People & History 1, The Great Admiral Yi Sunshin and His Turtle Ship
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A bright little boy grew up in the countryside of Korea in the mid-1500s. His name was Yi Sunshin. Sunshin dreamed of becoming a famous military official. He often said to himself, "I'm going to be the best military official of my generation. I will dedicate my life to my country."
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It took time for Yi Sunshin to accomplish his dream. When he was 28 years old, he took the military service examination. But during the exam, he fell from his horse and broke his leg. Determined to succeed, Yi Sunshin took the exam again when he was 32 years old, and this time, he passed.
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His military career had finally begun. From that moment, Yi Sunshin would live his dream.
In 1591, 47-year-old Yi Sunshin became the naval commander in charge of protecting the coast of the Jeolla province of Korea.
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This assignment was important because the province is close to Japan, and at that time, Japan and Korea were not on good terms. Japan had a new ruler, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and he wanted to take over Korea.
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Yi Sunshin knew that Japan might attack Korea at any moment, so he decided to do something about it. He gathered all his soldiers together for a meeting.
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"Listen up, everyone. Korea is in danger. Japan might attack us at any moment. We must be prepared. We must begin training," Yi Sunshin said. Yi Sunshin trained his soldiers daily, but he knew that this preparation would not be enough. What more could he do?
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At night, Yi Sunshin read history books, looking for an answer. Finally, he read about a ship that was built in 1413. "Yes, yes, that was a good battleship, sturdy and strong—but not good enough," Yi Sunshin thought.
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He scratched his head and thought some more, "That's it! I'll adapt it and make it into a more powerful ship." Excited, he pulled out his pen and paper and began to draw his new ship.
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Yi Sunshin and his soldiers built many ships before they finally made the perfect new ship. Everyone celebrated when the hard work was finally over. They called the final creation "the turtle ship."
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The turtle ship was very intimidating. It had a dragon's head at the front and a turtle's body. The dragon's head could spit out smoke to hide the ship from the enemy and to confuse them.
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The turtle's body was a shell of iron plates that covered the top of the ship. The shell had sharp iron spikes that would stab attackers if they tried to board. The iron covering made the turtle ship the world's first ironclad ship.
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Yi Sunshin also created holes in the sides of the ship so that his soldiers could look outside and fire the ship's cannons. The holes were designed so that his soldiers could see the enemy but the enemy could not look inside the ship and see the soldiers.
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Yi Sunshin and his soldiers had built a powerful weapon that they knew would help them win many strategic battles. Yi Sunshin and his soldiers finished the turtle ship just in time. In April 1592, Japan attacked Korea.
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Sunshin and his great turtle ship won their first battle in May. He and his soldiers fought Japan until the end of the war and won many important battles. More turtle ships were built, and with these powerful weapons, Sunshin defeated 359 Japanese battleships in four battles in 1592.
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During the entire war, he sunk about 700 Japanese battleships. His victories helped Korea defeat Japan, and he and his ships became famous.
Throughout his life, Yi Sunshin suffered many hardships, but his loyalty to his country never wavered.
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His many victories earned him everyone’s respect. On November 19, 1598, Yi Sunshin died bravely in the Battle of Noryang, which ended the Seven Year War with Japan. To this day, the people of Korea admire Admiral Yi Sunshin as a great hero who gave his life for his people and country.