Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 243

Episode 243: Courier (5)

The fleet of messengers departing from Shimonoseki headed for Kyoto, escorted by front lines belonging to the Ouchi family.

Although the carrier arrived suddenly, the fleet had to stop at famous ports in Japan from time to time to carry out diplomatic procedures and supply supplies.

“This is a problem that clearly requires frequent resupply.”

At Nam Ki-ju’s words, the captain of the Panokseon carrying him nodded.

“That’s right. “It is probably an inherent limitation of the Panokseon itself.”

The Panokseon was a ship whose mission was to operate in the coastal sea (sea close to land). Because it was heavily armed with artillery, gunpowder and large iron bullets took up a significant portion of the space inside the hull. Therefore, the Panokseon’s operation period could not exceed five days at most.

Of course, the size of the Panokseon grew as Hyang made improvements, but the Joseon navy filled the expanded space with artillery and materials to be used for artillery.

“This problem will be solved when Challenger-class ships are deployed in large numbers.”

Nam Ki-ju lightly shook his head at the captain’s words.

“It won’t work like that. Challenger-class ships will be deployed to the ocean-going fleet. The sea near our Joseon will still have to be protected by Panok ships. Of course, if the sea emergency battleships come out, the Japanese pirates and fake Japanese pirates will be in trouble.”

“ah! I heard the rumor. “I heard you responded that quickly?”

Nam Ki-ju nodded in response to the captain’s question.

“If pirates encounter a sea turtle at sea, they have only two options. Either surrender and ask for mercy, or go see the Dragon Palace.”

Nam Ki-ju, who answered like that, glanced behind him. The Tsushima Island vassals and the Ouchi family vassals who were listening to the conversation between the captain and Nam Ki-ju were quickly averting their gaze.

Nam Ki-ju, who was watching this, smiled and looked at the captain. The captain also smiled mysteriously and nodded slightly.

“We will arrive at Wuchang (牛窓 Ushimado) soon.”

Nam Gi-ju laughed and joked at the navigator’s report.

“I have to use the brush again because my arm hurts.”

“Have a hard time.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to get ready soon.”

As Nam Ki-ju went down the Panok (commanding pavilion) of Panokseon, the vassals of Tsushima and Ouchi followed him and came down the pavilion.

The captain, who was watching this, smiled and muttered.

“I heard Tsushima Island and Daenae clan are enemies…”

The vassals of the two families who boarded the ship together under the pretext of guiding the messenger party were never close to each other.

However, it was visible that they were not just guides. All conversations were conducted through an interpreter, but it was noticeable that he knew the Korean language well.

Therefore, it was impossible to allow them to wander around inside the ship, especially near the guns.

That’s why Nam Ki-ju deliberately went up to Panok and talked to the captain. The vassals of the two families were not allowed to leave the pavilion in order to eavesdrop on the conversation between the two men.

It was a situation where both people knew about each other but were deceived. The vassals of the two families also knew that Nam Gi-ju was tying them up, but they could not move easily. This was because, as before, information that they did not know leaked out little by little in the words they quietly spilled.

Of course, even the contents of this leak were put to the head of the Hyang and ministers.

* * *

The voyage from Shimonoseki to Osaka took over a month.

This was because we had to stay at least four to five days at each port we visited.

“This is Nanpa (old name for Naniwa Osaka)!”

Nam Ki-ju, who was standing on the deck, looked back at the captain at the shout of the sailor who was watching.

“We have finally arrived.”

“That’s right.”

As the fleet carrying the telecommunications company approached Osaka Port, many ships filled the waters off Osaka. A vassal of Tsushima Doju introduced this while looking at the ships that filled the waters off Osaka Port.

“It’s the Shogun’s fleet.”

“It looks like there are about 100 ships.”

A retainer of the Ouchi family intervened in Nam Ki-ju’s words.

“Because this trip was decided in a hurry, the number seems a bit small. “If things had gone as planned, there would have been 200 ships.”

“is it?”

While listening to the answers from the two families’ vassals, Nam Ki-ju looked at the Japanese ships that filled his eyes.

Neither Nam Ki-ju nor the Joseon navy seemed particularly frightened by the enormous fleet that filled the sea, even though only half of it was there.

This was because the vast majority of the ships so crowded were medium ships and small ships that were much smaller than the Panokseon. There seemed to be a little over ten ships of similar size to the Panokseon.

Even if they turned into enemies, Joseon’s ships were capable of breaking through them and escaping.

‘Even if we don’t escape, 80% of that ship will become ghosts.’

Nam Ki-ju, who calculated with his emotionless eyes, did not look scared at all.

The shogun’s attempts to show off his power and put psychological pressure on Joseon’s Tongsinsa had little effect.

* * *

The Panok ship docked at the dock of Osaka Port and a pier was connected. Just before landing, Kiju Nam had a conversation with the captain.

“Thanks to you, I arrived safely.”

“Please take care in Kyoto as well.”

“Please take care of the captain too.”

Nam Ki-ju said goodbye and went down the pier.

Panok ships carrying the communications company docked at the dock, and all kinds of cargo and horse carts came down to the dock.

As soon as the horses were unloaded from the ship and stabilized to some degree, the cavalrymen approached and began to saddle them.

The eyes of the Japanese people sparkled when they saw the cavalrymen mounting their horses with their saddles on and their Gap-style long rifles and Eul-style horseback rifles mounted on their holsters.

“Is the armor unique?”

To the questions asked by the Japanese who saw the full-body plate armor worn by the cavalry, Nam Gi-ju answered with an expression that it was no big deal.

“This is a new armor that I started using a while ago.”

“Is that so?”

The expressions on the faces of the Japanese people who heard Nam Ki-ju’s answer were complex.

