Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 61

Episode 61: New Weapons (9)

After filling their days with porridge made from dry ingredients, King Sejong and his ministers began to give thanks in earnest.

The ministers, who had been carefully examining the ledgers they had recorded so far to see if there were any omissions or traces of irregularities, questioned General Choi Hae-san.

“We kept purchasing land, but why did this happen? Did we not properly calculate the required land from the beginning?”

The ministers were questioning General Choi Hae-san, but in reality, they were arguing with Hyang. If they challenged the Crown Prince right away, King Sejong could get caught, so they attacked him in a detour through Choi Haesan.

Choi Haesan calmly answered the ministers’ questions.

“As you can see, the main things studied in Area 51 are weapons that use gunpowder. Gunpowder is a substance that creates a huge explosion, so many people could not bear it, so they purchased their own land. In addition to the land purchase

items, cattle and livestock “It’s the same reason why I bought it. There have been cases of livestock dying after being startled by heavy drinking, so I bought the dead livestock.”

The ministers continued to argue, but Choi Haesan answered confidently without hesitation. This was because no wealth had escaped through the lab, especially since Area 51 was created. This was because the Hyang controlled all the budget received from the government, and the Hyang was the one who was more strict about budget execution than anyone else.

* * *

The thanksgiving ended when the sun was almost setting. After completing the audit, the ministers reported the results to King Sejong.

“According to the accounts, there is nothing wrong.”

“Is that so? Thank you for your hard work.”

After saying thank you to the ministers for their hard work, King Sejong looked back.

“The crown prince also worked hard. And General Choi and General Lee worked hard too. Looking at the weapons I saw today, I can see the hard work the crown prince and his ministers have put in. They really worked hard.”

Hyang, Choi Haesan, and Icheon bowed their heads in response to King Sejong’s praise.

“I am devastated!”

“Your efforts will make Joseon’s national defense stronger, so I hope you will work harder.”

“I will do my best!”

“Then today…”

Sejong, who was just getting up from his seat and preparing to go back, looked at the new armor of the soldier standing guard and looked back at the ministers.

“Before returning to the palace, let’s first get a sense of military discipline.”

“Your Majesty, it looks like there won’t be enough time for you to feel the military spirit.”

Hwang Hee stepped forward and announced that it was late, but King Sejong shook his head.

“If you take time off again, you’ll have a lot of government work to do. Let’s take a look while we’re out.”

I accept your command.”

Hwang Hee immediately bowed her head at Sejong’s decision. Sejong’s tone now was much softer than in the morning. If he held out here, it was certain that Sejong would immediately change his tone, and that was a sign that Sejong was angry.

‘It is natural to avoid showers that can be avoided.’

In that way, Sejong left Area 51 and headed to the Military Flag Inspector. As Area 51 expanded and was immediately adjacent to the Military Flag Inspector, Sejong was able to arrive at the Military Flag Inspector right away. Hearing the

urgent news that ‘The King has come to the Military Flag Inspector!’ Not only the officials but also the craftsmen all came out and bowed, saying,

“I come to see His Majesty the Lord! ”

Seeing the officials and craftsmen bowing to the floor, King Sejong lightly raised his hand.

“Stand up.”

At King Sejong’s command, the officials and craftsmen stood up. The officials and craftsmen stood up. Sejong, who was looking at them, immediately turned to Judge Lee Jo, who was in charge of management.

“Does it seem like the number of officials who manage the military discipline is a little smaller than you know? ”

“That’s because there are many people who hold concurrent positions….”

“It becomes a problem if craftsmen do a lot of work and there are not enough officials to manage and supervise it. Prohibit the officials who manage and supervise military discipline from holding concurrent positions.”

“I accept your orders.”

In response to King Sejong’s order, Judge Lee Jo sighed softly.

“Whew….”

‘There are enough people, but not enough! ‘

“I know very well that the court is short of people. The problem of Injae Jungwon will be resolved as quickly as possible as we proceed with the renovation, so just endure for a while.”

