Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 216

Episode 216: Challenger. (4)

After spending a night in Suyeong, King Sejong moved to the shipyard.

“I wanted to go straight from Hanseong to the shipyard, but the name king makes that difficult.”

Seeing Sejong complaining with a bitter smile, Hyang nodded without realizing it.

In the 21st century, it would only take a short distance from Seoul to Namyang, Gyeonggi-do.

If the president were to visit Namyang, the time would be further shortened through traffic control.

But in Joseon, it was the opposite.

The newly built road made it easy to travel, but the king’s job became a hindrance.

If there was a town that he stopped by on the way, King Sejong had to go into the government office to personally check the work status of the local government officials and point out any areas that were lacking.

Since the civil complaints department had already improved the system, there were almost no cases of people rushing in as soon as King Sejong arrived. However, the travel time became longer as it was crowded with people who came to present valuable items to the noble king.

It was the same when I arrived at Suyeong. After being inspected by the Susa and naval soldiers, they had to hold a feast with alcohol and meat to thank them for their hard work.

So, it was only after staying one night at Suyeong’s official residence that he moved to the shipyard.

‘If things go well at the shipyard, we’ll add one night there as well. Only the dispatchers will be busy.’

Even though King Sejong came here, work continued, so only the dispatchers were on the move.

Meanwhile, the faces of the ministers and high-ranking officials who served King Sejong became angry.

Unlike when I was working in Hanseong, my workload was drastically reduced, and I was able to rest while making the excuse of stopping by the government office to check on work.

‘Even if I have to go back and die, it’s really good now!’

‘When you need to rest, you need to rest!’

In this way, King Sejong and the ministers entered the shipyard, half on work and half on vacation.

“Meet Your Majesty the Lord! Shin Han Tae-woo It is the honor of three lives to see His Majesty’s dragon’s eyes in a wallpaper like this! “A thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand years!”

Han Tae-woo, a low-level official in charge of managing Seonso, a shipyard during the Joseon Dynasty, cried out for a lifetime with tearful eyes.

He was a king who thought he would never see him again in his life because he was a miscellaneous worker who came to work through reporting.

Han Tae-woo reacted enthusiastically to the thrill of seeing such a king in person.

“You are really working hard.”

When King Sejong delivered his condolences, old Han Tae-woo couldn’t help but bow down to the ground.

“I am truly honored that you are praising me so much even though I only did what I was supposed to do! “Ugh!”

In response to Han Tae-woo’s extremely enthusiastic response, King Sejong motioned to Hyang. As Hyang came right next to him, Sejong whispered softly into Hyang’s ear.

“Did you do that when you came?”

Hyang answered King Sejong’s question in a low voice.

“It was similar, but I’m a little more emotional today. “Maybe it’s because Abama came.”

“I see. Tsk.”

After savoring his appetite, Sejong actually felt sorry for Taewoo.

‘How many people are there just doing their own thing in a situation where no one even notices? ‘I have a lot of work to do.’

“Get up. “Isn’t there a lot to do?”

“Yes yes!”

At King Sejong’s order, he got up from his seat.

Tae-Woo wiped his tears with his sleeve and immediately raised his arm and pointed to the inside of Seon-So.

“This way, Your Highness.”

* * *

Sejong entered the Seonso under the guidance of Han Tae-woo and carefully inspected the interior of the Seonso.

Sejong, who saw the old ships being dismantled, asked Taewoo.

“What happens to the planks of a dismantled ship?”

“After examining the condition, we use those that are good for other ships, and those that are judged to be defective are used as raw materials for firewood or yellow paper.”

When the word ‘Hwangji’ came out, King Sejong looked back. Hyang simply answered the unspoken question.

“You have to save to live well.”

“That’s a wise answer.”

Sejong carefully looked around Seonso.

“huh? “What is that building?”

Sejong asked Taewoo when he saw the large warehouse built on one side of the shipyard.

“This is a place where the lucky ships of the Ming Dynasty and the Japanese ships of the Japanese Empire are on display.”

“A ship of Ming and Wa? “Let me take a look.”

Sejong, filled with curiosity, walked towards the building in question.

Inside the building, the large Ming Dynasty ship and the small Hwaseon were disassembled and displayed.

And next to it, Korean ships were displayed in the same condition.

“I disassembled everything. “You can clearly see the structure.”

“It was an order given by the crown prince.”

King Sejong and the ministers looked at the scent as Tae-Woo explained.

“I created this for reference by craftsmen who will build Joseon’s ships in the future.”

Taewu immediately added to Hyang’s answer.

“Even now, not only captains from Gyeonggi Swimming, but captains and apprentices from all over Joseon stop by at least once to take a look.”

After hearing the explanation, Sejong nodded.

“yes. “It’s not like the captains (carpenters who build ships) who are working now can continue to work.”

“yes. So, soon, I plan to create an academy that will teach ranchers who build houses as well as boats.”

“Ranches?”

“We will create an academy that will systematically teach not only ranching, but also craftsmanship skills such as iron and magnetic fields. “There are many skills that will disappear if we continue through apprenticeship methods like we do now.”

“I see. “Just make a plan.”

“yep!”

When King Sejong gave permission, Hyang responded with a happy face.

When Kim Jeom saw the scene from behind, his complexion turned dark.

“Budget, budget…”

* * *

After touring the ship exhibition hall, King Sejong finally arrived at his destination.

It was a ship port where a new ship that a lot of attention was put into was located.

“It is so big and beautiful!”

King Sejong was greatly impressed when he saw the new ship.

The new ship, which was slim and stretched from bow to stern, was incomparably more beautiful than the ships I had seen before.

Sejong was not the only one who was impressed. The ministers all gave exclamations of exclamation.

