My nationality issue seemed to weigh on Yuli Briner quite a bit as he asked what I planned to do in the future.
+ Interest
“After all, Joseon nationality has no value, so you’ll need to find a useful nationality somewhere. What are your plans?”
“I’m currently giving it some thought.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to obtain Russian nationality first?”
“The Russian government is currently not granting nationality to immigrants who come from Joseon.”
“No matter how much the Russian government avoids Koryo-saram or Chinese people, for someone like you, it won’t be much of a problem. First of all, you’ve already joined the Orthodox Church and have a history of supplying hay to the Russian Army. If you return to Sidimi after this trip and finish the land reclamation, I think you could supply hay and feed to the entire Russian Army in Primorsky Krai by next year. With that level of achievement, Russia won’t hesitate to grant you nationality.”
“I’ve thought of that too, but I’m worried that if I have Russian nationality, the United Kingdom or the United States might dislike it, so I’m hesitant.”
When I mentioned that the United Kingdom or the United States might dislike me if I acquired Russian nationality, Yuli Briner nodded.
“I don’t know about the United States, but the United Kingdom certainly hates Russia. It wouldn’t matter for people like us, but for someone in your position who will become a Grand Merchant in the future, it could be quite a problem.”
The United Kingdom is currently the world’s largest economic power with no rival, and while people don’t know it yet, the United States is a country that will surpass the United Kingdom to become the world’s largest economic power.
If I were to acquire Russian nationality and those two countries treated me as a Russian and showed hostility, it would be no small matter.
Yuli Briner agreed with my opinion, nodding as he spoke.
“For now, the Russian government won’t be in a hurry to give out nationality. So, just live in Russia for the time being, and when you get a little older, go to the United Kingdom or the United States and look for the requirements to acquire nationality. Someone like you should be able to find a way quickly.”
In the end, I had no choice but to push this issue aside with the determination to buy British or American nationality with money if all else failed.
After purchasing land for a plantation in Singapore, we departed for Bombay, India.
The reason we went to Bombay instead of Calcutta was because the influential merchants of India were there, and the foundation of the Indian Textile Industry was located there.
Moreover, the Sassoon Family and Jardine Matheson, for whom we had letters of introduction, were both families with deep ties to Bombay.
Jardine Matheson had a deep connection with the Grand Merchant of Bombay, Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, from the time they started their business with the sale of opium to China (they were cellmates), and although Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy had been dead for nearly twenty years, the connection between this region and Jardine Matheson remained unbroken.
As for the Sassoon Family, Bombay was simply their family’s base.
It was the place where David Sassoon, who had been the treasurer of Baghdad, settled after performing a Doju in the middle of the night from Baghdad to escape the clutches of the Governor of Baghdad, who was after his wealth.
It was also where their family began to prosper.
I delivered Elias Sassoon’s letter of introduction and correspondence to his younger brother, Reuben David Sassoon.
Reuben David Sassoon looked at me with a surprised expression after reading Elias Sassoon’s letter and correspondence.
“You brought that much gold?”
“Please do not ask about the source of the gold. I didn’t tell Elias Sassoon either.”
Reuben David Sassoon nodded.
“Well, I have no reason to be particularly curious about the location of gold obtained in East Asia. More importantly, even though I’m someone who works while traveling between the United Kingdom and India, these days I reside in the United Kingdom more than India. Do you know why Elias Sassoon sent the letter of introduction to me instead of Albert Sassoon, the eldest son of our Sassoon Family?”
I was curious about that as well.
I shrugged and said, “I was also very curious about that.
I thought Reuben David Sassoon, who would receive the letter, would be the head of the Sassoon Family, but it turned out there was someone else.”
“That’s because Elias Sassoon is on bad terms with our eldest brother, Albert Sassoon. They’re practically enemies.”
I was puzzled.
“Is it alright to tell me, someone you’re meeting for the first time, about such family matters?”
