Her Majesty’s Secret Service

073. A nobleman from Rondanium

Takanobu seemed to have a rather suspicious personality.

Takanobu, who heard all of my story, immediately said that he would check whether the ‘Sword of Cortes’ that I had given him as a gift could really cut through iron. He grabbed the sword, pulled out the katana that was decorated in the room, placed it on the stand, and swung the sword straight at the katana.

The katana that hit the ‘Sword of Cortes’ was literally split in two, and Takanobu looked very satisfied when he saw that.

“Indeed, the saying that it is the sword of a hero is not a lie. I like it. Kuroda, ask the man named ‘Logan’ if he wants anything.”

“Yes, my lord! hmm… “I’m asking if I could ask you a few favors.”

“ask? You can listen to it as much as you want as long as it’s not too much. “Okay, what kind of request are you asking?”

“So that’s… .”

There were two things I asked Takanobu for. One was to introduce a merchant who could purchase large quantities of sugar, and the other was to rescue Korean slaves.

“Even though they are merchants, they are Korean slaves? There’s nothing wrong with it. “For Korean slaves, contact Shimo Matsura Party and ask them to look for it, and tell them that we can purchase enough sugar for them.”

“My lord, I will accept all payment in silver. They don’t accept grain or cloth… .”

“okay? “How much sugar do you say you have?”

“Uh… That is… .”

“what? That much? Okay… .”

After hearing how much sugar we had, Takanobu seemed to have decided that it would be impossible for the Ryuzoji family to purchase all of it.

In the end, Takanobu decided to purchase as much sugar as he could, and promised to introduce a dealer who could handle the entire quantity in a week.

A week later, Hirado merchants came to visit me.

The merchants of Hirado did not seem very surprised to see us, perhaps because they had a lot of experience dealing with the Portuguese, and when they heard that I spoke Korean, they showed up accompanied by an interpreter who could speak Korean.

“I heard it from Takanobu. “You sell sugar in bulk?”

“that’s right. Instead, I plan to receive all payments in silver. Oh, could you possibly exchange the gold for silver?”

“of course. “How much can I change for you?”

The Hirado merchant spoke confidently, but when he heard the amount of sugar and gold bars, he soon looked troubled.

“I’m really sorry, but… For sugar, I will only buy half of what you have. And the gold bars… Umm… To be honest, once I buy the sugar, I think it will be difficult to exchange it with just the silver I have. if… Could you please wait just 15 days? “I will provide you with silver within 15 days.”

“15 days? “I’ll wait for you at that point.”

In this way, he was able to dispose of half of his sugar to a Hirado merchant and exchange half of his gold bars for silver.

Sugar was also sold and gold was exchanged for silver, so now it was time to buy the necessary items.

Slaves, especially ‘Korean slaves,’ were needed.

They were the keys. It is an almighty key that will open the tightly closed door of Joseon and solve my ‘genealogy problem’ as well.

* * *

Manseok, a Korean slave, opened his eyes with difficulty again today.

As always, Manseok brought out the wash water for the owner and filled his stomach with the owner’s leftovers and the rough rice distributed to him every morning. He looked up at the bright blue sky and let out a long sigh.

“ha… Will I be able to return to my hometown while alive? . Jinsa Choi, I don’t know if that adult would have been safe from that mess… .”

Originally, Manseok was a Joseon farmer who made a living by farming in the land of Yeongam.

During the Eulmyo Rebellion, Manseok was captured by Japanese pirates and sold to Hizen.

Even though five years had already passed since I was brought here, I was so full that whenever I closed my eyes, I would always picture the scenery of my hometown before my eyes.

When I was first sold here, I tried to escape several times to return to my dearly missed homeland. However, because he did not know the geography well, he had no choice but to be dragged back every time he tried to escape, and because he was beaten to the point of death every time he tried to escape, he could not even think of running away and was adapting to a life of being exploited like this every day.

“hey! Souta! “Is it inside?”

Manseok, who was absent-mindedly missing his hometown like this again today, heard a voice calling for his master outside the door, so he rushed out and opened the door.

The person standing in front of the door was wearing fancy clothes and had two or three swords on his waist, so it seemed like he was a man of the ‘warrior’ class, to whom even the owner bowed his head. When Manseok was struck by the thought that he was a man of the warrior class, he lowered his head and began to grovel.

Manseok, who had previously watched a newly arrived slave from the Ming Dynasty lose his life in front of his eyes to a samurai’s sword because he did not greet him properly, opened his mouth, being careful not to offend his feelings.

“My master is sleeping in his room right now, sir.”

“okay? “Go in and tell them that Inoue of Saga has come to visit.”

“Yes, Nari. “Can you please wait a moment?”

After hearing the words of the warrior who introduced himself as Inoue, Manseok went into the room where his master was taking a long nap and told him the story.

As soon as the merchant Souta, the owner of Manseok, heard that ‘Saga no Inoue’ had come to visit, his eyes widened and he hurriedly adjusted his clothes and ran out the gate without even putting on his shoes.

