1592 The Empire We All Dreamed of - Chapter 320



Only Krnovel

1592 The Empire Everyone Dreamed of (320)

Operation

The waters around Taiwan were calm in April (May in the solar calendar).

It was a time when the waves were low and the water temperature was gradually rising. It was also a time when the schools of fish that returned each season were moving along the ocean currents.

Clang, thud.

The taut sails pushed the boat forward.

The lookout on the mast shouted.

“You can see the harbor. It’s about a half hour’s walk away.”

Ian looked around.

“Thank you for your effort.”

“It’s a shame. In the end, I had to deliver news of war.”

Admiral Rohan Rubastin looked bitter.

“Well, isn’t that what you expected?”

“That’s true.”

Naturally, the negotiations broke down.

We didn’t get any special information, and it was unclear whether our consistently low-key stance had actually caused the opponent to let their guard down. We could only confirm England’s strong will.

“I feel a little better now.”

“Well, I don’t need to control my expression anymore.”

“… … ?”

Jan’s expression, which had been dark throughout the meeting, brightened. That made Admiral Rohan very curious.

Clang, thud.

Meanwhile, the ship continued to move at a constant speed.

“Come to think of it, this is your first time at Daedong Port since last month.”

“If it’s a countermeasure meeting, it’s already been 40 days.”

“I see. There is a Korean proverb that says, ‘Seeing is believing.’ See for yourself.”

Admiral Rohan Rubastin narrowed his eyes.

‘I’m confident. There’s definitely something there.’

The admiral, who read hope in Jan’s expression, continued to look in the direction where the port might be, just in case.

Soon the sailors’ cries marked the end of the voyage.

“It’s land.”

“It’s the port. I’ve arrived home.”

“There, lower the first sail in order.”

The port was full as usual. But the closer I got, the more I felt something was out of place.

“Oh my god, what is that?”

Finally, Admiral Rohan Rubastin’s eyes became as big as lanterns.

“Was that it? It’s enormous. Twelve cannons on each floor, 36 total, 72 on each side? Oh my god.”

“Hoo hoo hoo.”

“It’s amazing that they came up with something like that, and it’s also amazing that they actually made it.”

The panokseons that were unable to dock at the scaffolding and had to drop anchor on the high seas were also impressive, but they were overshadowed by the power of the 12 battleships.

“Is the admiral leading that ship the rumored Admiral Lee?”

“Yes, let’s go see him right away.”

“Oh.”

The somewhat dead Admiral Rohan has come back to life.

“Finish lowering the sails.”

“No, hang the rope first and then respond to the conductor.”

Thanks to the experienced sailors’ busy work, the galleon was safely docked at the pier.

“Okay, then, please clean it up.”

“Yes, Governor.”

“The Governor is disembarking. Lower the steps.”

Soon, Jan and Admiral Rohan Rubastin disembarked.

“Welcome, Your Majesty the Governor.”

“What about the thief?”

“They are in the conference room. I will invite both of you.”

The two-story building on the hill overlooking the harbor was the governor’s office and conference room. A strategy meeting was currently in full swing there.

“Even though there are many Panokseon, they are not enough to be used as a main force.”

“As shown in several maneuver training exercises, the instantaneous maneuvers of battleships are in many ways unreasonable.”

The plan devised by Yi Eon-ryang was to engage the enemy head-on with panokseons while battleships and galleons would attack.

“It is best to lead the line of battleships and attack with panokseons.”

“It is impossible to conduct close-range firefights with a Panokseon.”

“If the opponent is a Culverin, it cannot be considered safe even if it is a long-range artillery battle.”

The generals’ opinions were all valid, so they could not come together as one. Yi Sun-sin, who was in the upper seat, simply listened and remained silent.

Just then the conference room door opened and Admiral Yan and Rohan came in.

“I’m back.”

Jan took off his gloves, placed them on the table, and sat down.

Admiral Rohan took off his hat and placed it on his chest to bow to Yi Sun-sin, who was in the upper seat.

“Baron Rohan Rubastin of Holland meets with Admiral Lee.”

Yi Sun-sin nodded at Jan’s interpretation.

“Thank you for your hard journey. Please sit down.”

“It is an honor to attend the conference.”

Admiral Rohan’s dignified demeanor pleased Yi Sun-sin.

“Even the formalities of men have their own class.”

“Isn’t aristocratic society the same everywhere? Except for the Japanese.”

