Chapter 906: The Imperial March (9)
The first Europeans to hear the rumor were Portugal and Spain.
Portuguese and Spanish fishern, who saw the imperial fleet passing through the Strait of Gibraltar and returning ho, were frightened and rushed to the port.
The fishern who arrived at the port ran to the cathedral, screaming in fear.
“It’s a monster! “A monster has appeared!”
“Monsters spitting black smoke have appeared!”
“The end has co!”
The fishern arrived at the cathedral screaming loudly, grabbed the priests, and told them about what they had seen.
“Father! Monsters have appeared! “The end has co!”
“The end has co!”
“Say no!”
“Hey guys! Wake!”
The priests tried to calm down the fishern, who were repeating the words ‘the end of the monster world’ with half-mad faces, and asked them everything that had happened.
“A sea monster? “What on earth did you see that makes you call it a sea monster?”
“It was a huge monster I had never seen before!”
“Among the ships I’ve seen, Karak was the biggest. It was so big that it looked like a small boat!”
“It’s just spitting out black smoke and fire from its mouth… That’s right! That was a dragon! “It’s a dragon!”
“It’s a dragon! The dragon I had only heard about appeared! “The end tis have co!”
To calm down the fishern who lost their senses and showed signs of anger, the priests held out glasses full of wine.
“Now… calm down… have a glass of this… and take a breather…”
“Yes, yes…” As
the fishern cald down their excitent by sipping wine, the brides I confird the facts more accurately.
“So… it was the first animal I had ever seen?”
“Yes! Yes!”
“Are you sure it’s a beast?”
“yes? maybe?”
“It’s an animal! A man-made ship can’t be that big!”
“If the ship spewed out smoke and fire like that, it would have burned up and turned into ashes in no ti!”
“Hmm… right, right…”
Although they were eagerly countering the fishern’s words, the priests’ eyes were full of doubt.
Paradoxically, the most intellectual and rational people at this ti were priests and monks.
In particular, it was the group of priests and monks who had accumulated knowledge by interacting with the empire for the longest ti.
The priests continued to ask questions, analyzing what the fishern had said so far.
“So… were there just those ‘beasts’? Or were there other things as well?”
“Of course there were only animals!”
“No, no… wait… it wasn’t just animals.”
“that’s right! “There were other boats too!!”
“that’s right! that’s right! “There were so really big boats too!”
The priests’ eyes began to light up when they heard that there were other ships as well.
“okay? “Then is it true that those beasts really spewed smoke and fire from their mouths?”
“Where else would smoke and fire co from if not from the mouth?”
“that’s right! that’s right!”
In response to the fishern’s words, the priests placed a small cross on the table and asked again.
“Answer in the na of God. Did he really spit out fire and smoke from his mouth?”
The fishern hesitated to answer questions that followed while placing the cross in front of them.
“Well… that was….”
“I definitely saw the smoke and flas, but the rest was fine….”
“Where else would it co from if not from the mouth….”
“Hmm….”
Listen to the fishern’s words. The priest who had put it all together was speechless. After remaining silent for a long ti, the priest finally ca to a conclusion.
“It’s not a sea monster.”
“yes? “You’re not a monster, right?”
Seeing the fishern’s expressions of disbelief, the priest explained in more detail.
“You guys also heard the rumors about the ‘Iron Horse,’ right?”
“Yes, yes…”
“I heard…”
Iron horses and railroads had not yet arrived in Spain and Portugal. However, in France, ho-made iron horses had already started running, and in England, so visible results were being produced. In addition, there were almost no people who did not know about the iron horse among the sailors who went to and from Prince Henry’s port.
The priest continued speaking.
“I heard that in the ‘Land of Flowers’ in the East, there are ships that travel using water and fire like iron horses. They say those ships sail just fine without sails. And there are rumors that France and England are also working on building similar ships. “What you saw were those ships.”
“Ah…”
The fishern nodded at the priest’s explanation. Most of the fishern then breathed a sigh of relief, but there were also fishern who did not believe it.
“But that’s also a rumor…”
But the fishern who were so distrustful were stopped by their fellow fishern.
“Shh! The person I learned the most from here is the priest! “Why do you want to argue with about what you know?”
“….”
“So don’t worry and go ho. “This is the end, so don’t talk about it for no reason.”
“Yes, yes…”
At the priest’s words, the fishern bowed and returned ho in groups of twos and fives. The priest, who was looking at the fishern, got up from his seat.
“I can’t just stay there….”
The priest left the cathedral, climbed on a donkey and headed towards the lord’s castle. Soon after, the lord’s officials posted a proclamation in each village of the lord and read the proclamation.
-Listen! These days there are rumors about a ‘sea monster’, but it is not a monster! This is a ship made in another country, so don’t worry and do your best at your jobs!
Most of the priests who heard the rumor reacted rationally, but a few priests cried out louder about the end of the world and the last days, creating even greater confusion.
But this confusion soon subsided. A new rumor had begun to circulate through Livorno and Florence. No, it wasn’t a rumor, it was a greatly exaggerated fact.
