Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 505

505. There are Thorns on Roses (3)

“Summon all the artisans.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Having received the report stating ‘impossible to replicate,’ Pedro immediately summoned the artisans.

Once the artisans were gathered, Pedro got straight to the point.

“I simply cannot understand. If it were written, ‘difficult to replicate’ or ‘requires considerable effort,’ I might understand. But, impossible? What does this mean?”

The head artisan bowed deeply as he answered Pedro’s question.

“I am sorry, but with our skills, we cannot create an arquebus like this one.”

Pedro’s voice grew louder at the head artisan’s words.

“So, why! Why is it impossible! Isn’t it made of the same iron and wood!”

The head artisan replied succinctly to Pedro’s outburst.

“It is not the same iron.”

“Huh?”

Seeing Pedro’s confused expression, the head artisan asked Henrique, who was standing beside him.

“May we bring the arquebuses you gave us to explain?”

“Do so.”

Following the head artisan’s request, and after obtaining Henrique’s permission, a large table with the matchlock rifles was brought into the conference room.

“Why all of a sudden?”

The head artisan answered before Pedro could finish speaking, noticing the large table being brought in.

“We had to bring it like this in case even a small part might be lost.”

“I see….”

Pedro frowned slightly as he looked down at the table while listening to the head artisan’s answer.

On the table were three Joseon-made arquebuses in perfect condition and a pile of disassembled arquebus parts.

“You disassembled seven of them?”

“Yes, but we stopped because we thought it would be useless to disassemble them further.”

Pedro wore a dumbfounded expression at the head artisan’s answer.

“And the conclusion you reached after disassembling them is that it’s impossible….”

Pedro glared at the head artisan, unable to finish his sentence properly.

“Explain it properly. If you cannot convince me, I will hold you accountable!”

Despite Pedro’s stern warning, the head artisan did not look frightened. Rather, he had a detached expression.

“Even if Your Excellency says so, the impossible is still impossible. I will explain the reason.”

The head artisan began to explain, holding up the disassembled barrel and various parts.

“As you can see, Joseon’s arquebus is made entirely of iron, even the parts where we use copper.”

“Is that the problem?”

“The problem is that it is not ordinary iron, but steel.”

The head artisan’s explanation was as follows:

– First, the barrel. Portuguese barrels are cast from pig iron and then heat-treated. However, Joseon’s are made of steel. Of course, it is not impossible to cast with steel, but it requires much more effort.

– Another piece of evidence that it is not cast is that the surface and interior of the Joseon barrel are very smooth. Of course, the surface can be smoothed with filing. However, what Joseon’s shows is beyond what is possible with filing. No matter how much we think about it, we cannot figure out how to make it like this.

“Although I am an ignorant artisan, I swear to Your Excellency in the name of God. If we could obtain the steel used in that Joseon arquebus and sell it, we would not be shortchanged even if we received the same weight in silver as payment.”

“Huh….”

Pedro still had a dumbfounded expression after listening to the head artisan’s explanation. However, Pedro did not back down easily either.

“Alright, let’s say that the Joseon steel is very excellent. But can’t that part be replaced with cast iron and bronze?”

At Pedro’s suggestion, the head artisan pointed to the parts gathered on one side and continued speaking.

“The problem is this firing mechanism. We cannot replicate this firing mechanism as it is. The Joseon people have tampered with it.”

“Tampered with it?”

“The moment we disassembled it to examine the internal structure, all the parts sprang out. As a result, we cannot even attempt to reassemble it.”

“Huh?”

“The reason why the Joseon people made this part into a single device is definitely because of that.”

“Then, if we remove only the tampered part, can’t we figure out the rest?”

This time, the head artisan wore a dumbfounded expression at Pedro’s suggestion.

“How do we know which part to remove? No, even if we remove the suspected part, can we be sure that it will work properly afterwards?”

Duke Pedro’s mouth closed tightly at the head artisan’s question.

As Pedro fell silent, Henrique, who was next to him, joined the conversation.

“Alright, let’s say we can’t know the exact structure. Even so, shouldn’t we be able to figure out the rough outline or principle?”

The head artisan nodded at Henrique’s question.

“Yes, we can roughly guess how it works.”

“Then, can’t we make it based on that guess?”

The head artisan held up a spring placed on the table at Henrique’s question.

“The problem that was first raised in that part, that we do not have steel with the same quality as Joseon steel, is holding us back. The steel used in this Joseon arquebus is not all the same steel. No, steel is steel, but its properties are subtly different depending on the location where it is used. Replacing it with pig iron or bronze? Instead of an arquebus, a musket, or even something bigger than a musket, will be made. To put it simply, the size of this small mola [spring] will also be several times larger.”

“Huh….”

Following Pedro, even Henrique had a difficult expression, but the head artisan spoke of the harsh reality.

“In addition, this firing method is also a problem. I swear to God, there is no artisan in Portugal or nearby Spain who can properly implement the firing method used by the Joseon people.”

“What does that mean again?”

“The reason is….”

* * *

The meeting, which began with Pedro’s call after receiving the report and getting angry, lasted nearly three hours.

Most of the meeting was the head artisan’s explanation of why it was impossible, and Pedro and Henrique had to realize the harsh reality to the bone.

