Ming had also recognized the utility of steam engines when introducing iron horses.
Therefore, Ming was also researching the possibility of mounting steam engines on ships.
However, their research remained stagnant.
First, they couldn’t produce small, high-powered steam engines.
Though they understood the basic workings of steam engines from the iron horse blueprints adopted from Joseon, they hadn’t properly digested more fundamental concepts.
It had become a castle built on sand.
And failing to solve this problem led to a second issue.
The ships were too weak to mount large, heavy steam engines.
Though they had ships like the large Daebok vessels reaching nearly 20 jang (about 60m) in length, their wooden keels couldn’t support steam engines.
Similarly, in the history before Hyang’s intervention, proper steam-powered vessels only appeared after accumulating experience building large battleships like ironclads that could handle the weight.
***
“This can’t be…”
Watching the Maengjin approaching while belching smoke in the distance, the chief staff officer immediately advised Wu Qiming with an incredulous expression.
“We must stop that Joseon steam ship immediately! With that size, its firepower must be considerable! If we’re not careful, our formation will be split in half!”
At the chief staff officer’s words, Wu Qiming also came to his senses and responded.
“Right! I should immediately order the large ships on the left wing!”
“One ship won’t be enough! We need three, no, five ships!”
“Five ships would be one-tenth of our large ship force! Isn’t that excessive?”
“I’m uneasy even with five ships. You must remember that this single ship is the enemy’s hidden force!”
“That’s true.”
Understanding what his chief staff officer worried about, Wu Qiming immediately issued orders.
Soon, five large ships from the center of the formation turned their bows to deal with the Maengjin.
***
Inside the Maengjin’s armored bridge charging toward Ming’s formation, Kang Nam-gil wore a satisfied smile.
“Everything’s going exactly as expected.”
The situation with the distant Ming fleet was developing almost exactly as planned during the initial strategy meeting.
The gaps between the large ships, medium ships, and small ships were gradually widening. This was an inevitable result of their size differences. While small ships could be faster when solely using wind, once oars were added, the large and medium ships moved more quickly.
Observing the Ming fleet through his telescope, Kang Nam-gil turned to his deputy and continued.
“This won’t get complicated. That’s very good. Don’t you think?”
“Indeed, sir.”
“Excellent! Then let’s tear through those big ones sideways in one go. Full steam ahead.”
“Yes sir! Full steam ahead!”
At Kang Nam-gil’s order, the deputy grabbed the speaking tube and shouted. Soon after, the Maengjin’s speed began gradually increasing.
“It’s definitely faster than the Challenger-class, but the acceleration is a bit sluggish. Can’t we improve that?”
While Kang Nam-gil was assessing the situation with comments that would make many people faint, a report came through the speaking tube.
“Five large ships ahead! Advancing straight toward us from the front!”
“Finally, they’re here!”
Immediately raising his telescope to scan ahead upon hearing the report, Kang Nam-gil grabbed one of several speaking tubes with an incredibly bright smile.
“This is the captain! Order to the Dragon Mouth Cannon[1]! Lock on firmly!”
“Dragon Mouth Cannon! Target confirmed!”
The dragon head adorning the Maengjin’s bow wasn’t mere decoration. Inside its open mouth sat the muzzle of the ship’s most powerful main gun.
***
While building the Assault Turtle Ship, Hyang had fully indulged his otaku tendencies.
“They said that was scarier than tigers and smallpox…”
Like the protagonist battleship from a 21st century Japanese animation he had seen, he mounted the most powerful main gun in the bow.
This was both due to Hyang’s otaku tendencies and an unavoidable choice.
With rotating turrets being impossible in the current situation, the gun had to be installed along the ship’s longitudinal centerline to properly control recoil.
The bow-mounted cannon was a breech-loading heavy gun with a bore of 1 cheok (about 30cm) and a weight of 200 geun (about 120kg).
As a side note, when this gun was first completed, there was an anecdote about how all the alcohol in Hanseong’s entertainment districts had been depleted.
It happened because the military officials, especially the naval generals, drank heavily in celebration, while the Finance Ministry officials drank to drown their frustrations.
Only one of these guns existed, mounted on the Maengjin’s bow. This was because everyone except the military agreed with Kim Jeom’s argument about “excess being as bad as deficiency.”
Though it was a heavy gun firing incredibly powerful shells, one characteristic was its relatively short range of 1,000 bo (about 1.2km).
A longer barrel was needed to increase range, but this was still problematic even with Joseon’s current technology. Additionally, the fact that the targets were all wooden ships was an issue. It was certain that the shells would simply pass through without proper effect.
Thus, when Kim Jeom argued about excess being as bad as deficiency, even Hyang had backed down.
***
The best way for this overwhelmingly powerful gun to demonstrate its effectiveness was through raking fire. This involved shells penetrating from bow to stern or vice versa, inflicting severe damage.
This was why both Kang Nam-gil and the Dragon Mouth Cannon’s battery commander welcomed the large ships’ frontal charge.
“Finally, our first combat firing! We must score a hit with the first shot!”
“Woah!”
The soldiers operating the Dragon Mouth Cannon responded with a battle cry to Battery Commander Kang Hui’s shout. Their cries echoed even louder off the steel roof covering the ceiling.
“Load first round!”
“First round loaded!”
Following their section commanders’ orders, the soldiers loaded the Dragon Mouth Cannon.
Ten soldiers turned pulleys to bring up shells and powder from the magazine below deck.
