Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Unbalanced Fire Ghost Ships
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To aid Baekje—more precisely, Crown Prince Uija—Ham-a had sent over a few craftsmen he had trained. He had them build Yeon Clan Cannons. On top of that, dozens of jars of Goguryeo Fire were shipped via the Maemul Merchant Guild's vessels. But the most important news of all was that his wife was pregnant again. He kissed her flushed cheeks as she announced the news with a glowing face, then let out a triumphant roar. It was hardly the refined behavior expected of a Goguryeo noble who valued decorum, but he didn't care.
"Heonchung's next, so Heonseong it is."
"We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl yet."
"It'll be a boy. A son."
Even Father Yeon Gaesomun smiled broadly, saying there would be no more worries about succession. Snow fell at night, piling up on the tiled roofs only to melt in the morning sun and drip down the eaves. It would freeze into icicles by the next night, the cycle repeating as winter passed. After the harvest, the assembled army underwent rigorous training under three generals. Everything was going smoothly—except for one problem.
"The ships won't float?"
Ham-a's report, his dark circles even worse than before, made my voice rise without thinking. I mentally calculated the dates. The agreed attack on Baekje was set for April 15th. The navy could depart later than the army, but it was still best to leave some buffer time.
"It's the end of February now. What's the issue?"
"The weight balance is off, sir."
"Because of the iron plates on the roof?"
"That's part of it, but loading the Goguryeo Fire and the repeating crossbows seems to be the main culprit."
"Damn it. Guess I need to head to the island."
"I'll accompany you."
We rushed to the port, boarded a ship, and headed for Guljung Island. Patrol boats manned by Father's reinforcements circled the densely wooded shores. Passing them, we reached the dock, where three fire ghost ships loomed inside.
"Whoa!"
The steeply slanted roofs and dragon heads stood out sharply. The blade spikes—a hallmark of the turtle ship model—in which I'd taken inspiration, bristled densely across the roofs. As my ship pulled in, Eobiryu, who had been urging on the carpenters, approached. He brushed the sawdust from his gray jacket and bowed.
"You've arrived, Master."
"Heard there was trouble, so I came myself."
"This way."
Eobiryu pointed to the end of the dock. There floated the octagonal fire ghost ship I'd designed, fully built. But the stern sat much lower in the water than the bow.
"The rear is too heavy."
"It was fine at first, but once we loaded the Goguryeo Fire launchers and repeating crossbows, the stern sank."
"Any idea why?"
"Seems like a center-of-gravity issue, but we can't pinpoint it. Taking off the weapons restores the balance."
"So the armaments are throwing it off."
"Yes."
After hearing Eobiryu's explanation, I turned to Ham-a, who'd come along.
"How much armament is on the fire ghost ship?"
"Goguryeo Fire launchers—one at the dragon head, one at the tail, and four per side. Repeating crossbows: two at the bow, none at the stern, four per side."
"Spaced evenly?"
Ham-a shook his head, his voice subdued.
"Just like in the last report—uniformly spaced."
I hurried aboard. The interior held all the weapons fully mounted, oars in place. Empty spots here and there looked ready for more repeating crossbows. They'd considered weight distribution: arrows for the crossbows and other gear were stacked midship. The Goguryeo Fire bellows sat atop a loft-like structure. On the slanted inner roof—tilted like an attic—were narrow cross-shaped slits. The plan was to thrust the bellows nozzles through them to engulf approaching enemy ships in flames.
The Goguryeo Fire, which I'd thought would be the hardest part, is fully developed.
They'd even devised a way to project the flames farther, modeled after a manual bellows I'd seen in a museum. Turning a wheel by hand generated wind to shoot the fire out at range. But now the ship itself had a problem.
"What a headache."
I muttered with a grimace, making Ham-a and Eobiryu fidget anxiously. Seeing that, I forced a smile.
"Hey, it's not like you did it on purpose. For now, strip most of the stern armament from this one."
"The weapons at the rear, sir?"
I pointed to the back as I answered Ham-a.
"Everything except the Goguryeo Fire at the tail. That should get the balance close enough."
Eobiryu nodded, but Ham-a looked worried.
"If an enemy ship gets to the stern, we're vulnerable."
"Put the heavy armament on the other one at the stern. Swap them front and back."
It was a hasty fix, but there was no choice. While Ham-a and Eobiryu discussed it, I eyed the last ship. They were fitting its lid; I gave orders as I watched.
"Halve the side armament on that one. It needs to protect the other two, so keep it as light as possible."
"Understood."
I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like we'd doused the immediate fire.
"The navy has to be ready to move next month. This is critical—make sure there's no delay."
"We'll finish it, even if it takes all-nighters."
