Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 475

Two days later, Haeung No. 5 returned to Wonsan Port. The crew disembarking from Haeung No. 5, guided by tugboats and unsteady on their feet as they docked, collapsed onto the pier as soon as they reached solid ground. Some propped themselves up on their arms, while others lay flat on their backs, abandoning all formality.

“What in the world is going on…?” Hwang, who had rushed to the pier upon hearing of the ship’s arrival, muttered in bewilderment as he took in the scene.

As Hwang surveyed the chaotic pier, he spotted Seong-gwan descending the gangplank, his face pale. Hwang approached him.

“Captain, what happened?”

“Ah! It seems we conducted quite a few… thorough tests.”

“Thorough tests? As far as I know, the only thorough test was running the engine at maximum output to measure the speed, wasn’t it?”

“We tried various other things as well.”

Hwang’s expression darkened at Seong-gwan’s evasive reply.

“Huh? Weren’t we supposed to do the other tests after inspecting the engine and hull upon our return? Wait….”

Hwang trailed off, looking around for someone. Just then, Jin-pyeong ran towards him.

“Your Highness!”

Jin-pyeong, though his complexion was also pale, was bursting with energy and beamed at Hwang.

“Your Highness! It’s the best! I ordered various tests, and there were no shortcomings at all!”

Hwang glanced back and forth between Seong-gwan and the weary crew as Jin-pyeong spoke.

Seeing the crew flinch with every word from Jin-pyeong and Seong-gwan silently closing his eyes, Hwang sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“It was you….”

* * *

Since the deed was done, Hwang could only scold Jin-pyeong.

In the office at the Wonsan Shipyard, Hwang reviewed the report while reprimanding Jin-pyeong.

“According to this report, four of the six tests conducted during the voyage were supposed to be carried out later, weren’t they? Why did you do them all at once?”

“Since we were out there, I thought we should do everything we could.”

“Did you forget that we were planning to inspect the condition of the engine and hull after returning, and then proceed? Did you forget that we need to check for abnormalities and confirm there’s no danger before proceeding with each test? What if something went wrong and a major accident occurred?”

“I continuously checked the condition of the hull and engine after each test. The related records are in the attached report. I only proceeded when safety was confirmed. Your Highness, I’m not just a reckless boar. And even if an accident occurred, I was relieved knowing that Haeung-class battleships were accompanying us nearby.”

Jin-pyeong diligently defended his actions.

“And, I have ears too. According to the rumors I’ve heard, Joseon doesn’t have much time to spare. So, I thought a bold move was necessary.”

Hwang muttered inwardly at Jin-pyeong’s self-justification.

‘Did you cause a rebellion with such boldness?’

Hwang, studying Jin-pyeong’s earnest expression, asked, “You were excited, weren’t you? You did everything you wanted while you were out there, didn’t you?”

“….”

Seeing Jin-pyeong’s silent confirmation, Hwang’s expression shifted from anger to dismay.

“I’m going out for a bit.”

Hwang stepped outside, looked up at the sky, and shouted, “YAH! YOU SON OF A…!”

* * *

After calming his boiling emotions, Hwang returned to the office and addressed the situation.

“So… to summarize, the engine’s durability is sufficient? And the output was decent?”

“Yes. Of course, it’s impossible to determine long-term durability right now, but it’s sufficient in the short term. Long-term issues should be checked through continuous maintenance and inspection, and data should be gathered from ships put into practical use.”

“Hmm… that’s true.”

Hwang nodded at Jin-pyeong’s words.

‘At least this guy’s strength is that he does his job properly.’

Jin-pyeong might be obsessed with steam engines, but he was competent. That’s why Hwang continued to rely on him.

“Hmm… according to the report, and judging by the condition of the sailors who disembarked, was the shaking that severe when you reached maximum output?”

“Yes. But, in my judgment, it’s not an engine problem. The engine’s output was simply too excessive for the ship’s size.”

“That’s the most likely explanation.”

Hwang agreed with Jin-pyeong’s assessment.

Even in the 21st century, warships with engines that had excessively high output compared to their displacement were notorious. Ships with large output and displacement experienced little shaking even at high speeds, but high-speed boats with small displacement bounced around violently.

“The steam engine currently installed on Haeung No. 5 was originally made for the Challenger-class battleship, so it must have been too much for Haeung.”

“It seems like it would be excessive even for the Challenger-class.”

“Is it that much?”

Jin-pyeong nodded at Hwang’s question.

“Hmm… it seems to have turned out better than expected.”

Hwang, seeing Jin-pyeong’s reaction, added the issue to the report. Jin-pyeong then added to Hwang’s notes.

“In addition, it seems okay to put this engine directly on the Shinji route-dedicated ship that’s currently being designed.”

“The Shinji route-dedicated ship is 50% larger than the Challenger-class battleship, isn’t it?”

“It should still be sufficient.”

Hwang calculated for a moment in his mind at Jin-pyeong’s evaluation.

* * *

The route to Shinji was a long and arduous one, even for the Challenger-class battleship. Of course, there were islands along the way, so supply and refuge weren’t major issues, but the harsh northern climate limited the time available for navigation. Therefore, the Challenger-class battleships traveling to and from Shinji had to travel as quickly as possible, minimizing stopovers.

The problem was the ‘must move quickly’ part. To maintain speed, the amount of cargo—including people—had to be reduced, which slowed down the exploration efforts.

