The Ming and Japan were arriving at similar conclusions, but for very different reasons.

“Satangju? That cheap liquor that’s all potency and no flavor? Is there truly a need to purchase such a distillery?”

Both the Ming and Japan, each possessing its own long and distinguished history of brewing, initially showed a tepid response to Satangju.

However, the reactions from several great merchants and finance officials were entirely different.

“What? Is this true? This is an opportunity!”

The great merchants, smelling a fortune to be made, energetically began contacting their government officials.

“If His Majesty will not do it, if the court will not act, then we humble merchants shall buy the distilleries!”

Here, a difference between the Ming and Japan became apparent. The Ming had a few great merchants with enough personal capital to participate in the bidding for a Satangju distillery on their own. Japan, however, did not.

“But that does not mean we can simply give up on the block of gold sitting right before our eyes!”

The Japanese merchants formed consortiums, pooling their capital in groups of two or three to as many as ten, and began knocking on the doors of the Japanese court.

This development recaptured the interest of the Chenghua Emperor and Ashikaga Yoshioki.

“The merchants, who would rise from the dead for a chance at profit, are this desperate? Is there truly so much money to be made from Satangju?”

At the monarchs’ questions, the finance officials, who had been waiting for this moment, spoke in unison.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Hoh? Is that so?”

As the Chenghua Emperor and Yoshioki showed renewed interest, other officials immediately rose in opposition.

“If you are considering having the state directly acquire a Satangju distillery, it is an action that must absolutely not be taken!”

“And why is that?”

“For a monarch to produce and sell alcohol is an affront to the dignity of the throne!”

“That is not all! There will be accusations that the ruler is intoxicating the people and corrupting public morals!”

“There are already plenty of places that make liquor. For the sovereign himself to enter the business is unthinkable! We must even go so far as to forbid the merchants from participating!”

As this opposition erupted, the proponents put forth their counterarguments.

“Have you not heard the rumors of the immense profits Satangju is generating in Europe? Consider the nation’s finances! This is an opportunity to bolster the treasury without burdening the people!”

“It is a liquor our own people refuse to buy because it tastes so foul!”

“If it truly becomes a problem, then we can simply forbid its sale within our own borders!”

As the fierce debate raged, the opposition presented a powerful argument.

“Why do you think Seoul has decided to sell the Satangju distilleries in the first place? It is because unsavory rumors have begun to circulate even in Europe, and they have judged it to be detrimental to the monarch’s reputation!”

“…”

***

In this era, the term used in the Ming and Japan to refer to the Empire was ‘Seoul.’

No matter how many pro-Empire factions, including the emperor himself and his Imperial-born guards, were entrenched in the court, calling another nation ‘the Empire’ when the Ming was not was a matter of pride. Yet, referring to it by its old name, ‘Joseon,’ was also problematic.

The situation in Japan was similar. Although they maintained friendly relations with the Empire and treated it virtually as a suzerain state, their pride was still their pride.

Therefore, the politicians of both the Ming and Japan had taken to using the word ‘Seoul’ instead of the title ‘Empire.’

***

As the pro and con factions clashed fiercely, the moderates offered a compromise.

“Both sides have valid points. Therefore, what do you say to this approach?”

“What is it?”

“There are several options.”

The compromise proposed by the moderates was as follows:

• The simplest method: Let the merchants who desire the Satangju distilleries deal with Seoul directly. The court, in turn, will simply collect taxes according to the law. This way, the court does not dirty its hands, but the profits are diminished.
• Another method: Select one of the merchants who have stepped forward and use them as a front. This would not be a mere figurehead arrangement; the court would participate as an unofficial joint investor. This would yield greater profits than the first method. In return, the court must be prepared to endure a certain level of scandal regarding its involvement, though the intensity and scope of the rumors would be less than if the court were to acquire and operate the distillery directly.

Hearing the moderates’ proposal, the monarchs deliberated.

“So the question is whether to be content with taxes alone, or to risk scandal and get our hands directly involved?”

“That is correct, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm…”

After a great deal of contemplation, the monarchs summoned their most trusted confidants.

The advice of these confidants was similar in both countries.

“The best course of action is to leave it to the merchants and content ourselves with the tax revenue.”

“You would have us simply surrender the greater profit? Why?”

“It is because of our relationship with Seoul.”

“Ah…”

The Chenghua Emperor was already being called the ‘Son of Heaven of Joseon’ or the ‘Son of Heaven of Goryeo.’ The situation in Japan was even more sensitive, as most of its key power players had studied abroad in the Empire. Furthermore, if they were to mimic the Empire’s practice—where the state was known to run all the major moneymaking enterprises—it was clear that it would provoke considerable resentment among their own people.

“Even now, there is talk that we are merely copying Seoul, that when Seoul coughs, we come down with a fever… A pity.”

In the end, the monarchs of the Ming and Japan chose not to intervene directly, instead entrusting the matter to their merchants.

***

Thus, the three distilleries built in the Southwest Province and the seven distilleries in New Frontier were sold off.

Of the three in the Southwest Province, two were acquired by Ming merchants, and one was acquired by a Japanese merchant consortium.