“No! What a hardship! Don’t be fooled! ”

Panseo Lee, whose true feelings were revealed, became reflective and denied it.

* * *

As he entered the interior of the military headquarters, King Sejong said to Hyang,

“It is clear that all the weapons you made have tremendous power. However, it is also clear that it takes a lot of work. Am I wrong? ”

“No.”

“Therefore, I will look into the production process of those weapons. As you said, the number of craftsmen in Joseon is small and there is a need for the people, so it is problematic to mobilize them carelessly. Therefore, we will determine priorities by looking at the production process and considering the power learned from the demonstration during the day. Is there a problem? ”

“doesn’t exist. It is a natural decision.”

Hyang obediently acknowledged King Sejong’s words.

‘The current situation in Joseon requires selection and concentration. Although it is unfortunate.’

**

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_

_

_ Sejong, who saw the process, looked back.

“It takes a lot of work.”

“Yes. So we tried a lot to divide labor.”

“Division of labor? ”

In response to Hyang’s reply, Sejong calmly observed the manufacturing process once again.

At first glance, young-looking craftsmen were pounding iron plates on an anvil to make shapes and attaching them. And an older craftsman was meticulously checking the barrels that had been made.

And Young craftsmen were also responsible for almost all of the process of refinishing the barrels and selling the steel wires. Experienced craftsmen were responsible for inspecting the quality of the parts and finally the final assembly.

“I see,”

said Jang . Sejong, who had seen the making process, nodded as if he understood. With his curiosity answered, Sejong looked back at Hyang and Choi Haesan to answer other questions. ‘

The armor worn by the soldiers in Area 51 was unique. It was also made here. “Any more?”

“Yes, Abama.”

“I’d like to see that too.”

“All right.”

In accordance with King Sejong’s orders, Hyang gave orders to the officers of the military flag and craftsmen. At the command of the village, the craftsmen who were making the barrel stopped what they were doing and stood up.

“Huh?” As

Sejong’s head was twisted, the scent explained the reason.

“I’m sorry. We don’t have enough craftsmen…”

“Oh no! Tsk!”

King Sejong clicked his tongue as if regretful in Hyang’s response. Seeing King Sejong like that, the ministers accompanying him became restless and muttered.

“This… Are you getting more and more anxious? ”

“You will definitely be asking for measures…”

Leaving aside the anxiety of the ministers, King Sejong followed the craftsmen and walked to the place where armor was made.

“Hehehe… That’s right…”

Making armor When he arrived at the location and saw the craftsmen making the armor, King Sejong burst into laughter.

To Hwang Hee’s question, Hyang had answered, ‘I am stamping it.’ And now the craftsmen were literally ‘printing it.’

In Sejong’s eyes , The first thing that came in was the part that covers the chest. After placing a red-hot thin iron plate on a large cast iron frame, another craftsman turns a large pulley and rolls another cast iron frame on top.

“Hey! ”

When the two frames overlapped, the young craftsman made a sound and pushed down the handle attached to the upper frame with all his strength. The end of the handle was bent into a semicircle, and the more he pressed the handle, the more the protruding part of the semicircle went down. They pressed the molds as they went.

In this way, the two molds were completely attached, and after a while, the craftsmen lifted the handle upward and turned the pulley to separate the two molds. Once the molds were separated, the craftsman standing next to them used tongs to separate the two molds. was taken out. The iron plate that came out of the mold was in the perfect shape of a breastplate.

“Hehehe…”

Sejong, who saw the armor being made in an unusual way, burst out laughing and continued to watch. The helmet to be used with the armor, even the brim. The pointed pole was being made from a single sheet of iron.

King Sejong, who could only laugh at the completely unexpected and ingenious method, asked the craftsmen a question.

“What a strange method! Whose idea is it? ”

At Sejong’s question, the eyes of the craftsmen and officials all focused on Hyang. Sejong looked at Hyang with a helpless face.

