Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 1167

1167. The Disaster Came from the Sea (3)

When Duke Lee Che expressed his doubt, the commander next to him immediately answered.

“It’s not just a modified Eul-sik Hwacha [multiple rocket launcher]. It’s a new type of ‘Anti-Air Hwacha’.”

“Anti-Air Hwacha?”

As the Peregrine Falcon and the Eurasian Kestrel gained value as weapons, some high-ranking commanders and artisans began to consider the possibilities.

“France has already created usable aircraft militarily, and other European countries are either creating or are creating aircraft, right? Then, wouldn’t we need weapons to stop them?”

“We can stop aircraft with aircraft, but they can be breached. No, they will definitely be breached. So, we need weapons to stop them regardless of whether they are on land or sea.”

“Absolutely necessary.”

The high command of the Imperial Army, having received these opinions, immediately approved research and development and assigned the task to Areas 51 and 52.

The artisans of Areas 51 and 52, having received the task, gathered in small groups and put their heads together.

“Considering the defense against aircraft, wouldn’t it be possible to create a fire net with Hwachas?”

“We could modify the Hwacha’s base to allow for high-angle firing, right?”

“It doesn’t seem too difficult?”

Thinking they had found an answer surprisingly easily, the artisans immediately produced several new gun carriages, mounted Hwachas on them, and began evaluation.

“No, are you going to leave me out of such an interesting thing?”

Having heard the news, Hyang immediately got up and headed to the evaluation site. And, having heard the news, the artisans and soldiers unknowingly looked up at the sky and sighed.

“Ah〜. Damn it……”

“The problem isn’t preparing for the evaluation! Clean up right now!”

The evaluation process was simple.

It involved attaching a large, long cloth like a tail behind a flying aircraft and having the Hwachas hit the cloth.

Hyang evaluated the results of the new weapon, or rather, the evaluation of the new gun carriage to mount the Hwacha, as follows.

“50 points.”

The method of mounting Hwachas on a gun carriage capable of high-angle firing and forming a fire net was decent.

“Of course, it’s decent. It was useful even after World War II and after the introduction of MANPADS [Man-Portable Air Defense Systems].”

However, the problem was that the aircraft flew higher and were faster than expected.

Although the aircraft were slower than the airplanes in Hyang’s memory—propeller fighters from World War II, not jets—they were ‘insanely fast’ to the people of this era, where the fastest things were horses or iron horses [trains].

“But we can’t abandon this gun carriage. We can attach it to assault vehicles, tow vehicles, or ships and use it whenever necessary.”

The Imperial Army command nodded at Hyang’s advice.

“That is certainly true.”

“It is definitely better than nothing.”

“But we need something more certain.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

At Hyang’s answer, the expressions of the artisans listening became gloomy all at once. Seeing the expressions of those artisans, Hyang pondered for a moment, or rather, ‘pretended to ponder,’ and added.

“Eul-sik Hwachas might be helpful.”

“Thank you so much.”

However, the artisans, who could not find an answer even after a long time of pondering over the topic Hyang had thrown out, eventually sought Hyang again.

“We can’t find an answer no matter how much we think about it! Please have mercy on us!”

‘That’s right!’

Inwardly excited, Hyang scolded the artisans in a stern voice.

“No! How long are you going to keep looking at me? It’s not like I’m going to live for thousands of years!”

“Please forgive our foolishness!”

“Tsk! I’ll get ready, so wait!”

Leading the artisans to Area 51, Hyang continued the story in front of the Eul-sik Hwacha.

“If the aircraft are too agile to catch, wouldn’t it be enough to pour more bullets at once?”

“However, with the current Hwacha bullets, both the time and power are insufficient to reach the height at which the aircraft fly.”

“Change the bullets in the Eul-sik Hwacha to new gunpowder.”

“Ah!”

The Eul-sik Hwacha’s bullets used black powder in paper cartridges.

To compensate for the weak explosive power of black powder, the Eul-sik Hwacha’s bullets were large, half-inch (approximately 1.5cm) caliber bullets.

Changing the paper cartridges to copper cartridges and the gunpowder to new gunpowder, the power was beyond imagination.

‘It’s the birth of the .50 caliber [12.7mm bullet]! Mwahahaha!’

While Hyang was inwardly pleased, the artisans approached and bowed their heads.

“Changing the gunpowder makes the power incomparable. However, it is too difficult to achieve the first condition Your Majesty mentioned. Because it is manually operated, the firing speed is slower than the Byeong-sik Hwacha.”

“Try connecting the Eul-sik Hwacha to an electric motor.”

“Ah!”

