Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 779

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779. A Self-Inflicted Disaster… (14)

“This feels a bit unsettling…”

Unlike Captain Thomas, who felt uneasy due to his past experiences, Captain Brow ordered with an excited voice,

“Raise all sails! Follow that Sea Eagle at full speed! Following that ship is the way to the ‘Land of Flowers’ [a euphemism for a prosperous or desirable destination]!”

“Uwooo!”

“Raise the signal flag!”

“Yes, sir!”

Captain Brow’s fleet began chasing the Sea Eagle-class warship disappearing into the distance at full speed.

The only exceptions were Captain Thomas and his confidants.

“Just in case, prepare for battle at any time if necessary.”

“Yeah, something feels off.”

Seeing the anxious expression on Captain Thomas’s face, the first mate, navigator, and boatswain immediately lowered their heads.

“Understood. We will inspect the cannons.”

Captain Thomas’s confidants never questioned his decisions.

Captain Thomas was preparing as if he was being overly sensitive. However, it was thanks to this preparation that he had escaped life-threatening situations more than once or twice.

Thanks to this, the crew of the Golden Merry, who had to do cannon maintenance out of the blue, complained.

“Why the sudden maintenance!”

“Didn’t we meet a ‘Land of Flowers’ ship! Isn’t it common sense that it’s safe to meet that ship!”

The sailors who were complaining fell silent at the boatswain’s words.

“The captain said he feels uneasy.”

The veteran sailors also knew the captain’s ability to sense danger well.

* * *

Three days later, Captain Brow’s fleet encountered the Imperial Navy fleet stationed in Shinji.

“Quite a lot are coming? Two Challenger-class and six Sea Eagle-class…”

“Do they usually move around this much?”

At the clan representative’s question, Captain Brow lightly shook his head.

“No. Usually, about two Sea Eagle-class ships move together.”

“Then isn’t it dangerous?”

“I don’t think so. They seem to be gathering like that because they are surprised that we appeared from a completely unexpected direction.”

The clan representative nodded, thinking that Captain Brow’s answer was reasonable.

“Indeed…”

Indeed, the route they were taking now was definitely a route that they would not have expected. Seeing the clan representative’s face brighten, Captain Brow asked a question in return.

“Have you prepared the credentials?”

“I have already prepared them. I have been carrying them in my pocket ever since I saw the Sea Eagle last time.”

The clan representative subtly showed the envelope of Edward IV’s credentials that he had kept in his pocket.

At that sight, Captain Brow gave a warning again.

“You must have it with you. Without it, everything will be in vain.”

“I am keeping that in mind.”

‘Without credentials from the king or monarch, you cannot enter the Empire even if you arrive in the Southwest.’

Due to the Empire’s notorious entry clause, the clan representative had to give gifts to Edward IV to obtain credentials.

As the Empire’s fleet came close enough to be seen with both eyes, Captain Brow ordered.

“Raise the national flag on the mast!”

“Yes, sir!”

After giving the order, Captain Brow looked at the approaching Imperial fleet and had a much more relaxed expression.

“Hoo~. I can finally take a breather.”

* * *

However, the situation did not go as Captain Brow had expected.

The Imperial fleet, with two Challenger-class battleships at the front and divided into two columns, split to both sides, leaving Captain Brow’s fleet in the middle.

“Huh? What is this?”

Feeling uneasy about the Imperial fleet’s unexpected movement, Captain Brow turned his head and shouted to the crew.

“Raise the white flag…”

콰콰쾅! [Sound of cannons firing]

Before Captain Brow’s order was finished, the Challenger-class battleships began firing their cannons.

As the shells fired by the Imperial Navy created pillars of water near the fleet’s ships, Captain Brow urgently ordered.

“Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle! Return fire!”

“Why is the ‘Land of Flowers’! Why!”

At the clan representative’s scream-like question, Captain Brow replied with a pale face.

“It doesn’t seem to be a ‘Land of Flowers’ ship! No, it’s definitely not a ‘Land of Flowers’ ship! What are you doing! Open the gunports!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Are you sure it’s not a ‘Land of Flowers’ ship!”

“I’m sure! If it were that country’s ship, we would have all sunk with the first shot!”

At Captain Brow’s answer, the clan representative had a ambiguous expression, not knowing whether to cry or laugh.

“If you’re ready, fire!”

“Fire!”

콰쾅! [Sound of a cannon firing]

* * *

The battle was fierce and lasted for quite a long time.

The reason for this situation was that most of the Imperial Navy stationed in Shinji were natives with no combat experience, and the crew of Captain Brow’s fleet were surprisingly capable sailors.

Although veteran commanders and officers from the mainland had worked hard to train them, the native sailors, who were experiencing combat for the first time, were not showing their full potential.

On the other hand, the crew of Captain Brow’s fleet had many experienced sailors. The new sailors and slaves had become skilled through battles with reverse pirates [pirates who prey on other pirates].

However, as time passed, Captain Brow’s fleet was gradually being pushed into a disadvantage.

The Imperial Navy already had numerical superiority, and the native sailors were becoming more accustomed to combat, unlike in the beginning.

콰콰쾅! [Sound of cannons firing]

Eventually, the Golden Brow, which had suffered a fatal blow to its side, began to list and sink.

As the flagship sank, the Golden Merry and Golden Wind attempted to escape.

The two ships split in different directions. It was to increase the chances of survival, even by a little.

