Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 615

615. The Beginning of the Empire – A Day Like Yesterday (3)

“A dedicated cartridge? Are you kidding me?”

Giovanni, momentarily stunned by Kim Jeom’s mention of a ‘dedicated cartridge,’ burst out in anger. Enrique and Mehmed II, sitting beside him, glared at Kim Jeom with similar expressions.

“It’s not like we don’t know what a musket is! A dedicated cartridge! What kind of wordplay is this!”

Enrique and Mehmed II nodded in agreement with Giovanni’s outburst.

‘It’s not like we’re some country bumpkins from France or England!’

They were already familiar with muskets from preparing for war.

‘The bullet is just a lead ball that fits the caliber, and the gunpowder isn’t anything special, so what’s with the dedicated cartridge!’

‘There’s a limit to how much you can look down on us!’

“Hmm….”

Kim Jeom’s expression turned cold at Enrique and his group’s reaction.

“What is it with that look!”

When Giovanni raised his voice again, Kim Jeom calmly retorted.

“Since you claim to know muskets so well, let me ask you something. When you operate a musket the way you know, can you achieve the same rate of fire as we demonstrated in our military drills?”

“That….”

Giovanni’s mouth clamped shut as he tried to answer Kim Jeom’s question. Seeing Giovanni struggling and looking embarrassed, Kim Jeom pressed on.

“Our nation is the one that exported the muskets your country uses, so how can you not know what I’m pointing out? Let me ask again. Is it easy to reload those muskets while lying down or kneeling? Unlike the muskets you saw yesterday.”

“….”

Kim Jeom’s pointed questions continued, but Giovanni’s lips remained sealed. The same was true for Enrique and Mehmed II.

Before long, the three men realized one thing.

‘So, the key to the Joseon army’s new musket was that cartridge!’

As their thoughts turned in that direction, Mehmed II spoke.

“I would like to see that musket and the dedicated cartridge in more detail. Would that be possible?”

“I need to get His Majesty’s approval, so I can’t give you an answer right away.”

Mehmed II strongly pressed Kim Jeom for an answer.

“I definitely want to see it. If it satisfies me on the spot, our country will engage in a trade with your country that will surprise you.”

After pondering Mehmed II’s response, Kim Jeom replied.

“I will report that to His Majesty as well.”

* * *

With that, the consultation ended, and Enrique and his group left the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and headed to their lodgings.

On the way back, Enrique and Giovanni glared at Mehmed II.

“A trade that will surprise Joseon, no, the Korean Empire? What are you thinking?”

Mehmed II immediately replied to Enrique’s rebuke.

“It’s a proposal I put forward after much deliberation.”

Mehmed II, who gave a short answer, looked at the sunset-colored sky and muttered inwardly.

‘My father is getting old. To overcome my rivals, I need many allies. And I need shackles to bind them.’

* * *

The Ottoman Empire’s succession competition was a bloody and brutal contest. To win that competition, he needed many people who would pledge their loyalty to him.

For that purpose, the new musket of the Joseon army, which he had seen yesterday, was very useful. Muskets were already familiar to his rivals. Not only Joseon-made muskets, but also those made in Portugal, Italy, Spain, and even Ming were circulating in large quantities.

In this situation, the musket that the Joseon army showed yesterday was far superior to all other muskets.

If he used that musket as bait, there would be plenty of nobles and generals who would swear allegiance to him. In the Ottoman Empire, which was expanding its territory every day, the shortcut to success was to build military achievements. And to build those military achievements, well-trained soldiers and good weapons were essential.

There, the dedicated cartridge was an excellent shackle. If it could only be made in Joseon, as Joseon had assured, it would greatly reduce the risk of betrayal as long as he controlled that dedicated cartridge.

* * *

Enrique and Giovanni, who had no way of knowing Mehmed II’s inner thoughts, became serious.

‘If this happens, we will have no choice but to join the competition.’

‘After seizing Suez, we will eventually have to compete to protect our interests.’