As artisans of Area 51, which boasts history and tradition, they immediately understood Hyang’s words.

The Eul-sik Hwacha connected to the electric motor showed formidable power.

The target caught in the fire net created by just two modified Eul-sik Hwachas was instantly riddled with holes.

After that, it was a matter of course.

A mobile anti-air Hwacha was born, modifying a troop transport assault vehicle to carry an Eul-sik Hwacha, an electric motor, and a cartridge containing a huge amount of ammunition.

At first, it was named the Bangcheon (防天) Hwacha, but soon the Cheon (天) was changed to Gong (空).

This was because Cheon (天) meant not only the sky but also the Emperor.

As an aside, the first to covet this anti-air Hwacha were the army commanders in the North.

“That would be the best against the Ming troops, right?”

It was the perfect weapon to deal with the Ming army, which still overwhelmed in numbers.

* * *

“So that’s what happened. Hmm… Then it came at a very opportune time.”

“That’s right.”

Duke Lee Che, who had been listening to the explanation, took out his pocket watch from his pocket, checked the time, and immediately stepped aside.

“Oh my, my! It’s already this late! Depart quickly! I wish you good luck!”

“Thank you, Your Excellency!”

As the waiting units gradually arrived at the attack start line, the Imperial Army’s ground operation began.

“Fire the cannons!”

“Fire the cannons!”

As soon as the artillery commander’s order fell, the cannons of the Imperial artillery corps, which had been waiting, fired all at once.

Kwakwakwang!

The Imperial artillery corps’ simultaneous shelling concentrated on hitting the flanks of the Spanish army, which had been positioned towards the Imperial Army’s coastal batteries.

“It’s here!”

“Yes.”

The reaction of Marquis Alba and his staff, who received the urgent report, was surprisingly calm.

They had been anticipating the Imperial Army’s counterattack since the punitive fleet that had departed from Shinji arrived.

In response, Marquis Alba abandoned the offensive and gradually moved the troops in front back to enter a defensive posture.

“If we succeed in this defense, we will have recovered some of our lost territory!”

It was an attempt to claim the excuse that they had gotten closer to the ‘lost territory of Gibraltar’ by occupying El Pelayo.

Therefore, they were not flustered even when they received reports that they were being shelled by the Imperial Army.

“Tell them to endure in the prepared trenches until the shelling is over! Those guys will need time to cool down their cannons too! Then, we’ll counterattack!”

“Understood!”

Following Marquis Alba’s orders, the Spanish soldiers huddled as much as possible in the trenches and endured the Imperial Army’s shelling. No, they had no choice but to endure. Even if they just poked their heads out, their heads would be blown away by the aftershock of the shells.

The Spanish soldiers shuddered and cursed at the long and persistent Imperial Army shelling.

“These damn Imperial bastards! Do they put cannonballs instead of bullets in their rifles! How is the shelling so long!”

“They say the Imperial bastards have money to burn, and it seems that’s true! How much does a cannonball cost!”

“If they have money to print cannonballs, just give it to me! Then I would have surrendered right away!”

Even in the midst of all this, the Spanish soldiers were exchanging jokes. But this was not余裕 [composure], but a desperate struggle. They felt like they would go crazy if they didn’t make such jokes.

* * *

Kwang!

The Imperial Army’s shelling, which seemed like it would never end, also ended. After the echo of the last explosion disappeared and there were no more explosions, the Spanish soldiers huddled in the trenches began to raise their heads one by one and look outside.

“The shelling is over!”

“Move the wounded and dead!”

“Clear the broken cannons!”

“Prepare for defense!”

After confirming that the Imperial shelling had stopped, the Spanish soldiers and commanders diligently began to repair the damage and prepare for defense.

“Prepare the cannons! We will counterattack too!”

“Bring cannonballs and gunpowder!”

While the French and Spanish artillery, which had endured the Imperial Army’s shelling, were preparing to counterattack, the second wave of Imperial shelling came flying.

These were the 600 Daeshingijeons [large arrow rockets] fired simultaneously by 50 assault vehicles equipped with 12-barreled Hwachas, jointly used by the army and navy.

Kwakwakwakwang!

The fired Daeshingijeons turned an entire area of El Pelayo facing Algeciras into a wasteland.

It was not the Imperial’s unique artillery tactic of ‘concentrating on one point,’ but an attack closer to ‘area suppression.’

“Geez〜, look at that accuracy. Don’t they know the word ‘bullseye’? You have to hit the center of the target! It would be difficult to hit so evenly outside the point like that.”

