Shortly after, Park Jong-wu, Im Sun-wook, and Kim Jeom arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“What brings the Deputy Prime Minister here?”
Heo Hu asked with a slightly sour expression at the appearance of Kim Jeom, who was like an “annoying sister-in-law” to him. In response to Heo Hu’s question, Kim Jeom pointed to Park Jong-wu and Im Sun-wook as he answered.
“These fellows are still inexperienced and naive—they might end up being taken advantage of. That’s why I came.”
“Ah….”
Heo Hu simply nodded at Kim Jeom’s response.
***
Kim Jeom had risen from Minister of Finance to Deputy Prime Minister after serving as the Minister of Finance and Economics.
Almost every transaction—from those between the court and private merchant groups to international trade—had passed through his hands. The only exception was the dealings between Emperor Seonduk and Hyang.
Moreover, even the nation’s budget had to pass his review, to the point where sometimes even King Sejong had to be mindful of his reactions.
***
While Heo Hu simply nodded at Kim Jeom’s response and moved on, Park Jong-wu and Im Sun-wook looked at Kim Jeom with incredulous expressions.
I’ve been working in the Ministry of Finance for nearly 20 years, sniffing out money…
I’m a former merchant, and I was even a trading company head!
“Hmm? Why those expressions?”
“It’s nothing, sir.”
“Nothing at all, sir.”
“Well then, let’s get started quickly. I already have pending matters to discuss with His Imperial Majesty and the Emperor Emeritus regarding this year’s New Frontier budget.”
“Yes, sir.”
***
Due to the large number of envoys who had arrived earlier, Henry’s group had to return to their lodgings to wait.
It was three shichen (approximately 6 hours) later when Henry’s group returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“I apologize for the inconvenience.”
Henry stepped forward to respond to Heo Hu’s words.
“No, no. The fault is ours for coming without an appointment, so please don’t worry about it.”
“Thank you. Now then, what brings you here so suddenly?”
As Heo Hu got straight to the point, Henry responded directly as well.
“The firepower demonstrated by your country’s military during yesterday’s training was truly impressive. We would like to purchase some of your weapons.”
“I believe you already purchased quite a number previously?”
At Heo Hu’s observation, Henry fell silent.
Compared to what we saw yesterday, those were practically antiques! And yet…!
Forcibly suppressing the curses that threatened to burst forth, Henry carefully chose his words to respond.
“The rifles we purchased before are indeed good weapons. However, those weapons would only give us a slight advantage. In contrast, the weapons we saw yesterday would allow us to achieve overwhelming superiority.”
“Hohoho! While I’m truly pleased by your high praise, I’m slightly worried that you might be overestimating them.”
Henry immediately responded to Heo Hu’s modest demurral.
“It’s not an overestimation, as it’s already been proven through the battle with Ming.”
“Your words put me at ease. Well then, which weapons interest you?”
“The scatter shot cannons, fire carts, and rifles.”
***
The flying thunder crash bombs had been the most impressive during yesterday’s training. However, subordinates with artillery knowledge among those who had attended opposed this choice.
“We can make similar shells ourselves.”
“In fact, those incendiary shells would be the easiest to make.”
“Is that so?”
With their subordinates’ opposition, Henry’s group’s choices were narrowed down to three.
***
After hearing which weapons Henry’s group wanted, Heo Hu showed a slightly troubled expression.
“Well… these have only recently been deployed to our military…”
As Heo Hu’s voice trailed off, Henry explained why they needed these weapons.
“Isn’t your country also troubled by the war in the Suez region? The sooner that war ends, the better it would be for your country as well, wouldn’t you agree?”
“That’s true, but…”
“I understand well what your country is worried about. So, let me be frank. Even if we achieve victory in this war, the competition with other rivals won’t end immediately. Therefore, we won’t have any reason to turn against your country.”
While Henry spoke vaguely, his underlying meaning was clear:
Spain is next, not you! So shut up and sell!
“Hmm…”
Still wearing a troubled expression, Heo Hu glanced slightly at Kim Jeom. With a slight nod, Kim Jeom stepped forward in Heo Hu’s place.
“Given the deep trust built between our countries, I’ll speak frankly. We now need to reduce the size of our military that was rapidly expanded during the recent war. Therefore, if our interests align, we could sell them.”
“Reduce the military?”
While Mehmet II wore an expression of incomprehension at Kim Jeom’s response, Henry and Giovanni nodded in understanding.
While the Ottoman Empire, which was still in the process of expansion, couldn’t even consider reducing its military, Europe was different.
Properly maintaining an army required enormous costs. This had led to the emergence of feudal nobles and mercenary companies. Although the trend toward centralization of power was gradually reducing the number of feudal nobles and increasing standing armies under royal control, this wasn’t yet the predominant system.
Seeing Mehmet II’s expression, Kim Jeom added an explanation.
“Isn’t the size of army needed for defense different from what’s needed for war?”
“Ah…”
At Kim Jeom’s response, Mehmet II finally nodded in understanding. And all three men reached the same conclusion.
It seems Joseon, no, the Great Han Empire has no interest in territorial expansion.
This was a fatal misjudgment.
