Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 213

Chapter 213

While the court was deciding on the reproduction of old cannons, the craftsmen at the Military Supplies Office were enjoying a brief respite.

Phew~ Its finally done.

Its been a while since we had a break.

As the craftsmen sat down, massaging their tired shoulders and backs, a small jar of takju (cloudy rice wine) made its way among them.

Lets just have one bowl each.

Agreed.

If Hyang had seen this, he would have thrown a fit, but it was a long-standing tradition.

The alcohol in the takju helped alleviate fatigue, and since it was made from rice, it could also serve as a simple snack.

However, when Hyang witnessed this scene, he was appalled and overturned the practice, resulting in the dismissal of three craftsmen who had been drinking heavily.

Concerned about safety accidents, Hyang banned drinking within the workshop from then on, but the craftsmen discreetly enjoyed their small pleasure by having just a cup or two.

As the bowls of takju made their rounds, the youngest craftsman asked a question.

But what should we do about that?

About what?

In response to his seniors question, the youngest pointed towards the warehouse.

The iron molds for the janggun-hwatong (general cannons) filling up Warehouse No. 3. Shouldnt we start melting them down soon?

At the youngests words, the craftsmen all nodded in agreement, each making a comment.

Thats true. With the amount filling up that warehouse, how many kwan (a unit of weight, 1 kwan=3.75 kg, 8.3lb) of cast iron would that be?

But we have no choice since weve been told to keep storing them for the time being.

Damn it Were already mass-producing the new cannons

The craftsman cursing under his breath suddenly stopped and shuddered.

Whats wrong?

I suddenly got the chills

At his words, some of the othersmostly the senior craftsmenmuttered with similar expressions.

Now that you mention it, I also feel a sudden chill

You too? Same here

Hey, kid! Go check if the forge fire has gone out!

The forge is fine, though?

Hearing the youngests response, the senior craftsmen brushed off the goosebumps that had risen all over their bodies and muttered.

Whats going on all of a sudden?

The moment they felt the chills was the exact time when the court decided on the craftsmens overnight work.

***

Meanwhile, Sejong, who had decided on the reproduction of old cannons for the Ottomans, changed the subject.

Come to think of it What are the field commanders evaluations of the newly deployed cannons?

In response to Sejongs question, Jo Mal-saeng bowed and answered.

They are very satisfied. Although heavier than the previous janggun-hwatong, the panokseon can sufficiently handle the weight, and their firepower and range are superior to the old ones, so everyone is pleased.

Is that so? Thats a relief.

Satisfied with Jo Mal-saengs answer, Sejong turned to Hyang.

Crown Prince, your contributions are immense.

You overpraise me. I was simply fortunate.

Hyang responded humbly. Seeing his modesty, the officials grumbled inwardly.

Look at him, feigning humility!

Ugh, so annoying! If only he were my grandson!

Just openly brag about how great you are! That would be better!

The officials knew all too well that when the Crown Prince displayed such humility, the Kings boasting about his son would drag on, and they would have to listen helplessly.

***

As mentioned earlier, during the era of Sejong and Hyang, there were numerous worlds first achievements.

The new cannons that Hyang had personally overseen the creation of and were now being intensively supplied to the navy were also items deserving of such a title.

The new cannons made by Hyang, the eul-sik-janggun-hwatong (Second Model General Cannon), were the worlds first cannons to use composite materials.

Hyangs decision to redesign the cannons stemmed from the issue of copper. Cannons were made of bronze, and bronze was an expensive material.

We need to find a way to reduce the usage of bronze

This concern was not unique to Hyang.

All nations producing and using cannons faced the same dilemma.

The most common material used for making cannons was bronze. It was the optimal material for withstanding the explosive pressure due to its toughness and elasticity.

However, as bronze was expensive, nations were preoccupied with finding alternative materials.

As a result, during this period, there were primarily two materials used for manufacturing cannons: bronze and wrought iron.

However, cannons made of wrought iron had inferior performance compared to those made of bronze.

