Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 213

213. The Challenger (1)

While the court was deciding to reproduce old-style cannons, the artisans of the Military Supplies Depot were enjoying a brief respite.

“Whew~. It’s done, it’s done.”

“It’s been a while since we’ve had a break.”

A small earthenware jar of takbaekgi (a type of unfiltered rice wine, similar to 막걸리 [makgeolli]) appeared among the artisans, who were sitting down, patting their tired shoulders and backs.

“Let’s just have one bowl each.”

“Let’s do that.”

If Hyang had seen it, there would have been a commotion, but it was a traditional custom.

The alcohol in the takju (another type of 막걸리 [makgeolli], a milky rice wine) relieved fatigue, and because it was made from rice, it could also serve as a simple snack.

However, alcohol was alcohol, so when Hyang saw the scene, he was horrified and turned everything upside down, and three artisans who drank heavily had to be kicked out.

Worried about safety accidents, Hyang then banned drinking in the workplace, but the artisans enjoyed a small pleasure by drinking only a cup or two when no one was watching.

As the takju bowls were making their rounds, the youngest artisan asked a question.

“But what should we do with that?”

“What do you mean, ‘that’?”

In response to his senior’s question, the youngest pointed to the warehouse and replied.

“I’m talking about the iron helmets for the General Cannons that fill Warehouse No. 3. Shouldn’t we start melting them down soon?”

At the youngest’s words, the artisans all nodded and said a word each.

“That’s right. How many *kwan* [a Korean unit of weight, approximately 3.75 kg] of iron would that be, filling that warehouse?”

“But we can’t help it because they told us to keep storing them for the time being, right?”

“Nigimi…. We’re already making new cannons and distributing them….”

The artisan, who was complaining with mixed curses, suddenly stopped talking and shuddered.

“What’s wrong?”

“I suddenly have chills….”

At those words, several—mostly veterans—had similar expressions and muttered.

“Come to think of it, I suddenly feel a chill too….”

“You too? Me too….”

“Hey, youngest! Check if the kiln fire is out!”

“The kiln is fine though?”

In response to the youngest’s answer, the veteran artisans swept away the goosebumps all over their bodies and muttered.

“What’s going on all of a sudden….”

The time they felt the chills was when the court decided on the artisans’ all-night work.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sejong, who had decided to reproduce the old-style cannons for the Ottaibi family, changed the subject.

“Speaking of which…. What is the evaluation of the front-line generals on the newly deployed new-style cannons?”

At Sejong’s question, Jo Malsaeng bowed and replied.

“They are very satisfied. Although it is heavier than the General Cannons they used to use, the Panokseon (a type of sturdy Korean warship) can handle the weight sufficiently, and everyone is satisfied because its power and range are superior to the old model.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief.”

Satisfied with Jo Malsaeng’s answer, Sejong turned to Hyang.

“Crown Prince, your contribution is great.”

“You flatter me. I was just lucky.”

Hyang replied humbly. And seeing Hyang’s appearance, the officials grumbled inwardly.

‘That, that! Look at him pretending!’

‘Ugh, how annoying! If he were my grandson, I would just!’

‘Just brag about how great you are! That would be better!’

The officials knew very well that if the Crown Prince showed such a humble appearance, the King’s boasting about his son would continue for a long time, and they would have to listen helplessly.

* * *

As mentioned earlier, there were more than one or two things with the modifier ‘world’s first’ during the time of Sejong and Hyang.

The new-style cannon, which Hyang directly directed and is now being intensively supplied to the navy, was also such an item.

The new-style cannon made by Hyang, the Eulshik General Cannon, was the world’s first cannon to use composite materials.

Hyang decided to make a new cannon because of copper. Cannons were made of bronze, and bronze was an expensive material.

“We have to reduce the amount of bronze used somehow….”

This was not just Hyang’s concern.

All countries that produced and used cannons had the same concern.

The most common material used to make cannons was bronze. It was the best material for withstanding the pressure of explosions because it was tough and elastic.

However, because bronze was an expensive material, countries were engrossed in finding materials to replace bronze.

