Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 575

575. The Battle (7)

The next day, the Gyeongsang Right Naval Base fleet encountered the Japanese fleet, and the Joseon allied fleet moved to engage.

Although the allied fleet had been reduced by 10 ships due to the battleships requiring extensive repairs being sidelined, their morale remained high.

Upon seeing the large and imposing Joseon battleships, the Japanese inspected their own vessels. Their reactions, as they compared their ships to the Joseon battleships, were divided.

“Even the Gyeonmyeong ships [ships sent to Ming as tribute and trade vessels] were said to be large….”

“I feel it every time, but Joseon’s ships look so incredibly sturdy.”

The Gyeonmyeong ships, which had been enlarged compared to the ships used in the past, were still noticeably inferior to the Joseon battleships.

Some Japanese, mostly those serving under the Ouchi clan, thoughtfully reflected on this disparity. However, the reaction of many other Japanese, who had largely turned their backs on the outside world, leaned towards a kind of self-assured, if unfounded, confidence.

“Why do you need such a big ship? How narrow is the sea between Joseon and Japan! Is that the only sea there is? The sea between Ming and Joseon is also as small as a palm, so it’s a waste! A waste of resources!”

“Looking at that size, their movement must be slow! A battleship must be fast and light! That way, you can quickly close in on the enemy ship and engage in close combat!”

“That’s right! Close combat is the best! No matter what anyone says, the Japanese warship is the best in these waters!”

Hearing the Japanese claim that their warships were the best in the seas between Joseon, Ming, and Japan, the samurai belonging to the Ouchi clan exchanged dismayed glances.

‘The late lord was right when he said they were frogs in a well, completely ignorant of the wider world.’

‘They don’t even know how the flow of naval warfare is changing, and they don’t even care to learn.’

As the Ouchi samurai observed, naval warfare was already shifting away from boarding actions and close combat towards artillery-based engagements.

However, the traditionalists in front of them insisted that close combat was the superior method, stubbornly refusing to admit that they were behind the times, even after experiencing the devastating power of artillery at the Battle of Jinpo during the late Goryeo Dynasty.

However, even the Japanese who insisted on their superiority fell silent when the Maengjinho passed by.

“What kind of ship is that….”

“Is that a ship or a monster?”

The same sense of awe and disbelief was shared by Norihito, who was aboard the Gyeongsang Right Navy’s ship.

“Is that really a ship made by human hands?”

“Of course, it was made by human hands.”

“How can they make such a huge ship….”

Norihito continued to marvel at the vessel, while the old samurai next to him was visibly terrified.

‘Such a large ship is floating properly! What kind of timber did they use for the keel to support such weight!’

* * *

Just before departure, Chief Military Officer Nomu gave Mochiyo a secret mission.

“Kuroda, since you are familiar with ships, I want you to go aboard the Joseon battleship and take a good look. Analyze its construction and report back.”

“Yes, sir!”

Kuroda faithfully followed the orders he received. He moved about the Challenger-class battleship with the wide-eyed curiosity of a country bumpkin seeing Hanyang [the capital of Joseon] for the first time, inspecting every part of the ship and analyzing it to the best of his ability.

‘Hmm… this is the structure… but would cedar even work for something like this?’

The primary material for constructing Japanese warships was cedar. Its characteristic of growing tall and straight made it the most commonly used material in Japan for building houses and constructing ships.

However, cedar was a relatively soft wood, and Kuroda was quite skeptical about its suitability for a vessel of this size and apparent strength.

The Maengjinho, passing in front of Kuroda’s eyes, was a vessel that shattered all of his preconceived notions.

* * *

Kuroda, already shocked by the sight of the Maengjinho, began to panic as he overheard the conversation between Norihito and the Gyeongsang Right Navy Commander standing nearby.

“The ship looks incredibly sturdy.”

“You have a good eye for detail. That ship is not just a simple ship; the hull and even the roof are covered with iron plating.”

“Is it really iron?”

“That’s right. Iron, and high-quality steel at that.”

“How on earth do they make something like that?”

The Gyeongsang Right Navy Commander shrugged at Norihito’s question.

“I’m just a sailor, so what would I know about such things? But let me say one thing: the Crown Prince did a great job overseeing its construction.”

“Ah….”

When the Gyeongsang Right Navy Commander mentioned Yi Hyang, Norihito nodded with a look of understanding.