“You again? ”

“Dehat! ”

King Sejong, who had seen the process of making armor, tried to see where the silver was made, but the scent stopped him and left.

“I am devastated, but you cannot see the place where the silver is made.”

“Why? ”

“Because extremely dangerous substances such as mercury and acid are used, the personnel in charge carry designated equipment and work only for a set period of time.” ”

Is that so… Tsk.”

Sejong, who had lost his appetite in disappointment, turned around and went somewhere else. I saw it. I toured the place where traditional weapons such as bows and arrows were made and praised the craftsmen, but King Sejong’s expression was very sour.

* * *

“Your Majesty, it is very late. King Sejong looked

at the clock hanging on the wall of the military ensign and nodded at the words of the merchant ship accompanying him.

“I guess so. Let’s quickly prepare to return to the palace.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

As King Sejong and the ministers were riding horses to return to the palace, a soldier carrying a large bag approached Hyang. After checking the contents of the bag, Hyang nodded and the soldier took the bag. He handed it to Choi Hae-san.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

As Choi Hae-san was receiving the bag, another soldier held out a wooden paddle to Hyang and Choi Hae-san

. “This is the ticket you will use tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”

He put the new ticket in his arms. As Hyang climbed onto the horse, King Sejong, who was watching the scene, asked a question:

“I understand Shinpyo, but what is that bag? ”

“Here comes a drawing of the armor and General Zhang. I go to the military headquarters every morning and retrieve it every evening and bring it back.”

“Then where do you put the drawing? ”

“It is stored in a safe built in the deepest part of the Eastern Palace.”

“You pay a lot of attention to security. Then, let’s go back to the palace.”

While returning to class, Hwang Hee called Inspector Hojo.

“Captain Hopan. Contact Hojo and have him prepare a report on the iron contribution. So that you can see it as soon as you enter the palace.”

“Yes? ”

“When we return to the Palace, it is certain that His Highness the Prime Minister will discuss the mass production of new weapons, including the Fuhrer. So, you have to prepare in advance.”

“Ah! Yes! ”

Hojo Panseo gave an order to the official who came with him. After receiving the order, the Hojo official left the procession and rode toward Yukjo Street.

* * *

King Sejong, who returned to the palace, moved as Hwang Hee had expected.

“Today’s demonstration . I see that the weapons made in Area 51 are truly powerful. What do you think? ”

“It is indeed so. In particular, the power of Bigyeokjincheonroe can be considered the best in the world.”

“President Jang’s power is also incomparable to that of President Ming.”

All the ministers agreed with King Sejong’s assessment. When the ministers agreed, King Sejong immediately said, I got straight to the point.

“It would be great to mass produce this, but what do you think?” ”

“Well…”

The ministers avoided giving an immediate answer to King Sejong’s words and began to make calculations here and there. Meanwhile, Hwang Hui looked back at Hojo. Hopan, who received Hwang Hui’s gaze, said something to the eunuch. After a while, the eunuch said something. There was a book in my hand. Panseo Hojo, who received the book, reported it to King Sejong.

“This is the amount of iron that the government received as tribute last year. Let’s first look at what catches the eye.

“Gyeongju has 6,533 geun of iron (siwoosoe) and Ulsan has 12,500 geun of raw iron (cast iron)… The Seongonggam (an institution in charge of civil engineering and architecture) uses or holds 130,000 Geun (approximately 78 tons) annually, and the inventory held by each province is approximately 600,000 Geun (approximately 385 tons).” That includes

Jeongcheol and Saengcheol . Does it all add up? ”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm…”

King Sejong, who had been stroking his beard and thinking about it, looked back.

“With this amount of quantity, wouldn’t it be possible to mass-produce it even if it were a bit of a stretch? ”

Hyang immediately answered Sejong’s question.

“It may be possible, but mass production is difficult. The reason is because the number of craftsmen is too small.”

