Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 510

510. Distance and Proximity (3)

“Hmm… It seems we’ve reached a general decision, so let’s submit this to the Crown Prince tomorrow.”

The ministers did not raise any objections to Hwang Hee’s decision.

The next day, Hwang Hee and the ministers entered Seungwhadang [a government building] and reported to Hyang about the matter.

“…As a result of our discussions, we believe it would be more beneficial to accept the plan sent by His Majesty.”

Although Hwang Hee’s statement was finished, Hyang did not immediately respond.

After a moment of silence, Hyang asked Hwang Hee,

“Is the plan to educate the natives of Shinji and put them into practical work really feasible? How will you secure the personnel to be in charge of education?”

Hwang Hee responded to Hyang’s question.

“For the placement of teachers, we plan to select individuals who have gained sufficient experience in Daeseol Island and Jongjang Island first.”

“Is that so? Then how will you solve the problem of officials? Right now, it’s just the process of establishing the foundation of Shinji, so only a small number of people have entered, but in the future, many people will be needed to create a proper organization. And will there be no problems with the integration of officials from Shinji’s natives and officials from Joseon?”

Hwang Hee answered as if he had been waiting for Hyang’s question.

“As for the officials, we will also select those who have a lot of experience working with the natives in outer regions such as Daeseol Island and Jongjang Island.”

Hyang pointed out the problem with Hwang Hee’s words.

“Most of Joseon’s officials hope to work in Hanseong [the capital]. But would officials like it if they had to suffer in outer regions and then go to even more distant outer regions?”

Hyang’s point was valid.

The ultimate goal of those who entered officialdom through the civil service examination was to become a Minister. And the prevailing idea was that working in Hanseong was the best way to rise to that position. This was why there were even petitions about the term of office for local officials at the beginning of the reform.

Hwang Hee smiled slyly at Hyang’s remark and replied.

“Of course, it is true that officials hope to work in Hanseong. Why would that be? It is because His Majesty is in Hanseong. But where is His Majesty now?”

“Shinji.”

“That’s right. Would there be any guys who would cause trouble or work sloppily when His Majesty is watching? In addition, there will be a rotation every five years, just like now, and personnel evaluations will follow.”

Hyang nodded at Hwang Hee’s explanation and muttered inwardly.

Even the most daring person would not be able to work carelessly in front of the king, who is the final authority on personnel matters, with his eyes wide open.

‘These guys are experts at using people!’

“Good. Then, I will decide to implement it according to Father’s revised plan.”

The ministers answered by bowing their heads to Hyang’s decision.

After settling the agenda, Hyang moved on to the next agenda.

“And next, a considerable amount of supplies are being transferred to Shinji. However, considering the amount of supplies being sent now and the amount that will be transferred in the future, and the efficiency of development, I think the construction of a transportation route from the bridgehead to Daehogun and a garrison to defend it is the most urgent.”

“That is correct.”

“However, there is a limit to sending manpower from Joseon, and it seems too early to use the natives of Shinji.”

“That is correct.”

The ministers nodded at Hyang’s point. Even now, various construction projects were continuing throughout Joseon and the northeastern region of Daeseol Island. In this situation, it was unreasonable to organize a large number of people familiar with construction and send them to Shinji.

Economic aspects were also a problem, but there was also the issue of security. For this reason, the construction work currently underway in Shinji was being carried out by the engineering corps. Therefore, it was a natural result that the speed was not properly achieved.

“It would be unreasonable to send additional engineering corps, right?”

Jo Mal-saeng answered immediately to Hyang’s question.

“I think it’s unreasonable. We have already sent all but the minimum reserve force to Shinji. Considering the situation in Liaodong now, we cannot send them all.”

* * *

Although Joseon had eroded a considerable portion, the remaining part of Liaodong was still vast. And among the Jurchens remaining in that vast area, there were still those who were hostile to Joseon. In addition, there were many who were wary of Joseon, relying on the shadow of Ming.

Therefore, the situation in Liaodong was always precarious. If something happened in Liaodong, Joseon’s plan was to immediately cross the Yalu River and establish a first line of defense.

And the engineering corps were responsible for this crossing and the construction of the defense line.

* * *

Hyang nodded at Jo Mal-saeng’s answer.

“I asked to confirm one more time. After all, the problem is the lack of manpower.”

Hwang Hee took over Hyang’s words.

“To solve that problem, Shin Suk-ju, starting with him, and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and interpreters are working hard to learn the language of the Shinji natives, so we will soon hear good news.”

“Even if they do their part, it is woefully insufficient compared to the number and scale of construction sites. So, Minister of National Defense.”

At Hyang’s call, Jo Mal-saeng looked at Hyang with a very nervous face.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Please deploy six additional Challenger-class battleships starting with the ship departing this time.”

“Yes? Then the direction of Japan will be empty.”

Jo Mal-saeng immediately expressed his opposition.

Even now, battleships were being built at the shipyards in Wonsan and Dongbing Port, but it took time for them to be commissioned. To solve the Crown Prince’s request during that time, existing battleships had to be returned. And in the current situation, it had to be taken from Tsushima Island, but considering the situation in Japan now, this was a very dangerous move.

Hyang immediately addressed Jo Mal-saeng’s concerns.

“Halt the decommissioning of the Panokseon ships [a type of Korean warship] that are currently being retired for the time being. The firepower of the Panokseon is sufficient to defend our Joseon coast. And can’t the Challenger-class battleships that are being redeployed now be replaced immediately after this winter? It’s only tight until the Northeast sea route to Shinji freezes over.”

Jo Mal-saeng bowed his head with an unavoidable expression at Hyang’s words. With Sejong in Shinji, Hyang was the highest authority in Joseon. No, he was the highest authority in the future.

