Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 573

573. Going to War! Charge, Turtle Ship! (5)

Just like Joseon, Ming also recognized the usefulness of steam engines after the introduction of the Iron Horse [railroad].

Therefore, Ming was also researching the possibility of equipping ships with steam engines.

However, their research was still stagnant.

First and foremost, they couldn’t create a small, high-output steam engine.

They understood the structure of how the steam engine worked based on the blueprints of the Iron Horse imported from Joseon, but they hadn’t properly grasped even the most basic concepts.

It had become a castle built on sand [an unstable foundation].

And as they failed to solve this problem, a second problem arose.

The ship was too weak to carry a large and heavy steam engine.

Of course, there were ships like the Daebokseon, which were nearly 20 ‘jang’ (approximately 60 meters or 197 feet) in length, but their wooden keels couldn’t withstand the weight of a steam engine.

Just as in the history before Hyang’s intervention, ships equipped with proper steam engines could only appear after accumulating experience in building large, heavy warships like battleships.

* * *

“This can’t be happening…”

The chief of staff, who had been watching the Maengjinho rushing towards them while spewing smoke in the distance with an unbelievable expression, immediately advised Oh Gye-myeong.

“We must stop that Joseon steamship immediately! With that size, the firepower it carries must be considerable! If we fail, our formation will be split in half!”

Upon hearing the chief of staff’s words, Oh Gye-myeong immediately regained his senses and responded.

“That’s right! I must immediately order the Daebokseon on the left flank!”

“One ship won’t be enough! We need three, no, five ships!”

“Five ships would be 10% of our Daebokseon force! Isn’t that too much!”

“I’m still uneasy with five ships. You must remember that the Joseon bastards’ trick might be just that one ship!”

“That’s true.”

Oh Gye-myeong, immediately understanding what the chief of staff was worried about, issued the order.

Soon, five Daebokseon from the center of the formation turned their bows to engage the Maengjinho.

* * *

Inside the armored bridge of the Maengjinho, which was charging towards the Ming formation, Gang Nam-gil was wearing a satisfied smile.

“Exactly as expected.”

The situation of the Ming fleet visible in the distance was almost exactly as it had been during the initial planning of the operation.

The gaps between the large Daebokseon, medium Jungseon, and small ships were gradually widening. This was an inevitable result of the difference in size. When moving only with the wind, smaller ships could be faster, but when oars were added, the Daebokseon and Jungseon moved much faster.

Looking at the Ming fleet through a telescope, Gang Nam-gil turned to his deputy and continued.

“Things won’t get complicated. That’s very good. Don’t you think?”

“Indeed.”

“Good! Then let’s tear those big guys apart horizontally in one go. Full speed ahead.”

“Yes, full speed ahead!”

Upon Gang Nam-gil’s order, the deputy grabbed the speaking tube and shouted. Soon, the speed of the Maengjinho began to increase gradually.

“It’s definitely faster than the Challenger-class, but the acceleration is a bit slow. Can’t we improve this somehow?”

Gang Nam-gil, who was observing the situation while saying things that would make many engineers scratch their heads in disbelief, received a report through the speaking tube.

“Five Daebokseon ahead! Heading straight towards our ship head-on!”

“Finally, they’re here!”

As soon as he heard the report, Gang Nam-gil raised his telescope and looked ahead, wearing a very bright smile as he grabbed one of the many speaking tubes.

“This is the captain! Order to the Yonggupo (Dragon Mouth Cannon)! Secure the target!”

“Yonggupo! Target confirmed!”

The dragon head that adorned the bow of the Maengjinho was not merely a decoration. Inside the open mouth of the dragon head was the muzzle of the Maengjinho’s most powerful main gun.

* * *

While creating the assault turtle ship, Hyang indulged his inner desires to the fullest.

“More frightening than tigers or smallpox is that…”

Like the space battleship that played the main role in the Japanese animation he had seen in the 21st century, he had mounted the most powerful main gun on the bow.

