Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 224

Episode 224: Ocean Fleet. (4) When

the news of Japanese fishermen from the ship Jeonjeonja arrived in Wonsan and the general report written by Oh Ha-seok arrived in Hanseong, the government was put on alert. Thanks to this, I had to attend the meeting all the way to Hyang.

Sejong, who was seated in the Dangga, looked at Jo Mal-saeng and gave orders.

“Please explain to the ministers the general message sent by Oh Ha-seok and what has been investigated so far.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

In response to King Sejong’s order, Jo Mal-saeng gestured to the official standing behind him.

Jipyeong (5th Rank Jeong), the military commander, stepped forward and politely bowed to King Sejong, then turned around and lightly bowed to the ministers.

Byeongjo Jipyeong, who posted the example, explained the situation.

“A total of 14 Japanese fishermen were captured while attempting to capture the Challenger. He was not fully conscious when he was captured and after arriving in Wonsan, but he came to his senses about three days later and was interrogated. “According to the interrogation, these fishermen are from the Ngi Islands (隠岐群島 Oki Islands) of the Japanese country.”

“Where are the Eungi Islands located?”

The official answered King Sejong’s question right away.

“It is a Japanese island located about 400 ri (about 160 km) southeast of Usando (于山島 Dokdo) (Note 1).”

In response to Jipyeong, Sejong muttered, tapping the armrest with his fingers.

“400 lira…. That’s far. “Then who rules the Silver Islands?”

“This is Peking Opera (Kyōgoku).”

“Hmm…”

After hearing Jipyeong’s answer, Sejong snorted and got lost in thought. While King Sejong was silent, Judge Yejo asked a question instead.

“How big is the fishing boat?”

“According to Oh Ha-seok’s precepts, the largest ship is about the size of a midship.”

“How many people can ride at that level?”

“According to the organization of our naval forces, there are 30 people.” (Note 2)

“Then how many fishing boats did the Challenger sink in total?”

“There are four ships.”

At the official’s answer, the inside of Geunjeongjeon was filled with the officials’ murmur.

“If you do the simple calculation, there are 120 people….”

“Right next to Usando-myeon is Mureungdo (Ulleungdo). And when it comes to Mureung-do, Gangwon-do is right around the corner. “This is not something to be taken lightly.”

To many of the ministers who filled Geunjeongjeon, Japanese pirates were not strangers.

In the midst of all the commotion, Yeonguijeong Lee Jik opened his mouth.

“The military commander used the word capture. Instead of saying sinking. And the number of Japanese people brought in was only 14. An easy calculation would be that only 10% survived. I have a feeling that something isn’t quite right. “Let’s hear some more explanation.”

After Lee Jik’s words, the whispering subsided and Byeongjo Jipyeong was able to continue his explanation.

“To explain it accurately, among the fishing boats that the Japanese came on, there was only one boat that was as big as a medium ship. And the remaining three ships were about the size of a fleet of ships. According to the fishermen’s statements, a total of 32 people were together, and 14 of them were captured alive.”

Those who had been anxious just a moment ago looked relieved at Jipyeong’s words. But they were thinking the same thing at the same time.

‘You should have said that first!’

While he was grumbling like that, Sejong opened his mouth.

“So, did Oh Ha-seok attack simple fishermen and not Japanese pirates?”

The faces of those who had expressed relief at Sejong’s point out all became serious.

On behalf of these people, Judge Ye Jo spoke.

“This must be clearly understood! If they were attacking unarmed fishermen, that would be a problem! Those cunning Japanese will make this an issue and harass us! “If necessary, I will cut off Oh Ha-seok’s head!”

“Yesan! Let’s not get ahead of ourselves! “The explanation isn’t over yet!”

Ye Fan, who had even mentioned the execution of Oh Ha-seok, remained silent at Jo Mal-saeng’s words.

“What Byeongpan said is right. It is appropriate to listen to the report without making any predictions in advance. “Please continue your explanation.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After speaking lightly, Ji-pyeong cleared his throat and continued talking.

“First of all, let me tell you, he was a fisherman, but he was not unarmed. “Bring it with you.”

At Jipyeong’s order, the two officials who had been waiting in the back came forward carrying a small platform.

Three Japanese swords with scabbards were placed on a table covered with white cloth.

