Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 379
Episode 379: East Jin Islands (1)
Late December in the year of Imja. Otaornai Port on Daeseoldo Island (now Otaru)
The name ‘Otaornai Port’ had a quite complicated story.
At first, it was named ‘Sajangcheon (沙場川)’, taking the meaning of ‘Otaornai’, ‘stream in the middle of the sandy beach’.
However, the reaction of the Ainu was not favorable, and thanks to the Hunminjeongeum, which was spread earlier than other places, the name was established as Otaornai Port, its original name.
And a challenger-class battleship was docked at the snow-covered pier of Otaornai Port.
On the bow side and stern of the ship, there was a plaque with the Chinese character ‘Jilin (吉林)’ engraved on it.
It was the 10th Challenger-class ship ‘Jilim’, named in commemoration of the ‘Battle of Jilin’, in which the Joseon army destroyed the Jurchen tribes led by Lee Man-ju and Muntemu.
* * *
Go Il-nam, captain of the Jilin ship docked at the dock, shouted to the sailors.
“Take a day off and complete supply and maintenance as quickly as possible! “As soon as maintenance is completed, we will return to Wonsan!”
“yes!”
The sailors responded vigorously to Go Il-nam’s command.
After Go Il-nam’s instruction, the sailors who got off the ship quickly dispersed in groups of twos and threes.
Finally, Go Il-nam got off the ship and visited the defense headquarters at the port.
After receiving Go Il-nam’s brief report, Commander Kang Ho-jun asked Il-nam.
“But what is going on that makes you move so quickly?”
“yes. “I discovered something while investigating the northeast, and I think I should report it right away.”
“What is it?”
Ilnam gave a simple answer to Hojun’s curious question.
“I think I’ve found an archipelago heading east.”
At Ilnam’s answer, Hojun jumped up from his seat.
“Is that really true!”
* * *
Even before the war of words between the geocentric and heliocentric theories took place at the research institute, naval captains and high-ranking officials were accepting the spherical Earth theory.
This was due to the accumulated experience of various natural phenomena experienced during the voyage – parallax, curved horizon, etc. – and the ‘hypotheses’ put forward by the research institute.
Among the naval officers who felt this firsthand, a question arose.
“Then what is there in the east?”
The reason why the naval officers began to have doubts was because of the traditional ‘harmony theory’.
-Yin and yang are in harmony with each other, and the five elements also coexist and create harmony.
According to this theory of harmony, various natural disasters and epidemics occur when this harmony is broken.
And the biggest reason why this harmony was broken was because people became immoral.
Therefore, when various natural disasters and infectious diseases occurred, the king was the first to calm his mind by offering sacrifices to heaven.
* * *
After obtaining records of Jeonghwa’s voyage and observation data, Hyang mobilized researchers at the research institute to create a map. Maps from the Islamic world brought in through Mansur were added to the map completed in this way, and navigation records obtained during the voyage to Suez—Alexandria, to be exact—were added, making the map increasingly more elaborate.
Adding to this the existence of an ocean discovered while investigating the area around Daeseoldo Island, the naval forces began to have doubts.
“If all the land in the world were gathered in one place like this, wouldn’t it be unbalanced?”
“yes? “Something is not harmonious.”
“The harmony of yin-yang and the five elements is not harmonious at all. “If it goes numb, there is too much water.”
It was a question that started from the traditional ‘harmony theory’, but the navy gradually began to harbor doubts and possibilities.
‘There is definitely land in the east!’
These questions and possibilities were immediately written down in writing and uploaded to Geunjeongjeon.
“Please take a look.”
“Yes Abama.”
Hyang made a bewildered face after reading the report handed to him by King Sejong.
“Is this what it takes to get caught like this? If you were to argue, there would be no limit…”
Hyang reported to King Sejong as follows.
“I think it might be worth a try.”
And when they heard about the war of words that took place at the research institute and the results – among them, even though it was an estimate, the diameter of the Earth was included – the atmosphere of the navy changed from possibility to confidence.
“If this world is so big, there must be land in the east!”
Although they were confident that land clearly existed in the east, the navy was unable to take action right away.
* * *
There were many obstacles that blocked the actions of the Joseon navy, but there were two major ones.
The first obstacle was the lack of manpower, which was a chronic problem not only for the navy but for Joseon as a whole.
Due to the problem of manpower shortage, the Joseon navy had to make a choice. It was concluded that sea emergency fronts should be deployed preferentially in order to secure sea control in the coastal waters of Joseon.
As the sea emergency fronts were deployed first, the production and deployment of challenger class fronts was pushed back.
Among the fronts possessed by the Joseon Navy, these were challenger-level fronts with the strongest combat power and long-distance navigation capabilities, but the human resources required were also significant.
“Of course, if you think about it, the emergency response is not easy, but…”
Hyang placed a hand on his throbbing forehead as he looked at the related reports.
In absolute terms, it had a smaller crew than a challenger class, but relatively, it was a disaster to have a large number of crew members on board compared to its size.
The reason for this was the sail that supported the ship’s quick maneuverability. Although it was small in size, the number of sails attached to it was just two less than that of the Challenger class.
Therefore, not only the Ministry of National Defense but also King Sejong and the ministers had to agonize over their response to the challenger.
