Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 301

During the drinking session at the tavern, the Joseon marines were greatly surprised by two things.

The first surprise was the variety of alcohol served. All kinds of fruit wine, followed by Arabian grape wine, and even strong distilled liquor—bottles filled with various types of alcohol were lined up on the marines’ tables.

“Wow! This place is heaven!”

“If Yi Taebak were here, he would have settled down and lived here!”

The marines enjoyed drinking all sorts of alcohol, each with its own unique character.

The second surprise was the astronomical bar tab.

“We should head back soon.”

“Ugh! We should.”

As the mood gradually shifted towards wrapping up, the owner, who had become acquainted with the marines through the earlier written conversation, approached them and handed them a paper with the amount written on it.

The marines, who received the paper with slightly intoxicated faces, checked the number written on it and rubbed their eyes.

“What? Is this real?”

“Whoa! The alcohol is wearing off quickly.”

After checking the amount several times, the marines’ first thought was “rip-off.”

“Could they be ripping us off? Those bastards, I’ll just…”

“Hold on! We haven’t confirmed anything yet!”

As the atmosphere turned hostile over the bar tab, Jo Seok-bong, the most senior among the Jinmu, came to a conclusion.

“For now, let’s pay the bill and come back tomorrow with the interpreter to confront them.”

“Brother Jo!”

“Seok-bong!”

“Everyone is drunk right now. If things escalate further here, what do you think will happen? We can’t even communicate properly. What more can we do besides using our fists?”

“Ugh…”

“Even if it turns out to be a rip-off, we can simply stop coming to this tavern from now on. Surely, this can’t be the only tavern in this port, right?”

In the end, the marines collected money and paid the bar tab. As each person paid 1 nyang of silver, the marines grumbled.

“Spending half of a month’s salary in one night… Damn it…”

***

At that time, the monthly salary of Joseon Navy soldiers was 2 nyang of silver. The marines participating in this voyage were paid 3 nyang of silver per month, including special bonuses, with 1 nyang being paid to their families in Joseon.

As the Reformation Plan progressed, the soldiers’ salaries were no longer paid through grain provisions but directly by the state. As a result, the soldiers were able to receive their salaries stably. Moreover, the salary of 2 nyang of silver for the lowest-ranking soldiers was considered a high income in Joseon’s economic situation at the time. Therefore, the number of people enlisting in the military was gradually increasing.

***

Having paid the bar tab, the marines continued to grumble as they left.

“Ugh! The alcohol is wearing off!”

“How many jars of takju (rice wine) can you get with 1 nyang of silver?”

“Damn it! I’ll never come here to drink again!”

The marines, who had returned to the ship while spewing all sorts of complaints, kicked their blankets and vented their frustration.

“Argh! I’m so annoyed!”

The next morning, as soon as the day broke, the Jinmu and senior soldiers rushed to their captains to report what had happened the previous day.

Upon receiving the report, the captains gathered in one place to discuss countermeasures.

“In such cases, we need to resolve it promptly.”

“Indeed. If we’re not careful, we might continue to be taken advantage of.”

The captains, who had reached a consensus, gave orders to the interpreters.

The three interpreters who received the order discussed among themselves and soon made a decision.

“You guys continue with your assigned tasks. I’ll go to the tavern.”

“We’re counting on you.”

The interpreter in charge led the Jinmu and senior soldiers to the problematic tavern.

“Is this the place?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Got it.”

The interpreter, with the soldiers behind him, entered the tavern and sought out the owner.

After conversing with the owner for a while, the interpreter turned to the soldiers with a troubled expression.

“What did you guys write here yesterday?”

“We asked if we could use silver banknotes.”

“And then?”

At the interpreter’s words, the Jinmu who had written the characters immediately replied.

“It was ‘酒’ (alcohol), ‘多’ (plenty), and ‘急’ (urgent).”

“Phew~.”

The interpreter, sighing deeply at the Jinmu’s answer, spoke.

“According to the owner, he thought you wanted various types of alcohol because you wrote ‘多’ (many), so he brought out all the types of alcohol available in the tavern.”

“What?”

At the interpreter’s explanation, the soldiers also had troubled expressions.

The Chinese character ‘多’ (da) meant “many” but also “various.”

Seeing the soldiers’ expressions, the interpreter continued.

“Yes. According to the owner, since you wrote the character ‘急’ (urgent) after ‘多’ (many), he brought out all the alcohol that was prepared in bottles. You know that even for the same alcohol, it’s more expensive when transferred from a jar to a bottle, right?”

“Yes.”

“Because of that character ‘多’ (many), the owner has no fault.”

“Ugh…”

The soldiers could only groan at the interpreter’s explanation.

“Although it’s bitter, you must have had a luxurious experience. You even drank alcohol that I’ve only heard the names of.”

At the interpreter’s words, the soldiers grumbled.

“We mixed everything together and drank it, so we didn’t even know what it tasted like.”

“Oh dear…”

In the end, the soldiers had no choice but to retreat, smacking their lips.

The captains, who received the report from the interpreter upon returning to the ship, discussed and immediately summoned the interpreters.

“Although I want to prohibit shore leave, considering the morale of the soldiers, I’d like you to put in a little effort.”

“Understood.”

Thus, whenever the marines went out, interpreters accompanied them. The interpreters’ reactions were not bad. They, too, were desperate for alcohol.

***

Having completed the replenishment while experiencing such incidents, the combined fleet departed from Malacca.

The destination of the fleet, sailing northward along the strait, was Chittagong.

With the help of the ocean currents, the combined fleet reached Chittagong in 12 days.

Following behind Mansur’s merchant ship, the Joseon fleet sailed up the Karnaphuli River and arrived at the port of Chittagong.

