Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 1204



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Side story 18. 1592 South Sea War. (18)

The tidal flats were not the only enemy of the Japanese army.

* * *

As the tide rose, the transport ships were able to move more freely and moved to find a place to land the soldiers.

There was only one area near Boryeong with a solid sandy beach where soldiers could walk ashore after disembarking from landing craft or transport ships.

It was Daecheon.

Naturally, a situation was created where all the transport ships carrying the vanguard and second-tier troops had no choice but to gather at Daecheon.

The problem was that Daecheon was not that large of an area.

The number of Japanese troops mobilized for this operation was approximately 50,000. If 50,000 troops had simply gathered and moved, there would have been no problem, but if you consider the transport ships that carried them, the equipment such as cannons and tanks, and the landing ships (called launchers by the Japanese military) that would carry them ashore, the area of ​​the Daecheon sandy beach was woefully inadequate for safe movement.

Eventually, a fierce argument broke out between Kato Kiyomasa, who commanded the vanguard, and Konishi Yukinaga, who commanded the second division.

– Since we are the vanguard, we should land first!

-The distinction between the vanguard and the second tier has already disappeared! We must first unload the heavy equipment before the next low tide!

After a flurry of radio and flash signals between the transport ships carrying the two men, the vanguard, Kato Kiyomasa, was able to land first.

The biggest reason was that they were the ‘vanguard’, and because they were the vanguard, they could land quickly without heavy firearms or equipment.

“Time is of the essence! If you don’t get the timing right, I will push your transport ship aground and make the landing!”

Kato also responded to Konishi Yukinaga’s threats in a sharp tone.

“Huh! If that happens, I’ll put a bullet in your head before the Imperial Army!”

The staff sighed inwardly at the sight of the commander of the vanguard and the second line supporting it growling.

The clash between these two began from the moment they were first appointed commanders.

It was a break from the norm for two men, aged just 30 and 28, to become commanders.

Of course, the military talents of these two men were widely acknowledged. However, the biggest reason for this appointment was the ‘self-preservation’ of the higher-ups, who were reluctant to take on an operation with an overwhelming chance of failure.

In any case, it was difficult to determine who was better in terms of ability and career than the person appointed as commander, and naturally, the competition between the two became heated.

And now, as the situation becomes perfect for calling it a split, the sparks are flying towards Maeda Toshiie.

“This happened because the Commander-in-Chief was absent!”

The two commanders’ staffs and middle and lower-ranking commanders placed the blame on Maeda Toshiie, who was staying on Kuki Yoshitaka’s flagship.

According to the original plan, Maeda Toshiie was to join them once the landing began.

But now, he was out there, on Kuki Yoshitaka’s flagship, not moving a muscle.

“It already happened.”

“yes.”

Cursing Maeda Toshiie would not change anything, and the staff and mid- and low-ranking commanders had no choice but to focus on ensuring a smooth landing.

The commanders conducting the landing did their best to land as quickly as possible, even if it was just a little bit faster, and even if it was just one more person.

“We have to finish the landing as quickly as possible before the Empire finds out!”

“We have to finish the landing before these bastards concentrate their forces here!”

-The empire would have anticipated the landing of the Japanese army when Jeju Island was attacked by surprise.

-The Imperial Army is not stupid, so they would have guessed where the most suitable landing spot would be.

-The most powerful area is south of Okgu, but if the goal is a surprise attack, the Incheon area.

-Therefore, the Imperial Army will be concentrating its ground forces in these two regions.

-The Boryeong area is the worst place to land, but conversely, the imperial army was also caught off guard.

-The Imperial Army will naturally move troops to Boryeong, but it will take time.

-If we win the battle against time, we have the upper hand!

-And, considering that we can receive support fire from friendly battleships, we will win if the landing is successful!

This was the expectation of the Japanese Army as they conducted the landing.

However, this was their misjudgment.

* * *

Yi Sun-sin, who had driven the Japanese forces to this side, was already concentrating the imperial army’s power here.

And, the imperial institutions were making Yi Sun-sin’s plan go smoothly.

According to the wartime railroad operation guidelines established during the reign of King Sejong and Hyang, all mobile firepower of the Imperial Army was concentrated in Boryeong via railroad.

Likewise, the ‘reserve force system’ that Sejong had refined and instilled in him was still functioning well.

As soon as news of the Japanese surprise attack reached the country, reserve forces began to be called up from all over the empire.

However, it was impossible to send these urgently called up reservists straight to the battlefield.

And the Imperial Army had several methods in place to anticipate this situation.

The first of these methods to be implemented was to control traffic using reserve forces called up from the Boryeong area.

As soon as the order was given, troops and equipment of the Imperial Army from all directions rushed to Boryeong by rail and land.

At first, most of the troops came from nearby Boryeong. However, as time passed, Imperial Army troops from further afield – even from the north – began to arrive.

The railroad network that Jinpyeong had built by risking his life in the past was now fully demonstrating its value.

As the Imperial Army poured into Boryeong from all directions, Boryeong County became a mess.

