Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 949

Corsica Naval Battle (5)

“Are France and Spain really targeting us, Portugal, for a joint attack?”

“Sir? What do you mean by that?”

The staff looked at the commander with puzzled faces. Admiral Ricardo, the commander-in-chief of the Portuguese Navy, wore an even more bitter smile. With a bitter smile reeking of blood, Admiral Ricardo asked his staff again.

“Which is more threatening, the Empire’s fleet in Livorno or our Portuguese fleet?”

The staff answered Admiral Ricardo’s question immediately.

“Of course, the Empire’s fleet is more threatening.”

“Perhaps… are you suggesting that the French and Spanish fleets are using deception tactics?”

Admiral Ricardo nodded at the question posed by one of the more perceptive staff members. Another staff member raised an objection to this.

“Even if France and Spain were to attack together, considering the strength of the Empire’s fleet in Livorno, they would have to endure very fatal losses. It is more reasonable to subdue our Portuguese fleet and then block the Strait of Gibraltar.”

“Reasonable… Is the supply line through Gibraltar the only one for the Empire now?”

“No, there is also the Suez Canal.”

“Yet they still need to block Gibraltar? I wonder if it will be very effective.”

“……..”

“However, considering the firepower of the Empire’s ships, I think it’s a close call with just Spain and France. In particular, the power of the ironclad ship that the Empire calls ‘Charge Turtle Ship’ [a heavily armored warship] is still unknown. Considering that the Empire has deployed one more ship after the first two….”

The staff member’s logic can be summarized as follows:

-The Imperial Army and Navy value firepower and survivability.

-Currently, in addition to the first two Charge Turtle Ships deployed in Livorno, one more has been added.

-This means that the center of the Imperial Navy’s power is the Charge Turtle Ship. In other words, the firepower of the Charge Turtle Ship is more powerful than expected.

“…The French and Spanish wouldn’t be stupid enough not to expect this much.”

It was a logically sound rebuttal, but Ricardo also had his own reasons.

-The Mediterranean Sea is not only home to the Spanish and French navies. There are also Venice and Habsburg [powerful European dynasties].

In particular, Venice’s naval power is quite strong.

-One of the navies that knows the Mediterranean region best is the Venetian Navy.

In battles in the Mediterranean region, not the ocean, those who know the terrain well have an advantage.

-I admit that the Charge Turtle Ship will be more powerful than expected. However, it is impossible to handle all sea control and supply with just the Charge Turtle Ship. If the accompanying fleet suffers serious damage, the Imperial Army will have serious supply problems.

“…Therefore, I have determined that the current movements of France and Spain are a deception. While our Portuguese Navy is holed up in port, watching, the French Navy will pass through the Strait of Gibraltar and enter the Mediterranean. Afterwards, they will unite with Venice and Habsburg to strike the Imperial Fleet. If we move then, it will be too late. We must move now.”

At Admiral Ricardo’s last words, the staff sensed that the admiral had already made up his mind.

“If we are going to move right now, is the target the French Navy?”

“No, both our enemies and the Empire’s enemies. To do this, we will pretend to be fooled.”

Admiral Ricardo explains his plan to the staff.

-First, we will pretend to be fooled by the deception of France and Spain and not move from the ports of Lisbon and Ceuta and their surroundings.

-As soon as we confirm the passage of the French and Spanish fleets, we will set sail immediately and pursue them.

-When the French and Spanish gangs enter into battle with the Empire, we will stab the French and Spanish gangs in the back.

“Hmm…”

The staff who heard Admiral Ricardo’s plan all had troubled faces.

‘It would be easier to walk a tightrope over a sea full of sharks.’

The operation that the admiral was planning now was a very grand-scale operation. It was an operation that required extreme precision. It was not easy to hide in the ports of Lisbon and Ceuta and their surroundings and then chase after the French and Spanish. If they rushed too much and the French and Spanish noticed, they would immediately turn their ships around and try to deal with the Portuguese Navy first. However, if they departed too late, they would not be able to enter the battlefield in time.

“It’s not an easy operation.”

Admiral Ricardo maintained a firm stance in response to the senior staff’s complaint.

“Did you think it would be easy when it’s a gambling game with a huge stake? And I don’t think our Portuguese Navy is so messed up that it can’t even do this much.”

At Admiral Ricardo’s words, the staff all gritted their teeth.

“We will definitely make it a success!”

According to Admiral Ricardo’s guarantee, the responsibility for the failure of the operation would fall on the staff. They had to succeed in this operation to survive.

“There isn’t much time. I want to hear the finalized plan by tomorrow afternoon.”

“…We will do so.”

‘I heard that rank is everything in the Imperial Army? It’s the same here…’

* * *

“…Hmm. Not bad. I will report to His Majesty and get approval.”

Admiral Ricardo, satisfied with the plan that the staff had completed with all their might, headed to the palace with the plan.

“If this operation succeeds, what benefits will our Portugal gain?”

“Most of the land in Iberia belongs to Spain, but the sea will belong to our Portugal.”

“…I authorize the operation. Bring victory to me.”

“I will risk my life to make it happen!”

With the approval of King John II, the Portuguese Navy moved busily. First, all Portuguese merchant ships in the port of Lisbon were requisitioned by the Navy. Then, naval officers searched the houses in the port and arrested smugglers.

