Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 54

Jjangra

Hello, Bomb

54. New Weapons (2)

“So, how do you ignite the improved gunpowder?”

“We use the gunpowder that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince created.”

Sejong pointed out the problem with Choi Hae-san’s answer.

“Wouldn’t that be too cumbersome? It means there’s another gunpowder between the fuse and the gunpowder.”

The accompanying officials all nodded at Sejong’s point.

Most of them were civil officials, but some had gone through the Ministry of War, and even if they hadn’t, they had all heard at least once how to use cannons. And they knew that a fuse was essential to ignite gunpowder, as they had seen it directly at the last demonstration.

Choi Hae-san immediately responded to Sejong’s remark.

“We don’t use fuses for Eulshik gunpowder. We use caps—copper percussion caps.”

“Copper percussion caps?”

When Sejong expressed his doubt, Hyang quickly wrote the characters on a memo pad and handed it to Sejong.

“It’s written like this.”

“Hmm… Is there a real thing?”

At Sejong’s words, Choi Hae-san moved the copper tray placed on one side of the table in front of Sejong.

“The small one is for the hand cannon, and the big one is for the cannon.”

“Hmm…”

Sejong examined the copper percussion caps on the copper tray in detail.

The hand cannon version was slightly smaller than a fingertip, and the cannon version appeared to be about the size of a thumb joint.

Sejong, who had been examining the item in question, looked at Choi Hae-san.

“Is a demonstration possible?”

“I’ve already prepared it. This way.”

Choi Hae-san guided Sejong and the officials to a place slightly away from where the table was set.

The place Choi Hae-san guided them to was a space about 20 *jangs* [approximately 60 meters] wide and about 150 *jangs* [approximately 450 meters] long.

“It’s truly desolate.”

Sejong, upon seeing the place Choi Hae-san had guided them to, expressed his impression.

As Sejong had said, the space in question was truly desolate.

The three sides, excluding the place where the people stood, had earthen walls that appeared to be at least 2 *jangs* high. And the place where the people stood also had walls made by stacking bags filled with earth up to chest height. The space inside the walls was littered with potholes here and there.

As Sejong and the officials took their places behind the earthen wall, Choi Hae-san opened his mouth.

“Then, we will begin the demonstration. Start!”

At Choi Hae-san’s command, the artisans who had been waiting moved a small table in front of the demonstration platform. Copper trays and small wooden barrels were placed on the table.

“The one on the left contains Gapsik gunpowder, and the one on the right contains Eulshik gunpowder.”

As Choi Hae-san’s explanation continued, the artisans used spoons made of porcelain to scoop gunpowder onto the copper trays and inserted fuses. After confirming that the fuses were properly inserted, the artisans lit the fuses and stepped back.

Bang! Psssh.

The Gapsik gunpowder, which had its fuse lit, exploded with smoke, but the Eulshik gunpowder only burned the fuse and ended.

“This time, we will use the modified hand cannon and use the copper percussion cap. Begin.”

As the order was given, the artisans brought two hand cannons. The artisans, who had transferred gunpowder from the barrels containing gunpowder to the hand cannons, put in paper wadding and began to tamp them down with sticks.

The artisans, who had tamped them down firmly, pulled the hammer protruding from the back of the hand cannon and inserted the copper percussion cap. After completing all the work, the artisans firmly wedged the handle of the hand cannon into their right armpit, held the string connected to the hammer in their left hand, and stood facing the opposite wall.

“Fire, fire, fire!”

With a loud shout three times, the artisans pulled the strings simultaneously, and the two hand cannons spewed flames at the same time.

“Ooh!”

“Hoo!”

As the two hand cannons spewed flames, the vassals exclaimed.

Sejong turned to Hyang.

“So that’s why you don’t use fuses? Hmm… There would be fewer restrictions than when using fuses.”

“That’s right.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

Sejong looked at Hyang with a pleased expression. However, Sejong immediately put on a stern face and asked a question.

“The name of the gunpowder you made is Bogeun. Surely you’re not using precious silver?”

“No, I’m using mercury. Of course, mercury is also precious, but it’s easier to obtain than silver, and it’s only used for ignition, so the cost is less than expected.”

“I see. That’s a relief.”

Sejong’s face brightened at Hyang’s answer that the cost was low. After all, gunpowder was an item that consumed a lot of wealth.

Sejong, whose expression had softened a lot, turned his head to the demonstration site.

“I want to know about the other gunpowder that the Crown Prince made. General.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Bring the explosive oil.”

“Yes.”

At Choi Hae-san’s command, the artisans soon carefully brought in a small wooden box.