“According to Oh Ha-seok’s account, after the fishermen were rescued, they selected sailors who were good at fishing and inspected the overturned fishing boats, just in case. “During the process, we found Japanese fish in the cabin of the largest fishing boat.”

“Is there a skew on a fishing boat?”

“yes.”

“Hmm…”

Sejong’s face hardened at Jipyeong’s answer. Jo Mal-saeng, who saw this, stepped forward.

“If you look at the behavior of Japanese pirates so far, you can understand. In the meantime, most of the ships of the Japanese pirates who flocked to this land were similar in size to the midshipmen. And a ship is not something that just anyone can move. In other words, I think it is reasonable to view those Japanese fishermen as Japanese pirates who are ready to grab their swords and prey at any time.”

“I guess that’s right.”

King Sejong, the ministers, and Hyang nodded at Jo Mal-saeng’s explanation.

Even in the 21st century, operating a ship, especially going out to sea, was only possible for those with qualifications. Even in the 21st century, which is filled with all kinds of high-tech devices, starting with GPS.

Hyang, who was nodding his head like that, asked Jo Mal-saeng.

“If so. There is one issue that needs to be checked. “Where were those Japanese ships?”

Jipyeong answered Hyang’s question on behalf of Jo Malsaeng.

“According to Jang-gye, it is 30 ri (about 12 km) southeast of Usando Island.”

In response to Jipyeong, King Sejong called Yepan.

“Yesan. “In this matter, we should blame why, not why.”

“That’s right.”

“Let’s talk about this later and listen to more explanations. I’ve looked at my account, but there’s something I don’t understand. You just fired threatening shots and the ships capsized and broke up? “Is that possible?”

“It is possible.”

“huh?”

“According to Oh Ha-seok’s general instructions, he ordered that the Japanese fishing boats not be hit, but that the bombs be dropped as close as possible. “The 25 Eulsik General Firearms aboard the Challenger would be sufficient.”

“Hmm… Even if it flipped over, why did it break?”

In response to Sejong’s question, Hyang came forward.

“Soja will explain that part.”

“Try it.”

“In order to research how to build new ships, we obtained ships from the Ming and Japanese and conducted research.”

“I remember. “I saw it disintegrated in the South Sea.”

“yes. During this process, I learned about the characteristics of Japanese ships. Unlike our ships, the plates that make up the hull are very thin. Additionally, the crossbars and bulkheads that support the hull are poor. Therefore, impacts that our Panokseons and newer ships can withstand can have fatal effects on Japanese ships. However, our Panokseon cannot keep up with the speed.”

“Did you choose speed out of durability and speed?”

“That’s right.”

Sejong, who was nodding his head at Hyang’s answer, looked at Hyang with surprised eyes.

“It was said that the Japanese gave up durability to gain speed. And the Panokseon, the main ship of our navy, sacrificed its speed to gain durability. However, the new ship was said to be faster and stronger than the Panokseon, not just catching up with the fleeing Japanese ships. “What on earth have you made?”

When Hyang was about to answer King Sejong’s question, Kim Jeom muttered without realizing it.

“A budget-eating monster… Wow!”

Surprised, Kim Jeom covered his mouth, but it was too late.

In the end, Hyang had no choice but to answer with a bitter smile.

“Like Captain Hopan said, we made an expensive one.”

There was a reason why Kim Jeom said that. The size of the new ship was slightly more than twice that of the Panokseon. However, if you consider the production cost alone, the cost of building five panokseons was reasonable.

Of course, it was not the pure production cost, but the loss incurred in the process of processing the wood to fit the linear shape accounted for a large portion. In addition, the cost of manufacturing the large equipment needed for the drying process was significant.

“…Therefore, as the craftsmen’s experience has accumulated, trial and error can be reduced, and large-scale equipment has already been completed, so the budget will be greatly reduced.”

“Are you sure?”

“yes.”

‘Maybe’

I answered, but Hyang’s eyes were looking in the other direction.

Sejong, who was looking at the incense with narrowed eyes, cleared his throat and changed the topic.

“Hmm! Yes… in order to protect the country’s borders, we will have to bear the necessary expenses. I listened carefully to the soldier’s report. I will reward Oh Ha-seok, the captain of the Challenger, and his crew according to their rank. Because I did something worthy of a reward.”

“I follow your orders!”

Jo Mal-saeng’s face was full of joy as he answered in a loud voice. If you made a mistake, before the police chief, you would have been reprimanded for causing unnecessary trouble.

