Black Corporation: Joseon

Episode 1023 Alsace-Lorraine. (1)

While Hyang and Hyeon were in the midst of drawing up a rough sketch of ‘The Future of Scholars and Artisans – Hope and Despair’, the embers of war were smoldering again in Europe. It was ‘coal’ that rekindled the flames of war.

* * *

The concept of the steam engine was introduced from the Empire, and a craze for steam engine development occurred in Europe. The steam engine was the best power source. At that time, there were no traditional power sources such as manpower, shaft power, hydroelectric power, wind power, etc., but there were many limitations. But steam engines were different.

As long as there was a steady supply of clean water, steam engines could provide power 24 hours a day, regardless of location. The stable supply of power was not the only advantage. Steam engines could be relatively freely adjusted in size and output as needed.

This was a tremendous blessing for the merchants and merchants living in the city. As time passed, European cities became filled with large and small factories powered by steam engines, and railroads run by iron horses emitting black smoke began to connect them. As life without steam engines became impossible to dream of, the European powers faced a new problem.

It was a ‘fuel supply problem’.

* * *

At this time, Europe’s forests were on the verge of extinction. If we look at the history of deforestation in Europe, its origin was Rome. In the process of expanding the territory of the empire, Rome destroyed Europe’s forests to build weapons and fleets.

It wasn’t just military reasons. Bathhouses were built in Rome, the home of the Roman Empire, as well as in all the colonial cities they created, and trees were cut down to supply the bathhouses. After the fall of Rome, deforestation, which had slowed down for a while, soon picked up again.

This was because iron weapons, symbolized by ‘knights’ armor,’ became common. Thanks to this, huge forest areas near the Czech Republic and Hungary disappeared. As a result, catastrophic climate and ecosystem changes occurred in Europe, and people suffered from famine.

In the end, only after the European population decreased significantly due to the plague that later spread, Europe’s forests and ecosystems were able to gradually recover. However, with the introduction of the steam engine, forest areas were once again in danger of disappearing.

* * *

It was not only the steam engine that caused fuel problems for European powers. No, there was a bigger and more powerful being.

It was a steel mill.

‘A must-have in order to overwhelm others. Bigger cannons and bigger steel mills.’

In order to overwhelm the ‘miscellaneous’ bordering the border, strong military power was needed, and to create that military power, factories that could produce powerful weapons in large quantities were needed. In addition, powerful iron horses were needed to supply materials to the factory and transport finished products.

To put this all together, larger steel mills that could produce more steel were needed. More fuel was needed to operate these steel mills, but the problem was that Europe’s woodlands were already reaching their limits. Although there was no proper academic theory, Europeans who had already experienced it first hand could not carelessly touch the forests.

Some of you have once again remembered Marco Polo’s ‘Experiences in the East’.

-In Kitai in the East, coal is used as firewood!

Not only those who visited the East but also those who had visited the empire said similar things, turning their attention to the existence of coal, which the European powers had forgotten.

* * *

Among the great powers, England was the first to tap into coal. England also used wood for fuel, so forest damage was serious. England was an island country. Unlike the major powers on the mainland, the cost of supplying wood was prohibitive.

Therefore, England’s choice was inevitable. However, choosing coal was a ‘turnaround’ for England.

Coal mines required a lot of labor. In other words, a new job market was created. Those who received a fixed wage for a long period of time were excellent consumers, and the market targeting them became active.

As they bit each other like gears, England’s internal market gradually grew in size, and the industrial and industrial powers and capitalists grew increasingly powerful.

* * *

Other powers, seeing England’s ‘virtuous cycle of development’, also recognized the utility of coal and began to quickly introduce it.

For the European powers that chose ‘imperial industrialization’, coal was a ‘black diamond’.

“No, it’s more precious than diamonds!”

As in England, coal mining created new employment and consumer markets. As time passed, more and more people entered this new market. Many peasants left rural areas for mines or cities, and the market for providing them with food, clothing, and shelter grew even bigger.

Many people entered the commerce and industry to take a share in the growing market, and the capital market that provided them with money also grew. However, upon hearing this, Hyang’s expression became uneasy.

“In this way, it is not Karl Marx who is writing Capital, but Marx’s great-grandfather or great-great-grandfather, who is writing Capital? Or Rousseau or Voltaire.”

* * *

Thanks to MSG, which was steeped in Confucianism’s ‘royal politics’ and ‘love for the people’, the empire had quite developed welfare and employment systems. In addition, the imperial system was being further refined as the mentality of the imperial people, which could be said to be progressive in some ways, such as awareness of the disabled, was added.

But the European powers have not yet done so. Workers working in the city’s factories and mines were receiving fixed wages, but from the imperialist’s perspective, it was at a ‘very meager’ level.

