Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 216

216. Challenger (4)

After spending a night in Suyeong, Sejong moved to the shipyard.

“I wish I could have gone straight to the shipyard from Hanseong [present-day Seoul], but the king’s position makes it difficult.”

Hyang nodded involuntarily at Sejong’s wry grumbling.

In the 21st century, traveling from Seoul to Namyang, Gyeonggi Province, wouldn’t take long.

If the president were to visit Namyang, traffic control would further shorten that time.

However, Joseon was the opposite.

The newly built roads made travel easier, but being the king held him back.

Whenever he passed through a town, Sejong had to visit the government office, directly check the work status of the local officials, and point out any shortcomings.

Thanks to the already improved system for handling civil complaints, there were hardly any instances of people rushing to Sejong as soon as he arrived. However, the time spent traveling was lengthened by the crowds of people who flocked to present precious gifts to the esteemed King.

The same was true when he arrived in Suyeong. He had to receive salutes from the naval officers and soldiers and throw a feast with alcohol and meat to thank them for their hard work.

That was how he ended up spending a night at the Suyeong government building before finally moving to the shipyard.

‘If things go well at the shipyard, I’ll probably end up staying there for another night. Only the express messengers will be busy.’

Even though Sejong came here, his work continued, so only the express messengers were working themselves to death.

In the meantime, the faces of the ministers and high-ranking officials escorting Sejong were bright.

Unlike when they were working in Hanseong, their workload had significantly decreased, and they had the excuse of visiting government offices to check on work, allowing them to rest in between.

‘Even if we die when we return, it’s really good now!’

‘We need to rest when we can!’

Thus, Sejong and his ministers entered the shipyard in a state of half-work, half-vacation.

“Your Majesty! I, Han Tae-woo, am honored to see Your Majesty’s face in such a remote place! May you live a thousand years, a thousand years, ten thousand years!” [A traditional Korean blessing for the king.]

Han Tae-woo, a low-ranking official in charge of managing the shipyard, shouted “May you live a thousand years” with tears welling up in his eyes.

As someone who had entered through the recruitment of talent and held a minor post, he thought he would never have the chance to see the King in his lifetime.

Overwhelmed by the emotion of seeing the King in person, Han Tae-woo showed an enthusiastic reaction.

“You are working hard.”

Upon hearing Sejong’s words of appreciation, the old Han Tae-woo prostrated himself on the ground, unable to contain his emotion.

“I have only done what I ought to do, but to be praised like this is truly an honor! Waaah!”

Overwhelmed by Han Tae-woo’s enthusiastic reaction, Sejong gestured to Hyang. As Hyang approached, Sejong whispered in Hyang’s ear.

“Was he like this when you came?”

In response to Sejong’s question, Hyang replied in an equally small voice.

“He was similar, but he seems more moved today. Perhaps it’s because Father has come.”

“I see. Tsk.”

Sejong, clicking his tongue, felt sorry for Tae-woo.

‘How many people are working on their own like that, without anyone recognizing them? I have a lot to do.’

“Get up. Don’t you have a lot to do?”

“Yes, yes!”

At Sejong’s command, Tae-woo rose from his spot.

Wiping away his tears with his sleeve, Tae-woo immediately raised his arm and pointed to the inside of the shipyard.

“This way, Your Majesty.”

* * *

Guided by Han Tae-woo, Sejong entered the shipyard and carefully examined its interior.

Seeing the old ships being dismantled, Sejong asked Tae-woo.

“What happens to the planks of the dismantled ships?”

“We examine their condition and use the good ones for other ships, while those deemed defective are used as firewood or as raw materials for Hwangji [a type of oiled paper used for waterproofing].”

Upon hearing the word ‘Hwangji,’ Sejong turned to look at Hyang. In response to his unspoken question, Hyang replied simply.

“We must save to prosper.”

“A wise answer.”

Sejong meticulously examined every part of the shipyard.

“Hmm? What is that building?”

Seeing a large warehouse built on one side of the shipyard, Sejong asked Tae-woo.