However, as the war progressed, Joseon’s economy grew, and trade with external powers progressed, Joseon was becoming increasingly active, active, and aggressive.

* * *

“Then let’s talk about what Joseon should do.”

At King Sejong’s words, Ye Fan came forward immediately.

“We must strongly protest to the King of Japan – the Muromachi Shogunate’s shogun. At the time, Joseon called the shogun the King of Japan (Note 3) – while returning the captured fishermen.”

“That’s natural. “Let’s talk about the defenses of the East Sea.”

Jo Mal-saeng immediately responded to King Sejong’s words.

“We need to deploy troops to Mureung Island. In addition, to ensure that it is a powerful region of our Joseon Dynasty, we must have people live on Mureung Island and erect a monument on Usando.”

Hearing Jo Mal-saeng’s words, Maeng Sa-seong opened his eyes wide and asked.

“The residents of Mureung Island? Are you saying you want to abolish the repatriation system?”

“That’s right.”

“Huh~.”

The ministers looked perplexed at Jo Mal-saeng’s remarks.

* * *

In the third year of King Taejong (1404), King Taejong decided to bring the residents of Mureungdo to the mainland.

At that time, many people fled to Mureung Island to avoid military service. As the number of people living in this way increased, there was a high probability that the Japanese pirates who flocked to target them would be able to target Gangwon-do as well.

However, Ulleungdo was too far to deploy soldiers.

Because of such a situation, Taejong created a policy to return the residents of Mureungdo to the mainland.

However, due to various reasons, this policy was not implemented immediately.

However, an incident occurred in the 6th year of King Taejong’s reign (1407).

The guardian of Tsushima Island, Jongjeongmu (宗貞茂 So Sadashige), sent a messenger. The messenger conveyed the following:

“I want to live on Mureung Island with the residents of Tsushima Island!”

King Taejong accepted this proposal and discussed it with his ministers.

“If I allow this, won’t there be a gap if the King of Japan brings in traitors to me?”

Namjae immediately responded to Taejong’s concerns.

“When Japanese people oppose something, they always follow someone else. This happens all the time, so I can’t stop it. Who would dare come up with such a plan?”

Despite Namjae’s answer, Taejong shook his head.

“Even though it is a common occurrence within Japan, crossing the border is different. “I will definitely say something.”

King Taejong, worried that it would escalate into an international problem, rejected Zong Jeongmu’s proposal.

And as time passed, in the 19th year of King Taejong’s reign (1416), the repatriation policy was actually implemented. (Note 4)

* * *

And now, 14 years later, Jo Mal-saeng proposed the abolition of the repatriation policy.

“I read Seo Yi’s books, and I see that you must have a people to claim territorial rights. “If you think back, isn’t this just natural?”

“Even now, Mureungdo is our Joseon land. Who will deny that?”

Jo Mal-saeng immediately responded to Maeng Sa-seong’s point.

“If they were Japanese, they would deny it. “These are the seeds.”

Hyang nodded in response to Jo Mal-saeng’s answer without even realizing it.

‘answer!’

* * *

Note 1) The basis for calling Usando Dokdo was based on this data.

The truth about Dokdo. Sejong University Dokdo Research Institute.

http://www.dokdoandeastasia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/%EB%8F%85%EB%8F%84%EC%9D%98-%EC%A7%84%EC%8B% A4-1_%EC%9A%B0%EC%82%B0%EA%B5%AD%EA%B3%BC-%EC%9A%B0%EC%82%B0%EB%8F%84.pdf Note

2 ) Korea Creative Content Agency.

http://www.culturecontent.com/content/contentView.do?search_div=CP_THE&search_div_id=CP_THE010&cp_code=cp0232&index_id=cp02320048&content_id=cp023200480001&search_left_menu=2

Note 3) By establishing a relationship with the Ming Dynasty, the Shogun received the title of King of Japan.

https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%9D%BC%EB%B3%B8%EA%B5%AD%EC%99%95

Note 4) Sejong University Dokdo Research Institute

http://www.dokdoandeastasia .com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/%EB%8F%85%EB%8F%84%EC%9D%98-%EC%A7%84%EC%8B%A4-2_%EC%A1 %B0%EC%84%A0%EC%9D%98-%EC%9A%B8%EB%A6%89%EB%8F%84-%EC%87%84%ED%99%98%EC%A0 %95%EC%B1%85.pdf