touchnovel Chapter 300
Chapter 300
Chapter 300
The battle with the pirates ended in complete victory for the Joseon Navy.
After the Maengjin tore through and passed, the Challenger and the Invincible took care of the cleanup.
During this cleanup process, the busiest ones were the marines in charge of the grapeshot cannons and the musketeers.
Disassembling the single-column formation and splitting into two, the Challenger and the Invincible wiped out the remaining 11 pirate ships.
In this process, the grapeshot cannons demonstrated their true value. Unlike the ship’s cannons, the grapeshot cannons, which could be reloaded quickly, cleaned the decks of the pirate ships that entered their range with the pirates’ blood.
The musketeers were the same. Looking down from the high parts of the deck’s stern and the crow’s nest, the musketeers sniped the resisting pirates one by one.
After the Challenger and the Invincible swept through, all that remained were 8 drifting pirate ships. On the decks of those drifting pirate ships, there were no living beings.
And in the surrounding sea, sharks were gathering, attracted by the scent of blood.
Having dealt with the pirate ships, the Challenger, the Invincible, and the Maengjin regrouped with Mansur’s fleet. To be precise, they reduced their speed by folding some of the sails they had unfurled and waited for Mansur’s fleet.
As a result, Mansur’s fleet had to pass through the sea where sharks were rampaging and roaming around.
Seeing the drifting pirate ships and the dorsal fins of the sharks moving in all directions, Mansur and the sailors shuddered.
“How horrifying...”
“I’m scared to see it again...”
As the sailors muttered while rubbing their goosebump-covered arms, Mansur muttered with a serious expression.
“Should I just strip them bare and buy one?”
After contemplating, Mansur casually spoke to the captain.
“Hey, Captain. Joseon’s new ships are quite remarkable, aren’t they?”
“They are indeed remarkable.”
“Should we acquire one?”
“We’ll go bankrupt.”
“Huh?”
The captain calmly explained to Mansur.
“The ships are certainly good. As good as their enormous price. But you see, what’s the point of just buying the ship? We also need to purchase the cannons. When I observed them last time, compared to the size of the cannons mounted on those ships, the cannons loaded on our ships are like twigs.”
“We could buy fewer cannons...”
“What about the gunpowder and ammunition? And how will you handle the crew?”
“That’s...”
As Mansur mumbled and tried to evade the question, the captain continued.
“Even if we put everything else aside, the timber used to construct those ships is from Joseon. If the ship needs repairs, we’ll have no choice but to take it to Joseon.”
“Wouldn’t it be fine to use the trees from our homeland?”
“The problem is that not all trees are the same. To conclude, it is indeed worth the price. However, considering the maintenance aspect, it will lead to bankruptcy. To properly operate those ships, it would only be possible for a country like Joseon to manage them or a merchant group receiving support from the state.”
“Ugh, my stomach is churning again.”
Mansur’s stomach was churning once more.
***
The combined fleet of Joseon and Mansur continued their smooth voyage thereafter.
As they entered the Strait of Malacca, known for its pirates, the Joseon Navy became tense again, but there were no large-scale pirate raids like the one near Taiwan.
It was because the pirates, upon seeing the size of the challenger-class warships, wisely kept their distance.
Of course, there were pirates who, whether out of confidence or arrogance, attacked, but those who did so immediately disappeared into the sea.
The pirates hiding in various parts of the Strait of Malacca could all witness that scene. Seeing their competitors and comrades disappear into the sea like that, the pirates never dared to touch the combined fleet of Joseon and Mansur.
As a result, the combined fleet was able to safely arrive in Malacca.
***
As they approached the port of Malacca, the challenger-class warships began to furl their sails simultaneously. At the same time, they lowered small boats using pulleys.
Once the small boats were safely lowered, ropes were thrown from the mothership. The small boats, tied with the ropes, began pulling the ships in unison.
Thus, the challenger-class warships and Mansur’s fleet’s ships docked at the pier, and gangways were connected.