“It is where the Ming Dynasty’s Fuk船 [Dafuk ship, a large treasure ship] and the Japanese Wa船 [Wako ship, a Japanese pirate ship] are displayed.”

“Ships from Ming and Japan? Let’s take a look.”

Intrigued, Sejong moved towards the building in question.

Inside the building, the large Ming Dynasty’s Dafuk船 and the small Japanese warship were disassembled and displayed.

And next to them, Korean ships were also displayed in the same state.

“They’ve all been disassembled. I can see the structure properly.”

“It was the Crown Prince’s order.”

At Tae-woo’s explanation, Sejong and his ministers looked at Hyang.

“I made it so that the artisans who will build Joseon’s warships in the future can refer to it.”

In response to Hyang’s answer, Tae-woo immediately added.

“Not only the captains of the Gyeonggi Naval Base but also the captains and master craftsmen from all over Joseon visit and examine it at least once.”

After listening to the explanation, Sejong nodded.

“That’s right. The shipwrights (船匠, 배 만드는 목수) [shipbuilding carpenters] working now cannot continue to work forever.”

“Yes. So, we are planning to build a school to teach not only housing but also shipwrights.”

“Shipwrights?”

“We will create a school to systematically teach the skills of not only shipwrights but also blacksmiths, potters, and other artisans. If we only proceed with the apprentice system as we do now, many skills will disappear.”

“I see. Draw up a plan.”

“Yes, sir!”

With Sejong’s permission, Hyang replied with a happy face.

Kim Jeom, who saw the scene from behind, turned dark.

“Budget, budget….”

* * *

After touring the ship exhibition hall, Sejong finally arrived at his destination.

It was the dock where Hyang’s carefully crafted new warship was located.

“It’s truly big and beautiful!”

Sejong was greatly impressed by the appearance of the new warship.

The new warship, with its sleek lines from bow to stern, was incomparably more beautiful than the warships he had seen earlier.

It wasn’t just Sejong who was impressed. The ministers also exclaimed in admiration.

“It is truly a beautiful ship!”

“The pointed bow is like an arrowhead, so it seems it can move very quickly!”

At the praise from Sejong and his ministers, Hyang muttered inwardly.

‘It will be a little slower than the original galleon.’

The galleon that Hyang made was slightly different from the traditional galleon.

The traditional galleon had a width-to-length ratio of about 1:4, but Hyang’s was about 1.5:4, with a slightly wider width.

This was something he learned when he built a ship for a Middle Eastern wealthy enthusiast in the 21st century.

The American enthusiast who was in charge of the design at the time persuaded the client.

“I’ll do as you request for most things, but the width needs to be widened a bit. Traditional galleons are too dangerous to capsize when turning at high speeds!”

Seeing this scene, Hyang widened the width when building the galleon in Joseon.

‘It’s already a ship of a shape I’ve never seen before, and if there’s an accident, it’ll be buried as it is! We have to go with safety first!’

Thanks to this, if this new warship were to face a real galleon, it was certain that it would be pushed back in terms of speed, as Hyang expected.

However, Hyang was not worried.

“Even if the speed is slower, the firepower and defense will be better, right?”

If he were to meet Western maritime powers at the time Hyang expected, he would be armed with even larger and more powerful cannons.

Even if he met them within the next 4-5 years, there was no reason to be pushed back with the current gunpowder weapons of Joseon.

The defense was also designed to increase the defense power – or rather, the survivability – by incorporating the technology he learned in the 21st century.

And finally, the speed….

“Did that guy say that back then? ‘What’s the worry when we’re going to install an engine?'”

Hyang also intended to modify it as soon as a proper steam engine came out.

“I like the American style. If the speed doesn’t come out, we can just install a more powerful engine, right?”

* * *

Before the launching, Sejong boarded the ship and toured around.

The place that Sejong was most interested in was the second deck.

“As far as I know, Panokseon [a type of Korean warship] had oarsmen (格軍, 노를 젓는 병사) [rowing soldiers] in this place. But does this ship deploy cannons even in this place?”

