Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 214

214. The Challenger (2)

Artisans, under orders to investigate the ship’s structure, spent seven days meticulously examining the super-sized dhow.

They measured everything: length, width, and even the height when pulled ashore. They scrutinized every detail, from the top of the mast to the lowest point of the hull where water collected.

And it wasn’t just a cursory inspection.

The head artisan divided his team into three groups to conduct cross-verification, ensuring accuracy and thoroughness.

“What exactly are we doing? Weren’t we just checking if cannons could be mounted or not?” one of the captains complained.

The head artisan curtly replied, “Did you want to mount the cannons just as decorations?”

“…”

The captains, upon hearing the translation, immediately fell silent, realizing the importance of a secure and functional installation.

The head artisan, having silenced the captains, urged his artisans on. “What are you doing! Hurry up and inspect! Are you just going to admire someone else’s ship and let ours rot!”

“Yes, sir!”

At the head artisan’s roar, the artisans scurried into action, their pace quickening.

* * *

After those seven days, a lengthy report was submitted to the Ministry of War. The report was immediately copied and sent to Sejong [King Sejong the Great, the fourth king of the Joseon dynasty], the Six Ministers [the highest administrative bodies in Joseon dynasty], and Hyang [the Crown Prince].

After reading the report, Sejong ordered Kim Jeom, the Minister of Revenue:

“Based on this report, do your best to achieve the best possible outcome.”

“I will dedicate myself to the task!”

“Other ministers, provide full support if the Minister of Revenue requests it.”

“We obey your command!”

After finishing his discussion with the ministers, Sejong turned to Hyang.

“Have you seen the report?”

“Yes, Father.”

“It says that the new ships we’ve built are superior to those newly made by the Muslims. It’s not just the artisans’ bias, is it?”

“That is unlikely.”

Hyang answered confidently to Sejong’s question. Sejong did not forget to remind him once more.

“Do not forget that a considerable amount of wealth has been invested in the construction of the new ships.”

At Sejong’s words, Hyang bowed his head and replied, “I am always mindful of it.”

‘How much effort did I put into making them!’ he thought to himself, recalling the countless hours and resources dedicated to the project.

* * *

The ship that Hyang was central to creating was a galleon, but not exactly a galleon.

To be precise, the pirate ship that was the centerpiece of a certain pirate movie served as its inspiration.

To create the ship from the movie, Westerners had developed everything from blueprints to the actual construction.

To materialize the movie’s ship, which was based on a galleon and incorporated Eastern and Western designs, the Westerners mobilized all their knowledge and experience.

As a result, a ship that was 1/4 scale but fully capable of actual sailing was born. Impressed by this, a wealthy Middle Eastern otaku [a person with obsessive interests, commonly associated with anime and manga] commissioned a 1:1 scale version, resulting in the creation of a full-sized ship.

At the time, Hyang, with his otaku spirit deeply ingrained, took a leave of absence and ran away to America, participating in the entire process.

Thanks to this, he returned home with a considerable allowance, knowledge related to his hobby, and finally, a copy of the ship’s blueprints, only to be immediately drafted into the military.

Even without the last detail, through the ship’s construction process, Hyang had theoretical knowledge and practical experience regarding galleons, and even secured theoretical knowledge of the next level, the ship of the line.

Despite this, creating a new type of warship was not an easy task.

The biggest reason was that the artisans who would actually build it did not understand the blueprints, even after the design was completed.

The artisans did not understand because it was very different from the traditional shipbuilding process that had been passed down until then.

Therefore, Hyang had to go through numerous trials and errors to find the right meeting point.

Countless blueprints were created and discarded, and similarly, various proportions of models were created and discarded.

In this process, Hyang decided on a bold skip.

“Starting from the carrack will make me die of frustration! Let’s start with a ship I know well! For my longevity!” he exclaimed, prioritizing his sanity and expertise.

Through that decision, they skipped the carrack or caravel that were exhibited in the research center and went straight to the galleon.