Fortunately, they had established stable, friendly relations with the natives during this period of slower exploration.

Therefore, the research institute, Area 51 [a fictional, highly secretive U.S. Air Force facility], and the Navy were developing a steam engine to be mounted on the Challenger-class battleship, the largest warship Joseon possessed. Simultaneously, they were designing a new battleship specifically for the Shinji route.

The purpose of developing the Shinji route-dedicated ship was simple:

‘A ship that carries more and moves faster.’

Therefore, from the initial design phase, the people from Area 51 and the research institute reduced the number of weapons to be loaded, prioritizing cargo capacity.

They included a sufficient number of hwachas [Korean multiple rocket launchers], which were close-range defense weapons for emergencies, but reduced the loading capacity of the main cannons to half that of the Challenger-class.

The Navy immediately protested the proposal.

“There are too few cannons! It’s dangerous! It’s impossible!”

The research institute and Area 51 immediately countered the Navy’s reaction.

“Are there any dangerous, hostile entities on the Shinji route that require the use of cannons? Are you afraid of natives in small leather boats?”

“That’s not it, but… it’s dangerous if pirates appear.”

“Are there pirates with ships large and strong enough to travel all the way up there from the south? And isn’t it the Navy’s negligence to allow pirates to reach the northern Shinji route?”

“….”

The Navy’s admirals were silenced by the developers’ criticism.

* * *

Currently, the lords of the northern regions of Honshu (本州) in Japan, facing Daeseol Island, had completely abandoned fishing and were focusing on agriculture. This was because approaching or lingering near Daeseol Island resulted in immediate capture by the Joseon Navy and subsequent hardship.

Therefore, if agriculture alone couldn’t provide a solution, they had to formally obtain permission from Joseon and the shogunate [the military government of Japan] to engage in trade with Daeseol Island.

As a result, the vast ocean to the east was the only area where the lords of Honshu and Kumamoto in Japan could freely navigate. The seas in other directions were all under surveillance by the Joseon and Ming [referring to the Ming Dynasty of China] navies.

* * *

This was the situation, so the Navy admirals were silenced by the developers’ criticism.

In the end, the debate over the number of cannons to be mounted on the Shinji route-dedicated ship was tentatively resolved by accepting the developers’ proposal.

And Sejong [King Sejong the Great, the fourth king of Joseon], after careful consideration of the records, reached a conclusion.

“There is little need for a large number of cannons on the Shinji route, so reducing the number of cannons to be loaded is reasonable. It would be good to begin designing according to this proposal.”

“We obey your command!”

The developers won a decisive victory with Sejong’s decision, and the Navy had to accept it. Kim Jeom and the Minister of Finance breathed a sigh of relief.

“It costs a lot of money to build a ship, but the cannons and steam engines cost even more, so I’m relieved this time.”

The Minister of Finance replied with a gloomy face to Kim Jeom’s words.

“According to recent rumors, the Crown Prince is researching ironclad ships….”

Kim Jeom replied firmly to the Minister of Finance’s words.

“We should gradually submit a memorial to His Majesty regarding the regency or abdication. That way, the Crown Prince cannot do useless things.”

“Minister! Someone might hear you!”

The Minister of Finance was horrified, but Kim Jeom remained calm.

“Why are you so surprised? Considering the Crown Prince’s age, isn’t it time for him to serve as regent?”

“But, if you make a mistake….”

“Just get fired. I’ll take a good rest after being fired.”

“Is it okay if you get dismissed? Have you ever thought about being stuck in the archives?”

“Damn it….”

Kim Jeom cursed at the Minister of Finance’s words.

* * *

Against this backdrop, Hwang recalculated based on Jin-pyeong’s opinion, which had confirmed the actual performance.

‘Hmm… of course, the design was made with a margin in output… still….’

Hwang shook his head as he calculated, adding and subtracting figures.

“Let’s only mount the currently developed steam engine on the Challenger-class as planned. No matter how good the output of the current engine is, it feels a bit tight considering the size of the new battleship being developed. There must be room in the engine to adapt to unexpected situations.”

“That’s true.”

Jin-pyeong readily agreed with Hwang’s decision.

* * *

With a report detailing the initial confirmation results, improvements, and suggestions for future development, Hwang returned to Hanseong [the historical name for Seoul, the capital of Korea].

“Don’t cause accidents, and do it properly.”

“Please don’t worry!”

Hwang squinted and muttered at Jin-pyeong’s confident reply.

“It makes me more uneasy when you say that.”

“I will do it properly!”

“I’ll trust you.”

Despite his words, Hwang boarded the train with a face full of distrust.

“Please travel safely!”

Jin-pyeong, who enthusiastically saw Hwang off, returned diligently to the shipyard.

In front of Haeung No. 5, where smoke was already rising from the chimney, the developers and Seong-gwan were waiting for Jin-pyeong.

“I’m a little late.”

“Not at all!”

After a brief exchange, Jin-pyeong looked at Haeung No. 5 and then back at Seong-gwan and the developers.

“Well, how about we run properly again today?”

“Good!”

They immediately agreed with Jin-pyeong’s suggestion. They were already addicted to speed, a stark contrast to their initial state upon returning to the pier. Seong-gwan and the Navy, familiar with the Haeung-class battleships known for their speed, were naturally enthusiastic, but even the developers had succumbed to the thrill of high velocity.

Hwang, upon hearing the story later, shook his head and muttered.

“Was this liking for fast things a DNA-level inheritance?”