Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 733

Half a year had passed since life in Shinji began.

The area around Shinji’s detached palace was now fully immersed in the feeling of autumn.

Beneath the clear and bright autumn sky, the Shinji detached palace echoed with the sounds of hammering, sawing, and the shouts of workers from every direction.

This was because the reconstruction of the detached palace was in full swing.

Interestingly, machines were as prevalent as people in the construction. Tow trucks hauled wooden pillars and beams from all sides, while hoists, weightlifting machines, and forklifts raised and lowered rafters to construct the roof.

Artisans also meticulously worked with the glass to be used for the windows and doors.

If the reconstruction were completed as planned, Shinji’s detached palace would become the largest palace not only in the surrounding countries but also in the Empire, Ming, and Wa [historical names for China and Japan, respectively].

Indeed, it was becoming the largest, the most expansive palace in the world.

***

As a historical note, when Louis XIV of France planned the Palace of Versailles, he initially intended to build a palace even larger than this Shinji detached palace.

However, as soon as the plan was announced, it faced strong opposition from ministers and the public alike.

“With what budget!”

“We are already burdened by excessive taxes!”

“The king is out of his mind! He should step down!”

Faced with such strong opposition and even threats of forced abdication, Louis XIV had to abandon his original plan.

This incident not only caused Louis XIV to develop anger issues and suffer health problems but also exposed him to assassination threats for the rest of his life.

And the revolutionary spirit of the French people began to ignite much sooner than expected.

***

Although construction was noisy outside, the residences where Hyang and the concubines stayed remained quiet.

This was due to the considerable distance.

“Ah~ The weather is ridiculously good.”

Hyang’s face, as he cursed while looking at the clear autumn sky outside the window, was filled with gloom.

“Haa~.”

Hyang, letting out a long sigh, muttered while looking at the mountain of documents piled up.

“I want to indulge in some *deokjil* [a Korean term for obsessive devotion to a particular interest, hobby, or idol]…”

Thanks to the prohibition of scribes and historians in his private office, Hyang felt free to speak his mind.

***

Since arriving at the Shinji detached palace, Hyang had visited District 52 no more than five times.

When he was in Seoul, he used to frequent District 51, making various excuses despite his position on the throne.

However, that was nearly impossible in Shinji.

The biggest reason was the vast distance between the detached palace and Shinji.

District 52 was a place that could only be reached by riding a horse non-stop for a week from the Shinji detached palace, followed by a three-day boat trip.

“This is definitely a conspiracy orchestrated by the Supreme Emperor!”

Hyang was convinced that this was Sejong’s [a famous Joseon dynasty king] scheme.

Eventually, Hyang gave an order to Jin-pyeong.

“Put everything else aside and immediately lay a railroad between the Shinji detached palace and District 52!”

“Yes?”

“That’s an order!”

“Yes!”

Jin-pyeong, who had always been unable to refuse Hyang since childhood, immediately began to lay the railroad connecting the Shinji detached palace and District 52 at Hyang’s command.

However, the railroad’s completion was still far off, and Hyang was suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

“I need to create something… What would be good?”

Hyang, suffering from severe *deokjil* withdrawal symptoms, began to devise a way to alleviate them.

“Should I build a separate palace in District 52? That’s not a bad idea… Or should I create a branch office of District 51 here? Hmm… that would be better. There’s plenty of land left. And it would be less controversial to create a branch office here than to build a separate palace in District 52.”

Having made a decision, Hyang smiled and looked at the sky.

“There’s a famous line, isn’t there? ‘We will find a way. We always have.'”

Hyang, having solidified his resolve, took out a blank sheet of paper and began to write an order.

***

While Hyang was mobilizing all means to escape from *deokjil* withdrawal symptoms, Wan’s official document arrived from Seoul.

“‘Request for support’? What kind of support? It will still take time to extract something from Shinji?”

Hyang, tilting his head at the title, broke the seal and examined the contents. Hyang frowned as he examined the contents.

“This is a lack of creativity!”

The content of the document sent by Wan was summarized as ‘Please support the development of a new type of Hwacha [a Korean rocket-propelled arrow launcher].’

The Byeong-sik Hwacha that Hyang developed was similar to the Maxim machine gun.

The Byeong-sik Hwacha, which adopted a water-cooled cooling system and a belt-feeding method, had overwhelming firepower compared to the Eul-sik Hwacha, even though it was much smaller in size than the Eumsik Hwacha.

Therefore, the military actively welcomed the adoption and introduction of the Byeong-sik Hwacha.

Thanks to its small size, more units could be mounted on fortresses, defensive positions, and front lines, and it was easy to operate thanks to belt-feeding.

However, through the last war, the military felt the need for new weapons.

-We need weapons to protect the landed soldiers.

-Throwing bombs and Bigyeokjincheonle [Korean bombs] are useful, but there are many limitations.

-The best weapon is one that can steadily pour bullets at the enemies to check their movements.

-There are Hwachas for this purpose, but even the smallest Byeong-sik Hwacha is too slow to move with the moving soldiers.

-In particular, it is difficult for units that emphasize mobility, such as the cavalry, to operate Hwachas.

-Therefore, a new Hwacha is needed that can move and support the charging infantry or cavalry.

