Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 295

Episode 295 Departure. (1)

As the summer of the 13th year of King Sejong’s reign (the year of the New Year, 1431) passed through its peak heat and turned into fall, Jeolla Usuyeong was busy preparing for the departure of challenger-level warships.

“You have to go a long way, so make sure you look carefully!”

“Yes, Nari!”

“Be sure to mark and report any parts that are even slightly suspicious!”

“Yes, Nari!”

“No, no. “Tear out any parts that look even slightly odd and replace them immediately!”

“yes?”

“It is better to grind it in advance than to find a hole in the open sea! If anything is wrong, replace it immediately!”

“Yes, Nari!”

According to records so far, Mansour’s upper class always arrived in Joseon near the end of summer. Mansour’s upper deck waited for the seasons to change while trading and maintaining the hull, and set sail when the monsoon changed.

Therefore, now that Mansour’s top line is approaching, the challenger-level front lines are busy preparing for departure.

The purpose of the challenger-class battleship to depart this time was to head to Aden with three ships, one of which was the Mansur upper ship, and then sail up the Red Sea. Next, it was planned to go through the desert to Alexandria. The other ship’s destination was Cheonchukguk (India). What Joseon wanted from Cheonchukguk was a cornerstone.

The last ship’s mission was to take over and carry out the mission in case the ship was lost due to an unexpected accident or disaster, or to deal with pirates.

The other two Challenger-class ships had to carry more goods than gunpowder and bombs for trade, so this third and final ship had to do most of the fighting.

As it was Joseon’s first ocean voyage and had to pass through seas and straits famous for being frequented by notorious pirates, officers, sailors, and craftsmen inspected the ship again and again to ensure it was in the best condition.

In the meantime, the captains had to be busy going back and forth between Jeolla Woo Soo-yeong and Hanseong.

Hanseong’s research center and Area 51 made various items for long-distance voyages or selected existing items and presented them to captains.

Among those items, the first thing the captains encountered was pottery, followed by oxbows.

With Hyang watching from behind, a researcher from the research institute gave an explanation to the captains.

“Earthenware jars and wooden barrels are used to store drinking water. “Through this voyage, we will have to test whether pottery or wooden barrels are suitable for storing drinking water.”

Following the researcher’s explanation, the captains immediately expressed their opinions.

“Usually pottery is used…”

“No, there are many cases where wooden barrels are used. Because pottery breaks easily.”

“Yes, that’s the problem with pottery.”

Hyang nodded slightly while listening to the captains’ words.

‘Is it really a wooden barrel? However, considering the problem of deterioration, I think pottery would be better…’

What bothered sailors the most during the ‘Age of Exploration’ was the problem of drinking water. The water contained in the large oak barrel soon deteriorated, and the sailors had to suffer because of this deteriorated water.

To solve this problem, pottery was chosen for incense. Pottery made using traditional methods had good preservative properties.

However, pottery had a fatal problem: it broke easily. In that respect, wooden barrels were far superior to pottery.

In the end, from the beginning of the design, Hyang created an area where pottery can be stored well. The method was to make partitions out of wood and put pottery in each partition.

But theory is theory and reality is reality. Therefore, starting with this voyage, a plan was made to find the optimal answer through several voyages.

“But wasn’t the pottery good when it was deployed in the war in Liaodong at the beginning of the year?”

Researchers, craftsmen, and even naval commanders expressed doubts, but Hyang still insisted on proceeding with the test.

“It’s only been a few days so you can’t know for sure, right? “We have to pass through a wide sea, unexpected weather, and an area with a different climate than Joseon, so the cases are different.”

“I guess so.”

That’s how the test proceeded.

* * *

The next thing shown to the captains in the laboratory was the ox ring and the water purification frame.

The researcher placed the sojugori in front of him and explained to the captains how to use it.

“When sailing long distances for long periods of time, you may lose drinking water due to unexpected events.”

“That’s right.”

The captains nodded to the researcher’s explanation.

Those appointed as challenger-level captains were those who were recognized by others for their experience and abilities. Drinking water problems were something they had experienced many times. This was despite the fact that most of the sailing was done in coastal waters close to land.

The researcher continued his explanation while watching the captains’ reactions.

“In a situation where drinking water is lost, we are creating fresh water using sea water.”

The water purification process described by the researcher was as follows.

Seawater is scooped from the sea and filtered using a purification filter. Although the water purification mold does not remove the salty taste, it does remove any impurities that may be present.

The clean seawater obtained through filtering is placed in a shojugori and distilled to obtain fresh water.

“What does the fresh water you get that taste like?”

The researcher answered the captains’ questions with a slightly bitter smile.

“It has no taste. Compared to actual fresh water, it is still salty. But in an emergency, he will definitely do his part.”

The captains nodded at the researcher’s words.

“Well, it’s definitely better than nothing.”

“That’s right. “It’s definitely better than just drinking sea water.”

Looking at the captains’ reactions, the researcher continued talking.

“This water purification frame and spool are also good for fresh water. When using fresh water from other places as drinking water, filter it through a purification tank and then process it through a squeegee to prevent colic caused by water changes. “Have you not experienced many hardships after drinking the water because it appears to be clear to the eye?”

The captains nodded once again.

