Hyang’s intervention and the resulting butterfly effect had major and minor impacts on Europe and Asia.

One of these was Asian nations becoming familiar with gunpowder weapons.

***

In history before Hyang’s intervention, most Asian nations—specifically those east of India—except for Ming and Joseon were unfamiliar with gunpowder weapons.

Excluding Ming and Joseon, there were only Đại Việt, Siam, and Japan, and the gunpowder weapons they knew were mostly artillery used in siege warfare.

The concept of personal firearms was limited to hand cannons similar to European hand cannons.

Since nations relatively familiar with gunpowder were in this state, the situation of minor sultanates in Southeast Asia was even more dire.

They were still accustomed to crude iron swords they made themselves, or Ming-made swords brought in by overseas Chinese.

In such circumstances, they had to kneel before Europeans armed with muskets, arquebuses, and cannons.

Meanwhile, Japan, which quickly adopted European firearms, plunged the three Northeast Asian nations into war in the 16th century.

And the India and Central Asian regions developed their own guns and cannons based on firearms that came through the Ottomans and Eastern Europe. However, they were more than a generation behind Europe and became prey to Britain and Russia.

But everything changed with Hyang’s intervention.

When Europe was just evolving from hand cannons to arquebuses, Joseon’s musketeer corps was born, armed with percussion cap rifles—the ultimate muzzle-loading rifles.

Not only that, but the unprecedented mass destruction weapon called the thunder-crash bomb also appeared.

With confidence in its military power, Joseon actively engaged in foreign trade, and not only Southeast Asia but even the Bengal Sultanate in India encountered Joseon’s gunpowder weapons.

And subsequent developments were exactly as previously described.

***

Therefore, European nations advancing into Southeast Asia couldn’t act as they did in Africa.

Southeast Asian sultanates were already armed with Imperial, Ming, or Japanese firearms and artillery.

No, they weren’t just armed.

Beyond being skilled in tactics that properly utilized firearms and artillery, they had become proficient in tactical operations suited to their natural environments.

Moreover, infected by the Empire’s peculiar ‘love of artillery,’ they manufactured not only imported but also domestic artillery, and had even built solid fortresses similar to those of the Empire and Ming.

Thanks to this, Europeans stopping at ports starting from Malacca had no choice but to swallow dryly seeing the solidly built fortresses, gun ports in the walls, and Southeast Asian soldiers armed with rifles.

“This place is different from Africa!”

European monarchs and capitalists reviewing information brought by captains and sailors had to smack their lips.

“Tsk! We can’t take the regions east of India lightly. However…”

However, no monarchs would abandon ‘mercantilism’ and ‘wealthy nation, strong military’ that had started in the Empire and somehow become global trends.

Capitalists wanting even more profits were the same.

They needed colonies, and more colonies at that.

Eventually, they turned their eyes to India, still in chaos, and the unknown continent rumored to exist to the south.

And the countries most enthusiastic about this competition were England and Spain.

England became desperate to get ahead in this competition because of France.

***

France, a member of the Suez Alliance, was profiting handsomely through Suez.

France was spending considerable military expenses to defend Suez. However, the profit dividends were far greater. Based on these dividends, Charles VII and his successor Louis XI strengthened their power and were making France powerful again.

Particularly, Louis XI was successfully strengthening his power based on these profit dividends.

Especially after recently annexing the Duchy of Burgundy, there was almost nothing stopping him.

***

Since Charles VII’s time, France’s feudal nobles had been obstacles preventing the strengthening of royal power.

And behind this was the Duchy of Burgundy.

While French King Charles VII and Duke Philip III of Burgundy were alive, relations were ‘relatively’ good.

But problems arose when Charles the Bold succeeded Philip III as Duke of Burgundy, and Louis XI succeeded Charles VII as King of France.

Charles the Bold yearned to reunite the Duchy of Burgundy, which had been cut in half into north and south, and then achieve complete independence from France.

For the duchy’s unification and independence, he needed to annex Lorraine while becoming a king rather than a duke.

To succeed in this, Charles the Bold secretly supported French nobles rebellious against Louis XI while sending envoys to the Holy Roman Emperor requesting recognition as King of Burgundy.

However, the request to the Holy Roman Empire was frustrated by Louis XI’s interference.

“This can’t go on any longer!”

Seeing Charles the Bold’s movements, Louis XI mobilized his army to invade the Duchy of Burgundy.

The Burgundian Wars, which in history before Hyang’s intervention lasted three years starting from 1474, broke out almost ten years early.

***

Louis XI decided on war because he had confidence in victory.

First, the war in Suez was nearly in its final stages.

Small-scale skirmishes still occurred, but the real fierce battles were happening at the negotiation table.

Next were the soldiers who had returned from experiencing the Suez War.

