Chapter 742

Episode 742: Rain (12)

A month later, the front lines arrived at the imperial military port of Suez.

It was a force to replace the imperial army that had been stationed in Suez until now.

Thanks to this, cranes and soldiers were busy loading and unloading cargo at the military port.

Near the crowded imperial military port, allied soldiers and officers were wandering around, secretly monitoring the movements of the imperial army.

The allied soldiers who were monitoring the movements of the imperial army began to twist their heads.

“Did you say it was a side-by-side boxcar? I think the stand has changed?”

“Huh? I don’t really know?”

“No, something has changed.”

The Allied forces fell into confusion as they saw the newly arrived imperial troops moving with their boxcars. It felt like something had changed, but I couldn’t quite figure out what had changed.

After a while, some quick-moving Allied soldiers began watching the Imperial soldiers on their way home.

“Huh? I found it!”

“What? What is it?”

“Look at the freight car on the stand. It’s going on the ship now, and it’s being unloaded from the ship there.”

The Allied soldiers who were looking at the two fire wagons looked dumbfounded at their colleague’s words and muttered.

“How is that possible?”

The barrel of the gun was maintained horizontally regardless of whether it was going uphill or downhill.

* * *

The newly arrived imperial soldiers at Suez were operating improved military freight cars.

The Tsonga of existing military freight cars had wheels attached to a folding tripod.

This was to make it easier to move the freight car.

The total weight of the wagon filled with water for cooling was almost 90 geun (approximately 54 kg).

In order to move such a heavy thing easily, wheels made of iron were attached, and it ultimately weighed 100 geun (about 60 kg).

Convenience was ensured by folding the two front legs of the tripod and then dragging it around using the rear legs as handles.

However, not long after the supply of boxcars, the soldiers operating them on the front lines discovered a problem.

It had wheels so it was easy to move. However, the moment I grabbed my rear leg and raised my body, the muzzle of the freight car was dragged to the ground.

To solve this problem, I had to bend my back and move, which was a very uncomfortable posture.

However, the soldiers were unable to request that this be improved.

This was because Hyang was the most central figure among those who built the side-by-side boxcar.

-How dare you criticize something that the emperor made with the soldiers in mind!

It was natural that he would receive such criticism.

This problem was the same with the original, so they forgot the scent.

And the person who solved this problem was, of course, Jang Yeong-sil.

Or, to be more precise, the scent was the one that controlled the speed of Jang Yeong-sil’s rampage.

* * *

To be exact, it was when the Hyang first inspected Area 52, long before the uproar over the prototype freight train that Jang Yeong-sil had envisioned.

Hyang, who also sorted out issues related to Jang Yeong-sil’s tomb, visited Jang Yeong-sil’s private residence and the workshop attached to the private residence under the guidance of Jang On.

“This is a workshop? That’s a private residence? Hasn’t it changed?”

Hyang asked Jang On, looking at a small house that seemed to have no additional functions other than lodging and a huge workshop no matter how closely he looked at it.

“It is enough for a house to have just a place to sleep...”

“He was truly unique...”

‘It’s not some kind of spiritual practice... No, is this the final evolution of a fanatic? I did the same...’

Hyang shook his head slightly, reflecting on how he lived a similar life in the 21st century, opened the door to the workshop, and went inside.

“Huh~.”

Hyang entered the workshop and opened his mouth without realizing it.

The workshop was filled with all kinds of tools and blueprints for finished objects.

“Wasn’t there also Director Jang Yeong-sil’s personal design studio and workshop in the main building of Area 52?” “He said that

After hearing the soldiers’ reports, the allied commanders gathered together again and exchanged opinions.

“What do you think?”

“It will be more comfortable for the soldiers who operate it.”

“I agree.”

“But what do you mean?”

asked the Ottoman commander, who was listening to the other commanders’ stories.

“Why are those who stay inside the fortress and only defend it worrying about the convenience of movement?”

“Hmm...”

“That’s right...”

The other commanders were lost in deep thought at the Ottoman commander’s point.

The first to speak was the Florentine military commander.

“Defensive battles don’t necessarily take place only in fortresses, right? If you think about that, wouldn’t it be natural to think about ease of movement?” “

Of course, that’s true. But maybe I’m overthinking it, but here, people are always stuck in the fortress or riding iron horses. “Why did the people who were going to ride it bring a new freight car?”

The French commander responded to the Ottoman commander’s point.

“Isn’t it because you need to deploy reserve forces?”

“Here in Suez, there are only our allies and the Empire, so is there any reason to plan with reserve forces in mind?”

“From the sea....”

“There are imperial warships in the sea. “They’re carrying around? Have you forgotten what the captains said before?”

“So what do you want to say?” The

Portuguese commander, who was listening to the Ottoman commander’s repeated comments, asked the Ottoman commander.

To the question of the Portuguese commander, the Ottoman commander answered with an expression full of embarrassment and anxiety.

“I don’t know. I feel uneasy about something, but I’m not sure why.”

The other commanders also looked serious at the words of the Ottoman commander.

‘You can’t ignore the feelings of someone who has been through real combat.’

‘Honestly, I’m a bit anxious too. I don’t know what the reason is...’

When silence continued for a moment, the Florentine military commander spoke.

“Perhaps the anxiety comes from the question, ‘What if the Empire attacks us?’ To be honest, although the Empire shares interests with our alliance, it is not a member of the alliance.”

“That part is definitely the problem.”

“Resolving that part is the most important, but it is a political problem...”

Following the words of the Ottoman and French commanders, the Portuguese commander spoke.

“Suppose the Empire attacks us. We need cannons to take down our fortress. Will that fortress’ cannons be enough?”

To the question of the Portuguese commander, all other commanders shook their heads.

“I think it would be impossible.”

“It will be very difficult.”

They were also familiar with cannons. According to their experience, the distance between the forts they were currently stationed in and the imperial fortress was outside the range of normal cannons.

Of course, the cannons that the Ottoman army was said to have could have been within range, but according to what they had seen so far, the empire did not bring such cannons.

The conclusion then was that the cannons had to be moved, but the Empire did not seem to have a sufficient number of horses. Of course, there was an amazing device called a tow truck using a steam engine. However, the allies were not just watching as they used it to move the cannon.

The troops immediately stationed there were also superior, and although they were not as good as the military-style freight cars, they were an alliance with a sufficient number of military-style freight cars and cannons.

“If you think about it with common sense, there is nothing to be anxious about, but I don’t know why I’m so anxious.”

They were allied commanders who nodded to the words of the Ottoman commander.

A fortnight later, the Allied commanders learned the reason for their anxiety.

This was because the imperial artillerymen stationed at the fortress were conducting artillery training.

The imperial artillery, which sent official letters to nearby villages to prevent fishing boats from leaving port and merchant ships to approach, opened fire on target ships floating in the sea.

Allied commanders who watched the training realized why they were anxious.

The imperial army’s cannons were superior to what he had known. If they drew a circle with a radius equal to the distance they flew toward the target, their fortress came in. And the power was also much stronger than expected.

The Ottoman commander, who was watching the training with a serious face, sighed.

“The Empire has put a dagger under our chin.”