Black Corporation: Joseon

[ Episode 1004 Meanwhile, elsewhere… (9) ]

And the Ming and Japan were making similar decisions.

However, the reasons were very different from those of the European powers.

“Candy liquor? Cheap alcohol that’s tasteless and strong? “Is there a need to buy that distillery?”

The Ming Dynasty and Japan also had their own long brewing history, so they showed a weak response to sugar liquor.

However, the reactions of some major merchants and financial officials were different.

“huh? really? “This is an opportunity!”

Subjects who smelled money energetically contacted officials.

“If Your Majesty doesn’t do it, if the government doesn’t do it, the small people will buy the distillery!”

Here too, there was a difference between Ming and Japan.

In the Ming Dynasty, there were several people who had enough financial power to participate in the sugar liquor distillery contract competition with their own financial resources. But that wasn’t the case in Japan.

“But you can’t give up on the gold right in front of you!”

Several Japanese merchants – as few as 2 or 3 or as many as 10 – raised capital and knocked on the door of the Japanese government.

As the situation unfolded, Seonghwaje and Yoshioki became interested again.

“When it comes to money, merchants who die and then rise again cling to it like this? “Is candy liquor really worth money?”

The financial officials who were waiting for the monarchs’ question opened their mouths all at once.

“That’s right!”

“Hoo? okay?”

When Seonghwaje and Yoshioki showed interest, other officials opposed it.

“If you are considering taking over a sugar liquor distillery directly from the government, it will absolutely not be possible!”

“Why?”

“It is shameful for a monarch to make and sell alcohol!”

“That’s not all! There will be accusations that the monarch is disturbing the customs of the people by making them drunk!”

“Even now, places that make alcohol are common, so it would be absolutely impossible for a monarch to step forward and make alcohol! “We must even stop merchants from coming forward!”

As this opposition arose, those in favor also raised counterarguments.

“Haven’t you heard the rumor that sugar liquor is making huge profits in Europe? Think about the country’s finances! “It’s something that frees up finances without causing harm to the people!”

“Our people don’t even buy and drink alcohol because it doesn’t taste good!”

“If it’s going to be a problem, it doesn’t have to be sold within the country!”

As this fierce war of words continued, the opposing party presented a very strong argument.

“Why would Seoul decide to sell its sugar liquor distillery? Bad words have begun to circulate in Europe as well, so it’s not because they think it won’t help the monarch’s reputation!”

“···.”

* * *

During this period, the word for ‘empire’ in Ming and Japan was ‘Seoul’.

No matter how ‘pro-imperial’ the emperor and his imperial guards were camped out, it was a matter of pride to call a country other than the Ming ‘empire’.

However, calling it ‘Joseon’ like in the past was also problematic.

Japan was also similar. Even though it maintained good neighborly friendship with the empire and treated it almost as a ‘superior country’, its pride was pride.

For this reason, Ming and Japanese politicians came to use the word ‘Seoul’ instead of ‘Empire’.

* * *

When the pros and cons were fiercely competing, the moderates proposed a mediation plan.

“Both sides have a point. So, why don’t we do it this way?”

“how?”

“There are several options.”

The mediation proposal proposed by the centrists was as follows.

-The easiest way.

Making merchants who want to open a sugar liquor distillery deal directly with Seoul.

And adjustment means collecting taxes according to the law.

In this case, the government does not have to get its hands dirty, but its profits are reduced.

-Another way is to choose one of these merchants and take the lead.

It is not simply used as a sign, but the government participates in it through an unofficial joint venture.

You can reap slightly more benefits than the first method.

On the other hand, we must endure some degree of scandal related to the government.

However, the intensity and scope of the scandal will be less than if the government directly took over and operated it.

The monarchs who heard the opinions of the moderates were concerned.

“Is it a question of whether to be satisfied with just taxes or to risk scandal and take action directly?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm…”

The monarchs, who were going through great deliberations, called their confidants separately.

The opinions of the confidants were similar in both countries.

“It’s best to just pass it on to merchants and be satisfied with taxes.”

“Let’s just give up more benefits? why?”

“It’s because of our relationship with Seoul.”

“ah···.”

The sanctification ceremony is already the ‘Heavenly Father of Joseon’. It was a situation called ‘the Emperor of Goryeo’. And in the case of Japan, it was even worse. This was because most of the core power groups were students of the Empire.

In addition, it was obvious that if the actions of the empire, which was evaluated as ‘all business involving large sums of money, were carried out by the country,’ were followed, there would be considerable antipathy from the people.

“Even now, people are saying that we are imitating Seoul, but when there is a cough in Seoul, there are people saying that here, people are bedridden with body aches. It’s a shame.”

In the end, the choice of the Ming and Japanese monarchs was not to let the country take action, but to leave it to the merchants.

* * *

In this way, three distilleries built in the southwest and seven distilleries built in Shinji were sold.

Of the three in the southwestern provinces, two were acquired by merchants and one was acquired by a Japanese merchant association.