“Tilt the box to show the inside.”

The artisans tilted the box so that Sejong and the vassals could see the inside. In the middle of the box filled with sawdust was a small porcelain bottle.

Choi Hae-san took the porcelain bottle out of the box, pulled out the stopper, and tilted it slightly towards the empty ground.

Bang!

A drop of explosive oil fell to the ground through the mouth of the porcelain bottle, and at that moment, a loud explosion occurred.

“Gasp!”

“Oh my!”

As the vassals were horrified by the unexpected explosion, Choi Hae-san smiled mischievously and introduced it.

“This is explosive oil.”

“Amazing! Amazing! Crown Prince, truly amazing! It is indeed an item worthy of the name explosive oil! General, then what is its power?”

“It cannot be compared to the gunpowder used by our Joseon army. It would be appropriate to say that it is like heaven and earth. Prepare it.”

“Yes, General.”

The artisans prepared a demonstration to compare the power of black gunpowder and explosive oil.

“This is a thick I-chongtong [a type of cannon] made to test the power. The amount of gunpowder that goes in is 1/4 *nyang* [approximately 9 grams] on both sides. First, it’s Eulshik gunpowder.”

The artisan, who had tamped 1/4 *nyang* of Eulshik gunpowder into the I-chongtong, fixed the I-chongtong on a tripod that had been installed on the floor in advance. Then, he inserted an iron stopper that looked like a large mushroom into the mouth of the I-chongtong, which was standing diagonally towards the front. The artisan, who pulled the hammer and inserted the copper percussion cap, stepped back and shouted loudly.

“Fire! Fire! Fire!”

Bang!

With a loud explosion, the iron stopper flew in a parabola and fell to the ground.

The artisan began to count the *bo* [paces] while recovering the string connected to the iron stopper.

“1 *bo*! 2 *bo*!…” Choi Hae-san quickly explained to Sejong.

“We have painted colors in 1 *bo* units so that we can check the distance it flew.”

“Is that so?”

“5O *bo*! (about 60m)”

“Now we will experiment with explosive oil.”

At Choi Hae-san’s gesture, the artisans began preparing for the second firing. The artisans’ hands, which were filling the I-chongtong with explosive oil, were extremely careful.

“You’re being very careful?”

Hyang immediately answered Sejong’s question.

“It’s a terribly picky thing.”

“I see?”

“Fire! Fire! Fire!”

In the middle of the conversation, the artisan who had finished preparing pulled the string connected to the hammer.

Bang!

With a louder and sharper explosion than Eulshik gunpowder, the iron stopper soared into the sky and began to fly far away.

The artisan who recovered the iron stopper that had flown far away shouted the flight distance in a loud voice.

“110 *bo* (about 132m)!”

Sejong’s eyes widened at the artisan’s shout.

“It flew more than twice as far?”

“That’s right. It’s powerful as much as it is picky.”

Sejong clicked his tongue as he looked at Hyang’s expression as he answered.

“Tsk! Looking at your expression, it seems like it’s not an easy thing to use.”

“That’s right. With the current situation in Joseon, we can’t use explosive oil itself.”

“Oh, dear.”

Sejong couldn’t hide his disappointment at Hyang’s answer and smacked his lips.

“It’s a pity.”

“I agree.”

The vassals who heard Sejong and Hyang’s answers also had similar expressions to Sejong.

The Crown Prince’s personality, as they knew it, seemed to prioritize performance the most, but he surprisingly also considered production costs.

However, the fact that the Crown Prince did not mention the cost meant that the court could bear the production cost. However, the Crown Prince was now saying that it was ‘an unusable item’.

“How picky is it that you say that?”

“It’s terribly picky.”

Hyang explained the reason to Sejong.

“First of all, production itself is impossible in the warming spring or summer. High heat is generated in the synthesis process, and there is a high possibility that it will explode or catch fire on its own due to this high heat. I myself was able to challenge the synthesis only after winter began for that reason, and I had to use a large amount of ice from the Seokbinggo [royal ice storage].”

“Extreme caution must be taken during the synthesis process. Because it uses high-concentration acid, protective gear must be worn to protect the skin on the hands and face. In addition, there must be a ventilation device.”

“If even a small amount of impurities enters, the risk of self-destruction increases tremendously. For this reason, I had to go through numerous purification processes before and after synthesis.”

“Storage is not easy. It is extremely sensitive to impact, so if the containers collide with each other or shake violently during transportation, it will explode immediately.”

