Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 841

Even while grumbling, Hyang paused. It was because someone who had once been an ‘Emperor’ kept nagging.

This single record would ensure continued interest in later generations.

“At least, we can avoid the 7.62mm NATO round blunder.”

This was Hyang’s true purpose.

And things proceeded as Hyang had anticipated.

Because it was an issue the Emperor had been interested in, the Imperial Army showed constant interest in the improvement and refinement of ammunition. Thanks to this, the Imperial Army was able to possess ammunition that was very suitable for, or even ahead of, the changing battlefield environment.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Seoul, Wan was sighing, his hand on his forehead.

“Hoo~. His Majesty is quiet, so is it you this time?”

Before Wan, Crown Prince Hyeon stood confidently, handing over reports and blueprints.

“New battleships for the Imperial Navy! If these battleships roam the seas, the Imperial Navy will be invincible!”

“There is a procedure in the Imperial administration. Have you forgotten that anything related to the military must be submitted through the Imperial Army and the Ministry of National Defense?”

“That would take too long! The aggressive nations of Europe are already moving! There is no time to waste on procedures!”

“Hoo~.”

Wan sighed deeply and muttered inwardly.

‘His Majesty sighed whenever he saw Duke Jinpyeong… Now I understand His Majesty’s feelings…’

“Hoo~. Let me see it.”

“Here it is! His Majesty will also be satisfied!”

Hyeon handed the report and blueprints to Wan with a confident expression.

Wan, who took the report and examined its contents, put his hand on his forehead again.

“The weight of the battleship itself is 1 million *kwan* [approximately 3750 tons]? And completely made of iron?”

“That is correct. Everything from the keel is made of iron!”

“Yes, yes… There is the example of the Assault Turtle Ship, so it’s not impossible….”

As Wan said, there was already the Assault Turtle Ship, a battleship made entirely of iron from the keel.

“The problem is the weight. Even the Assault Turtle Ship isn’t this heavy. You must know why the Assault Turtle Ship only operates in coastal waters?”

Wan pointed out the problem of the Assault Turtle Ship with a cold expression.

* * *

The Assault Turtle Ship had been an invincible battleship since its first deployment.

In fact, no battleship had yet surpassed the firepower, defense, and maneuverability of the Assault Turtle Ship.

However, the Assault Turtle Ship was not deployed in large numbers.

The first reason was the expensive construction and maintenance costs.

Expensive steel was used for everything from the keel. In addition, only carefully selected skilled workers were mobilized in the construction process.

In other words, labor costs were also quite high.

Afterward, the money spent on maintaining the battleship was not cheap.

If this was the only problem, the Empire would have built a large number of Assault Turtle Ships. The Empire already had that capability.

However, the second reason made them give up on mass construction of the Assault Turtle Ship.

The second reason was the short cruising range.

The Assault Turtle Ship was about 1.5 times larger than the Challenger-class battleship. However, its cruising range was far shorter than its size.

This was because after subtracting the space occupied by the steam engine that moved the Assault Turtle Ship, the space occupied by cannons and shells, explosives, the space occupied by thick bulkheads and side armor for the safety of the battleship, and the space for the crew, there was not enough space to load fuel coal.

Of course, the officers of the Imperial Navy, who were fascinated by the Assault Turtle Ship, brought their own solutions to the upper echelons, and the upper echelons brought them to Hyang.

“Your Majesty, the answer is to increase the size of the Assault Turtle Ship.”

“If we want to move that size quickly, we need to load a larger steam engine. You must know the word ‘vicious cycle’?”

“….”

“Your Majesty, if we reduce the space allocated to the crew a little….”

“Do you think soldiers who live in such a narrow space will be able to maintain their combat power properly?”

“Well, if we develop their tenacity through training….”

“Do you want to be treated as ‘good body, lowly service’ again? Should weapons be fitted to people, or should people be fitted to weapons? Is the battleship a uniform! Are you even a general of the Imperial Navy then!”

“I, I apologize!”

“If you apologize, don’t do things that you’ll regret!”

“Your Majesty, can’t we reduce the armor of the Assault Turtle Ship a little and widen the spacing of the compartments a little more?”

“The cannons of neighboring countries are getting stronger, so it is impossible.”

In this way, the mass construction of the Assault Turtle Ship was frustrated.

And because of this short cruising range and maintenance cost, the Assault Turtle Ships deployed in the Southern Sea Fleet rarely left the naval ports of the Southwest Islands.

Therefore, few Europeans had actually seen the Assault Turtle Ship. And the Europeans in the shipping industry who saw the Assault Turtle Ship went back to their home countries and raved about it.

“There’s a pitch-black ship with a monster’s head in the Imperial naval port! They say it’s a ship made entirely of iron!”

“Don’t talk nonsense! How can a ship made of iron float on water? No matter how much of a land of flowers it is, it’s impossible!”

“It’s true….”

“Humph! At best, it’s just a thin iron plate on a wooden board!”

The witnesses were upset, but most Europeans dismissed it as nonsense.

* * *

In response to Wan’s criticism, Hyeon replied confidently.

“Unlike then, today’s steam engines are even better. They can use even stronger power with the same size.”

“So that’s why you made it this big?”

