Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 212

212. Homecoming (5)

The debate continued. Before they knew it, the topic had shifted from ‘Should we sell cannons or not?’ to ‘What should we sell?’

“Cannons are out of the question! We must stop at the hand cannons!”

“Have you forgotten what the Crown Prince said? What will you do if hand cannons are released indiscriminately?”

“Isn’t that the same for the Single-Barrel Cannons, which are also cannons?”

The ministers and high-ranking officials gathered in Geunjeongjeon [the main hall of Gyeongbokgung Palace], raising their voices in debate.

Eventually, Sejong had to step in to resolve the situation.

“Silence! Be quiet!”

At Sejong’s roar, the officials all shut their mouths. Sejong turned to Hyang.

“Is the hand cannon more dangerous than a cannon like the Single-Barrel Cannon?”

“Yes, it is.”

Hyang answered briefly and paused. After pondering something, Hyang bowed to Sejong and reported.

“First, let’s clarify the terminology. The Gapsik Hand Cannon will be called a ‘hand cannon.’ The Mounted Hand Cannon will be changed to ‘mounted gun.'”

“Oh? Hand cannon? Hand cannon… It’s a fitting name since it’s long. ‘Mounted gun’ is also fitting since it’s mainly used by cavalry.”

“And we will only attach the name ‘cannon’ to those mounted on vehicles.”

“Hmm…”

After a moment of contemplation, Sejong soon nodded.

“So be it. It will be easier to distinguish. It’s rather late, actually.”

“I am sorry.”

“It’s not just your fault, so don’t worry about it.”

With the terminology settled, Hyang continued his explanation.

“I am confident that the guns currently used by our Joseon soldiers are far superior to those used by the Ming and Japanese, as well as those used by the Westerners. That is why it is a problem.”

“Superior, therefore it’s a problem? Isn’t the secret of fulminated silver being strictly managed?”

Sejong still looked puzzled. In Sejong’s opinion, the best feature of the new guns was the ignition method using fulminated silver [a highly explosive compound].

Seeing this, Hyang explained in more detail.

“As I said before, it can be replaced with a matchlock even without fulminated silver. Therefore, this part cannot be a strength. The biggest advantage of the new guns is their overwhelming range and accuracy.”

“Ah…”

Only then did Sejong seem to understand to some extent. Seeing this, Hyang continued his explanation.

“Ming and Japan are close. Therefore, our Joseon can afford to prepare while observing the situations of the two countries. However, Aden is far away from Joseon. Even if the secrets of the gun are leaked there, we will not know. No, we can tolerate the leakage. The problem is the Westerners beyond Alexandria.”

Hyang pointed to the Europeans and continued his explanation.

“They fight with the Hui people [likely referring to Muslims] and among themselves. To use an analogy of the political situation I heard from the Ottavi family, the Westerners there are now in a state of the Spring and Autumn period [a period of warfare and political fragmentation in ancient China]. What would happen if our gun technology were to enter such a place? They will madly improve it based on that technology.”

“Ah…”

Only then did Sejong and his officials understand why Hyang was so vehemently opposed. Looking at the history of the Chinese continent, as well as the history of the Korean Peninsula, technologies related to various weapons developed rapidly whenever wars broke out. Looking at the late Goryeo and early Joseon periods, cannons were rapidly improved to deal with the Wokou pirates [Japanese pirates who raided the Korean coast].

Although Sejong and his officials showed understanding, Hyang continued his explanation.

‘I need to make sure they understand how dangerous it is.’

“I repeat, Ming and Japan are close. Therefore, if we are not negligent, we have time to prepare. But those Westerners are different. They are too far away, making it difficult to prepare. However, unconditionally assuming that ‘they are ahead of our Joseon’ and continuing to invest in military buildup can put an excessive burden on our finances. Therefore, guns can never be handed over.”

“That’s right…”

Sejong nodded at Hyang’s argument.

* * *

Hyang’s argument was not without basis.

After gunpowder was introduced through the Mongols and Islam, Europe competitively developed gunpowder weapons.

Looking at the situation in Europe at this time, they were gradually moving away from the traditional cannons used by Joseon and Ming—a method of inserting a wooden handle in the back and using it under the armpit.

The era when the hand cannon—Tannenberg Hand Gonne—with a primitive trigger and flash pan using the principle of leverage attached to a wooden handle inserted into a gonne was slowly emerging.

