Chapter 461

Episode 461: Caesar’s, God’s.

Duke Henry’s fleet, which departed from Joseon, arrived at Suez again after a long voyage.

“It’s Suez! It’s Suez!”

At the shout of the sailor who was watching from the watchtower, everyone on the ship looked like ‘finally’.

“We’ve finally arrived.”

Henrik nodded lightly at the captain’s words.

“Good job. “Anyway...”

Henrik, speechless, continued as he looked at the Joseon ships moving towards the dock in front of him.

“Once funds are secured, it would be good to get a ship from Joseon. If the front line is difficult, even a merchant ship.”

The captain nodded at Henry’s words.

“It certainly is.”

* * *

What Henry and the Portuguese keenly felt during this voyage was the excellence of Joseon ships.

In all aspects, including size, speed, and durability, these ships were far ahead of the Nao (Portuguese name for the Nao Karak ship) they were on.

It was a moment when their ship, which they were confident was the newest and best performing ship among the ships owned by countries facing the Atlantic Ocean as well as the Mediterranean, became shabby.

* * *

As the ships docked at the dock, waiting workers flocked to them.

They were people who made a living as day laborers with merchants from Mansur and Aden, and stevedore workers belonging to a union jointly operated by Joseon.

Workers belonging to a union organized by Aden’s merchants and Koreans brought carts and were preparing for unloading in an orderly manner.

Unlike Joseon and the Mansour Merchant Marine, which appeared orderly, day laborers had gathered around the ship that Prince Henry and his party were on, creating a mess.

“It was like this when I left....”

“Nari! lily!”

Henrik shook his head after seeing the dock in shambles with workers flocking in, shouting ‘Nari!’ in poor Korean pronunciation.

“This is why I told you to prepare and educate people in advance...”

Before leaving for Joseon, Henrique left behind a few subordinates and gave orders.

“If things go right, we will bring a lot of goods from Joseon. “We can’t leave those things to random people, so let’s create some organization.”

“Yes, Your Excellency the Duke.”

I left with a request and left a considerable amount of money, but when I came back, this mess had happened again.

The situation, which made it impossible to even dream of disembarking due to the chaos unfolding before our eyes, soon began to be sorted out.

“Get out of the way!”

“go away!”

A group of strong men began chasing the workers away, swearing and brandishing long clubs.

While the gangsters were driving out the day laborers, Henry’s men appeared, leading a group of workers.

“Your Excellency the Duke! dismissal!”

“oh! Nuno! Rodrygo!”

Henrik answered the call of his men with joy.

In this way, goods began to be unloaded from Henry’s fleet through the workers brought by his subordinates.

Henrik, who was watching the workers carrying wooden boxes on their backs and heads unloading the goods, muttered with a look of regret on his face.

“Even if I can’t buy a Joseon boat, I guess I should buy a potter’s wheel.”

Unlike their own uneasy unloading of goods through a wobbly pier, Joseon ships unloaded goods easily and safely using devices called potter’s wheels and lifters installed on the left and right sides of the hull.

Henrik, who was expressing such regret, turned around and walked back to his lodgings to talk with Nuno Rodrygo.

“Did you secure the warehouse properly?”

“Yes sir. This is a warehouse right next to the warehouse building used by the Koreans and the Mansur family. “I paid a little more, but it felt safer.”

“Good job. “And since the Koreans and Mansur’s superiors will move together when they leave for Alexandria, tell Ceuta to prepare a ship through Jeonseo-gu.”

“Yes sir. But...”

In the midst of such a friendly atmosphere, Afons V asked Henry:

“What kind of country was Joseon?”

“It was truly a wealthy country.”

Henry briefly explained to Afons V what he had seen in Joseon.

“What a great country it is.”

After hearing Henry’s explanation, King Afons V spoke with shining eyes. Afons V continued speaking with an expression that, if he had seen the scent, would have said, ‘It’s an accident!’

“I wish I could visit sometime.”

“Maybe you can visit someday.”

It was King Afons V who nodded energetically in response to Henry’s answer.

* * *

As Henry expected, the goods brought from Joseon were sold out, making a huge profit.

Even the cheapest items were worth three times the price, and porcelain teacups made of crystal and bone porcelain, as well as medium and large chandeliers, gave Henrik at least 15 times more profit.

“Then we have to get rid of the fleas.”

As he said to his subordinates, Henry was able to settle most of the debts of the creditors who were pressuring him.

“I’d like to reinvest these funds...”

“I’ll consider it.”

Henrik, who euphemistically rejected their wish to reinvest, gritted his teeth as he watched the creditors’ carriage leaving the mansion.

“Paddeuk! No more being dragged around! From now on, I will be with someone I can really trust.”

After sorting out the malicious creditors, Henri moved diligently.

First, he refilled the coffers of the Knights of Christ, from which he diverted funds. This was not because of religious beliefs, but because this was done to solidify the trust of the knights and prepare for the next time.

He sent a huge chandelier as a gift to Morocco’s powerful figure, Salah ibn Salah, and returned his youngest brother, Prince Pedrinando, who had been held hostage.

* * *

Prince Ferdinand was taken hostage when the Tangier expedition failed.

In an expedition in 1415, Portugal took Ceuta. However, soon Ceuta became something like a king.

This was because Morocco replaced Ceuta with Tangier in the west as a new trading base. As exploration of Africa progressed in earnest, Tangier became a threat to Portugal traveling through the Mediterranean.

Therefore, Henry insisted on taking possession of Tangier.

However, negative opinions were the prevailing opinion.

In order to make the expedition successful, Henry invited his youngest brother, Ferdinando, and even made a pledge that upon his death, he would give the title of duke and all his property to Ferdinando, the second son of King Duarte.

The expedition that proceeded like that ended in failure. It was a failure caused by the response of Morocco, which strengthened its defenses with one mind, unlike the chaotic political situation, with only half the number of troops compared to the initially planned plan.

In order to eventually escape the siege and return to Portugal, Henry signed a treaty with Salah ibn Salah.

-Ceuta is returned in return for safe withdrawal.

-Prince Ferdinando and a few key figures remain hostage.

In this way, Henry and the Portuguese army escaped from danger.

However, the treaty was not ratified for various reasons. Thanks to this, the youngest brother Ferdinando was continuously held hostage.

In addition, Henry’s reputation and political standing were greatly reduced.

* * *

In this situation, the success of the voyage to Joseon was an opportunity for Henry to recover.

He was able to improve his reputation once again, escape his damn creditors, and finally, save his younger brother, strengthening his political position.

After organizing the surroundings, Henri sent a messenger to Florence.

It was to negotiate with Cosimo de Medici, the ruler of Florence and the ruler of Europe’s capital.

* * *

Florence, Italy.

After reading the letter from Henry, Cosimo stroked his chin and muttered.

“I would like to exchange opinions on a new and groundbreaking trade route in the direction of Egypt... I am interested in the ‘new and groundbreaking’ part. “Is it related to the iron horse that I only heard about through rumors?”

Cosimo muttered like that and came to a conclusion.

“If we do well, we will make a big impact. “It’s a game with enormous stakes.”