Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 571

571. Setting Sail! Charge, Turtle Ship (3)

Upon receiving the order, all squadrons participating in the operation surged towards the sea.

The first squadrons to join were the Gyeonggi Squadron and the Chungcheong Squadron.

Having rendezvoused near Socheong Island, the two fleets immediately began forming their battle formations according to the plan they had already received.

Fast Haeung-class warships surrounded the perimeter, while Challenger-class warships formed the inner ranks.

* * *

While the warships were busy forming their ranks, the commander of the Chungcheong Squadron—or more precisely, the Naval Forces Regional Pacification Commissioner—boarded the Gyeonggi Squadron’s ship.

“Welcome aboard.”

“It’s been a while.”

After a brief greeting, the two naval commanders sat facing each other and began to talk.

“Has the enemy’s size been determined?”

“According to Haeung No. 22, there are about 20 large ships, and about 30 medium and small ships combined.”

In response to the Gyeonggi naval commander’s answer, the Chungcheong naval commander stroked his beard and asked again.

“Do you think that’s all of the enemy’s forces?”

“Not at all. How many years have they been coming and going to our Jemulpo [present-day Incheon]? And it’s not like they’ve only met each other a couple of times in the open sea. They must be familiar with our situation, so we should add at least twice that number.”

The Chungcheong naval commander nodded at the Gyeonggi naval commander’s answer and smiled.

“Their familiarity will be their downfall. They’ll assume we only have Haeung-class ships.”

At the Chungcheong naval commander’s words, the Gyeonggi naval commander smiled and nodded.

* * *

As the Ming army already knew, the Hamgyeong, Gyeonggi, and Chungcheong Squadrons did not have Challenger-class warships.

-Challenger-class warships are too large to be used in the inner sea.

This was the reason why Challenger-class warships were not deployed.

After Joseon seized naval supremacy in the nearby waters, the Joseon navy called the West Sea either the inner sea or a salt lake. It was such a narrow sea area that it was judged that the Haeung-class alone was sufficient to maintain naval supremacy.

However, as a battle with Ming became certain, three Challenger-class warships were secretly deployed to the Hamgyeong, Gyeonggi, and Chungcheong Squadrons.

This reinforcement had only recently taken place, so Ming did not yet know about it.

* * *

The Gyeonggi and Chungcheong naval commanders spread out a nautical chart and continued to assess the situation.

“It will take the enemies at least a few more days to form a fleet and come here. Isn’t this good for us?”

“Indeed. It will take at least three days for the Jeolla Left and Right Squadrons’ warships to arrive.”

“Even if the other warships are late, if only those damned monks arrive on time, we won’t have to worry too much, right?”

“Damned monks…? Ah! Hahaha!”

The Chungcheong naval commander, who was momentarily puzzled by the Gyeonggi naval commander’s sudden mention of ‘damned monks,’ soon understood the meaning and burst into hearty laughter.

The ‘damned monks’ that the Gyeonggi naval commander was referring to were the crew of the Assault Turtle Ship, Maengjin.

* * *

As the Assault Turtle Ship was completed, the navy began searching for candidates to appoint as its captain. At this time, an unexpected person visited the headquarters.

“No! How could you forget me for such an important task! I am the most qualified for this! Give me the ship!”

The one who volunteered to be the captain was Gang Nam-gil, the captain of Maengjin.

When the Challenger-class warships were first created, the captain became a problem.

“These are unprecedented ships, so we need to find suitable people…”

The high command, after much deliberation, selected those who were evaluated as bold and progressive to be the first generation of captains.

Although they were called bold and progressive, according to Hyang’s assessment, they were ‘smart lunatics.’

And Gang Nam-gil, the captain of Maengjin, was the most outstanding among them. According to Hyang’s assessment, he was a human being ‘whose craziness was so full that it overflowed, and who was even more troublesome because he was very capable.’

It was this capable lunatic who not only crushed the pirates but also discovered Shinji.

“With the achievements you’ve accumulated so far, you could become the youngest naval commander, so why are you trying to suffer?”

When the higher-ups heard the news of Gang Nam-gil’s volunteering, they tried to dissuade him, but Gang Nam-gil smiled and immediately replied.

“Life is only once! If I’ve decided to ride a warship, shouldn’t I ride it properly? The Assault Turtle Ship is the perfect ship for me!”

The person in question showed a strong will, and his past performance was more than sufficient, so Gang Nam-gil was able to become the captain of the first Assault Turtle Ship.

“Alright. Since you volunteered, is there anything you need?”

As soon as the higher-ups finished speaking, Gang Nam-gil spoke of what he wanted.

“First, I would like to use the name Maengjin. What could be more suitable for the Assault Turtle Ship than the name Maengjin?”

Gang Nam-gil’s words were reasonable, so the higher-ups nodded.

“That’s right. It’s fine. And is there anything else?”

“Yes, I would like to take all the soldiers of Maengjin with me. Even if those who handle the steam engine are unavoidable, wouldn’t it be better to fill the other positions with people who already work well together?”

“Hmm….”

The higher-ups could not immediately answer Gang Nam-gil’s explanation.

“We’ll think about that part a little more and give you an answer. However, there is some merit to your opinion, so we will try to consider it as much as possible.”

“I beg you!”

In the end, after a meeting attended by Hyang, it was decided that all the crew members of Maengjin would be transferred to the new Maengjin.

Gang Nam-gil’s argument played a big role in this decision, but even bigger was the famous eccentricity of the Maengjin crew.

‘From the lookout on the mast to the hold of the ship, they are all crazy people, so it’s easier to keep them all in one place!’

With this thought in mind, Hyang approved the decision without hesitation.

