Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 1137

1137. A Killer Gift (2)

Having obtained information from the salon, the Communications Management Bureau agents quickly headed to Gibraltar.

“Greetings, Your Excellency.”

As the Communications Management Bureau agent paid his respects, Yi Che (李璲), the Gibraltar-based Imperial Navy Commander—and a brother from the same mother as Sang Hwang, corrected him while accepting the greeting.

“I am not a Duke now, but a Commander.”

“My apologies, Admiral.”

“Yes, well. What brings you to me so suddenly?”

At Yi Che’s question, the bureau agent produced a thick book.

On the surface, it looked like an ordinary ledger, but in reality, it was a report containing coded messages disguised as amounts and items.

Yi Che, having received the report, ordered the adjutant who was waiting beside him.

“Bring the codebreaker.”

“Yes, Admiral.”

Soon after, the codebreaker, having rushed over upon receiving the order, first verified the authenticity of the document and then began decoding it.

As the decoding progressed, the codebreaker’s face grew increasingly serious.

“Decoding complete.”

“Good work. Wait here for a moment.”

“Yes, Admiral.”

Yi Che, having read the decoded message, looked at the Communications Management Bureau agent with a grave expression.

“Do you know the contents?”

“According to regulations, I can only know the classification, not the contents.”

“Is that so? Hmm….”

Yi Che remained silent, examining the calendar, then asked the adjutant.

“You said the number of those watching the port’s movements has increased lately, correct?”

“That is correct.”

“Hmm….”

Having heard the adjutant’s reply, Yi Che again remained silent, examining the calendar.

“This is quite ambiguous….”

Judging from the report’s contents, it was an urgent matter.

The problem was that the number of those spying on the Imperial Navy from outside the port had increased.

Any movements different from the usual, especially ships heading to Suez or Shinji that were not regular liners, would certainly be viewed with suspicion.

‘If we make a mistake, it could be exposed that we are running spies. If that happens, over ten years of effort will be for naught.’

This was what Yi Che was concerned about.

After much deliberation, Yi Che cursed.

“Damn it… still no sign of the Eungjeonrok [a legendary military strategy book]….”

The target of Yi Che’s dissatisfaction was ‘wireless communication.’

Wired communication using electricity had already reached a plausible level and was on the verge of practical application.

However, wireless communication was still nowhere to be seen. No, it seemed like success was just within reach with a little more effort, but strangely, it was not succeeding.

Regarding this, Tae Tae Sang Hwang, Hyang, had said this:

“The destination is near, but there are many hills to climb.”

‘If only wireless communication were possible, I could inform Seoul immediately….’

Forcibly suppressing his disappointment with the communication methods that still lagged far behind other areas, Yi Che issued an order.

“Have the codebreaker re-encode this document and send it to Seoul and Shinji. But! There are many eyes watching, so send it on the fastest regular liner.”

“Yes, Admiral.”

Having given the order to the codebreaker, Yi Che asked the adjutant.

“Was the current alert level Class Eul (Lower) [second lowest]?”

“That is correct, Admiral.”

The Imperial Army’s base alert levels were divided into four classes: Gap, Eul, Byeong, and Jeong. The lowest Jeong level was the peacetime alert level for garrisons located in the rear.

Byeong was the peacetime alert level for Imperial border bases and Imperial Army garrisons stationed outside the Empire.

When the level of tension with the outside world increased, it was raised to Eul, and when armed conflict broke out, it was raised to Gap.

However, Gibraltar was slightly different.

Due to the constant provocations from Spain, the basic level was Eul.

Therefore, to maintain the morale and efficiency of the soldiers, the Eul level was divided into upper and lower levels.

Having strengthened the base’s defenses, Yi Che looked at the Communications Management Bureau agent.

“You’ve worked hard. Take a rest and return.”

“Thank you, Admiral.”

Left alone in the commander’s office, Yi Che muttered while looking at the port visible through the window.

Yi Che’s gaze was fixed on the three ironclad ships moored at one end of the pier. The ironclad ships in question looked very different from the existing battleships.

“I don’t know if those destroyer toys my brother made will do their part well. By the way, I wonder if those battleships I’ve only heard about have been brought into service as planned. If they’re not in the fleet when something happens, it’ll be quite distressing….”

* * *

As Hyun was assigned to Shinji, the development, construction, and commissioning of next-generation battleships gained momentum. First, a significant number of destroyers were built and began to be deployed to the Atlantic. Starting with the destroyers that had completed their deployment, they were sequentially deployed to the Shinji East Sea Defense Fleet and Gibraltar.

However, what the Imperial Navy commanders were most looking forward to were the battleships born after the Assault Gwiseon [turtle ship]. From the name of the class, ‘battleship Ham(艦) [warship]’ it was a ship made solely for combat.

Of course, the battleships made before the battleships, starting with the Assault Gwiseon, were also ships made for combat. However, if you delve a little deeper, they were merely existing ships made larger and sturdier, then equipped with cannons.

This was also the case with the Challenger-class battleships, which were called ‘sea thugs.’

The Assault Gwiseon showed a different aspect, but it showed limitations due to operating fixed gun emplacements on both the left and right sides.

However, the battleships created with Hyun as the center were completely different.

They were equipped with massive cannons in rotating turrets arranged along the centerline of the hull, and secondary guns were placed on the left and right sides for close combat. And they were monsters equipped with an even larger hull, thicker armor, and a more powerful steam engine than existing battleships.

As long as they were within the range of the main guns, they could bombard enemy ships no matter where they were, and they could withstand and fight even if enemy shells hit them—a true fighting ship.