“No, even cows are fed properly when they are made to work, but I think this is too much, right?”

“Leave it alone. Then, if the cow falls down, they will say ‘Ah~’ and fix it.”

A funny thing happened after that. Contrary to concerns about the scent, improvement began faster than expected. And this was also a butterfly of incense.

Europe’s colonial expansion almost came to a halt as the township and empire took control of a huge amount of territory, including the Northern Territory and Xinji. And this made ruthless labor exploitation difficult as it was in history before the intervention of the township.

In history before the intervention of fragrances, capitalists produced products by squeezing workers. And they made huge profits by ‘forcibly’ selling the products produced in this way to the colonies. To put it another way, even if you ignore the consumer market created by domestic workers, you can still make significant profits. Therefore, there was no need for capitalists to care about the harsh working conditions or living conditions of workers.

However, now that colonial expansion has been blocked by the empire, the first market that capitalists need to capture is the consumer market created by workers.

As the imperialists said, it had become a situation where ‘you have to feed the cows well and make them work to be full.’

* * *

As industrialization progressed, the value of ‘coal’ and ‘steel’ began to skyrocket. The great powers scoured their territories to find coal mines and iron mines. However, not all of the coal and iron mines discovered were useful.

It was a ‘problem of profitability’.

It would have been good if there were more profitable mines than unprofitable mines, but if not, it would have been a big problem. In this case, there were two answers. Either put a little more effort into operating it or steal someone else’s good mine.

Most mainland powers chose the latter. And the best examples were Alsace and Lorraine, especially Lorraine.

* * *

France began to pay attention to Lorraine when coal was started to be used as fuel for steam engines and steel mills. Until then, the main export product from Lorraine was iron ore. It was also a low-grade iron ore with a lot of sulfur mixed in, so the price was very cheap. However, as French industrialization began in earnest, the situation changed rapidly. It had become a ‘land flowing with milk and honey,’ producing coal along with iron ore.

Naturally, the lords who ruled the Lorraine region and the ruling class of the Free Cities benefited greatly from the export of iron ore and coal. As with everything in the world, when someone makes a big profit, someone else is bound to suffer a big loss, and the person who suffers a loss is bound to have their judgment screwed up.

And there was no way that France, with its twisted judging system, would look kindly upon them.

“We need to fix those things somehow…”

In this situation, there was something about ‘fanning a burning house.’

This was Lauren’s location. If France took control of Lorraine and Alsace, they could create a natural barrier to defend France’s eastern border. On the other hand, from the Habsburg point of view, if this place was taken away, the way to advance to the Atlantic Ocean through the Rhine River would be blocked.

The Habsburgs were never good friends for France. This was because it was the Habsburgs who supported the independence of the Duchy of Burgundy in the past. In the end, Charles VIII and his ministers began the meeting, once again preparing for war.

“Where should I get my hands on it first?”

“Lauren. Next is Alsace.”

“Hmm…”

Charles VIII nodded in response to the Prime Minister’s answer. Louis, Duke of Orléans, who was sitting right next to Charles VIII, pointed out the problem.

“The problem is the cause. Sometimes a good cause can be as powerful as an army of 100,000.”

Louis’s point was very valid, so Charles VIII and the ministers all nodded and muttered to themselves.

‘It’s growing increasingly entangled with the empire.’

Since all of the children of the current King Charles VIII died young, the likely next king was Louis, Duke of Orléans. It was reassuring to know that such a person was capable. The Prime Minister stepped forward and responded to Louis’ point.

“There is the best cause. It is the bishopric taken by the Habsburgs during the process of unifying Italy.”

In the process of Italian unification, the Vatican had to disgorge all papal and episcopal decrees within Italy. The only place that avoided this was the Principality of Romagna, which quickly changed ships. The only things the Vatican spewed out like this were the papal decree and bishoprics located in Italy. But for the great powers, this was a good excuse.

The great powers pressured the Pope to confiscate the Papal States and Bishoprics in his country and make them their own.

“….This is how the Habsburgs took the three bishoprics in the Lorraine region. However, these cannot be said to belong entirely to the Habsburgs. This is their justification.”

“how?”

The Prime Minister answered Charles VIII’s question with a slight smile.

“Who will inherit the Frankish kingdom of the great Charlemagne? We are France. Legitimacy belongs to us.”

Louis pointed out with an embarrassed expression at the Prime Minister’s words.

“Haven’t we gone too far?”

“You have to start from there and consider it step by step. Isn’t that the basics of bargaining?’

“Aha!”

Charles VIII muttered without realizing it in response to the conversation between the Prime Minister and Louis.

“I wonder if this is the armistice of France or the armistice of the Empire… It’s so tainted.”