Black Corporation: Joseon
Chapter 214

The craftsmen tasked with investigating the ship’s structure spent seven days meticulously examining the extra-large dhow.

They measured not only the length and width but even the height by pulling the ship onto land. They thoroughly inspected everything from the top of the masts to the bilge, where water collected at the very bottom of the hull.

They didn’t just conduct a single inspection either.

The head craftsman divided his subordinate craftsmen into three groups to carry out cross-validations.

“For heaven’s sake, weren’t we supposed to inspect whether the ship can carry cannons or not?”

When the captains voiced their complaints about the excessively thorough inspection, the head craftsman curtly replied.

“Do you want the cannons you load to be mere decorations?”

“…”

Upon hearing his words through the interpreter, the captains promptly fell silent.

Having silenced the captains, the head craftsman urged his subordinate craftsmen.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and inspect! Are you going to let our own ship rot while gawking at someone else’s?”

“Yes, sir!”

At the head craftsman’s shout, the craftsmen scurried into action.

***

After seven days had passed in this manner, a lengthy report made its way to the Ministry of Military Affairs. The report was immediately transcribed and delivered to Sejong, the ministers of the Six Ministries, and Hyang.

Having read the entire report, Sejong issued an order to Kim Jeom.

“Based on this report, secure the best possible outcome.”

“I will devote my utmost efforts, Your Majesty!”

“Other ministers, provide full support if the Minister of Taxation requests it.”

“We shall obey your command!”

After finishing his discussion with the ministers, Sejong turned to Hyang.

“Did you read the report?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“It states that the new warship we built this time is superior to the ships the Muslims recently constructed. It’s not biased reporting from the craftsmen, is it?”

“That shouldn’t be the case.”

Hyang responded confidently to Sejong’s question. Upon hearing Hyang’s answer, Sejong didn’t forget to remind him once more.

“Don’t forget that a considerable amount of resources went into building the new warship.”

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

“I always keep that in mind.”

‘After all the hardships we went through to build it!’

***

The ship Hyang was leading the construction of was a galleon, yet not a galleon.

To be precise, its prototype was the central pirate ship from a certain pirate movie.

To create the ship featured in the movie, enthusiasts had even produced blueprints.

To realize the movie’s ship, which was a fusion of Eastern and Western designs based on a galleon, the enthusiasts had mobilized all their knowledge and experience.

As a result, a ship that was only 1/4 in size but fully capable of actual sailing was born. Impressed by this, a wealthy Middle Eastern enthusiast commissioned a 1:1 scale version, leading to the construction of an actual-sized ship.

At the time, Hyang, whose enthusiasm ran deep in his bones, had taken a leave of absence from university and ran away to the United States to participate in the entire process.

Thanks to this, he returned home with a considerable amount of pocket money, knowledge related to his passion, and a copy of the ship’s blueprints, only to immediately enlist in the military.

Even without the final remark, through the ship’s construction process, Hyang had acquired theoretical knowledge and practical experience regarding galleons, as well as theoretical knowledge about the higher-tier ships of the line.

Despite this background, building the new warship was no easy task.

The main reason was that even if the blueprints were completed, the craftsmen who would actually build it couldn’t understand them.

The craftsmen’s lack of understanding stemmed from the significant differences between the traditional shipbuilding process and the new one.

Therefore, Hyang had to go through countless trials and errors to find the appropriate integration points.

Innumerable blueprints were created and discarded, and various scaled models were built and discarded as well.

During this process, Hyang decided to take a bold leap.

“If we start with a carrack, I’ll die of frustration! Let’s begin with a ship we’re familiar with! For the sake of my leadership without illness!”

Through that decision, he skipped over the carracks and caravels displayed in the research institute and jumped straight to galleons.

And thus, a headache for future historians, especially those specializing in naval history, was born.

***

Meanwhile, Kim Jeom, the Minister of Taxation, entered into negotiations with Mansur.

“According to the report written by the craftsmen, the maximum number of janggun-hwatong that can be mounted on the large ships you brought is 20 per ship.”

“20 per ship?”

“That’s right.”

In response to Kim Jeom’s answer, Mansur immediately replied.

“Then we’ll start by contracting 140 cannons.”

“140 cannons?”

Surprised by the higher-than-expected number, Kim Jeom soon eyed Mansur with suspicion.

“Only 40 cannons will be loaded onto the ships… Are you planning to build a fortress?”

“No. We will be loading 120 cannons onto the ships.”

“Pardon?”

When Kim Jeom failed to properly understand the unexpected explanation, Mansur provided additional details.

“Within six months at the latest, two more large ships similar to the ones that arrived this time will come to Joseon. And within the next six months after that, another two ships will arrive. A total of six ships will be in continuous operation.”

“My word… Did your family invest its entire fortune?”

In response to Kim Jeom’s astonished question, Mansur smiled slightly and answered.

“Three families, including ours, have joined forces.”

“I see…”

At Mansur’s explanation, Kim Jeom had a look of great realization.

‘Is this the scale of merchants who trade across the seas? Our Joseon merchants should observe and learn from them.’

“Hmm… Alright. 140 cannons. In that case, what quantity of gunpowder and cannonballs would you prefer?”

In response to Kim Jeom’s question, Mansur took out a piece of paper from his bosom, examined its contents, and replied.

“For gunpowder, an amount sufficient for four full-scale battles will do. After that, we can procure craftsmen from Alexandria. As for cannonballs… We don’t need anything else, hollow shells (joranhwan) alone will suffice.”

“Pardon? Only hollow shells will suffice?”

“Yes.”

Mansur’s answer was short and concise.