* * *

The Grand Censor, who had been nodding at Hyang’s explanation, pointed out a problem.

“Then, wouldn’t cannons also be a problem?”

At the Grand Censor’s point, Hyang smiled slyly and replied.

“Cannons… The Westerners probably won’t like our Joseon cannons very much.”

“Yes?”

“Not only the performance but also the size, our Joseon cannons will not be satisfactory to the Hui people and the Westerners.”

“Yes?”

At Hyang’s unexpected answer, not only the Grand Censor who asked the question but also the ministers and Sejong widened their eyes.

Seeing this, Hyang explained the reason.

* * *

As expected, after cannons were introduced through the Mongols, the purpose of cannons in Europe and the Middle Eastern countries was as siege weapons.

To break the high, thick, and solid walls of the enemy, European and Middle Eastern cannons gradually increased in size.

The larger the cannon, the heavier, slower, harder to aim, and slower to reload.

Eventually, France realized the limitations of these large siege guns and began to develop and use small-caliber bronze field guns from the end of the 15th century, and only then did cannons begin to change.

However, the pace of change was slow until the end of the 16th century when the difference between siege cannons and field cannons was accurately understood. (Note 1)

And it was at this crossroads that Islamic countries, which insisted only on traditional purposes, began to be pushed back by Europe.

Muslims always overwhelmed European armies in the battlefields where they mainly fought—open, wide lands. For them, cannons had limited uses.

For Islamic nobles, cavalry was their symbol. For them, becoming infantry was a humiliation. (Note 1)

The only time they needed cannons was when they were breaking the walls and positions of the enemy they had surrounded.

This choice of theirs later became the reason why they had to kneel before Europe when the age of imperialism came.

* * *

Sejong, who understood the ‘giant cannon-ism’ of Europeans and Muslims through Hyang’s explanation, asked a question.

“Then, should we also produce giant cannons?”

Hyang shook his head at Sejong’s question.

“The disadvantages outweigh the advantages. There are many problems with operation, and production is also costly. And…”

After pausing for a moment, Hyang answered in a confident voice.

“At least in terms of power, I am confident that we are ahead of them. And we will continue to do so in the future.”

‘With the Bigyeokjincheonle [a type of Korean cannon], we’re invincible for the time being!’

Sejong smiled contentedly at Hyang’s confident answer.

“Hearing that makes me feel relieved. That much should be enough for disputes between merchants or protection of merchant groups.”

“That is correct, Your Majesty. It is just the right amount.”

“To conclude… your intention is that cannons are okay to give, but things like hand cannons are absolutely not allowed, is that right?”

“Yes, Father.”

After hearing Hyang’s answer, Sejong turned to his officials.

“What are your thoughts?”

At Sejong’s question, the ministers, who had been organizing their thoughts for a moment, answered one by one.

“I think what the Crown Prince said is reasonable.”

“I also think the same.”

While most of the officials were expressing their approval, Jo Malsaeng pointed out a problem.

“I am afraid to say, but looking at the current production volume of cannons, it is barely enough to deploy to the military.”

“Wouldn’t it be okay to give retired old cannons?”

At Sejong’s question, Jo Malsaeng turned to Kim Jeom. Kim Jeom, who received unspoken pressure from Jo Malsaeng, answered with a sweat.

“Most of the retired cannons have already been melted down…”

Sejong clicked his tongue at Kim Jeom’s answer.

“Tsk! Didn’t I order you to keep them for at least three months in case you never know!”

“I did as ordered!”

“Huh?”

When Sejong expressed his doubts, Kim Jeom explained what had happened.

* * *

Most of the old cannons of the Joseon army were located in the Joseon navy. In the case of land, they were mainly deployed in the northern region facing the Jurchens [a Tungistic people who lived in Northeast Asia]. However, since the Bigyeokjincheonle was suitable for dealing with the Jurchens, the northern region had already been replaced with Bigyeokjincheonle-only cannons.

In the end, only the cannons used by the navy remained. And as Hyang created new cannons and mass-produced them, the old cannons went into storage one by one.

The problem was that the Wokou pirates had become quiet after the Conquest of Tsushima Island. As a result, every time three months passed, the old cannons that had been sleeping in the warehouse were all sent to the furnace.