Therefore, a temporary command created by a commander dispatched from Seoul mobilized the reservists called up in the Boryeong area to control traffic.

No matter how many maps you have, you can’t know the area as well as the locals.

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The Boryeong natives who were called up as reservists served as guides and guided the troops and equipment that arrived in Boryeong to the designated operation areas.

That wasn’t all.

The locals provided information about back roads and military strongholds that could be dangerous if used by the Japanese military, but which only the locals knew about.

The reason why the military had this kind of loophole in its regional awareness was because the Imperial Army’s biggest target of surveillance had been Ming.

Therefore, major defense facilities were built in the areas leading from the north to Seoul and from Incheon to Seoul.

In any case, the imperial army commanders who received this information carefully recorded it on a map and wrote a report and sent it to Seoul.

The next mission for the reserves was to covertly scout out areas where Japanese forces were suspected of landing.

As natives, they first selected Daecheon and its surrounding areas as the most likely location and went out to scout them out.

Those who went out on reconnaissance like this moved in groups of 2-3 reserve soldiers and 2 regular soldiers (10 men each).

One of the two divisions was tasked with protecting the reserve forces, while the other was tasked with maintaining communication lines.

Those who set out to scout in this way were soon able to find the optimal location and begin scouting.

“But, how did you find out about such a good place, Hyungjang?”

“Well, somehow… .”

The native who was in charge of guiding them trailed off when the Imperial Army commander asked about the best place to observe the surroundings, even though it was not visible from the outside.

It was embarrassing to say the truth, because I found out while I was a bachelor, wandering around trying to have a good time with my current wife.

These people who had gone out on a secret reconnaissance mission reported to their superiors as soon as they saw the Japanese army landing.

And, after grasping the general situation through their reports, the Army Command immediately began responding.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes. I can move immediately if you just give me the order.”

The commander smiled bitterly at the reply that the Imperial Army was ready to defend.

“I heard you’re having a hard time tonight, so shouldn’t we help you?”

* * *

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As the Japanese army hurriedly landed on the sandy beach of Daecheon and the nearby mudflats, the sky brightened with a loud explosion.

“It’s a flare!”

“It’s a flare!”

The Japanese soldiers who were proceeding with the landing with only minimal lighting were thrown into chaos by the sudden brightening of the sky.

Kato’s face hardened and he glared at the brightly shining sky.

“If it wasn’t the stupid ones who couldn’t stand it and blew it up, then it was the Empire guys who fired it. The problem is… .”

Kato turned his head toward Boryeong. Gato continued speaking while glaring at Boryeong, which was covered in thick darkness.

“Anyway, the Empire had no choice but to notice that we were landing. The problem was the Imperials’ readiness to defend….”

Before Kato could finish speaking, loud gunfire began to emanate from the direction of Boryeong.

Tutata tata tang! Tutata tang!

“Ahh!”

Japanese soldiers who were trying to get across the sandy beach to solid ground began to fall one by one as bullets rained down.

Bang bang bang!

As their comrades in the lead fell like straw, the Japanese soldiers who followed behind hid themselves in the sand and coastal mounds and pulled the triggers in the direction of the flames from the firecarts.

As a fierce gunfight broke out between the Imperial Army and the Japanese Army, Kato’s expression brightened and he clenched his fists.

“That’s enough! Even the Empire didn’t properly defend itself!”

The Imperial Army’s ‘love for cannons’ was very famous.

If the Empire had prepared properly, they would have fired cannons first, not the wagons as they were doing now.

“It’s a race against time! Break through the coast before the Empire can fire their cannons! Break through with grit!”

Kato transferred to the waiting launcher and headed straight for the shore.

Arriving at the sandy beach, Kato pulled out the Japanese sword he was holding and raised his voice.

“Charge! If we just cross that coastline, we’ll be at the heart of the empire! Charge! If we just cross that coastline, we’ll be at the heart of the empire!”

“Wow!”

At Kato’s encouragement, the Japanese soldiers shouted and began to charge.

The words Kato shouted were words created by the Japanese military headquarters to incite soldiers before going into operation.

The morale of the Japanese soldiers was not good at all at the news that they were attacking an empire that was clearly stronger than Japan.

To boost the morale of these soldiers, the headquarters said to them:

-For the future of our homeland, Japan! For the sake of your children, we will conquer the Empire!

-This is the headquarters of the empire! If you can just get your hands on Seoul, you can get all kinds of wealth and honor! In whose hands? In your hands!

‘In the empire, even the neighborhood dogs walk around carrying gold nuggets in their beaks.’

It was one of the most famous sayings that compared the wealth of the empire.

Therefore, the agitation of the headquarters was well received by the soldiers.

If they had made a mistake, a catastrophe could have occurred where military discipline would have collapsed, but this was not a big problem for the headquarters.

Not only the Imperial Headquarters, but also Toyotomi Hideyoshi was the same.

“Just raise the morale! If necessary, just execute a few of them later and that’ll be it!”

These were the words Hideyoshi spoke as he approved the Imperial General Headquarters’ propaganda operation.

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