Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 1125

1125. The Middle East War (3)

In due course, one Assault Turtle Ship, fully refitted, was handed over to Japan.

The handover ceremony took place at the naval port of Tsushima Island, the designated location, with the navies of both the Empire and Japan gathered in force. The atmosphere among the Imperial and Japanese forces attending the event was noticeably different.

‘This is just the beginning!’

‘Our Japanese Navy can now advance into the ocean!’

‘Now Japan, too, is truly stepping onto the world stage!’

Unlike the Japanese Navy, brimming with dreams and hope, the expressions of the Imperial Navy were mixed.

‘They’re so thrilled about a frontline ship that’s being retired, practically relegated to the second line… And they paid a hefty price for it, didn’t they?’

‘Considering what those Japs have done, I’m still uneasy.’

The Imperial Navy displayed a blend of indifference and unease.

Later, Hyang, upon receiving a report on this matter, wore a peculiar expression.

‘Is this how the U.S. Navy felt, watching the Korean Navy celebrate receiving Gearing-class destroyers [a class of US Navy destroyers from WWII]?’

And as time passed, around the time they were about to receive the second Assault Turtle Ship, Japan began to act exactly as expected.

* * *

“Sell them the armor plates that go into the Assault Turtle Ship? Why?”

To Woo’s question, the Prime Minister immediately responded.

“They say it’s necessary for the maintenance of the Assault Turtle Ship they received last time.”

“It’s only been a little over a year since they received that Assault Turtle Ship, hasn’t it?”

“They claim the training has been excessively frequent.”

“Hmm….”

At the Prime Minister’s response, Woo stroked his chin.

‘We are supposed to hand over a total of three Assault Turtle Ships. To maximize the operational readiness of those three ships as quickly as possible, it is reasonable to train the personnel who will operate the remaining two ships together. I would do the same if I were them. But, needing to repair the armor plates in less than a year? That’s a bit much….’

“Hmm….”

After pondering further, Woo spoke meaningfully to the Prime Minister.

“Is it better to turn a blind eye this time, even though we know what they’re up to?”

“It seems that would be best for now. And the more they act like this, the more they will realize the difference between us.”

“Considering the nature of the Japanese, that’s a good thing too. Accept Japan’s request. However, make sure they pay the full price.”

“I shall obey your command.”

Thus, the hull armor plates of the Assault Turtle Ship were exported to Japan.

The Japanese Navy and engineers, upon receiving the armor plates, headed to the shipyard with gleeful expressions.

‘To see with our own eyes what we’ve only seen in blueprints!’

“Alright! Now, remove the armor plates!”

Japanese technicians, who brought tools to remove the side armor plates of the Assault Turtle Ship docked in the dry dock, soon wore dismayed faces.

The blade of the large lever they used to disassemble the rivets that connected the armor plates to the hull ribs bent first.

“What is this….”

“What the….”

Faced with the absurd result, the Japanese artisans began to look for the cause.

Before long, the Japanese artisans, having found the cause, wore a hollow expression.

-The quality of the steel used in Japanese tools is inferior to the Empire’s rivets.

“The steel used to make tools isn’t ordinary steel….”

“Does that mean the best quality steel in Japan is of lower quality than the Empire’s rivets….”

The higher-ups who received the report smacked their lips with bitter expressions.

“It’s making us keenly aware of the gap between Japan and the Empire.”

However, this was only half the answer.

The rivets used in the hull of the Empire’s Assault Turtle Ship were not just simple rivets. They were products with considerable flexibility and toughness to withstand the twisting of the hull due to the impact of the waves.

In the end, Japan had to ask the Empire for help once again. And a similar incident occurred again in the process of attaching new armor plates to the hull.

The armor plates newly sent by the Empire were just plain steel plates without any post-processing. Therefore, the Japanese had to cut the steel plates to the required size and drill holes where the rivets would be placed. In the process, the Japanese challenged again, but the result was disastrous.

The blade of the saw cutting the steel plate broke first, and the drill bit of the boring machine bent first.

“Chikusho! [Damn it!]”

In the end, what Japan did next was not to purchase steel materials, including armor plates, but to purchase a large quantity of tools.

Upon hearing this, Hyang chuckled strangely and muttered to himself.

“Didn’t something similar happen when Japan was refitting the Kongo-class battleships [a class of Japanese battlecruisers] in the past?”

* * *

There were various large and small incidents, but Japan was steadily completing its preparations. And this meant that the war in the Middle East was not far away.

Of course, this was not entirely Japan’s fault. Selim I of the Ottoman Empire, having completely eliminated his competitors, was strengthening his forces with the full support of France. And now, the Ottoman’s power was at its peak.

The same was true for Iran.

Iran had successfully suppressed the Uzbek tribes remaining in the northeastern highlands, securing a large number of commanders and soldiers who had acquired sufficient combat experience, gunpowder weaponry operation skills, and tactics.

Thanks to training even more commanders and soldiers based on these commanders and soldiers, Iran also possessed formidable power.

“Of course, there is superiority in absolute numbers….”

The Imperial Army commander, analyzing the situation, gave a cold assessment.

“If we only look at the absolute numbers, the power difference between the Ottoman and Iran is 5:4.”

The Ming Dynasty army officer, nodding at the Imperial Army officer’s assessment, added.

“It’s a truly ambiguous difference. In this situation, war is unavoidable.”

At that, the Imperial Army officer nodded.