* * *

“So, how many old cannons are currently stored in the warehouse?”

Kim Jeom wiped his sweat and answered at Sejong’s sharp question.

“The exact quantity needs to be checked in the records, but about 40 or so…”

“What about those still attached to the ships?”

At Sejong’s question, Kim Jeom turned to Jo Malsaeng. This time, Jo Malsaeng answered with a sweat.

“About 120 or so.”

“Hmm…”

At Jo Malsaeng’s answer, Sejong tapped the armrest of the throne with his finger and pondered.

‘The two of them didn’t disobey my orders. Rather, they followed them faithfully. The fact that the Wokou pirates are quiet is creating this situation… It’s a contradiction. But what should I do about this…’

As if sensing Sejong’s thoughts, Hyang intervened.

“Since their situation is urgent, we must first hand over the 40 cannons in the warehouse.”

“However, considering the contents of the report, wouldn’t they complain that 40 is too small?”

Kim Jeom, who had been sweating at Sejong’s point, intervened.

“There is an answer! There are still iron molds used in the iron mold method that the Crown Prince made, so we can stamp them out with that!”

At Kim Jeom’s words, Jo Malsaeng immediately stepped in to help.

“That will work! Then we can meet at least… no, the maximum quantity.”

Soon, other officials also stepped in to help the two.

After briefly calculating the reactions of the officials, Sejong soon came to a conclusion.

“Do so.”

It was the moment when the artisans of the Military Supplies Department’s blood-sweating all-night work was decided.

* * *

In the distant future, among the historians of the East and West who study Joseon history, the period of Sejong and Hyang was called the ‘Great Leap Era.’

During this period, Joseon achieved such rapid development that no country in the surrounding area, let alone Europe and the Middle East, could keep up, to the extent that it was named ‘Great Leap.’

The amount of documents recording such development and the aftermath of the development was enormous, so this period was a time when historians’ admiration and resentment coexisted.

It was natural that conspiracy theories were produced because there was development that could not be compared to any other place in the world at the same time.

Because it was a development that did not make sense no matter how logically it was considered, conspiracy theories were emerging even among scholars who were recognized for their authority.

Among them, the most representative was the one about the meteorite recorded in the Annals of King Sejong.

-October 1, the 5th year of Sejong (Gyemyo year, 1423). A meteorite fell in Gangyin-hyeon, Hwanghae-do, and the sound was like thunder. Accordingly, officials were sent to perform a haegoeje (解怪祭) [a ritual to ward off evil caused by strange phenomena] (Note 2).

With the facts recorded in the Annals, conspiracy theorists argued for the ‘alien arrival theory.’

“It wasn’t a meteorite that fell, but a UFO crashed! They used the aliens rescued from that UFO to make this leap!”

Orthodox scholars scoffed at such claims.

“The Crown Prince, one of the main players in the transformation, has been showing his talent since the 3rd year of Sejong (Sinchuk year, 1421) when he was appointed as Crown Prince! Check the calendar properly!”

Anyway, this was a time when things with the modifier ‘world’s first’ occurred countless times to the extent that such conspiracy theories emerged.

One of them was ‘the world’s first mass production of standardized cannons.’

And this was also Hyang’s work.

Until then, the method of casting cannons was generally the tomobeop (土模法) [sand casting method], which used casting sand to make a mold, poured molten bronze, and completed it.

The problem was that the tomobeop took a lot of time to make the mold with casting sand.

In response, Hyang introduced the cheolmobeop (鐵模法) [iron mold method].

The cannon was divided into several parts, and iron molds corresponding to those parts were made. The molds thus made were assembled into one, and after inserting an iron core in the middle, molten bronze was poured to complete the cannon.

When the bronze poured into the mold was moderately cooled, the outer iron mold was disassembled, and when the iron core in the center of the cannon was pulled out, one cannon was immediately made.

In this way, mass production of cannons was easily achieved.

This was not entirely Hyang’s original.

It was a method used in the late Joseon period to mass-produce cannons by introducing technology from Qing [the last imperial dynasty of China] (Note 3).

* * *

Note 1) Cannons, Sails, and Empires. Written by Carlo Cipolla. Miji Books.

Note 2) Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. National History Compilation Committee. http://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kda_10510001_002

Note 3) Weapons and Armor of Joseon. Written by Min Seung-ki. Garam Planning