583.Shipyard (船所):
When the welcoming formalities ended, Chen Cong and Zhang Shiyi moved with Park Seong-jin to the quiet beach behind the camp, where an old shipyard (船所) had once stood.
The low sound of distant waves carried there.
* Shipyard (船所): a naval base where warships were built, repaired, and moored.
It functioned as a military stronghold, equipped with hidden coves for concealing ships, forges for weapon-making, freshwater facilities, and storage.
Chen Cong gazed out at the far sea and said,
"Do you remember that day in Jiangnan?"
Park Seong-jin nodded slowly.
"It was a sea of fire."
Chen Cong turned his head.
"I still see it clearly—how you walked out of the flames."
The wind passed between them.
For a moment, the two men remained there, held by the same memory.
The thunder of the Battle of Poyang Lake returned.
Cannons arcing through the sky.
Enemy ships flipping under explosions.
And Park Seong-jin's blade cutting straight through the chaos.
Zhang Shiyi continued,
"Because of your decision that day, the Jiangnan army held its line."
Park Seong-jin answered evenly,
"I only did what had to be done."
Chen Cong smiled.
"That is why I came to lend strength again."
He shifted his gaze toward the sea.
"This southern sea is connected to the waters we know."
"The same grudges flow here. The same enemy moves."
Their eyes met.
More meaning passed between them than words.
Only then did the council truly begin.
A map was spread out inside a tent behind the old shipyard.
The southern seas and the waters off Japan were marked in thick lines.
Park Seong-jin spoke.
"The raiders move along five routes."
He pointed one by one.
"Miyazaki. Nagasaki. Iki Island. Kagawa."
His fingertip paused.
"And one more."
He added quietly,
"A port the merchant Rosuke never mentioned."
Chen Cong rested a finger on his chin.
"Our court has identified it as well."
He traced the map slowly.
"A secret harbor where the shogunate and local lords deal under the table."
Park Seong-jin's gaze hardened.
"A slave market."
Chen Cong nodded.
"That's right."
The air in the tent settled heavily.
Park Seong-jin said calmly,
"We pursue them to the end. Cut the root, and the flow stops."
Chen Cong smiled.
"That is why I am here."
He said firmly,
"Let us move together."
His finger pressed down on the map.
"First the southern sea. Then the outer waters. And finally—the origin."
The words were brief.
The direction was clear.
At dawn the next day, twenty-four shipwrights lined up at Haechil Harbor, standing before the captured Japanese ships.
The old master craftsman Seolgong (偰工) knocked on the hull.
"The frame is usable."
He checked the joints again.
"These ships have ridden heavy seas. They handle vibration well."
Looking up, he said,
"If they're to endure battle, more work is needed."
At that moment, the old sailors of Haechil Harbor and Daehan's shipwrights laid out their tools, matching methods and handwork.
An old sailor said,
"We lived our lives on the sea."
A shipwright replied,
"We learned how to fight upon it."
Hands met—Goryeo and Jiangnan working as one.
Work began immediately.
Hull reinforcement.
Reconfiguration of the rowing structure.
Raising the stern to install gun mounts.
Attaching ramming prows to the bow.
Fixing ladders for boarding enemy ships.
Placing firing positions on deck.
Strengthening internal bulkheads.
Sawing, hammering, and nailing never ceased.
Lamps held their place through the night.
Watching from afar, Park Seong-jin thought,
That is a nation.
On the day of test firing, two target hulks—made of scrap wood and stones—were anchored three hundred paces off Haechil Harbor.
An improved medium cannon brought by Daehan forces was mounted on the gun carriage.
Its body was short and thick.
The powder masters checked the wind and adjusted the charge.
An elder powder master looked up.
"Ready."
Chen Cong said to Park Seong-jin,
"You fire the first shot."
Park Seong-jin stood behind the carriage.
He gripped the lanyard.
His breathing settled evenly.
"Fire."
KWA—AANG!
Heaven and earth roared together.
Flame burst from the harbor, briefly staining the sky red.
One target ship split in two and flew apart.
Debris shot into the air.
People swallowed their breath.
Zhang Shiyi shouted,
"We can break the shogunate with this!"
Chen Cong looked at Park Seong-jin through the drifting smoke.
"The sea is now your stage."
Within the haze, Park Seong-jin slowly opened his eyes.
The current of the war was changing.
And he stood at its center.