Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 1045

1045. The Age of War – The Age of Copycats (4)

The rumors about the aerial battle in Lauren soon reached Area 51. The veteran artisans who heard the story were aghast and put their hands on their foreheads.

“Oh my…”

“I’m getting dizzy…”

“Why are you doing that? Haven’t we often talked about ‘mounting Hwachas’ [Korean rocket artillery]?”

To the young artisans’ questions, the veterans, still with their hands on their foreheads, responded.

“If we had mounted them first, we wouldn’t be worried.”

“That was a mistake. We should have mounted them when the idea came up.”

“So, what’s the problem? We can still mount them now, can’t we?”

At the young artisans’ words, the veterans all sighed.

“Hoo~ You guys have been working here for more than a day or two, and you still don’t know?”

“Yes?”

“Have you forgotten what the higher-ups are like?”

“If something seems even slightly good, whether they are civil or military officials, they’ll say, ‘Then, how about mounting cannons?’ But now, they’ve already mounted Hwachas in Europe? What do you think will happen? Without question, they’ll write an order saying, ‘We will mount cannons!’ I’m willing to bet on it!”

“Ah…”

At that moment, Gong, the head artisan, spoke in a gloomy voice from behind.

“You don’t need to bet. The order has been issued.”

“Oh no!”

* * *

All the artisans screamed, but soon they all began to work enthusiastically.

“We were the first to create both the Bigu [large hot air balloon] and the self-propelled Bigu! We can’t fall behind!”

Whatever the reason, it was a matter of pride.

After some time, more detailed information arrived from Europe.

-European self-propelled Bigus are equipped with steam engines like the Imperial ones.

-The method of heating air with steam engines to fill the gasbags and gain propulsion is the same as our Empire’s.

-The problem is the steam engine. Its performance is inferior to that of our Empire.

-Therefore, the steam engine mounted on the self-propelled Bigu can barely lift the Bigu and move it.

-The speed is also slower than the Imperial one, the cruising range is shorter, and the payload is smaller.

-The situation of the self-propelled Bigus currently fighting in Lauren is as follows:

ㄱ. Only the minimum amount of coal and water is loaded.

ㄴ. The engine parts of the steam engine are also made as thin as possible to reduce weight, maintaining only the minimum safety. Instead, the lifespan is sacrificed.

ㄷ. Only 2 to 3 Hwachas are mounted on the Bigu.

After confirming the information, the artisans expressed their doubts.

“Hmm…”

“ㄱ and ㄷ are understandable, but ㄴ is a bit strange? Making the iron plates of the engine parts thin enough to maintain only safety? It’s not like you can just make them thin arbitrarily. The war hasn’t even been going on for several months, and they can do that? Are their skills that good?”

“Even if they sacrifice the lifespan, it’s not an easy task. If they mess up, it’s not just the lifespan of the steam engine that’s shortened, but the lifespan of the people on the Bigu and the people making the engine!”

Properly thinning the iron plates of the boiler and the tank that compresses and contains the steam at high pressure required a lot of experience. As if knowing the curiosity of the artisans in Area 51, additional information came in shortly after.”

“…So, they’ve been studying our Empire’s self-propelled Bigus since then?”

“That explains it…”

“I knew it. It was a bit strange that they were only loading the minimum amount of coal and water.”

“In that case…”

“Good! Let’s split into teams!”

The artisans of Area 51, under the command of Gong, the head artisan, split into two teams and began working. One team began to improve the self-propelled Bigu. The first thing they did was to remove the steam engine from the Bigu and install a new external combustion engine – a Stirling engine.

Since Hyang first came up with the idea, the new external combustion engine had made considerable progress. At first, it could barely lift a small model, but now it had developed to a reasonably usable level.

“It’s not enough to use on iron horses [trains] or ships, but it’s enough for self-propelled Bigus.”

“Above all, the best thing is that we don’t need to load coal or water because we use oil!”

As the artisans said, the new external combustion engine was a good fit for the self-propelled Bigu. By using oil as fuel, they could load less than coal. In addition, not having to load water was the best gift.

Furthermore, by using more improved steel and steel alloys, and balsa wood, they could make the hull of the Bigu lighter and stronger. As a result of these improvements, the new self-propelled Bigu became faster and stronger.

The other team was working on the cannons to be mounted on the Bigu.

“We can’t mount the cannons used by the army or navy.”

“But mounting Hwachas is also a bit much.”

After much deliberation, the artisans sought out Hyang.

“Hmm… I see.”

After listening to the artisans’ complaints, Hyang pondered for a moment and asked a question.

“What is the caliber of the bullets currently used in long rifles and Hwachas?”

“Two-tenths.”

“Two-tenths of an inch?”

“That is correct.”

“Then let’s increase it to five-tenths and increase the propellant a bit as well. Keep the rapid-fire performance the same.”

Having heard Hyang’s suggestion, the artisans soon caught on and bowed their heads with bright faces.

“We will do so! Your grace is boundless!”

Watching the artisans excitedly return to work, Hyang muttered to himself.

“Is the infamy of ‘cal.50’ starting again?”

Although Hyang set the direction, development was not easy.

“The bullets are good, but the problem is whether to use a Hwacha or a cannon to fire them.”

