Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 383

Episode 383: East Jin Islands (5)

‘The king’s ears are donkey ears!’ King Sejong and the ministers were continuing their war of words on the topic of ‘Eastern Route’, whether they knew the feelings of Hyang who wanted to shout out, or not.

After various opinions emerged and arguments continued, King Sejong came to a conclusion.

“I don’t like it, but I can’t conclude anything right now. This is because the information we have is so lacking. So the first thing we need to do is find out exactly what’s to the east. Are those islands the easternmost tip, or is there more to come? “What do you think?”

The ministers answered King Sejong’s question right away.

“It is considered most appropriate.”

After organizing the situation, Sejong asked Jo Mal-saeng.

“Now that I think about it… I forgot to ask about this. What is the basis for the Ministry of Defense and the Navy to expect that there are other islands to the east? “If I remember correctly, it clearly said ‘archipelago (列島)’ on the map.”

The presenter immediately answered Sejong’s question.

“This is the result of Jilin Ham arriving on the island in question and talking with the residents.”

“Did the residents say that?”

“Yes, there are times when you go far away by riding the ocean current, and it is said that you can sometimes see the shadow of an island.”

“It’s the shadow of an island… hmm…”

Sejong, who was thinking about the presenter’s words, nodded.

“No matter what situation we encounter, we’ll have to set up an outpost on that island, right?”

“That’s right. And we must bring the indigenous tribes into our Joseon people.”

Sejong, who was nodding at the speaker’s words, looked back at Kim Jeom.

“Minister of Finance and Economy.”

When Sejong called his name, Kim Jeom sighed a little and answered.

“Yes, Your Highness. “We will proceed with the establishment of a reseller in consultation with the Ministry of National Defense.”

“It may be difficult, but please work hard. “If there is an island, you will catch a good head, and even if there is no island, it can be the last resting place on the way to the country of the West.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Through King Sejong’s decision, the navy was able to steadily pioneer the eastern route.

* * *

After sorting out the situation, Sejong looked at the presenter and Jo Mal-saeng and continued speaking.

“Is there anything else you need besides the budget?”

Jo Mal-saeng immediately answered King Sejong’s question.

“We need a new ship. We need a lot of that too.”

“Huh!”

At Jo Mal-saeng’s words, Kim Jeom let out a breathless sound and Sejong expressed doubt.

“Even though there were ships, wasn’t there a shortage of people?”

“Not only the Jurchen people, but also the natives of Daeseol Island are good at riding boats. And the newly secured indigenous people of Jongjangdo and Eonwol Peninsula are accustomed to the rough seas of the north, so I plan to absorb them into the military as soon as they learn Korean properly.”

“Hmm… Are you saying that the manpower issue will soon be resolved?”

“That’s right.”

Jo Mal-saeng immediately answered King Sejong’s question, and Kim Jeom’s complexion began to gradually turn yellow.

They were benefiting greatly from long-distance trade using the navy’s challenger-level front lines.

But the northern route was different. Of course, precious furs coming from various parts of the North and oil collected from whales, seals, etc. were useful to brighten the nights of Joseon.

Nevertheless, on the northern route, expenditures were far ahead of profits.

Even those sturdy Challenger-class ships had to go to the shipyard for extensive maintenance after experiencing the northern winter seas.

Sejong, who looked at Kim Jeom’s yellow complexion, turned his gaze elsewhere and opened his mouth.

“Minister of Finance and Economy, thank you for your hard work.”

“… I follow your orders.”

I thought the situation would be resolved like that, but the presenter continued.

“The Navy wants to mount steam engines on its new Challenger-class battleships.”

“huh?”

“uh?”

In response to the unexpected remark, Sejong and Hyang both spit out interrogative words.

‘A steam engine?’

‘You came up with this? already? In a conservative county known for old-timers?’

It was a question word with different contents.

“Tell us why you want the navy to be equipped with steam engines.”

Following King Sejong’s command, the presenter immediately went into explanation.

-Considering the natural environment of the North, the period during which ships can sail stably is extremely short.

-People cannot change the natural environment at will, so the bottom line is that we must make the most of this short time.

-To achieve this, it is best for the ship to speed up.

-To increase the speed of the ship, you can burn soldiers. However, the Gyeok army gets tired easily and as additional personnel are taken, the consumption of supplies increases.

-Therefore, the steam engine is the best move. There is already space prepared for mounting steam engines on the Challenger-class front.

-Increasing the speed of a ship has many advantages. First, if you go east, you can move even faster with the help of wind and ocean currents and the steam engine.

-Conversely, when moving from east to west, you have to go against the ocean current and wind, so you have to move in a straight direction. Even in this case, operating a steam engine can reduce travel time.

“… For the above reasons, the Navy wants to mount steam engines on Challenger-class ships.”

After hearing the presenter’s explanation, Sejong looked at the scent.

“I think it is reasonable. “What is the crown prince’s opinion?”

Hyang immediately answered King Sejong’s question.

“It’s the best solution, but it’s unreasonable right now.”

“why? “Isn’t the iron horse already running around well?”

“There is a high possibility that the institution completed now will only take up space. We need to develop smaller, higher-output institutions.”

Jo Mal-saeng quickly joined in on the explanation of the scent.

“I understand that an improved version is being developed now?”

“Of course we are making it, but it is not enough.”

Hyang explained why it was difficult now.

-The first problem is the weight of the object that needs to be moved. Currently, the maximum weight that an iron horse can drag and move at once is about 6,000 tubes (about 22.5 tons). This includes the weight of the iron horse and water and fuel.

However, the full load displacement of the Challenger-class cable is 24,000 pipes (about 900 tons). Current iron horses cannot bear that weight.