The military, having reached this conclusion, even set the necessary conditions.

-Operation by 2 soldiers, or 1 soldier in the worst case.

-Size and weight that 1 soldier can carry and run with.

The military, having set these conditions, submitted a report to Wan. Wan and the ministers concluded that the military’s request was reasonable and issued an order to District 51.

And the problem was that District 51 came up with a prototype.

Hyang, who saw the picture of the prototype enclosed in the report, sighed.

“MG08/15, huh.…” [a German machine gun from World War I]

The prototype made by District 51 was a Byeong-sik Hwacha with a buttstock and a trigger attached.

Of course, it was a product that reduced the size of the coolant tank to reduce weight and cut out the empty space in the body to reduce the size.

Naturally, the military’s response was very negative.

“Is this something you made to be used!”

“Are you telling me to select *Gapsa* [elite soldiers] again now?”

“I’d rather just carry the Byeong-sik Hwacha around!”

In fact, the military even began experimenting with dividing the body and gun carriage of the Byeong-sik Hwacha and having soldiers carry them on their backs.

Wan was also dissatisfied.

“I think there’s an answer somewhere, but that’s not the right answer….”

Wan mobilized artisans to find his own answer.

The first thing he did was to change the materials of the parts that made up the Hwacha or reduce the thickness.

As a result, the durability disappeared.

Wan continued to find new materials and make parts of various thicknesses to experiment with, but it was a series of failures.

In the end, Wan sent an SOS to Hyang.

***

Hyang, who understood the situation through the report, sighed.

“Hoo~. Should I say it’s a lack of creativity, or should I say they’re too tied to the existing things? Tsk….”

Hyang, who was clicking his tongue because of his disappointment, understood the position of the artisans and Wan in District 51.

When you think about it, it was still the 15th century.

In the history before Hyang’s intervention, it was an era when matchlock cannons and hand cannons that were fired by lighting a *simji* [fuse] were still the latest weapons. Objects like muskets were just sketches on the desks of inventors and artisans.

But Hyang intervened and skipped several steps.

Breech-loading rifles using primers and cartridge-type bullets, and Gatling guns alone were revolutionary weapons.

And from there, belt-feeding and recoil-powered continuous firing Hwachas, which were a further step forward, were transcendental weapons.

Therefore, even though they heard the military’s proposal, the artisans had no choice but to think of such things.

-A belt is essential for continuous firing.

-If the barrel overheats, there will be a problem, so the barrel must be cooled. To do that, a water tank is essential.

-The bullets we are using now are the best results.

-In order to feed bullets with the rim protruding from the edge of the bottom plate, a complicated process of pulling the bullets back from the belt and pushing them back in is required. Therefore, the size of the feeding unit cannot be reduced.

-Cannons are also cooled with water when they get hot. To cool an overheated barrel, you have to leave it alone or cool it with water.

This limitation of perception, or lack of concept, created such a monster.

“Hoo~”

Hyang, who understood the situation, sighed lightly, loosened his body, and got up from his seat.

Hyang’s face, as he got up, was bright.

“Wan is such a *hyoja* [dutiful son] after all. Alright! Then shall we slowly go and indulge in some *deokjil*?”

* * *

Fifteen days later, Hyang, who visited District 52, explained the situation to Jang-on.

“… So they say they need a new Hwacha. Are you confident?”

Jang-on hesitated for a moment at Hyang’s question and then opened his mouth.

“I am afraid to say, but the former director told me to keep silent about something until the time comes.”

“Don’t tell me….”

Hyang, who muttered to himself at Jang-on’s answer, immediately raised his voice.

“Bring it right now! Right now! Bring everything you have! If I find it after searching, be prepared!”

“Yes, yes!”

“No! Guide me right now!”

“Yo, Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

Jang-on, who was terrified by Hyang’s sudden outburst, hurriedly followed him.

Hyang, who arrived in front of Jang Young-sil’s [a famous Korean inventor] laboratory door, which had been tightly sealed, ordered Jang-on.

“Open it.”

“Yes.”

Hyang, who entered the laboratory, turned to Jang-on.

“Bring it.”

“Yes.”

Jang-on opened a drawer in a large chest of drawers on one side of the laboratory and brought out a long wooden box.

Click.

Jang-on, who unlocked the lock on the box, opened the lid and showed the contents to Hyang.

Hyang smiled helplessly at the gun in the box.

“This guy really has no *uiri* [sense of loyalty]. He’s having all the fun by himself….”

Inside the box was a gun that looked similar to the Soviet DP-28 [a Soviet light machine gun].

Hyang, who was looking at the gun in question with a bewildered expression, glared at Jang-on.

“I clearly told you to take everything out.”

“That’s all there is.”

“It’s not like I don’t know Jang Young-sil, what nonsense are you talking about?”

“….”

Hyang offered a compromise to Jang-on, who closed his mouth with a determined face.

“Okay. I don’t need everything, just bring out what’s related to this matter.”

“Your Majesty….”

“If I don’t like it, I might just search everything.”

“Hoo~”

Jang-on, at Hyang’s threat, let out a long sigh and brought out a few boxes.

Hyang muttered inwardly as he looked at the contents of the boxes.

“Is this guy really dead? Did he run away on a UFO?'”