Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 703

Episode 703: The Second Battle of the Yellow Sea (1)

As the township was secretly preparing for a stable transfer of power, information about the newly built super-giant battle line started to come in through various channels.

“Is this information true?”

Minshin immediately bowed his head and answered Hyang’s question.

“I’ve checked it over and over again, but I’m sure it’s true.”

“Is that so? Hmm…”

Hyang muttered to himself as he examined the report in his hand.

‘It’s definitely hard to hide something this big. It was easy for us to hide the existence of the assault return ship because we had the East Sea…’ *

* *

Operating a new front was not an easy task.

Even if it was a type of wire that had been in operation before, when it was newly created, its characteristics were slightly different. Therefore, it took time for a new ship to be launched and put into service. This was because it took time for the sailors who would operate the ship to become accustomed to the ship’s personality.

Because the situation was like that, building a completely new ship was bound to take a longer time until it was commissioned.

This was something that could not be helped no matter how skilled the sailors were.

The reason why the assault return ship was able to go undetected during that time was because Joseon had complete control over the West and South Seas at the time.

There were no Ming or Japanese ships that penetrated the surveillance network of the Joseon Navy to the East Sea, where the assault return ship was in full swing.

This was because they were forcibly captured by the Joseon navy or disappeared into the sea.

On the other hand, Myeong was in an unavoidable situation. As the empire took complete control of the southwestern province (now Taiwan), which the Ming called Dongban, it was not easy to avoid the empire’s eyes in the Yellow and South Seas.

No, it wasn’t just the Empire’s eyes that were the problem. The Yellow Sea and the South Sea were the routes through which trade ships traveled. It was impossible to avoid all the eyes of the trading ships that came and went several times a day.

Therefore, at some point, rumors began to circulate about Myeong’s giant front, and as soon as the facts were confirmed through various channels, a report was sent to Hyang.

* * *

“But the information is more detailed than I thought?”

After reading the report carefully, Hyang pointed out suspicious parts to Min Shin.

There was no part about core secrets – firepower, navigation ability, defense, etc. – but the approximate size, number of guns mounted, propulsion method, maximum speed, etc. were written in quite detail.

Minshin bowed his head and responded to Hyang’s point.

“The Navy’s analysis team was also surprised by that. “I thought it might be disguised information, so I sent a spy ship disguised as a merchant ship to check, and most of it turned out to be true.”

“Hmm…”

Hyang, who was stroking her chin and contemplating Min Shin’s answer, shook her head slightly.

“There are no really important secrets, but it is too lax…”

Seeing Hyang’s uneasy look, Foreign Minister Heo Hu shared his thoughts.

“I believe it was leaked on purpose.”

“You spilled it on purpose? wherefore?”

“yes. One is to warn our empire by secretly revealing that the performance of the new giant battleship is formidable, and the other is to raise the morale of their people and soldiers by spreading the word that a powerful battleship comparable to our empire’s assault ship exists. coming.”

“That seems reasonable. “What do you think, Prime Minister?”

Kim Jeom nodded and answered Hyang’s question.

“I also believe that the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ thoughts are reasonable.”

“Same goes for Jim.”

Hyang agreed with Kim Jong’s words and asked the question again.

“Is this the only new ship?”

Minshin answered Hyang’s question again.

“From what I found by putting lines here and there, I heard that one more ship is under construction.”

“How many ships do you expect to build?”

Just as Minshin was about to open his mouth to Hyang’s question, Kim Jeom answered first.

“The military is expecting a minimum of three to a maximum of five ships, but Soshin and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are expecting two ships at best and a maximum of three ships.”

Hyang’s eyes sparkled at Kim Jeom’s answer.

“Hoo? “What is the basis for such a difference?”

“The reason is….”

Kim Jeom explained the basis on which he and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made that judgment.

-According to reports, the new front line is said to be armored and powered by a steam engine, just like our troops’ assault return ships.

-It is expensive to put iron armor on a battle line of that size.

-The same goes for steam engines. In order to move a huge body clad in iron armor, a large and powerful steam engine must be installed, and it costs a lot of money to build such a steam engine.

-Not only does it cost a lot to produce, but it also costs a lot to operate.

-All of this is a burden on the people. However, looking at the current situation, the recovery is not yet complete.

-In this situation, hasty tax increases can lead to backlash from the people.

“…Because of this, my belief is that I only saw two ships at best and three ships at most.”

“Hmm… That makes sense.”

As Hyang nodded and responded positively, Minshin raised his voice.

“Yes, Your Majesty. The reason Ming openly displayed such a front is that he still harbors hostility toward our empire. They suffered great humiliation in the last war, so it is natural to want to repay them! As the Prime Minister said, it is impossible to build five ships! But consider the case of our empire! “If our empire has collected huge compensation from the Ming, they may think they can do the same!”

“Look!”

No sooner had Min Shin finished his rebuttal than Kim Jeom raised his voice.

“The Minister of Defense’s opinion may seem reasonable, but it is sophistry! Since the end of the last war, the Navy has been requesting the construction of additional assault ships! Even though two ships have already been completed! Be honest! “The military is not exaggerating Ming’s threat and wants to produce additional assault ships!”

“Additional production is needed! “We cannot properly protect the trade route between the Yellow Sea and the South Sea with just two ships!”