* * *

‘The damned monks of Maengjin Temple.’

This was the nickname for Maengjin and its crew within the Joseon Navy.

From Captain Gang Nam-gil to the lowest sailor, everyone in Maengjin shaved their heads. No, they went beyond just trimming their hair short and shaved it completely bald.

“No, I told you to trim your hair appropriately, who told you to shave it all off? Are you dissatisfied with something?”

“It’s better to shave it all off than to suffer from fleas and lice on a voyage to the open sea!”

“…”

The nickname ‘damned monks’ was not just because they shaved their heads. They were also famous for their terrible dress code.

However, the moment they showed their true worth was when a battle broke out. Even though they were usually relaxed, as soon as a battle broke out, they would prepare for battle in their respective positions faster than anyone else. And they were perfectly equipped with all the necessary safety gear.

Therefore, there was this assessment among the sailors.

“It was because they were the damned monks of Maengjin Temple that they were able to discover Shinji.”

On the day they first encountered the Assault Turtle Ship, the crew members of Maengjin all said the same thing, regardless of their position.

“Finally, we have found a ship that suits us!”

* * *

Two days later, the sea off Socheong Island was teeming with Joseon warships.

The Hwanghae Squadron and the Jeolla Left and Right Squadrons had completed their assembly.

In the flagship of the Gyeonggi Squadron, the naval commanders of each squadron and Gang Nam-gil gathered to begin a meeting.

According to the already established operation plan, the Gyeonggi naval commander, who was in charge of the supreme commander’s duties as the commander-in-chief, lightly bowed to the other naval commanders gathered in the room and opened his mouth.

“I have been given the heavy responsibility of commander-in-chief because I know this area well. I hope you will all help me a lot.”

“Don’t mention it. Isn’t this inner sea like the back of your hand to you? We should be the ones asking for your help.”

“We’re in your care.”

“We’ll trust only the Gyeonggi naval commander.”

In response to the Gyeonggi naval commander’s humble remarks, the other naval commanders smiled and responded. The Gyeonggi naval commander sitting in the seat of honor had spent a long time in the Gyeonggi Squadron. Thanks to this, he knew this inner sea better than anyone else.

The meeting continued in such a friendly atmosphere.

“Through continuous reconnaissance, we have roughly learned the enemy’s strength. It consists of 40 large ships called Daebokseon [large Korean ships], about 80 medium ships, and an estimated 100 small ships.”

“Oh….”

“That’s a lot….”

At the Gyeonggi naval commander’s story, the other naval commanders’ faces became serious.

The current Joseon naval allied fleet consisted of 60 Haeung-class ships, 15 Challenger-class ships, and 1 Assault Turtle Ship, for a total of 76 ships. Of course, if all the warships were mobilized, it could exceed 100 ships, but most of them were small ships that were of little help in combat.

The Gyeonggi naval commander continued to speak.

“The fact that they brought so many small ships means that their cannons are definitely inferior in performance.”

“Hmm….”

At the Gyeonggi naval commander’s words, the other naval commanders stroked their beards and pondered.

After the Battle of Insanjin, the military carefully examined the captured cannons of the Liaodong army.

-The cannons of the Ming army are inferior to those of our Joseon army in terms of both power and range.

-With the exception of the problematic Hwaryongpo [a type of cannon], the range of the cannons of the Liaodong army does not exceed 1,300 paces (approximately 1.56 km). This is far short of the range of 2,000 paces (approximately 2.4 km) of our Joseon army’s cannons.

-The weight of the shells fired is also lighter than the shells used by our Joseon army.

The Jeolla Left naval commander, remembering the report sent from Hanseong [old name for Seoul], shared his thoughts.

“Are they aiming for a melee battle?”

“That’s right. They also know that their cannons are inferior to those of our Joseon, so they will do their best to stick to our warships. In such an entangled situation, they will try to use small ships to launch a fire attack.”

The naval commanders nodded at the Gyeonggi naval commander’s explanation.

The Gyeonggi naval commander continued to speak.

“So, this is the operation I have in mind. First, the Jeolla Left and Right Squadrons will form the left flank, and the Gyeonggi, Hwanghae, and Chungcheong Squadrons will form the right flank. Next, we will form a crane wing formation [a military tactic] in two rows and approach the enemy, then spread out to form a diagonal formation.”

The Gyeonggi naval commander explained, drawing imaginary lines on the nautical chart with his baton.

The Chungcheong naval commander, who was listening to the Gyeonggi naval commander’s explanation, asked a question.

“Are you going to deploy a crane wing formation?”

“That’s right. Our cannons are far superior in power, so I plan to take full advantage of that.”

“Hmm….”

At the Gyeonggi naval commander’s answer, the naval commanders once again closed their mouths and entered into a battle of wits. The Jeolla Left naval commander, who was assuming that he was the enemy and looking for a way to break through this, asked the Gyeonggi naval commander.

“The crane wing formation is the best way to utilize our cannons, but the problem is the enemy’s strength. Since their numbers exceed our ships, they will form a fish scale formation [another military tactic] and try to break through the crane wing formation.”

The Jeolla Left naval commander pointed out, drawing an imaginary fish scale formation with his baton. The Gyeonggi naval commander looked at Gang Nam-gil and opened his mouth.

“That’s why we have the Assault Turtle Ship, isn’t it? Captain, where do you think your warship should be?”

Gang Nam-gil, who was deep in thought at the Gyeonggi naval commander’s question, answered.

“Two places. One is to charge from the very center of the crane wing formation, dividing the enemy ranks in two and bisecting them, and the other is to sortie from one of the left and right flanks and traverse the enemy ranks.”