The rumors surrounding Yi Hyang and his innovative projects had already spread widely within the Ouchi clan’s territories.

As the Gyeongsang Right Navy Commander said, Yi Hyang played a significant role in the production of the Maengjinho, the Assault Turtle Ship.

However, the reality was that it was made with the blood, sweat, and tears of Joseon researchers at the research center, starting with Yi Sun-ji, and the skilled artisans of Area 51 [a fictional, highly secretive research and development facility].

* * *

Around the time when the Iron Horse [early steam train] began to gain traction and the steam engine was becoming more established, Yi Hyang summoned the researchers, including Yi Sun-ji, and the shipbuilding artisans of Area 51.

“Since the surrounding countries are increasingly arming themselves with powerful artillery, we need a battleship that can withstand heavy fire, with strong armor to stand at the forefront of the navy and crush the enemy lines. So, I’ve been thinking about something….”

At Yi Hyang’s words, the researchers and artisans all nodded. As artisans in Area 51, the core of national defense, they were well aware of the advancements in weaponry being made by other countries. The researchers at the research center were also similarly informed, so they immediately understood what Yi Hyang was proposing.

Seeing the reactions of the researchers and artisans, Yi Hyang unfolded a large paper scroll he had brought and laid it on the desk.

“Oh?”

“Assault Turtle Ship….”

“Mounting a large cannon on the bow, adding double hulls and iron armor, and iron armor on the roof? Then what about the sails?”

“It only moves with a steam engine….”

The artisans and researchers who saw Yi Hyang’s design whispered and discussed it amongst themselves. After a long period of deliberation, Yi Sun-ji finally asked Yi Hyang.

“If we build it as Your Highness has designed, it will certainly be a very powerful battleship. However, there is one significant problem. There are no numerical values for the main components that must be recorded. I don’t even know if success is even possible with this design.”

“That’s why I summoned you all. From now on, you need to figure out those details.”

“Yes?”

Yi Hyang’s trademark response, which had been a habit since his time in the 21st century, emerged.

‘I’m a liberal arts person; that part is for you science people to figure out.’

* * *

Yi Hyang told them to explore the possibilities, but Yi Hyang was the Crown Prince. Moreover, Yi Hyang’s track record of submitting seemingly impossible proposals was also a factor. After all, Yi Hyang was the one who had actually created things that everyone else had dismissed as mere delusions.

In the end, it was essentially like saying, ‘Make it a success, no matter what,’ to the researchers and artisans.

Most of the developers, except for Yi Sun-ji and a few other exceptionally talented individuals who were excited by the prospect of complex numerical calculations, sighed deeply.

“Hoo~. We have to do it… but there are so many problems.”

The biggest problem was the minimum performance requirements that Yi Hyang had specified.

– Install a large-caliber cannon currently being tested on the bow.

– The number of cannons to be installed on the left and right sides of the hull must be at least 80.

– The thickness of the steel armor plate protecting the hull must be at least 1 chi 6 hal [approximately 5 cm].

In order to satisfy Yi Hyang’s required performance specifications and simultaneously create a battleship that could float and move properly, the researchers and artisans had to work tirelessly.

The most obvious example of this was the keel of the Maengjinho.

The length of the central keel, excluding the bow and stern, was 25 jang [approximately 75 m]. The length was enormous, but the more astonishing fact was that this keel was a single, continuous steel structure.

“A large cannon is loaded on the bow, at least 80 cannons are mounted on the left and right sides of the hull, and it moves only with a steam engine without sails, so a huge steam engine must be installed….”

“There is also a condition that the cannon emplacements to be installed on the left and right sides must be composed of only two floors.”

“Then it must be at least 25 jang long. Then the problem is the keel.”

The researchers and artisans pondered over and over again to solve this problem.

Wooden keels were excluded from the beginning due to the enormous weight of the steam engine and all the other equipment loaded onto the ship.

“It has to be made of steel… connecting two or three sections….”

The artisans all shook their heads at Yi Sun-ji’s words.

The problem was that the welding technology available in Joseon at the time was simply not advanced enough to create a reliable joint. Even if they used the most familiar method, rivets, they were not confident that it would hold under the immense stress.

In the end, the only viable solution was to extract a single, massive steel pillar with a length of 25 jang.