When Song Hee-rip mentioned why, there was a response from all over.

“Keumheum, they are born thieves, so how can they be nobles?”

“I’m just leaving it alone since you’ve offered me three songs.”

“By the way, what was the result of the meeting?”

Ian shook his head.

“It was exactly as I expected. It was as if they were confident of victory.”

“It would be understandable, with a large ship and an overwhelming number of cannons.”

Yi Sun-sin’s gaze turned to Yan.

“How was it? How was the leader over there?”

“He was arrogant and smart. Other than that, I couldn’t find anything else to criticize him for.”

“You only show what you want to show. You are a capable person.”

“Sailors are also people who have spent their entire lives on the battlefield.”

“In short, the opponent is a capable general and elite soldiers. Is there anything else? Tell me about the opponent’s strengths.”

Jan raised his hand first.

“Excellent ship system. Eighty galleons in battle formation is terrifying.”

“The galleons are all different sizes, right? How many cannons do they have?”

“Normally there are 8 doors, but depending on the size, there are as few as 7 doors and as many as 10 doors.”

“Since it’s 80 feet, it would be possible to fire about 640 shots at once.”

“It is roughly equivalent to the number of cannons on the entire Panokseon.”

“Right? This time, let’s talk about our strengths.”

When Yi Sun-sin personally presided over the meeting, the proceedings became much more streamlined.

Jan’s opinion continued.

“The enemy seemed unaware of our strength. If so, we can estimate that there are 40 galleons and 30 barques in total, including Fort Zeelandia and Daedong Port.”

“Couldn’t the Portuguese have passed on the information?”

“It is highly likely that they did not mention it because they clearly wanted a two-faced plan. Besides, the number of panokseons mobilized for the last blockade of Macau was around 40.”

“You wouldn’t think there were 100 panokseons, would you?”

“Strictly speaking, it would be more accurate to say that they don’t care. At best, they would expect a line of fire with three or four cannons on the side.”

“That sounds plausible.”

Although Beijing was lost, Nammyeong was still the world’s most powerful nation. However, this was not the case at sea. Due to the long-term ban on maritime trade, the naval power was truly poor.

To Europeans, the Orient was a place full of small junks.

Moreover, it was impossible to predict the final evolution of the flat-bottomed ship, the panokseon.

“Okay. I guess I should assume you don’t know the actual power of the Namhae Navy.”

The generals nodded their heads at Yi Sun-sin’s explanation. Admiral Rohan also nodded vigorously after hearing Yan’s interpretation.

“Again? Are there any other advantages?”

“We have a telescope.”

“ah!”

There were exclamations here and there.

“You can certainly expand the battlefield by more than a factor of two with a telescope. You can see farther ahead of your opponent and position yourself accurately, which will give you an advantage in battle.”

“There is also armor plating, though it is not yet equipped.”

“Yeah. I forgot. What’s the current stock of armor plates?”

“We have received 9,600 tickets so far.”

“What number is mounted on the battleship?”

“600 sheets per side, 300 sheets per side.”

“How much would it take to equip a Panokseon?”

“150 sheets per side, 75 sheets per side.”

“hmm…….”

Yi Sun-sin rested his forehead on his hand. For quite some time, everyone was silent, lost in their own thoughts.

Slurp.

The scent of hot tea gently lifted my mood.

“How about doing it this way?”

Once again, everyone’s attention was focused on Yi Sun-sin.

“This naval battle is likely to be a gun battle. If that’s the case, let’s just use one side. We’ll just equip the armor plates on one side of the battleships and panokseons.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea.”

“It is quite possible, if we exclude the ships that are used for reconnaissance and decoying.”

“We will immediately devise a means of fixing the Panokseon.”

In a battlefield where death is determined by split-second intervals, being able to block the enemy’s shots three or four times was a surefire way to secure victory.

“Okay, that’s not too much. But it’s still not enough.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to focus on leveraging the advantages we have so far rather than looking for further solutions?”

The advice of Admiral Yi Eon-ryang seemed reasonable, but Yi Sun-sin shook his head.

“Not yet. There’s something missing.”

At his gesture, a map of the sea area extending from Taiwan to the southern coast of Ming and Hainan Island was spread out on the table.

“We choose the battlefield. Where will we fight?”

“What about the southern coast of Ming? We deploy panokseons on the coast to lure them out, and then the warships rush in.”

“The enemy is a group of elite soldiers who have been through a hundred battles. They are not the type of people to come in at an obvious disadvantage.”

