Chapter 48
Chapter 48
The Iron Emperor — Chapter 48
"I, uh......"
Dae Mu-deok fidgeted in front of Go Jin-cheon, repeating "I, uh......" over and over. But Jin-cheon stood looking outside with a blank expression despite Mu-deok's behavior.
"Your Majesty, perhaps it's time to stop now."
"Stop what?"
"No, well...... Your Majesty's back is......"
At Jin-cheon's cold reply, Mu-deok let out a sigh and could go no further. Then he quietly snapped at Hwi-garam, standing behind him.
'Isn't this all your doing, General Yeon!'
'Good heavens......'
Even under Dae Mu-deok's reproach, Yeon Hwi-garam only let out a hollow laugh. Jin-cheon went on gazing outside as if nothing were happening even as the two conversed, and what was even more entertaining was that behind them, maids and nursemaids were all lined up with their heads bowed, expressions full of worry. Then a sound broke the awkward silence.
"Hee-ing."
"Hm?"
"Heee-eeeng!"
"Hnnn."
"Waaaaaaah!"
As Eulji's crying echoed through the Imperial Hall, a low groan escaped Jin-cheon's hardened face. The complexions of the maids and nursemaids shifted sharply.
"My back feels warm."
"Waaaaaah!"
Eulji was sobbing ceaselessly against Jin-cheon's back.
Eulji had wet her diaper.
The reason he was carrying Eulji on his back like this was because of the shocking scene he had witnessed. Eulji, who always called him Mama or Papa, had by coincidence said oppa the moment Hwi-garam picked her up.
From that moment on, Eulji had been perpetually strapped to Jin-cheon's back, much to the consternation of those around him. Their stubborn Yeolje, Jin-cheon, was once again today displaying such innocent, simple humanity.
"Wah-wah-wah!"
"Now, please stop this and—I hear Elder Jang Moo has developed a new crossbow, so perhaps a visit......"
"A new crossbow?"
"Yes!"
Mu-deok did not miss his chance and succeeded in diverting Jin-cheon's attention. News from Elder Jang Moo, who was dedicated to remaking the various existing weapons, was more than enough to pique Jin-cheon's interest.
"Mm. Good. Let's go."
"Yes."
Mu-deok took the lead and started walking, and Jin-cheon began to follow before stopping. It was because he did not hear Hwi-garam's footsteps following.
"Hwi. Aren't you coming?"
"Your Majesty, I have already seen it."
"See it again."
"Excuse me?"
"It's an order."
At the command that cut like a blade, Hwi-garam gave an awkward smile, moved away from Eulji's side, and followed Jin-cheon.
Elder Jang Moo and three Dwarves were setting up the newly developed Box Crossbow together with other workshop heads. The Box Crossbow, developed for defensive purposes, was designed to launch over two hundred arrows at once. Arrows loaded into a cylinder and fired would scatter in midair and enable mass slaughter. Moreover, instead of a cylinder, it could also use large spears as projectiles.
"Mm."
"Your Majesty, Supreme One of All Heavens who embraces all people and all things, I, Jang Moo, offer my respects."
"Raise your head, Elder Jang."
"Yes."
Go Jin-cheon frowned slightly at Elder Jang Moo's lengthy greeting—perhaps Dae Mu-deok's influence—but then turned his head and examined the new weapon with intrigued eyes.
"Mm. What of its power?"
"Yes. In terms of figures, its range reaches approximately eight hundred mir to one thousand mir."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. All testing has already been completed."
As he listened to the remaining explanation, Jin-cheon nodded in apparent satisfaction.
"Mm. But it would take a great deal of strength to load this."
"Yes. Regarding that......"
"O Supreme One of All Heavens who embraces all people and......"
"That's enough."
"Yes."
A voice laced with killing intent cut in to stop the chorus of Eulji Buru and Uru that had broken into Elder Jang's explanation. In an instant, Buru, Uru, and the commanders who had followed behind them caught on and stayed in place, merely bowing their waists.