***

During the previous voyage, they had to engage in a fierce battle with pirates on the way to Aden.

At that time, each ship equipped with cannons had crew members trained in their usage, as well as skilled Joseon military officers proficient in gunnery.

However, the large arrows fired from the chongtong had low accuracy and power.

In the end, what blew away the pirates who had come close despite the cannon fire was a large quantity of hollow shells.

Moreover, in the bloody battle that unfolded in Aden, it was the hollow shells that led to the annihilation of the Sindwa family.

Through these experiences, Mansur had become deeply enamored with the charm of hollow shells.

***

“Even the most skilled gunner cannot sink an enemy ship with a single shot. In that case, we would need to keep firing to sink the enemy ship, but these are merchant ships. There’s already a lack of space to load goods, so we don’t have the luxury of carrying more gunpowder and cannonballs than necessary. It’s more efficient to deal with the enemy at an appropriate distance using hollow shells. The same goes for cities. The cannons of those damned Catholics or Ottomans are too large to be of any use in urban warfare.”

“Ah, I see.”

Kim Jeom nodded at Mansur’s explanation.

He also found Mansur’s answer to be reasonable.

“In that case, let’s focus on hollow shells. How shall we handle the payment?”

“Let’s deduct it from the proceeds of selling the goods we brought.”

“Agreed.”

Having easily reached a consensus, Mansur and Kim Jeom parted ways with smiles.

“This is just the beginning.”

After seeing Mansur off, Kim Jeom steeled his resolve.

The truly important matter was at what price they would purchase the goods the Muslims brought and sell Joseon’s goods.

***

Amidst the tug-of-war negotiations and bargaining between the two sides, the exchange of goods brought by Mansur and Joseon’s goods proceeded.

The trade was evenly matched.

Since most of the goods Mansur brought were items requested by Joseon, it was difficult to simply drive down the prices.

Similarly, most of the goods Mansur sought were products exclusively made in Joseon, making it challenging for him to strong-arm the prices.

In the end, the trade was concluded with both sides compromising to a reasonable degree.

As the goods were transferred from Mansur’s caravan to the government’s warehouses, there was one item that all the officials sought out first.

“Take out the black bean tea first!”

It was those addicted to coffee who had flocked together.

***

Meanwhile, there was also an item Hyang had been eagerly awaiting.

“Your Highness, it has arrived!”

“What’s the quantity?”

“Here is the report.”

After verifying the items and quantities listed in the report, Hyang felt relieved and immediately issued an order.

“Send it to the shipyard.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

As the ordered official hurried away, Hyang muttered with a look of relief.

“With this, the waterproofing issue is one less concern.”

The item Hyang had been waiting for was pitch.

***

Waterproofing was essential for a ship’s safety.

The traditional method involved filling the ship with hemp and applying a mixture of oil and lime on top, then drying it. Hyang, who found this method unreliable, had ordered pitch instead.

“However, coating the entire ship with pitch from top to bottom would be too costly…”

Worried about the scolding he would receive from Sejong due to the budget, Hyang applied a hybrid method.

He coated the ship with pitch up to the odd-numbered decks, then applied lime on top and performed smoking.

This method proved to be surprisingly effective, leading Joseon to actively utilize it.

Hyang also made changes to the sails. Instead of using the typical yellow cloth or European-style white cloth, he had the sails dyed gray.

“Why did the navies of the 21st century paint their ships gray as if their lives depended on it?”

The gray hull, resulting from the smoked lime, and the gray sails made the ships less visible when sailing far out at sea.

Due to Hyang’s clever tricks, Joseon’s warships earned the notorious nicknames “Sea Ghost” and “Gray Devil.”

It also led European warships to sacrifice their individuality and uniformly paint their ships gray.

As a result, European captains, enraged by this decision, began cursing Joseon whenever they drank.

***

Amidst the ongoing trade, there was a new product that caught the attention of Mansur and his group: Balgeungo, a medicine for boils.

The people of the Middle East also suffered from boils caused by hygiene issues.

After hearing about the medicinal effects, Mansur purchased Balgeungo in large quantities.

“And please give us some ginseng as well.”

“Ginseng?”

“Yes.”

At Mansur’s request, Kim Jeom had a look of surprise.

“Do Muslims also know about the efficacy of ginseng?”

“Korean ginseng has been famous since ancient times. Moreover…”

Pausing for a moment, Mansur added with a chuckle.

“Those damned Europeans are dying to get their hands on it. They call it the ‘Mandrake of the East’ and treat it as a miraculous panacea.”

“Well, well~ Good things are recognized by everyone.”

While exclaiming in admiration at Mansur’s answer, Kim Jeom suddenly became worried.

‘Oh no… Does this mean we can’t freely consume our own tonics anymore?’

***

Ginseng, which had become possible to cultivate in large quantities a few years prior, was Joseon’s star product.

Merchants from Ming and Japan, who knew about the excellent efficacy of “Korean ginseng,” vied to purchase ginseng.

Although its medicinal effects were inferior to wild ginseng, the mass-cultivated ginseng had no quality issues, so the merchants from Ming and Japan welcomed its sale.

Of course, it was only natural for not only the government but also private merchant groups to take special care to prevent the secrets of ginseng cultivation from leaking.

The Europeans, who encountered ginseng for the first time through Mansur’s merchant group, were enthused by its effects.

“An old and frail person who was bedridden suddenly got up after consuming ginseng!”

“A 70-year-old man had a child after taking ginseng!”

As testimonies from those who had experienced the effects of ginseng spread, European merchants flocked to Alexandria in search of ginseng.

Due to the human-like appearance of ginseng roots, European merchants began calling it the “Mandrake of the East.”

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