“Wow! It’s even larger than Malacca!”

Kang Nam-gil exclaimed in admiration as he gazed at the port of Chittagong.

The port was bustling with ships of all types and sizes, from Chinese ships to Arab dhows.

***

As the Joseon warships approached the port of Chittagong, the port was in an uproar. It was because gray ships with a huge size, comparable to the ships ridden by the Ming’s Zheng He, were approaching the port.

While the soldiers in charge of defending the port rushed to the pier, Mansur, who had docked his ship first, disembarked and sought out the official managing the port.

“Greetings! I have come to inform you about those ships!”

“You know those ships?”

“I do! Those ships are from Joseon! They want to engage in trade!”

***

Mansur’s report was immediately conveyed to the magistrate governing Chittagong.

“Joseon? Where is that country located?”

At the magistrate’s question, the officials all tried to recall.

“The name sounds familiar…”

“I think so…”

As one official was trying to remember about the country called ‘Joseon,’ his expression suddenly brightened, and he answered the magistrate.

“Ah! Magistrate! It’s the ‘Land of Flowers’!”

“Land of Flowers?”

The magistrate, who had been tilting his head, suddenly widened his eyes.

“That ‘Land of Flowers’?”

“Yes! I heard that the name of that country is Joseon!”

At the official’s answer, the magistrate abruptly stood up from his seat and ordered.

“Immediately grant them permission to enter the port! If the ‘Land of Flowers’ has come to engage in trade, we must welcome them at once!”

***

The magistrate’s order was swiftly conveyed, and the three warships docked at the pier of the Chittagong port.

During the docking process, not only the small boats loaded on the warships but also the small boats in the port rushed to assist the massive hulls of the challenger-class warships in safely docking.

Once the warships had safely docked, the captains, led by Oh Ha-seok, were the first to disembark via the connected gangways. As the interpreters and officials from the Ministry of Finance followed, Mansur introduced them to the official.

The official, who had been introduced by Mansur, walked up to the captains and officials from the Ministry of Finance, politely bowed, and delivered a greeting.

“We welcome those who have come from the ‘Land of Flowers’.”

Upon hearing Mansur’s interpretation, Oh Ha-seok’s group simultaneously expressed their curiosity.

“Land of Flowers?”

Seeing the group’s expressions, Mansur quickly added an explanation.

“Ah! Countries far from Joseon refer to Joseon as the ‘Land of Flowers.’ The reason is due to the flower pattern imprinted on the products sold by Joseon.”

“Ah…”

At Mansur’s explanation, the group members all nodded their heads.

***

Among the goods exported from Joseon, all the items shipped through the royal workshops or the exhibition halls under the Ministry of Finance had a plum blossom pattern engraved on them.

In fact, not only the goods released overseas but also the goods traded internally used the plum blossom pattern as a standard for quality assurance.

Everyone knew very well that the color and number of flowers imprinted in gold, silver, and copper were the most definite guarantee.

As a result, both the craftsmen who made the goods and the merchant groups strived to receive better evaluations.

Of course, there were occasionally those who attempted counterfeiting, but they merely became good prey for those seeking rewards and the officials from the Ministry of Finance aiming for fines and asset seizures.

***

Understanding the meaning of the ‘Land of Flowers,’ Oh Ha-seok, representing the group, responded.

“Please convey our gratitude for the warm welcome.”

The official, having heard Mansur’s interpretation, continued, and Mansur conveyed his words.

“The magistrate wishes to meet you.”

“Right away?”

“The ‘Land of Flowers’ is an object of curiosity.”

At Mansur’s words, Oh Ha-seok looked around at his group. As they all nodded, Ha-seok spoke to Mansur.

“I apologize, but we need a moment to prepare. Please ask them to wait a little.”

“Yes.”

Upon hearing Mansur’s response, the official immediately agreed to wait, and wooden boxes were once again brought down from the Invincible, which had been loaded with goods to trade with Tianzhu.

Meanwhile, Oh Ha-seok turned to the interpreters who had learned Arabic.

“Will you be able to interpret?”

“The Arabic we learned is different.”

“Oh dear…”

As Ha-seok showed a dejected expression, Mansur intervened.

“Captain, the language they use is Persian. Of course, being Muslims, they know some Arabic. And if necessary, I can step in, just like now.”

“You need to depart with us, don’t you? If the trade is successful, we should find someone to teach the language.”

At Ha-seok’s words, the official from the Ministry of Finance interjected.

“As we entered the port, I noticed quite a few people from the Ming. If needed, can’t we converse in Chinese?”

At the official’s words, Ha-seok’s face brightened.

“That’s another possibility. Indeed, among the court officials, those from the Ministry of Finance are the best, as they say.”

“You flatter me.”

In such a warm atmosphere, the process of checking for any damage to the contents of the wooden boxes was completed. Upon receiving the report that the gifts in the boxes were intact, Oh Ha-seok’s group began to follow the officials towards the magistrate’s residence.

***

The meeting that followed in the magistrate’s residence started with a bright atmosphere from the beginning.

“I have long been aware of the exceptional quality of the goods from the ‘Land of Flowers.’ I am truly delighted to engage in trade with such a country.”

The magistrate’s words were not mere flattery.

Not only in the Bengal Sultanate but also in various countries of India, Joseon’s goods were not unfamiliar. Chinese merchants, or Arab merchants who had acquired goods from Alexandria, came to India and sold Joseon’s products.

Although the prices were not cheap due to the multiple intermediaries, the Indian nobles, regardless of being Hindus or Muslims, purchased Joseon’s goods for their superior quality.

Therefore, the magistrate of Chittagong welcomed those who had come from Joseon. The goods coming directly without intermediary merchants would naturally be cheaper, and Chittagong could even make money through transit trade.