Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 741

Episode 741: Dagger (11)

The imperial forces stationed in Suez were not all that comfortable.

“Don’t spill anything and put it all in!”

On the flatbed truck that returned from the battle, the imperial soldiers were sweating and cleaning instead of cleaning.

Soldiers holding brooms and shovels gathered shell casings and bullet cartridges from the floor of the flatbed car into one place.

And on one side, a group of soldiers sat huddled together and sorted through a mountain of shell casings.

“The intact ones are on this side, and the damaged ones are on that side…”

Next to them, other soldiers were busy sorting, checking the condition of the cartridges and belts.

The most impressive thing was the soldiers with chisels in their hands.

Of course, there were many gaps in the floor of the flatbed made of wooden boards, and there were many shell casings that got stuck in the gaps after being hit and stepped on by the feet of the soldiers running here and there during the battle.

The job of the chisel-holding soldiers was to use the chisel to remove shell casings stuck in the cracks.

“But do we have to go this far?”

One soldier, exhausted from taking out shell casings in a hunched posture, protested to the military instructor who commanded them – a modern-day sergeant.

In response to the soldier’s protest, the military instructor pointed to the sacks of shell casings piled up on one side with a sad look on his face.

“That’s all copper? You know how expensive copper is, right?”

“Our empire is not such a poor country, is it?”

“But if you spend a lot of money and don’t get any rewards later, it’s not the bonuses that are the problem. It would be nice to pick up a knife and cut while everyone else is shooting, right?”

“….”

“Quickly get back to your task.”

After hearing the military training, the soldier cursed under his breath and went back to work.

On the other side, other soldiers were also complaining.

“Ugh~. There are no corridors… It’s unfair to be dragged out and fight while all the other guys are having fun, but now I’m out recovering shell casings in the scorching sun…” “

I mean…”

“The guys that grazed my forearms. He’s also a wounded soldier and he’s lying down… Ugh~”

The soldiers involved in the cleaning and recovery work were soldiers who had participated in previous battles. I thought I would return from the battle and rest, but I was mobilized to work after only one day of rest.

“After the recovery work is completed, maintenance of the freight cars and rifles continues! If the maintenance is poor, your salary will be reduced immediately, so do it properly!”

“Yes~.”

“Look at your voice! Should I take a pay cut right away?”

“I will do it right!”

The soldiers, who had been roughly answering the commander’s orders from one side, came to their senses and responded to the threat of a pay cut. However, as soon as the commander turned around, the soldiers started babbling in low voices.

“Are you shamefully threatening me with Bongrok?…”

“I wonder who created the punishment called Gambong…”

At that time, in Shinji Temporary Palace, incense filled my ears and I grumbled.

“Who is cursing me like this?”

While the soldiers were toiling in the scorching sun, high-ranking commanders were watching and talking on one side.

“They are children who have not been able to rest properly after a battle, so some may say that they are doing too much.”

Lee Dam, who gave orders to his subordinate officer’s point, shook his head.

“No, you have to make it hard on your body. You saw it too, right? As soon as the battle was over, they were throwing up all over the place because they saw the corpses of their enemies. If they had just released them to relieve fatigue after the battle, not many of them would have been able to sleep properly at night. Too much. “You have to make them sleep without thinking about anything because they are exhausted. Then, when the replacement troops arrive in a month, you can have them shift right away.”

“That’s true, but…”

In response to the subordinate commander’s still-worrying message, Idam continued speaking while lightly tapping the subordinate’s shoulder.

“It’s something I learned from the last Yalu River defense battle. It’s definitely effective.”

* * *

While the imperial army was working hard to recycle resources inside the fortress, messengers from the allied army were on their way home, carrying carefully written reports in their arms.

Just like on the way back, the lions passed by the railroad construction site on their way back.

“How long is the construction left?”

The French lion asked the Portuguese lion next to him. To the French envoy’s question, the Portuguese envoy thought for a moment and answered.

“They say that if there is no bloodshed like last time, it will be over in three years.”

“Three years…”

The French envoy, who was looking at the scene in confusion at the Portuguese envoy’s answer, muttered softly.

“Do you think you’ll be able to move around comfortably then?”

* * *

As soon as the Allied messengers returned home, they immediately sought out their monarch.

“You did a good job going to and from the reactor. So, did you see the new freight car in question?”

“I saw it, but I couldn’t properly check its performance. But we were lucky.”

The messengers reported to their monarch and high-ranking officials about the battle that took place with the bandits who attacked the railroad construction site.

“We were able to use that opportunity to send in secret agents and build the empire’s new freight train, the Byeongsik. We were able to understand the performance of the freight car to some extent.”

After completing the explanation, the messengers submitted the reports they had brought.

“This is a report written by the commanders stationed in Suez, and this is a written opinion of their convictions.”

