Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 280
Episode 280 Chick-chig-pok-pok-pok! (1)
A month has passed since the uproar over rifles broke out.
Area 51’s 3rd Workshop.
In front of the workshop where large objects were made, Hyang and other key officials from the research institute and Area 51 were gathered.
It was a hot midsummer day, but the heat of the people gathered was even hotter than that.
“It’s coming out!”
As the door to the workshop opened and the craftsman who came out first shouted, people’s attention focused on the open door of the workshop.
Chick! Cheek! Chick chug!
With the loud sound of steam escaping, a cart with a steam engine began to leave the workshop.
“Oh oh! It’s moving! in action!”
“Wow!”
The researchers and craftsmen cheered and enjoyed the sight of the cart moving.
The soldiers who were standing guard at the appearance of something they had never seen in their lives also watched the movement of the cart with wide eyes.
“older brother! older brother! “It’s finally moving!”
Everyone who gathered there liked him, but the person he liked the most was Grand Prince Jinpyeong.
Jinpyeong was so excited that he forgot all manners and ran around holding Hyang’s arm.
“Now it begins! “All we have to do is lay railroad tracks throughout Joseon and make those self-driving carts run!”
“Not yet.”
“yes?”
Hyang continued, pointing to the cart.
“We only checked that it was moving, but we couldn’t even check if it was performing as expected, right?”
“Ah…”
At Hyang’s words, Jinpyeong nodded with a face full of regret. However, Jinpyeong immediately regained his energy and shouted with a face full of confidence.
“Performance will be assured! “I am confident!”
“really? “Isn’t that what happened not long ago?”
When the scent of flounder’s eyes was opened and asked in a suspicious voice, Jinpyeong’s face turned red and he shouted.
“Oh brother! “It was a mistake!”
* * *
A few days before the prototype of the steam locomotive was released, Hyang and Jinpyeong had a conversation at the East Palace.
The topic of conversation was, of course, steam locomotives.
“Soon, a self-driving cart equipped with a steam engine will be completed. “We need to prepare and execute railway construction in advance.”
“The actual product hasn’t even come out yet. And the performance wasn’t even confirmed. “It is not too late to think about the issue of railway construction later.”
“Lowering!”
“Do you want to persuade Obama and Minister Kim of the Ministry of Finance?”
At Hyang’s question, Jinpyeong’s mouth closed tightly like a clam.
“Anyway, the day is very hot. shell. “Could you go and get me some ice water?”
“I’ll get it for you!”
As soon as Hyang spoke, Jinpyeong went out. When Hyang saw that, he burst into laughter.
“It looks like your child is afraid to deal with Abama.”
Jinpyeong was not enough to deal with King Sejong and Vice Minister Kim of the Ministry of Finance. Jinpyeong knew this well and was doing it to get Hyang to be on his side.
After a while, Jinpyeong returned to Hyang holding a glass full of ice water.
“Lowering! The water is very cool! Eat it quickly! “When the ice melts, the water overflows!”
“Thank you…”
Hyang, who was about to say thank you as she received the glass from Jinpyeong, stopped all her actions and looked at Jinpyeong.
“Why are you doing that?”
“Go to the lab right now and study physics again.”
“yes?”
“Find out what was wrong with what you just said and report it to me. get out!”
“yes? yes?”
“Use it!”
As Hyang’s expression became grim, Jinpyeong quickly left Hyang’s room with his tail turned.
Hyang put down the dew-covered glass on the desk and muttered as he placed his hand on his forehead.
“Even if he dies, this guy who is a science major… I, a liberal arts major, know this… I’m worried about whether the locomotive will come out properly. No, putting that aside, is it because a guy like that staged a coup that Joseon ended up like that? Well, that won’t happen this time, right? “Should I be worried about this too?”
Jinpyeong, who had forgotten the simplest knowledge about volume, suddenly began to worry about many things.
In history before the intervention of Hyang, the evaluation of Jinpyeong (whose military name was later changed to Grand Prince Suyang) was that he was poor in literary skills but excellent in military skills.
However, Mr. Samcheonpo evaluated it differently.
-Does a nobleman of low rank participate in making Seokbosangjeol? That evaluation was made based on his father and older brother!
As if Teacher Samcheonpo’s assessment was correct, Jinpyeong submitted a written reflection to Hyang that evening.
* * *
While Hyang was teasing Jinpyeong about what happened at that time, the steam locomotive that left the workshop slowly moved forward and backward along the previously installed track. The condition was to be checked before being lifted onto a test track previously installed along the border of Area 51.
“How is it?”
The craftsman who was controlling the locomotive immediately answered Hyang’s question.
“There is nothing wrong!”
“okay? Then, let’s proceed with the test in earnest.”
Once the township’s permission was granted, the steam locomotive went up to the test track.
The real test had begun.
* * *
When the results of the continued tests came back positive, Hyang officially reported to King Sejong.
“A self-driving cart using a steam engine has been completed?”
“Yes Abama.”
Upon hearing Hyang’s report, King Sejong immediately came down from the temple.
“Then you should go and see.”
“majesty! “Public affairs…”
The ministers stood up in surprise and grabbed King Sejong, but King Sejong simply answered.
“Wouldn’t it be okay to go and come back? “Isn’t it just yesterday that you came home a little late?”
“That’s true….”
The ministers responded with watery voices, getting up from their seats and following King Sejong.
* * *
As ‘Area 51’ got closer, Sejong looked back.
“It seems like it’s getting wider.”
Hyang looked embarrassed at Sejong’s point.
As the expansion progressed and the types and quantities of items produced and tested in Area 51 increased, Area 51 was steadily growing in size.
Initially, it started out occupying about half of the southern section of Hanseong, but now its territory has expanded beyond the walls to about half of Yongsanbeol.
