Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 995

995. The Madman with Clear Eyes (20)

Before installing the new engine, Wan had something he wanted to confirm.

“I want to see with my own eyes if that new airframe can fly properly.”

“Yes, we will prepare it.”

Following Wan’s order, the artisans began to disassemble the airframe and load it onto the iron horse [a train]. In some ways, Wan’s order could be seen as a waste. It had already succeeded, yet they were doing it again. However, none of the artisans complained about this.

“An airframe is an airframe! If we succeed properly, it’s something we can leave as a legacy for generations to come! Generations!”

“To succeed properly, we need to experiment even once more!”

Everyone knew that the more experiments and tests they conducted, the more problems they could find. And the more problems they solved, the higher the chances of success became. The only issue was the budget. However, if Wan was directly involved, the budget was not a major obstacle.

Since Hyang, or rather, King Sejong’s time, it had been a habit of the Imperial Family to open their own pockets when necessary. Therefore, the artisans excitedly disassembled the airframe and loaded it onto the iron horse.

“Let’s go to the test site!”

“Test! Test!”

Seeing their enthusiasm, Wan chuckled and said to the head artisan beside him.

“To enjoy testing, how peculiar. I still vividly remember when His Majesty the Emperor was in school; he would cringe at the mere mention of ‘test’.”

At Wan’s words, the head artisan replied with a troubled expression.

“This test and that test are different…”

“I’m joking, joking. Why do you take a joke so seriously?”

“Ah, ahaha, ahaha…”

Behind the head artisan, who was awkwardly laughing while sweating, the scribes in charge of recording were making similar expressions as they documented everything.

-…Thus, His Majesty eased the tension of the artisans with a light joke.

The scribe wrote: As the saying goes, a frog faces a life-or-death crisis from a stone thrown by a child [meaning those in power should be mindful of their actions]. Those in high positions should be careful of their words and actions….

“What is the scribe writing so much about?”

“Ah, nothing!”

* * *

Wan, the artisans, and the iron horse loaded with the test airframe headed southeast. The destination of the iron horse was the area inhabited by the Cherokee tribe. In the history before Hyang’s intervention, it was known as North Carolina.

Another interesting fact was the location chosen by the artisans of Area 52 for the test site. It was the same place where the Wright brothers conducted their flight experiments in the history before Hyang’s intervention.

“The flight test site is quite far from Area 52. Is there a reason for choosing this place?”

“Most of the prevailing winds are gentle, and the sandy beach is soft, so even if the landing goes wrong, there won’t be any serious injuries.”

“I see. You must have gone through a lot of trouble to find such a place.”

“The native artisans helped a lot.”

“I see.”

Five days later, the iron horse carrying Wan arrived at its destination.

“We greet His Majesty!”

As Wan stepped off the platform, the Cherokee chiefs, the governor, and the administrators in charge of the Cherokee region, who had been waiting, greeted them. Wan exchanged greetings with them one by one with a smiling face. He finished the greetings with an expression full of regret, after greeting the peace chiefs in Cherokee traditional attire or Imperial robes, the war chiefs in Imperial army uniforms, and the officials in their official robes.

“I wish I could enjoy a banquet with all of you, but I am unable to do so, which is a great pity. Instead, I will be staying at the Area 52 test site on the beach for a while, so let’s talk there.”

At Wan’s words, the chiefs and officials bowed their heads in unison and replied.

“We are deeply grateful!”

“Then I will go ahead.”

As the carriage carrying Wan disappeared into the distance, the chiefs and officials, who had been bowing until then, straightened their backs and took a long breath.

“Hoo~. Now we can breathe a sigh of relief.”

“We must strive to ensure that His Majesty has no inconvenience during his stay.”

“That’s right. We have to work hard.”

“Since we are serving His Majesty, there is no way to avoid hard work, is there?”

They were grumbling about the hard work ahead, but the faces of the chiefs and officials were shining brightly.

‘This is an opportunity! We can’t miss this opportunity!’

For the chiefs and officials who were suffering from the constant complaints of the Cherokee natives, this event was a golden opportunity they could not miss. They had previously used methods such as writing petitions or directly visiting the Shinji detached palace [a secondary imperial residence] to appeal. However, the number of petitions coming from all over Shinji was unimaginable, and the number of people visiting the detached palace was enormous.

To the extent that it took at least five days to arrive at the Shinji detached palace, inform them of the visit, and meet Hyang or Wan. This was despite the fact that considerable discretion had been granted to the tribal chiefs and governors. Therefore, Wan’s visit became an opportunity that the Cherokee chiefs and officials in charge of the Cherokee region could not miss.

* * *

The artisans who arrived at the test site with Wan diligently prepared for the test. After repeatedly checking the reassembled airframe, the artisans reported to Wan.

“Is that so? Then let’s begin.”

As Wan rose from his seat, he turned to look at the Cherokee chiefs who had come to see him.

“Would you like to watch together?”

“It would be an honor!”

And so, in the presence of Wan and the chiefs, the test was conducted, and the airframe soared into the sky wonderfully. Attached to a rope pulled by a steam engine, the airframe ran along the runway rails and soon smoothly rose into the sky.

“It’s up!”

“It’s up!”

“Hooray!”