Although they had raised their voices in front of Kim Jeom, both men acknowledged the excellence of the Joseon-made musket.

They had only raised their voices because of that damn ‘dedicated cartridge.’

If that infidel accepted Joseon’s proposal and, as he had assured, concluded a ‘trade that would surprise Joseon,’ Portugal and Florence would certainly suffer a serious loss of interests.

In the end, they would have no choice but to follow the outcome of the negotiations between Mehmed II and Joseon.

“Hoo~.”

Giovanni and Enrique could only sigh in a situation where no good answer came out no matter how much they pondered.

That night, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official visited them.

“An official will escort you tomorrow. If you follow him, you will be fine.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

The next day, Enrique and his party left their lodgings with their military attachés.

The place they headed to was Namhansanseong Fortress.

“What is this place?”

“It is the garrison of the unit that defends Hanseong, no, Seoul.”

As Joseon changed to the Korean Federal Empire, Hanseong was renamed Seoul.

“To escape serving the great powers, we will call it Seoul instead of Hanseong!”

According to Sejong’s decision, the renaming from Hanseong to Seoul was carried out swiftly, but surprisingly, there was little opposition from the people. This was because ‘Seoul’ had been commonly used as a word meaning the capital since ancient times. (Note 1)

“Hmm….”

Enrique nodded as he listened to the official’s explanation and looked at the walls of Namhansanseong Fortress and the scenery inside.

“A good fortress!”

Mehmed II also nodded at Enrique’s words.

“That’s right. From a defensive point of view, it’s as good as Constantinople [modern-day Istanbul].”

As they talked, the group headed to the training ground of the Namhansanseong Fortress garrison.

Kim Jeom and his party and foreign envoys were already there.

“Who are those people?”

At Enrique’s question, the interpreter replied.

“His Majesty ordered, ‘Who else would have doubts? Show it clearly to everyone.'”

“Is that so?”

‘It seems we weren’t the only ones being considered.’

* * *

As soon as Enrique and his party arrived, the briefing began.

“The muskets placed on the table now are Eul-sik muskets.”

Upon hearing the words of the Joseon military officer who stepped up to explain, the envoys from each country, especially the military attachés, examined the muskets with shining eyes.

Enrique, looking at the 20 or so muskets on the table, said to the interpreter.

“Ask if I can take a closer look.”

“Yes.”

After a while, the interpreter conveyed the military officer’s answer.

“He says you can look as much as you want.”

As soon as those words were spoken, the envoys and military attachés picked up the muskets and began to examine them from side to side.

“There’s not much different from the existing ones….”

The envoys, who did not have much knowledge about muskets, commented that way, but those who were already familiar with the flintlock muskets sold by Joseon had their eyes sparkling.

“Many parts have changed!”

“There is no priming pan [a small pan that holds priming powder for ignition].”

“Then how do you ignite it….”

Similar questions and answers were popping out in several languages, when the Portuguese military attaché and the samurai of Oichi opened the breech cover almost simultaneously.

Clank! Click!

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

When the breech cover opened unexpectedly, the samurai of Oichi looked at the Joseon military officer, sweating profusely.

“Ano… Sorumaji [I’m sorry], did I break it?”

Seeing the samurai about to commit seppuku [ritual suicide] right then and there, the Joseon military officer smiled and replied.

“Don’t worry, it’s not broken.”

“Then?”

At the samurai’s words, the Joseon military officer took out three cartridges from the ammunition box on one side and held them up high.

“This is the dedicated cartridge for the Eul-sik musket. And this is how you use it.”

With practiced movements, the Joseon military officer loaded the cartridges into the Eul-sik musket and fired three shots in succession.

Bang bang bang!

The envoys who saw the three-shot burst all nodded.

‘Indeed! Is that why a dedicated cartridge is needed?’

Enrique and Mehmed II, who had seen the demonstration, opened the covers of the Eul-sik muskets in their hands and examined them closely.

“Hmm… I see….”