The biggest problem was maintaining the ‘rapid-fire performance’ that Hyang had mentioned. Increasing the size of the currently used Byeongsik Hwacha [standard Hwacha model] would make it too heavy. However, reducing the size of a regular cannon would cause problems with rapid-fire performance.

In the end, Hyang had to step in again.

“This problem is more for Browning than Da Vinci, but Browning won’t be born for another 300 years… Tsk, tsk…”

Regretting the situation, Hyang squeezed his memories as much as possible.

“By the way, that old Yankee showed me how to disassemble the M2 [Browning .50 caliber machine gun] once, but what did it look like…”

Making the most of his 21st-century memories and his experience to date, Hyang created a new weapon.

It was the birth of the ‘Gapsik Heavy Hwacha’ [new model heavy Hwacha].

When the new bullets, the new Hwacha to use them, and the steel alloy ammunition belt were completed, a demonstration was held with Hyun and his officials in attendance. After confirming the performance of the new weapon, the high-ranking commanders of the army and navy immediately ran to Hyun and pleaded.

“This heavy Hwacha must be mass-produced!”

“Is it needed by both the army and the navy?”

“That is correct!”

-When fighting at sea, there are surprisingly difficult situations. This happens when the target is too close or too small to use cannons, or when the target is too far away to use Hwachas, or when encountering an enemy that can defend against Hwacha bullets.

The new heavy Hwacha is perfect for solving such cases.

-The same goes for the army. There are surprisingly many types of cover that can block long rifle or Hwacha bullets. However, a heavy Hwacha can penetrate them.

“Hmm…”

When Hyun, the emperor, showed a slight hesitation after hearing the pleas of the Imperial Army’s high-ranking commanders, the commanders immediately continued.

“If we mass-produce them, we can greatly lower the unit price!”

“I will think about it positively.”

“Your grace is boundless!”

If Emperor Hyun thinks positively, it means he will soon approve it. And in fact, the mass production and adoption of this new Gapsik Heavy Hwacha was decided. It was the Gapsik Heavy Hwacha that would earn the nicknames ‘the most Imperial weapon’ and ‘a veteran who has experienced land, sea, and air battles’ thanks to Hyang’s decision.

* * *

While the development of the Gapsik Heavy Hwacha was in full swing, Hyang received a letter from Wan.

“I knew it…”

The content of the letter Wan sent was simple and clear.

-Now the sky will be ruled by flying machines, hahaha!

“He’s even more obsessed with flying machines than I am… Tsk.”

Hyang lightly clicked his tongue while looking at Wan’s letter and smiled strangely.

“But I can’t give in. After all, I was the first to start this game. And I have a cheat key.”

Muttering to himself, Hyang rummaged through a drawer on one side and shouted outside.

“Is there a eunuch outside?”

“Did you call, Your Majesty?”

“Go and bring Da Vinci.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

* * *

Shortly after, when Da Vinci arrived, Hyang spread a piece of paper on the desk.

“This is the flying machine I’ve been thinking about.”

“Oh? Are you going to attach a new external combustion engine?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm…”

Da Vinci looked at the concept diagram that Hyang had presented with shining eyes.

“It is difficult to know whether it will succeed until we complete a proper design and actually build it, but the probability of success seems quite high.”

“Right? I’ll leave it to you.”

“I understand.”

Da Vinci, having received the task from Hyang, went straight to Area 51 and found Gong, the head artisan.

“I heard the Supreme Emperor was looking for you? What’s going on?”

“It’s what we expected.”

“Flying machines?”

“Flying machines.”

At Da Vinci’s answer, Gong, the head artisan, nodded silently. They were the two who had been hearing news from Area 52 through regular flights between Bonji and Shinji. Gong, the head artisan, had a look on his face that said he knew it would happen when he heard that Wan, who had become the Prime Minister, was increasingly focusing on flying machine research in Shinji.

“The Prime Minister’s favorite thing was flying machines, so it’s only natural.”

In that situation, news from the Lauren region was conveyed, and it was only natural that Wan, the Prime Minister, would not stand still, and if that happened…

“The Supreme Emperor wouldn’t be one to stand still either.”

Therefore, Gong, the head artisan, and Da Vinci were also making their own preparations. Gong, the head artisan, looked at Da Vinci, carefully examining the concept diagram drawn by Hyang.

“This looks like it will be fun?”

“Right?”

“We need to gather the kids.”

“We should also send people to the Sanhak Research Institute [research institute] to ask for help, right?”

“Of course! We need someone to calculate properly! Wait… Hmm… I think I should inform His Highness the Crown Prince. The people in the research institute are all heavy-bottomed and don’t move easily.”

Thus, the development of the flying machine based on the concept diagram presented by Hyang was resumed. While Da Vinci, Gong, the head artisan, and many others were working on the flying machine, Hyang was thinking about something else.

“Let’s see… Aerial battles are already taking place in Lauren. And although it may fail again, flying machines with their own propulsion systems are also coming out, so there will be talk of attaching Hwachas to flying machines. That’s how history went… Then… shall I make some pocket money here?”

With a strange smile, Hyang began to draw on the paper.

The device that Hyang thought of as ‘pocket money’ was a ‘synchronized gear-linked trigger’.

“Attaching machine guns to the wings is impossible without an electric trigger. But machine guns attached to the nose can be attached with only good quality cables and gears. No, you don’t even need cables, the pilot can pull the trigger directly if necessary. But in any case, this interlocking device is essential when attached to the nose.”