Chapter 137
Today, as soon as I reported for duty, I headed straight for the Office of Military Weapons.
I had heard that production of the matchlock I had requested back when I was a junior official in the Ministry of Military Affairs had been completed.
“With one shot from a matchlock, you're done, and I'm done too. Even Xiang Yu or Guan Yu would be finished the instant they took a hit.”
Compared to rifles like the K2, matchlocks have an absurdly shorter effective range, incredibly poor accuracy, and a slower rate of fire.
However, their great advantage is that they can kill an enemy with a single shot even if he is a formidable opponent whom arrows and spears could never hope to bring down.
Moreover, anyone with ten good fingers can learn how to load one within as little as one or two hours, after which they can immediately start firing.
With the premodern ranged weapon known as the bow, it takes several weeks of grueling training to become capable of hitting a target thirty meters away.
Even a spear requires at least five to eight weeks of training before it can be used to any meaningful effect.
Considering all that, it was truly a miraculous weapon.
“Neither the Jurchen barbarians nor those Japanese bastards will be able to do a thing in the face of matchlocks.”
The thought of supplying these matchlocks to the entire Joseon army and wiping out those vile enemies made me feel fantastic.
I found myself humming, and my steps felt light as air.
I would first visit the Director of the Office of Military Weapons to check the quality of the finished product, then ask him to mass-produce an enormous number of them.
As luck would have it, the Minister of Military Affairs had just been replaced by Minister Choe Yun-deok, who ground his teeth whenever the Jurchens were mentioned.
If I could persuade him that using matchlocks would allow us to drive every last Jurchen out of Joseon, he would be of tremendous help.
“Director, where is the completed matchlock?”
For some reason, the Director personally brought the matchlock over and handed it to me.
I could not understand why he had bothered to bring it himself instead of sending a slave or subordinate to do it...
Well, what did that matter?
The Joseon infantry armed with matchlocks would soon be taking their first steps toward conquering Manchuria.
“It is very well made. Just thinking about pulling the trigger, lowering the attached match to ignite the powder in the open pan, and firing the bullet immediately makes me incredibly excited.”
“We have already tested it several times at the Office of Military Weapons. The matchlock is certainly much better than the Il Chongtong, Joseon's personal firearm. Making the barrel by combining wrought iron and steel is extraordinarily complicated, but this allows us to make a firearm without using precious copper. We can also produce it cheaply.”
Our neighbor Japan produces enormous amounts of gold, silver, and copper.
As a result, from the early sixteenth century to the early eighteenth century, they mined as much as thirty percent of the world's total silver output, and afterward, they mined and sold vast quantities of copper.
The professors who studied the history of Joseon's currency even went so far as to say this:
‘The reason King Sukjong was able to mint Sangpyeong Tongbo coins was that Japan exported copper on an insane scale.’
Come to think of it, conquering Manchuria was certainly necessary, but someday we would have to take Japan into Joseon's fold as well, since its agricultural productivity was far greater than Joseon's and it possessed an abundance of mineral resources.
Japan had been a truly hellish country for poor people to live in throughout the Edo period—or rather, until the twentieth century. They too would probably prefer becoming Joseon subjects.
They would be happy because their taxes would immediately be reduced by a considerable amount.
They had always been forced to live in fear and anxiety because of endless wars, so they would also be delighted to live peacefully under Joseon's protection, free from war.
“The Il Chongtong could barely hit a target only four jang (twelve meters) away, but if you brace the matchlock against your shoulder, you can hit a target a full twenty jang (sixty meters) away with ease.”
“The longer the barrel, the farther and more accurately the shot flies. It is much like a pyeonjeon.”
“Were you inspired by the pyeonjeon when you lengthened the barrel? Good heavens, Kim Sain, you are truly remarkable.”
“May I fire it once?”
“Go ahead. There is an archery range over there, so test it there.”
After receiving the matchlock, I asked them to set up a thin iron plate instead of a target.
I carefully loaded the matchlock and fired it at the iron plate.
Naturally... a direct hit.
“At this level, it should be capable of piercing armor in a single shot. His Majesty would be delighted if you demonstrated it before him.”
“You think so?”
“Yes, without a doubt. He will certainly be overjoyed.”
When King Taejong Yi Bang-won and King Sejong, both of whom had trouble controlling their tempers whenever they saw Jurchens, watched a demonstration of the matchlock, they would clap and rejoice, saying that with this weapon, they could wipe out every last one of them with a single shot.
The Director suddenly approached me and whispered into my ear in a very soft voice.
“I heard that the position of Assistant Minister of Military Affairs happens to be vacant. Does that mean I can take the position this time?”
