Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 417

Episode 417: Lord of War. Hua Merchant (8)

While Ming was suffering like this, Hyang was busy moving around.

The reason the scent was so busy was because of an order received from King Sejong.

-Build a rifle with better performance than the rifle currently in use.

-But keep the budget to a minimum.

“There are various answers to the budget issue. “There were more than one country that had suffered from similar problems.”

Despite the restrictions imposed by Sejong, Hyang did not worry much. As Hyang said, there was no country with a free budget, and as a result, there were various alternatives.

Thanks to this, Hyang was able to proceed with his plan smoothly while satisfying his virtue.

However, it wasn’t long before Ministry of Defense officials started coming in and out of Area 51 until the threshold was exhausted.

What caused Ministry of Defense officials to come and go to Area 51 to the point where they thought it was the Ministry of Defense headquarters was because of a certain ‘support artillery’ that was being developed along with the rifle.

* * *

“Lowering. Minister Cho Mal-saeng has arrived.”

“Please take me inside.”

“Yes sir.”

After a while, Jo Mal-saeng came in under the guidance of the eunuch.

“I come to see you, Crown Prince.”

“haha! I see you often these days. Please sit here.”

After offering Jo Mal-saeng a seat, Hyang sat across from him and opened his mouth.

“What are you doing at this hour? “I’m sure Abama has forgotten to wait for you at Geunjeongjeon, right?”

“Ah, I already spoke to His Majesty yesterday and received his approval.”

How many years has it been since Sejong and Hyang separated? Even the ministers were not taking it easy anymore.

“Tsk!”

Hyang, who turned her head and clicked her tongue slightly, straightened her expression and looked at Jo Mal-saeng.

“So what brings you here today?”

“I came because of the support weapon you developed.”

“Aren’t there more than one support firearms being developed now?”

“To be precise, I am talking about a support machine rifle.”

Hyang nodded at Jo Mal-saeng’s words.

“ah! You mean that? “For now, it’s still under development.”

“I heard that its power is incomparable.”

“It is excellent in its own way, but it is not incomparable. “If we look at it objectively, isn’t the power of the artillery greater?”

“Isn’t the purpose different? “This is what you always say.”

Hyang’s expression hardened at Jo Mal-saeng’s point.

“Are you sure you don’t know why I’m saying this?”

Jo Mal-saeng hurriedly waved his hand in response to Hyang-hyang’s question, which was not just a dry remark, but full of anger.

“Oh no! It’s just that it’s definitely a good firearm in the eyes of the military, but there’s pressure from the Ministry of Finance and Economy…”

“It’s a really good firearm, and if necessary, persuade the Ministry of Finance and Economy! “Do you think finding a detour like this will set a good precedent?”

Jo Mal-saeng immediately bowed his head in response to Hyang’s reprimand.

“Oh no! It’s just that it’s such a good firearm…”

“I say it again! It’s such a good idea, and if necessary, persuade the Minister of Finance and Economy Kim Jeom and the Director of the Budget Review Office! That is the right way, and I have no intention of tolerating extravagance!”

Jo Mal-saeng’s head lowered further and lower due to Hyang’s reprimand.

“My thoughts were short!”

* * *

Hyang, who had given Jo Mal-saeng such a harsh reprimand and kicked him out, continued to grumble.

“Where are you trying to find a side street?”

Even when I was working as a 21st century civil servant, I felt like I was grinding my teeth and remembering the hardships I had to endure due to external pressure coming from all over the place.

There was another reason for Hyang to be angry.

“That’s true too, but why do I have to deal with the Ministry of Finance and Economy!”

In some ways, it was not easy for Hyang to deal with the Ministry of Finance and Economy, which was a more difficult opponent than Sejong.

“How did the noblemen become even bigger monsters of capitalism than me in just a few years?”

After wrestling with officials from the Ministry of Finance and Economy, it became Hyang’s daily routine to turn into green onion kimchi. In the end, the scent was enough to make me sigh while looking up at the sky.

“I raised a monster!”

As the clumsy noblemen became aware of the fear and power of Yesan, it underwent a new evolution.

Therefore, the township was avoiding conflict with the Ministry of Finance as much as possible, except for the budget needed for the research institute and Area 51.

* * *

Three months after receiving the order from King Sejong, Hyang held an event to introduce newly developed firearms at a shooting range set up in Gyeongbokgung Palace.

“It’s amazing that the results were achieved in just three months.”

Hyang bowed her head slightly and responded to Sejong’s words.

“There was some forethought.”

“Is that so? “It’s Yubi Muhwan… I’m always reassuring.”

King Sejong patted Hyang’s shoulder with a happy face and looked at the guns placed on the platform covered with white cloth.

“It looks very familiar, doesn’t it?”

Sejong’s impressions were also mixed with some disappointment. The results of the scent were always new experiences.

Hyang responded to Sejong’s reaction with a slightly frowning face.

“Following Abamama’s instructions, we worked hard to produce a possible result with the minimum budget.”

“Is that so? “Please explain.”

“yes.”

Hyang moved to the front of the podium and began explaining, pointing at the rifles with a pointing stick.

“From the far left, this is a soldier with a prototype gun.”

The models of Kabul Soldiers introduced by Hyang had similar shapes to the early and late Sharps Rifle Springfield M1865 Trapdoor Rifle and Remington Rolling Block Rifle.

“Hmm… A and B look the same, so what’s the difference?”

In response to Sejong’s question, Hyang reached into his sleeve and took out a bullet.

“The difference is in the bullets. A uses the same bullets and copper percussion caps that our Joseon military used previously, and B through Jong use newly made bullets. This is the new bullet.”

“Where…”

Sejong’s eyes lit up as he received the new type of bullet from Hyang and looked around.

“Is it a combination of a copper hat and a bullet gun combined into one?”

