Black Corporation: Joseon

Two days later, Haeung No. 5 returned to Wonsan Port. As the ship docked with the help of tugboats, those disembarking on trembling legs either collapsed face-down with their arms braced against the dock or sprawled spread-eagled without regard for dignity.

“What the hell happened here…”

Hyang, who had come to the dock upon hearing of the ship’s arrival, muttered with an incredulous expression at the scene.

Surveying the chaos on the dock, Hyang approached Captain Seong Gwan, who was descending the gangway with a pale face.

“Captain, what’s going on here?”

“Ah! I believe it’s because we conducted quite a few… aggressive tests.”

“Aggressive tests? As far as I know, there was only one aggressive test planned – running the engine at maximum output to measure speed?”

“We tried several other things as well.”

Hyang’s expression turned fierce at Seong Gwan’s response.

“What? Weren’t the other tests supposed to be conducted after returning and inspecting the engine and hull? Wait a minute…”

Hyang stopped mid-sentence and turned to look for someone. At that moment, Jinpyeong came running up.

“Your Highness!”

Though his complexion was as poor as the others, Jinpyeong was bursting with energy as he beamed at Hyang.

“Your Highness! It was magnificent! I ordered various tests, and there wasn’t a single deficiency!”

Hearing Jinpyeong’s words, Hyang looked around at Seong Gwan and the others.

Seeing how everyone flinched whenever Jinpyeong opened his mouth and how Seong Gwan silently closed his eyes, Hyang placed a hand on his forehead.

“It was you…”

***

Since what was done couldn’t be undone, Hyang had no choice but to reprimand Jinpyeong.

In the office at the Wonsan shipyard, Hyang confronted Jinpyeong with the report in front of him.

“According to this report, four out of the six tests conducted during the trial voyage were supposed to be performed later. Why did you do them all at once?”

“Since we were already out there, might as well do everything we could!”

“Did you forget these were scheduled for after returning and inspecting the engine and hull? Did you forget we needed to check for any abnormalities in the engine and hull and confirm there were no risks before proceeding with each item? What if something had gone wrong and caused a major accident?”

“We checked the hull and engine conditions after each test. Those records are included in the attached report. We only proceeded after confirming safety. Your Highness, I’m not some wild boar that just charges ahead blindly. Besides, even if an accident had occurred, we had escort Haeung-class warships nearby for safety.”

Jinpyeong vigorously defended his actions.

“And furthermore, I have ears to hear with. According to rumors, our Joseon doesn’t have the luxury of time. Therefore, I thought bold action was necessary.”

Hearing Jinpyeong’s self-defense, Hyang muttered internally:

Is that the same boldness that made you start a rebellion?

After observing Jinpyeong’s expression as he defended himself, Hyang asked:

“You had fun, didn’t you? Just did everything you wanted while you were out there?”

“…”

Seeing Jinpyeong’s silence confirm it, Hyang’s expression moved beyond anger to utter resignation.

“I need some air.”

Stepping outside, Hyang looked up at the sky and shouted:

“You son of a bitch~~~~!”

***

After calming his boiling emotions and returning to the office, Hyang assessed the situation.

“Well… to summarize, the engine’s durability is sufficient? And the output was satisfactory?”

“Yes. While we can’t immediately determine long-term operational durability, it’s more than adequate in the short term. Long-term issues will need to be confirmed through regular maintenance and inspection, and I believe we’ll need to gather data from ships in actual service.”

“Hmm… That’s true.”

Hyang nodded at Jinpyeong’s words.

At least this bastard’s redeeming quality is that he does his job properly.

Though he lost his mind when it came to steam engines, Jinpyeong did his work properly. That’s why Hyang kept using him.

“Hmm… According to the report and the condition of the sailors who disembarked, was the rocking really that severe at maximum output?”

“Yes. However, in my judgment, it wasn’t an engine problem but rather that the engine output was too powerful for the ship’s size.”

“That’s the most likely explanation.”

Hyang nodded at Jinpyeong’s response.

Even in the 21st century, warships with engines too powerful for their displacement were notorious. While ships with both high output and large displacement could maintain stability at high speeds, smaller patrol boats would bounce around wildly.

“The steam engine currently mounted on Haeung No. 5 was designed for Challenger-class warships, so it was clearly too much for a Haeung.”

“I think it might be too much even for a Challenger-class.”

“That powerful?”

Jinpyeong nodded at Hyang’s question.

“Hmm… Seems it performed better than expected.”

Seeing Jinpyeong’s reaction, Hyang added this issue to the report. Watching this, Jinpyeong added:

“If I may add, I believe this engine could be installed directly on the New Lands route specialized ship currently being designed.”

“The New Lands route ship is 50% larger than a Challenger-class warship?”

“I still think it would be sufficient.”

At Jinpyeong’s assessment, Hyang did some mental calculations.

***

The route to the New Lands was long and challenging even for Challenger-class warships. Though there were islands along the way that reduced supply and shelter concerns, the harsh northern climate didn’t allow much time for navigation. Therefore, Challenger-class ships traveling to the New Lands had to move as quickly as possible with minimal stops.