This was partly due to Hyang’s inner desires, but it was also an unavoidable choice.

In a situation where a rotating turret was impossible, the only way to properly control the recoil was to install the gun along the longitudinal centerline of the hull.

The cannon installed on the bow was a breech-loading heavy gun with a caliber of 1 ‘cheok’ (approximately 30 cm or 12 inches) and a projectile weight of 200 ‘geun’ (approximately 120 kg or 265 pounds).

As an aside, there was a story that when this cannon was first completed, all the alcohol in the taverns of Hanseong [old name for Seoul] was emptied.

The military, especially the admirals of the navy, drank for joy, while the officials of the Ministry of Finance drank in frustration, causing the incident.

And this cannon existed only as a single unit installed on the bow of the Maengjinho. Everyone except the military agreed with Kim Jeom’s argument that ‘too much is as bad as too little’ [moderation is key].

It was a heavy gun that fired shells with tremendous weight and power, but its range was only 1,000 ‘bo’ (approximately 1.2 km or 0.75 miles), which was shorter than expected.

To increase the range, the barrel had to be longer, but that part was also problematic with Joseon’s current technology. Also, the fact that the opponents were all wooden ships was also a problem. If it missed, it would just pass right through.

Therefore, when Kim Jeom argued that too much was as bad as too little, Hyang also backed down.

* * *

The best way to maximize the power of this over-powered cannon was through raking fire. This was a method of inflicting serious damage by having the shell penetrate from the bow to the stern, or vice versa.

Therefore, Gang Nam-gil, as well as the artillery commander of the Yonggupo, welcomed the frontal charge of the Daebokseon.

“This is our first live firing! We must hit the target on the first shot!”

“Uwoah!”

The soldiers in charge of operating the Yonggupo responded to the artillery commander Kang Hwi’s cry with a shout. The soldiers’ shouts echoed even louder due to the steel roof covering the ceiling.

“First round, load!”

Following the orders of the commanders of each section, the soldiers loaded the Yonggupo with shells.

Ten soldiers turned the winch to pull up the shells and gunpowder from the powder magazine located below the deck.

Other soldiers moved the loading rod to load the shells and gunpowder, and closed the breech.

To prepare for any unforeseen events, two thick iron bars firmly connected the breech and the gun carriage, then the firing primer was inserted, and the firing cord was connected.

All preparations for firing were complete.

While the firing preparations were underway, Kang Hwi was also moving busily. Taking his place in the eyehole drilled into the dragon’s head, Kang Hwi was aiming at the Daebokseon approaching from the front using a precision telescope.

When all aiming was completed through Kang Hwi and the gunner, the signalman raised a red flag and put a megaphone to his mouth.

“Turn away! Cover your ears!”

Shortly after, a huge flame erupted from the Yonggu of the Maengjinho with a deafening roar.

Kuaaaang!

It was a huge roar like the roar of a dragon.

The shell fired with the roar flew through the air in a shallow arc and penetrated the bow deck of the Daebokseon approaching from the front.

Using its kinetic energy, the shell penetrated deep into the Daebokseon in an instant and exploded.

Kwakwang!

A huge explosion occurred, and shortly after, only traces remained of the Daebokseon that had been there.

As the Daebokseon leading the way disappeared without a trace, the other Daebokseon following behind scattered hastily to the left and right.

At that moment, dozens of cannons from the left and right sides of the Maengjinho, which had penetrated between them – 80 cannons in total on both sides – fired simultaneously.

Kwakwakwang!

In an instant, pillars of fire rose from two of the four Daebokseon. The Daebokseon, having lost almost their entire port and starboard sides, leaned into the sea, and the other Daebokseon quickly turned their bows.

And following behind them, the Maengjinho plunged into the heart of the Ming fleet.

* * *

The Maengjinho, which had plunged into the heart of the Ming fleet, charged forward relentlessly.

Kkuaaang!

Every time the Yonggupo of the Maengjinho fired, a Daebokseon invariably suffered serious damage, split in two, or disappeared without a trace.