Other soldiers moved the loading mechanism to load the shell and powder, then closed the breech.
To prepare for any contingency, two thick iron bars firmly secured the breech to the gun carriage, then the firing primer was inserted and the trigger line connected.
All firing preparations were complete.
While these preparations continued, Kang Hui was also busy moving about. Positioned at the eye hole drilled in the dragon head, he was using a precision telescope to aim at the leading large ship approaching from the front.
When all targeting was complete through Kang Hui and the gunner, the signalman raised a red flag and put a megaphone to his mouth.
“Turn around! Cover your ears!”
Moments later, a massive flame erupted from the Maengjin’s dragon mouth with a thunderous roar.
KUAANG!
It was a tremendous boom like a dragon’s roar.
The shell fired with the boom flew through the sky in a shallow arc, piercing through the bow deck of the approaching large ship.
The shell, which instantly penetrated deep into the large ship using its kinetic energy, exploded immediately.
KWABOOM!
Shortly after the massive explosion, only traces remained of where the large ship had been.
When the leading large ship vanished without a trace, the following large ships hurriedly scattered left and right.
At that moment, dozens of naval guns – exactly 80 guns combined port and starboard – on the Maengjin’s sides simultaneously spat fire as it charged through the gap.
KWAKWABOOM!
In an instant, pillars of fire rose from two of the four large ships. The large ships, each having lost almost their entire port or starboard side, lay down in the sea, while the other large ships hurriedly turned their bows.
And the Maengjin leaped into the heart of the Ming fleet in pursuit.
***
The Maengjin, having jumped into the middle of the Ming fleet, charged forward relentlessly.
KUAANG!
Every time the Maengjin’s Dragon Mouth Cannon breathed fire, without fail a large ship either suffered severe damage, split in two, or vanished without a trace.
Because they were densely packed to form the Fish Scale Formation, the Maengjin’s Dragon Mouth Cannon and side guns achieved nearly 100% accuracy.
After the Maengjin passed through so relentlessly, only Ming vessels engulfed in flames or severely damaged and adrift remained. Or sometimes, only a few floating remnants remained as evidence of their existence.
The Maengjin’s appearance was like a shark diving into a school of sardines. Or a great white shark persistently tearing at the flank of a massive whale.
“Good! Good! Truly worthy of being called an Assault Turtle Ship! The name Maengjin couldn’t be more fitting! Hahaha!”
Raising his clenched fist and roaring with laughter, Kang Nam-gil grabbed the speaking tube and shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Where’s the enemy flagship! The one with the command flag!”
“Searching now!”
As if Kang Nam-gil’s urging worked, soon a soldier’s shout came through the speaking tube.
“Enemy flagship spotted! In the Hour of the Dog[2] direction!”
With Hyang’s clocks becoming commonplace, the military had standardized using clock faces to indicate directions.
“Hour of the Dog?”
At the lookout’s cry, Kang Nam-gil pressed against the armored bridge’s window and searched that direction with his telescope.
“Found it! Helmsman! Turn bow to Hour of the Dog direction!”
“Aye aye!”
At Kang Nam-gil’s order, the helmsman enthusiastically turned the wheel.
Soon, the Maengjin turned its bow and charged toward Wu Qiming’s flagship.
As the Maengjin charged, nearby medium and large ships moved to block the way to protect their flagship.
The Ming medium and large ships’ guns blazed to stop the Maengjin, but their shells bounced off helplessly, unable to penetrate the Maengjin’s hull.
And in return for such attacks, the Maengjin poured shells generously.
“Ah! Is the Joseon warship a monster!”
The captains of ships that received such attacks shed tears of blood. The sight of the Maengjin charging forward with its black-painted hull spewing black smoke was like a monster.
The Maengjin, breaking through the Ming fleet with unstoppable momentum, approached Wu Qiming’s flagship.
Seeing the Maengjin approach, Wu Qiming desperately shouted to his captain.
“Evade! Evade! Run away!”
“Turn the helm right!”
The flagship’s captain and crew desperately attempted evasive maneuvers. But despite such desperate efforts, the Maengjin caught the flagship’s stern.
“I can see your behind clearly! Dragon Mouth Cannon!”
“Yes sir!”
KUAANG!
Moments later, the Dragon Mouth Cannon breathed fire, and Wu Qiming’s flagship vanished, leaving only its command flag.
“Though I’d like to stop and collect that command flag… tsk!”
Clicking his tongue, Kang Nam-gil grabbed the speaking tube.
“Now we tear apart the enemy fleet! Tear across as fast as possible, then tear lengthwise! Pour everything we’ve got – coal and gunpowder alike!”
“Yes sir!”
“Woohoo!”
The soldiers responded to Kang Nam-gil’s order with battle cries.
***
With the flagship carrying their commander sinking, the Ming fleet’s collapse proceeded even faster.
Though they had been gradually crumbling from the outside due to the bombardment from the Joseon fleet in Crane Wing Formation, the Ming fleet’s control collapsed due to the absence of a commander to direct the battle.
Additionally, every time the Maengjin broke through, the Ming fleet was split into smaller and smaller pieces.
Finally, Ming’s ships began retreating in a rush.
However, retreat wasn’t easy. Joseon’s ships persistently pursued their sterns.
In the end, the naval force that Emperor Xuande had carefully nurtured vanished.
And Ming’s sailors came to call the Maengjin, which had given them such terrible terror:
‘Black Flame Dragon’[3]