“Inoue-sama! Why did you take such precious steps to this squalid place? Now, let’s go… .”

Souta, the owner of Manseok, guided Inoue with a courtesy that seemed too much to him.

While Souta and Inoue were talking in the room, Manseok was doing his chores as usual.

Some time passed, and Manseok, who heard that Souta was looking for him, ran to Souta.

“Did you call me, master?”

I hurriedly ran to find two Korean slaves in a similar situation as myself, sitting next to their master.

Souta took a look at the three slaves, including Manseok, and then turned his head back to Inoue.

“Inoue-sama, these three are the only Korean slaves in the house right now. “You can just take it with you.”

From noble mtl dot come

“Hoo, three of each? Thank you. “Thanks to you, things have become a little easier.”

“no. Of course, this is something we need to help with. Please visit us sometime. “I will serve you in a grand manner.”

“Hehe, just words? Then I’ll go and see. Wouldn’t it take two days to get to Nagasaki from here? “Come on, everyone follow me.”

The three Koreans, including Manseok, sighed inwardly as they guessed that they were being sold somewhere again. Nevertheless, perhaps due to years of slavery, he had to silently obey the orders of a warrior named Inoue.

In this way, three Koreans, including Manseok, followed Inoue to Nagasaki.

The three Koreans who arrived in Nagasaki found out that Inoue, the samurai who had brought them in, was a member of the pirate group ‘Shimo Matsura Party (下松浦党)’, a ‘samurai’ to put it mildly, but in reality he was no better than a pirate who had kidnapped them.

Three Koreans, including Manseok, were led by Inoue’s hand into a large warehouse-like building. Inside the building, there were numerous people who were in similar or even more miserable situations than themselves. I did a rough count and it seemed like there were a little over twenty people, including myself.

“Are you new here?”

“article… Korean language? Are you Korean too?”

As I entered the warehouse and sat down, I could hear weak Korean speaking.

Manseok was startled and looked in the direction from which the voice came. Sitting there was a man of his age who looked emaciated.

The frail-looking man introduced himself as ‘Minseok’, and he also said that it had been five years since he was taken by Japanese pirates during the Eulmyonyeon Rebellion and lived as a slave. When I asked him about his hometown, he said he was from Yeongam, just like Manseok, so the two, who were similar in age and name, quickly became friends and started talking.

Whether it’s to shake off anxiety or find out something you’re curious about.

* * *

“So, you’re saying you’re selling us further away?”

“That’s right. I secretly overheard what those Japanese people were saying. “Isn’t there a Namman merchant looking for ‘Korean slaves’?”

“Namman merchant? “What are those guys doing again?”

“They are a people coming from beyond the sea, and their white faces and big noses make them look like some kind of goblin… .”

Manseok was able to hear from Minseok why the pirates of Shimo Matsura Party were gathering so many Korean slaves.

Minseok, who worked as a slave for a superior on Harado Island, began to explain what he knew about merchants from the South. Suddenly, the Koreans trapped in the warehouse began to gather around Minseok, and now they were sitting in a circle, listening to Minseok’s story.

“No, what country is Namman stuck in? Look, is that place called Nanman a place farther than the Ming Dynasty?”

“When you say South, do you mean South? “If you go down to the southern seas over there, will you find another country?”

“Oh, I’m dying of frustration. Answer me quickly!”

“Everyone, please be quiet! “You’re trying to talk!”

Hearing that the product might be sold further away from Japan, the Koreans in the warehouse continued to urge Minseok.

“Hmm, hmm. So, I wonder where the name Namman came from… .”

Just as Minseok was about to open his mouth, the warehouse door opened with a rattling sound.

Unlike when one pirate brought in three or four Koreans, this time five or six pirates brought in one Korean.

“How many people are there already?”

“however… Where was that friend sold from? “Is this your first time seeing me dressed like that?”

It was clear that he looked like a Korean, but the clothes he wore were strange, something the Koreans in the warehouse had never seen before. The top was acceptable, but the bottom could only be described as truly bizarre.

The thighs were bulging, but the calves below were tight enough to expose the legs, which I thought was a bit embarrassing.

“uh? That… ?”

When Minseok looked surprised, the eyes of other Koreans turned to Minseok.

“Hey, why are you so surprised?”

Manseok, who had become close friends, asked the reason on behalf of the others. Minseok’s answer was soon heard.

“Clothes like that are worn only by Southern Man merchants, not ordinary sailors, but wealthy merchants… ?”

“what?”

When Minseok’s answer seemed to cause an uproar, a shout came out from the mouth of the youngest-looking pirate.

“Won’t everyone shut up? If you want to die, keep talking! What kind of conspiracy are you doing right now? “You can’t really disperse?!”

The ferocious atmosphere of people shouting and pulling out swords silenced the commotion and distracted the Koreans who were gathered around Minseok.