“If lightning strikes nearby, it will explode immediately. As explained above, if impurities are not properly removed, it will self-destruct over time. Storage must also be in a cool place due to the problem of self-destruction. In my case, I even dug a cave in Moyeoksan (Namsan) to create a storage place.”

“For these reasons, explosive oil itself is an absolutely unusable item.”

“It’s a truly cursed thing.”

At Hyang’s explanation, Sejong uttered profanity without realizing it. However, this time, the vassals also agreed.

“It’s a truly cursed thing.”

“The power is really good… but its personality is so dirty…”

Leaving behind the regret for explosive oil, Sejong moved on to the next.

“The next gunpowder to introduce is cotton gunpowder.”

“Cotton gunpowder? Did you name it cotton gunpowder using cotton cloth? No, you use cotton cloth for gunpowder?”

Sejong, who remembered Choi Hae-san’s explanation when he first saw it, wore an unbelievable expression. The vassals were the same.

“Make gunpowder with cotton cloth?”

“Of course, cotton cloth burns, but…”

When Sejong and the vassals were muttering full of doubts, Choi Hae-san picked up a piece of cotton cloth placed on the table with tongs.

“Light it.”

“Yes, General.”

Bang!

“Oh my!”

“Oh my!”

As soon as the artisan lit the cloth, the cotton cloth burned instantly with an explosion and turned into ashes.

Choi Hae-san, who was smiling at the sight of the vassals being startled by the explosion, opened his mouth.

“It is made using well-woven cotton cloth and various types of acid. As you can see, it has strong firepower. And… there is something most important. Starting with that explosive oil, cotton gunpowder, and Deokgapsik gunpowder are smokeless gunpowder.”

“Smokeless… Does that mean there is no smoke?”

“To be exact, it means there is less smoke.”

In the following demonstration, cotton gunpowder was weaker than explosive oil, but it showed sufficient power than black gunpowder.

“The last thing to show you is Deokgapsik gunpowder.”

“Deokgapsik? What is the reason for naming it that way?”

At Sejong’s question, Choi Hae-san looked at Hyang. Following Choi Hae-san’s gaze, Sejong and the vassals’ gazes were all focused on Hyang.

Hyang scratched the back of his head and answered.

“Well… I thought it was also a virtue to make it easy for all the soldiers who use gunpowder to use it, and I named it that way because I thought it was all thanks to Abamama [father, the King].”

“Hmm?”

“It’s a little embarrassing, but it’s a pretty good naming.”

Sejong and the vassals nodded at Hyang’s explanation. But Hyang had to smile bitterly.

“I can’t say that it’s gunpowder I learned through internet *deokjil* [otaku activities], and it’s from the German manufacturing method, so I took it from *Deokguk* [the name for Germany]!”

Choi Hae-san continued to explain.

“This Deokgapsik gunpowder is a mixture of cotton gunpowder, explosive oil, and glycerin [glycerol] in a certain ratio.”

At Choi Hae-san’s explanation, Sejong’s eyes widened and pointed out the problem.

“Mixed with explosive oil? I heard earlier that explosive oil is so picky that it can’t be used?”

“Cotton gunpowder and glycerin neutralized its properties.”

“Is that so? But cotton gunpowder is white, so why is this gunpowder black?”

“Because it is coated with graphite, covered on the outside.”

In the following power demonstration, Deokgapsik gunpowder showed sufficient power as much as explosive oil.

Sejong clapped and liked it when he saw the power.

“It’s truly wonderful! Wonderful!”

Hyang had a proud expression as Sejong liked it so much.

“As expected, *Deokguk* [Germany]!”

However, this was what Hyang had misremembered.

The combination that Hyang remembered was not German-made but British-made. To be exact, it was the combination of Cordite MD.

Sejong, who liked the newly created gunpowder so much, looked at the vassals.

“A very good gunpowder has come out, so how about mass-producing it?”

At Sejong’s suggestion, Hwang Hee asked Hyang.

“What is the production cost?”

“It costs about 30% more than producing the same weight of Gapsik gunpowder. But even if you put in only half of Gapsik gunpowder, it exerts more power.”

Hwang Hee nodded at Hyang’s answer and advised Sejong.

“It costs a lot, but it can be replaced by using a small amount, so it would be good to mass-produce it.”

“The words of the Chief State Councilor are correct.”

As the vassals agreed, Sejong looked at Hyang and Choi Hae-san.

“Prepare for the mass production of Deokgapsik gunpowder.”

At Sejong’s command, Hyang answered with a troubled face.

“I’m sorry to say this, but mass production of Deokgapsik gunpowder is impossible with the current situation in Joseon.”