If you look down from the sky, Area 51 covers all of Mt. Mokmyeok (Namsan) except for its eastern slope.
“As the size of the objects being made and tested grew, I had no choice.”
“Aren’t you thinking of making additional ones somewhere else?”
“Communication and confidentiality are difficult.”
Sejong quenched his appetite at Hyang’s answer.
“Indeed, nothing is easy.”
* * *
King Sejong and the ministers who arrived at Area 51 observed the iron horse and made exclamations of exclamation.
“Looking at his entire body covered in iron armor, he looks really strong!”
“The sound of that steam escaping is like a ferocious beast breathing!”
King Sejong, who was observing the steam locomotive with the exclamations of ministers in the background, asked Hyang.
“How much does it weigh?”
“It’s 900 pipes (about 3.4 tons).”
“It’s heavier than it looks!”
When King Sejong was surprised at how heavy it was compared to its size, Hyang explained the reason.
“That’s because everything is made of iron.”
“Is that so? So how much can you carry?”
“It is 2,500 pipes (about 9.4 tons) including the weight of the cart to be connected.”
“Your strength is good too! So how fast can you run?”
“With 2,500 pipes hanging, you can travel 90 ri (about 36 km) in Banxijin.”
“The speed is good too!”
While listening to the description of the scent, King Sejong let out a series of exclamations. Meanwhile, Kim Jeom’s eyes, who were listening to Hyang’s explanation behind him, began to sparkle frighteningly.
‘huh? ‘If I’m good at this, I can make money, right?’
Sejong, who had been meticulously examining the freight cars and passenger cars connected to the steam locomotive, looked back.
“Can you move now?”
“yes. Would you like to take a ride?”
“It’s good!”
King Sejong responded as if he had been waiting, and Hyang guided King Sejong and the ministers to the carriage.
“It’s plain inside.”
Sejong commented calmly after seeing the interior of the room, where wooden benches and chairs were arranged in two rows.
“We plan to classify the guest rooms later.”
“Dividing classes? Like thatched and tile-roofed houses? “Then you will give different rates?”
“yes.”
Sejong, who was nodding at Hyang’s answer, looked back at Kim Jeom.
“Minister of Finance and Economy.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Please do some research on what to do when this object travels around the country in the future.”
“I follow your orders.”
Kim Jeom answered excitedly. Even so, the scent ‘divides the class.’ From the moment I said those words, my head was spinning furiously.
‘I can hear the money coming in!’
* * *
The train carrying King Sejong and the local ministers circled the test track in Area 51 twice.
“Uweek!”
Among the ministers who got off the train returning from the test run, many began vomiting as soon as they set foot on the ground.
And the officers recorded it all.
It was ‘officially recorded motion sickness.’
King Sejong got off the carriage with a slightly pale face and looked back.
“I feel a little dizzy. “I think this part needs some improvement.”
“We are currently researching it.”
“Be sure to improve.”
“Yes Abama.”
King Sejong, who repeatedly advised Hyang, moved on.
“okay. “Has the official name of this suicide cart been decided?”
“Not yet. “Abama, please decide.”
King Sejong thought for a moment about Hyang’s request and soon found a suitable name.
“It moves quickly while carrying a lot of people and cargo, so an ‘iron horse’ would be a good fit.”
“What a good name.”
“That’s right!”
When King Sejong named it ‘Cheolma’, all the ministers and ministers responded by bowing their heads and saying it was a good name.
‘They say that’s where people think…’
The first person to respond muttered to herself.
* * *
King Sejong and the ministers who returned to the palace after the test ride ceremony for the iron horse soon exchanged opinions on ways to use the iron horse.
“I think it is definitely a useful piece, but what do you think?”
“The crown prince said it needs a little more work, but I think it will be useful enough in its current state.”
“I’ll buy it back. It is said that 90 ri in half an hour’s journey means 180 ri (about 72 km) in one hour’s journey. “If you think about the amount of goods that iron horse can transport at once, this can bring enormous benefits!”
While all the ministers were giving positive answers, it was Jo Mal-saeng who took the most active step.
“We need to introduce it as soon as possible! Imagine transporting troops using those iron horses. Soldiers can travel long distances without getting tired!”
When most of the ministers responded favorably, King Sejong looked back.
“How long will it take to run an iron horse throughout Joseon?”
“It is not possible in a short period of time. “You have to expect at least 10 years.”
“The reason is?”
In response to Sejong’s question, Hyang explained the reason.
“First, it is difficult for Anju’s steel mill alone to supply the necessary steel. “The amount of money that goes into making an iron horse is not only that much, but the amount of steel that goes into laying the tracks that the iron horse will run on is also a lot of money.”
“Hmm… that’s right.”
When Sejong nodded, Hyang explained the next reason.
“The second reason is more problematic. These are the rivers located in the river area of Joseon. The simplest example is that even the Han River, which flows south of Hanseong, must be crossed by boat.”
“Right.”
The air in the main hall suddenly became heavier at Hyang’s point out.
‘These gentlemen! It’s not like puberty. Why are my mood swings so severe?’
Hyang, who was grumbling internally, immediately suggested an alternative.
“The problem with the bridge is one that will be solved as soon as experience is gained through the road construction currently underway.
“If we gain experience by building bridges one by one on large and small rivers throughout Joseon, we will be able to build bridges on large rivers such as the Han River and Daedong River.”
The atmosphere of King Sejong and his ministers brightened slightly after hearing the explanation. Hyang continued his explanation.
“The most important thing is to train people who will move the iron horse. Therefore, Soja proposes that the stagecoaches moving inside Hanseong be replaced with iron horses.”
“huh?”
“yes?”