Shocked by his subordinate’s report of a suspected smallpox case, Captain Thomas urgently asked again.
“Are you certain? Check again! No, wait! Send a sailor who’s had smallpox before to verify!”
“Yes, sir!”
This was due to the common knowledge that those who had contracted smallpox wouldn’t catch it again.
The subordinate who examined the patient as per Thomas’s orders reported back with a grave face.
“It is indeed smallpox.”
“Damn it! Who’s infected?”
“A sailor who joined us recently at the Azores.”
“Bloody hell!”
After cursing, Thomas immediately issued further orders.
“Raise the signal flag! Find out which sailors and slaves haven’t yet contracted smallpox! And select two men who’ve had it to nurse the patient!”
“Yes, sir!”
As the signal flag rose on the “Golden Mary,” one of the fleet’s main vessels, the entire fleet went on high alert.
Captain Brow, commanding the entire fleet, urgently issued orders.
“All ships thoroughly investigate whether there are smallpox patients aboard!”
“Isolate those who haven’t yet contracted smallpox separately!”
After issuing the isolation order, Captain Brow placed his hand on his forehead and sighed.
“Whew~ And we’re already short-handed…”
***
The hasty examination revealed an unexpected fact.
“All the Suez slaves have been vaccinated against cowpox?”
“Yes, sir. They say people from the ‘Country of the Flower’ forced them to be vaccinated.”
At his subordinate’s report, Captain Brow’s expression turned incredulous.
“Should I call them daring? Or thoughtless…”
The reason imperial personnel dispatched to the Suez railway construction site had vaccinated slaves against cowpox was entirely practical.
-If they die en masse from something like smallpox, that would be an even greater loss!
Considering the decreased efficiency from immediate manpower shortages, and the time and money wasted in procuring new slaves, vaccination was the more economical choice.
Therefore, the imperial personnel contacted their home country to request additional physicians while also seeking cows infected with cowpox in the vicinity.
Interestingly, Europeans of this period already knew about cowpox vaccination.
This was because Hyang had informed them about vaccination in response to European intellectuals’ petitions.
However, the situation regarding cowpox vaccination in Europe was surprisingly stagnant.
This was due to prejudice, superstition, economic reasons, and finally, the level of medical care.
-I hear that after getting the cowpox vaccine, a cow’s head grows from the vaccination site.
-I hear that after getting the cowpox vaccine, people transform into cows.
-How could humans be like cattle? This is an Eastern superstition!
Many refused vaccination due to such prejudices and superstitions, and many who wanted to be vaccinated couldn’t.
This was because finding cows infected with cowpox was difficult, and deliberately infecting cows with cowpox was equally challenging.
“How much does a single cow cost!”
In the end, the vaccination cost, which included the price of cows that died from cowpox, inevitably became quite expensive.
Finally, there was the issue of medical standards.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe’s medical standards had greatly regressed. Internal medicine had not yet escaped the level that combined ancient Greek knowledge with medieval superstition, and surgery was in an even more deplorable state.
-It’s better for patients and their families to prepare funeral costs rather than surgical treatment costs. After all, survival depends on luck either way.
The standard of surgery was so poor that such statements were considered common sense.
Given this situation, Hyang, upon receiving the report, shook his head and said:
“I more or less expected this, but to think that telling them would be useless…”
***
By the time visible symptoms appeared in a smallpox patient, the disease had already spread considerably. Before long, smallpox patients began to appear one by one on each ship in the fleet.
The captains and sailors of Brow’s fleet moved quickly to prevent a greater tragedy.
Sailors who had not yet contracted smallpox were moved to the upper deck without exception.
Though their clothes and blankets would get wet whenever waves crashed over the ship, it was better than sharing space with smallpox patients.
Secondly, sailors who had already developed smallpox were isolated in one part of the cabin.
The condition of the isolated sailors was poor. Suffering from high fevers, their clothes and blankets were soaked through, but they couldn’t change.
In a situation where even drinking water was scarce, there was no way to wash their clothes and blankets.
The only care came from old sailors who had already recovered from smallpox and had some medical knowledge and experience, even if only secondhand.
“If we encounter a typhoon now, we’re finished. Please, just don’t let a typhoon blow.”
Captain Brow wasn’t the only one desperately praying to the sky. All captains and sailors fervently hoped for clear weather to continue.
Even the atheists among them.
In this situation, the Suez-sourced slaves proved their worth.
They didn’t need to worry about smallpox, and thanks to their training by imperial personnel, they were good workers. Additionally, they had somehow picked up a word or two of English, making them useful assets.
Eventually, Captain Brow and the clan representative ended up using methods similar to those of the imperial people.
They freed the most capable slaves, making them free people, and then formally contracted with them.
***
After about a fortnight of struggle, the smallpox subsided.
But the sacrifice was not small.
Twelve of the smallpox patients had died.
A captain held a memorial service with an open Bible, and the sailors threw the bodies, tightly wrapped in blankets, into the sea. Thanks to the heavy cannonballs included with them, the bodies immediately disappeared into the deep sea.
“Continue westward!”
The fleet continued sailing west.
***
During the nearly two months of continued sailing that followed, the sailors gradually began to tire.