As the airframe safely took off, the artisans cheered and shouted. They were even more excited about the success achieved in the presence of Wan and other ‘high-ranking officials’. The airframe, which stably circled the sky once, successfully landed as well. As the airframe, which had landed smoothly using landing skids, came to a stop, the artisans ran to move the aircraft to dry land. Satisfied with the success of the test, Wan congratulated the head artisan next to him.

“You have worked very hard. Now, let’s attach the engine and truly take on the challenge.”

“Leave it to us!”

As the head artisan, full of courage, ran to the site, Wan turned to look at the Cherokee chiefs who were with him.

“What do you think?”

“We have seen it a few times before, but we can only admire it every time.”

“That’s right. For a human to fly in the sky, it is truly amazing.”

Wan smiled and nodded at the chiefs’ words, subtly dropping a hint.

“That airframe will be used more importantly in the future. That means those who can make that airframe and the workshops that make it will be treated more and more preciously. Of course, it won’t happen in a day or two, but the more you prepare in advance, the more fruitful the results will be, wouldn’t you agree?”

The Cherokee chiefs, understanding Wan’s words, bowed their heads in unison and replied.

“We are deeply grateful for your invaluable advice!”

“We will gather young talents and send them to Area 52!”

“We will discuss with the other chiefs and prepare a suitable workshop space!”

“Thank you, thank you.”

Wan, having succeeded in winning over the Cherokee chiefs, muttered inwardly.

‘I’m using the teachings of the Supreme Emperor here again.’

-When opportunities arise, be sure to seize them.

* * *

With the success of the airframe’s unpowered flight, the artisans were filled with courage, but the subsequent problem was not easy.

“Oh dear, oh dear… To receive a new engine from headquarters and not be able to use it, how foolish!”

The new engines sent from headquarters were of various types. However, there was not a single engine that perfectly suited the airframe made in Area 52. It was either too big, too small, or too heavy.

“In the end, we have to use this framework and make it ourselves.”

The artisans in charge of the airframe’s engine quickly packed their bags and returned to Area 52. Fortunately, among the things sent from Area 51, there was also data on output and weight. Based on the data book sent from Area 51, the artisans were designing a new engine to be mounted on the airframe when they soon faced a major obstacle.

-To generate enough power to lift the airframe sufficiently, the size of the engine becomes larger than expected!

-To mount this engine, the airframe must be redesigned.

“Does it require a redesign?”

At Wan’s question, the head artisan replied.

“Well… since the engine is heavy, we need to strengthen the structure of the part where the engine will be mounted, and as a result, the center of gravity is also shifted… so we need to redesign it.”

“Hmm… I see. I understand. Keep up the good work.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After the head artisan left, Wan looked out the window with a very disappointed face.

“There’s nothing easy in the world… tsk!”

Wan clicked his tongue and turned his gaze to the documents.

“I have to solve this with work!”

…

Even though he said he would solve it with work, Wan was already engrossed in this problem. This was because the airframe was something he had been working on since he was the Crown Prince.

“If we start with a redesign, it will take too much time… the answer is minimal modification…”

Thinking that ‘preserving the existing design as much as possible’ was the correct answer, Wan began to contemplate tricks to satisfy this.

“Hmm… it’s not easy.”

Feeling frustrated, Wan got up from his seat and went to the window to look outside. As he looked at the scenery of the sea and the artisans working outside the window, he suddenly flinched.

“Ah! Eunuch!”

“Did you call, Your Majesty!”

Wan, whose expression suddenly brightened, hurriedly called the eunuch and conveyed his order.

“Bring the head artisan!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

A short time later, when the head artisan entered, Wan immediately got to the point.

“About the engine. Does it have to be one?”

“Yes?”

Seeing the head artisan’s expression, Wan explained his thoughts more easily.

“When moving a cart loaded with heavy cargo, sometimes horses or cows pull it from the front, but sometimes people hang on the front and back to move it, right? Let’s do that. Let’s divide the engine into two and attach them to the front and back of the airframe. The front pulls and the back pushes, and since the heavy engine is not located on one side but is attached to the front and back, the balance will be maintained, and since we are dividing one into two, the weight will also be reduced, right?”

“Oh? Uh-huh? Oh! Ah!”

The head artisan, who unknowingly uttered strange exclamations at Wan’s words, soon nodded with a very bright face.

“Then it seems possible enough!”

Not long after, the design of the new airframe that adopted Wan’s idea was delivered to Wan.

“Hmm… hmm. Hmm! It looks good!”

Satisfied with the newly submitted design, Wan ordered the head artisan.

“Make it according to this!”

“Yes!”

“And make some copies. I need to send them to Seoul to show off!”

At Wan’s words, the head artisan immediately replied.

“We will make copies and send them as soon as possible!”

‘I’m going to give those Area 51 guys, who have been showing off whenever they get the chance, a taste of their own medicine!’

And the captain of the emergency liaison ship, who had set sail again after receiving the order, complained to the navigator.

“These days, our situation is like this. It seems like we’ve become a regular liaison ship instead of an emergency liaison ship.”

* * *

Meanwhile, in Seoul, Hyang, who received the design, put his hand on his forehead.

“What is this terrible hybrid…”

‘Mixing a biplane with a Do-335 [a German World War II heavy fighter aircraft]!’