Aware of Joseons economic situation, which had begun to grow but was still meager, Hyang had to rack his brains to reduce the burden of military expenditure.

Iron, specifically steel, would be the best solution, but Its still too early

Although large quantities of iron materials had started to come out of the large ironworks established in Anju, the quality still had a long way to go.

As a result, Hyangs concerns deepened.

Looking at the navys situation, they need many high-performance naval guns Wait a minute! Naval guns? Naval guns!

A solution flashed through Hyangs mind.

Ive found the answer! Long live the big ship, big gun doctrine!

The source of Hyangs answer lay in the main guns of the battleships built during the big ship, big gun era.

At that time, the major powers chose one of two methods to enhance the power of their battleship main guns.

One was to fire even larger and heavier projectilesweighing close to a tonto even greater distances, while the other was to fire projectiles of moderate weightstill easily exceeding several hundred kilogramsat even faster velocities.

Whichever method was chosen, the gun barrels needed to be long and sturdy.

This was where the difficulty arose.

To fire projectiles farther and at faster velocities, the propellant explosives needed to be more powerful.

As the power of the propellant increased, the gun barrels had to be sufficiently thick and strong.

Moreover, to fire the same amount of gunpowder to greater distances, the gun barrels needed to be long enough for complete combustion.

These two conditions came into conflict.

The gun barrels, made thick and long to withstand the explosive pressure of the gunpowder and improve efficiency, could not support their own weight and bent downward. If the barrels were made thinner to prevent this, they could not withstand the pressure of the gunpowder.

To solve the challenge of withstanding the explosive pressure of the propellant while maximizing the range and minimizing the weight, engineers devised various methods, one of which Hyang had recalled.

***

Hyang changed the structure from a single barrel to a triple-layered barrel.

The innermost barrel, which had to withstand the explosion of the gunpowder, was made of bronze, and its exterior was wrapped with steel cordsthin steel wires twisted together like ropes. Using cattle, the most powerful source of energy available in Joseon at that time, the cords were wrapped with the maximum possible tension.

Once this first process was completed, the primary barrel was inserted into a secondary barrel made of wrought iron.

This insertion was not a simple matter either. The secondary barrel, with an inner diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the primary barrel, was heated to expand and then the primary barrel was inserted before rapid cooling.

Finally, the secondary barrel with the completed primary barrel inside was inserted into a heated tertiary barrel made of cast iron, following the same process as the secondary barrel.

When Hyang introduced the prototype made through this process, Sejong and all the officials reacted negatively.

It requires too much manual labor. It would be difficult to mass-produce.

With the amount of manpower required, the cost would be high.

Despite the negative reactions from Sejong and the officials, Hyang was confident.

Lets first take a look at the performance.

In the ensuing test, the new cannon demonstrated outstanding performance. Using the same amount of gunpowder as the existing janggun-hwatong, it flew 200 more bo (a unit of length). The maximum range of the existing janggun-hwatong was 1,300 bo (approx. 1.6 km), while the prototype flew 1,500 bo (approx. 2 km).

The performance is indeed good, but with the amount of labor required The cost would be

As Kim Jeom, the Minister of Taxation, could not hide his regret, Hyang provided a clear answer.

Even including labor costs, we can reduce the cost by 20% compared to the existing cannons.

At Hyangs words, Kim Jeom immediately took the bait.

How so?

In response to Kim Jeoms question, Hyang promptly replied.

We were able to reduce the amount of copper used by 60%.

Upon hearing the explanation about the production cost, the Minister of Taxation ran straight to Sejong, prostrated himself, and exclaimed.

I humbly advise that we adopt it immediately!

In the end, with the enthusiastic support of the officialsespecially the Minister of Taxationthe adoption of the new cannons was decided.

As an aside, when European nations later obtained information about these cannons, they made a serious misconception.

Mistaking these cannons as being made of cast iron due to the outer cast iron layer, European countries had to waste tremendous amounts of time and money trying to create cast iron cannons with even better performance than bronze cannons.

