Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 841

Episode 841: Pursuit in Europe (8)

Even as I grumbled like this, the scent stopped there.

-The man who was the ‘emperor’ kept asking questions.

This record alone would continue to be of interest to future generations.

“At least we can avoid being bombarded with 7.62mm NATO rounds.”

This was the true purpose of incense.

And the scent went as expected.

Because it was a problem the emperor was interested in, the imperial army showed constant interest in improving and improving ammunition. Thanks to this, the Imperial Army was able to have ammunition that was well suited to or ahead of the changing battlefield environment.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Seoul, Wan was sighing with his hand on his forehead.

“Whoa~. Since the situation is quiet, is it you this time?”

Crown Prince Hyeon stood proudly in front of Wan, who placed his hand on his forehead, holding out reports and drawings.

“A new front for the Imperial Navy is coming! If these battle lines roam the seas, the Imperial Navy will be invincible!”

“There is something called procedure in the administration of an empire. Have you forgotten that military-related matters must be uploaded through the Imperial Army and the Ministry of National Defense?”

“That would take too much time! The warlike nations of Europe are already on the move! “I don’t have time to waste on procedures!”

“Whoa~.”

Wan let out a long sigh and muttered to himself.

‘Sang Sang sighs whenever he sees Duke Jinpyeong… Now I understand how he feels…’

“Whew~. “Give it to me.”

“Here we are! “Your Majesty will be satisfied!”

Hyun handed the report and drawings to Wan with a confident expression.

Wan opened the report he had received and looked at its contents, then placed his hand on his forehead again.

“The wire itself weighs 1 million tubes (about 3,750 tons)? “A completely iron wire there?”

“That’s right. “Starting with the keel, everything is made of iron!”

“Yes, yes… there are examples of assault return lines, so it is not impossible…”

As Wan said, assault return lines already existed in a battle line made entirely of iron, starting with the keel.

“The problem is weight. The assault return line isn’t this heavy either. Still, you probably don’t know why assault return ships only move in coastal waters, right?”

Wan pointed out the problem of the assault return with a cool expression.

* * *

The Assault Return Line has been an invincible frontline ever since it first entered combat.

In reality, there had not yet been a front line that could surpass the firepower, defense, and mobility of the assault return ship.

However, assault return ships were not deployed in large numbers.

The first reason was the high construction and maintenance costs.

Expensive steel was used in everything, starting with the keel. In addition, only carefully selected skilled workers were mobilized during the construction process.

In other words, labor costs were also quite expensive.

Afterwards, the amount of money spent on maintaining the front line was not a penny or two.

If this were the only problem, the Empire would have built a large number of assault ships. Because it was an empire that already had that level of capability.

However, the second reason led to the abandonment of mass construction of assault return ships.

The second reason was the short range.

The ship, which was about 1.5 times larger than the Challenger-class battle line, was the assault return ship. However, compared to its size, its range was extremely short.

The space occupied by the steam engine that moves the assault return ship, the space occupied by artillery pieces and artillery shell explosives, the space occupied by thick bulkheads and hull side armor for the safety of the front line, excluding the space for the crew, there is not enough space to load coal, which is the fuel. Because it wasn’t.

Of course, the executives of the Imperial Navy who were fascinated by the assault return searched for the upper echelons with their own solutions, and the executives at the upper echelons sought help with these.

“The answer is to increase the size of His Majesty’s assault ship.”

“If we want to move that thing quickly, we have to use a bigger steam engine. “You probably don’t know the term ‘vicious cycle,’ right?”

“….”

“If we reduce the space ceded to His Majesty’s crew a little…”

“Do you think the soldiers who lived in such a small space will maintain their fighting ability properly?”

“That is, if you develop your base energy (power to persevere) through training…”

“Do you want to be treated as a ‘body’s weak point’ again? You should target a person with a weapon. Are you thinking of hitting a person with a weapon? Is the front line a military uniform? And yet he is a general in the Imperial Navy!”

“I apologize!”

“If you apologize, don’t make something to apologize for!”

“Your Majesty, wouldn’t it be okay to reduce the armor of the assault ship and widen the space between the fighting compartments?”

“It is impossible as the artillery of neighboring countries is becoming more and more powerful.”

In this way, the mass construction of assault return ships was thwarted.

And because of this short range and maintenance costs, the assault return ships deployed to the South Sea Fleet rarely left the military ports in the southwest.

Therefore, few Europeans actually saw the assault return ship. And the Europeans in the shipping industry who saw the return ship returned to their homeland and made a fuss.

“Not in the imperial military port! There’s a pitch black ship with a monster’s head! “They said it was a ship made entirely of iron!”

“Stop talking nonsense! How does a ship made of iron float on water? “Even if it’s a flower country, it’s impossible!”

“It’s true…”

“Hmph! At most, it would be a thin iron plate on top of a wooden board!”

The witnesses felt aggrieved, but most Europeans dismissed it as nonsense.

* * *

Hyun confidently responded to Wan’s point.

“Unlike back then, steam engines are much better now. Even if they are the same size, they can use more power.”

“Is that why you grew so big?”