As a result, there were two main materials for making cannons during this period. One was bronze, and the other was wrought iron.

However, cannons made of wrought iron were less powerful than cannons made of bronze.

Hyang, who was well aware of Joseon’s economic situation, which had begun to grow but was still weak, had to rack his brains to reduce the burden of military spending.

“Iron, especially steel, is the best answer…. But not yet….”

Large quantities of iron materials began to come out of the large steel mill built in Anju, but the quality was still a long way off.

Therefore, Hyang’s worries grew deeper and deeper.

“Considering the situation of the navy, we need a lot of high-performance naval guns…. Wait! Naval guns? Naval guns!”

A solution flashed through Hyang’s mind.

“I found the answer! Long live the big ship, big gun policy!”

The place where Hyang found the answer was the main guns of battleships created in the era of ‘Battleship Diplomacy’.

At that time, the great powers chose one of two methods to strengthen the power of the main guns of battleships.

One was to fly larger and heavier shells—weighing close to 1 ton—farther, and the other was to fly shells of moderate weight—but still easily exceeding hundreds of kilograms—at a faster speed.

Regardless of which method was chosen, the barrel had to be long and strong.

This was where the challenge arose.

In order to fly shells farther and faster, the power of the propellant explosive had to be strong.

If the power of the propellant increased, the barrel had to be thick and strong enough.

Also, to fly farther using the same amount of gunpowder, the barrel had to be long enough to allow for sufficient combustion.

These two conditions conflicted.

The barrel, which was made thick and long to withstand the explosive pressure of the gunpowder and increase efficiency, bent downward under its own weight. If the barrel was made thinner to prevent this, it could not withstand the pressure of the gunpowder this time.

Engineers created all sorts of methods to solve the challenge of securing the maximum range while withstanding the explosive pressure of the propellant gunpowder, and one of them was what Hyang remembered.

* * *

Hyang changed the structure from a single barrel to a triple barrel.

The innermost barrel, which had to withstand the explosion of gunpowder, was made of bronze, and the outside was wrapped with steel ropes—thinly drawn steel wires twisted like rope. It was wrapped with the maximum tension using the most powerful power source available in Joseon at this time: cows.

When the first process was completed, the first barrel was then inserted into the second barrel made of wrought iron.

This was not simply inserted. The second barrel, which had an inner diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the first barrel, was heated and expanded, then the first barrel was inserted and rapidly cooled.

Finally, the barrel that had undergone the process up to the second barrel was inserted into the heated cast iron third barrel, just like the second barrel.

When Hyang introduced the prototype created through this process, all the officials, starting with Sejong, showed a negative reaction.

“It’s too much work. It’s difficult to make in large quantities.”

“If a lot of manpower is投入 [tōnyū – invested], the cost will be high.”

Despite the negative reactions of Sejong and the officials, Hyang was confident.

“Let’s look at the performance first.”

In the ensuing test, the new-style cannon showed excellent performance. Even though it used the same amount of gunpowder as the existing General Cannon, it flew 200 steps farther. The maximum range of the existing General Cannon was 1300 steps (about 1.6 km), but the prototype flew 1500 steps (about 2 km).

“The performance is good, but it takes too much work…. Then the cost….”

When Minister of Taxation Kim Jeom could not hide his disappointment, Hyang replied clearly.

“Even including labor costs, we can reduce the cost by 20% compared to existing cannons.”

At Hyang’s words, Kim Jeom immediately took the bait.

“How?”

Hyang immediately answered Kim Jeom’s question.

“We were able to reduce the amount of copper used by 60%.”

After hearing the explanation about the production cost, the Minister of Taxation ran to Sejong, prostrated himself, and shouted.

“I report that it is appropriate to adopt it immediately!”

In the end, with the active support of the officials—especially the Minister of Taxation—the adoption of the new-style cannon was decided.

As an aside, over time, European empires that came into contact with information about this cannon made a serious mistake.

Because of the cast iron covering the outside, European countries, mistaking that this cannon was made of cast iron, had to waste a lot of time and money to make a ‘cast iron cannon with better performance than a bronze cannon’.

