Black Corporation: Joseon

The Eulsik Hwacha was a hit with the military, who valued firepower, and King Sejong, but it became a mortal enemy of the Ministry of Finance and Economy.

“Of course, I admit it will certainly be a great help for national defense, but…”

“The problem is that damn production cost.”

“No, the Hwacha itself is fine. The problem is the ammunition.”

“Ah… That ammunition… Haa~.”

Officials at the Ministry of Finance and Economy sighed whenever the ‘Eulsik Hwacha’ came up in conversation.

The reason these officials were sighing wasn’t just because of the Eulsik Hwacha itself.

‘Military weapons will become increasingly precise in the future. As a result, they’ll become more expensive, which means they’ll give us headaches.’

The faces of the Ministry of Finance and Economy officials were full of worry as they realized what the Eulsik Hwacha and its ammunition meant.

The ammunition that made the Ministry of Finance and Economy officials sigh was a further modification of the bullets used in the next-generation rifle that King Sejong named the Eulsik Jangchong.

The ammunition for the Eulsik rifle was an integrated bullet made by attaching a paper cartridge to a copper base plate with a primer embedded in it.

As this performed better than expected – although Hyang had anticipated it to some extent – Hyang also converted the ammunition for the horse-mounted gun to an integrated type and modified the cylinder. And as this new horse-mounted gun was distributed again, the Jurchens had to suffer even more.

The ammunition used in the Eulsik Hwacha was made with a single copper structure for the cartridge case, rather than the composite structure of copper and paper used in this new ammunition.

As a result, Kim Jeom and other officials from the Ministry of Finance and Economy fainted at the sight of the cartridge cases falling like a shower, as numerous as the bullets raining down.

“Copper cartridge cases! That expensive copper!”

“Even though copper mines have been discovered!”

***

During this period, copper was as important as, if not more important than, iron in Joseon’s industry.

Copper was used almost everywhere, from simple utensils like spoons and bowls and jewelry to gaskets for steam engines, piston rings, and sealing packing for treadle-type water pumps.

As a result, Joseon made comprehensive efforts to obtain copper. In addition to finding stable import sources, they continued prospecting not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in newly acquired Joseon territories.

After such desperate efforts, a copper mine was discovered on Daeseol Island, but it wasn’t a mine with abundant veins.

Therefore, Joseon’s prospecting efforts had to continue.

***

Given this situation, the appearance of cartridge cases made entirely of copper made the Ministry of Finance and Economy officials faint.

“Is this something that will be fired only once or twice?”

“It fired hundreds of shots even in the demonstration! And they say this will be installed not only in fortresses but also on ships? Impossible!”

“If a war breaks out… per gun…”

“Don’t! Don’t even calculate it or talk about it!”

As it was certain that an enormous amount would be consumed if it were used in actual combat, the Ministry of Finance and Economy officially requested the use of something other than copper cartridge cases.

“…The Ministry of Finance and Economy keeps bringing this up, so how about using the same ammunition as the Eulsik rifle?”

At King Sejong’s words, Hyang sighed and answered.

“Haa~. It’s not that I didn’t think about that aspect. However…”

Hyang explained why it was impossible.

-The biggest reason is that paper cartridges are weaker compared to copper cartridges. The Eulsik rifle is hand-loaded and fires single shots, so paper cartridges can be managed.

However, the Eulsik Hwacha loads and ejects mechanically. This involves more force than human power, and if not done properly, the paper cartridge could tear during loading and ejection.

If this happens, the Eulsik Hwacha immediately becomes useless. Of course, the Eulsik Hwacha has various measures installed for emergency treatment. But using paper cartridges would make smooth operation almost impossible.

-Secondly, it’s advantageous for long-term storage.

The paper powder packets currently in use and the paper cartridges of the integrated ammunition used in the Eulsik rifle are vulnerable to moisture. Of course, oiled paper is used so they can be used even in rainy weather, but long-term storage is problematic.

This is fatal for the navy. Naval ships spend most of their time at sea. Therefore, looking at the current situation of the navy, they use only the minimum amount of paper powder packets for possible situations and store the rest separately.

“…That’s why we have to use copper cartridge cases.”

At Hyang’s answer, King Sejong, who had been pondering various issues, opened his mouth.

“If we make it with iron… Ah, iron would break.”

“That’s correct.”

Hyang nodded at King Sejong’s self-questioning and muttered.

‘Was it Nazi Germany in World War II and the Soviet Union during the Cold War that used iron cartridge cases?’

In the end, unable to find a good answer no matter how much he thought about it, King Sejong had no choice but to demand an alternative.

“However, the opposition from the Ministry of Finance and Economy has a point. It’s not just 100 or 200 shots, but isn’t the Eulsik Hwacha something that will easily fire 1,000 to 2,000 shots in one firing?”

“So, I’ve thought of a solution of sorts.”

The solution Hyang presented was a ‘cartridge catcher’.

Attached to the bottom of the gun carriage on which the Eulsik Hwacha was mounted was a large object similar to a cauldron.

The ejected cartridge cases would fall down and be collected in this cartridge catcher.

In the end, the Ministry of Finance and Economy and the military had to be satisfied with this compromise.

***

As a side note, the ‘cartridge obsession’ of the Joseon military that began during this period continued for a long time.

Unless it was an unavoidable situation, the Joseon military desperately recovered cartridge cases.

Of course, it wasn’t to the extent of “those who would pick up cartridge cases even on the battlefield” as soldiers from other countries would say, but in training situations, recovering nearly 100% of the cartridge cases was the norm.

