Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 297

Departing from Jemulpo, Mansur’s fleet once again dropped anchor at the Jeolla Right Naval Station.

The reason for visiting the Jeolla Right Naval Station was because of the Joseon fleet accompanying them this time.

Once they set out into the open sea, proper communication would be difficult until they entered a port, so they had to discuss issues that might arise in advance, starting with setting the route.

“These are the captains of the warships that will be moving with you this time. From here, we have Commander Oh Ha-seok, Commander Kim Sang-il, and Commander Kang Nam-gil.”

“Pleased to meet you.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

After a simple introduction, a discussion took place between Mansur and the naval commanders with a nautical chart in the center.

Quite a large number of people attended the meeting.

Mansur and the interpreter, the captains of the challenger-class warships, the naval commissioner and key officers of the Jeolla Right Naval Station, and lastly, an official who had come down from Hanseong were all present.

The official was accompanying them to take on the task of writing a travelogue during this voyage. And he began his duties by recording this meeting.

The document recording the proceedings of this meeting was to be sent straight to Hanseong.

“This is a remarkably detailed nautical chart.”

When Mansur expressed his admiration upon seeing the map spread out on the table in the center of the conference room, the Joseon naval commanders responded with a bitter smile.

The map Mansur was looking at was a copy of the map included in the records of Zheng He’s voyages.

“First, what are the dangerous areas on the route to Tianzhu?”

In response to the naval commissioner’s question, Mansur pointed out three locations.

“If we talk about it in order of proximity to Joseon, first there’s Dongfan (Taiwan), next is the Qiongya (Hainan) region. Lastly, it’s the strait around Malacca.”

The naval commanders, examining the places Mansur pointed to, all nodded their heads.

“They’re places where pirates are likely to run rampant.”

“Especially the strait near the place called Malacca reminds me of our Joseon’s South Sea.”

All three locations Mansur identified were straits where the distance between the mainland and islands narrowed.

“What about the Penghu Islands here?”

Mansur, after confirming the location in response to the naval commissioner’s question, promptly answered.

“The Penghu Islands are patrolled by the Kitai… no, the Ming navy.”

“Then what about the Dongfan next to it?”

“There are rumors that the Chinese population in Dongfan is gradually increasing, but it’s still dangerous. It’s known as a den of pirates.”

“Is that so? It’s an area the Ming Dynasty is paying attention to, I suppose.”

“There are rumors that the Ming is trying to establish dominance over Dongfan, Penghu, and Qiongya, but it won’t be easy except for Penghu. Because both islands are very large and are known as dens of pirates of considerable scale. Especially Qiongya, which is also close to Dai Viet (Vietnam).”

“I see. Then going straight to Malacca would be the safest?”

Mansur nodded at the naval commissioner’s question.

“That’s the most common route. Do you have plans to visit places like the Jiangnan region of the Ming, Dai Viet, or Siam (Ayutthaya Kingdom, Thailand)?”

“Not this time. If we go straight like that, how long would it take? According to Commander Oh Ha-seok’s report last time, it seems to take about a month?”

“It usually takes that long. With favorable winds and currents, it can be shortened, but that’s not an easy feat.”

Mansur provided additional explanations about the monsoon winds and ocean currents.

Since all the commanders attending the meeting were experienced veterans, they immediately understood and added their own remarks.

“They will be helpful on the way there, but they will hinder us on the way back.”

“Indeed.”

“We will definitely need a stopover on the way back.”

“Considering the carrying capacity of our ships, won’t a stopover be unnecessary even on the return trip?”

The commanders engaged in a debate following Mansur’s explanation.

The captains commanding the challenger-class warships argued that a stopover was unnecessary, while the other commanders argued that a stopover was needed.

“Enough.”

At the naval commissioner’s order, the commanders who were raising their voices fell silent. As the commanders fell silent, the naval commissioner reached a conclusion.

“Everyone’s opinions have valid points, but I believe it’s premature. We will make a judgment based on the results we obtain from the upcoming voyage.”