"Why are you here?"
"We heard the defensive crossbow's development was finished, so we came to watch."
"Likewise."
"Mm."
Jin-cheon nodded once and then signaled to Elder Jang with his eyes to continue the explanation. Bowing his waist, Elder Jang pointed to the windlass fitted to one side of the Box Crossbow and resumed explaining.
"Loading is done with this windlass. The original plan was to turn it using the strength of an ox."
"But?"
When Jin-cheon raised a question with a quizzical expression at Elder Jang's words, Elder Jang bowed his head deeply once more and spoke.
"But the number of oxen available for actual deployment is insufficient."
"You mean two-legged oxen?"
"No. I mean four-legged oxen."
"Pfft."
"......."
At the remark about two-legged oxen, Gerard on one side let out a chuckle, but when Buru glared at him, he calmly returned to listening intently as if nothing had happened.
"Therefore, we have decided to use Orcs."
"Pigs, you mean."
"Yes."
Elder Jang bowed his head once more at Jin-cheon's words. Jin-cheon, who had been slowly looking around and touching the windlass, suddenly seemed to think of something and posed a question to Elder Jang.
"What name have you decided to give this thing?"
"Ah, that has not yet been decided."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
Jin-cheon stroked his chin at Elder Jang's answer. He seemed to be considering an appropriate name. Seeing this, Elder Jang added a few more details, as if to assist Jin-cheon's naming.
"For loading this, we will use Orcs, but it has been decided to employ young Orcs rather than adult ones. The reason is that adult Orcs are still difficult to handle."
"Difficult?"
"That is......"
At Jin-cheon's follow-up question, Elder Jang trailed off and then gave an awkward laugh before speaking.
"They only listen if you beat them."
"Mm."
As Jin-cheon nodded in understanding, Elder Jang continued his answer.
"Instead, young Orcs are easier to handle and can also be tamed in a simple manner. Furthermore, their strength is comparable to that of an ox, and since they are smaller than adult Orcs, they offer better space utilization during loading."
"I see. How many are used in total?"
At Jin-cheon's question, Elder Jang spread his fingers and answered.
"A total of eight are used."
"Eight orcs, so how about calling it the Eight-Orc Crossbow?"
As soon as he said it, Buru's voice intruded on Jin-cheon's naming.
"......."
"Pffb."
When Jin-cheon fixed him with a meaningful glare, Gerard's laugh burst out at the sight, and Uru smacked the back of Buru's head to handle the situation.
Smack!
"Keuggh!"
"Ya little bastard. So if it was eight oxen, would it be the Eight-Ox Crossbow, then?"
"Ow, you hit me!"
"Stand still like me. If you keep running your mouth like that, even an arrow that misses will chase after you. You get it?"
"Use your words! Use words!"
At their exchange, Elder Jang laughed and intervened.
"You two generals, please don’t fight. His Majesty’s safety comes first, does it not?"
"Apologies."
"And it does not have to be exactly eight. It means roughly six to eight will do."
"Got it."
After Elder Jang's mediation, they closed their mouths and turned their heads back to look at Jin-cheon, who was deep in thought. Jin-cheon turned his head to Elder Jang and spoke.
"Mm. Let us first see a power test."
"Yes. Hwain, bring the young Orcs!"
"Yes!"
At Elder Jang's words, three Dwarves including Hwain Stone and some soldiers hurried off, and when they returned, they brought young Orcs and test-firing cylinders.
"Master, here are the test-firing cylinders."
"Good."
Hwain Stone handed the test-firing cylinders to Elder Jang. Then soldiers who had been trained for test firing began whipping the Orcs to start loading.
Crack!
"Kkueeeek!"
RATTLE-RATTLE!
"Pull!"
"Kkueek! Kkuooooool!"
Trrrrt-tk. Ti-clank.
"Loooad!"