And that was how the bane of later historians, especially those specializing in the history of ships, was born.

* * *

Meanwhile, Minister of Revenue Kim Jeom began negotiations with Mansur.

“According to the report written by the artisans, the maximum number of general cannons that can be mounted on the large ships you brought is 20 per ship.”

“20 per ship?”

“That is correct.”

At Kim Jeom’s answer, Mansur immediately replied. “Then I will contract for 140 cannons first.”

“140 cannons?”

Surprised by the larger-than-expected number, Kim Jeom soon looked at Mansur with suspicious eyes.

“Only 40 will be placed on the ships… Are you planning to build a fortress or something?”

“No. 120 will be placed on the ships.”

“Huh?”

As Kim Jeom did not understand the unexpected explanation, Mansur continued to explain.

“No later than 6 months from now, two more large ships like the ones we brought this time will come to Joseon. And then, two more ships will come again in the next 6 months. A total of 6 ships will continue to operate.”

“Huh… Did you invest your family’s entire fortune or something?”

At Kim Jeom’s question, unable to hide his surprise, Mansur smiled slyly and replied. “Three families, including ours, have joined forces.”

“Huh….”

At Mansur’s explanation, Kim Jeom had a greatly enlightened expression.

‘Is this the scale of merchants who travel the seas and trade? Our Joseon merchants should also watch and learn,’ he mused, impressed by the scale of their operation.

“Hmm…. I understand. 140 cannons. Then, how should we determine the quantity of gunpowder and cannonballs?”

At Kim Jeom’s question, Mansur took out a paper from his pocket, examined the contents, and replied. “Enough gunpowder for four full-scale battles will be sufficient. After that, we can find artisans in Alexandria. As for cannonballs… we only need joran hwan [scattershot].”

“Huh? You only need joran hwan?”

“Yes.”

Mansur’s answer was short and concise.

* * *

On the last voyage to Aden, they had to fight pirates.

At that time, each ship equipped with cannons had sailors who knew how to use them, and there were also Joseon military officers skilled in artillery.

However, the Daejeon [large-sized cannonballs] fired from the Ilchongtong [a type of Joseon cannon] had low accuracy and weak power.

In the end, what blew away the pirates who had approached despite the shelling was a large amount of joran hwan.

Then, in the bloody battle that took place in Aden, it was the joran hwan that led to the destruction of the Sindwa family.

Through these experiences, Mansur had fallen deeply in love with the charm of joran hwan.

* * *

“Even the most skilled artilleryman cannot hit an enemy ship in one shot. So, you have to keep firing to sink the enemy ship, but these ships are merchant ships. There is not enough space to load goods, so there is no room to load more gunpowder and cannonballs than necessary. It is more efficient to deal with them with joran hwan at a reasonable distance. The same goes for cities. The cannons of those damn Catholic guys or the Ottomans are too big to be useful in street battles.”

“Ah, I see.”

Kim Jeom nodded at Mansur’s explanation.

He thought Mansur’s answer seemed reasonable.

“So, we will focus on joran hwan, and how will we handle the payment?”

“Let’s deduct it from the amount of money we get from selling the goods we brought.”

“Let’s do that.”

Mansur and Kim Jeom, who easily reached an agreement, smiled and left the meeting.

“The real thing starts now.”

Kim Jeom, after sending Mansur out, steeled his resolve.

The truly important matter was at what price they would buy the goods they brought and at what price they would sell the goods of Joseon.

* * *

Amid the back-and-forth arguments and negotiations between the two sides, the exchange of goods brought by Mansur and the goods of Joseon proceeded.

The trade was tense.

Most of the goods brought by Mansur were goods requested by Joseon, so it was difficult to simply undervalue them.

Similarly, most of the goods sought by Mansur were goods exclusively made only in Joseon, so it was difficult for Mansur to simply undervalue them.

In the end, the transaction was made with both sides moderately backing down, reaching a compromise that satisfied both parties.