Leaving Ham-a's booming voice behind, I looked up at the fire ghost ship. That's when it hit me where I needed to go on the front lines.
"Lady, I get seasick."
Most of my sea experiences had been bad ones, so I hesitated. But there was no avoiding it now. I steeled myself and told the two.
"Call the bow-heavy one Ship 1, the stern-heavy one Ship 2, and the light-armed one Ship 3."
I let out a deep sigh before adding,
"And I'll board Ship 3."
My words stunned them; they just stared at each other in silence.
After a rough inspection, we headed to the Paesu port. Strings of navy warships were arriving. The Paesu navy flew red flags; the incoming ships hoisted red flags fore and aft. As my ship docked, Geom Mojam—who'd disembarked first—scanned the area. A few navy men approached. Geom Mojam tensed, hand on his sword hilt. But their eyes weren't red, so he relaxed. The navy men spoke to him; Geom Mojam turned and called out.
"Master! The navy commander requests an audience."
"Ah!"
This must be the navy general commanding the 20 warships the Great King mentioned. I leaped down to the dock. A tall general stepped forward from the navy ranks. He looked about 40, with half-gray hair and beard. His droopy eyes and frail build didn't scream strength. Only then did I realize the Great King probably hadn't sent one of his best. Disappointed inwardly, I greeted the approaching general as he bowed.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Gadohan, commander of the Paesu navy."
Was there a Ga clan in Goguryeo?
I tilted my head briefly, then remembered one: Gaseoil, a Goguryeo painter who worked on a portrait for Prince Shotoku of Japan. I bowed back to Gadohan.
"The navy plays a key role in this campaign. I look forward to working with you."
"As rumored, you're remarkably humble. Indeed."
His first impression wasn't great, and even his laugh sounded flippant. But I couldn't show it, so I made small talk and asked him to visit my residence in a few days to wrap up.
A few days later, Navy General Gadohan visited the residence. In the meantime, I'd had Go Jeong-ui investigate him. Go Jeong-ui sipped omija tea and shook his head.
"He was originally a navy commander guarding the Yalu River."
"When was he reassigned to Paesu?"
"Last winter. Reputation's not great—lazy, bribe-loving type."
"Oh no."
I'd hoped for a Yi Sun-sin; instead, I got a Won Gyun. The Great King's smug grin, as he'd hinted at pushing hard, came to mind.
Always one step ahead.
I shook my head and muttered,
"That settles it."
Go Jeong-ui blinked.
"Settles what?"
"Where I need to be."
"You're really going to sea? You get horribly seasick."
"I'll tough it out. No choice."
The thought of boarding a ship already made bile rise. Then came heavy footsteps—Gadohan arrived. Unsure if he was truly on my side, I'd cleared Binyeon Pavilion of every last map. Gadohan entered wearing leather armor and a helmet plastered with fresh feathers.
"Welcome, General."
"Wow, so this is the famous Binyeon Pavilion. Only the Chief of Central Administration's inner circle gets in, they say."
"Just using it as a meeting room. This way—I've got something to show you."
I led him to the model of Hyeolgu Island and its surroundings. Arms crossed, Gadohan peered down.
"Is this the target for the navy I command? Gapbigosa's too big."
"We'll hit Gomukgeun County up top."
"That? Doable. Few defenders, no navy up there. But taking just that gains us nothing."
His supposed incompetence made me reevaluate him.
"Right. The real target is here."
I slid my finger inside Chiljungha to point at Gwanmi Fortress.
"Cliffs make it tough for navy from the sea."
"The army will attack from land, of course. Surround them by sea and land."
"But the fortress sits atop the cliffs—no way for the navy to hit it."
"The warships carry special weapons."
"Weapons?"
I pointed to the Yeon Clan Cannon model beside us as Gadohan frowned.
"Cannon carts that lob fireballs. Enough range to reach the cliffs."
"So take Gomukgeun, then head to Gwanmi?"
"About 200 Silla troops guard the fortress at Gomukgeun."
"Then we need at least 400-500 men, too many for our warships."
"Maemul Merchant Guild's sending merchant ships. Escort them; they'll carry the troops."
Gadohan nodded and asked,
"Straight to Gwanmi after? But we'll need supplies there too."
"Maemul handles that. No worries."
I explained the rest. But he didn't seem too focused. Unease and irritation bubbled up, but his eyes stayed normal, so I held my tongue. Once done, Gadohan left.
I let out the sigh I'd been holding. Go Jeong-ui, listening from the corner, chuckled softly.
"Why the laugh?"
"You've finally met a subordinate you don't click with."
"That's the least of it—I'm worried he's incompetent."
The navy was arguably the most vital part of the Danghangpo assault. That made it all the more concerning.