As a result, Korea was the first to develop and attempt to deploy combustible cartridge cases and caseless rifles in actual combat.

***

Another story about the Eulsik Hwacha was that the word ‘Hwacha’ became a symbol.

‘Support weapons that fire continuously by mechanical power’ came to be called ‘Hwacha’ regardless of their size.

Weapons that would have been called light machine guns in history before Hyang’s intervention were named ‘light Hwacha’, and large-caliber autocannons were named ‘heavy Hwacha’.

This wasn’t just applied to Northeast Asian countries.

In the West, names like ‘Hwacha’ and ‘Hoaza’ became familiar among people. Regardless of East or West, the image of ‘rapid-fire support weapon = Hwacha’ was imprinted.

Of course, officially they were labeled as ‘Machine Gun’, ‘Maschinengewehr’, etc., but for ordinary soldiers and people, the word ‘Hwacha’ became more familiar.

Of course, Hyang was the cause of this situation.

“‘Machine gun’ is familiar, but it feels a bit uncomfortable…”

Although it was a familiar term to 21st-century Koreans, Hyang, who knew well that most terms with Japanese origins were prevalent, had a suspicion bordering on certainty that the name ‘machine gun’ was also one of these. That’s why Hyang consciously pushed for the name ‘Hwacha’.

“If it’s really necessary, someone will step up and change it in the future…”

As always, Hyang maintained an attitude of “not my problem”.

***

Even after the storm over the Eulsik Hwacha issue had passed, things that gave the Ministry of Finance and Economy headaches didn’t cease.

On a busy but relatively peaceful afternoon.

As Kim Jeom was wrestling with approval documents, a subordinate handed him a report.

“It’s from the Ministry of Land Development.”

“Why from them?”

“They said they want us to review it before submitting it to the State Council meeting.”

“Hmm…”

Kim Jeom, tilting his head, opened the report and shouted after seeing its contents.

“Have you ever seen such thieves!”

The content written in the report can be summarized as follows:

‘The railway tracks we’ve painstakingly laid are being stolen.’

***

The issue that turned the Ministry of Land Development and the Ministry of Finance and Economy upside down was brought up at the State Council meeting the next day.

“When you say the railway tracks are being stolen, do you mean the tracks on which the iron horses and passenger cars run are being stolen?”

To King Sejong’s question, Kim Jeom stepped forward to answer.

“That’s correct, Your Majesty.”

“Why?”

“Because the iron used for the tracks is of very high quality.”

“Huh…”

At Kim Jeom’s answer, King Sejong sighed with an incredulous expression.

According to Kim Jeom’s subsequent report, the reason this happened was because of the tracks laid on the railways.

The tracks produced from ironworks all over Joseon were made of wrought iron, but their quality was very good.

Of course, the production of steel was not small either, but it was primarily allocated to making steam engines including iron horses, other devices, and military weapons.

And although it was literally wrought iron, it was a very tough metal compared to other metals, so it was sufficient for use in railways.

And the one who insisted on making the tracks with wrought iron was Hyang.

“As I said before, even the famous Eiffel Tower was made of wrought iron!”

This was the situation with the wrought iron tracks that were laid. However, because of their superior quality, people began to covet them, and some put it into action.

“Huh…”

King Sejong, sighing deeply once again, turned to his ministers.

“How much has been stolen?”

“At least 20 percent…”

At the answer from the Minister of Land Development, King Sejong could not contain his anger and struck the armrest.

“20 percent has been stolen and only now the report comes up! Isn’t this due to your negligence!”

At King Sejong’s anger, the Minister of Land Development immediately replied.

“The situation was suspicious, so it took some time to conduct an internal inspection!”

The Minister of Land Development immediately explained the detailed reasons.

When reports came in that tracks had been stolen, the local officials immediately contacted nearby military units and the police office to begin investigating the incident.

And separately from this, new tracks were supplied to the sites where the incidents occurred. This was because construction delays could not be allowed.

However, in this process, some people came up with clever schemes. They diverted the tracks themselves and then reported upwards that they had been stolen.

“As a result of the investigation, here is a list of those who actually committed theft and those who were caught embezzling.”

King Sejong, examining the list submitted by the Minister of Land Development, ordered in a voice full of anger.

“The thieves who stole are stealing the nation’s property, so punish them severely according to the law! The same goes for those who embezzled! Apply all applicable laws and execute the highest punishment!”

“We receive your command!”

Just as it seemed one issue was being resolved, the problem did not end easily.

“We can deal with the theft committed by our Joseon people in that way, but the problem is the Jurchens.”

“The Jurchens?”

As the Jurchens suddenly came up out of nowhere, King Sejong was momentarily confused. Seeing this, the Minister of Land Development immediately provided additional explanation.

“Nearly 70 percent of the stolen tracks occurred in the north.”

At the explanation from the Minister of Land Development, King Sejong nodded.

“By the Jurchens in the north, do you mean the Jurchens who haven’t submitted yet?”

“That’s correct, Your Majesty.”

At the Minister of Land Development’s answer, King Sejong nodded.

“I see. If it’s the Jurchens, they would go crazy. Hmm…”

As King Sejong showed an expression of understanding, the Minister of Land Development opened his mouth again.

“As their crimes do not cease, I think it would be good to carry out a large-scale subjugation.”

“That’s not possible.”

King Sejong shook his head at the proposal for a large-scale subjugation.