“We must prioritize the challenger level battle line! “Considering that Joseon’s trade volume is still increasing, priority must be given to the challenger-level front!”
Minister of Finance and Economy Kim Jeom strongly said that priority should be given to the challenger-level front, but a decision was made to give priority to the sea emergency front for the time being.
Funnily enough, the reason behind this was the Challenger’s excellent long-distance sailing ability. Going on a long-distance voyage means that many sailors will be away.
Even so, the construction and deployment of challenger-class battle lines did not completely stop. Construction and deployment were carried out slowly but steadily, and the launch of the 11th ship had been completed.
* * *
The second obstacle was the enormous size of the ocean to the east of Daeseoldo Island.
It was through the wreck of the 6th Challenger-class ship ‘Jinpo’ that Joseon confirmed that the ocean to the east of Daeseoldo Island was literally a vast sea.
After completing the survey of Daeseoldo’s coastline, the Joseon navy decided to explore the ocean to the east of Daeseoldo.
The Jinpo ship selected for the exploratory voyage was equipped with only the minimum amount of armament – enough for one battle – and the rest was filled with food and water.
“With the food and water currently on board, we can sail for three months without resupply. Of course, if you distribute it evenly in a certain ratio, it may be possible to achieve up to 4 months. But anything more than that is absolutely unreasonable.”
After hearing the attention of the officer in charge of completing the supply to the front line, Captain Kim Eok-soo nodded.
“I understand. “Be careful.”
Jinpo, which set sail after making such preparations, was confident from its captain to its lowest-ranking sailors.
Since being commissioned, it has been to Alexandria and Chittagong several times and has experienced heavy snow and rough seas in the northeastern region.
The Jinpo, which sailed to the east, did not reach land for a month and a half.
“Should we turn the boat around or go further out?”
“How about we go a little further?”
“If you remember when you went to Chittagong or Alexandria, didn’t you come across islands or land at every last moment? “It will be the same this time too.”
In response to Kim Eok-su’s question, most of the military officers under his command insisted on going further east.
As they said, they had had similar experiences when they went to Alexandria or Chittagong.
I thought it was a vast sea with nothing in it, but if I went a little further, I found Melaka.
Despite the military officers’ answers, Kim Eok-su, who wanted to confirm firmer support, even summoned the sailors and asked for their opinions.
The sailors who heard Kim Eok-su explain the situation agreed with the opinions of the military officers. This was because the sailors also expected that it would be similar to previous long-distance voyages.
However, for two months and ten days, no island or land was found.
“It’s no longer possible.”
After confirming that it was impossible, Kim Eok-su eventually had to turn the boat around.
But from then on, Jinpoham was a series of hardships. This was because it had to move against both the ocean current and the wind.
Therefore, when the Jinpo ship returned to Daeseoldo, almost half a year had passed since its departure.
Just in case, no one died of starvation due to the use of distillers, dried vegetables, and dried meat, etc., but everyone from the captain, Kim Eok-su, to the lowest-ranking crew members were in a state of severe malnutrition. The Navy and Ministry of National Defense concluded that it would take about two months to regain strength.
“Exploration of the Jeongdong route is suspended for the time being. Instead, we will focus on exploration in the northeast.”
With that decision made, Jilin discovered the possibility of discovering an archipelago heading east.
* * *
Because of the situation, the Jilin ship headed for Wonsan at the fastest possible speed.
It was different from the previous case, where they usually went on an expedition to the northeast and returned to Daeseoldo, rested for about three days, received supplies, and then headed to Wonsan, but the sailors had no complaints.
This was because the sailors were also excited with anticipation.
For those who lived aboard the front line, from captains to sailors, the ‘Jinpo’s distress’ was a kind of shame.
“The best sailors in the world were on the best battle line in the world, but they were shipwrecked! “This is a shame!”
Even those rough Japanese pirates and pirates ran away when they saw a challenger-level battle line, and their pride, which was sky-high, was greatly wounded.
“You can’t ignore the sea!”
Of course, experienced veterans warned, but the current Joseon navy was all young, from captains to sailors.
* * *
The general report written by the captain of the Jilin ship that arrived in Wonsan went straight to Hanseong.
“This must be reported to His Majesty the Prime Minister as soon as possible!”
Jo Mal-saeng, who confirmed the general rule, grabbed the scroll and ran to Geunjeongjeon.
King Sejong, who confirmed the general order of the Jilin ship captain posted by Jo Mal-saeng, gave an order with a very excited face.
“Call the captain of the Jilin ship immediately and write a more detailed report!”
“I follow your orders!”
“No, to know properly, we need more people’s memories, so call everyone in Jilin to Hanseong!”
“I follow your orders!”
* * *
According to King Sejong’s order, Go Il-nam, military officers, and sailors who stayed in Wonsan had to come to Hanseong.
Officials of the Ministry of National Defense began to investigate in detail those who came to Hanseong.
Based on information obtained through oral reports from the captain and military officers, as well as navigation records and personal records, officials at the Ministry of National Defense began to carefully evaluate possibilities.
The officials who considered it that way soon reached a similar conclusion.
“Is there a possibility?”
And the conclusion was soon transformed into a thick report and sent to Jo Mal-saeng.
After checking the report, Jo Mal-saeng gave orders to his subordinates.
“Be prepared to report properly at Geunjeongjeon. “Who was the guy with the good voice?”