“Fifty-five percent? Impossible!”
“Be reasonable!”
“There are limits to jokes!”
“This is highway robbery!”
All the representatives shouted as soon as Kim Jong-seo finished speaking.
Though the atmosphere was tense enough for swords to be drawn, Kim Jong-seo remained perfectly composed.
“Pour me another cup of black tea.”
After taking a sip of the fresh black tea, Kim Jong-seo spoke with an expression that suggested he didn’t understand the problem.
“What’s the issue? The Empire will cover seventy percent of the costs you claim are impossible to pay, in exchange for just fifty-five percent. Don’t you realize how favorable these terms are?”
“How can you call these favorable terms!”
At the French representative’s outburst, Kim Jong-seo turned to Giovanni.
“You there, let me ask the Florence representative, since you come from a famous merchant family. When people pool money for a joint venture, have you ever seen shares divided equally?”
“…No, I haven’t.”
As Giovanni hesitantly answered, Henry immediately cut in.
“This situation is different!”
“How so?”
“This is between nations! It’s different from mere merchants forming partnerships! The difference in national power alone must be considered!”
At Henry’s words, Kim Jong-seo responded with a sardonic smile.
“Consider the difference in national power? Then perhaps the Empire should demand eighty percent?”
“Now see here!”
The Ottoman representative shouted in protest, but Kim Jong-seo continued methodically, paying him no mind.
“First, who controls the sea routes from Suez to the Empire? Have you forgotten who the Portuguese Duke is?”
Henry hesitantly answered Kim Jong-seo’s question.
“…The Empire.”
“Second, in this war you keep mentioning, where did most of the weapons that brought victory come from?”
“…The Empire.”
“Then, would you say the Empire’s national power is weak or strong, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers armed with those weapons? For reference, our Empire is the one that defeated Ming, whom you call Kitai.”
“…I acknowledge the Empire’s strength.”
At Henry’s response, Kim Jong-seo drove home his point.
“Then by the Duke’s logic, wouldn’t the Empire be justified in demanding eighty percent? We’re covering seventy percent of construction costs and possess the greatest national power.”
“…”
As Henry fell silent, unable to respond, the French representative stepped in.
“Hmph! That may be true east of Suez! But from Suez westward, is the Empire truly such a great power?”
At the French representative’s provocation, Kim Jong-seo’s smile grew even more sardonic. Seeing his expression, the representatives instantly realized something.
This man is no mere bureaucrat! He’s seen all kinds of scenes on the battlefield!
With a smile that seemed to carry the scent of blood, Kim Jong-seo countered.
“Shall we test that? Should the Empire ally with the Mamluks and Spain for another war? Our Empire never initiates conflict, but we never back down when challenged. And we’ve won them all. Come at us if you dare.”
“You!”
The French representative jumped up shouting. The Ottoman representative hurriedly intervened.
“War would only bring suffering to all! The French representative misspoke! I apologize on his behalf! Let’s stop here!”
At the Ottoman representative’s mediation, the French representative sat back down, and Kim Jong-seo raised his hand slightly in apology.
“I do apologize. At my age I should know better, but that’s not easy. Ho ho ho.”
Though he laughed, his eyes remained deadly serious.
After barely calming the atmosphere, the discussion continued.
“To be frank, we shed much blood to win the last war. It’s difficult to accept the Empire demanding such a large share.”
Kim Jong-seo nodded at the Ottoman representative’s honest words.
“I’ve heard it was quite a difficult war for you. However, war is war, and business is business. I’d like you to consider that carefully.”
“But the reason we went to war was…”
“One moment.”
Kim Jong-seo cut off the Ottoman representative in a cold voice.
“There’s something you must not forget. The Empire neither needs nor wants to know your reasons for waging war. Why? Because we didn’t instigate it. Rather, keep in mind that your war severely disrupted trade routes, causing enormous losses for our Empire.”
As Kim Jong-seo drew a firm line, Giovanni rose from his seat with a long sigh.
“Haah… It seems difficult to reach a conclusion today. We’ve heard the Empire’s terms and need time to consider them. Let’s end here for today.”
And so ended the first day of negotiations.
***
What followed was nearly two months of nerve-wracking verbal battles. Kim Jong-seo and the alliance representatives engaged in fierce mental warfare over the Empire’s shares.
The tense atmosphere frequently erupted into shouting and curses, with countless recesses and adjournments, and just as many messengers crossing the Mediterranean.
While the alliance representatives struggled in Suez, fierce debates also raged in their home countries. More and more people crossed the Mediterranean to assist the alliance representatives.
Through this process, the representatives’ arguments grew sharper, but Kim Jong-seo deflected their attacks with an relaxed expression.
Have you experienced the Situation Era and the current Emperor? Or been grilled by Treasury officials over budget issues? How laughable, truly laughable!
