Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 475
Episode 475: Gibeomseon (機帆船) (3)
Two days later, Haeung 5 returned to Wonsan Port. People who got off with shaky legs from the Haeung 5, which was pulled to the dock by tugboats, immediately put their feet on the dock and fell face down with their arms on the floor or lay down in large bodies regardless of body pain or anything else.
“What is this?…”
After hearing that the ship had arrived, Hyang came to the dock and muttered with a bewildered expression upon seeing the scene.
Hyang, who was looking at the pier that had become such a mess, saw Seong-gwan coming down the pier with a pale face and approached him.
“Captain, what is going on?”
“ah! “I think it’s because they do a lot of harsh testing.”
“A drastic test? “As far as I know, the only test that was that drastic was to turn the engine at full power and measure its speed?”
“I have tried many other things.”
Hyang’s expression became fierce at Seonggwan’s answer.
“huh? The other tests were supposed to be done after returning and inspecting the engine and hull? “Just…”
After stopping, Hyang turned his head and started looking for someone. At that moment, Jinpyeong came running to Hyang.
“Lowering!”
Jinpyeong, whose complexion was not as good as the others, but who was full of vitality, looked at the fragrance with a smile on his face.
“Lowering! It’s best! “I ordered several tests and found nothing lacking!”
2/16
At Jinpyeong’s words, Hyang looked back at Seonggwan and the people around him.
Hyang, who saw the people around him flinching every time Jinpyeong opened his mouth and Seonggwan closing his eyes in silence, placed his hand on his forehead.
“Was it you…”
* * *
Because the incident had already happened, Hyang had no choice but to reprimand Jinpyeong.
In the office located at the Wonsan shipyard, Hyang argued with Jinpyeong over the report.
“I looked at the report. Aren’t four of the six tests conducted on the test voyage scheduled to be performed later? But why was this done all at once?”
“I should try everything I can while I’m out.”
“Did you forget that we plan to inspect the condition of the engine and hull after returning? Did you forget that for each item, you must check for any abnormalities in the engine and hull and confirm that there is no risk before proceeding? “What would you have done if something had gone wrong and a major accident had occurred?”
“After each experiment, we continue to check the condition of the hull and engines. Records related thereto are included in the attached report. This was done in a situation where safety was confirmed. Sir, I’m not like a wild boar that only knows how to rush around like that. And even if there was an accident, I felt reassured because there were emergency crews nearby.”
Jinpyeong vehemently defended his actions.
“And then comes the horse. I also have ears to hear. According to rumors, it appears that Joseon does not have much time to spare. So I thought a bold move was necessary.”
Hyang muttered to herself at Jinpyeong’s self-defense.
‘Did you rebel with such boldness?’
Hyang, who was observing Jinpyeong’s expression as he defended himself, asked a question.
“You were excited, right? “You did everything you wanted to do while you were out, right?”
“….”
At Jinpyeong’s silent affirmation, Hyang went beyond being angry and looked dejected.
“Let me go out.”
The scent that came out looked at the sky and screamed.
“hey! “This shit~~~~!”
* * *
After controlling his boiling inside, Hyang returned to the office and sorted out the situation.
“Now… to sum up the situation, is the institution durable enough? “Is the output also satisfactory?”
“yes. Of course, it is impossible to know right now how durable it will be when driving for a long time, but it is sufficient for the short term. “It appears that long-term problems will need to be confirmed through consistent maintenance and inspection, and that data will need to be secured through ships that will enter service.”
“Hmm… that’s right.”
Hyang nodded at Jinpyeong’s words.
‘The good thing about this kid is that he does his job properly.’
Jinpyeong lost his temper when he saw a steam engine, but he did his job properly. That’s why Jinpyeong continued to be used for incense.
“Hmm… According to the report, and the condition of the crew who got off the ship, was it really shaking that much when it was at full power?”
“yes. However, in my judgment, it is not a problem with the engine, but rather that the engine’s output was too excessive for the size of the ship.”
“That’s the most likely.”
Hyang nodded to Jinpyeong’s answer.
Even in the 21st century, warships equipped with engines with excessively high output compared to the ship’s displacement were notorious. This was because ships with large power and displacement had little shaking even when moving at high speeds, but high-speed boats with small displacement ran over the board.
“The steam engine itself currently attached to Haeung 5 was built for the purpose of being mounted on a Challenger-class ship, so it is certain that it would have been excessive for Haeung.”
“I think it would be too much even for a challenger level.”
“Is it that much?”
Jinpyeong nodded to Hyang’s question.
“Hmm… I think it came out better than expected.”
After seeing Jinpyeong’s reaction, the township added the issue to the report. Jinpyeong added his words as he saw that scent.
“Just to add, I think it would be okay to put this engine directly on the new route exclusive ship that is currently being designed.”
“The Shinji route exclusive ship is 50% larger than the challenger-class ship?”
“But I think it’s enough.”
In response to Jinpyeong’s assessment, Hyang did some calculations in her mind for a moment.
* * *
The route to Shinji was a long one, difficult even for a challenger-level battle line. Of course, the problems of supply and escape were minimal due to the intervening archipelagoes, but the harsh climate in the north did not allow much time for navigation. Therefore, challenger-level battle lines traveling to and from Shinji had to travel as quickly as possible with minimal stops.
The problem was, ‘We have to move quickly.’ In order to move this quickly, the amount of cargo to be loaded (including people) had to be reduced, and this problem slowed down the pace of exploration.
