Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 297
Episode 297 Departure. (3)
Mansour’s fleet departed from Jemulpo and anchored in Jeonra Suyeong again.
The reason I stopped by Jeonra Swimming Pool was because of the Joseon Fleet accompanying me this time.
When going out to sea, it is difficult to communicate properly before entering the port, so we had to discuss in advance any parts that could be problematic, starting with setting the route.
“These are the captains of the battleships that will move with you this time. From here, Oh Ha-seok Man-ho, Kim Sang-il Man-ho, Gangnam-gil Man-ho.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you.”
After a brief meeting, a discussion took place between Mansour and the naval commanders with the chart in the center.
A fairly large number of people attended the meeting.
Mansour, the captains of the Interpreter Challenger level front line, Jeonra Suyeong Cheomjeolje and key executives, and finally the officer who came down from Hanseong were with them.
The reason the officer was with us was because he was in charge of writing an observation report while accompanying us on this voyage. And I started my work by recording this meeting.
The document recording the proceedings of this meeting was scheduled to be sent to Hanseong immediately.
“This is a fairly accurate chart.”
When Mansour admired the chart spread out on the central desk of the conference room, the Joseon naval commanders responded with bitter smiles.
The map Mansour was looking at was a copy of the map contained in Zheng He’s voyage record.
“First of all, where is the dangerous place on the route to Heavenly Kingdom?”
In response to the Cheomjeoljesa’s question, Mansour pointed out three places.
“In order of proximity to Joseon, first is Dongpan (Eastern Taiwan), then Gyeongae (Haenan Island). “And finally, the strait around Malacca City.”
The naval commanders who were looking at the direction Mansur was pointing all nodded.
“It’s a place where pirates can have fun.”
“In particular, the strait around the last place called Melaka reminds me of the South Sea of our Joseon Dynasty.”
All three places that Mansour pointed out were straits where the distance between the land and the island narrows.
“What about the Penghu Islands here?”
Mansour, who confirmed the location, immediately answered the question of the chief priest.
“Penghu is a place where the Kitai Ani Ming navy patrols.”
“Then what’s the unit number next to that?”
“There are rumors that the number of Chinese people in Dongfen is also increasing, but it is still dangerous. “It is famous as a den of pirates.”
“is it? “This is an area that Myungguk is paying attention to, right?”
“There are rumors going around that Ming is trying to establish control in both Dongpan and Penghu, but it won’t be easy, except for Penghu. Because both islands are very large islands and are home to sizable pirates. “It is not easy, especially since Gyeongae is located close to Daewol (South Vietnam).”
“Right. “Then it would be safest to go straight to Malacca City, right?”
Mansur nodded to the question of the chief priest.
“That’s the most common. Do you have any plans to visit places such as Gangnam area or Daewol Siam (Thailand)?”
“Not this time. How much time would it take to go straight like that? According to Oh Ha-seok Man-ho’s last report, I think it will take about a month?”
“It usually takes that. “With the help of wind and ocean currents, it can be shorter than that, but that is not an easy task.”
Mansour further explained about monsoons and ocean currents.
Since the commanders who attended the meeting were all seasoned and experienced people, they immediately understood and added their words one by one.
“It will be helpful when you go, but it will be a hindrance when you come back.”
“I guess so.”
“When I return, I’ll need a place to stopover.”
“Considering the cargo capacity of our ships, wouldn’t a stopover be unnecessary on the way back?”
The commanders had a war of words in response to Mansour’s explanation.
Captains commanding Challenger-class battleships argued that a stopover was unnecessary, while other commanders argued that a stopover was necessary.
“stop.”
The commanders who had raised their voices fell silent at the order of the Cheomjeoljesa. When the commanders fell silent, the Jeomjeoljeo came to a conclusion.
“Everyone’s opinions are correct, but I think it is premature. “Make your decision based on the results you will obtain from the upcoming voyage.”
“Yes, old man.”
After sorting out the situation, the sharp priest turned to Mansour.
“That’s the same thing. You said earlier that the Ming navy patrols the Pengho Islands. Are there any Ming naval forces on the Penghu Islands?”
“I understand there is none. “According to rumors, I tried to make it a few times, but I gave up after being harassed by pirates.”
“is it?”
After hearing Mansour’s answer, the sharp priest licked his lips and muttered to himself.
‘The issue of the pengho system will be a political problem, not a military problem. ‘Wouldn’t it be easy?’
* * *
Looking at the charts created through Jeonghwa’s voyage, the Pyeongho Islands were a highly coveted place.
According to Jeong Jeong’s records, dozens of large and small islands came together to form an archipelago, and four large islands were gathered in the north of the archipelago.
The naval commanders who saw the chart shouted with one voice to King Sejong.
“It’s the best location for a refuge!”
With four large islands gathered together, the islands themselves became a barrier that could block large waves and winds.
In addition, there was a large passageway to the south and north, making it convenient for ships to enter and exit.
“It is not simply the best as a refuge. If we can take control of this place, we can take control of the route to the south!”
King Sejong, who was examining the charts while listening to the arguments of the temperance masters, asked the temperance masters.
“It seems like the officers’ opinions are right. “Then you don’t know the name?”
“….”
“Isn’t this chart itself made by the Ming Dynasty?”
“….”
The priests became dumbfounded by King Sejong’s point. Sejong came to a conclusion while looking at the temperance workers.
“We will obtain more detailed information through this voyage and then draw a conclusion.”
“I follow your orders!”
Because something like that had happened, Jeonra Suyeong’s chief priest asked Mansour just in case.
And after hearing Mansur’s answer, the priest concluded that this was a matter of ‘politics’.