“I’m tired, so tired…”
“Even the eastern route wasn’t this bad…”
Exhausted by seeing nothing but the horizon no matter how far they sailed, the sailors began to openly complain.
Many of the fleet’s core experienced sailors had previously traveled the “eastern route” between Suez and the Empire.
The eastern route was also a long-distance voyage taking half a year for a round trip, but it was surprisingly manageable.
This was because there were intermediate ports of call scattered throughout—Aden, Bengal, Malacca, and more—and they could encounter islands or coastlines along the way.
Though there was the disadvantage of frequent pirate encounters, if they stuck close behind an imperial fleet, they could sail safely.
Thanks to this, the eastern route was the best route for European sailors.
They could enjoy time with foreign women at the intermediate ports of call, and when they returned from the voyage, their pockets were well-lined.
While sailors complained outside, in the captain’s cabin of the Golden Brow, Captain Brow, other captains, and the clan representative were huddled around a sea chart.
“Are we going the right way?”
To the clan representative’s question, Captain Brow nodded.
“We are going the right way. If we continue to head southwest like this, we’ll reach the Empire’s southwestern islands.”
“Is it really not possible to head directly to the Empire instead of going south to the southwestern islands?”
To the representative’s impatient question, Captain Brow shook his head.
“It’s not possible. If we enter the Empire’s mainland without getting an entry visa from the southwestern islands, we’ll be immediately sunk.”
“Damn it… sigh.”
At Captain Brow’s answer, the representative cursed and sighed.
***
After firmly securing the southwestern islands, the Empire had sent proclamations to Europe and the Middle East.
- Those wishing to enter the Empire for trade must absolutely stop at the southwestern islands to receive a permit and permit flag! Without a permit and permit flag, ships will unconditionally be sunk!
- For those wishing to receive a permit and permit flag, strictly observe the following conditions.
- A personal letter from the king or monarch certifying that the visitor is seeking trade or study.
(Omitted below)
In reality, there were ships that ignored the Empire’s proclamation and headed straight for the Empire’s mainland.
However, those ships were immediately sunk by the imperial navy, and the survivors were imprisoned and then expelled to Suez after having most of their possessions confiscated.
“Why are you confiscating our belongings?”
“We’re merely collecting the costs needed to send you to Suez.”
“Which damned fool made such a law?”
“You’ve insulted His Imperial Majesty. Minimum 20 years imprisonment and additional fines. Your choice.”
“…”
Of course, there were those who tried to use tricks.
“Our destination was Japan, but somehow we ended up in the Empire. Please grant us permission to dock…”
“The navy will guide you. Just follow that ship.”
“Could we at least get supplies…”
“Japan is just a stone’s throw from here.”
“But since we’re already here…”
“Will you just follow along, or would you prefer to be sunk?”
Because of this, ships from Europe and the Middle East seeking to trade with the Empire, regardless of nationality, had to stop at the southwestern islands.
With this background, Captain Brow had set the southwestern islands as his target.
And this was groundwork that Hyang had laid in advance.
“Due to time and population issues, monopolizing is impossible. But no matter what, we must hold onto North America. That land is the cheat key, after all. If that’s the case, I need to lay the groundwork in advance to send them in an unexpected direction.”
***
“We’re on the right track! If we go a little further, we’ll reach the southwestern islands! If you endure just a bit more, we can reach the ‘Country of the Flower’!”
“Is that true?”
“Who is our captain? And what kind of person is Captain Brow? Have faith!”
The navigators and veteran sailors, under the captains’ orders, encouraged their fellow sailors who were tired from the voyage.
“Think about it! Even the cheapest item sold in the ‘Country of the Flower’ can be sold for several times its value! A fortune awaits! Keep your spirits up!”
Clinging to the hope of riches if they succeeded, the sailors regained their energy and moved with renewed vigor.
***
Ding-ding-ding-ding!
About ten days later, the lookout in the crow’s nest rang the bell and shouted.
“Unidentified vessel appearing on the starboard bow!”
At the lookout’s cry, Captain Brow quickly climbed to the forecastle and pulled out his monocular to examine.
As he observed the ship through his monocular, Captain Brow’s face brightened.
“It’s a Sea Eagle!”
The ship visible through the monocular was clearly an imperial Haeung-class warship.
Captain Brow explained to the representative who had rushed to his side.
“The Sea Eagle is a ship that doesn’t venture far from port! That means there’s an imperial port nearby!”
Filled with joy, Captain Brow shouted to his sailors.
“It’s a Sea Eagle! We’ve finally arrived! Raise the signal flag!”
“Wow!”
Soon after, a signal flag rose on the Golden Brow’s mast. Seeing the flag, captains of other ships also busily scanned the horizon with their monoculars.
Similarly observing the Haeung-class warship, Captain Thomas tilted his head in confusion.
“Why just one ship? And why is it turning its bow away?”
Through his monocular, the Haeung-class warship could be seen urgently turning its bow and moving away.
When traversing the eastern route, Haeung-class warships departing from Temasek or the southwestern islands always moved in units of at least two. And when they spotted an unidentified vessel, they always approached to inspect it.
But the Haeung-class warship distancing itself in the distance was deviating from that rule.