Enrique, nodding his head, whispered to Giovanni.

“Can it be copied in Florence?”

Giovanni shook his head slightly at Enrique’s question.

“It’s impossible in a short time.”

Giovanni had been in contact with many artists and craftsmen and was deeply involved in the reproduction of Joseon-style flintlock guns. As soon as he saw the Eul-sik musket, he was frustrated by its precision.

‘It’s not just a cover on the back! The precision is top-notch, and even the steel, the material of the barrel, is superior!’

After the demonstration of the Eul-sik musket, a demonstration of the Hwacha [a multiple rocket launcher] followed.

“As you can see, the dedicated cartridge of the Eul-sik musket is also used in the Hwacha.”

At the hand signal of the military officer, Joseon soldiers took out cartridges from the ammunition boxes on the table and put them into the Hwacha-only magazine. The Joseon soldiers, who had filled the magazine with cartridges, soon turned the handle of the Hwacha.

Ta-ta-ta-tang!

* * *

After the demonstration, the envoys and military attachés examined the dedicated cartridges.

“The shape of the bullet is also different.”

Enrique, nodding as he looked at the lead bullet with a pointed end, not the usual marble-shaped lead bullet, strengthened his grip and separated the bullet head and the cartridge case. When he turned the separated cartridge case upside down and shook it, gunpowder fell out, and Enrique’s military attaché stealthily took the gunpowder in his hand and put it on his tongue.

“It’s not much different gunpowder.”

“Then how?”

Meanwhile, Kim Jeom, who was carefully watching the actions of the envoys, especially Enrique’s actions, immediately ran to the Joseon military officer and whispered.

“Yes. I will do that.”

The Joseon military officer, who nodded lightly and replied, put the cartridge case that Enrique had separated into the Eul-sik musket and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

At the action of the Joseon military officer, the envoys and military attachés realized at the same time.

‘That’s what it meant when they said it’s useless without a dedicated cartridge!’

It was the moment when the suspicion from earlier became a certainty. And they also learned another fact.

‘This is what Joseon confidently called us for! The framework of the Eul-sik musket, as well as the dedicated cartridge, cannot be easily copied, and Joseon has no intention of revealing it!’

* * *

After the demonstration, Kim Jeom, who came forward again, turned to the envoys and opened his mouth.

“Did you see the parts you were curious about well? I say again, our Empire never tells lies to you.”

At Kim Jeom’s words, all the Joseon officials around him had the same thought.

‘That doesn’t mean we’re telling you all the facts.’

Looking at the envoys nodding at his words, Kim Jeom continued to speak.

“To be honest, the dedicated cartridge is a burden. Once a bullet is fired, it’s over. Isn’t that so?”

At Kim Jeom’s words, the envoys all nodded.

If it weren’t for the problem of that dedicated cartridge, they would be more than willing to obtain two or three times the amount they had initially promised.

It was because of Ming, the wounded tiger.

Even though it had been defeated by Joseon, Ming was the strongest country in the East. It was highly likely that they would lash out at their surroundings to recover their wounded pride and make up for the losses they had suffered in the war.

The reason why they flocked to Joseon’s Empire declaration ceremony was not just a simple celebration, but to purchase Joseon’s weapons.

Perhaps noticing the hearts of such envoys, Kim Jeom gestured to the soldiers next to him. At Kim Jeom’s signal, the soldiers placed another ammunition box on the table.

Kim Jeom showed the envoys the cartridges he took out of the new ammunition box.

“This is the dedicated cartridge that was used before that dedicated cartridge. We will provide this at a low price. The price is 1 silver coin for 40 cartridges.”

What Kim Jeom showed was the first-generation cartridge that used paper and copper cartridge cases that were made when the Eul-sik musket was developed.

‘We have to get rid of the nuisance! If possible, while getting paid!’

* * *

Note 1)

https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%84%9C%EC%9A%B8%ED%8A%B9%EB%B3%84%EC%8B%9C