Of the seven in New Frontier, Italy acquired one, Portugal two, France two, England one, and finally, the Ottoman Empire acquired one.

When the report reached them, both Hyeon and Hyang expressed the same question.

“The Ottomans? Isn’t that a nation that forbids alcohol?”

“They say it will be sold to their non-Muslim subjects and to foreigners who visit their ports.”

“I see…”

Hyeon nodded, but Hyang wore a cynical expression and muttered under his breath.

“As if…”

Even in his past life, alcohol flowed freely in the Islamic countries of the Middle East, nations that were so steeped in fundamentalism they lived and died by religious law.

The greatest gifts Allah gave to Arab drinkers: the desert and the automobile.

The saying was a nod to the practice of loading up a large, powerful SUV with liquor, driving deep into the desert to drink, and then returning.

***

The European powers that had acquired the Satangju distilleries began to put them to good use. Of course, not having forgotten the social problems that arose when the spirit first flooded the market, they were careful to implement active controls.

Even so, the sales volume was immense, and the finance ministers of the nations that had bought the distilleries were screaming with joy.

The problem was the export of this Satangju.

Within their own borders, they made efforts to minimize problems by actively controlling production and distribution. But when it came to other countries?

There were no such restraints.

Consequently, the Habsburgs, who had lost the bidding war, and Spain, which had scornfully ignored the offer out of pride, once again had to suffer the ravages of Satangju.

To be sure, Northern European regions like the Schwarzwald had their schnapps and other brandies, and Spain had sherry and similar fortified wines. However, they were all crushed by the overwhelming low-price offensive of Satangju.

Ultimately, European distillers were forced to adopt a strategy of premiumization. They began to produce high-end products, selecting only the finest wines and fruit brandies as their base, meticulously managed and aged by skilled artisans. Over time, these well-aged brandies gained popularity among the upper classes of the East.

Meanwhile, Spain and the Habsburgs took a different approach. They banned the import of Satangju produced by the other European powers and instead began to import and sell the Satangju produced from the Southwest Province.

“We admit we failed to stop Satangju! But we will not drink yours!”

Through these embargoes and exclusive import policies, Spain and the Habsburgs were able to somewhat reduce the outflow of their national wealth. However, these policies created diplomatic friction with the other powers.

“Repeal the embargo!”

England was the first to raise its voice. But Spain and the Habsburgs just scoffed.

“Hah! What are you talking about? Have you already forgotten your own embargo on woolen goods?”

They sneered at the complaint from England, the very nation that could be seen as the first in Europe to implement protectionist trade policies.

And it did not end there.

The Habsburgs began to employ an even more audacious strategy. They started to distribute the Satangju from the Ottoman-owned distillery in the Southwest Province throughout Eastern Europe. Due to the Ottoman Empire’s expansionist policies and religious conflicts, there was almost no trade between Eastern Europe and the Ottomans. The Habsburgs exploited this gap.

Before long, Hungary also jumped into this ‘blue ocean’ market that the Habsburgs had discovered, using the connections with the Ottomans forged during the last Habsburg-Hungarian war to import and sell Satangju.

As a byproduct of this competition, a massive amount of wealth began to flow into the Ming and Japan.

***

The transfer of the Satangju distilleries in New Frontier to European hands brought about another major change in world history: the birth of the ‘Great Circumnavigation Route.’

It began with a map the Empire had given to Portugal and Italy. The map, which revealed the existence of a vast, undeveloped region in the south of New Frontier, prompted both nations to organize large-scale expeditions across the Atlantic.

As the long-distance voyages succeeded, more and more expeditions headed toward the south of New Frontier. After several attempts, an expedition finally rounded the southernmost tip of South America and entered the Pacific Ocean.

However, advancing north was not easy. The Imperial Navy stood in their way.

“Is there no other path?”

“Wait a moment. The Earth is round, so…”

Those searching for a detour eventually found another possibility.

“Terra!”

It was the sea route to the new southern continent they had learned of through information leaked by the Empire: Terra, which in the history before Hyang’s intervention was known as Australia.

As soon as the possibility occurred to them, they summoned geographers and mathematicians.

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

With the help of mathematicians, the explorers calculated the estimated distance from the southern tip of South America to Terra. After completing their preparations, they embarked on the voyage.

After numerous challenges and great sacrifice, the southern route to Terra was discovered. It was the birth of the ‘Great Circumnavigation Route.’

***

The discovery of the Great Circumnavigation Route was a revolutionary breakthrough in logistics.

To transport gold and silver from the mines in Terra back to their home countries, the most economical path had been to head for Suez, use the ‘iron horse’ railway to cross to the Mediterranean, and then sail home. There was also a route around Africa, but it was a major detour and thus not cost-effective.

However, with the proper use of the newly discovered Great Circumnavigation Route, they could reduce their excessive dependence on Suez. And in this process, the value of the islands in New Frontier, where the distilleries ceded by the Empire were located, began to come into focus.

The ships of Portugal, Italy, France, and England, which had acquired the distilleries on those islands, began to frequent the Imperial ports established there.