Of the 7 in Sinji, 1 was acquired by Italy, 2 by Portugal, 2 by France, 1 by England, and finally, 1 by the Ottomans.

The county as well as the county that received the report all expressed doubts.

“Ottoman? “Isn’t that a country where you can’t drink alcohol?”

“It is said that they sell it to people who do not believe in Islam and to foreigners who stop by the port.”

“is it···.”

Hyeon nodded, but Hyang looked cynical and muttered softly.

“Good luck…”

Even in Islamic countries in the Middle East, where people were obsessed with fundamentalism and lived by the law even in their previous lives, alcohol was popular.

-The best gift from Allah to Arab drinkers. Desert and cars.

It was a reference to the case of loading up a powerful and large SUV with a lot of alcohol and going into the desert to eat and come out.

* * *

European powers that acquired sugar liquor distilleries began to utilize them properly.

Of course, we did not forget about the social problems that arose after sugar liquor was first released into the market, so we did not forget to actively control it.

Still, sales were enormous and the financial officials of the countries that acquired the sugar distilleries squealed with happiness.

The problem was the export of this sugar liquor.

Within the country, efforts were made to minimize problems by actively controlling production and distribution. But what about other countries?

There was nothing like that.

In the end, Spain, which lost the battle to take over the sugar liquor distillery and ignored it out of Habsburg pride, had to suffer again from the harmful effects of sugar liquor.

Of course, in Northern Europe, such as Schwarzwald, there were schnapps and other brandies, and in Spain, there were fortified wines similar to sherry. However, it was pushed out by the overwhelming low price of candy stocks.

Eventually, European distillers adopted a policy of premiumization.

They selected the highest grade wines and fruit liquors as raw materials, carefully managed and aged by skilled craftsmen, and sold expensive products.

Over time, these highly aged brandies became popular among the upper class in the East.

Meanwhile, Spain and Habsburg took a different approach.

After banning the import of sugar liquor produced by other European powers, sugar liquor produced in the southwestern provinces was imported and sold.

“I admit that I failed to stop the sugar liquor! But I won’t eat yours!”

Through this embargo policy and monopoly import policy, Spain and Habsburg were able to reduce national wealth outflow to some extent.

However, this policy caused diplomatic friction with other powers.

“Abolish the embargo policy!”

England was the first to speak out. But Spain and Habsburg laughed.

“joy? What do you mean? “Have you forgotten the woolen embargo?”

They scoffed at the claim of England, which can be seen as the first country in Europe to implement protectionist policies.

This wasn’t the end.

The Habsburgs began to use even more daring moves.

Sugar liquor from the southwestern distilleries acquired by the Ottomans began to be distributed to Eastern Europe.

Because of the Ottoman expansionist policies and religious conflicts, there was little exchange between Eastern Europe and the Ottomans.

Habsburg took advantage of this opportunity.

Soon, Hungary also jumped into this blue ocean discovered by the Habsburgs.

They began importing and selling sugar liquor by taking advantage of the line with the Ottomans created during the last Habsburg-Hungarian war.

And as a by-product of this competition, enormous amounts of goods began to flow into Ming and Japan.

* * *

Another major change occurred in world history when the sugar liquor distillery in Shinji was transferred to Europe.

This was the birth of the so-called ‘Great Circular Route’.

It started with a map handed over to Portugal and Italy by the empire.

Thanks to the map, which revealed the existence of a huge undeveloped area in the southern part of the New World, large-scale exploration parties were organized in Portugal and Italy and crossed the Atlantic.

As long-distance voyages became successful, more and more exploration parties headed south to Shinji.

After several challenges, the expedition team that circled the southernmost tip of South America entered the Pacific Ocean.

But advancing north was not easy.

This was because the Imperial Navy was holding out.

“Is there another way?”

“wait? “Because the Earth is round…”

Those who were looking for a detour suddenly found another possibility.

“Terra!”

It was a route to the southern New World Terra (called Australia in history before Hyang’s intervention), which was learned through information leaked by the Empire.

Those who thought of the possibility immediately invited geographers and mathematicians.

“If we calculate it based on the known diameter of the Earth so far…”

After calculating the estimated distance from the southern tip of South America to Terra with the help of mathematicians, the expedition team prepared and set sail.

After many sacrifices and a series of challenges, the southern route to Terra was discovered.

It was the birth of the ‘Great Circular Route’.

* * *

The discovery of the Great Circular Route was a groundbreaking discovery in logistics transportation.

In order to bring home the gold and silver mined from the gold and silver mines in Terra, the most economical route was to head to Suez and then take an iron horse to the Mediterranean Sea to return to the home country.

There was also a route to Africa, but it was not economical as it required a large detour.

However, if the newly discovered great circulation route was used properly, excessive dependence on Suez could be reduced.

And in this process, the value of the islands where the sugar distillery was ceded by the empire began to come into view.

Ships from Portugal, Italy, France, and England, which had taken over the distilleries on the islands, began to frequent the imperial ports created on the islands.

[ Episode 1004 Meanwhile, elsewhere… (9) ] End