* * *

Since the sale of cannons to the Ottaibi family had been decided, the court entered into negotiations with Mansur.

“Let the Minister of Taxation conclude the deal.”

“I obey your command!”

Kim Jeom, who received the order from Sejong, called Mansur, who was staying in the foreign residents’ area.

“Welcome. How hard was it to come such a long way?”

When Kim Jeom greeted him happily, Mansur also politely paid his respects and replied.

“Thank you for welcoming me.”

After a brief introduction, Kim Jeom and Mansur began to push and pull with interpreters and translators in between.

“According to the report written by Officer Oh, you said you wanted to get our Joseon cannons. Is that correct?”

“That’s right.”

“Would the Ichongtong (small cannon) that you bought last time be appropriate?”

“That’s good too, but I wish I could get a bigger cannon than that.”

“A bigger cannon? Are you thinking of going to war?”

In response to Kim Jeom’s question, Mansur explained the reason.

“Considering the pirates who are holding out on the sea route between Aden and Joseon, it is the same as war. And, considering the safety of my main family and partners in Aden, large cannons are essential.”

“Your main family is in danger?”

“There is a Ming saying, ‘Seeing something creates a desire for it’ [meaning that the presence of valuable goods can incite greed and theft].”

“Ah….”

Kim Jeom nodded at Mansur’s answer.

Kim Jeom, having confirmed that Mansur had a clear intention to buy, cautiously brought up the topic.

“His Majesty the King, after seeing the report submitted by Officer Oh, has permitted the sale. How many do you need?”

“Considering the quantity to be installed on the newly built ships and the quantity to be installed in Aden….”

Mansur told the quantity he wanted.

Kim Jeom, hearing Mansur’s answer, stroked his beard and asked.

“If it’s that much, the money to pay will not be small. Is that possible?”

Mansur immediately answered Kim Jeom’s answer.

“I want to see the performance. I will pay if it is a cannon with the desired performance.”

“Let’s do that.”

* * *

Five days later, there was a firing demonstration of the General Cannon on the Han River. After watching the firing demonstration of Daejeon (large arrows) and Cheonjacheoltanja (large iron balls) aimed at warships, Mansur added one thing.

“Is it possible to use Joran Hwan (scatter shot)?”

“Of course, it is possible.”

“I want to see that too.”

Mansur was very satisfied with the subsequent demonstration of Joran Hwan.

The Joran Hwan shooting of the General Cannon was incomparable to that of the Ichongtong.

Mansur, having seen all the demonstrations, made a decision immediately.

“I will buy it. Considering the quantity to be loaded on the ship and the quantity to be deployed at the main house….”

Kim Jeom raised his hand to stop Mansur, who was about to get straight to the point.

“Let’s talk about that part after looking at the ship first.”

“Yes? Yes….”

* * *

Three days later, a military officer ran to the artisans who were finishing the sailboat designed by Hyang.

“Hey! Stop what you’re doing for a while and get ready to leave right away!”

“Yes? What happened?”

In response to the head artisan’s question, the military officer explained the reason.

“The ships that the foreigners brought this time are much bigger than the ones they brought last time. The foreigners want to put General Cannons on that ship, so the order is to go and check if it is possible and check the structure thoroughly.”

The head artisan sighed deeply at the military officer’s words.

“Whew~. I understand. I’ll get ready right away.”

“The cart is waiting, so get ready as soon as possible.”

“Yes!”

The head artisans turned to the other artisans after sending the military officer away.

“Did you hear that? Pack your bags!”

“Yes.”

The artisans scattered in all directions and began to pack their bags. Meanwhile, the second-in-command artisan approached and asked the head artisan.

“You don’t think they’re going to tear it all down, do you?”

What he was pointing to was the ship that was being finished. The ship made with Hyang’s design had a shape that had never been seen in Joseon before.

The head artisan, who received the question, sighed deeply.

“Whew~. I hope that doesn’t happen. And that won’t happen. That ship has the strongest frame I’ve ever seen. It will probably be my pride.”

“It is strong.”

The eyes of the two men looking at the ship were full of pride.