“That may be so, but the cost is too excessive.”
At Henry’s remark, Kim Jong-seo’s expression showed incomprehension as he asked, “You’ve visited our Empire multiple times, haven’t you?”
“Indeed.”
“Did it seem like an easy journey?”
“No, it wasn’t easy.”
Upon Henry’s answer, Kim Jong-seo gradually added force to his voice.
“Yet you must transport heavy chunks of iron along that route. If a shipwreck occurs, everything sinks to the deep seafloor, so naturally, that risk must be factored into the estimate. The extensive manpower requirements must also be included. Other costs are similarly justified. The amount is not at all excessive.”
The French representative, who had been examining the estimate while listening to Kim Jong-seo’s response, set down the document and glared at him with folded arms.
“Not only is the construction cost problematic, but the steam engines, passenger cars, freight cars, and rails are far too expensive. It would be more reasonable to use French equipment.”
“Pfft! Ah, my apologies! My apologies! With age, I find myself unable to contain my laughter at amusing remarks.”
Bursting into laughter at the French representative’s words, Kim Jong-seo apologized with exaggerated gestures and tone before continuing.
“We’ve heard about your country’s steam engines. They’re said to be so fast they match a child’s walking pace, and so powerful that loading just two carts’ worth of cargo halves their speed. By all means, use such engines if you believe they can turn a profit.”
“Eek! Such insolence!”
Unable to endure Kim Jong-seo’s mockery, the French ambassador exploded in anger and rose from his seat.
“I will not tolerate such rudeness!”
With those words, the French representative stormed out of the conference room. Seeing this, Giovanni hurriedly stepped in to mediate.
“Let’s end here for today. The construction costs far exceed our expectations, so we need to examine this more seriously. Shall we reconvene in two days?”
“Agreed.”
“I concur.”
Henry and the Ottoman representative hastily agreed to Giovanni’s proposal. Observing this, Kim Jong-seo unhurriedly rose from his seat.
“Then I’ll see you in two days.”
***
That evening, the alliance representatives gathered again.
“How did the Empire’s representative react?”
To the French representative’s question, Giovanni replied, “He was completely at ease.”
“Perhaps I should have drawn my sword…”
The French representative’s words instantly made the other three men’s expressions darken. Seeing their reactions, he quickly backtracked.
“A jest, merely a jest. Now then, let’s decide who will play the antagonist next.”
At the French representative’s words, Henry shook his head.
“The Empire’s representative seems rather difficult to handle. Is this really necessary?”
“I agree.”
The Ottoman representative nodded at Henry’s words. Seeing this, the French representative’s face contorted with anger as he raised his voice.
“That would make me the only troublemaker! Let’s proceed as originally planned!”
Finally, Giovanni stepped in again with a compromise.
“I believe we need one more attempt.”
“Ahem!”
“Hem-hem!”
At Giovanni’s words, Henry and the Ottoman representative made no effort to hide their discomfort as they cleared their throats. However, they had already made this agreement. In the end, the Ottoman representative was chosen by drawing lots, and Henry and Giovanni unconsciously crossed themselves.
Having overcome that hurdle, the representatives continued their discussion while examining the Empire’s estimate. Looking at the parade of numbers filling each page, Henry placed his hand on his forehead.
“Dealing with these numbers seems more daunting than hunting the legendary Kraken somewhere in those seas.”
“I concur. I’d rather charge at the Mamluks than face these figures.”
The two men clutching their foreheads at the dancing numbers before them looked toward the French representative and Giovanni.
The other two wore similar expressions. No, Giovanni, who had been calculating with an abacus beside him, wore an expression of profound despair.
“Is there a problem?”
At Henry’s question, Giovanni painfully replied with a strained expression.
“I’ve done some quick calculations, but I can’t find any errors. At least in the parts I’ve checked, everything adds up perfectly. This should be impossible…”
Trailing off, Giovanni heaved a long sigh.
“Haaah… So this is why the Empire created that calculating machine… Damn it…”
After pondering their difficult situation, the representatives soon had to reach a conclusion.
“For now, we have no choice but to postpone the meeting. We need to bring in skilled accountants and architects to analyze the estimate first.”
Henry nodded at Giovanni’s words.
“I agree. This time, we clearly made a mistake. We didn’t expect the Empire to compete with expertise rather than politics. If the Empire challenges us with numbers and experience, we must respond in kind.”
“I concur.”
“As do I.”
Finally, the alliance representatives sent a messenger to Kim Jong-seo.
After reviewing the formally written document that adhered to proper etiquette from beginning to end, Kim Jong-seo calmly nodded.
“Tell them I agree.”
“Understood.”
***
The alliance representatives moved quickly to gain the upper hand in negotiations with the Empire. Their first action was to summon architects and accountants from Florence.
During this period, Italians were the most proficient in large-scale construction projects. Italy also had many skilled accountants due to its flourishing commerce.
While the Ottoman Empire was closer geographically, its absolute monarchy posed a problem. As a nation where the Sultan’s orders took precedence over costs, it showed weakness in this area.