“Something like this should be spread far and wide to bring them some shame. Sending a letter to me, his younger brother, to introduce you to Albert Sassoon just because he’s on bad terms with him… They aren’t children anymore; they’re all getting old. What kind of behavior is this? Truly, even as they age, they remain children.”
“Why did he fight with his brother?”
“Well, Elias Sassoon is the one with more talent for business, but because Albert Sassoon is the eldest son, our Father passed the household down to Albert Sassoon. Even so, they couldn’t fight while our Father was alive and endured it, but as soon as he passed away, they started fighting like that.”
“I’ve seen many cases of siblings fighting over inheritance, so it’s not particularly new.”
“I suppose it is a common occurrence. It happens quite frequently even among us Jews, so why would it be any different elsewhere? But why did you come to India, going so far as to bring a letter of introduction from Elias Sassoon? Did you perhaps come to find opium?”
“I have no intention of engaging in the Opium Trade.”
“Is that so? Well, you’ve made a good choice. There’s no future in opium anymore. It might not collapse immediately, but it’s best to stop any new entries.”
“Is it because they’ve started cultivating opium themselves in China?”
“No, it’s not that. Even if opium is cultivated in China, Indian opium still sells well and is very profitable. However, for a new entry, the people who already dominate this route have a tight grip on it, and it’s a field where growth has already stagnated, so it’s not a suitable market to enter fresh. Elias Sassoon wrote in his letter that you have the qualities of a very promising merchant. Do you have something in mind?”
“I want to enter the cotton industry.”
“Cotton? Is there some new land to plant cotton? Or are you trying to get into the cotton trade?”
“Oh, it’s not that. I mean I want to try the Textile Industry made from cotton.”
“Ah, I see. You’re saying you want to try making cotton textiles or cotton fabrics, like the ones made in the United Kingdom, in China or the Russian Far East?”
“Yes, exactly. That’s why I came all the way here to Bombay to broaden my horizons.”
“Elias Sassoon praised you a lot in his writing, and you certainly have an eye for things. And he must have seen your future potential and insisted on introducing you to Albert Sassoon. In fact, Elias Sassoon rarely writes to introduce anyone to Albert Sassoon. The fact that he insisted on introducing you to Albert Sassoon through me means he sees your future as that bright.”
“That’s kind of you to say. But can I really be called insightful for challenging the Textile Industry right now? Even in China, there are more than enough people trying to do this.”
“I’ve heard about such challenges in China as well. I heard there are even places running spinning machines made of bamboo or wood. Have you seen them?”
“Yes. And the results weren’t bad. It felt like a realistic machine suited to the current conditions given to China, rather than being greedy and trying to solve everything with British-style machinery. They were producing cotton cloth at a fairly good price.”
“What was the quality like?”
“Well, you shouldn’t expect much in terms of quality; it was just at the level to be sold to Chinese people. But it felt like China needed exactly that kind of product.”
In fact, small amounts of Chinese cotton cloth produced this way were secretly being distributed in Joseon as well. It was being sold as a Chinese substitute for Calico, and it was selling quite well because the price was low.
“So, do you want to build a factory like that as well?”
I shook my head.
“I want to bring in the latest machinery from the United Kingdom. Products made by those Chinese-style machines definitely have limits. If the consumption level in China rises even slightly or the price of British cotton cloth drops even a little, they will lose competitiveness. Moreover, if machine-woven Indian cotton cloth begins to enter China in earnest, they will truly lose all competitiveness.”
“As expected, your eye for things is remarkable. No wonder Elias Sassoon took notice of you. So, are you planning to go to the United Kingdom right away to buy machinery?”
“Right now, even if I buy the latest British machinery, I wouldn’t be able to find technicians who can handle it. So, for now, I want to tour the Indian textile factories before making a decision.”
The Sassoon Family was currently operating the largest textile factory in Bombay.
As Reuben David Sassoon said, the Sassoon Family saw that the opium trade had reached its limit and was looking for a new source of income, and the Textile Industry was what they chose.