The Sea Eagle-class warships chased after the ships that were scattering and trying to escape.

* * *

“It’s fortunate that we survived…”

Captain Thomas, who had regained his strength, trailed off as he looked at the Golden Merry, which had run aground off the beach.

The Golden Merry, which had been evading the pursuit of the Sea Eagle-class warships, did not hesitate to plunge into the middle of the storm when the storm began to rise.

Thanks to this, they were able to avoid the pursuit of the Sea Eagle-class warships, but it was impossible for the already battered Golden Merry to withstand the storm.

“We see a beach on the right!”

At the report of a subordinate who was looking around, Captain Thomas turned the ship without hesitation.

However, the Golden Merry, which had already been heavily flooded, ran aground just before reaching the beach.

“Get off the ship! Lower the boats!”

“Abandon ship!”

Captain Thomas, who had injured his head from the shock of the grounding, ordered the evacuation with a bloodied face.

At Captain Thomas’s order, the sailors lowered the boats, threw anything that could float into the water, and jumped off the tilted ship.

Captain Thomas, who was preparing to evacuate last, lost consciousness due to bleeding and was moved to the beach by his subordinates.

* * *

“Is it possible to repair the Golden Merry?”

At Captain Thomas’s words, the first mate who had escaped with him replied.

“Since the carpenter is safe, it seems possible somehow, but the problem is that there is not enough manpower.”

“How many survived?”

“About 1/3.”

“Damn… But where is this?”

Hiding his disappointment at the first mate’s question, Captain Thomas looked around.

“If the ships that attacked us were ships that departed from the Southwest, would it be Luzon [largest island in the Philippines]?”

At Captain Thomas’s question, the first mate, who was looking around with him, opened his mouth.

“It doesn’t seem to be Luzon or the nearby islands. It seems similar, but something is different.”

“Is that so? Then where are we?”

They, who were wondering where they had drifted, soon accepted reality.

“It’s not a matter of where we are. First of all, it’s important to repair the ship and get out of here.”

The survivors, who had decided what to do immediately, began to act. They secured supplies that could be salvaged from the grounded ship and scouted the area to see if there was any useful lumber.

It was fifteen days after they were busy moving for survival and escape.

Aztec warriors began to appear one by one in the jungle on the beach.

The faces of the approaching Aztec warriors were full of murderous intent.

At that sight, Captain Thomas and the sailors hurriedly grabbed their weapons. However, seeing the Aztec warriors who continued to pour out of the jungle, the survivors sensed their end.

“Judging by what those guys are doing, it’s definitely not Luzon.”

“Then have we discovered a new territory of England?”

“It seems so. It’s a glorious thing.”

Captain Thomas and the first mate exchanged conversations with indifferent expressions. The sailors around them were also talking with similar expressions.

“Will they accept if we surrender?”

“Do you think they will?”

“By the way, are those guys cannibals that we’ve only heard about?”

“If they are cannibals, they’ll be happy to see your belly fat.”

“Uwaaa!”

The Aztec warriors, who had been slowly approaching the survivors, screamed and rushed in, and the survivors began a desperate resistance against those Aztec warriors.

* * *

Not knowing the end of Captain Thomas and his party in the south, Hyang focused on preparing countermeasures while checking the report.

“It would be best to move assuming that they returned alive. Then, the first thing to do is to build and deploy assault turtle ships [Korean armored warships]. And, to clean up those crazy guys in the south. More than that, even if we give up the south, we have to get Mexico in our hands to be relieved.”

Hyang, who was writing down a list of things to do right away, sighed.

“Hoo~. The problem is people. We don’t have enough people.”

Hyang, who was complaining about the chronic manpower shortage problem, soon made a decision.

“I have no choice. I have to do a rotation.”

Hyang, who took out a blank sheet of paper and was planning what to write to Wan, suddenly smiled.

“Wait? We don’t necessarily have to draw troops from the military, do we? If Islam has the Taliban, we also have the Taliban, don’t we?”

Hyang was thinking of Confucian scholars as a place to supply the necessary manpower.

“Although it has been diluted a lot compared to the history I knew, Confucian scholars are the ones who follow the principles of Confucius and Mencius and come out right away when it comes to enlightenment [moral or intellectual understanding]. And, these days, as people are getting better off, the number of old geezers is also increasing, right? If we find people among them to punish and enlighten the cannibalistic natives, they will flock out like a herd of African buffalo.”

Hyang, whose expression brightened, began to fill the blank paper with excitement.

* * *

Wan, who received Hyang’s report related to the Aztec Empire, shouted.

“How can there be such heinous people! Have you seen it, gentlemen?”

At Wan’s question, the officials bowed their heads.

“Yes, we have read it.”

“It is truly a heinous thing.”

“For people to use people as food is an unforgivable act.”

The Daejeon [main hall in a Korean palace] became a place of condemnation. Wan, who confirmed the officials’ reactions, went into the main point.

“It is also a problem that Europeans are approaching Shinji, but it is also something that must be done to punish those heinous people and enlighten the natives. Therefore, I think it is good to accept the proposal made by the Minister of State.”

At Wan’s words, the officials began to calculate here and there. However, the result was already decided.

“I think it is a very good plan.”

Hyang’s proposal was a brilliant idea that could take both justification and practicality.

A few days later, a notice was posted in the government office of the Imperial mainland.

It was Wan’s proclamation that made the Confucian scholars of the Imperial mainland pop out from their rooms.