Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 221

Episode 221: Ocean Fleet. (1)

Two months have passed since the ‘Challenger’ was safely launched. From this point on, King Sejong began to gradually collect military aid and incense.

“Is the challenger signal ready yet?”

“Are you still training?”

Every time King Sejong asked Chaegeun, Jo Mal-saeng and Hyang had to give the same answer.

“The navy’s training is still not advanced, so they are training day and night, forgetting about it.”

“We need more time.”

“Huh~.”

Whenever King Sejong heard Jo Mal-saeng and Hyang’s answers, he did not hide his impatience.

“Isn’t the creation of the 1st Ocean Fleet almost finished? But are you saying that the first ship, the Challenger, is not ready yet?”

Hyang immediately responded to Sejong’s reprimand.

“The shape of the Challenger is different from the shape of the Korean ship that has been used so far, so it is taking time to learn its characteristics. “Those who have learned the characteristics of ocean-going ships through the Challenger will become the core personnel of the following ships, so we are putting even more effort into training.”

“It takes time because the lines are different… Ugh.”

King Sejong had to whet his appetite after hearing the description of the scent. Seeing that sight, Hyang spoke again.

“yes. In general, the ships that formed the basis of our Joseon navy were flat bottom ships for generations. However, the Challenger is a trough. Speaking of this apex line….”

* * *

Hyang’s explanation was not a simple excuse.

Since the Goryeo Dynasty, flat-jeo ships have been the trend. This was because the main stage of Hanseon’s activities was limited to the West Sea and the South Sea. Therefore, overall, flat bottom vessels that focused on safety rather than speed became the trend.

In the West Sea, which has the characteristics of a calm inland sea and a large difference in tides, and the South Sea, which has a complex coastline and a strong influence of currents, a flat bottom boat with a low draft, small turning radius, and good balance even when sinking in the mud flats at low tide was advantageous. .

However, unlike flat bottom ships, deep bottom ships like the Challenger had a deep draft and a wide turning radius.

Also, due to the nature of the trough, if it lands on a mudflat, it immediately tilts and runs aground.

Because of this difference, it took more time for the Joseon navy to handle ships.

However, as a fragrance, we had no choice but to insist on the lowest line.

This was because when going out into the ocean, the advantages of a flat bottom vessel turned into a disadvantage, and the disadvantages of a deep bottom vessel turned into an advantage.

* * *

Sejong, who was listening to Hyang’s explanation, pointed out a problem.

“Then the most important thing is the commander who will move the ship…”

“I already reported…”

As the scent slightly clouded his words, Sejong searched for memories.

Sejong, who had to search for memories that had been buried deep in his memory while processing dozens to hundreds of reports every day, finally remembered someone who was the captain of the Challenger.

“You appointed Officer Oh Ha-seok as Manho, right?”

“That’s right. “I appointed him because he had experience traveling to the ocean and learned the characteristics of low-slung ships through the ships of the Huihoe people.”

“Hmm… I see.”

Sejong nodded at the explanation of the scent.

According to his memory, all those who safely made it to Aden with Oh Ha-seok were assigned to the Challenger.

Once they gained experience in ocean sailing through the Challenger, they would move on to captain the newly launched ocean-going ship.

In the end, King Sejong had no choice but to take a step back.

“It is natural that we must be careful because the future of our Joseon is at stake. However, we must prevent putting too much effort into failure and failing.”

“I’ll keep that in mind!”

It was Hyang who bowed his head and answered King Sejong’s words. But Hyang continued to grumble inside.

‘Abama! I’m more urgent! We need to assemble a fleet as quickly as possible so we can send it to South America!’

* * *

“Once you build a fleet, you have to send it to South America under any excuse.”

Hyang muttered as he looked at the report that recorded the Challenger’s training status and improvements.

“What we bring from South America is not just gold or silver. There is something more important than that. What we bring from South America are potatoes, sweet potatoes, and rubber. Even if you skip everything else, you still need rubber.”

For Hyang, rubber was something he must obtain. Hyang tapped the desk with his fingers and muttered.

“If only the rubber comes in, we can warp this shipbuilding right away.”

* * *

The steam engine was the beginning of Hyang’s desperate desire for rubber.

Gaskets made of copper had to be used to connect pipes through which high-temperature steam passed. However, the steam engine currently being improved at the research center and Area 51 had to use gaskets made of copper in all parts that needed to be sealed, even the parts that did not receive heat.

“If this happens, I don’t know what the lifespan will be like, but the manufacturing cost problem becomes too big.”

It was not just a matter of the unit cost of the steam engine. As more and more objects were made, the need for rubber increased.

Rubber was also needed for the water pipes that discharged water toward the fire, which were mounted on water discharge vehicles used by the Geumhwa Army.

Water pipes made using thick, tough cotton had a short lifespan and were poor in waterproofing performance and pressure resistance.

If the pressure rose even slightly, the pipe made of cotton cloth would burst.

Thanks to this, the capacity of the centrifugal pump attached to the water discharge was not able to be used 100%.

That wasn’t all.

Rubber was also needed for the housing complex for homelessness management, where the design had now been completed and only the land purchase process remained.