As the enormous ships of an unfamiliar design—covered entirely in gray from the sails to the hull—docked, people from the port flocked to observe.
The captains of the Challenger, the Invincible, and the Maengjin, neatly dressed in battle robes and battle hats, with their swords at their sides, descended the gangways. Following the captains, interpreters who could speak Chinese and officials from the Ministry of Finance descended the gangways.
Shortly after, when Mansur joined the group, a group of soldiers appeared, pushing through the crowd. As the soldiers raised their voices, the people who had flocked to the pier made way, and well-dressed men revealed themselves.
The crew members, who had been unable to touch alcohol for nearly a month, were that desperate.
***
The Joseon marines, who had flocked out in groups, indeed roamed the alleys of the port of Malacca in droves.
Seeing the Joseon marines who had flocked out, the residents of the port of Malacca observed them as if watching a curious spectacle, and the Joseon marines also observed the residents of Malacca with similar expressions.
“What kind of clothes are those... It’s like wrapping a single layer of a blanket around oneself.”
“Hmm, it’s indecent... The curves of the body are fully exposed.”
The Joseon marines experienced culture shock upon seeing the sarongs and kains worn by the Malays living in Malacca. The clothes made of thin fabric for ventilation fully revealed the lines of the body.
“Is that important right now?”
“Don’t you know what’s important?”
However, the Joseon marines immediately shifted their gazes. They were accustomed to the etiquette of not carelessly looking at other women, but the biggest reason was that they were too desperate for alcohol.
****
“Sniff! Sniff, sniff! Sniff! It’s the smell of alcohol!”
As they roamed the alleys, the marines soon caught the scent of alcohol and began moving in the direction of the smell.
The Joseon marines, who had found a tavern by following the scent, had a hollow expression on their faces.
“It’s right in front of us!”
“That damn smell of fermented fish...”
The Joseon marines, blaming the pungent smell of fish sauce, a traditional Southeast Asian condiment, flocked to the tavern.
The Joseon marines, who had flocked to the tavern, saw the signboard written in Chinese characters and nodded their heads.
“We found the right place!”
Although the signboard was scribbled and fancily written, they clearly recognized the Chinese character ‘酒’ (alcohol).
“Owner, alcohol!”
“Give us some alcohol!”
Seeing the Joseon marines who had flocked in and filled the first and second floors, the owner, who had been standing in a daze, soon came to his senses and kicked the waiter’s buttocks.
“What are you doing! Serve tea immediately!”
“Yes, yes!”
As the waiters served tea, the marines also regained some of their senses and began to converse.
“By the way, what should we use to pay?”
“We received our salary, didn’t we?”
“That’s Joseon money. Is this Joseon?”
“Ah...”
When the issue of money arose, the most senior soldiers stepped forward.
The senior soldiers walked up to the owner, took out their wallets, showed the silver banknotes, and used their fingers dipped in tea to write on the counter.
可 (Possible) 否 (No)
Seeing the characters written by the soldiers and the silver banknotes, the owner soon understood the meaning and nodded his head vigorously, writing with his finger as well.
可 (Possible)
Confirming the owner’s answer, the senior soldiers’ faces brightened, and they wrote again.
酒 (Alcohol) 多 (Plenty) 急 (Urgent)
Seeing the characters, the owner smiled brightly and nodded.
The senior soldiers who returned to their seats informed the other soldiers of the result.
“They accept silver banknotes.”
“Hurray!”
Shortly after, alcohol and snacks began to be served on the soldiers’ tables, and the soldiers cheerfully began to enjoy their drinks.
As the drinking session unfolded, the low-ranking officers with the rank of Jinmu and the senior soldiers became curious about something other than alcohol.
“I heard that our country’s silver banknotes are widely used, but I didn’t expect them to be accepted here as well.”
“Indeed, you’re right.”
Surprised by the wider-than-expected influence of Joseon’s banknotes, the Joseon marines simultaneously felt astonishment and pride.