the Mediterranean but also in Europe.

This was because among the ships in the Mediterranean and Europe during this time, there was no ship that carried more artillery than these ships. The number of artillery pieces was scary, but the artillery pieces loaded there were made and brought from the empire.

Thanks to this, the naval commanders of the European powers who saw these fronts were all in awe.

“You guys are really crazy about cannons! “It wasn’t a joke!”

“At least their number is small and their defense power is the same as our ships, so I’m relieved.”

Even so, European powers began building warships similar to the imperial navy’s scrap ships.

“Our cannons are weaker than theirs! “Then load more!”

“It’s not just about loading a lot of cannons! Build more ships!”

It was the financial officials who died in this naval competition.

“Not only is it not enough to make a wire similar to the Challenger-class wire for long-distance sailing, but they are also making another wire for the Mediterranean? Are you making more of that too?”

“What do you think the budget is!”

A naval competition was taking place, and ships similar to the Empire’s Mediterranean ships were appearing here and there, but the Imperial Navy was in a carefree mood.

“A ship with paper armor like that….”

“If I see the assault return ship, I’m going to pee.”

* * *

In any case, the port of Livorno began to overflow with merchants and cargo as merchant ships came and went along the routes secured by the Imperial Navy. And merchants used railroads to transport these cargoes to their bases.

“Even though it’s from here to Florence, where is it?”

Merchants, for whom time was money, were willing to pay to use the railroad. Of course, spies and soldiers disguised as merchants meticulously inspected the railroad tracks.

“It would definitely be advantageous for transporting troops. “But if just one or two sections of the railway from Livorno to Florence are cut, it will be useless.”

But they didn’t know. The railroads that the empire laid in Florence and surrounding cities were adjusted in anticipation of that. Even if one or two places were cut off, troops could be transported using a detour. Of course, it was not completely connected, but disconnected, making it impossible to know properly before the war broke out.

If war broke out, the empire would immediately connect these broken parts and complete the railroad network.

To hide this trick, the empire built a railway network at its own expense. Through the railway network and light-emitting communication towers along the railway, the empire was securing and maintaining its own transportation and communication network.