Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 976

976. The Madman with Clear Eyes (1)

Hyang, having rejected Da Vinci’s proposal for the ‘Land Battleship,’ sighed and rested his hand on his forehead.

“Haa~. Should have just stuck him in Dohwaseo [Royal Bureau of Painting] instead of Area 51…”

When Hyang first met Leonardo da Vinci, he was filled with anticipation.

‘It’s Da Vinci, Da Vinci! *That* Da Vinci!’

Not only in art history but also among enthusiasts, Da Vinci’s position was legendary. He was the one who produced sketches that ignited the imagination of hobbyists, such as tanks, helicopters, and rocket-propelled siege rams.

‘The parts that are too advanced can be adjusted by the artisans, engineering institute, and research lab in Area 51. The most important thing about Da Vinci is his imagination. If I can properly harness that imagination!’

With this in mind, Hyang successfully lured Da Vinci using a portion of the Challenge Log as bait.

‘Got him! Welcome to the world of enthusiasts!’

* * *

Da Vinci, lured by Hyang and brought to Seoul, seemed to be acting according to Hyang’s plan. The first thing Da Vinci created was a harpsichord.

It was Hyang’s order for Crown Prince Woo, who had stepped forward to ‘create Shinseoyo [new books/teachings] that would resonate with the hearts of the people.’

“It’s all my fault, so what can I do? And it’s not just for amusement but a sincere desire, so I have to help.”

That’s how Da Vinci ended up creating and presenting the harpsichord. Of course, this harpsichord was not 100% Da Vinci’s work.

“Clavicembalo, you say? Of course, I can make it.”

“Please do.”

The English word ‘harpsichord’ was not unfamiliar to Da Vinci. Harpsichords with primitive structures had already appeared in 1397, and continuous improvements had been made since then. Hyang also added his touch. In the 21st century, Hyang’s enthusiasm was broad, and thanks to that, he had learned to play the piano at a basic level.

More precisely, it was a pipe organ that initially inspired him. He had fallen for the pipe organ played by the villain in a movie he loved. Hyang, who could play the piano even at a basic level, intervened from time to time, and the harpsichord Da Vinci made had a much higher level of completion than other harpsichords of the time.

When the harpsichord was made and presented, Hyang, Hyun, and Woo, as well as Duke Anpyeong and the musicians of the Jangakwon [Royal Music Institute], all gathered to see the new instrument.

“I heard the Crown Prince has great aspirations. So, I made this hoping it would be of help.”

“Hoo~.”

“Heo~.”

The onlookers, regardless of status, exclaimed in admiration at the beautiful carvings on the body of the harpsichord. Duke Anpyeong, carefully observing the framework of the harpsichord, turned to Hyang and asked.

“Does it make sound when you press those lined-up wooden panels?”

“That’s right.”

“Should I call it a ‘Geum’ [zither]? Or a ‘Gyeong’ [磬, lithophone]?”

‘As expected of an expert!’

Hyang admired Duke Anpyeong, who was contemplating the identity of the instrument after looking at its framework, and responded.

“Shall we say it’s somewhere in between the two? It’s a European instrument, so it’s difficult to match it to our standards.”

“That’s true. How do you play it?”

“Like this.”

Hyang sat on the chair in front of the harpsichord and played ‘Chopsticks.’

“Wow!”

“Ah!”

While almost all the onlookers were marveling at the harpsichord’s rich sound, Duke Anpyeong was admiring it for a different reason.

“The left and right hands can produce sounds of different pitches simultaneously! Nonghyeon [vibrato technique], which only those who have mastered the Gayageum [Korean zither] or Geomungo [Korean six-string zither] for a long time can do skillfully, is possible by pressing those wooden panels at the same time?”

“That’s right. And instead of wooden panels, we named them ‘keyboards (鍵盤, geonban in Korean).”‘

“Keyboard… It makes a closed sound, so you use the key (鍵, geon) character, and the board (盤, ban) that holds those keys together is called a keyboard. A good name. But why did you make this instrument?”

At Duke Anpyeong’s question, Hyang turned to Woo and answered.

“Isn’t it good because you can play melodies easily and quickly if you learn the technique? I’ve also created sheet music that goes well with it.”

Hyang handed over the staff paper he had made and explained how to use it. As he explained how to use it while playing the harpsichord, Duke Anpyeong exclaimed in admiration.

“Indeed! It’s sheet music that suits European instruments! Melodies that cannot be notated or easily recognized with Jeongganbo [traditional Korean musical notation] can be used with this sheet music!”

“That’s right!”

While Hyang and Duke Anpyeong were exchanging words, those watching from behind shook their heads without realizing it.

‘Even though a grandfather’s love for his grandson is great…..’

‘To think he would even make an instrument for him?’

And Hyang himself had similar thoughts.

“At first, I was thinking of making a simple guitar…..”

Hyang was reminded of a scene from a drama he had watched when he was young in the 21st century—a classic even then—where the unknown composer played the guitar and composed music. But soon, he changed his mind.

“Wait? He’s not a dirt spoon [poor person], but a Crown Prince, right? A guitar doesn’t suit him! A scene where he’s hitting the keys and scribbling on sheet music! That’s a scene that suits the Crown Prince!”

That’s how the harpsichord was chosen.

“A piano would be more suitable, but I don’t know its structure? Then let’s go with this!”

It was the result of the self-proclaimed ‘grandfather’s (great-grandson) love.’ As a side note, this incident once again cemented Hyang’s name in history.

-The first person in the world to develop staff notation.

It was at a time when they were still using three-line or four-line staves that he created the five-line staff for the first time. [A musical staff is a set of lines and spaces used to notate music.]