However, Italian architects were highly sensitive to budgets. They were accustomed to working within given budgets and compensation.
The experts who rushed to Suez upon receiving orders began meticulously examining the Empire’s estimate from start to finish.
After numerous recalculations and reviewing each item, the architects and accountants shook their heads as they reported.
“There are no issues with the documentation. All itemized costs and their totals match exactly.”
At the accountants’ report, the representatives frowned and looked to the architects.
But the architects’ answers were similar.
“There’s no evidence of unnecessary items being added to the construction.”
“While we’re unfamiliar with the method of mixing iron and cementum, considering the local environment, it seems quite reasonable.”
Hearing the accountants’ and architects’ responses, the representatives wore troubled expressions as they asked.
“Are there no areas where costs could be reduced?”
“The most promising area is the construction methods. The Empire plans to use unfamiliar tools like excavators, traction engines, and cranes in large numbers. We could achieve some savings by replacing these with manpower.”
“Manpower? You mean slaves?”
“Yes.”
“How much could we save?”
“The more we use, the better.”
“Still, give us some concrete figures.”
“At minimum, twenty percent.”
The representatives’ faces brightened at the architects’ and accountants’ answer.
“Is that so!”
“This might work!”
***
Three days later, the alliance representatives and Kim Jong-seo gathered again.
“Well then. Will I hear good news today?”
“We have a new proposal.”
Kim Jong-seo’s eyes gleamed at Henry’s words.
“A new proposal?”
“We won’t use the tools the Empire plans to employ for construction – the excavators, traction engines, cranes and such. Instead, we’ll supply slaves. In exchange, let’s reduce the construction cost by thirty-five percent.”
At Henry’s words, Kim Jong-seo stroked his beard while muttering.
“Slaves… slaves…”
While stroking his beard and muttering, Kim Jong-seo asked Henry.
“Have you calculated the costs of clothing and feeding these slaves?”
“Of course.”
“Then what about replacing slaves who die or are injured during construction? Also, if an epidemic breaks out and causes mass deaths among the slaves, are you confident you can immediately supply replacements?”
“It might take some time.”
“You haven’t forgotten that time is money? And to replace tools that can each do the work of hundreds of men, you’ll need tens of thousands of additional slaves – how will you handle the costs of acquiring them? And what about the extended construction period?”
“We’ll deploy at least 100,000 slaves. That should prevent significant delays in construction.”
The representatives wore confident expressions as Henry answered assertively. However, Kim Jong-seo pressed sharply.
“Do you know how much a steam engine weighs? You could certainly use manpower to unload the heavy engine parts from ships, transport them, and reassemble them onto the rails. But have you considered how much space you’d need to deploy such a massive workforce? Have you calculated the size of facilities needed to house and feed all those slaves, or how many troops you’d need to prevent escapes?”
The smiles vanished from the representatives’ faces at Kim Jong-seo’s points. Watching their expressions grow increasingly rigid, Kim Jong-seo continued.
“What about medical facilities to treat injured slaves? The supply of medicines? How much land will you allocate for burying slaves who die during construction or from disease? And as you consume and replace large numbers of slaves, their price will gradually increase – have you considered the rising costs throughout this process?”
“…”
Seeing the representatives rendered speechless, Kim Jong-seo clicked his tongue lightly.
“Tsk! Such shortsightedness… Do you think our Empire brought in excavators and traction engines merely out of greed? In the long run, they’re more economical. Whether it’s traction engines or excavators, the Empire’s equipment will do its job until the end of its lifespan if properly maintained. But people aren’t like that, are they?”
“…”
The representatives could only remain silent as Kim Jong-seo continued.
Finally, Henry spoke up again.
“We need to review those points. Let’s meet again in two days.”
“As you wish. But remember this well – the longer these meetings drag on, the further the construction start date gets pushed back. Miss the right weather conditions and we might waste half a year.”
“We’ll review it as quickly as possible.”
After dismissing Kim Jong-seo, the representatives called in the accountants and architects to discuss countermeasures.
However, even the accountants and architects had no clear solutions.
“There are no gaps in the numbers listed in the estimate, at least.”
“We could calculate accurately if we knew the unit costs the Empire uses for construction in their territory, but that’s impossible without that information.”
After receiving similar answers no matter how much they pressed, the representatives finally had to surrender.
And the method they chose was to plead.
“We’d like to accept the Empire’s proposal, but it’s impossible to expend that much funding.”
“Are you saying it’s beyond your means?”
“It is.”
Hearing Henry’s answer, Kim Jong-seo stroked his beard silently for a moment before speaking slowly.
“Our Empire will make a proposal. Let us invest in the joint trading company you plan to establish. If you provide appropriate shares, our Empire will take responsibility for seventy percent of the construction costs.”
“Appropriate shares? The forty-five percent mentioned last time?”
At Giovanni’s question, Kim Jong-seo shook his head.
“No, fifty-five percent.”