“Yes, sir.”

Having sorted out the situation, the naval commissioner turned to Mansur.

“By the way, you mentioned earlier that the Ming navy patrols the Penghu Islands. Is there a Ming naval station on the Penghu Islands?”

“As far as I know, there isn’t. According to rumors, they tried to establish one several times but gave up due to harassment from pirates.”

“Is that so?”

Hearing Mansur’s answer, the naval commissioner smacked his lips and muttered inwardly.

‘The issue of the Penghu Islands seems to be a matter of politics rather than military. It won’t be easy.’

***

Looking at the nautical chart created through Zheng He’s voyages, the Penghu Islands appeared to be a very desirable location.

According to Zheng He’s records, the archipelago consisted of dozens of large and small islands, with four large islands clustered in the northern part of the archipelago.

The naval commanders who saw the nautical chart unanimously exclaimed to Sejong.

“It’s the perfect location for a shelter harbor!”

The four large islands clustered together could serve as a barrier to block large waves or winds.

Moreover, there were large passages to the north and south, making it convenient for ships to enter and exit.

“It’s not just the best as a shelter harbor. If we can secure this place, we can gain control over the southern trade routes!”

As the naval commanders made their arguments, Sejong, who was examining the nautical chart, asked them.

“Your opinions seem to be correct. Then, could it be that the Ming is unaware of it?”

“…”

“Isn’t this nautical chart itself made by the Ming?”

“…”

At Sejong’s point, the naval commanders became as silent as clams. Seeing the commanders like that, Sejong reached a conclusion.

“We will gather more detailed information through this voyage and then make a decision.”

“We shall obey your command!”

It was because of this incident that the naval commissioner of the Jeolla Right Naval Station asked Mansur just in case.

And having heard Mansur’s answer, the naval commissioner concluded that this issue was a matter of ‘politics.’

***

Two days later, the combined fleet of Mansur’s merchant group and the Joseon Navy left the Jeolla Right Naval Station and headed out to the open sea.

The voyage was smooth until they passed Jeju Island and entered the East China Sea. The wind was favorable, and the waves were calm. Thanks to that, Mansur had the leisure to let his mind wander.

Mansur smacked his lips as he looked at the challenger-class ship no. 1 sailing at a slight distance.

“What a desirable ship. Tsk.”

After smacking his lips several times, Mansur struck up a conversation with the captain.

“What do you think of that Joseon ship, Captain?”

“It’s the best.”

“Isn’t it?”

***

Before departure, Mansur had the opportunity to properly observe the challenger-class warships.

Upon seeing the ships, Mansur exclaimed in admiration.

“Amazing! Truly amazing!”

Not only Mansur but also the captains of the merchant ships who had joined him in observing exclaimed in admiration.

“What a magnificent ship!”

“To think such a massive thing floats on water!”

“Its armament and sturdiness are top-notch!”

As he exclaimed in admiration, Mansur asked the naval commissioner.

“This may be a presumptuous question, but how much would I have to pay to purchase this ship?”

“That’s quite a presumptuous question, isn’t it? However, since you’re the head of a merchant group with deep ties to our Joseon, I’ll answer. 100,000 nyang of gold. And that’s the lowest price.”

“Hiccup!”

Mansur hiccupped at the enormous amount.

One nyang of gold was equivalent to 10 Venetian gold ducats.

In simple terms, it meant that one ship cost 1 million ducats. To sum it up, it was more than half of the profits earned from selling the goods brought from Joseon.

It was the entire year’s profit when considering the portion to be shared with the Azram family.

“Oh, that excludes the price of the loaded firearms.”

“Hiccup! Hiccup!”

In the end, Mansur, who had retreated while only smacking his lips, muttered as he looked back at the challenger-class ship from a distance.

“It will be slow because of its large size. It will also require a large crew. Then it won’t be profitable.”

Mansur was comforting himself by forcibly presenting negative opinions.

***

Whether he knew Mansur’s inner thoughts or not, the captain added.