Thus, on the day the goods were moved from the Mansur Merchant to the government’s warehouse, there was one item that all the officials sought first.

“Take out the black bean tea first!”

It was those addicted to coffee who flocked to it, eager to get their fix.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hyang also had an item that he had been eagerly waiting for.

“Your Highness. It has arrived!”

“What is the quantity?”

“Here is the report.”

Hyang, after checking the item and quantity written in the report, felt relieved and immediately gave an order.

“Send it to the shipyard.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

As the official who received the order moved busily, Hyang muttered with a relieved expression. “With this, the waterproofing problem will be relieved.”

The item Hyang had been waiting for was pitch [a black, sticky substance made from tar, used for waterproofing].

* * *

Waterproofing was essential for the safety of ships.

The traditional method was to fill the seams with cotton and apply oil-ash over it to dry, but Hyang, who was uneasy about this method, had ordered pitch.

“But, covering everything from top to bottom with pitch would cost too much money….”

Hyang, worried about the scolding he would receive from Sejong due to the budget, applied a kind of hybrid method.

Pitch was applied up to the waterline, and oil-ash was applied above it, followed by smoking.

This method was surprisingly effective, so Joseon actively utilized it.

Hyang also worked on the sails. Instead of making sails with typical yellow cloth or European-style white cloth, they were dyed gray.

“Why did the 21st-century navies paint everything gray to the death?” he wondered, drawing inspiration from modern naval practices.

The hull, which had turned gray due to the smoked oil-ash, and the gray sails had the effect of not being easily visible when going out to the open sea.

Due to Hyang’s tricks, Joseon’s ships gained notoriety as ‘Sea Ghosts’ or ‘Gray Devils.’

And that became the reason why European ships abandoned their individuality and painted everything gray.

Because of this decision, European captains, when drunk, cursed Joseon, blaming them for the loss of their ships’ distinctive appearances.

* * *

As the trade progressed, there was a new product that caught the attention of Mansur’s group, and that was Balgeungo (drawing ointment) [a traditional Korean ointment used to treat boils and skin infections].

Middle Easterners also suffered from boils caused by hygiene problems.

After hearing the explanation about the efficacy, Mansur also purchased a large quantity of Balgeungo.

“And please give me some ginseng too.”

“Ginseng?”

“Yes.”

At Mansur’s request, Kim Jeom had an unexpected expression.

“Do the Muslims also know the efficacy of ginseng?”

“Goryeo ginseng [Korean ginseng] has been famous since ancient times. And….”

Mansur paused for a moment, then smiled and added. “Those damn Europeans are crazy about it. They call it ‘Mandragora of the East’ and treat it as a miraculous medicine.”

“Huh~. Everyone recognizes good things.”

Kim Jeom, who had exclaimed at Mansur’s answer, suddenly began to worry.

‘This…. Does this mean we can’t even eat restorative medicine as we please now?’ he thought, concerned about the potential scarcity and increased value of ginseng.

* * *

Ginseng, which had become available for mass cultivation several years ago, was Joseon’s cash cow.

The merchants of Ming [Chinese dynasty] and Japan, who knew the excellent efficacy of ‘Goryeo ginseng,’ rushed to purchase ginseng.

Although the efficacy was lower than wild ginseng, the mass-cultivated ginseng had no quality issues, so the merchants of Ming and Japan welcomed the sale of ginseng.

Of course, it was natural that the government, as well as general merchants, paid special attention to prevent the secrets of ginseng cultivation from being leaked.

The Europeans, who first encountered ginseng through Mansur’s merchant group, were enthusiastic about the efficacy of ginseng.

‘A person who was old and weak and holding his place got up after eating ginseng!’

‘A 70-year-old man ate ginseng and had a child!’

As anecdotes of those who had seen the effects of ginseng spread from place to place, European merchants flocked to Alexandria and began to look for ginseng.

European merchants began to call ginseng, whose roots resembled a person, ‘Mandragora of the East.’