-The ‘Land of Flowers’ fleet has arrived in Livorno!
-I heard there are over 100 ships!
-Among them, there are ships powered by steam engines!
-The ships are so big that they easily exceed 1,000 cubits (about 500 ters)!
And this rumor later developed to this point.
-The ‘Land of Flowers’ fleet that arrived in Livorno was over 100 ships, and all of them were over 1,000 cubits long!
* * *
The first reaction of naval officials from European powers who heard these rumors was to snort.
“joy! This is why ignorant people….”
“Livorno’s military port is big, but 100 ships is too much!”
“One thousand cubits? “There’s no way a ship like that would be possible!”
Although they snorted, the naval officials of the great powers soon analyzed the situation with serious faces.
“You can just ignore what the ignorant people are saying, but it is true that a fairly powerful-looking fleet has arrived in Livorno.”
“It’s not just that it looks powerful, it’s a powerful fleet. “You know very well how troubleso a Challenger-class battleship is.”
“The Challenger class is a problem, but the steamships that ca with it are the problem. Although it may not be 1,000 cubits as rumored, it is quite large, and considering the crazy love for cannons of the ‘Land of Flowers’ people, I can’t even guess how many cannons it must have loaded….” ”
According to the rumors, it’s an ironclad… Really. “It’s not a ship made of iron, is it?”
“No matter how crazy they were, they couldn’t have done sothing that crazy… They probably just put iron plates on top of wooden boards.”
Navy officials had reasonable grounds for being confident that it was an iron-clad ship and not an iron ship.
-The keel and ribs are important elents that help a ship survive the waves. Of course, strength is important, but elasticity is also important.
-Complete the outer shell of the hull by connecting steel plates? Is it possible to make a steel plate that big?
-Even if it were possible, it would only take one or two pieces, so is mass production possible with uniform quality? Even if it is the ‘Land of Flowers’, it is impossible.
Because of these limitations, naval officials of the great powers were convinced that it was an ironclad ship. And ironclad ships were sothing that the European powers were also sowhat familiar with.
To be exact, it was a copper-clad ship, not an iron-clad ship.
As the challenger-level front was developed and ti passed, Hyang tried his hand at the challenger-level front once again.
The hull sides and bottom below the waterline were covered with copper plates. This was to strengthen the strength and defense of key parts and prevent barnacles from sticking to them.
After it was confird that the lower part of the hull of the Challenger-class ship was covered with copper plates, large European ships also began to use copper plates.
And as ti passed, it was natural that a thod of adding iron armor to the wooden hull was developed to increase the defense power of the battleship.
Therefore, France, England and Spain began building one or two armored battleships.
And everyone fell into the sa problem.
“It’s good, but it’s too slow.”
The armor has increased its armor, but its weight has also increased significantly.
“There are limits to sails….”
“After all, we have to use steam engines….”
Since steam engines were certain to be the best alternative, the great powers were also gradually researching steamships.
And a steam ironclad ship suddenly appeared before the eyes of those great powers.
“Send spies to Italy!”
* * *
While the spies of the European powers were moving toward Italy, in Livorno, the Florentine hillbillies were looking at the imperial front lines with fascinated expressions.
“A ship that big…”
“A ship without sails…”
Giovanni was already used to the challenger-class battle line, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the dark lights and charging return ships in front of him.
Especially in front of an assault ship with no sails, I was just a wreck.
“I want to see inside!”
Lorenzo and Giovanni made a strong request, but fleet commander Song Il-won flatly refused.
“It can’t be done because it’s a military secret.”
“Aren’t we allies!”
“It’s military discipline.”
“Tsk!”
Giovanni and Lorenzo couldn’t hide their disappointnt at Song Il-won’s firm response and quenched their appetite.
This was because he already knew well that the empire was surprisingly resolute in this regard.
Forcing their regrets, Giovanni and Lorenzo changed the topic.
“From now on, the entire fleet will be stationed in Livorno?”
“No, the eight ships, including the Black Mirror, will return to Shinji.”
“Why are you going back?”
“Because I was in charge of supply and escort duties.”
Lorenzo pretended to know Song Il-won’s answer.
“ah! So, the troops are coming in the next direction?”
“Army troops will co through Suez. “Those ships will be responsible for transporting artillery and other supplies.”
Lorenzo and Giovanni looked in disbelief at those words.
“More cannons are coming? “More here?”
After hearing of the arrival of the imperial fleet, Lorenzo and Giovanni imdiately departed Florence with their ambassadors.
When they arrived in Livorno, they saw cannons filling the open space at the marina. And the last ship on its turn was in the midst of unloading its cannons.
Cannons Cannons Cannons…
It was the day Lorenzo saw the most cannons since he was born.
“But more cannons are coming?”
Lee Si-ae, who saw Lorenzo’s disbelieving expression, joined the conversation.
“Thanks to the Swiss rcenaries, the troop problem has been resolved, so we should prepare to fight properly. Since ancient tis, in a war, no matter where the battlefield is, you have to have a lot of artillery to win. Of course, it must be a gun with guaranteed power. In that matter, our Empire is always sincere and doing its best.”
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