“I agree. If the difference between the two were clear, the losing side could only focus on defense, but with this difference, they might be tempted to be greedy.”

Even as they were talking, the eyes of the Imperial and Ming Dynasty officers were on the Japanese officer sitting on one side. Feeling their gaze, the Japanese officer retorted in a voice full of displeasure.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I hear that the Japanese officer corps has been saying strange things lately?”

“What strange things?”

“The saying, ‘The best defense is offense,’ doesn’t that sound familiar?”

At the Imperial Army officer’s question, the Japanese officer retorted sharply.

“The tactic of ‘He who strikes first controls’ has been used since the days of Xiang Yu [a prominent military general and politician of the late Qin dynasty], hasn’t it? Looking at the current situation between the Ottoman and Iran, war is unavoidable. And with a power difference of 5:4, taking the initiative with a surprise attack is the best option.”

“Taking the initiative with a surprise attack isn’t bad, but isn’t the problem what comes next? What will you do next?”

“I believe it will be over once we get our hands on the Anatolian region, which is the border area between the Ottoman and Iran.”

At the Japanese officer’s words, the Ming Dynasty army officer, who had been listening, asked a question.

“How far into the Anatolian region? Surely you’re not talking about the entire vast Anatolian region?”

The Ming Dynasty army officer’s point was valid.

The Anatolian highlands occupied almost all of the Ottoman’s southeastern territory.

In the case of the Ottoman, it was certain that they could never hand over such a vast territory to Iran.

“If that happens, the war will surely become more intense and prolonged. What are the chances of Iran winning if the war turns into a long-term battle?”

At the Ming Dynasty army officer’s point, the Japanese officer nodded lightly.

“That would be the case if we only think about Iran. But the parties to the war are not just the Ottoman and Iran, are they? And if we plan the operation well, we can see a conclusion without going to a long-term battle.”

At the Japanese officer’s words, the Imperial and Ming Dynasty officers shouted simultaneously.

“Anyone can say that!”

“Do you think war is child’s play!”

The Imperial Army officer continued to berate the Japanese officer.

“Among the words I learned at the military academy, there is this saying.

‘Everyone has a plausible plan. And war is the clash of those plausible plans.’ Didn’t you think that the Ottoman would have similar thoughts?”

At the Imperial Army officer’s criticism, the Ming Dynasty army officer nodded with a bitter expression.

The wars that had taken place between Ming and the Empire had all started with those ‘plausible plans.’ And the result was the exact opposite of what the ‘plausible plans’ had dreamed of.

The Imperial Army officer continued to speak.

“In a situation where the Ottoman’s power is superior to Iran’s, the best tactic Iran can take is defense. The routes from the Ottoman to Iran can be predicted to some extent, and if we make good use of the strongholds located on these routes, we can force the Ottoman to suffer damage.”

At the Imperial Army officer’s words, the Japanese officer raised his voice.

“Isn’t that also a ‘plausible plan’? Even if the routes are fixed, we can create new routes if necessary. And this is also a tactic. If the Ottoman creates such a route and pushes through, do you think Iran can win? To overcome this situation, ‘He who strikes first controls’ is the best option! We must first succeed in a preemptive strike to force the Ottoman’s movements!”

At the Japanese officer’s rebuttal, the Ming Dynasty army officer stepped forward.

“What do you think of the saying ‘Attackers must outnumber defenders threefold’?”

“Doesn’t that mean that the attacker must mobilize a force that is at least three times greater than the defender?”

“That’s right. Then, do you think Iran can mobilize that much force? No, it might be possible. But if that force is consumed, can Iran replenish it?”

“Isn’t that something we can step in and do!”

“We can provide weapons, but what about the people who will use them?”

No sooner had the Ming Dynasty army officer finished his question than the Imperial Army officer continued.

“At least our Empire will not intervene unless our Empire is attacked. I can guarantee that.”

At the Imperial Army officer’s words, the Japanese officer chuckled and replied.

“The saying that the Imperial Army is slow to act is a very famous fact. Ah, I agree with the problem of people. But Iran has an answer to that part. We can use the Shiites living in Anatolia.”

“They are living quietly under the Ottoman now, aren’t they? Are you saying that they will stand up against the Ottoman? Aren’t you being too optimistic?”

At the Imperial Army officer’s point, the Japanese officer replied with a confident expression.

“No, there have already been more than one or two precedents of them rebelling. Therefore, they will actively cooperate with Iran.”

After that, the debate between the officers of the three Eastern countries continued long and fiercely.

The Imperial and Ming officers, who advocated a defense-oriented strategy, and the Japanese officers, who advocated an aggressive and preemptive strike, continued to draw parallel lines until the end. Eventually, as it was getting late, the officers who had finished the debate left their seats and stood up.

“This is a problem… a problem.”

The Imperial Army officer, seeing the Japanese officer returning with a murderous aura, spoke to the Ming Dynasty army officer with a worried expression.

At the Imperial Army officer’s words, the Ming Dynasty army officer also nodded with a similar expression.

“I agree. I agree with Japan’s statement that war is unavoidable. But the preemptive strike is too dangerous. If the front line collapses even a little, several times more supplies and people will be consumed compared to when we moved with a defense-oriented approach.”

The Ming Dynasty army officer’s words were learned from their own experience—the war with the Empire.

At the Ming Dynasty army officer’s words, the Imperial Army officer sighed.

“Hoo~. Those guys still don’t know what a war between countries is like. They think it’s like a civil war between lords….”