The issue was the “need to move quickly” part. To move faster, they naturally had to reduce cargo capacity – including personnel – which had caused exploration to progress sluggishly.

The greatest fortune amid this slow exploration was that they had begun establishing stable friendly relations with the natives they contacted.

Consequently, the research institute, Area 51, and the navy were designing a new warship to travel between Joseon and the New Lands while simultaneously developing a steam engine for the Challenger-class, Joseon’s largest warship.

The development goal for the New Lands route specialized ship was simple:

‘A ship that carries more and moves faster.’

Therefore, when determining the vessel’s size and armament, the people from Area 51 and the research institute cut back on weapons.

While they maintained a full complement of cannons for close-range defense against potential threats, they reduced the main artillery to half that of a Challenger-class.

When the navy received this proposal, they immediately shook their heads.

“Too few guns! It’s dangerous! Unacceptable!”

The research institute and Area 51 immediately countered the navy’s reaction.

“Are there hostile entities dangerous enough to require artillery on the New Lands route? Are you afraid of natives who only have leather boats?”

“Well, no… but what if pirates appear? It would be dangerous.”

“Are there pirates in the south with ships large and sturdy enough to reach there? And wouldn’t it be the navy’s negligence to allow pirates to crawl up to the northern New Lands route?”

“…”

The naval admirals fell silent at the developers’ points.

***

Looking at the current situation, the northern Honshu domain lords bordering the Great Snow Island had completely abandoned fishing to focus on agriculture. This was because they would be immediately captured and suffer at the hands of the Joseon navy if they even lingered near the Great Snow Island.

Therefore, if they couldn’t survive on agriculture alone, they had to obtain proper permission from both Joseon and the Shogunate to trade with the Great Snow Island.

As a result, the only area where Honshu and Kumamoto domain lords could freely operate was the vast eastern ocean. All other seas were under the surveillance of both Joseon and Ming navies.

***

This was why the naval admirals fell silent at the developers’ criticism.

The debate over the artillery complement for the New Lands route specialized ship was tentatively concluded in favor of the development team’s wishes.

After receiving the related documents and considering them carefully, King Sejong reached his decision.

“I believe reducing the artillery complement is appropriate as there will be little need for heavy artillery on the New Lands route. It would be good to proceed with design according to this proposal.”

“We shall comply with Your Majesty’s command!”

With Sejong’s decision, the development team won a technical victory, and the navy had to accept it. Meanwhile, Kim Jeom and the Finance Minister breathed sighs of relief.

“Building the ship costs plenty, but the artillery and steam engine cost even more. This time we can rest a bit easier.”

Responding to Kim Jeom’s words, the Finance Minister spoke with a gloomy face.

“I hear the Crown Prince is researching iron ships…”

Kim Jeom responded firmly to the Finance Minister’s words.

“Perhaps it’s time to submit a petition regarding proxy rule or abdication. To prevent the Crown Prince from doing unnecessary things.”

“My Lord! Someone might hear!”

Though the Finance Minister was horrified, Kim Jeom remained calm.

“Why so surprised? Considering the Crown Prince’s age, isn’t it about time for proxy rule?”

“But if something goes wrong…”

“Then we get fired. Take a nice long rest after getting fired.”

“You think just getting fired would be fine? Haven’t you considered being buried in the Records Office?”

“Darn this…”

Kim Jeom cursed at the Finance Minister’s words.

***

Against this backdrop, Hyang recalculated based on Jinpyeong’s opinion after confirming actual performance.

Hmm… Though they say the output was designed with margin to spare… Still…

After calculating with various additions and subtractions, Hyang shook his head.

“Let’s stick to the plan and only install the current steam engine on Challenger-class ships. No matter how good the current engine’s output is, thinking about the size of the new warship under development, it feels a bit tight. The engine needs margin for unexpected situations.”

“That is true.”

Jinpyeong nodded readily at Hyang’s decision.

***

Thus, Hyang returned to Hanseong with a report full of initial findings, improvements needed, and suggestions for future development.

“Don’t cause trouble and do it properly.”

“Have no worries, Your Highness!”

Seeing Jinpyeong’s confident response, Hyang narrowed his eyes and muttered:

“Your saying that makes me even more worried.”

“I’ll do it properly, I swear!”

“We’ll see about that.”

Despite his words, Hyang boarded the train with a face full of distrust.

“Have a safe journey, Your Highness!”

After enthusiastically seeing Hyang off at the top of his lungs, Jinpyeong hurried back to the shipyard.

The development team and Captain Seong Gwan were waiting for Jinpyeong in front of Haeung No. 5, smoke already rising from its funnel.

“I’m a bit late.”

“Not at all!”

After this brief exchange, Jinpyeong looked over Haeung No. 5 once before turning to Seong Gwan and the development team.

“Well, shall we have another proper run today?”

“Yes, sir!”

Everyone immediately agreed with Jinpyeong’s words. They were completely different from when they first returned to port, already addicted to speed. While it was understandable for Captain Seong Gwan and the navy personnel who were used to the naturally fast Haeung-class warships, even the development team had become addicted to the thrill of high speed.

Later, when Hyang heard about this, he shook his head and muttered:

“Was the love for speed inherited at the DNA level?”