* * *
Two days later, the mixed fleet of Mansour’s fleet and the Joseon navy left Usuyeong, Jeolla Province, and headed out to the open sea.
The voyage was smooth until passing Jeju Island and heading out to the East China Sea. The wind was favorable and the waves were calm. Thanks to this, Mansour was able to have some free time and think about other things.
Mansour whetted his appetite as he watched the first Challenger-class ship sailing a little distance away.
“It’s a very desirable ship. Tsk.”
Mansour, after tasting it several times, spoke to the captain.
“What does the captain think of that Joseon ship?”
“It’s the best.”
“yes?”
* * *
Before departure, Mansour was able to get a good look at the Challenger-class ship.
Mansour, who saw the ship, let out a series of exclamations.
“great! “This is truly amazing!”
Not only Mansour, but also the captains of the merchant ships who watched it together expressed their exclamations.
“What a boat!”
“Something this big can float on water!”
“Not only is it well-armed, but its sturdiness is also the best!”
Mansur, who was so amazed, asked the high priest.
“This is an odd question, but how much should I pay to buy this boat?”
“Isn’t that a very presumptuous question? But I will answer because it is Sangdang Province, which has a deep connection with our Joseon Dynasty. 100,000 taels of gold. “I guess that’s the lowest price too?”
“Hiccup!”
Mansour was taken aback by the huge amount of money.
One cat of gold was worth 10 ducats in Venetian gold.
To put it simply, that one ship was worth 1 million ducats. To summarize, the amount was more than half of the profit earned from selling goods taken from Joseon.
After sharing it with the Azram family, it was all of the profits for the year.
“Ah, the price of the mounted artillery is subtracted.”
“Hiccup! Hiccup!”
Mansour eventually lost his appetite and withdrew, looking back at his challenger from afar and muttering.
“It’s big so it’s going to be slow. You’ll also need a lot of crew. “Then the profit and loss will not be right.”
It was Mansour who consoled himself by forcing a negative opinion.
* * *
The captain added, whether he knew what Mansour was thinking or not.
“You know what? Those ships didn’t even fully open their sails. Yet, it is traveling at the same speed as our ships. “Our ships are also famous for being fast, and they are great ships.”
“Is that so… Ha haha….”
The more Mansour listened to the captain, the more his stomach hurt.
“What a great ship. Our ships are also big, but next to that ship, they look like small boats.”
“That’s right….”
“This is a ship that will make the bastards of Iberia turn their eyes when they see it.”
“….”
“A boat is a boat, but I think I really need to find and install navigation lights.”
Mansur nodded at the captain’s words.
* * *
During the passage between Joseon and Jipang, Joseon ships took the lead.
It was also a route that the Joseon navy knew well, and it was used to prevent unexpected raids by Japanese pirates.
Mansour and the captains were able to see the advanced Challenger-class ships in detail from behind.
In the process, I discovered something unusual: a navigation light that lights up when the sun goes down.
As the sun began to set, Joseon sailors lit four large lights on the front and back of the ship.
The two lights on the left and right of the player were simple oil lanterns, but the two lights on the back were very unique.
When viewed from behind, the light had blue glass on the left side and red glass on the right side.
Not only the color but also the shape was unique; the long, rectangular back was divided into two compartments, top and bottom.
And using the shape of this light, Joseon sailors figured out the distance to their fellow ships.
If you just see a circle of red and blue, you are far away. At this time, I was able to avoid being left behind by following the light.
If you see a red and blue rectangle, you are maintaining an appropriate distance.
And if you can clearly see the shape divided into two, you are too close and you need to quickly increase the distance.
It was an ingenious way to maintain the distance between ships in an easy and simple way.
This too was Hyang’s work.
“The most important thing to avoid is traffic accidents…”
Looking for a way to prevent collisions between ships, Hyang borrowed the method used by the German military on armored vehicles during World War II.
At the time, the tail lights attached to German armored vehicles, especially tanks, consisted of two square red lights bundled together.
If it was a simple red light, it was far away, if it was two square red lights, it was at a reasonable distance, and if it was four red lights, it was close.
Of course, the shape was different, but other countries also used similar methods.
The traffic light that was created by borrowing the German military’s method was immediately mounted on a panokseon and began on-site evaluation.
Before conducting the on-site evaluation, the commanders of the naval forces all had their heads crossed.
“Is there really any need to stay in the port at night?”
However, as the scope of the Joseon Navy’s activities increased, commanders who had to sail for several days had to immediately apologize to the local government.
“Please forgive the commanders’ foolishness!”
* * *
So the voyage continued peacefully. It was a peaceful voyage, except for Mansour, who was struggling to soothe his sore stomach.
However, as the fleet approached Taiwan, an uninvited guest appeared.
Phew~.
A loud trumpet sounded from a merchant ship belonging to Mansour, which was moving at the head of the fleet.
At the sound of the trumpet announcing an emergency, Mansour, who was in the cabin, jumped out onto the deck and looked for the captain.
“Captain! “What’s going on!”
“They are pirates!”
The captain answered briefly and shouted at the crew.
“Prepare for battle!”
“Ready for battle!”
At the captain’s order, the sailors removed the packaging covering the artillery and came up from the dock carrying gunpowder and cannonball shells.
“Captain! Over there!”
At the shout of the sailor who was examining the sea, the captain and Mansour turned their heads in the direction the sailor pointed.
There, the Joseon ships were unfolding all the remaining sails that had been folded up until then.
As all sails were fully opened, the Joseon army’s ship slowly increased its speed and began to move forward.
It was the beginning of the first battle in which the Challenger-class battleships, boasting all kinds of evil and notoriety, such as ‘Pirates’ Nightmare, Pirates’ Fear’ and ‘Tyrant of the Sea’, publicly displayed their fighting power.