***

Since the sale of cannons to the Ottomans had been decided, the court entered into negotiations with Mansur.

Minister of Taxation, go ahead and finalize the deal.

As you command!

Kim Jeom, having received Sejongs order, summoned Mansur, who was staying in the guest Muslim quarter.

Welcome. You must have had a difficult journey.

As Kim Jeom greeted him warmly, Mansur also politely bowed and replied.

Thank you for the warm welcome.

After a brief exchange of greetings, with interpreters and translators between them, the tug-of-war between Kim Jeom and Mansur began.

According to the report written by Official Oh Jong, you wish to obtain Joseons cannons. Is that correct?

Yes, thats right.

Would the chongtong you purchased last time suffice?

That would be good too, but we were hoping to acquire even larger cannons if possible.

Even larger cannons? Are you planning to go to war?

In response to Kim Jeoms question, Mansur explained the reason.

Considering the pirates lurking along the route between Aden and Joseon, its as good as war. Moreover, for the safety of our headquarters and partners in Aden, large cannons are a must.

Your headquarters is in danger?

Theres a Chinese proverb that goes what the eye sees, the heart desires.'

Ah

At Mansurs answer, Kim Jeom nodded in understanding.

Having confirmed Mansurs definite intention to purchase, Kim Jeom casually brought up the topic.

His Majesty has reviewed the report submitted by Oh Jong-sagwan and has authorized the sale. How many cannons do you require?

Considering the number of cannons to be mounted on the newly built ships and the quantity to be installed in Aden

Mansur stated the desired quantity.

Hearing Mansurs answer, Kim Jeom stroked his beard and asked.

For that quantity, the payment would be quite substantial. Would that be feasible?

In response to Kim Jeoms question, Mansur immediately replied.

I would like to see the performance first. If the cannons meet the desired performance, we will pay.

Lets proceed then.

***

Five days later, a demonstration of the janggun-hwatong was held by the Han River. After witnessing the firing demonstration of large arrows used for targeting ships and large iron balls called cheonja-cheoltan-ja, Mansur made an additional request.

Can it also fire hollow shells (joranhwan)?

Of course it can.

I would like to see that as well.

After observing the ensuing demonstration of hollow shells, Mansur was greatly satisfied.

The hollow shell firing of the janggun-hwatong was incomparable to that of the chongtong.

Having seen all the demonstrations, Mansur made an immediate decision.

We will purchase them. Considering the number of cannons to be mounted on ships and the quantity to be deployed at our headquarters

As Mansur attempted to move straight to the main point, Kim Jeom raised his hand to stop him.

Lets first take a look at your ships before discussing that matter.

Pardon? Ah, yes

***

Three days later, military officers rushed to the craftsmen who were finishing up work on a sailing ship designed by Hyang.

Listen up! Stop what youre doing and prepare to depart immediately!

Pardon? Whats going on?

In response to the head craftsmans question, the military officer explained the reason.

The ships the Muslims arrived on this time are much larger than the ones they came on last time. The Muslims want to mount janggun-hwatong on those ships, so youre ordered to go and assess the feasibility and thoroughly examine the structure.

At the military officers words, the head craftsman let out a long sigh.

Phew~ Understood. Well prepare right away.

Carriages are standing by, so get ready as quickly as possible.

Yes, sir!

After sending off the military officer, the head craftsman turned to the other craftsmen.

You heard him? Pack your bags!

Yes, sir!

The craftsmen scattered in all directions to gather their belongings. Meanwhile, the second-in-command craftsman approached the head craftsman and asked.

We wont have to dismantle and modify the whole thing, right?

He was pointing to the ship that was in the midst of being finished. Designed by Hyang, the ship had a never-before-seen appearance in Joseon.

The head craftsman, upon hearing the question, let out a long sigh.

Phew~ Lets hope it doesnt come to that. And it shouldnt. That ship has the sturdiest frame Ive ever seen. Itll probably be my pride and joy.

It is indeed sturdy.

The eyes of the two men gazing at the ship were filled with pride.