Therefore, the Imperial Navy commanders were eagerly anticipating these battleships being brought into service as soon as possible. However, there were also battleships that came out later than the battleships but did not receive much attention from the Imperial Navy commanders.

They were the aircraft carrier and the fire support ship.

“What are we going to do with those things that can barely fly on their own while flapping around….”

“Tae Tae Sang Hwang, Tae Sang Hwang, and Sang Hwang said they would be great things, but not really….”

These were the Imperial Navy commanders who would make indifferent expressions or shake their heads whenever the aircraft carrier and the aircraft mounted on it became a topic.

“Aircraft or Bigu [flying vehicle] are things to be used for reconnaissance, but you’re going to operate them in large quantities? Why?”

“Even if they go far away for reconnaissance, it’s useless if they can’t return, right?”

“On land, there are communication towers in between, and if necessary, you can float a Bigu in the middle to relay… but not at sea. It’s best to use aircraft or self-propelled flying Bigu near the port.”

As expected, the Imperial Navy commanders undervalued the aircraft due to the communication methods that were far behind other areas. And as much as the aircraft carrier was treated as a nuisance, so was the fire support ship.

“There’s no place to use it unless the Empire launches an amphibious operation!”

* * *

While the Imperial Navy in Gibraltar was secretly strengthening its defenses, the French and Spanish commanders placed a map of Gibraltar in the center and reviewed their plans.

“Every time I look at the map, I feel like the Empire has stuck a thorn in a very painful spot.”

At the words of French Navy Commander Admiral Tourville, the Spanish generals nodded greatly. It is commonly called ‘Gibraltar,’ but the area occupied by the Imperial Navy was a semicircular bay connecting Algeciras and the Rock of Gibraltar.

It was a natural harbor with deep waters, so even the Imperial Navy’s large battleships could dock at the pier without much difficulty. Through this Gibraltar, the Imperial Navy was controlling the entire Mediterranean and the eastern part of the Atlantic.

Admiral Tourville, who was examining the map, shook his head.

“Thanks to the hard work of some people, the Empire has stuck the thorn in even harder.”

The expressions of the Spanish generals hardened at the admiral’s pointed remark. This was because the Imperial Navy’s defense line protecting Gibraltar had become worthy of being called impregnable. Starting from the Rock of Gibraltar and surrounding the rear of Algeciras, the mountainous area had a solid defense line built by the Imperial Army.

In addition, large-scale batteries were located on both sides of the Gibraltar Bay. If they recklessly pushed in, they would be caught in these harbor batteries and be smashed. And the Spanish fleet had repeatedly suffered great losses here, and the harbor batteries had become armed with even more powerful cannons.

Therefore, Admiral Tourville was being sarcastic.

However, the Spanish generals also had something to say.

“Are we just supposed to watch our territory being taken by infidels?”

“It’s not like we pushed in without thinking!”

“Who said anything?”

Admiral Tourville was subtly backing away from the Spanish generals’ protests.

However, he didn’t just back away; he was an admiral who took what he could get.

“So, what do you think is the best way to recapture Gibraltar?”

Regarding Gibraltar, the Spanish generals were the most experts in Europe.

At Admiral Tourville’s question, the Spanish generals exchanged opinions for a moment and then answered in unison.

“Blockade and attrition warfare.”

“Blockade and attrition warfare is the only best way.”

At the Spanish generals’ answer, Admiral Tourville had a meaningful expression.

“So, blockade and attrition warfare is the only best way?”

“It will be difficult, but blockade and attrition warfare is the only best way.”

The Spanish generals explained the reason.

-No one is unaware that the Imperial Navy stationed in Gibraltar has a powerful force.

-However, as powerful as that force is, the amount of consumption is also high.

-Therefore, the entrance to the port must be blockaded, and attrition warfare must be forced from the ground and sea.

-If this coercion is successful, Gibraltar can be brought down before support arrives from the Empire’s Shinji or Suez.

Admiral Tourville, having heard the Spanish generals’ explanation, immediately pointed out the problem.

“But isn’t forcing such attrition warfare not an easy task in the first place?”

At Admiral Tourville’s point, the Spanish generals nodded with bitter expressions.

“That’s why we’ve only made plans.”

“It’s true that this is a plan that is impossible with the Spanish Navy alone.”

At the Spanish generals’ words, Admiral Tourville’s eyes lit up.

“It’s impossible with the Spanish Navy alone, but what if our French Navy joins in? Isn’t that why we’ve gathered?”

At Admiral Tourville’s words, the Spanish generals nodded with even more bitter expressions. It was their job to reclaim the land they had lost, but they were now in a situation where they had to be subservient while watching France’s every move.

Admiral Tourville, having firmly broken the spirit of the Spanish generals, began to take the lead in the work.

“Our French Navy will be the main force on the sea side. Spain, I would like you to take charge of the ground.”

At Admiral Tourville’s words, the Spanish generals’ complexions worsened.

“Are you saying we should attack that damn defense line?”

At the Spanish generals’ question, Admiral Tourville answered calmly.

“I’m asking you to exhaust the Empire’s forces as much as possible.”

-If the Spanish army pounds the Empire’s rear defense line, many of the Empire’s defensive batteries will have to turn their gun barrels.

-If that happens, the firepower of the Gibraltar harbor defense batteries will be reduced, and the possibility of a successful blockade will increase.

“It’s not necessary to succeed in the attack unconditionally. But wouldn’t it be even better if the attack succeeds? Perhaps I’m asking too much of the Spanish army?”

At Admiral Tourville’s question, the Spanish generals gritted their teeth and answered.

“No. We can do it enough.”

“If France blocks the sea route, we can attack the defense line.”