Black Corporation: Joseon

Unaware of Hyang’s desire to shout “The emperor has donkey ears!”, King Sejong and his ministers continued their heated debate on the topic of the “Eastern Sea Route”.

After various opinions were exchanged and arguments made back and forth, King Sejong reached a conclusion.

“Although I’m not entirely satisfied, we’re in a situation where we can’t draw any conclusions right now. We simply lack too much information. Therefore, the first thing we need to do is to accurately determine what exists to the east. Whether those islands are the eastern limit, or if there’s something more beyond. What do you all think?”

The ministers immediately responded to King Sejong’s question.

“It seems most appropriate, Your Majesty.”

Having summarized the situation, King Sejong turned to Jo Mal-saeng.

“By the way… I forgot to ask about this part. On what grounds do the Ministry of National Defense and the Navy predict that there are other islands to the east? If my memory serves me correctly, the report clearly stated ‘archipelago’.”

To King Sejong’s question, the presenter immediately answered.

“It’s based on the conversations the Kirin ship’s crew had with the residents after arriving at the island in question.”

“Yes, they say that occasionally when they drift far on ocean currents, they sometimes see the shadows of islands.”

“Shadows of islands… Hmm…”

After mulling over the presenter’s words, King Sejong nodded.

“Whatever the case may be, we should establish an outpost on that island, shouldn’t we?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. And we should also bring the indigenous tribes into our Joseon as subjects.”

As King Sejong nodded at the presenter’s words, he turned to Kim Jeom.

“Minister of Finance.”

At King Sejong’s call, Kim Jeom let out a small sigh and replied.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will proceed with the establishment of government monopoly stores in consultation with the Ministry of National Defense.”

“It will be difficult, but please do your best. If there is an archipelago, we will have secured a good position, and even if there are no islands, it could be the last resting place before reaching the Western barbarians’ countries.”

“I will keep that in mind, Your Majesty.”

Through King Sejong’s decision, the Navy was able to steadily pioneer the eastern sea route.

****

Having thus summarized the situation, King Sejong continued, looking at the presenter and Jo Mal-saeng.

“Besides the budget, is there anything else needed?”

To King Sejong’s question, Jo Mal-saeng immediately replied.

“We need new ships. And we need many of them.”

“Heup!”

At Jo Mal-saeng’s words, Kim Jeom let out a choking sound, and King Sejong expressed his doubt.

“Wasn’t there a shortage of people even with the existing ships?”

“The Jurchen people, as well as the natives of Daesuldo, are good at sailing ships. And the natives of the newly secured Jongjangdo and Unwol Peninsula are accustomed to the harsh northern seas, so we plan to incorporate them into the military as soon as they properly learn Korean.”

“Hmm… So you’re saying the manpower issue will soon be resolved?”

“That’s correct, Your Majesty.”

Jo Mal-saeng immediately answered King Sejong’s question, while Kim Jeom’s complexion began to turn increasingly pale.

They were indeed making considerable profits from long-distance trade using the Navy’s Challenger-class warships.

However, the northern sea route was a different story. Of course, the precious furs from various northern regions and the oil extracted from whales and seals were being usefully employed to light up Joseon’s nights.

Nevertheless, the northern sea route was in a situation where expenditures far outweighed the profits.

Even those sturdy Challenger-class vessels had to undergo extensive maintenance at the shipyard without fail after enduring the northern winter seas.

Noticing Kim Jeom’s pale complexion, King Sejong turned his gaze elsewhere and spoke.

“Minister of Finance, please work hard on this.”

“…I receive your command, Your Majesty.”

Just as it seemed the situation was settled, the presenter continued.

“The Navy wishes to equip the newly built Challenger-class warships with steam engines.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

At this unexpected statement, both King Sejong and Hyang simultaneously uttered exclamations of surprise.

‘Steam engines?’

‘They came up with this idea? Already? From the notoriously conservative military?’