“No one knows that a challenger-level front is enough for Namhae! Do you know how much money it costs to build one assault ship? “What about maintenance costs?”

“I know! But there are times when you have to use it knowingly for the well-being of the empire!”

Inside Geunjeongjeon, the war of words between Kim Jeom and Minshin heated up. Just as the atmosphere seemed to be heating up, incense entered the room.

“stop.”

It was a low voice, but as soon as Hyang finished speaking, the two people fell silent. Looking at the two, Hyang continued speaking.

“Both of your opinions make sense. But the story is getting heated. As I was watching, I realized that I would soon be asking about my parents, so my luggage intervened. “You must have forgotten that this is something that is forbidden by the circumstances, right?”

Kim Jeom and Min Shin immediately bowed their heads at Hyang’s pointed criticism.

“I apologize.”

“I apologize.”

The scent that soothed the overheated atmosphere came to a conclusion.

“I will come to a conclusion. Looking at the deployment plan for the assault return ship, one ship was to be deployed in the West Sea and the other ship was to be deployed in the Southwest Island. I will revise this plan. Please deploy both ships to the West Sea. “I believe that the trade routes in the southwestern provinces can be adequately defended at challenger level and naval emergency level.”

The language of the fragrance had been changed to Haoche. This was an expression of his intention to push forward. However, Minshin raised a counterargument to Hyang.

“If Myung deploys the new front in question in the South Sea, it will be difficult.”

“Maybe so. However, if the appearance of the new wire described in the report is accurate, that ship cannot go out into the open sea.”

“yes?”

Hyang explained the reason to Minshin.

-According to the report, the new electric wire is two large electric wires bundled into one.

-If you look at past history, you could see a few such ships, but most of them were fronts operating on rivers. It is difficult to operate properly at sea.

-Perhaps, if the sea conditions worsen even a little, it will become impossible to properly operate the large battle line in question.

‘Why aren’t large catamarans or multihulls built even in the 21st century?’

As Hyang said, even in the 21st century, when shipbuilding technology has developed, the number of large catamarans is small. In particular, there was even less military use. The Spearhead-class expeditionary high-speed transport used by the U.S. Navy was a symbol of large military catamarans.

Hyang added, explaining the reason why Myeong’s new type of wire cannot advance into the deep sea.

“If that front line was truly a threat, I would have taken the initiative to build a new front line.”

‘It’s the best opportunity to openly cheat, so why would you miss it!’

“ah!”

As Hyang finished speaking, Minshin and all the ministers simultaneously let out exclamations.

‘I forgot! ‘What kind of person is the emperor!’

The Hyang they knew was someone who never missed an opportunity. Hyang was the one who created all kinds of things using it as long as there was a reason for it. The meaning of the fact that such a scent discouraged Minshin from speaking was clear.

– Myeong’s new front is full of bravado!

Looking down at the ministers, Hyang continued speaking.

“Of course, the Yellow Sea is a place with calm seas, so their new front could pose a threat. However, if the Empire’s navy does not lose its composure and responds properly, it cannot be a major threat. ah! Of course, there seems to be a need to improve the performance of fire bombs used on the assault return line and other fronts. Regarding this matter, please write a plan as soon as possible and submit it to the crown prince.”

“I follow your orders.”

* * *

As the meeting ended, the ministers began to leave Geunjeongjeon one by one.

But in the meantime, Minshin and Kim Jeom continued to bicker.

“Hey, Captain Min! “I clearly said no to the additional construction of the assault return line, so why are you making a fuss about it by bringing it up!”

“That’s not true because the captain shouted from the beginning without even listening properly!”

“Of course it’s fire! There are already two ships,

and the Chinese don’t really know how many ships they will build, so they can’t just build them! “You have to think about your budget!”

“That damn budget budget! “We know the importance of budget, so we didn’t just ask to build one more ship!”

“That piece of iron is worth a penny or two!”

“I told you not to waste your money like that! “The captain said, I didn’t file a complaint against His Majesty!”

“The bottom line is, Your Majesty didn’t say it was impossible!”

At Kim Jeom’s last words, Minshin kept his mouth shut, and Kim Jeom had the expression of a winner.

Minshin, who eventually returned to the Ministry of Defense, screamed at the entrance.

“Gather under me! In particular, those in charge of planning and analysis should not be left out! “Anyone who falls out will be sent to the record office!”

* * *

Meanwhile, after all the ministers left, Hyang and Wan, who remained in the empty Geunjeongjeon, continued their conversation with serious faces.

“I’m worried about that person.”

“Does Your Majesty also think that Ming will provoke the empire?”

Hyang nodded to Wan’s question.

“Before our empire arose, the Ming Dynasty was the loser who ruled the surrounding area. However, since they lost to us and lost their spot, it is certain that their pride was greatly hurt. They will definitely aim for Gwonto Jungrae. Phew~.”

After sighing for a long time, Hyang looked back at Wan with a face full of worry.

“The question is when is that time? Wasn’t it the Joongwon that brought out the ‘Washin Counseling’ test? “They have already tasted the bitterness once, so they will endure it again and again to find the best opportunity.”

“It is indeed so. “We must not let our guard down even for a moment.”

Nodding her head in response to Wan, Hyang muttered to herself.

‘Would you rather just create a gap?’