Because they were densely packed to form the Eorinjin formation [a type of naval formation], the Yonggupo and the port and starboard cannons of the Maengjinho achieved almost perfect accuracy.

After the Maengjinho passed by, only Ming warships engulfed in flames or drifting with severe damage remained. Or, they left behind only a few floating objects as evidence that they had been there.

The sight of the Maengjinho was like a shark plunging into a school of sardines. Or, it was like a great white shark relentlessly biting at the flanks of a giant baleen whale.

“Good! Good! Truly an assault turtle ship! It lives up to the name Maengjin! Hahahaha!”

Gang Nam-gil, who was throwing his clenched fist up in the air and laughing heartily, grabbed the speaking tube and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Where is the enemy flagship! I’m talking about the one with the command flag!”

“We’re searching for it now!”

Whether Gang Nam-gil’s urging worked or not, soon a soldier’s shout was heard through the speaking tube.

“Enemy flagship spotted! Direction of Sulsi (戌時) [7-9 PM on a traditional Korean clock]!”

As the clocks made by Hyang became commonplace, it became common in the military to use the clock face to indicate direction.

“Sulsi?”

At the lookout’s cry, Gang Nam-gil, who was clinging to the window of the armored bridge, raised his telescope and searched in that direction.

“There it is! Helmsman! Turn the bow towards Sulsi!”

“Aye, aye!”

At Gang Nam-gil’s command, the helmsman excitedly spun the wheel.

Soon, the Maengjinho, having turned its bow, charged towards the flagship ridden by Oh Gye-myeong.

As the Maengjinho charged, the Jungseon and Daebokseon nearby blocked the way to protect the flagship.

The cannons of the Ming Jungseon and Daebokseon fired to stop the Maengjinho, but the shells they fired failed to penetrate the hull of the Maengjinho and bounced off harmlessly.

And in return for such attacks, the Maengjinho poured out a barrage of shells.

“Ah! Is the Joseon warship a monster!”

The captains of the warships that were attacked shed tears of blood. The sight of the Maengjinho, painted black and spewing black smoke as it charged, was like a monster.

The Maengjinho, breaking through the Ming fleet with unstoppable force, approached the flagship ridden by Oh Gye-myeong.

Seeing the approach of the Maengjinho, Oh Gye-myeong desperately shouted at the captain.

“Evade! Evade! Run away!”

“Turn the rudder to the right!”

The captain and crew of the flagship desperately began evasive maneuvers. But despite their desperate efforts, the Maengjinho caught up with the flagship’s stern.

“I can see its ass clearly! Yonggupo!”

“Aye!”

Kkuaaang!

Shortly after, the Yonggupo fired, and the flagship that Oh Gye-myeong was riding disappeared, leaving only the command flag behind.

“I’d like to stop and pick up the command flag, but… Tsk!”

Gang Nam-gil, who smacked his lips, grabbed the speaking tube.

“Now we tear the enemy fleet apart! Tear it apart horizontally as quickly as possible, then tear it apart vertically! Pour in all the coal and gunpowder!”

“Aye!”

“Uwoah!”

At Gang Nam-gil’s command, the soldiers responded with a shout.

* * *

With the sinking of the flagship carrying the commander, the collapse of the Ming fleet progressed even faster.

The Ming fleet was gradually collapsing from the outside due to the shelling of the Joseon fleet, which was deployed in a Hakikjin formation [crane wing formation], but the absence of a commander to direct the battlefield caused the Ming fleet to lose control.

In addition, every time the Maengjinho broke through, the Ming fleet was broken into smaller and smaller pieces.

Eventually, the Ming warships began to flee in disarray.

However, retreat was not easy. The Joseon warships tenaciously clung to their tails.

In the end, the Ming naval power that Emperor Xuanzong had painstakingly cultivated disappeared.

And the Ming sailors called the Maengjinho, which had instilled terrible fear in them, by this name.

‘Black Flame Dragon (黑炎龍)’