“That’s right.”

What the incense made was similar to the one-piece bullet made by Jean Foley of Switzerland and Prala of France in 1808.

The method was to plant a detonator in a bottom plate made of copper, and then put gunpowder and bullets in a paper medicine bag glued to the bottom plate.

“We thought about the best way to reduce copper consumption while maximizing launch performance.”

* * *

Sejong, who was listening to an explanation about how prototype guns work, including bullets, asked Hyang.

“I guess you’ve prepared for the demonstration, right?”

“Of course, Abama. “Get ready for the demonstration!”

“yes! “Get ready for the demonstration!”

At the shout of a military officer, a group of soldiers rushed out to the shooting range.

The soldiers who paid their respects to King Sejong were soon divided into five groups, each group consisting of five people (the smallest group in the Joseon army consisting of five people), and stood in the four ranks.

“Let go!”

Ta-ta-tang!

Following the command of the military officer, the soldiers pulled the trigger in unison and immediately began reloading.

And at that moment, the strengths of the new rifles began to shine.

During the time it took for the armored rifles used by the Joseon military to reload and fire the next round, the prototype rifles fired at least four rounds and as many as six rounds at the most.

“Stop firing! “Stop firing!”

As the officer shouted and the red flag waved, the soldiers stopped shooting. With the reverberation of the loud firing sound remaining, King Sejong looked back.

“The firing speed is really fast. But…”

Sejong paused for a moment, lifted the rifle on the podium, aimed it, and asked Hyang.

“It’s not just that, is it?”

“That’s right!”

Hyang responded with a grin and gestured to the officer commanding the soldiers.

The officer who saw Hyang’s hand gesture ordered the soldiers to kneel and lie down. And in the process, the true strengths of prototype guns were revealed. Unlike conventional rifles, which require you to stand up and reload immediately after firing, the prototype guns could be reloaded on the spot without having to stand up.

When the demonstration was over, King Sejong looked back at the ministers who accompanied him.

“How do you feel?”

Hwang Hee came forward and answered King Sejong’s question.

“If you underestimate our military and attack them because their numbers are small, it is certain that something you will regret will happen.”

The ministers all nodded at Hwang Hee’s words. Sejong also nodded to the ministers’ evaluation.

“I think so too. And…”

Sejong, who paused for a moment, looked at the integrated ammunition again and spoke to Hyang.

“Seja, there is a reason why you created a new type of bullet. “It is faster than the existing A-type rifle, but the A-type rifle is a bit inferior to others.”

As King Sejong said, Type A, who used the existing Yakpo and Donghwamo, had a more complicated procedure.

“That’s right.”

Hyang nodded to Sejong’s point and muttered to himself.

‘As expected, since you said it was outside the standards…’

“Hmm…”

Sejong, who had been nodding his head and examining the rifles, asked Hyang again.

“You explained to me that you spent the minimum budget. What that means is that some modifications were made to the existing rifle, right? And in my opinion, the closest thing to that is Byeonghyeong. Is that correct?”

Hyang immediately nodded to Sejong’s question.

“That’s right.”

As King Sejong pointed out, Gap-eul-jeong had to cut off a significant part of the gun body and install a new engine part. However, for the bottle-type trapdoor rifle, modifications were concentrated on the barrel.

“Hmm…”

Sejong, who was looking around with his rifles, asked Hyang.

“Crown, I think the development of firearms will continue. “Do you think so too?”

“Soja thinks so too. However, I am confident that our Joseon firearms are now the most advanced.”

“You have a lot to contribute in that part. Hmm… But the budget is limited, so…”

Sejong stopped talking and carefully examined the prototype guns once again.

Sejong raised and put down the rifles several times to examine them and came to a conclusion.

“There are budget issues, so I will select a prototype rifle as the next rifle. But let the crown prince continue to research better rifles than that.”

“Yes Abama.”

At Sejong’s decision, Hyang bowed her head with a calm expression.

‘In some ways, this is the most correct answer. ‘The others have to completely overhaul their production lines.’

However, when Hyang saw Kim Jeom nodding with a bright face, he felt a little grumpy.

“Abama. “In addition to these rifles, there is a newly researched support firearm, so please take a look at this as well.”

Sejong’s face brightened noticeably at Hyang’s words.

“Yeah? Then you should see it! “Get ready quickly!”

Sejong was delighted with the prospect of seeing the support firearm that he had heard rumors about through various lines.

After a while, new support weapons loaded on two carriages entered the shooting range.

Sejong looked at the new firearm and asked Hyang.

“Are these six rifles bundled into one?”

“That’s right. “We named it Eulsikhwacha.”

“Eulsikhwachara….”

Sejong, who had been remembering for a moment at Hyang’s words, looked back at Hyang.

“The Hwacha I know is a weapon that fires 100 arrows at once. “So you’re saying this is similar?”

“That’s right.”

“Let’s see the performance.”

“yep!”

As soon as King Sejong’s order was given, Hyang and the soldiers moved excitedly.

Ta-ta-tang~.

The explosion of the last fired bullets disappeared and the demonstration of the freight cars ended, but King Sejong and the ministers could not close their mouths.

The scarecrows and target boards that had been erected at the opposite end of the shooting range were full of holes. It was a devastation caused by just two Japanese freight cars.

He placed the freight car behind him and explained the scent to King Sejong and the ministers.

“It will be truly effective if installed on major defense positions and on ships sailing at sea.”

After hearing the description of the fragrance, King Sejong and the ministers imagined the scene. King Sejong and the ministers trembled as they imagined the Jurchen tribes and Japanese pirates being swept away.

“I don’t even want to think about it. But…”

Sejong looked back at Kim Jeom.

“Minister of Finance. “No matter how much you object, I need this!”

* * *