Their exclamations contained different thoughts.

“Explain why the Navy wishes to equip them with steam engines.”

At King Sejong’s order, the presenter immediately began to explain.

-Considering the natural environment of the north, the period when ships can sail stably is extremely short.

-Since humans cannot arbitrarily change the natural environment, the conclusion is that we must make the most of this short time.

-To do this, increasing the speed of the ships is the best solution.

-To increase the ship’s speed, we could add more rowers. However, rowers tire easily, and adding more personnel increases resource consumption.

-Therefore, steam engines are the best solution. The Challenger-class warships already have space prepared for installing steam engines.

-There are several advantages to increasing the ship’s speed. First, when heading east, the combination of wind, ocean currents, and steam engines will allow for even faster movement.

-Conversely, when moving from east to west, we have to go against the currents and winds, requiring a zigzag movement. Even in this case, operating the steam engine can reduce travel time.

“…For these reasons, the Navy wishes to equip the Challenger-class ships with steam engines.”

After hearing the presenter’s explanation, King Sejong looked at Hyang.

“I also think it’s reasonable. What’s your opinion, Crown Prince?”

To King Sejong’s question, Hyang immediately replied.

“While it’s the best solution, it’s not feasible right now.”

“Why? Aren’t the iron horses already running well?”

“The engines we’ve completed now would likely just take up space. We need to develop engines that are smaller yet more powerful.”

At Hyang’s explanation, Jo Mal-saeng quickly interjected.

“I hear that an improved version is currently being developed?”

“Of course, we’re working on it, but it’s not sufficient.”

Hyang explained why it’s difficult right now.

-First and foremost, the weight of the object to be moved is an issue. Currently, the maximum weight that an iron horse can pull at once is about 22.5 tons. This includes the weight of the iron horse itself, water, and fuel.

However, the full load displacement of a Challenger-class warship is about 900 tons. The current iron horse cannot handle this weight.

-Of course, we could increase the output by enlarging the steam engine. But doing so would take up additional limited space on the warship. Moreover, fuel consumption would increase, and in the worst case, after loading the engine, fuel, and food, there might be no room left for other cargo.

-We could reduce the amount of fuel or armaments to make room for cargo, but this would be a poor move. On land, we can set up fuel storage depots at stations where the iron horse passes for resupply, but we can’t do that at sea, so the cruising range would be reduced. And if we reduce the armaments, it becomes a problem for combat power.

-If we want to maintain the cruising range while reducing the fuel load, we could use the method of running the engine only when necessary. However, this deviates from the Navy’s purpose for installing steam engines.

“…This is why it’s unreasonable to install steam engines right away. Of course, it’s not entirely impossible, and if we add a little more time and a bit more budget…”

Hyang trailed off, glancing at Kim Jeom’s expression.

‘If we push a little more, we might end up holding a funeral here…’

As if understanding Hyang’s thoughts, King Sejong picked up where he left off.

“Crown Prince, although I doubt whether your ‘little’ is truly ‘little’, I hope you can complete a usable engine as quickly as possible.”

At King Sejong’s words, Hyang bowed his head and replied.

“I will do my best.”

“Good, I’ll trust you. But about the loading capacity issue you mentioned earlier. Couldn’t we solve it by increasing the size, even if it means sacrificing some speed?”

“That’s not feasible, Your Majesty.”

“Why not?”

To King Sejong’s question, Hyang explained why it wasn’t feasible.

“The current Challenger-class ships are already close to the limit of wooden ships. Ah! If we decide to increase the size, we could make them bigger, but it would be difficult to guarantee their durability and safety. Then they would lose their value as weapons.”

“I see.”

At Hyang’s explanation, King Sejong nodded with a face full of regret.

Though King Sejong and the others didn’t know, the explanation Hyang had just given wasn’t entirely factual.