“Do you know? Those ships haven’t even fully unfurled their sails. Yet they are moving at the same speed as our ships. Our ships are also known for their speed, but those ships are remarkable.”

“Is, is that so… Ha, hahaha…”

The more Mansur listened to the captain’s words, the more bitter he felt.

“They are truly amazing ships. Our ships are also quite large, but next to those ships, they look like toy boats.”

“That, that’s true…”

“If the Iberian bastards saw them, their eyes would roll back in their heads.”

“…”

“Not only the ships but we should definitely acquire and install those navigation lights.”

Mansur nodded at the captain’s words.

***

During the route between Joseon and Cipangu (Japan), the Joseon ships took the lead.

It was a route well-known to the Joseon Navy, and it was also to prevent any possible attacks from the Japanese pirates.

Mansur and the captains were able to observe the challenger-class warships sailing ahead of them in detail from behind.

In the process, they discovered something peculiar: the navigation lights that were lit when the sun went down.

As the sun began to set, the Joseon sailors lit the four large lanterns attached to the front and back of the ship.

The two lanterns attached to the left and right of the bow were simple oil lamps, but the two lanterns attached to the rear were very unusual.

When viewed from behind, the lantern on the left had blue glass, while the lantern on the right had red glass.

Not only the colors but also the shapes were unusual. The elongated rectangular lanterns were divided into two compartments, top and bottom.

Using the shape of these lanterns, the Joseon sailors determined the distance from their companion ships.

If they saw just round red and blue lights, it meant the ships were far apart. In this case, they could avoid falling behind by following those lights.

If the red and blue lights appeared as rectangles, it meant they were maintaining an appropriate distance.

And if the divided shape was clearly visible, it meant they had gotten too close and needed to quickly increase the distance.

It was an ingenious method to maintain the distance between ships using a simple and easy approach.

This was also Hyang’s creation.

“The most important thing to avoid is a traffic accident…”

While searching for a way to prevent collision accidents between ships, Hyang adapted a method used by the German military on their armored vehicles during World War II.

At that time, the tail lights attached to German military vehicles, especially tanks, consisted of two square red lights as a set.

If it was just a red light, it meant the distance was far. If it was two square red lights, it meant an appropriate distance. If it was four red lights, it meant they were in close proximity.

Of course, the shapes were different, but other countries also used similar methods.

Having created the signal lights by adapting the German military’s method, Hyang immediately installed them on the panokseon for field evaluation.

Before conducting the field evaluation, the naval commanders all tilted their heads.

“Is it really necessary when we stay in the port at night?”

However, as the range of activities of the Joseon Navy expanded and they began voyages lasting several days, the commanders had to apologize to Hyang right away.

“Please forgive our foolishness, Your Highness!”

***

Thus, the voyage continued peacefully. It was a peaceful voyage, except for Mansur, who was struggling to soothe his bitter heart.

However, as the fleet approached Taiwan, uninvited guests appeared.

Poooo~.

A loud trumpet sound rang out from the merchant ship belonging to Mansur’s group, which was moving at the front of the fleet.

At the sound of the trumpet signaling an emergency, Mansur, who was in his cabin, rushed out onto the deck and sought out the captain.

“Captain! What’s going on!”

“Pirates!”

The captain answered briefly and shouted at the sailors.

“Prepare for battle!”

“Prepare for battle!”

At the captain’s command, the sailors removed the coverings on the cannons and brought up gunpowder, cannonballs, and fire arrows from the hold.

“Captain! Over there!”

At the sailor’s shout, who was observing the sea, the captain and Mansur turned their heads in the direction the sailor was pointing.

There, the Joseon warships were unfurling all the remaining sails that had been folded until then.

As all the sails were fully unfurled, the Joseon military ships slowly increased their speed and began to advance forward.

It was the beginning of the first battle where the challenger-class warships, boasting all sorts of ominous nicknames and infamy such as ‘The Nightmare of Pirates,’ ‘The Terror of Pirates,’ and ‘The Tyrant of the Seas,’ would publicly showcase their combat capabilities.