As the windlass turned and the bowstring was drawn, a soldier loaded the arrow cylinder. Then Hwain Stone gave the order, and the soldier shouted the firing command.
"Fire!"
"Wassha!"
TWANG!
When the catch holding the string was struck, the arrows took flight into the sky with a heavy launch sound. Then, in an instant, the arrows scattered through the air and began to fall. As the arrows, having flown a thousand mir, poured down upon a single area, Jin-cheon nodded with a satisfied expression.
WHIZZ!
"Mm. Good."
"Ooooh."
As exclamations of admiration came from the other commanders' mouths too, the faces of Elder Jang and the Dwarves who had developed it split into grins. Jin-cheon approached Elder Jang with a pleased look.
"Excellent. Then we shall begin deployment centered here for now, and the name for this crossbow......"
"Yes."
When Jin-cheon hesitated for a moment, everyone's eyes gathered on him. Jin-cheon, who had briefly closed his eyes, opened them and spoke in a decisive voice.
"Since it is a crossbow drawn by young pigs, and for ‘pig’ we use the character don (豚)......"
"Yes."
"With yu (幼) for ‘young,’ don (豚) for ‘pig,’ and no (弩) for ‘crossbow’—we shall call it the Yudonno (幼豚弩)."
"The Yudonno!"
Following Jin-cheon, who nodded in satisfaction, those gathered repeated the new name.
"It's a perfect name!"
"......."
And Ung-sam, standing off to one side, had long known the language of the Colored-Eye People from the original world, so upon seeing Jin-cheon's naming, he quietly stood there, hesitating over whether he dared to point out the meaning of the words You don't know. It was partly because Hwi-garam was nodding along on the other side.
The Yudonno, which had begun full-scale deployment, gave the soldiers even greater peace of mind. In defense, the most reassuring things were ample stockpiled provisions, high-performance weapons, and the amount of training accumulated up to that point.
"Hey, push it that way!"
"Yes!"
"Damn it, what on earth am I doing......"
Even while encouraging the soldiers, Gye Ung-sam, one of the most senior deputy commanders, kept muttering to himself from mounting irritation.
"Honestly, a name like You don't know. Yudonno and You don't know—jeez, the pronunciation's kind of weirdly similar."
For Ung-sam, knowing too much was its own sickness, and he stood there grinning to himself like a madman over the Yudonno's name.
"Da hell's that bastard mutterin' to himself over there? Heat stroke?"
"Oh! General!"
It was Eulji Buru, whose sharp ears had caught Ung-sam's muttering. When Ung-sam heard Buru's voice, he bowed deeply and greeted him warmly.
"So, how's it goin'?"
"Deployment is nearly complete."
"Good. This here Yudonno's gonna show its power."
Buru nodded at Ung-sam's answer, satisfied with the deployment situation. Then, out of nowhere, something flashed through Ung-sam's mind.
"General Buru."
"Speak up."
"You don't know."
Ung-sam's precise pronunciation was directed at Buru.
"What'd ya do, tie yer tongue in a knot?"
"No, never mind."
At Buru's curt reply, Ung-sam laughed silently inside. Then he smiled briefly and opened his mouth toward Buru again.
"Shut up!"
"What'd you just say to me!"
"Ah, this phrase? It's from an island nation past the country of Daejin-guk to the west—it means 'keep up your strength.'"
"That so? Shut up! That's got a nice, strong sound to it!"
As Buru's face brightened, Ung-sam's face brightened right along with it. Then another unhindered quip from Ung-sam popped out.
"General Buru, shut up!"
"Yeah, yeah, shut up, you too."
"Yep!"
As Buru walked away in good spirits, Ung-sam—his audacity now swelling in his chest—shouted once more at his back.
"Shut up!"
Whether it reached Buru's ears safely, Buru even raised a hand and acknowledged it as he walked. And Ung-sam, for the first time since coming to this place, felt a true sense of reward, thinking he had really done well to learn a foreign language.