The report the messengers brought was from the allies. It focused the attention of not only the monarchs, but also the military and administrative officials. The

allied monarchs and dignitaries who carefully read and analyzed the reports written by the Suez commanders and envoys all looked perplexed.

“It is an overwhelming performance.”

“Isn’t the problem that the price is sure to be as high as its overwhelming performance?”

“Yes, of course.”

“There is also another problem. The overwhelming rate of fire compared to the Eulsik boxcar means that it requires a lot of bullets. All the bullets that go into the freight cars are imported from the empire, so you have to consider the cost as well.”

“What do the generals think?”

“It’s definitely an excellent performance. Honestly, this is a weapon that I really want. However, battles are not only defensive but also offensive. The offensive will require more supplies, so will it be possible to supply them?”

The reactions of high-ranking officials who analyzed the report, regardless of whether they were in the military or the administration, were mostly negative.

Through the Battle of Suez, the light and shadow of gunpowder weapons were felt to the core. It was them.

If the power of gunpowder weapons was the light, the cost of war, which consumed several times more than before, was the shadow.

Therefore, most of the powers in the Allies were heading to a similar conclusion.

-The weapons we have now are the weapons that the enemy countries have. We are securing a clearer advantage.

-In such a situation, bringing in new weapons is a waste.

Just when the odds were in favor of not introducing them, someone said something else.

“But. What happens if one of the allies other than us introduces double-type freight cars? It’s an alliance now, but you don’t know what will happen in the future, right?”

Those in power once again turned serious at the statement in question.

“The enemy was inside….”

* * *

Under the name of alliance and the common interest of the ‘Suez Railway’ Even though they were tied, it was a very dangerous coexistence.

There was an immediate problem of religion between Islam and Christianity, and the difference in national power was also a problem.

-France, a European power that has almost finished the 100 Years’ War and is gaining ground again.

-Maritime. Portugal has strong military power, but lacks land power.

-Florence has the strongest capital in Europe, but cannot escape the limitations of a city-state.

-Ottoman, a rising power in the Middle East.

Among these, the object of French and Portuguese Florence’s greatest wariness was Ottoman.

Viceroy Mehmet II, who took over and completed the Suez War started by Murat II, was once again aggressively attacking the surrounding area.

In particular, it was predicted that Mehmet II, who had secured artillery and musketry trained through the Suez War, would soon attack Constantinople. The rumor was almost becoming a fait accompli.

-If the attack on Constantinople is successful, where will Mehmet II’s next target be? Perhaps Suez? No, it is most likely Suez. Because

of these concerns, Portugal, France, and Florence supported the Ottomans. This was why the allied commanders moved together in Suez and the reason they moved together on matters related to the empire.

It was to keep the Ottomans in their sights and keep an eye on them. However

,

the relationship between the three Christian countries was not all good.

The best An example was Florence.

* * *

France was brought in to resolve the inevitable situation, but the most dangerous opponent was France. Except for capital power, France was the country that overpowered Florence in all aspects.

Now, it was under the pretext of funds lent to France. France could be kept in check, but this could be overturned at any time.

-If the person who lent the money ceased to exist, wouldn’t it be necessary to repay the money?

France was the country that came to this conclusion and could attack Florence at any time.

It wasn’t just Florence. For France, all of Italy was a coveted prey.

* * *

Because this was the situation within the Allied Powers, the agenda regarding the introduction of side-by-side freight cars was reconsidered from the beginning.

The officials who were measuring this and that all sighed in unison.

“Whew. It’s a situation where we have no choice but to decide to introduce it not because of an enemy country, but because of an alliance…”

“It’s so embarrassing.”

“Anyway, it’s a good thing that they use the same bullets as the Eulsikhwacha. If I made a mistake, I had to buy all new bullets, right?”

“That’s the bigger problem. If the bullets had been completely different, they could have used that as an excuse to block the introduction….”

After much deliberation, officials submitted a report to the superiors that said, ‘We recommend introducing even a small amount.’

“Whoa. I can’t help it.”

The dignitaries who confirmed the report submitted it to the monarchs and informed them.

“I think it would be a good idea to send an envoy to the empire.”

“Please do so.”

* * *

As they were selecting envoys from the Allied capital to the empire, the Allied commanders stationed in Suez had serious faces.

Where the eyes of the allied commanders were directed, the imperial army was conducting outdoor maneuver training.

“Now you’re saying it so openly….”

“That’s beyond words.”

The imperial soldiers were now training openly with weapons that had been hidden inside the fortress and not shown until recently.

The Ottoman commander, who was observing the training scene with a frown, sighed as he watched the military wagon being moved by the soldiers.

“Whoa. A horse or donkey is a must-have for a single move, but a military-type wagon only requires one soldier.”

Before the intervention of Hyang, it was a side-by-side boxcar that was similar to the Russian-made PM M1910.

Thanks to this, the tank wagon had wheels similar to the PM M1910.

Thanks to this, the boxcar could be easily moved from place to place with only one or two soldiers.