Starting about ten years ago, the Sassoon Family had been challenging the Textile Industry by operating factories in Bombay equipped with textile machinery purchased from the United Kingdom.
Although they hadn’t yet reached the level of completely replacing British textiles, they were increasing their share in the Indian market.
Even if the installed machinery was somewhat old and the technicians’ skill levels were low, preventing them from producing high-end textiles, they were producing cotton cloth of sufficient quality for average Indians to use.
The reason they hadn’t dominated the Indian market despite having the weapon of low labor costs, which was incomparable to the British mainland, was partly due to minor interference from the Indian colonial government, but it was fundamentally due to financial losses caused by the fluctuating international situation.
When the American Civil War broke out in the United States and the supply of cotton from there was suspended for a while, the price of Indian cotton skyrocketed.
At that time, influential cotton traders in Bombay, including the Sassoon Family, were blinded by the immense profits and made excessive investments, only to suffer enormous financial losses when the American Civil War ended.
It was said that the damage at that time was so severe that they still hadn’t completely overcome the financial losses they incurred then.
With Reuben David Sassoon’s help, I was able to greet Albert Sassoon as well and tour the textile factories in Bombay.
Because of his age and his busy schedule preparing to move the Sassoon Family headquarters to the United Kingdom, Albert Sassoon couldn’t give me a tour himself; instead, his younger brother, Solomon Sassoon, guided me.
“You don’t need to guide me yourself like this. It’s just a simple tour, so why are you showing me such great kindness?”
“Rather than excessive kindness, it’s because Albert Sassoon feels a bit sorry toward Elias Sassoon for no reason. Besides, you seem like you’ll be active in the Russian Far East or China, so he wants to build a connection in advance and slowly reconcile with Elias Sassoon.”
“They are brothers, so can’t they just meet and reconcile?”
“If it were that easy, why would there be conflict between people?”
“I’m still young, so I don’t really understand those kinds of human emotions.”
“You don’t have siblings?”
“No, I have no siblings, and my parents have already passed away, so I have to travel around like this even though I’m young. Instead, I have good colleagues, and I’m receiving a lot of help.”
“Is that Swiss person who came with you one of those colleagues?”
“Yes, a very good colleague. I wouldn’t have been able to come this far without him.”
“I heard he was ill. How is he now?”
“He’s much better now. At first, we were worried it might be malaria, but fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“It’s difficult for someone who lived in a cold place to come and live in a hot place like this. The opposite is also true.”
“I’m still young, so I think I’m a bit better in that regard.”
“That’s right. Being young is truly a great asset.”
I toured the factories in Bombay guided by Solomon Sassoon.
I didn’t just tour the Sassoon Family’s factories; I was also able to see several factories of other business owners.
“This would not be an exaggeration to say it’s the best in Asia. I haven’t been to Japan, so I don’t know, but the machines in China can’t compete at all. Not to mention the Russian Far East.”
“Still, it’s no match for the factories in the United Kingdom. Not only is the colonial government’s interference a problem, but the development of British factories is so fast that it’s difficult to keep up. Part of the reason we’re showing you our factories is that they’ve already become so outdated.”
In fact, touring a factory is not an easy task in this era. Even if someone requests a tour, most requests are denied because the owner might see them as a spy or a potential competitor.
The fact that the Sassoon Family allowed a factory tour like this was a truly immense kindness.
However, they also allowed it relatively easily because they recognized that their factories were already quite outdated.
“Are there any textile factories in India other than here in Bombay?”
“You could say there are almost none, but recently, a young merchant built a new textile factory in a city called Nagpur in central India. According to people—and it’s my opinion as well—I don’t know why he built a textile factory in such a place.”
“What’s his name?”
“It is Jamsetji Tata, a Parsi, and he’s still young. It seems he’s taking on a challenge with youthful bravado, but it’s an excessive gamble. If not Bombay, he should have built it by the seaside. I don’t know why he’s building it in the middle of India.”
***