Even when other artillerymen made fun of the tremendous dispersion rate, the artillerymen operating the Shingijeon Hwachas smirked and replied.

“While you guys are shooting all day, we shoot it all at once and play, okay?”

“Our point is just a little bigger than yours.”

Like the words of those Daeshingijeon Hwacha artillerymen, the 600 Daeshingijeons reliably cleared the passage through which the Imperial Army would advance and the surrounding area.

After confirming that the advance route had been secured by the two shellings, the commander of the ground operation immediately issued an order.

“Okay, let’s slowly go.”

“Yes, sir!”

As soon as the order fell, the waiting assault vehicles roared all at once and began to move forward.

* * *

“What’s the damage?”

“It’s considerable. The first shelling was bearable, but the second shelling was fierce.”

“Those cunning Imperial bastards……”

Marquis Alba gritted his teeth at the staff’s report.

The first shelling of the damn Imperial bastards was very large. It was also larger than the Imperial Army’s shelling that they had experienced while fighting against them.

“Hmm… It seems they have deployed all the artillery they have been carrying, right?”

“That’s right.”

Compared to the Imperial Army’s shelling that the Marquis and his staff had engraved on their bodies while skirmishing with the Imperial Army in Gibraltar, it was definitely a huge scale, so the Marquis and his staff judged that the Imperial’s additional shelling would not continue immediately.

Therefore, as soon as they knew that the Imperial’s first shelling had ended, they immediately began to prepare for a counterattack, but the Imperial’s cowardly second shelling, which targeted that time, came flying.

“Considering that damn second shelling, we must assume that the Imperial bastards have deployed at least twice as much artillery as we expected.”

Marquis Alba shook his head at the staff’s analysis.

“How many cannons have they piled up in that narrow Gibraltar… It’s a wonder that Gibraltar hasn’t sunk.”

Marquis Alba, who spat out a joke that was not a joke, organized his expression and continued.

“The Imperial bastards will be rushing in soon. Tell them to defend firmly!”

“Yes!”

“And tell those French bastards buzzing in the sky! Tell them to earn their keep!”

“Yes!”

Marquis Alba’s orders were quickly conveyed, but things were not going well in the unit facing the Imperial Army’s advance route.

Due to the large-scale shelling that occurred twice, especially the second bombing that almost simultaneously erased a fairly large area, those who had lost their minds were rampant.

Because many people, from the lowest soldiers to the high-ranking commanders, had lost their minds, a fairly large hole was created, and their hands and feet did not match well.

Kurururung.

“It’s the enemy!”

“It’s the Imperial Army!”

“They’re here!”

The Spanish soldiers, who had been floundering at the vibration that shook the ground, instinctively threw themselves into the trenches and began to defend.

After a while, the Imperial Army assault vehicle equipped with a large cannon appeared.

The Spanish soldiers, swallowing dry saliva as they watched the Imperial Army assault vehicle approaching closer and closer, forcibly put their trembling fingers on the trigger.

The Imperial Army assault vehicle, which had been approaching leisurely, soon stopped advancing and turned its muzzle.

After a while,

Kwang!

With a loud explosion, the cannon fired, and the two-story building that had maintained its shape on one side of the road collapsed entirely with the soldiers inside.

“Fire!”

Tatatang! Tatatatang!

At the same time, the Spanish soldiers hiding in the trenches pulled the trigger all at once.

New assault vehicles appeared to the left and right of the Imperial Army assault vehicle, which was taking the brunt of the gunfire at the forefront, and they began to fire cannons at the trenches where the Spanish soldiers were.

Once the Spanish soldiers’ trenches, especially the trenches where the Hwachas were located, were somewhat cleared, soldiers disembarked from the troop transport assault vehicles that followed and began to enter.

The soldiers, including the Imperial Army and even the Swiss Army, entered the village and began the final cleanup to secure the passage.

* * *

When the entrance to the advance route was cleared, and the Imperial and Swiss armies were gradually passing through the village.

Buuuuuung〜.

The French Air Force appeared in the sky with a loud explosion.

The Imperial Eurasian Kestrels and Peregrine Falcons, who had already been guarding the sky over Gibraltar through self-propelled flying spheres, blocked them, and soon a fierce aerial battle broke out in the sky.

At that time, as the Imperial commanders had expected, a group of French aircraft broke through the gap and descended, aiming at ground targets.

However, the Imperial anti-air Hwachas were already prepared on the ground.

Buaaaaaak!

With a noise like tearing cloth, the Hwachas fired, and a steel spider web spread across the sky.

And, the French aircraft caught in that steel spider web fell to the ground like moths jumping into a candle flame.