‘It’s covered with cloth, but it’s clearly made of iron armor!’

‘It’s definitely steel! And if you look at it in action, it’s something you’ve been wearing for a long time and are already familiar with!’

‘You made armor that covers your whole body with that expensive steel and put it on! What happened to Joseon?’

The Japanese, preoccupied with the cavalry’s armor, had completely forgotten the existence of the armored rifles and mounted rifles mounted on both sides of the saddle.

“Your horse is ready.”

“is it? “Good job.”

Guided by the cavalry, Nam Ki-ju and his party mounted their horses.

“What about Tsushima Island and Daenae’s vassals?”

“They are ready too.”

After confirming that the vassals of the two families who had accompanied them were also waiting for them on the horses they had prepared in advance, Nam Ki-ju rode towards them.

“The work is important, so let’s move quickly to Gyeongdo.”

“yes.”

The vassals of both families agreed with Nam Ki-ju’s words.

* * *

In their view, this news agency was unique in many ways. Until last time, all telecommunications companies that visited Japan used palanquins. And most of the escort troops were small numbers of infantry.

But this carrier was completely different. For the reason that ‘this is an issue that needs to be discussed urgently,’ they brought horses and all of the guards were cavalry. Not only that, but the Joseon military formation in the capital city seemed to have filled the first flag (usually 3 to 5 columns with a maximum of 125 people).

Thanks to receiving this news in advance, the shogunate sent an escort and guidance unit comprised entirely of cavalry. The number of Japanese cavalry that arrived was approximately 500.

The vassals sent from Tsushima and Ouchi muttered to themselves as they looked at the cavalry.

‘Sending out 500 cavalry units… Are you bragging that Kyoto is that safe?’

In particular, the vassal of the Ouchi family had a very serious face.

‘Are you saying that we have such solid military power and power that we won’t feel anxious even if we send out that many people?’

The cavalry sent by the shogunate contained an unspoken warning to the nobles of Joseon and Japan.

‘The shogunate is this powerful! ‘Don’t make vain decisions!’

“depart!”

“depart!”

Following the order of the Japanese cavalry commander who confirmed that the communications carriers’ preparations were complete, the Japanese cavalrymen in charge of the lead began to move ahead. And the news agency group moved after them.

And Japanese painters were working hard to translate that scene into paintings.

* * *

The road to Kyoto went smoothly. When the movement went smoothly, the vassals of the two families and the vassals sent by the shogunate talked with Nam Ki-ju.

“Joseon’s cavalry looks really sturdy.”

“It’s inevitable that it will happen because we have frequent conflicts with the Jurchen tribe.”

“Ah…”

The retainers nodded at Nam Ki-ju’s answer. They knew that the Jurchen tribe was running rampant in the northern part of Joseon.

“But the cavalrymen don’t have bows? “Isn’t Joseon famous for archery?”

“I’m here for Gyorin, so there’s no need to bring a bow, right? “It’s enough to protect against anything that might happen.”

“Of course.”

The retainers shook their heads at Nam Ki-ju’s words, but deep down, they were thinking about something else.

‘It was said that Joseon’s leg bows were weak to moisture, and that was true!’

‘It’s not that I didn’t take it because I didn’t need it, but I definitely didn’t take it because I couldn’t use it!’

They were vassals who made their own military decisions.

The vassals who were drawing their own conclusions showed interest in the Gap-style long rifle and Eul-style horseback rifle that were quietly placed on the saddles of Joseon army cavalrymen.

“What are those elongated weapons?”

“that? “The Fuhrer.”

“generalissimo?”

In response to Nam Ki-ju’s answer, Tsushima and Ouchi’s vassals looked unsure, but the shogunate’s vassals pretended to know.

“ah! I heard a rumor! “The Ming Dynasty and Joseon used items called rifle barrels carried by individual soldiers!”

“exactly.”

“Hmm…”

In response to Nam Ki-ju’s reply, the retainer sent by the shogunate summarized the situation in his mind. The vassal in question was someone who had experience going to Ming and Joseon with Japanese pirates.

‘When I went to the Ming Dynasty, the President had to use a club after firing one shot. So is that why you carry two bags? It looks like he brought it with him instead of a bow. ‘Because basic defense is possible with about 2 shots.’

He was a vassal of the shogunate who drew his own conclusions based on his own experiences and nodded.

Just as vassals sent from Tsushima and the Ouchi shogunate tried to spy on Joseon’s military power, Joseon also examined the situation in the Japanese country.

Even Nam Ki-ju, who was immediately appointed as a government official, had experienced combat with the Jurchen people in the north before taking up his position as a naval officer. Therefore, while talking about various things with the Japanese, his eyes were constantly scanning the surroundings and remembering them.

Even on the way to Kyoto, Ki-ju Nam fell asleep every day after finishing organizing the materials needed to create the report.

-The road conditions are better than in Joseon before Gyeongjang.

-Merchants are very active.

-In the case of agriculture, the cultivation of whole rice is still centered. In most cases, large-scale farming involves mobilizing a large number of people to cultivate a large area.

-It seems that the aftereffects of the civil war that ensued at the end of the war still remain. About 70% of those who build companies are women. However, the number of boys who will soon become adults is quite large.

-Although the King of Japan holds power, the powerful clans also possess considerable military power of their own.

-The problem is that these noble families are located close to where the King of Japan resides.

– Looking at the maintenance of military power despite the poor conditions in the countryside, it appears that there is still a lot of distrust between the noble families and the Japanese king.

Nam Ki-ju’s eyes were surprisingly accurate.

While both Joseon and Japan were secretly seeking each other, the messenger party finally arrived in Kyoto.

Nam Ki-ju, who arrived in Kyoto, took a deep breath.

“Huh! Finally arrived. “It must succeed!”