After quelling the commotion in the warehouse, the pirates bowed their heads in apology to the Korean man dressed as a Southern Man merchant who came in with them and began to talk.

Seeing the pirates, who had been glaring at the Koreans in the warehouse with ugly faces just a moment ago, even show a groveling smile to appease them, the people in the warehouse also began to understand that the Koreans dressed as Southern Man merchants were in a fairly high position.

“Hey Minseok, didn’t you say that Southern Man merchants look like goblins? “Aren’t you seeing something wrong with the clothes of Southern Man merchants?”

“I’ve been watching that for so many years, how could I forget about it? It’s definitely true. These are the clothes of Southern Man merchants. How did Joseon people wear those clothes? ?”

Minseok, who knew the merchants of Southern Manchuria better than anyone else among the Koreans, could not understand this situation. No matter how much I looked at it, that face seemed very far away from that of a Southern Man merchant.

At a time when the Koreans in the warehouse were confused, the voice of a Korean dressed in Nanman merchant clothes began to be heard, as if he had finished talking with the pirates.

“Thank you all for your hard work. My name is Ro… No, it’s called ‘reason’, ‘reason’. Where have you all been taken from? Jeolla-do? Gyeongsang-do?”

The warehouse began to become noisy again. This is because the person whom the pirates had bowed down to started speaking to them with respect.

“I’m from Eoranpo, Yeongam, Jeolla-do! I got caught in the chaos of Eulmyonyeon… .”

“I’m Dongrae!”

“I am from Haenam, Jeolla Province!”

“So, you’re saying that they are all Korean?”

“exactly! “By the way, who are you?”

“Surely you came to save us? “Are you someone sent by the Lord?”

“Half right and half wrong. “It is true that he came to take you back to Joseon, but he was not sent by the country.”

As soon as Lee Yu finished speaking, cheers of joy began to erupt among the Koreans.

While everyone else was immersed in joy, one person, ‘Minseok’, asked this question with a somewhat uneasy look on his face.

“Us… Why should I believe you when you say that you will take me to Joseon? That attire is not the attire of Southern Man merchants. Having said that, the intention is to sell us out to the South… .”

At those words, people around him started making noises, asking what kind of nonsense he was saying. It was a situation that gave her hope that she could return to her hometown after many years. Minseok’s words about putting a candle to that hope could have sounded harsh to them.

‘Iyu’ answered Minseok’s question while calming down those who were making double noises.

“You don’t have to believe it. “Anyway, you were sold to me, and you have to board my ship.”

“You were the Nanman merchant who said he was going to buy us.”

“That’s right. This is the best method to avoid friction. “Everyone, I will send you back to Joseon whether you believe it or not.”

“any… Are you saying that you will save us without any conditions or compensation? Using your own money? Large joint, does that make sense? “They said he wasn’t even sent by Nara!”

Despite the stinging glares from those around him, Minseok did not give up his uncomfortable look.

Although Minseok’s continued suspicions may have made him feel bad, ‘Iyu’ still smiled and smiled.

“Of course, there are no conditions. Oh, everyone, don’t worry. This is something you can fully do. “It’s not dangerous or expensive.”

I thought I would be able to return to my hometown soon, but it was a condition. The people in the warehouse glared at Minseok, guessing that the kind-hearted merchant was angry because he said something unnecessary.

At that look in his eyes, Minseok secretly lowered his head, and one of those who was glaring at Minseok let out a desperate voice towards the ‘reason’.

“What should I do? I would do anything to return to my hometown! Even if it’s piracy, you can do it with a smile. “Just order it!”

“Haha, I told you it wasn’t dangerous. The conditions are this. “When you return to Joseon, let everyone know that the person who saved you is the ‘reason’ of ‘Mr. Deoksu Lee.’”

“Is that really okay?”

“Yes, I am not saving you in hopes of anything. Would you like to hear my story? How did I end up in a position where I had to wear clothes like this? .”

‘Iyu’ continued his story with a friendly smile on his face.

The things Lee Yu had experienced so far and the things he had experienced in a faraway place across the sea began to flow out.

Decades ago, the story of ‘Iyu’, the descendant of a noble family who ran away across the sea to avoid disaster, returned to his hometown of Joseon without forgetting his father’s will, and it was a story that was very suitable to tug at the heartstrings of the Joseon people.

Of course, those stories were all created for a reason.

The Joseon people, who did not know that fact, simply believed the story at face value and burst out in exclamation.

This is how the Joseon merchants who came from Yeonggil-ri began to make their name known.

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*The pirates called the Matsura Party were a samurai group made up of 48 or 52 groups. To put it nicely, they were a samurai group, but in reality, they were an association of pirates. During the Warring States Period, it was largely divided into three groups: Kami Matsura (Upper Matsura), Shimo Matsura (Lower Matsura), and Hirado Matsura. The other two Matsura disappeared and only Hirado Matsura survived, leaving Hirado Island. It established itself as a ruling family.