At any rate, with Mehmet II’s proper understanding, the conversation began to pick up pace.
“So, how many can your country sell?”
“How many can your country buy?”
“Wouldn’t that depend on the price?”
At Henry’s response, Kim Jeom shuffled through the documents beside him before presenting his desired price.
“For purchases in thousands, 8 nyang of Joseon silver per rifle. For purchases in tens of thousands, 7 nyang of Joseon silver per rifle.”
Henry immediately challenged Kim Jeom’s offer.
“I remember the rifles we purchased last time were 12 nyang of Joseon silver each, which seems strange.”
“What your country purchased then were new items that had never been used after test firing, while these have been used in battle.”
He was saying they were cheaper because they were used.
“Hoh~”
Understanding Kim Jeom’s explanation, Henry nodded. Noting Henry’s expression that suggested he might pull out a contract at any moment, Giovanni intervened on Henry’s behalf.
“If they’ve been used in battle, wouldn’t they have defects?”
Kim Jeom snorted at Giovanni’s point.
“Hmph! Have you ever found defects in items bearing our country’s royal seal?”
One reason Joseon had gained popularity as the “Country of Flowers” was its reliable quality. The Joseon royal seal was a symbol of trust.
“Hah! If you’re so distrustful, let’s end this here! We can just melt everything down and be done with it!”
As Kim Jeom moved to immediately end the deal, Giovanni hastily waved his hands.
“No, no! It’s just that hearing they were used on the battlefield made me worried. And the price is lower than expected.”
“You think we’d just hand over used items without checking? This concerns our national honor! Everything will be thoroughly maintained and performance-verified. And the price is lower because they’re used items. If you still can’t trust that, how about purchasing new ones? Those are 15 nyang of Joseon silver per rifle.”
At Kim Jeom’s proposal, Giovanni’s eyes actually lit up.
“If new ones are 15 nyang and used ones are 8 nyang, isn’t the difference too large? Even for used items, that seems excessive?”
“We’re selling items we’d otherwise melt down, and it’s an expression of goodwill toward the purchasing country. If you don’t like it, just buy new ones—why do you keep making me repeat myself?”
Faced with Kim Jeom’s words laden with clear displeasure, Giovanni responded with an embarrassed smile.
“It’s just that the price is so good it’s hard to believe. It’s not that we don’t trust your country, so please don’t be angry. I sincerely apologize.”
“Ahem! AHEM!”
After clearing his emotions with a loud cough, Kim Jeom continued.
“So what will you do?”
“We’ll purchase the used items as your country suggests.”
“How many? Just between us, the maximum quantity our country can offer is 50,000 rifles. And quite a few countries have already expressed interest in purchasing, so the remaining quantity is limited.”
“How many are left…”
To Giovanni’s question, Kim Jeom stroked his beard with a deliberately troubled expression as he answered.
“Well… Since they need to return to their countries for approval, only approximate quantities have been determined. Based on that, perhaps around 9,000 rifles?”
“If it’s 9,000…”
While watching the three men’s expressions suggesting that amount would be sufficient, Kim Jeom continued.
“Ah! I should add, the numbers they’ve written down are minimum quantities. They’re all countries very familiar with Ming.”
At those words, Giovanni’s expression changed dramatically.
They were the ones who had rushed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before them. And it was true that they knew Ming better than themselves. The fact that those well-versed in Ming had moved so urgently proved the weapons’ performance. It wasn’t just Henry who had thought this way.
The problem was that the quantities secured were minimum amounts. In other words, they could change depending on who brought money first.
Still, wouldn’t 9,000 rifles be enough?
Giovanni, accustomed to European battlefields where at most a few thousand to ten or twenty thousand troops were mobilized, quickly changed his mind.
No! Looking at the current situation in Suez, that’s far from enough!
The Mamluks and Ottomans mobilized an average of 40,000 to 50,000 troops per battle. Adding the mercenaries sent from Portugal, Spain, and Italy, both sides were committing around 70,000 troops to battle. And these numbers were steadily increasing.
In this situation, gradually increasing numbers will only prolong the war. We need to deploy a large quantity at once!
Just as Giovanni, having firmed his resolve, was about to open his mouth, Mehmet II spoke first.
“The Ottoman Empire will purchase 10,000 rifles independently.”
“Huh?”
“What!”
Startled by Mehmet II’s sudden move, Giovanni and Henry quickly whispered to each other before joining the competition.
“We’ll also purchase 10,000 rifles!”
We can’t lose to the Ottomans if we want to secure priority in the Suez region going forward!
“Are you certain?”
At Kim Jeom’s question, Mehmet II nodded confidently.
“We can certainly manage that much!”
“So can we!”
After confirming Henry’s group’s firm resolve several more times, Kim Jeom moved on to the next matter.
“Very well. Now, what about ammunition?”
“Why ammunition?”
“Our country’s rifles only achieve their full performance with our specially manufactured ammunition.”
“How much does that ammunition cost…”
“1 nyang of Joseon silver for 20 rounds.”
At Kim Jeom’s response, all three men wore expressions of having been caught off guard. Regardless, Kim Jeom continued.
“I should add that the fire carts also require this special ammunition.”