-Of course, the output can be increased by increasing the size of the steam engine. However, if this happens, it will additionally consume the limited space of the wire. In addition, fuel consumption increases, and in the worst case, if you load engines, fuel, and food, you may not be able to load any other cargo.

-In order to load cargo, the fuel payload or armament can be reduced, but this is a bad handshake. On land, you can supply fuel by building a fuel storage facility at a station where the iron horse passes, but this is not possible on the sea, so the cruising distance is reduced. However, if you reduce the armament, there will be a problem with power.

-If you want to maintain range while reducing fuel load, you can use a method of turning the engine only when necessary. However, that would deviate from the purpose of the navy being equipped with a steam engine.

“… Therefore, it is unreasonable to install a steam engine right now. Of course, it is not impossible at all, and if a little more time and a little more budget are invested…”

Hyang-hyang trailed off as she glanced at Kim Jeom’s notice.

‘Just a little more and the portrait will be held here….’

Sejong seemed to have known Hyang’s feelings and accepted her words.

“Seja, I have doubts as to whether the ‘a little’ you’re talking about is really a ‘little,’ but I hope to complete a usable organ as quickly as possible.”

Hyang bowed her head and responded to Sejong’s words.

“I will do my best.”

“Yes, believe me. But that’s it. The payload issue we mentioned earlier. “Even if we lose a little bit of speed, wouldn’t we be able to solve this problem by increasing the size?”

“It’s impossible.”

“why?”

In response to Sejong’s question, he explained why scent was unreasonable.

“The current Challenger-class ships are close to the limits of wooden ships. ah! If you decide to grow it, you can make it bigger, but it is difficult to guarantee durability and safety. “Then it has no value as a weapon.”

“I see.”

At the explanation of the fragrance, Sejong nodded with a face full of regret.

Sejong and the others didn’t know, but Han Hyang’s explanation was not completely true.

‘The Constitution was a wooden ship, but it was 2,200 tons. But to make it like that, you have to completely redesign the design, starting from the lineart itself. Even at the challenger level, he is at the level of a national gangster at this time, but Constituent? Are you trying to conquer the world? And after checking the seasoning appropriately, we need to induce them to move over to the wire. ‘You like iron steamships, right?’

In the meantime, it was Hyang who resorted to fraud to improve his virtue.

Sejong, who had been listening to the explanation of the scent, asked again.

“Seja. I just said it was the limit of the wooden ship, but if that’s the case, then other materials… Wait, I remember now. “Is this possible with an iron ship?”

Hyang immediately nodded in response to King Sejong’s question, which brought back memories of the cold noodle bowl he had seen in the Donggungjeon before.

“yes.”

“It won’t be easy, right?”

“It will take a significant amount of budget and time.”

Kim Jeom grumbled slightly in response to Hyang’s response.

“It’s not quite significant, it’s probably enormous…”

“Shh! “Thank you!”

When Heo Jo, who was next to him, warned him, Kim Jeom immediately shut his mouth and looked at Sejong.

Sejong, who glanced at Kim Jeom, gave an order to Hyang.

“Let’s study iron ships step by step and focus on developing steam engines that will be at the challenger level.”

“I follow your orders.”

That’s how the whole situation was sorted out.

* * *

After finishing his work at Gyeongbokgung Palace, Hyang gathered people from the research institute and Area 51 and delivered King Sejong’s order.

“…Therefore, orders are given to begin research on steam engines and propulsion systems for the Challenger class battleships. I wish you all the best.”

“I follow your orders!”

The researchers and artisans who answered energetically gathered in groups of twos and threes and returned to their seats.

Hyang muttered softly as he looked at the energetic researchers and craftsmen.

“Those gentlemen have also become nerds.”

For the researchers and craftsmen of the institute, orders to research and create new objects were always enjoyable.

Like the recent debate between geocentrism and heliocentrism, researching invisible things was a huge mental load and easily tiring. Of course, there were some special types like Lee Soon-ji and Kim Dam.

However, creating objects was something he welcomed because he could immediately see with his own eyes the results of his research and design.

* * *

“Lowering! “Soje has a good idea regarding transportation in the north!”

Hyang briefly responded to Jinpyeong’s shout as he came in with energy.

“If you’re going to talk about building a bridge and a railroad across Jongjang Island in the north, just get out.”

“Why? This is a realistic enough solution. All you have to do is build a bridge in the narrowest part of the strait between Maritime Province and Jongjang Island.”

“Even at the narrowest point, the width is a little less than 20 ri (approximately 8 km). “We are going through all kinds of trouble to build a bridge across the strait, which may or may not be 3 ri (approximately 1.2 km) long, but are we going to build a bridge across the strait?”

Despite Hyang’s rebuttal, Jinpyeong did not back down.

“Of course, it may be impossible now, but wouldn’t it be possible if we continue to research and take on challenges? “If the railroad succeeds, many of the current difficulties in the North can be solved!”

“Hmm…”

Jinpyeong’s words made Hyang lost in thought. Jinpyeong spoke after seeing that scent.

“I also know very well that this is nonsense right now! But shouldn’t we make progress if we aim high? What he always said was, ‘Don’t rest and challenge yourself!’ “No!”

At Jinpyeong’s words, Hyang narrowed her eyes and glared at Jinpyeong.

“You… are you aiming for a challenge record?”

“I won’t say no. However, I remain firm in my belief that the most useful thing for Joseon’s ever-expanding river area is the railroad!”

Hearing Jinpyeong’s words, Hyang let out a long sigh.

“Whoa~. That statement is not wrong, so I will discuss it with the New Year’s Commissioner.”

Jinpyeong smiled brightly and bowed his head at Hyang’s decision.

“Thank you, my Majesty!”

After Jinpyeong left, Hyang looked at the spot where Jinpyeong was and muttered.

“Cheoldeok said there was no answer… and it was true.”