“Yes. The new warship moves only by wind.”

“Only by wind? Then the speed will be slow, right?”

In response to Sejong’s point, Hyang immediately replied.

“It is possible enough. And if the improvement of the steam engine is sufficient, it can be mounted.”

“Steam engine, huh….”

At Hyang’s answer, Sejong rummaged through his memories.

The steam engine completed last year was sent to coal mines and steel mills. Instead of cows and horses, steam engines were put into pumping water from the tunnels and blowing air into the furnaces, and the results were examined.

As a result, the reports from the coal mines and steel mills were full of praise.

‘One steam engine does the work of more than 20 cows or horses, so it is the best device!’

Remembering the evaluation, Sejong nodded.

“It seems like a good number. So…. How many cannons are loaded on this warship?”

“50 Eulshik General Hwatong cannons [a type of Korean cannon] and 20 shrapnel cannons that are currently being tested are scheduled to be mounted.”

Sejong seemed satisfied with Hyang’s answer.

“At that level, there will be no chance of being pushed back by firepower anywhere.”

At Sejong’s words, not only Hyang but also the ministers were all speechless.

‘Pushed back by firepower? If it goes according to plan, it will become a gangster of the sea!’

‘Your Majesty! There are 50 cannons alone!’

Before Hyang intervened, the Golden Hind, which Francis Drake used for his circumnavigation of the world, was a galleon launched in 1577.

However, the number of cannons mounted on this Golden Hind was 22.(Note 1)

Leaving behind the ministers who were stunned by the difference in the concept of the number of cannons, Sejong, who was looking at the second deck, turned to Hyang.

“You’ve put up a lot of bulkheads, haven’t you?”

At Sejong’s question about the sturdy wooden bulkheads erected to the left and right of each cannon, Hyang immediately explained the reason.

“Yes, we have put up bulkheads in preparation for being hit.”

“Hmm….”

While Sejong was nodding, Kim Jeom muttered softly.

“No wonder the budget was so high….”

After finishing the tour of the second deck, Sejong went down to the bottom, the lowest part of the ship.

“The bulkheads are substantial here too.”

“We prioritized survivability.”

“Well done.”

Sejong did not spare praise for Hyang’s answer.

When designing the bottom of the hull, which corresponds to the part below the waterline, Hyang focused on installing compartments.

He allocated space for the steam engine that might be installed in the future, and installed a total of six compartments around it, left and right. And the doors installed in the passages that pass between the compartments were made sliding rather than hinged.

This was because sliding doors ensured more stability than hinged doors with the still insufficient metal processing technology. And, the asphalt obtained from Mansour a while ago was faithfully applied to the outside and inside of the hull to ensure waterproofing.

* * *

After finishing the tour of the inside of the hull, Sejong came up to the first deck and observed the rest.

After touring the captain’s cabin and the military officer’s cabin, Sejong turned to Hyang after seeing the four protrusions installed on the side of the hull.

“What is that place? It protrudes out of the hull, and it’s surrounded by a roof and walls.”

Hyang, looking at the place Sejong pointed out, answered simply.

“It’s the latrine (廁間, 변소) [toilet].”

“Huh? Hahahaha!”

Sejong burst into laughter at Hyang’s answer.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Sejong nodded.

“It’s truly a place that lives up to its name!” [A pun based on the character ‘廁’.]

It was a play on words using the fact that the ‘廁’ in 측간 (latrine) means ‘edge of the floor (廁)’.

Laughing like that, Sejong, who climbed onto the stern – to be exact, the roof of the captain’s cabin – called Hyang again.

“What is that place again? It’s not a latrine, is it?”

In the center of the highest part of the stern, there was a structure with thick wooden panels on all sides and a roof – there was a gap between the roof and the walls to see outside.

At Sejong’s question, Hyang, looking at the structure, answered simply.

“It’s the wheelhouse.”

“Wheelhouse?”

* * *

Note 1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Hind