“That’s right. Thanks to this, we were able to secure enough space.”

“Hmm…”

Hearing Hyeon’s words, Wan looked at the report with a serious face.

“Just looking at the report, it seems okay…”

Wan, who responded quite positively, unfolded the drawing.

“huh? Make the main gun bigger, then put it in a box and install it in the center of the hull?”

“That’s right! When looking at the Challenger-class front or any other front, dozens of artillery pieces are loaded onto ships! However, if you look at the situation of a naval battle, even in the optimal situation, you can only use half of it!”

“That’s right…”

Wan nodded at Hyun’s words.

During this period, the method of loading artillery onto the front lines was very similar to any country. The artillery pieces were distributed and deployed on both sides of the front.

When a battle broke out, only the guns installed on the gunwale facing the enemy ship participated in the battle. Because of this, many countries divided the deck into two floors like empires and mounted more artillery pieces.

As Wan nodded, Hyeon continued his explanation with a more confident expression.

“Then, the plan is to build a gun box along the center line of the hull and place guns on it! Rather than loading dozens of small guns, it is better to pack a few large, powerful guns into a gun case and turn the case left and right! Then, the firepower will become more powerful and the usable space will increase!”

At Hyun’s words, Wan nodded silently and focused on the drawing. The ministers who were listening to the story around nodded as if Hyun’s explanation was plausible. In particular, the Minister of National Defense focused on Hyun’s explanation with sparkling eyes.

“But…”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“This gungak. The armor must be thick to protect the guns and soldiers from enemy ship attacks, right? And since it is a large and powerful gun, it must weigh a lot, right? You have to turn it left and right…”

“The framework is in the third drawing!”

“okay? Let’s see…”

Wan, who had opened the drawing in question and examined it carefully, looked at Hyeon.

“Are you installing a separate steam engine to move the gun boxes?”

“That’s right!”

Following Hyeon’s answer, Wan made a decision right away.

“Not possible.”

“Why?”

“There is a storage room for coal and gunpowder under the gun case, but the problem is installing a steam engine underneath it.”

“That problem can be solved by installing a sufficiently thick bulkhead.”

“Is that really the case? First, try to understand again why the situation gave up on putting artillery on top of the tow truck. “Once again, it’s impossible.”

“Yes…”

At Wan’s decision, Hyeon took the report and drawings and walked away with a downcast look on his face.

Watching Hyeon retreat like that, Wan looked back at Hwang Bo-in.

“Captain Prime Minister. How many days do you think? Jim is expecting a full moon.”

Hwang Bo-in responded to Wan’s words with a slight smile.

“But it’s not an easy problem. Wouldn’t it take at least a month?”

Wan chuckled at Hwang Bo-in’s answer.

“What about that guy’s personality?”

At Wan’s words, everyone in Daejeon nodded and muttered to themselves.

‘Captain Hwangbo took it too lightly.’

‘He is the grandson of Sang Sang’s blood…’

This was the topic of the Zen question and answer shared between Wan and Hwang Bo-in.

-When will Crown Prince Hyeon bring an amendment?

It was ten days later that Hyun visited Wan with the amendment.

“I have come with corrections to the parts your Majesty pointed out! “I’m confident this time!”

After exchanging a strange look with Hwang Bo-in, Wan took the drawing from Hyun and examined it.

“Hmm… Huh… Hmm….”

Wan, who was examining the drawing with some thoughtfulness, came to a conclusion.

“Not possible.”

“Why?”

“It is good to draw power from the engine part of the wire, but too much space is consumed for that.”

“If you grow a little bigger….”

“You will get hit by more enemy bombardment. “If you want to endure it, you will have to thicken your armor, and then the weight will increase again… The crown prince probably doesn’t know the term ‘vicious cycle,’ right?”

“Ah…”

Hyun looked embarrassed at Wan’s point. Looking at Hyeon like that, Wan continued.

“Well, there is nothing wrong with making railroad wires. It’s just a long way to go. In other words, a lot of thought is needed in the future, which means we have to look long term.”

“I…”

“If you’re going to say that you can reduce the time if you give us more budget, then just leave.”

Hyeon flinched at Wan’s firm words, then sighed softly, bowed to Wan and walked away.

Seeing that, all the ministers, including Hwang Bo-in, had similar thoughts.

‘This scene is not unfamiliar….’

It was a skit that took place between emperors and crown princes, starting with King Sejong and Hyang and passed down from generation to generation.

As an aside, later European intellectuals who saw this tradition firsthand evaluated it as follows.

-How the emperor of an empire can greatly reduce mistakes.

During his time as crown prince, he experienced all kinds of trials and errors, and when he became emperor, he developed the ability to make the right decisions based on this experience.

But there were also drawbacks.

It was heartbreaking to see the crown prince doing the same things he did in the past.

* * *

After the meeting, Wan sat alone in Daejeon and sighed slightly.

“What Hyun is doing is so similar to the situation… Are we really going to send him to Shinji? No, no, I would feel more comfortable if I went to Shinji… I have to quickly go to Shinji and study flying… How many years do I have left?”

It was Wan who could not give up on ‘flying research’ until the end.