“I will follow Your Highness’s orders.”

“I’m sorry for asking for an unreasonable request. But this is a must.”

“Your Highness.”

Hwang Hee, who had only been listening to Hyang’s words from the side, spoke to Hyang.

“What is the reason for suddenly deploying more ships? The supplies that His Majesty needs in Shinji can be sufficiently handled by the ships currently in operation.”

Hyang smiled at Hwang Hee’s point and replied.

“Ah! The device that I and Chief Jang Yeong-sil were working on has finally been completed! I’m going to send this to Shinji. These devices will be of great help in solving the manpower shortage problem in Shinji.”

Hwang Hee and the ministers’ eyes began to sparkle at Hyang’s words.

“Can we know what it is?”

“First of all, it is an excavator and a leveler.”

Hyang and Jang Yeong-sil’s collaboration was a backhoe and a bulldozer.

* * *

The excavator and leveler started with Hyang’s intervention after seeing the exoskeleton that Jang Yeong-sil made for fun.

It was a product created with Hyang’s concept, Jang Yeong-sil’s design ability, and the blood, sweat, and tears of the artisans in Area 51 [a secret workshop], and after going through various trials and errors.

As an aside, Jang Yeong-sil was dragged to Shinji around the time when this excavator and leveler were being refined to be useful. For this reason, Jang Yeong-sil tried to back out somehow, but Sejong dragged him away himself.

And soon after, the excavator and leveler were completed.

The excavator and leveler born in this way had their pros and cons.

The disadvantage was that the size was enormous due to the limitations of technology. And the advantage of that disadvantage was that the output was enormous.

“Since we can’t reduce the size anyway! Make it super strong while making it big!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

The leveler born in this way was about the size of an ordinary thatched house. The excavator with a steel arm for excavation was the size of a tiled house.

And both had endless treads as standard.

* * *

“Hoo~.”

“Heo~.”

The ministers who read the report from Area 51 repeatedly exclaimed.

The first to speak was Kim Jeom.

“It can replace the work of dozens of people with just one of these devices, so it will be very useful! Is mass production possible?”

Hyang slightly shook his head and answered Kim Jeom’s question.

“There is still some finishing work to be done. That’s why I’m sending it to Shinji. If they are overworked, problems that have not been discovered can be easily discovered, and then the efficiency of improvement work will be improved.”

“Ah….”

When Kim Jeom made a regretful expression, Hyang looked at Jo Mal-saeng.

“Additional organization is needed because of these devices. Due to the size of these devices, one unit can be loaded on one Challenger-class battleship. That’s even in a completely disassembled state. If you load these disassembled devices and the artisans who will reassemble them in Shinji, there probably won’t be any space left.”

“It seems so. But, these devices, especially the excavator, look very good for military use. Is it possible?”

“For military use? What are you going to use it for?”

Jo Mal-saeng answered immediately to Hyang’s question.

“It looks very useful when breaking down walls.”

“Ah!”

“Aha!”

Hyang and the ministers all exclaimed at Jo Mal-saeng’s words.

At Jo Mal-saeng’s words, the image of an excavator doing demolition work came to Hyang’s mind.

‘Should I make a rock drill for this? No, no! All you need is that big iron ball from Hollywood movies!’

Seeing that Hyang and the ministers’ reactions were good, Jo Mal-saeng continued excitedly.

“Of course, armor must be wrapped around it to protect the person handling it from the enemy’s attack, but the power of that excavator seems to be enough to handle it. If an excavator that is so tightly wrapped approaches the wall and swings that big shovel, even an ordinary wall will collapse immediately.”

Hyang and the ministers imagined the scene. After a while, Hwang Hee pointed out the problem.

“What if the enemy has artillery and attacks the excavator with artillery? There will be a limit to putting on armor, right?”

Jo Mal-saeng answered immediately to Hwang Hee’s question.

“Then we can shoot the artillery first. After we capture the enemy’s artillery with our artillery, we can mobilize the excavator to make a wide path in the wall. That shovel blade is good at breaking things, but wouldn’t it also be good at clearing away broken walls?”

“That’s true.”

While Hwang Hee was nodding, Heo Hoo raised an objection.

“Many of the Japanese castles are located in high altitudes, so it would be difficult to use these excavators, right?”

Jo Mal-saeng’s answer to Heo Hoo’s point was truly meaningful.

“All the castles of Ming are on the plains.”

Heo Hoo, who turned pale at Jo Mal-saeng’s answer, looked back at the other ministers.

The ministers, including Hyang and Hwang Hee, who had endured in the court for a long time, did not show any particular reaction.

Seeing that, Heo Hoo was able to know for sure.

‘It’s not just expecting a deterioration in relations with Ming! Everyone is prepared for a battle with Ming! Does everyone mean? Even the King has the same idea!’

While Heo Hoo was in shock, Hyang quickly handled the work.

“I think the Minister of National Defense’s plan is good. What do you think, Prime Minister?”

“I think it’s good too.”

Hyang, who had obtained Hwang Hee’s approval, asked Jo Mal-saeng.

“Then, which branch of the military will you assign the military excavator to?”

“Of course, it’s the engineering corps! If we add some artillerymen to protect the excavator, wouldn’t it be the icing on the cake?”

When Jo Mal-saeng mentioned the artillerymen, Hyang muttered inwardly.

‘If you just put artillery on it, it’s a tank… Ah, it’s a pity that the recoil reduction device and the breech-loading cannon are not ready yet! If only that comes out well, I can put it on right away! Steam engine tank! Steampunk! It’s just my taste!’

In this way, the world’s first ‘combat armored engineering’ was born.