Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 571

Episode 571 Go to war! Assault return ship (3)

In Suyeong, where the order was delivered, all fronts to participate in the operation rushed out to the sea.

The first swimming groups to join were Gyeonggi Swimming and Chungcheong Swimming.

The two fleets that joined near Socheong Island soon began to form their positions according to the plan they had already received.

While the high-speed sea emergency fronts surrounded the outskirts, the challenger-class fronts formed a camp inside.

*

…

“Welcome.”

“It’s been a while.”

After briefly greeting each other, the two monks sat facing each other and began talking.

“Have you figured out the size of the enemy?”

“According to what Haeung 22 reported, there are about 20 large ships and about 30 medium ships and small ships combined.”

In response to the Gyeonggi monk’s answer, the Chungcheong monk stroked his beard and asked again.

“Do you think that is the enemy’s entire strength?”

“at all. How long have they been coming to our Jemulpo area already? And we met each other more than once in the distant ocean. Since you are probably familiar with our circumstances, you should at least add twice that number.”

The Chungcheong monk, who was nodding at the Gyeonggi monk’s answer, smiled.

“I’m sure they’ll take a real hit because of that familiarity. “They probably think we only have emergency supplies.”

At the words of the Chungcheong monk, the Gyeonggi monk smiled and nodded.

* * *

As the Ming army already knew, there were no challenger-level front lines in Hamgyeong, Gyeonggi, and Chungcheong Suyeong.

-The Challenger-class battle line is too large to be used in inland seas.

This was the reason for not deploying a challenger-level front.

After Joseon took control of the coastal waters nearby, the Joseon navy called the West Sea the Inland Sea or Salt Lake. Since it was such a narrow sea area, it was judged that disaster rights could be sufficiently maintained with just a sea emergency.

However, as the battle with Ming became clear, three challenger-class ships were secretly deployed in Hamgyeong, Gyeonggi, and Suyeong, Chungcheong.

This reinforcement had occurred only recently, so Myeong was not yet aware of it.

* * *

The Gyeonggi and Chungcheong investigators unfolded charts and continued to organize the situation.

“If the enemy also gathers a fleet to come, it will take at least a few more days. “Isn’t this good for us too?”

“That’s right. “It will take at least three days for the front lines of Jeolla Jwasuyeong and Woosuyeong to arrive.”

“Even if the other front lines are late, there’s no need to worry too much as long as the others arrive properly, right?”

“Dengjung…? ah! ha ha ha!”

The Chungcheong investigator, who was momentarily taken aback by the Gyeonggi investigator’s unexpected ‘dangjung’ remark, quickly grasped the meaning and burst into laughter.

The Daengjung that the Gyeonggi investigator was referring to were the crew of the Maeng Jinho, an assault ship.

* * *

With the return ship completed, the navy began looking for candidates to appoint a suitable captain. At this time, an unexpected person visited the headquarters.

“no! I feel sorry that you are forgetting me with these words! Isn’t your jurisdiction the best suited for this kind of work? “Please give me a boat!”

The person who volunteered to serve as captain was Gangnam-gil, the captain of Maeng Jin-ho.

When the Challenger class ships were first built, captaincy was a problem.

“These are unprecedented ships, so we need to find the right people…”

The superiors, who were worried, selected those who were evaluated as bold and enterprising and appointed the first generation of captains.

They were well-spoken, bold and enterprising, and according to Hyang’s evaluation, they were ‘brainy idiots’.

And Maeng Jin-ho’s captain Gangnam-gil was a unique figure among them. As expected, according to Hyang’s evaluation, it is ‘full of intelligence, not to mention overflowing with intelligence.’ He was a very capable person, which made him even more troublesome.

Because he was such a talented idiot, Gangnam-gil was the one who not only destroyed the pirates but also found Shinji.

“You could become the youngest investigator just with the achievements you have made so far, so why are you going through the trouble?”

High-ranking people who heard about Gangnam-gil’s resources tried to dissuade him, but Gangnam-gil smiled and answered right away.

“You only live once! If you decide to ride the wire, shouldn’t you ride it properly? “Assault return ship is the ship that suits me best!”

Gangnam-gil was able to become the captain of the first ship in the assault return ship because the parties involved showed strong will and the accumulated performance was more than enough.

“okay. “Since you volunteered, do you need anything?”

As soon as the high-ranking people spoke, Gangnam-gil said what he wanted.

“First, I would like to use the name Maeng Jin. “Is there anything better for an assault ship than the name Meng Jin?”

Since Gangnam-gil’s words were reasonable, the dignitaries nodded.

“Right. are you okay. And is there more?”

“Yes, I would like to take all of Maeng Jin-ho’s officers with me. Even if there is nothing we can do about those who work with steam engines, wouldn’t it be better to fill the other parts with people who are already good at it?”

“Hmm…”

The high-ranking people could not immediately respond to Gangnam-gil’s explanation.

“I will think about that a little more and give you an answer. But your opinion has a point, so I will give it as much consideration as I can.”

“Please!”

In the end, after a meeting attended by even Hyang, it was decided that all crew members of the Maengjin would be transferred to the new Maengjin.

Gangnam-gil’s argument played a large part in the background of this decision, but even more important was the famous antics of Maeng Jin-ho’s crew.

‘From the watchtower on the mast to the dock at the bottom of the ship, they are all united together, so it’s convenient to have them all in one place!’