“…Therefore, if there are those who can make something even similar to this, it would probably be only a few artisans among the famous guilds in Italy.”

Henrique looked back at Pedro at the head artisan’s conclusion.

“Shall we ask Cosimo de Medici for a request?”

Pedro shook his head at Henrique’s question.

“Even if it is Medici, would he give up such an artisan? No way. And what good would it do to bring one or two such artisans? Even if we attach assistants, can they handle the demand? Didn’t you already hear the explanation?”

“Ah….”

* * *

What completely discouraged Pedro and Henrique was when the head artisan explained the firing method.

“…So, the method used by the Joseon people is the method we gave up.”

“Why did you give up on it?”

“Because it is both dangerous to use and difficult to make.”

The firing method used in the matchlock rifle was a method in which the sear [a part of the firing mechanism] struck the flash pan cover using the force of a spring when the trigger was pulled. It was a very familiar and natural method to Hyang, who had knowledge of the 21st century, but it was a very dangerous and difficult method at this time.

The dangerous reason was that it could be misfired immediately if the trigger was pulled even slightly wrong. To prevent this, the trigger pressure had to be adjusted very precisely, which made production difficult.

Therefore, the arquebuses and muskets of Europe at this time were made with the trigger and spring connected by a link to interlock. Of course, springs were also used, but the purpose of the spring was to fix the hammer so that it did not touch the flash pan.

In simple terms, the operating method was completely opposite. And there were very few artisans who could understand and properly implement this completely opposite operating method.

And this part, along with the black box, made Hyang confident that replication was impossible.

* * *

When Hyang first said that he would sell it to Europe, Yi Cheon was also worried, similar to the Gang of Four [a group of Hyang’s close confidants].

“Although we used ciphers, I am anxious. Are not the Westerners also familiar with firearms?”

However, Hyang smiled slightly and shook his head at Yi Cheon’s worries.

“That will not happen.”

“Why is that?”

Hyang explained the reason to Yi Cheon’s question. Hyang’s explanation to Yi Cheon was almost the same as what the head artisan had told Pedro.

And Yi Cheon’s point was also similar to Pedro and Henrique’s point.

“The problem of steel can be replaced with cast iron and bronze, and the problem of the firing method can also be imitated similarly, can’t it?”

Hyang smiled even more wryly at Yi Cheon’s point and asked back.

“Have you forgotten how strong a spring you need to make to strike the flint held in the hammer to create a spark?”

Yi Cheon exclaimed, realizing the point, and answered.

“Ah! I forgot when I first made the Gapsik rifle!”

* * *

When Hyang, Choi Hae-san, Yi Cheon, and the artisans first made the Gapsik rifle, one of the most difficult parts was the spring that went into the firing mechanism. No matter how hard they tried, enough power did not come out, and when the misfire rate increased, Hyang took a risk.

“It would be better to continue improving the quality of the iron in this part and use a different method.”

The second method Hyang chose was to increase the ratio of fulminating mercury in the fulminating mixture in the copper percussion cap.

The way to safely use fulminating mercury, which is extremely sensitive to impact and has a high risk of spontaneous combustion even if left alone, was to mix it with impurities to lower its purity.

However, Joseon in the early Gyeongjang era [a period of Joseon dynasty] could not produce springs of the desired quality with its technology, and Hyang used a trick of increasing the ratio of fulminating mercury to a precarious level and using it in the percussion cap.

And, as Gyeongjang progressed, Hyang continued to eliminate the risk factors of the Gapsik rifle as better quality steel was produced in large quantities.

* * *

Hyang, recalling the memories of the hardships they had experienced, explained the reason and continued to speak.

“Of course, since there are many people in Europe, there may be artisans who can make a long rifle with similar performance and similar safety to the matchlock rifle we will send. But, you see. Even if one or two such artisans jump into production, how much can they make?”

A more bitter smile was on Hyang’s face as he asked Yi Cheon.

‘Although it is still at a primitive level, Fordism is the cheat key!’

Hyang actively adopted Fordism [a manufacturing system designed to produce standardized, relatively low-cost goods and afford its workers decent enough wages to buy them] when building a mass production system at the steel mill, royal workshop, and Area 51.

“Even if mass consumption is a bit too much, we can make mass production possible! And the key to that mass production is standardization!”

And the representative of what comes out through this process was the firearms used by the Joseon army.

Therefore, they could not compete with Joseon with the method of artisans with one or two apprentices still producing from beginning to end in a blacksmith shop.

‘The high-end artisans of this period are like high-performance machine tools in the 21st century. The problem is that high-performance machine tools can be mass-produced from the machine itself, but artisans cannot?’

Yi Cheon, who was relieved by Hyang’s explanation, was still worried.

“But, isn’t the price too expensive? There will be a lot of talk compared to the price when handing it over to Daene.” (T/N: Daene is probably a person’s name, but I’m not sure who it is.)

“The case is different from Daene. In the case of Daene, we had to protect the interests of our Joseon through Daene, so we sold it with a slight addition to the cost, but isn’t Europe different? And, bargaining is the basis of business. Wouldn’t it be okay to give a discount if they buy a lot?”

Yi Cheon had nothing more to say.