The part where the rubber would go into the newly designed house was the small pump. The scent reminded me of the pea pump installed in the kitchen sink in a western movie I saw in the 21st century, and I was struggling to apply it.

“I remember the structure well, but the problem is still the packing.”

Even in the rural areas of Yangsan, the pistons of the few remaining pumps had to have packing parts made of rubber.

Of course, it worked even if it was made of copper and used a hinged packing, but for better performance, rubber had to be added.

Wood, bamboo, and even paper could be substituted to some extent, but there was a problem of corruption.

However, the reason Hyang desperately wanted rubber was to make the most important object, along with the steam engine.

“Once this is completed, Joseon can develop to the level of warp, not leap!”

It was the generator that decided that the scent must be created.

* * *

The 21st century was an era where survival itself became a problem without electricity. Hyang, who was so familiar with the existence of electricity, could never give it up.

“It’s not like I don’t know the structure of a generator…”

When he was a high school student in the 21st century, Hyang actually built a model steam locomotive that heated water and won a prize in a competition.

Of course, I was good at designing the overall system and coming up with concepts, but my classmates who went on to major in science did all the actual numerical calculations.

At the time, this was mutually beneficial. Hyang, who was completely intoxicated with steampunk, was happy to be able to practice his craft, and his classmates in the science department were able to obtain cards that they could use to their advantage when entering college.

Of course, Hyang should have heard both praise and criticism from her parents.

“It’s great to receive an award. “How can the liberal arts department receive this award and put it to good use?”

Despite being scolded, Hyang created and submitted a model of a generator connected to a steam engine the following year.

Therefore, Hyang had solid knowledge about generators.

Therefore, with the creation of the steam engine, even the basic design of the generator was completed, but the scent had no choice but to stop there.

“There’s a problem with the wires. The wire…”

To be precise, it was a problem with the insulating material that would surround the wire.

Of course, wires could be made even without rubber.

For simple insulation, it would have been enough to wrap oil-soaked paper or cloth.

In reality, the wires inside the radios used by the Japanese military during World War II were wrapped in oil-soaked cloth.

Hyang clicked his tongue after checking related records on the Internet.

“Why do you eat up the rubber production area and then make wires like this? So I lost.”

Anyway, since there was a related record, I even thought about borrowing it, but Hyang soon gave up the idea.

It was because of the Great Hanseong Fire that he saw the devastation with his own eyes.

“Most of them are wooden houses with thatched roofs, but the cables are greased… so they are twisted.”

Hyang gave up the idea of using oiled cloth or paper as an insulator.

* * *

In addition, there were many objects whose performance was dramatically improved by the addition of rubber, from canteens to shoes.

I thought about making synthetic rubber, but unfortunately I didn’t know the process.

Therefore, the township wanted the rapid deployment of the ocean fleet more than anyone else.

That’s why, while comforting Sejong’s impatience, Hyang was secretly complaining.

‘If there is anyone among those gathered here who is as upset as me, please come out!’

* * *

Hyang returned to his office and let out a long sigh.

“Whoa~. For an ocean-going fleet to function properly, at least 15 ships are needed. “And only with battleships.”

The plan was for three ships to go to the Middle East, three ships to return from the Middle East, and another three ships to rest and undergo maintenance.

The Hyang’s scenario was to allocate 9 ships, place 3 of the remaining 6 on standby as a reserve, and send the remaining 3 to the New World.

“The good thing is that if you send it up to the north and come back down to the south, it will be safer and you will receive more support than if you just have to cross the Pacific Ocean.”

Hyang unfolded the world map he had made – which was nothing more than a roughly drawn map regardless of scale – and checked his plan.

“If you start from Wonsan, go through Sakhalin, use the Kuril Islands as a guidepost, go through the Kamchatka Peninsula, cross the Bering Sea from there, arrive at Alaska, and from there follow the western coastlines of North and South America, you will be able to move with as much safety as possible. Of course, we have to be careful that the Northern Sea Route becomes completely empty in the winter… So then the first forward base will be the Kamchatka Peninsula? Or Vladivostok? “It’s not Russian land now, so what should we name it…”

Hyang, who had been daydreaming alone while looking at the map, suddenly realized the reality and burst into laughter.

“Heh! It’s like a dream. We are struggling right now to find wood to build boats, so what…” *

* *

The forests of Joseon at this time were not in an easy situation.

Although coal was becoming more widely available, many trees were still being cut down for cooking and heating.

Therefore, from the beginning, efforts were made to protect forests and restore destroyed forests.

However, because trees did not grow rapidly and the need for high-quality wood was not limited to ships, the supply of wood was not smooth.

Therefore, even when building the Panokseon, there was a saying going around, ‘For every Panokseon built, one forest disappears.’

Because Hyang knew the situation, he laughed helplessly.

“The bottom line is that we have to take control of the Siberian forests. Wood that is dense and hard is the best for making ships. Why would a French ship of the line and an American frigate hear the sound of gangsters?”

Recalling the movies and Internet records he had seen in the 21st century, Hyang again pledged to secure the Siberian forest area.

“The problem is that the stabilization of the frontier areas in the northeastern region has not yet been completed. Only when this place is stabilized can the road and people enter…”

Hyang, who continued to check the situation, let out a long sigh.

“Whoa~. “At what time…”