Armed with Imperial weapons and rich in combat experience, these soldiers were royal decree troops who moved only at his command, not private soldiers of nobles.

When the returned soldiers recovered their strength, Louis XI moved quickly.

First, he convened the Estates-General, summoning nobles, church powers, and city representatives.

Once those summoned gathered, Louis XI used the royal decree troops to imprison all the nobles.

He imprisoned all nobles without distinguishing between those who had allied with Charles the Bold and those who hadn’t.

“I’ve dealt with the noisy obstacles!”

With a satisfied smile, Louis XI immediately drove his royal decree troops to invade the Duchy of Burgundy.

***

Unlike in history before Hyang’s intervention where this war lasted nearly three years, this invasion concluded in just one year.

It was such a swift victory that even Louis XI, who had decided on the invasion, couldn’t believe it.

The biggest reason this was possible was Imperial weapons.

The royal decree troops with Imperial weapons possessing overwhelming killing and destructive power instantly overwhelmed duchy forces still armed with outdated cold weapons and early muskets.

Eventually, when Charles the Bold, commanding the duchy forces, died in the final battle, the Duchy of Burgundy became French territory.

***

Through this battle, Louis XI gained much.

First, he acquired the Low Countries—present-day Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, parts of northern France, and parts of western Germany.

In history before Hyang’s intervention, these were inherited by Charles the Bold’s daughter, Mary of Burgundy, becoming Habsburg territory.

Later, the southern regions would be divided into the Spanish Netherlands and Austrian Netherlands, while the northern regions would become the Dutch Republic.

However, with this war ending swiftly, inheritance couldn’t properly occur, and the Duchy of Burgundy became French territory as is.

This was a major event that shook Europe.

By annexing the Duchy of Burgundy, France gained the territorial foundation to overwhelm the Holy Roman Empire.

Additionally, Louis XI could secure political support from city representatives representing commoners by using this territory and profits from the Suez Canal as bait.

Securing political support from city representatives, Louis XI brought down the nobles.

“They conspired with Charles the Bold to plot rebellion!”

Louis XI used the above justification to execute nobles rebellious against him. While some were actually executed for allying with Charles the Bold, countless others were executed for resisting Louis XI while advocating traditional feudalism.

Eventually, surviving nobles had no choice but to swear loyalty to Louis XI.

With the noble class collapsing, the church, the remaining pillar of the Estates-General, had to keep quiet.

Looking at it this way, Louis XI seemed to have lost nothing, but he too had losses.

The enormous war expenses.

“Imperial weapons are powerful but they eat up too much money…”

Every time he received reports—receipts—related to consumed war expenses, Louis XI signed with a long face.

Imperial weapons had consumption rates as overwhelming as their performance.

The Imperial weapons the royal decree troops possessed were secondhand items passed on after Imperial Army use.

Moreover, they were weapons that had been overworked in the Suez War.

At least, since they were properly made weapons for Imperial Army use, the breakage rate wasn’t seriously high.

However, France had no choice but to reach out to allied nations because they had to quickly replenish broken weapons and consumed ammunition and shells.

Getting more from the Empire was temporally impossible.

Allied nations receiving France’s request supplied weapons and consumables at cost.

Though the Ottomans, Spain, and Florence charged cost price, the consumed war expenses were enormous.

Both Model Eul rifles and Model Eul gun carts boasted tremendous ammunition consumption, and artillery was the same.

Additionally, by reaching out to allies, they took on political burdens as well.

Though Louis XI and France lost much, they gained more.

And based on what they gained, France began rising as Europe’s hegemon.

Seeing France’s growth, terrified England desperately began pursuing colony acquisition.

And Spain found itself in the same situation as England.

***

Spain was equally alarmed by allied nations’ growth.

Particularly, the rapid growth of Portugal, the alliance’s backbone, forced Spanish monarchs to make decisions.

“This won’t do!”

Accordingly, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand I of Aragon married, combining into one kingdom.

The true Kingdom of Spain had emerged.

United Spain was a nation of considerable size. It occupied most of the Iberian Peninsula and had a large population.

The problem was that Portugal, like a thorn in their side, was hampering Spain at every turn.

Portugal was ahead in Africa’s colonial competition, and Mediterranean trade was also losing to Portugal.

But the biggest problem was Suez.

As the alliance Portugal belonged to occupied Suez and gained enormous profits, Portugal was growing rapidly.

Armed with weapons introduced from the Empire, Portugal wasn’t an easy opponent despite its small size.

Additionally, Portugal and allied nations had signed mutual defense treaties, becoming a solid military alliance.

“Joining hands with infidels! Apostates!”

Though they cursed thus, Spain had also joined hands with the Mamluks. Though now those Mamluks were nearly on the verge of collapse.

***