There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 395

396. The Burning Sea (1)

Meanwhile, Zheng He’s fleet, stationed in Yujia Port, had also moved north to Langya, preparing to set sail.

Protecting Yujia, the center of grain transport, and maintaining the connection with Japan were important missions, but they weren’t as crucial as the upcoming battle.

“Indeed, it would be a great waste to simply wait for the *Wokou* [Japanese pirates] invasion with this mighty navy.”

Zheng He nodded at Zhou Ying’s words.

The fleet gathered here was a collection of the Ming navy’s main forces.

Among them were quite a few ships ‘voluntarily’ offered by merchants or pirates (or those who did both), but the main force was essentially his own treasure fleet.

A queasy feeling arose, but Zheng He quickly shook his head.

Hadn’t he already led several expeditions, displaying the majesty of the Great Ming even in distant lands?

It was nothing new to invade by sea and trample local regimes.

It was just that the opponent being Joseon was a bit unsettling.

‘They may not be an easy opponent, but…’

He didn’t think they could defeat this fleet gathered in Langya.

After gathering the Jiangnan navy, Zheng He chose Langya as the second assembly point instead of Dengzhou.

Although Dengzhou was closer to Joseon, he had to consider the risk of being defeated piecemeal by Joseon, who might notice something amiss before sufficient forces were gathered.

In contrast, Langya was located below Shandong and had been China’s largest naval port since the Northern Song Dynasty, making it ideal for accommodating such a large number of ships.

“Is it really necessary to mobilize so many ships?”

“As you know, Commander, the strength of the Joseon navy is not to be underestimated.”

Taking such precautions meant not underestimating the Joseon forces.

It also showed his determination to lead this battle to victory.

‘Once we cross the sea, we can quickly seize Joseon’s lifeline.’

No matter how difficult the situation in the north becomes, how can the Joseon king afford to be arrogant if we can raid the Joseon mainland?

This is the strategy of *Wei Wei Jiu Zhao* [relieving the state of Zhao by besieging Wei – a military tactic of attacking an enemy’s base to force them to withdraw from attacking one’s own territory].

In other words, this is the only way to reverse the current war situation.

“Is the destination still Byeokrando?”

“That’s right.”

Zheng He readily answered Zhou Ying’s question.

“We don’t know the sea routes or the actual conditions of other ports well.”

Only Byeokrando had been frequented by numerous merchant ships, so its sea route was clear.

Above all, Byeokrando was Joseon’s major port.

Occupying this place alone would put great pressure on Joseon.

“They must know the importance of Byeokrando, so they will surely gather their navy there.”

“That’s why it’s suitable for a battle,” Zheng He said.

“If we can win one battle, the Joseon navy will be unable to exert its power. If we seize Byeokrando, we can bisect the seas of Joseon’s south and north, and then advance to Hanseong [Seoul] to capture the enemy!”

Zheng He nodded.

The plan was grand. Only the plan.

But with such a large fleet gathered, it was strange to even consider defeat.

The Joseon navy was strong, but its origins were merely copying Ming’s treasure ships by clinging to Emperor Yongle.

Although they had greatly increased their power while Ming was crouching inward, acting as the ruler of the southern seas, Joseon would not be able to stop Ming from gathering such a large amount of material.

‘Joseon might try to borrow the *Wokou* navy, but…’

That would be even better.

After all, the *Wokou* ships would not be of much use in this great naval battle, and it would be an opportunity to wipe out the *Wokou* who constantly plagued the country’s coast.

Zheng He ordered all the ships gathered in Langya to set sail.

The Ming’s great fleet would annihilate the Joseon navy in one fell swoop.

And thousands of soldiers would secure Byeokrando as a bridgehead for the follow-up troops.

Their shouts filled the sea off Langya.

* * *

As Ming predicted, Joseon had gathered all the Cheonghaejin fleet they had painstakingly raised in Byeokrando.

Byeokrando was a large port that Joseon had to defend, and in the first place, there were not many ports other than this one that could accommodate large ships.

Therefore, it was natural for both sides to predict that a naval battle would take place here.

The current naval battle was almost inevitable.

The Joseon navy, which had observed the Ming fleet sailing from Langya across the Yellow Sea, hurriedly set sail.

The Joseon navy, gathering in the distance, began to appear as black specks in the eyes of the Ming navy.

“It seems that the number of battleships is indeed smaller than our army.”

The Joseon army had brought out not only the large ships that Cheonghaejin was proud of but also the small battleships that had been sold to the Fisheries Cooperatives, perhaps to put on a show of force with a small number.

However, Zheng He, who had spent years at sea, could clearly see the intentions of the Joseon army.

As if to make up for the lack of numbers with firepower, shells poured out from the Joseon fleet first.

– Pow pow pow!

As the incoming high-explosive shells exploded, the deck splintered and flew away.

From a distance where Ming’s cannons couldn’t even reach, shells rained down in succession, and the ships in the front row burst into flames.

“Don’t panic! This is what we expected!”

However, the Ming army command, including Zheng He, was not greatly surprised.

From the beginning, they knew that Joseon’s cannons had a longer range than Ming’s.

That’s why they deliberately placed the rabble in the front row, not their own treasure ships.

It meant that those who could not be expected to have great combat power should block the enemy’s attack with their bodies.

The Joseon army was also smashing the approaching battleships.

However, no matter how much the Joseon fleet pounded with superior firepower and range, it could not completely block the Ming army’s approach.

Zheng He’s reward for gathering an excessively large fleet was sufficient.

“Don’t fire the cannons until you get close!”

Zheng He ordered coldly.

Whether it was a high-explosive shell or an iron ball, it was enough to turn a ship into a shattered wreck.