“What a beautiful ship!”

“The pointed prow is like an arrowhead, so it looks like it can move really fast!”

Hyang muttered to himself at the evaluation of King Sejong and the ministers.

‘It will be a little slower than the original Galleon.’

The incense-made galleon was slightly different from the traditional galleon.

Traditional galleons had a width-to-length ratio of about 1:4, but Hyang’s was wider at about 1.5:4.

This is something I learned in the 21st century when I was building a ship at the request of a rich man from the Middle East.

The American fan who was in charge of the design at the time persuaded the client.

“We will do most of the things as requested, but the scope needs to be broadened. “With a traditional galleon, the risk of falling over when turning at high speed is too high!”

The Hyang who saw this scene from the side was that the range was expanded when the Galleon was made in Joseon.

‘It’s a ship I’ve never seen before, but if there were an accident, it would be buried! We must put safety first!’

Thanks to this, according to Hyang’s prediction, it was certain that this new ship would be inferior in speed if it faced a real galleon.

But I wasn’t worried about the scent.

“Even though the speed is lower, the firepower and defense will be better, right?”

If the city were to encounter Western maritime powers at the expected time, they would have been armed with larger and more powerful artillery.

Even if we met in the next 4-5 years instead of then, there was no reason to be pushed back with Joseon’s gunpowder weapons now.

The defense was also designed to increase defense – more precisely, survivability – by incorporating technology learned in the 21st century.

And lastly, the speed….

“Was that guy like that back then? ‘I’m going to install an engine, so what are you worried about?’ go.”

Hyang also planned to renovate it as soon as a proper steam engine was available.

“I like American style. “If the speed is not good, you can install a more powerful engine, right?”

* * *

Before the ship was launched, King Sejong boarded the ship and looked around.

The place that Sejong showed the most interest was the second floor deck.

“As far as I know, Panokseon had Gyeokgun (rowing soldiers) stationed here. But is this ship deploying artillery to this spot?”

“yes. The new ships are driven solely by the wind.”

“Only with the wind? Wouldn’t it be slower then?”

Hyang immediately responded to Sejong’s point.

“It is entirely possible. And if the steam engine is sufficiently improved, you can mount it.”

“It’s a steam engine…”

Hyang’s answer made Sejong remember.

The steam engine completed last year was sent to coal mines and steel mills. Instead of oxen and horses, steam engines were used to pump water from mine shafts and blow air into furnaces, and the results were observed.

As a result, reports from coal mines and steel mills were met with favorable reviews.

‘It is the best machine because one steam engine can do the work of more than 20 cows or horses!’

Sejong, who remembered the evaluation, nodded.

“I think it’s a good move. Okay… then how much artillery is loaded on this ship?”

“It is expected to be equipped with 50 Eulsik general fire barrels and 20 shotguns that are currently being tested.”

Sejong seemed satisfied with Hyang’s answer.

“If that’s the case, we won’t be pushed back by firepower anywhere.”

At King Sejong’s words, Hyang and all the ministers were astonished.

‘Are we being pushed back by firepower? If all goes according to plan, he will become a thug of the sea!’

‘majesty! ‘There are 50 artillery pieces!’

Before the intervention of perfume, the Golden Hind, which Francis Drake used to circumnavigate the world, was a galleon launched in 1577.

However, the number of cannons mounted on this Golden Hind was 22. (Note 1)

Sejong, who was looking at the second floor deck, leaving behind the ministers who were confused due to differences in concept of the quantity of artillery, looked back.

“You put up a lot of bulkheads?”

When King Sejong saw the strong wooden bulkheads erected on the left and right of each place where the artillery pieces were placed, Hyang directly explained the reason.

“Yes, we put up bulkheads in case it gets hit.”

“Hmm…”

While Sejong was nodding his head, Kim Jeom muttered softly.

“It seemed like a lot of budget was involved…”

After finishing looking around the second-floor deck, King Sejong went down to the lowest level, the bilge.

“The bulkhead is solid here too.”

“We prioritized survivability.”

“Good job.”

Sejong, who was satisfied with Hyang’s answer, praised her.

When designing the bottom part of the hull below the draft, the most important thing was to install a fighting compartment.

Space was allocated for a steam engine that might be installed in the future, and a total of six compartments were installed around it on the left and right sides. And the doors installed in the passage between compartments were made of sliding doors, not swinging doors.

This was because sliding doors were more stable than hinged doors with metal processing technology that was still lacking. In addition, bitumen obtained from Mansour not long ago was faithfully applied to the exterior and interior of the hull to ensure waterproofing.

* * *

After finishing viewing the inside of the ship, Sejong went up to the first floor deck and observed the rest.

After touring the captain’s office and the military officer’s office, King Sejong looked back and saw the four protrusions installed on the side of the ship.

“What is that place? “That place that protrudes out of the hull and is surrounded by a roof and walls.”

Hyang looked at the place pointed out by Sejong and gave a simple answer.

“It’s a side toilet.”

“huh? ha ha ha!”

Sejong burst into laughter at Hyang’s answer.

Sejong nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“This place truly lives up to its name!”

It was a play on words using the fact that the side between the sides was the ‘side of the edge of the flat’.

Smiling like that, Sejong climbed onto the stern – to be exact, the roof of the captain’s cabin – and sang incense again.

“What is that place again? “It won’t be an affair, right?”

In the center of the highest point of the stern, there was a structure covered on all sides with thick wooden boards and covered with a roof – there was a gap between the roof and the wall to see outside.

Hyang, who saw the structure, gave a simple answer to Sejong’s question.

“It’s the wheelhouse.”

“wheelhouse?”

* * *

Note 1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Hind