“That is correct. Thanks to that, we were able to secure enough space.”

“Hmm….”

At Hyeon’s words, Wan examined the report with a serious face.

“It seems fine just by looking at the report….”

Wan, who showed a fairly positive reaction, unfolded the blueprint.

“Huh? Make the main gun bigger and then put it in a turret and install it in the center of the hull?”

“That is correct! If you look at the Challenger-class battleships or other battleships, they carry dozens of cannons on the ship! However, if you look at the situation of naval battles, they only use about half of them even in the best situation!”

“That’s true….”

Wan nodded at Hyeon’s words.

At this time, the way cannons were loaded on battleships was similar in every country. The cannons were divided and placed on both sides of the battleship.

When a battle broke out, only the cannons installed on the side of the ship facing the enemy ship were engaged in combat. Therefore, many countries, like the Empire, divided the deck into two floors to mount even more cannons.

As Wan nodded, Hyeon continued his explanation with an even more confident expression.

“Then, we create a barbette [a protective circular enclosure] along the centerline of the hull and put the cannons on it! Instead of loading dozens of small cannons, we put a few large and powerful cannons in the barbette and turn the barbette left and right! Then the firepower will be stronger, and the usable space will increase!”

At Hyeon’s words, Wan nodded silently and focused on the blueprint. The ministers who were listening to the story around him nodded as if Hyeon’s explanation made sense. In particular, the Minister of National Defense focused on Hyeon’s explanation with sparkling eyes.

“But….”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“This barbette. To protect the cannons and soldiers from the enemy ship’s attack, the armor must be thick, right? And since it’s a large and powerful cannon, it must weigh a lot, right? You have to turn it left and right….”

“The third blueprint has the framework!”

“Really? Let’s see….”

Wan unfolded the blueprint in question and examined it carefully, then looked at Hyeon.

“You’re installing a separate steam engine to move the barbettes?”

“That is correct!”

At Hyeon’s answer, Wan made a decision immediately.

“Impossible.”

“Why is that?”

“The problem is that there are gunpowder and explosives storage under the barbette, and you’re installing a steam engine under that.”

“That problem can be solved by installing a sufficiently thick bulkhead.”

“Is that really so? Go back and understand why His Majesty gave up on putting cannons on top of tow trucks. I’m saying it again, it’s impossible.”

“Yes….”

At Wan’s decision, Hyeon picked up the report and blueprints with a dejected face and stepped back.

Watching Hyeon step back like that, Wan turned to Hwangbo-in.

“Prime Minister, how many days do you think? I’m expecting fifteen days.”

At Wan’s words, Hwangbo-in smiled slightly and replied.

“Still, it’s not an easy problem, so wouldn’t it take at least a month?”

At Hwangbo-in’s answer, Wan chuckled and took the words.

“With that guy’s personality?”

At Wan’s words, everyone in the palace nodded and muttered inwardly.

‘Lord Hwangbo underestimated him too lightly.’

‘He’s the grandson who inherited His Majesty’s blood….’

The topic of the seemingly unrelated conversation between Wan and Hwangbo-in was this.

-When will Crown Prince Hyeon bring the revised plan?

It was ten days later that Hyeon brought the revised plan and visited Wan.

“I have revised the parts that Your Majesty pointed out! I am confident this time!”

Wan, who exchanged strange glances with Hwangbo-in, received the blueprint from Hyeon and examined it.

“Hmm… Heo… Hmm….”

Wan, who added ad-libs, came to a conclusion.

“Impossible.”

“Why is that?”

“It’s good to draw power from the ship’s engine, but the space consumed for that is too much.”

“If we make it a little bigger….”

“You’ll get hit by more enemy fire. To withstand that, you’ll have to thicken the armor, and then the weight will increase again… Crown Prince, you must know the word ‘vicious cycle’?”

“Ah….”

At Wan’s point, Hyeon looked embarrassed. Watching Hyeon, Wan continued.

“Well, making a battleship out of iron is not a wrong method. It’s just a method that has a long way to go. In other words, it means that a lot of thought is needed in the future, and it should be viewed in the long term.”

“Um….”

“If you’re going to say that you can shorten the time if you give me more budget, just leave.”

At Wan’s firm words, Hyeon flinched, then soon sighed softly, bowed to Wan, and stepped back.

Watching that scene, Hwangbo-in and the other ministers all had similar thoughts.

‘This scene is familiar….’

It was a farce that started with Sejong and Hyang and continued down through the generations between the Emperor and the Crown Prince.

As an aside, European intellectuals who later witnessed this tradition directly evaluated it this way.

-A way for the Emperor of the Empire to greatly reduce mistakes.

It was to experience all kinds of trial and error during the Crown Prince period, and then, as Emperor, to develop the ability to make correct decisions based on this experience.

However, there was also a disadvantage.

It was to suffer inwardly while watching the Crown Prince doing the same things as his past self.

* * *

After the meeting, Wan, who was sitting alone in the palace, sighed slightly.

“How can Hyeon’s actions resemble His Majesty so much… Should I just send him to Shinji? No, no, it would be more comfortable for me to go to Shinji… I need to go to Shinji and research the flying machine quickly… How many years are left?”

Wan, who couldn’t give up on ‘flying machine research’ until the end.