And although it didn’t reach the level of the Joseon army, the Ming army also had quite a few cannons.

“Now is the time!”

Finally, the timing that Zheng He had been waiting for had arrived.

The two armies’ fleets approached within the Ming army’s range.

“Fire the cannons!”

At his command, the military instructors next to him waved their flags greatly.

The Ming fleet, which had observed the flagship’s flag, moved in an orderly manner.

The small ships that seemed to have barely crawled out to this point could be ignored for now.

The first target to subdue was the enemy’s large ship, which could compete with Ming’s treasure ship.

Naturally, Ming’s cannons aimed at Cheonghaejin’s large battleships.

And just before the Ming fleet poured out shells.

Fierce flames soared from the Joseon army’s small ships in front.

* * *

*Hwashi*, or fire arrows, had been on a downward path since the invention of gunpowder.

Gunpowder weapons can strike the enemy far away, accurately, and with great destructive power, whereas fire arrows are greatly affected by wind and weather and have many difficult restrictions on preparation and firing.

They are not particularly superior in terms of range or accuracy, so fire arrows were destined to gradually become obsolete and disappear with the advent of gunpowder.

If it hadn’t been for someone who was feeling depressed because the ambitiously developed *Singijeon* [a type of Korean rocket arrow] was stuck in a warehouse for similar reasons, it would have certainly happened.

“The enemy is approaching! Prepare the *Singijeon*!”

The effect of fire arrows or *Hwacha* [Korean multiple rocket launcher] on killing the enemy is not as good as cannons.

However, the two weapons had something in common in that they created a sense of intimidation and plunged the enemy into fear.

Lee Hyang paid attention to this point.

“Military officer! It looks like the enemy is trying to fire cannons!”

“Don’t be afraid! The enemy won’t aim cannons at us!”

Originally, the arrows fired by *Singijeon* had a fire tube attached to them, and the gunpowder inside caused a fire.

However, the gunpowder tube of the modified *Singijeon* contained a slightly special flammable material.

It is a rudimentary form of napalm.

Modern napalm bombs are made by mixing naphthenic acid and palmitic acid with gasoline. That’s why it’s called napalm.

However, the original role of naphthenic acid and palmitic acid was to hold the oil in place so that it would not flow down easily and burn longer.

However, this role was originally played by rubber before a substitute came out.

Therefore, strictly speaking, the most basic form of napalm incendiary bomb can be manufactured without complex additives.

In other words, the basic form of napalm can be created simply by mixing natural rubber with flammable material to create a gel-like substance.

And Joseon had plenty of natural rubber.

Rubber had long been an indispensable resource in Joseon.

The amount of rubber imported from the Majapahit Baekryeonkyo farm was increasing every year.

Its uses were as diverse as panaceas, from battleships to condoms, so it was not strange that Lee Hyang came up with the idea of strengthening the fire attack using sticky rubber.

The only problem was that no matter how much *Singijeon* was loaded on *Hwacha*, the range could not be significantly increased compared to cannons.

‘I’ve been caught!’

The reason why *Hwacha* was deliberately placed on inconspicuous old battleships was for that reason.

Theirs eyes were already fixed on Cheonghaejin’s large battleships, which had already fired a round of shelling.

Military officer Lee Jing-seok shouted loudly.

“Fire!”

This Joseon-style napalm already has a sticky texture without any additives and has the property of stubbornly sticking to and burning the target.

Compared to later napalm, the effect would naturally be reduced, but in terms of pouring ‘unquenchable fire’ on the enemy’s head, it was able to do its part perfectly.

A whopping 200 arrows containing such napalm.

The ships carrying *Hwacha* all began to pour it out towards the enemy at once.

The lotus flowers created by the Baekryeonkyo swallowed up the Ming navy.

* * *

“Water, water!”

“Pour water quickly! What are you doing!”

The enormous smoke and flames spewed out by the *Hwacha*, and then the hundreds of fire arrows that poured down.

The Ming army, which was attacked by surprise from a completely unexpected place, was caught off guard.

What embarrassed them even more was the sticky burning napalm.

In this era, shipboard fires are a major disaster for ships made of wood.

Therefore, ships are always equipped with water bottles or sand to extinguish fires.

However, despite their pleas, the flames did not go out easily even when water was poured on them.

The surface of napalm does not mix easily with water. Rather, it only increased the confusion on the ship.

“Sand! Pour sand instead of water!”

Fire attacks using oil had been common in naval battles.

At the instructions of the veterans, the naval soldiers turned over the entire artillery and shook out the sand, but the very sticky napalm easily stuck to the sand and burned.

Its high temperature and viscosity allow it to continue burning as long as the sand does not completely cover it and block oxygen.

The Ming army, which had already suffered a massive fire attack, was completely넋이 나가버렸다 [넋이 나가버렸다 is a Korean idiom that means ‘to be stunned’ or ‘to be in a daze’] at this point.

Flames and smoke rose from the front, back, and all sides, pressing down on them.

“Ugh…”

Because unrefined oil was used instead of gasoline, Joseon-style napalm burned with much more smoke and residue.

At this point, this could not be said to be a disadvantage.

The smoke that rose, obscuring the view in our ship and the ship next to us, put enormous psychological pressure on the Ming navy.

Rather than sacrificing their lives to the seemingly impossible extinguishing work, the Ming soldiers jumped into the sea, 풍덩풍덩 [풍덩풍덩 is an onomatopoeia for the sound of something falling into water], in search of a glimmer of hope to survive.

“Now is the time!”

The Joseon navy, seeing the sight, did not miss the opportunity.

“Crush all enemy ships!”