‘The USS Constitution was a wooden ship, but it was 2,200 tons. However, to build something like that, we’d have to completely redesign everything from the hull shape up. The Challenger-class is already at the level of a national powerhouse for this era, but the Constitution? Are we trying to conquer the world? And I should guide them to gradually transition to iron ships. Iron steamships, that sounds good, doesn’t it?’

Even in this situation, Hyang was deceiving for the sake of his own interests.

As King Sejong listened to Hyang’s explanation, he asked again.

“Crown Prince. You just mentioned the limit of wooden ships, so then with a different material… Wait, now I remember. Would it be possible with iron ships?”

Recalling the cold noodle bowl he had seen in the Crown Prince’s palace before, King Sejong asked, and Hyang immediately nodded.

“Yes.”

“It wouldn’t be an easy task, would it?”

“It would consume considerable budget and time.”

At Hyang’s answer, Kim Jeom muttered quietly.

“Not considerable, but enormous…”

“Shh! Your Excellency!”

As Heo Jo, who was next to him, cautioned him, Kim Jeom immediately closed his mouth and watched King Sejong’s reaction.

King Sejong, giving Kim Jeom a brief glare, ordered Hyang.

“Research iron ships step by step, but focus on developing steam engines to be mounted on the Challenger-class ships.”

“I receive your command.”

And with that, all matters were settled.

***

After finishing his work at Gyeongbok Palace, Hyang gathered the people from the research institute and Area 51 to relay King Sejong’s orders.

“…Therefore, the order is to begin research on steam engines and propulsion devices to be mounted on Challenger-class warships. I hope you will do your best.”

“We receive your command!”

The researchers and craftsmen who answered energetically gathered in small groups and returned to their places.

Watching the enthusiastic researchers and craftsmen, Hyang muttered quietly.

“Those folks have all become enthusiasts too.”

For the researchers and craftsmen at the research institute, orders to research and create new devices were always a joy.

Researching intangible things, like the recent debate between the geocentric and heliocentric models, was mentally taxing and easily fatiguing work. Of course, there were exceptions like Yi Soonji and Kim Dam.

But creating devices was welcomed because they could immediately see the results of what they had researched and designed.

***

“Your Highness! I have a good idea regarding transportation in the north!”

To Jinpyeong’s energetic exclamation as he entered, Hyang briefly replied.

“If you’re going to suggest building a bridge to Jongjangdo in the north and laying down a railroad, just leave.”

“Why not? It’s a perfectly feasible plan. We can build a bridge at the narrowest point of the strait between the Maritime Province and Jongjangdo.”

“Even at its narrowest point, the width is just under 8 kilometers. We’re already struggling to build a bridge over the Han River, which is barely 1.2 kilometers wide, and you want to build a bridge over a strait?”

Despite Hyang’s rebuttal, Jinpyeong didn’t back down.

“Of course, it’s unreasonable now, but if we keep researching and challenging ourselves, won’t it become possible? If the railroad succeeds, it can solve many of the current difficulties in the north!”

“Hmm…”

At Jinpyeong’s words, Hyang fell into thought. Seeing Hyang’s contemplative look, Jinpyeong continued.

“I too understand that it’s nonsense right now! But don’t we need to set high goals to progress? Didn’t Your Highness always say, ‘Keep challenging without rest!’?”

At Jinpyeong’s words, Hyang narrowed his eyes and glared at him.

“You… You’re aiming for the Challenge Record, aren’t you?”

“I won’t deny it. But my belief that railroads are the most useful for Joseon’s expanding territory remains unchanged!”

At Jinpyeong’s words, Hyang let out a long sigh.

“Sigh~ That’s not wrong either, so I’ll discuss it with Minister Jeong-cho.”

At Hyang’s decision, Jinpyeong smiled brightly and bowed his head.

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

After Jinpyeong left, Hyang muttered, looking at the place where Jinpyeong had been.

“They say there’s no cure for a train enthusiast… It’s really true.”