Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 829

829. Chicken Ribs (3)

“It’s not just a possibility…”

The Europeans who found the document written in Latin and promulgated by the Empire wore dumbfounded expressions.

“Do you remember when that proclamation came out?”

“Wasn’t it shortly after Joseon changed its name to the Korean Federal Empire?”

“Right… Considering that, the Empire already knew about the existence of the new land back then. Or, they had already sent people to that land.”

“Hmm…”

“The Empire had been securing justification since then!”

The Europeans, realizing the true meaning of the proclamation, looked as if they had been thoroughly outmaneuvered.

During this period, the Empire maintained a strict policy of zero tolerance towards pirates.

If pirates encountered the Imperial Navy, their fate was invariably death.

* * *

Imperial ships always moved in convoys and were escorted by the Imperial Navy.

The stopover ports that ships passed through and the sea areas around the Empire’s naval ports were patrolled by squadrons of Sea Eagle-class battleships.

Despite this, reckless pirates still relentlessly emerged, attempting to plunder Imperial ships.

“Just once! If we succeed just once!”

The end of the pirates who attempted such reckless challenges, as mentioned before, was mostly death.

They were either sunk with their ships during battle, sunk while fleeing, or surrendered and were arrested, tried, and then executed.

Some barely escaped execution in the trials. However, these individuals were sentenced to life imprisonment and had to perform hard labor on farms in Seonamdo or in mines in Liaodong until their deaths.

* * *

The Empire’s policy on pirates was very harsh, but no country raised an issue with it.

This was because other countries were also dealing with pirates in a similar manner.

No, it wasn’t just pirates.

When encountering a foreign ship that wasn’t their own, even normal ships immediately turned into pirate ships.

In an era where there was little distinction between civilian merchant ships and warships, fierce battles broke out when this happened.

The victor in these fierce battles harshly dealt with the defeated.

They would transfer all the goods from the defeated ship, sink the ship along with the seriously injured crew, and often sell the surviving crew members into the slave market.

And the ones who bought the most sailors who became slaves were the pirates in North Africa and the Mediterranean.

Therefore, those who saw the Empire’s proclamation felt they had been outmaneuvered.

“They’ve already built up enough justification…”

“Then perhaps…”

“It’s not just perhaps. Among the ships that sailed the Western Route, even those that survived pirates and typhoons were probably dealt with by the Empire.”

“Then, organize a fleet and…”

“Fight against those damn Imperial battleships? Do you think we have a chance?”

“…”

“Especially against those damn Challenger-class battleships.”

“…”

When the Empire’s battleship, especially the Challenger-class battleship, was mentioned, people fell silent.

* * *

During this period, Suez was firmly established as an international trading port.

Many European countries sent ships to Africa to trade with the Empire.

The ships that safely rounded Africa and arrived in Suez underwent maintenance there and moved eastward.

For those departing from Suez, the Eastern Route was the ‘Golden Route.’

This was because there was India and Ming, even if it wasn’t the Empire.

Indian spices had been famous since the Middle Ages, and Ming’s products were also of quite good quality.

In particular, as the railway connecting Suez with ‘Prince Henry’s Port (Porto do Príncipe Henrique)’ to the north was laid, more and more European ships flocked to Suez.

For European, especially Northern European, merchants, the railway was a very valuable asset.

If the prerequisite of safely arriving in Suez after rounding Africa was met, theoretically, even two ships could smoothly obtain and distribute the Empire’s goods.

One ship could travel from Suez to the East, and the other could travel from Prince Henry’s Port to Northern Europe.

It was no longer necessary to make the long and dangerous voyage around Africa to the East and then back around Africa to Northern Europe.

The maintenance of ships employed on the Eastern Route could be done at the shipyard built in Suez. Crew changes could also be done quickly and safely using the railway.

Later, it even came to the point where ships were built by commissioning the Suez shipyard and only sending the crew.

As a result, Suez, Prince Henry’s Port, and the region where the railway connecting them was located became a ‘goose that lays golden eggs.’

This Suez had become the biggest benefit for the allies.

On the other hand, the ‘Eastern Route,’ which had led to the laying of the railway in Suez, became a supporting player.

Too many ships flocked there, turning it into a ‘red ocean’ [a market with intense competition].

As the Eastern Route became a red ocean, the profits of the captains operating the ships and the trading companies that hired them decreased.

To make up for these decreasing profits, the captains and merchants resumed the side business they had been doing in North Africa and the Mediterranean.

It was piracy.

And this is where the notoriety of the Challenger-class battleship spread.

* * *

The Portuguese ships, which knew the power of the Imperial Navy well from their early voyages on the Eastern Route, always moved with the Empire’s convoys.

However, many of the ships that entered the Eastern Route after the Imperial Navy secured control of the sea often moved independently.

This was because they didn’t want to waste time waiting to move with the Empire’s convoy, and to take advantage of times when there were fewer competitors.