“Can you deceive such people?”

“It doesn’t matter whether you succeed or fail in your deception. They will all have their own results.”

Admiral Rohan Rubastin shouted after hearing Jan’s interpretation.

“If you want some plausible terrain, we have it.”

“Where? Where do you recommend?”

Admiral Rohan, who had been handed the pencil, drew a straight line on the map.

“If you draw a straight line from here at the southernmost tip of Taiwan to the southern tip of Hainan Island, their stronghold, and divide it into three equal parts, this is the closest one to us. It’s about a four-day journey.”

“What’s there?”

“It’s called Pratas Islands.”

“Pratas? Aland?”

As the audience was confused by the somewhat unfamiliar foreign words, Jan’s interpretation was also delayed for a moment.

“This place.”

Fortunately, Im Ji-ryong was there to explain what he knew.

“It’s the Dongsha Archipelago. It’s an island made of coral reefs, or rather, it would be more accurate to say a reef.”

“It’s a reef… … .”

“It is a circular belt with a diameter of approximately 50 ri (20 km).”

Admiral Rohan nodded in agreement after hearing the interpretation.

“That’s about right.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

Yi Sun-sin praised Admiral Rohan.

“It was a great help. Thanks to you, the large trunk was completed.”

Admiral Yi Sun-sin, the commander of the South Sea and commander of the combined fleet, rose up.

“We will set sail tomorrow morning. As usual, we will continue the detailed operation through a shipboard conference.”

“Yes, General.”

“I will obey your orders.”

“The order… … .”

While the generals stood up and saluted, Yi Sun-sin left the room. Then, one by one, the older generals left the conference room.

After that, the generals each summoned their generals and entered into a meeting.

Although the sun was still high in the sky, Daedong Port was plunged into silence.

And the next day the combined fleet set sail.

* * *

His naked upper body was drenched in sweat.

“Whew, whoosh.”

The man took a deep breath and swung his axe powerfully.

Ah, warm.

“Get out of the way.”

The beautiful maple tree, which was dozens of feet tall, slowly leaned over.

Chomp chomp chomp, thud!

The coniferous forest in April (May in the solar calendar) after the snow melted was teeming with thousands of loggers. The sound of axes and shouts echoed here and there.

In the valley, yellow soil was mined and sand was dug up from the riverbank.

The reconstruction of the domestic nature of Ji’an went smoothly.

When 150,000 prisoners of war were thrown into the construction under the command of the construction department brought in by Oh Jong-gil, the area became a huge construction site.

Sewerage work was carried out along the main street, with bricks finished with plaster and then covered with dirt.

Seeds were sown in the hilly areas on the outskirts.

The crops that were mainly harvested in early summer were beans and spring barley, which were simply planted after picking stones.

A man, wiping the sweat from his forehead, walked forward carrying a hoe.

The child ran between the furrows.

“Don’t run, you punk. You’ll get hurt. Oh my.”

The man who finally helped his son up from the ditch shook out his clothes.

“Tsk tsk tsk, you still have a lot of energy left.”

“Hehehe.”

“How is school life? Are you studying well?”

“Yes. I have a lot of friends and it’s fun.”

The man frowned for a moment, then laughed heartily.

“Yeah. The best thing for kids is to have fun running around.”

“Can I go to Ulbu-rak’s house tomorrow? He said he wanted me to come because it’s his father’s birthday party.”

“Woorulak? Are you talking about the kid who hurt his arm last time?”

“Yes. He’s the class president, but all his classmates are going.”

“It’s polite to show your face at a banquet. Have a nice day.”

“Yes. I’ll come before the sunset.”

The father and son were affectionate towards each other, and the spring sun was warm.

The development of Gando, which took place prior to the reconstruction of the country, had a synergistic effect.

With the addition of 150,000 prisoners and the provision of food and basic supplies on the foundation established by the Joseon and ancient Haeseo refugees, economies of scale were achieved.

Solbin Sangdae opened a market by utilizing the inland waterway of the Amnok River.

“It’s cotton. It’s unbleached cotton that came from Joseon.”

“Warm cotton has arrived. Take a look.”

“Let me take a look.”

“As much as you want. As warm as a bearskin and as light as a feather.”

The conversation was half gestures, but it was primarily in Korean.

Jiwoo watched all of this.

‘It’s going smoothly.’

Everything went smoothly, just as he said.

But far to the south, anxiety was growing.