* * *

Up to this point, things were fine. Or rather, Da Vinci was fine until he encountered the results from Area 51. However, upon seeing Area 51’s atmosphere, which ‘encouraged creative endeavors,’ along with the facilities and skilled artisans supporting it, Da Vinci slowly began to let his imagination run wild.

But what completely transformed Da Vinci into an unstoppable force was seeing the hidden parts of the Challenge Log and Jang Yeong-sil’s artifacts. [Jang Yeong-sil was a Korean engineer, inventor, and scientist during the Joseon Dynasty.]

“To think there was already someone who created such wonderful works! From now on, I shall regard him as my teacher!”

And so the frenzy began, causing Hyang a headache. Da Vinci’s most terrifying trait was his tenacity; he would latch onto an idea until he fully grasped it.

When the ‘Land Battleship’ proposal was rejected, Da Vinci rushed to Sugang Palace to find Hyang.

“If there are shortcomings in my proposal, please enlighten me.”

‘Looking at that fiery personality, he must truly be Italian. If I’m not careful, he might get violent?’

Muttering inwardly while observing Da Vinci’s dissatisfied expression, Hyang explained the reason for the rejection.

“What do you intend to do if you bring a whale, instead of an elephant, onto land?”

“Pardon?”

After carefully considering Hyang’s explanation, Da Vinci bowed his head.

“My thinking was too shallow! I shall return with an improved plan soon!”

“An improved plan, really…”

Watching Da Vinci disappear before Hyang could finish speaking, Hyang sighed and rubbed his forehead. However, the situation escalated further. The Ministry of National Defense, especially the Army, showed interest in the miniature land battleship that Da Vinci had recreated.

“Putting cannons on the assault vehicle proved quite effective, didn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

“Then wouldn’t this land battleship be useful as well?”

“Huh? Wait, it would?”

Thus, the Army, now intrigued, began to support Da Vinci’s proposal. What troubled Hyang even more was that Jang Hang-seon and Im Soon-wook were also showing favor towards this plan.

“What is the purpose of constructing the Navy’s ships out of iron and equipping them with larger, more powerful cannons? Is it not to withstand enemy attacks with robust armor and to engage the enemy from a greater distance with formidable firepower? And isn’t the ultimate goal to minimize the loss of the Empire’s precious soldiers? Does the same principle not apply to the Army?”

“It requires significant resources to build iron ships, and it costs a fortune to design and manufacture powerful cannons to mount on them! Nevertheless, we invest these sums because we ultimately save more in the long run!”

When Jang Hang-seon and Im Soon-ok, who had previously been the most opposed to unchecked military expansion, voiced their strong support, Hyeon also began to view the plan more favorably.

“Alright. Let’s begin by creating a scaled-down model.”

“I shall obey your command.”

In this manner, the development of a new land battleship commenced. As time passed and the scaled-down model neared completion, Hyang, Hyeon, Woo, and various military officials gathered to observe it.

“Hmm…..”

“Looks 괜찮은데…..” [Korean for “Looks good…”]

While most of those gathered expressed positive reactions, Hyang turned to Da Vinci and the developers and inquired.

‘I never thought I’d utter this line here!’

“Gentlemen, why did you open a market in the assault vehicle?” [Reference to a quote attributed to Stalin, implying excessive features or unnecessary additions.]

“Pardon?”

Da Vinci and the developers blinked, confused by Hyang’s adaptation of Stalin’s famous quote. Once again, Hyang meticulously pointed out the flaws in the new land battleship.

“Ah…..”

“Oh dear……”

As Hyang’s explanation continued, Da Vinci and the developers lowered their heads and stared at the ground in embarrassment. The same was true for the Army officials who had initially offered positive evaluations.

“…The reason we equipped the Assault Vehicle Type A with a single siege cannon was precisely because of these inherent problems and limitations. No matter how powerful a steam engine is created using multi-wing propellers, this is simply reckless.”

Ultimately, Da Vinci’s land battleship project was once again scuttled. However, it was not a complete failure. A new combat vehicle, equipped with a rotating turret and a single cannon, was developed.

“Of course, there is a limitation of 180 degrees instead of 360 degrees…..”

After examining the design, Hyang took a gold pen and inscribed ‘Tank (戰車)’ [Tank (戰車) means war chariot in Chinese characters] on one side of the blueprint.

* * *

Da Vinci’s audacious ambition did not cease there. Inspired by the automatic dolls and exoskeletons crafted by Jang Yeong-sil, Da Vinci conceived of a ‘Siege Giant.’

-A propulsion unit that extends the tracks of assault vehicles or towing vehicles to a height of 8 *jangs* (approximately 24 meters). [A *jang* is a Korean unit of length, roughly equivalent to 3 meters.] The upper body is constructed in the form of a human.

-Giant iron balls are attached to both arms, and cannons and fire wagons are mounted on the chest.

-When the arms are swung from the cockpit in the head, the iron balls demolish the enemy’s walls.

-The cannons and fire wagons on the chest strike the enemy positioned on the walls.

“The military already possesses large trebuchets powered by steam engines. They utilize these trebuchets to construct bridges, but they also employ them to breach enemy walls by attaching iron balls, just as you described. So, why do we need to create this, especially in the shape of a person?”

Da Vinci promptly responded to Hyang’s criticism.

“Of course, military trebuchets can perform this task. However, they are not specialized for it, resulting in lower efficiency. The reason for adopting the shape of a person is that humans have always been fearful of giants. That is my rationale.”

“Digging trenches has become the dominant strategy in warfare, superseding the construction of castles. This is unnecessary.”

“Ah… I understand.”

Watching Da Vinci’s dejected retreat, Hyang clicked his tongue with a hint of regret.

‘Humanoid giant weapons are a 로망 after all… Tsk, tsk, tsk.’ [Korean slang for “romantic ideal” or “fantasy.”]