The steel armor plate also presented a significant challenge. The developers, who were concerned about attaching it directly to the existing wooden ribs, changed the design to alternately attach steel ribs and wooden ribs to the keel.

The steel armor plates were then combined with the steel ribs, and wooden planks were attached to the wooden ribs to further enhance the hull’s buoyancy.

By adopting this method, what was needed was a steel pillar for the keel with a length of at least 25 jang, steel ribs that were connected to this keel and had to support the steel armor plates, and steel plates that had a thickness of 1 chi 6 hal and had a length of at least 2 jang and a width of 1 jang.

And groans of exertion and frustration echoed from the Anju steel mill, which was tasked with producing these components.

With the sounds of labor emanating from the relevant departments as background music, the planning continued.

The developers, after extracting the most likely numerical values, created a 1/10 scale model ship based on them. It was an ultra-precise model ship in which even the rivets used to fix the iron armor were reduced to 1/10 scale and hammered in with the same density as the actual ship.

And the developers reported to Yi Hyang after confirming the experimental results of this model ship.

“We can make it as you wish!”

This is how the Assault Turtle Ship Maengjinho was born.

As a result, Joseon’s technology was significantly advanced once again through this seemingly impossible challenge.

* * *

While the Japanese fleet and the Joseon fleet were moving towards the Shandong Peninsula, a tragic report was delivered to Emperor Xuande in Beijing.

“Defeat! Our Ming fleet lost to the Joseon fleet! Even to the point of annihilation? Is that true!”

When Emperor Xuande, who received the report, checked again with a bewildered expression, the Minister of War and the left and right commanders bowed their heads to the floor and shouted.

“Your Majesty! Please punish us for our failure!”

“Why did we lose! We had more battleships! Not only were there many, but there were even more battleships equipped with cannons! Why did we lose!”

The Right Commander carefully answered Emperor Xuande’s words.

“The soldiers and generals of the battleships who returned alive say that Joseon used the Black Dragon.”

“Black Dragon? What kind of strange words are those! Are you using such strange things as an excuse for defeat!”

The Minister of War carefully explained, watching Emperor Xuande’s reaction to his scolding.

“We were also bewildered, so we asked in detail, and it is presumed that Joseon made a battleship that runs on a steam engine.”

“Steam engine?”

Emperor Xuande suppressed his anger when the Minister of War mentioned the steam engine.

‘We are also trying to put a steam engine on a battleship, and Joseon, who made the steam engine before us, can do it.’

“Hoo~. We were one step behind.”

Emperor Xuande calmed down his anger to some extent by taking a long sigh and grasped the situation in more detail.

“What happened to Wu 계명, who commanded the fleet?”

“He died in battle.”

“He didn’t die while running away, did he?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“Then we lost a truly unfortunate person. I am worried about the aftermath as the fleet has suffered devastating damage. Have you taken any measures?”

“We have strengthened the defenses of the fortress in charge of defending the military port. In addition, we have ordered the troops stationed near the military port to strengthen their vigilance.”

“Well done. Then issue an imperial order throughout the Central Plains to recruit soldiers! As I know, up to 10 million can be conscripted. Is there any change?”

The Chief Cabinet Secretary came forward and answered Emperor Xuande’s question.

“No, there isn’t.”

Thanks to Emperor Xuande’s great purge that had taken place several times, Ming’s administrative system became very strong. The corruption of military registers and household registers that had been rampant had disappeared.

According to the accurately recorded household registers, Ming’s population had already exceeded 100 million, and up to 10 million troops could be recruited.

Author’s words.

Hello?

I’m Gukbbong, who is writing ‘Black Company Joseon’.

Today, I would like to sincerely apologize to you.

There was a serious error in the process of writing the article.

It’s a coniferous tree problem.

I didn’t do enough research.

I just thought simply.

Joseon Panokseon is strong> Panokseon is made of pine trees.> Pine trees grow well on the Korean Peninsula>Japanese Sekibune is weak> Sekibune is made of cedar> Cedar cannot grow in cold places> The Korean Peninsula is colder than Japan> Then coniferous trees will be strong.

As you can see, there are some errors in the middle.

I will keep this in mind and do more thorough research and apply it to my work in the future.

And I would like to thank Ed A-in for pointing this out.

I am sorry for any inconvenience caused to the readers.

I will do my best.

Gukbbong Dream.