“From now on, what you have to do is simple! Avoid the eyes of the French and Spanish and travel between Ceuta and Livorno! And search the surroundings and smash the French and Spanish reconnaissance ships!”

“If you make a proper contribution, you will be pardoned and even receive a reward. That’s as many enemy ships as you sink and as many missions as you succeed in!”

“If you refuse, I will hang you from the mast!”

At the crossroads of ‘death or gold,’ the smugglers chose gold. This was an excellent choice for the Portuguese Navy. Most of the smugglers had their own ships. Their ships were small in size, but their speed was outstanding. In addition, they also engaged in piracy as a side job, so they were carrying adequate armaments.

Finally, there were few people who knew the surrounding sea routes as well as they did. They could travel to and from the Mediterranean Sea as much as they wanted, avoiding the eyes of the French and Spanish navies. The Portuguese Navy loaded additional armaments on these smugglers’ ships and then put them into the operation. In order to operate the additional armaments, Portuguese naval officers and soldiers also boarded together. Their mission was to monitor the battle and the merchants’ defection and to record their achievements.

As the smuggling merchant ships were put into operation in earnest, the sea west of the entrance to Gibraltar was stained with blood. The French and Spanish fleets were also putting small ships into reconnaissance. The closer they got to Gibraltar, the higher the frequency with which Portuguese, French, and Spanish reconnaissance ships encountered each other. Reconnaissance ships that encountered each other in this way, especially Portuguese reconnaissance ships, rushed at enemy ships like sharks that had captured prey.

“Delicious food! Kill them!”

“Ugh!”

For amnesty and gold, the Portuguese reconnaissance ships tenaciously clung to the enemy. In response, the French and Spanish reconnaissance ships desperately fought back.

Bang! Pow! Tang! Tatang!

Kukuung!

“We’re on! Let’s go over!”

“Kill them all!”

The ships that approached each other closely fired small-caliber cannons and rifles like crazy. Then, at some point, when the hulls of the two ships stuck together, the sailors on both sides took all kinds of weapons, including swords and pistols, and went over to the other’s ship to engage in close combat.

* * *

While the sea at the entrance to Gibraltar was stained with blood, a Portuguese ship entered Livorno.

“Governor, this is an urgent report from Portugal.”

Son Il-won, who opened the document brought by the adjutant, frowned.

“I’m terrible at recognizing this Western cursive script….”

Thanks to the characteristics of the Imperial Navy, which was often stationed overseas, officers above a certain rank were required to know Latin. As a result, most of the piers could communicate in Latin. The unique European style of handwriting – nicknamed Western cursive script – was difficult to recognize. In particular, the higher the social status and the higher the education, the more ornate the cursive script became, which was notorious. In the end, the Imperial Navy made a special decision.

-Foreign official documents sent to the Imperial Navy will only be accepted if they are written in standard script! If you don’t like it, send it to the Ministry of National Defense!

And the Ministry of National Defense passed it on to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Even so, they sent it in Latin? It’s one of two things. Either they’re trying to trick me, or it’s really urgent. In the current situation, the former is crazy, and the latter means…”

Son Il-won, muttering with a serious face, immediately called a translator and asked him to translate the document. A little later, Son Il-won frowned even more after receiving the translation.

“The combined fleet of France and Spain? And Venice and Habsburg are also likely to participate? Hmm…”

Son Il-won, who was staring at the document, ordered the adjutant.

“Make a copy and send it to the Commander-in-Chief as soon as possible, and summon the staff.”

“Yes, Governor.”

* * *

A little later, in the conference room where the staff had gathered, Son Il-won informed them of the contents of the document sent by Portugal and handed over the document. While the staff with serious expressions were taking turns reading the document, Son Il-won opened his mouth.

“Considering the date the document was written and the time it took for the document to arrive, the combined fleet of Spain and France has already entered the Mediterranean. If it is a normal fleet operation, they will first call at a nearby naval port to rest and refuel.”

The staff nodded at Son Il-won’s words and did some calculations.

‘If Venice and Habsburg join forces as Portugal expects…’

“It looks like it will be about two weeks later at the earliest.”

“Two weeks later would be the most appropriate. Then, where do they expect to use as the battlefield?”

At Son Il-won’s question, the staff all looked at the map hanging on the wall.

‘Considering the size of our fleet and the size of the enemy fleet…’

‘A very large space is needed to fight a large-scale fleet…’

The staff, who were analyzing based on various grounds, soon pointed to one place in unison.

“The Tyrrhenian Sea between Sardinia and Naples.”

“This is the best place for a large fleet to fight.”

Son In-won nodded at the staff’s answer.

“That’s reasonable. Then…”

At that moment, Son Il-won suddenly felt goosebumps on his back and paused.

‘Wait a minute! The Supreme Emperor is here, but is it going this smoothly? No way!’

Son Il-won felt like he could hear the Supreme Emperor clicking his tongue loudly in his ear.

-When His Majesty the Supreme Emperor is nearby, always be as careful as possible. If you neglect even a little bit of caution, all kinds of jinxes will occur.

-When His Majesty the Supreme Emperor is nearby, even the enemies who are usually stupid become smart.