“...... How would I know? That is for His Majesty to decide.”
“Do you know how much trouble I went through to make that matchlock? The artisans said it would take three years to make one properly. But I shortened the schedule this much by coaxing them one way and soothing them another, buying them drinks with my own money, and even slipping them pocket money while I had them work.”
To be honest, I had expected it to take three years to make the matchlock as well.
The Japanese boast that they made one themselves in only two years, but in reality, they simply copied a finished product, so it was not an especially difficult task.
The artisans at the Office of Military Weapons, however, had to create something that had never existed in Joseon by looking only at my shoddy blueprint. It must have been incredibly difficult.
The Director must have suffered greatly throughout the process.
“Then may I summon the Minister of Military Affairs here?”
“Why are you bringing him here?”
“His Majesty will decide whether to appoint an Assistant Minister of Military Affairs, since it is a senior official position, but the Minister of Military Affairs is the one who recommends suitable candidates. He will also be happier than anyone to see the matchlock, so you should bring it up with him then.”
“Very well. Kim Sain, rest here for a while. I will send someone to tell the Minister of Military Affairs that I wish to show him a new weapon immediately.”
Not long afterward, a hulking giant appeared, built like a man who could twist someone's jaw around with a single slap.
His massive frame showed beneath his red official robes...
He truly looked like the commander in chief who had led the effort to develop the Four Commanderies and Six Garrisons in the north from the very front.
“Kim Sain, I hear you made a new weapon?”
“I designed the weapon, but the Director of the Office of Military Weapons here was the one who made it.”
“A new weapon. Yes, I heard about it while I was in the north. They say it can be fired more easily than the Il Chongtong and is a gunpowder weapon made with iron instead of copper. How powerful is it?”
Instead of answering, I showed him a thin steel plate with a clean hole punched through it.
The corners of Choe Yun-deok's mouth stretched all the way to his ears when he saw it.
His breathing seemed to grow a little more ragged, but that must have been my imagination.
“Its power seems to be greater than or comparable to that of the Il Chongtong. Since it is a gunpowder weapon, it should be easy to handle as well.”
“Yes, that is correct. You simply load the gunpowder and ammunition, then fire. There is no need for a wooden wad such as a gyeokmok to push the projectile forward using the force of the exploding powder.”
“You mean it does not need that little piece of wood?”
“Yes, it does not.”
When loading a gunpowder weapon like the Il Chongtong, the most difficult step is inserting the projectile into the barrel.
It might seem like that should not be difficult...
But a bullet is fired by the force of exploding gunpowder, and to prevent that force from escaping in the wrong direction, the bullet must fit snugly inside the barrel.
Consequently, it is necessary to force something that fits tightly into the barrel all the way inside.
This step often consumes most of the time during loading, so omitting the wooden wad from the process of loading the ammunition saves that much time.
“Furthermore, you can control when this weapon fires by pulling this trigger. I believe Your Excellency understands better than I do what that means.”
“Just as one can subdue a large army by firing thousands of arrows at once, if we make thousands of these matchlocks, we will be able to stop more than a thousand cavalrymen.”
“Even armored cavalry can be dealt with by a single shot from this.”
“But would it not take a long time to load even once? If our soldiers are left holding nothing but matchlocks, the enemy will break through our formation.”
“If soldiers wielding long spears cover the matchlock troops, the enemy will not dare approach, and their formation will quickly collapse.”
This was the tercio tactic that brought the age of knights to an end.
Choe Yun-deok must have immediately recognized the value of this tactic and strategy.
As if to prove that my guess was right, Choe Yun-deok looked toward the Director, grinned, and issued an unreasonable order.
“How many matchlocks can you make in a day?”
“At present, ten a day is the maximum.”
“The Ministry of Military Affairs will provide the Office of Military Weapons with as much funding as possible. No, that alone will not be enough. I will submit a memorial asking His Majesty to devote every bit of the budget currently available to matchlock production.”
“...... My lord?”
“This is for the great undertaking of wiping out the Jurchens who are throwing Joseon into turmoil. So find a way to produce thirty a day—no, fifty. Work with Judge Jang (Jang Yeong-sil) over there. If you run short of money or the Minister of Taxation raises any objections, summon me immediately. I will settle the matter myself.”
Under Choe Yun-deok's pressure, the Director began sweating profusely.
But his pressure did not end there.
“Do you not wish to become a senior court official? If you want to become one, you will have to somehow produce fifty matchlocks a day.”
Before long, Choe Yun-deok submitted a memorial to His Majesty King Sejong.
It stated that with matchlocks alone, they could exterminate every last Jurchen.