Even in the midst of the sluggish exploration, the greatest luck was that we made contact with the indigenous people and began to build a stable good neighborly relationship.
Therefore, the research institute and Area 51 Navy were developing a steam engine for the Challenger-class battleship, the largest warship owned by Joseon, and at the same time designing a new battleship to travel between Shinji and Joseon.
The purpose of developing the new route dedicated line was simple.
‘Ships that carry more and move faster.’
Therefore, from the time of deciding on the size of the ship and the quantity of weapons to be loaded, people at Area 51 and the research institute focused on the amount of weapons to be loaded.
The number of fire trucks, which are close-range defense weapons to defend the hull in case of an unexpected crisis, was faithfully added, but the payload of the main artillery was reduced to half that of the Challenger class.
The naval forces who received the written proposal immediately shook their heads.
“There are too few artillery pieces! Dangerous! “It’s impossible!”
The research institute and Area 51 immediately responded to the naval forces’ response.
“Are there any hostile beings dangerous enough to use artillery on the Shinji Passage? Are you really afraid of the natives who travel around on ox boats made of leather?”
“That’s not true… but it’s dangerous if even pirates show up.”
“Are there any pirates down there in the south with ships big enough and strong enough to get up there? And isn’t it negligent on the part of the navy to allow pirates to creep up to the New Land Route in the north?”
“….”
The naval admirals fell silent at the development team’s point.
* * *
Looking at the current situation, the lords of the northern region of Honshu, a Japanese state bordering Daeseoldo, had completely given up fishing and devoted themselves to agriculture. This was because if they got even a little closer to Daeseoldo Island and made a mistake, they would be immediately captured by the Joseon navy and would be in trouble.
Therefore, in situations where agriculture alone could not provide the answer, it was necessary to obtain formal permission from Joseon and the shogunate and begin trade with Daeseoldo.
As a result, the only area that the Japanese lords of Honshu and Kumamoto could freely roam was the vast sea to the east. All seas in other directions had to be monitored by the Joseon navy and Ming navy.
* * *
Because of this situation, the naval admirals remained silent when the developers pointed out.
In the end, the war of words over the payload of artillery to be loaded on ships dedicated to the Shinji route was concluded to follow the development team’s will.
And King Sejong, who received the related records, thought deeply and came to a conclusion.
“I think it is reasonable to reduce the payload of artillery since there is little need for large quantities of artillery on the Shinji route. “It would be better to proceed with the design according to this proposal.”
“I follow your orders!”
With Sejong’s decision, the developers won by decision, and the Navy had to accept it. And Kim Jeom and the Minister of Finance and Economy breathed a sigh of relief.
“It costs a lot of money to build a ship, but the guns and steam engines that go with it cost even more money, so I’m going to take my time this time.”
The Minister of Finance and Economy received Kim Jeom’s words with a gloomy face.
“According to what I hear these days, the Crown Prince is researching iron wire…”
Kim Jeom responded firmly to the Minister of Finance and Economy’s words.
“I guess I’ll have to file an appeal to Your Majesty regarding the proxy administration or seniority. “Please make sure the crown prince doesn’t do anything unnecessary.”
“Great! Who listens!”
The Minister of Finance and Economy was shocked, but Kim Jeom remained calm.
“Why are you so surprised? “If you think about the crown prince’s relationship, isn’t it time to clean up the place?”
“But if you do it wrong….”
“I’ll tell you. “I hope you get some rest while you’re out.”
“Is it okay if I get laid off? Have you ever thought about being thrown into the record office?”
“Damn it…”
It was Kim Jeom who spewed out an insult in response to the Minister of Finance and Economy’s words.
* * *
It was Jinpyeong’s opinion that confirmed the actual performance against the background of this situation, so Hyang recalculated.
‘Hmm… Of course, it was designed to allow for more output… But still…’
Hyang, who had been calculating by adding and subtracting here and there, shook her head.
“The steam engine developed now will only be installed in the Challenger class as planned. No matter how good the current output of the organization is, it feels a bit tight considering the size of the newly developed wire. “An institution must have sufficient capacity so that it can choose what to do when faced with an injustice situation.”
“I guess so.”
Jinpyeong nodded calmly at Hyang’s decision.
* * *
The head returned to Hanseong with a report full of confirmed results and suggestions for improvements and future development directions.
“Don’t mess around and do it right.”
“Please hold on and hold on to me!”
Hyang narrowed her eyes and muttered as she saw Jinpyeong answer confidently.
“Saying that makes me even more anxious.”
“I will do it right!”
“Trust me.”
Despite his words, Hyang boarded the train with a face full of disbelief.
“Please go carefully!”
Jinpyeong, who enthusiastically sent Hyang off at the top of his lungs, diligently returned to the shipyard.
In front of Haeung 5, where smoke was already rising from the funnel, the development team and Seonggwan were waiting for Jinpyeong.
“It’s a little late.”
“No!”
After a short conversation, Jinpyeong took a look at Haeung 5 and then back at Seonggwan and the development team.
“How about a good spring today?”
“great!”
These were people who immediately agreed with Jinpyeong’s words. Completely different from when they first returned to the dock, they were already addicted to speed. Even though the Seonggwan and naval forces were familiar with the sea emergency front, which was famous for its speed, even the development team was addicted to the pleasure of fast speed.
After hearing the story later, Hyang shook his head and muttered.
“Is liking things fast inherited at the DNA level?”