“Wouldn’t it be okay to recruit more craftsmen from private homes? ”

In response to King Sejong’s question, Hyang explained why it was impossible.

“I did an experiment with Bigyeokjincheonroe.”

The experiment Hyang mentioned was to outsource the coal body of Bigyeokjincheonroe. A casting prototype was given to a blacksmith shop inside and around Hanseong. It was an experiment upon receipt of delivery. The screening was conducted in rounds 1 and 2. The

first standard was that products produced in the same blacksmith shop could be assembled together. The second standard was that products produced in other blacksmith shops could be assembled. . If the given prototype was copied properly, it was possible to pass not only the first round but also the second round.

“A total of 14 blacksmith shops were mobilized for the experiment, of which 8 passed the first standard and 3 passed the second standard. The place is coming. And those three blacksmiths produced most of the Bigyeokjincheonroe to be used for testing. Considering this example, blacksmiths with sufficient skills should be considered 20% of the total.”

“That’s a small number…”

“Even the simplest Bigyeokjincheonroe was 20% of the total.” There are less than 10% of the presidents who need to be made more cleverly than that. If we had to unconditionally mobilize blacksmiths from private houses, only Bigyeokjincheonroe and armor would be possible.”

King Sejong looked despondent in response to Hyang’s response. Faced with a more negative situation than expected, King Sejong gestured to the ministers with a tired face. “

I hope you come up with a way to resolve this situation. That’s all for today.”

That day, King Sejong did not visit Hyang’s room. Hyang, who had been waiting just in case, returned to his seat with a bitter look on his face.

“You must be shocked. Reality is a gutter. By the way, did you know that you are throwing everything away and giving up?” There

was a reason why Hyang said that. Sejong is 27 years old. It was still a time when both experience and experience were shallow.

The next morning. King Sejong summoned ministers and ministers together. When all the ministers and ministers gathered, King Sejong opened his mouth.

“Gwain thought about it carefully, and I think that the production of long rifles and horse barrels should not be delayed. However, I don’t think it would be a good solution to leave it all to military discipline. So, Gwain thought of a way to solve this problem.”

When King Sejong announced that he had created a plan, the local government and ministers focused on him.

“The method Gwain came up with was to receive brass parts for the gun barrel of the Gapja Chongtong from blacksmiths throughout Joseon and from brass parts for the barrel of the Gapja Chongtong. In the case of the

Masang Chongtong, only the important engine parts were made by the Gungigam and the gun barrel was made. “Only wooden parts and wooden parts are paid in the same way. The Crown Prince must write accurate specifications for these parts and report them. This will be printed and distributed to craftsmen and used as a review standard.”

“Abama. If you do that, there is a higher chance of confidential information being leaked.”

In response to the protest, King Sejong immediately responded:

“What we receive from blacksmiths is limited to parts that are about to be processed. The delivery of the President’s iron body is limited to the process of straightening and smoothing the inside and cutting the screws before digging the grooves. Digging grooves, combining parts, and final assembly are carried out with military discipline.”

At King Sejong’s words, the local government and ministers began calculating profit and loss. While they were moving the scales around and making calculations, Hwang Hee pointed out a problem.

“Blacksmiths . If you receive it as a tribute, there may be a quality problem. Weapons are the most important part of national defense, so quality issues must be resolved.”

King Sejong immediately responded to Hwang Hee’s words.

“We do not accept it as tribute. Nowadays, exclusive sales offices directly under Hojo are being established across the country. Purchase the necessary items through this reseller. This is to diversify wealth and enrich the lives of the people, while at the same time making public figures not think of their work as a vocation. In other words, the goal is to encourage more and more people to become merchants and public figures.”

A war of words broke out between the local government and the ministers over King Sejong’s plan. There were some ministers who opposed it, but the local government was the first to express its approval, and the ministers as well. By providing support, it was decided to follow King Sejong’s wishes.