“What if you encounter pirates?”

“Pirates? There aren’t any.”

“Even if there are, those small boats are no match!”

The Strait of Malacca, which had been known for its many pirates since long ago, had already been cleared by the Imperial Navy, leaving only pirates riding small boats. And even those pirates were being relentlessly pursued and exterminated by the Imperial forces.

That’s why they chose to sail independently rather than move with the Imperial convoy.

And these individuals, moving independently, turned into pirates and targeted other ships.

However, they had forgotten the existence of the Imperial Navy.

If pirates were discovered attacking other ships, the Imperial Navy immediately intervened.

The Sea Eagle-class squadron, consisting of two or three ships, surrounded the ships engaged in battle and fired warning shots to stop the engagement.

Once the ships stopped fighting, the Sea Eagle-class squadron took them to a nearby naval port to investigate the situation.

However, the Challenger-class battleships responded in a different way.

They pushed between the ships engaged in battle and fired cannons at both sides.

After firing a volley at both ships, the Challenger-class battleship ordered a ceasefire.

The ships, already wounded in the ongoing battle, could not withstand the firepower of the Challenger-class battleship, so they immediately raised a white flag and had no choice but to be dragged away.

* * *

The Challenger-class battleships chose this tactic because they had no choice.

Unlike the Sea Eagle-class squadrons, which moved in squadrons, the Challenger-class battleships moved alone.

Therefore, if the ships engaged in battle fled in different directions, they had no choice but to give up on one of them.

The captains of the Challenger-class battleships, not liking this, chose a method of hitting both sides once.

The captains of the Challenger-class battleships chose this method because they trusted the firepower and defense of the Challenger-class battleships.

And their choice was correct.

The cannons on European merchant ships could not penetrate the hull of the Challenger-class battleships. No, they couldn’t even inflict proper damage.

And the ships that made such reckless attacks had to raise a white flag in return for the concentrated fire of the Challenger-class battleship’s cannons, either sinking or barely avoiding sinking.

In the end, due to the Challenger-class battleship’s aggressive mediation method, the Challenger-class battleship was nicknamed ‘Eastern Thug.’

* * *

These were the ones who knew the infamous Challenger-class battleship well, so they reacted negatively to the idea of ‘organizing a fleet and pushing in.’

“Still…”

“The situation is not good.”

Seeing those who could not hide their lingering feelings, others spoke about what the problem was.

-We don’t know when the Empire got its hands on the land they call Shinji.

-There are more than one or two fleets that have set out to explore the Western Route, but the fact that there is no news from any of them means that there are already a considerable number of Challenger-class battleships there.

-The firepower and defense of the Challenger-class battleship are the strongest. The current European ships are no match.

-Then we have to push through with a numbers game, willing to sacrifice a few, but the problem is that the Empire’s battleship is not just the Challenger-class battleship.

-The Sea Eagle-class battleship, which is a lower grade than the Challenger-class, has less firepower than the Challenger-class, but its mobility is even better. The bigger problem is that the reduced firepower is based on the Challenger-class.

Compared to our Europe, it is overwhelmingly powerful.

“…To conclude, in the worst case, even if we scrape together all the warships in Europe, there is a possibility that we will not be able to compete.”

“Then do we have to give up the Western Route?”

“We’ll have to wait until the Empire opens it up.”

“Ah…”

“It’s best to see that land called Shinji as too sour a grape for us to eat [something desirable but unattainable].”

While the ambitious Europeans were forcibly suppressing their greed for the Western Route and the ‘unknown land’ and engaging in mental victories, rumors of an ‘unknown continent located in the South’ were heard.

“There’s a large continent south of Majapahit? Isn’t that just a rumor?”

“There are more than one or two indigenous tribes with similar legends. Considering that, we can’t dismiss it as just a rumor.”

“Hmm…”

The ambitious people who were talking about the ‘unknown southern continent’ soon pointed out another problem.

“The Empire must have heard this rumor too, right? Why is the Empire so quiet?”

“According to rumors, the Empire seems to be preoccupied with Shinji.”

“Really? Is that so…”

The European ambitious people and monarchs who received intelligence that the Empire was focused on Shinji made the same decision at the same time.

“Then we must move first!”

“Before the Empire moves, we must go first!”

Soon, many ships began to bypass Africa again, and a large number of orders poured into the Suez shipyard.

The eyes of all of Europe were now focused on the ‘new continent of the South.’

It wasn’t just Europe.

Japan, which had decided to expand overseas, also jumped on this bandwagon.

It had spontaneously ignited before the Empire could even execute the ‘Chicken Ribs Operation’ [a plan that seemed promising but ultimately wasn’t worth the effort].

* * *

As the international situation was unfolding like this, Hyang, who was reviewing the report from the Mexica region, let out a sigh of relief.

“Whew~. That’s a relief, that’s a relief.”

Hyang concluded with a much lighter expression.

“Now I can really abandon South America without any worries.”