Whenever the representatives wore self-satisfied expressions thinking they’d caught him off guard, Kim Jong-seo inwardly sneered while handling them skillfully.
“…Well, this matter requires consultation with our home countries.”
And whenever such words came up, Kim Jong-seo mercilessly twisted the knife.
“When I came here, His Majesty entrusted me with full authority and responsibility. But it seems you lack such trust… hmm…”
Not having your monarch’s trust – how pitiful your situation is!
The unspoken remainder of Kim Jong-seo’s words was easy to imagine. And each time, the representatives’ faces crumpled miserably.
***
After such intense verbal battles, the alliance and Empire finally reached an agreement.
- The Empire will cover 60% of total construction costs.
- The Empire will supply the rails, construction materials, steam engines, freight cars, and passenger cars.
- The Empire will manage necessary equipment and technical staff to prevent construction delays.
- The Empire will receive 40% of shares in the joint company managing these railways and ports.
But the Empire’s greatest gain was in the final items:
- The Empire may establish a naval base in Suez to secure the sea route from the Empire to Suez. In return, the Empire must guarantee the route’s safety.
- This naval base shall be recognized as permanent Imperial territory.
After concluding the treaty, Kim Jong-seo gathered the agreement and its supplementary documents.
“This should be enough to avoid criticism. Now that the agreement is signed, the Empire will do its utmost to uphold it.”
“We hope you’ll keep that promise.”
“Don’t worry. Materials and technical staff will arrive starting next year.”
As Kim Jong-seo rose from his seat after making this assurance, Henry asked him:
“Don’t you want to see how the remaining shares are divided?”
Kim Jong-seo smiled slightly and shook his head at Henry’s question.
“That’s your concern, not the Empire’s, isn’t it?”
After leaving the negotiation chamber and returning to his quarters, Kim Jong-seo burst into laughter while examining the agreement and supplementary documents.
“Hahaha! What a catch!”
That final item had been proposed by Hyang and strongly supported by other ministers during pre-negotiations with Hyang, Kim Jeom, and other ministers before leaving Seoul.
“If we can establish a naval base, we can concede down to thirty-five percent. I won’t hold you responsible.”
At Hyang’s words, Kim Jong-seo had responded with a determined expression.
“I stake my life on not going below forty percent!”
And Kim Jong-seo had kept his promise.
That wasn’t all.
With the inflated construction costs, the Empire would still profit even while covering sixty percent. And the railways being laid in Suez were just the beginning. Once others saw the superiority of the Empire’s steam engines and rails, countries would flock to acquire them.
Of course, they might hesitate after seeing the Suez railway costs, but by the time the Suez railway was completed, the Empire would be ready with their new steam engines currently under development.
-For these reasons, we’ll sell these used ones cheaply. Want to buy?
Many countries would bite at such an offer.
Finally, the Empire wouldn’t be the only one using the Suez railway.
The Suez railway would be ideal for transporting slaves acquired from Africa’s east coast and other profitable goods to Europe and elsewhere.
No, not just Africa – the Suez railway would be the best means of sending goods from India, Indochina, and Ming to the Mediterranean, and exporting European goods.
In other words, this meant the Port of Suez would grow into the largest trading port connecting the Mediterranean, Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula.
And the Empire would have a naval base in this Suez.
Of course, the alliance members weren’t unaware of this. But they had no choice but to concede to the Empire, as they were completely outmatched in all aspects needed to control the sea routes from Suez to the Empire.
After analyzing the future situation, Kim Jong-seo murmured while looking east.
“So this was why you kept emphasizing ships, ships, navy, navy? Just how many moves ahead did you see?”
***
Meanwhile, the representatives continued their fierce mental battle over what remained after the Empire took its large share.
“We mustn’t forget the blood our kingdom shed in the last war!”
“That blood! We shed it too!”
“Have you forgotten who supplied the war funds, mercenaries, and weapons!”
The warm unity they’d shown against the Empire had vanished far away as the alliance representatives engaged in a mud-slinging fight.
After intense verbal battles, the shares were divided as follows:
Ottoman 2, Portugal 1.5, France 1.3, Florence 1.2
None of the representatives looked satisfied after the distribution. Everyone was full of complaints.
But Giovanni was smiling inwardly.
I secured one percent more than Father told me to! With the Empire included, no one has a majority! This way, our family can reap the greatest benefits!
***
While fortunes rose and fell in Suez, Hyang was pursuing another scheme combined with his obsession.
Summoning Wan, master of Area 51, Hyang handed over an order.
“Design and build ships according to these specifications.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After checking the order, Wan looked at Hyang with surprised eyes.
“Are you ordering the construction of paddle wheelers using steam engines?”
“That’s right.”
“Hadn’t we abandoned steam-powered paddle wheelers because they were less efficient than the current propeller system?”
“That’s exactly why I’m ordering them built.”
“Pardon?”