After thinking about this, it was a scent I signed up for without a second thought.

* * *

‘The crowd at Maengjinsa Temple.’

This was the nickname Maeng Jin-ho and his crew were given within the Joseon Navy.

Maeng Jin-ho shaved his head all the way from captain Gangnam-gil to the lowest-ranking sergeant. No, I went beyond the level of short strokes and pushed all the way around in a smooth manner.

“No, I told you to tidy up your hair. Who told you to shave it off? “What are you complaining about?”

“It is better to get rid of fleas and lice on an ocean voyage than to be riddled with lice!”

“…”

Just because they shaved their heads like this didn’t mean they were nicknamed ‘Daengjungs’. They were also famous for their worst clothing and discipline.

But the moment they showed their true value was when the battle broke out. Even though they were loose, if they thought a battle would break out, they would prepare for battle at their respective positions faster than anyone else. He was also fully wearing all the necessary safety equipment.

Therefore, this kind of evaluation circulated among the naval forces.

“I was able to find Shinji because I was a member of Maengjinsa Temple.”

On the day they first encountered the assault return ship, the crew of the Maeng Jin-ho, regardless of their rank, all said the same thing.

“We finally found a boat that suits us!”

* * *

Two days later, the sea off Socheongdo Island was crowded with Joseon military lines.

The front lines of Hwanghae Suyeong and Jeolla Left Usuyeong had completed their gathering.

In the seat of Gyeonggi Suyeong, Gangnam-gil along with the monks of each Suyeong gathered together to begin the meeting.

According to the already established plan, the Gyeonggi monk, who was assigned the highest commander’s duty as commander, bowed lightly to the other monks gathered and opened his mouth.

“I was given the heavy position of controller because I know this area well. “Please help me a lot.”

“Isn’t this inland sea like the palm of your hand? “Please take care of us.”

“Please take care of me.”

“I will only trust the investigation into the game.”

The other monks responded with smiles to Friar Gyeonggi’s humble remarks. The Gyeonggi monk currently sitting at the head of the table was someone who had spent a long time in Gyeonggi swimming. Thanks to this, I knew more about this inland sea than anyone else.

The meeting continued in such a friendly atmosphere.

“Through continued scouting, I have gained some idea of the enemy’s military strength. There are about 40 large ships called the Great Bok Ships and about 80 medium ships. And it consists of an estimated hundred or so small ships.”

“Huh….”

“There are a lot….”

The faces of the other investigators became serious as they heard Detective Gyeonggi’s story.

The current size of the Joseon Navy combined fleet was a total of 76 ships, including 60 Sea Emergency class ships, 15 Challenger class ships, and 1 Assault Return ship. Of course, if all the fronts were mobilized, we could have exceeded 100 ships, but most of them were small ships that did not contribute much to the power.

The Gyeonggi investigation continued.

“Seeing that they brought out so many small ships, it seems clear that their artillery is underpowered.”

“Hmm…”

Hearing Brother Gyeonggi’s words, the other monks stroked their beards and were lost in thought.

When the Battle of Insanjin ended, the military carefully inspected the captured artillery of the Liaodong Army.

-The Ming army’s artillery is inferior to our Joseon army’s in both power and range.

-Excluding the Hwaryong artillery in question, the range of the Liaodong army’s artillery cannot exceed 1,300 paces (approximately 1.56 km) at most. This is far short of the 2,000 paces (approximately 2.4 km) range of our Joseon military’s artillery.

-The weight of the fired shell is also lighter than the shells used by our Joseon military.

The Jeolla left investigator, who remembered the report sent from Hanseong, shared his thoughts.

“Are you aiming for a melee?”

“exactly. They are well aware that their artillery is inferior to ours, and they will do their best to stick to our front lines. “In such a complicated situation, they will try to launch a fire attack using small ships.”

The monks nodded at the Gyeonggi monk’s explanation.

The Gyeonggi investigation continued.

“So here’s the plan I came up with. First of all, Woo Soo-young’s fronts in Jeolla’s left wing make up the left wing, and Gyeonggi’s Hwanghae and Chungcheong Suyeong’s fronts make up the right wing. “The next two lines will form a single line and spread out on both sides as we approach the enemy to form a diagonal line.”

The Gyeonggi investigation was explained by drawing an imaginary line with a baton on the chart.

The Chungcheong investigator who was listening to the Gyeonggi investigator’s explanation asked a question.

“Are you planning to launch a school wing formation?”

“That’s right. “The power of our artillery is superior, so we plan to make the most of it.”

“Hmm…”

In response to the Gyeonggi monk’s answer, the monks fell silent again and began fighting. Assuming that he was the enemy and looking for a way to destroy it, the Jeolla left monk asked the Gyeonggi monk.

“If we want to utilize our troops’ artillery properly, the crane-wing formation is the best, but the problem is that it is the enemy’s army. Since their number exceeds our number, we will form a small group and try to break through the crane group.”

When the Jeolla left guard drew an imaginary young line with his baton and pointed it out, the Gyeonggi guard looked toward Gangnam-gil and opened his mouth.

“So we don’t have an assault line? Captain. Where do you think your battle lines will be?”

Gangnam-gil, who was thinking deeply about the Gyeonggi investigation’s question, answered.

“There are two places. One is to charge from the exact center of the crane wing formation and cut the enemy camp in two, and the other is to launch a sortie from one of the left and right flanks and traverse the enemy camp.”