* * *

Before the incense created the water purification system, Joseon people suffered from various water-borne diseases. During a drought, I got sick from drinking dirty water from dry puddles or wells, and after a flood, I got sick from drinking muddy water from a dirty well or river.

The solution to that problem was the incense purification frame. Even muddy water turned into clear water when using a water purification machine.

In addition, the water purified in this way must be boiled before drinking to remove the scent. As a result, the frequency of water-borne diseases in Joseon was greatly reduced.

* * *

Because the captains also sympathized with the necessity, the water purification frame and oxbow were loaded onto the ship without much resistance. Of course, there were some sailors whose eyes lit up strangely and whose appetite whetted their appetite when they saw the oxbow ring.

“I need to get some yeast in advance…”

Even Joseon could not avoid making moonshine, which was a tradition for sailors regardless of the East or West.

* * *

Having confirmed the drinking water problem, the captains now had to discuss food items with researchers.

“It is natural to load soy sauce or soybean paste, so it is understandable to skip it and load dry food, salted meat, jerky, etc. But why are you putting sea radish on it? “If it’s a matter of greens, do you also carry different types of pickled vegetables?”

“There is a lot of salt in the intestines, and other food ingredients are also covered in salt. The lawmakers said that even if you don’t eat salt at all, you will get sick, but if you eat too much salt, you will get sick. It is said that if you use dried vegetables to remove the salt, it will be able to withstand a long voyage.”

“Hmm… I understand.”

“Well, if the congressman said so, you should follow it.”

The captains could only nod their heads in response to the researcher’s answer. I didn’t understand it right away, but I had no choice but to accept it.

“If lawmakers say so, then we should follow suit.”

“And if you are going to be entering or staying in port, make sure your crew has plenty of fresh fruit. In particular, sour fruits should be stored on ships so that they can be consumed during the voyage.”

“Sour fruit?”

“Things like Jisil (枳實 Young Tangja).”

“Jisil?”

As one of the captains tilted his head, the captain next to him added an explanation in a low voice.

“Tangja.”

“Ah…”

“Is there any benefit to sour fruits?”

“It is said that the sour ingredients in the fruit have an stimulating effect, helping to fight fatigue and maintain health.”

The captains all nodded at the researcher’s explanation.

“Right.”

“They say there is nothing useless in this world…”

“It’s a sour fruit…”

* * *

The radish radish and the fruit part were the parts with a strong aroma.

“If the loss of life continues to occur due to beriberi or scurvy, we may decide to close the place like before.”

When preparing for a long-distance voyage, scent was the thing I was most worried about. Of course, the officials who had tasted the sweetness of the trade that had been going on would not return to isolation again, but there was still a high possibility that they would insist on passive trade, accepting only those who came rather than actively engaging in trade.

Such passive trade was definitely not what the township wanted.

“Yes, now, no… Now and in the future, information is the most important. If you just sit back and receive information from others, you will only fall behind. You have to move actively. To do that, we need to engage in active trade.”

Therefore, Hyang paid attention to food ingredients to maintain the health of sailors on long-distance voyages.

“Did you say we should include radish radish?”

“That’s right. If you look at the ingredients prepared now, they are all salty and meat-centered. Since ancient times, if a person wants to maintain vitality for a long time, shouldn’t what they eat need to be in harmony with yin and yang?”

The lawmakers all nodded at Hyang’s point. ‘Medicine mobilization’ and ‘Yin-Yang harmony’ were the most emphasized things in Oriental medicine.

Thanks to this, it was easy to include dried vegetables in the ingredients.

“How do we solve the problem of vegetables, but how do we solve vitamin C?”

Hyang, who searched medical books to solve the problem, soon found the best answer.

‘Jisil is very good to use as a medicine to restore energy when your energy is low and you get tired easily. It is also effective for treating stomach upset or food poisoning.’

“The symptoms are exactly the same?”

Hyang found the optimal answer and informed the lawmakers. The lawmakers nodded and asked questions to Hyang.

“It is true that Tangja has such an effect, but is it the same for other sour fruits?”

“What is the most different characteristic of Tangja compared to other fruits? Isn’t that sour? “Couldn’t that sour taste come from the ingredients that have medicinal properties?”

In response to Hyang’s answer, the lawmakers put their heads together and exchanged opinions. Among them, the lawmakers who were familiar with medicinal materials immediately agreed with Hyang’s words and came forward.

“I think your opinion is reasonable.”

In this way, the problem of vitamin C was also solved.

As a side note, this decision created a new tradition not only among the Joseon navy but also among Joseon sailors.

During the long voyage, the day started with a cup of tangja tea. It was one of the hardships of hardship unless you get used to the sour and astringent taste, so it also served as a ceremony for new sailors and sailors.

However, due to the tradition of eating grains, meat, and vegetables evenly – if not, eating seaweed as well – and the tradition of consistently eating Tangja and lemon lime, Joseon’s navy and sailors suffered from scurvy and beriberi even on ocean voyages. Damage suffered could be reduced.

Western shipowners, who suffered great damage from scurvy and beriberi, paid attention to this and introduced Joseon-style shipboard menus. Of course, the sailors who ate it protested fiercely, saying, ‘Are we cows?’