Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 1206



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Side story 20. 1592 South Sea War. (20)

The advance of Konishi’s force initially proceeded smoothly, thanks to the support of artillery fire at their back.

As the Japanese army advanced up to the first line of defense built right in front of the white sand beach, the Imperial Army soldiers guarding the first line of defense began to fall back.

“The Empire bastards are running away!”

“Wow!”

“Chase him!”

The Japanese army, seeing the imperial army retreating, became more and more motivated and began to break through the defensive line.

Some ran along the flat ground around the trenches, while many soldiers ran along the trenches behind the Imperial troops.

However, some of the lower-ranking commanders who were moving with the soldiers felt uneasy.

‘The guys who are running away are getting out in such an orderly manner?’

‘This is not a defeat!’

‘This is not a rout!’

“It’s a trap!”

“Stop!”

The commanders who noticed the abnormality shouted for them to stop, but it was already too late.

The Imperial Army’s trenches had to turn at intervals, and likewise had protruding ledges and pillars here and there.

After going around a few bends, over ledges, and passing through gaps between protruding pillars, the Japanese soldiers naturally formed a long line, either in one or two rows.

As I was running along the trench and turning the last bend, a wide open space suddenly appeared before my eyes.

On either side of the entrance leading to the next passage through the space were well-built defensive gun emplacements, and the freight cars positioned inside them were firing at the Japanese troops.

Tata tata tata tang!

Japanese soldiers who were advancing through the narrow passage were helpless and fell.

“It’s a trap!”

“Stop! Stop!”

The Japanese soldiers, startled by the sight of their comrades running right in front of them falling, quickly stopped walking and screamed, but were pushed by their comrades following behind and stepped into the killing zone, where they collapsed in a hive of flames.

Eventually, after more than a dozen people had died, the Japanese army stopped charging.

As the Japanese army crossed the first line of defense, the cannons supporting the launching ships stopped firing.

It was because of the problem of misfire.

However, the Imperial artillery did not stop its bombardment.

No, the bombardment became even stronger.

As the temporary command in charge of defending the Boryeong region said, it was because they had a unique perspective on ‘firearms.’

In particular, the coast of Boryeong became a beehive as the newly arrived artillerymen joined in the bombardment.

A command trench built along the first line of defense.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Konishi and his staff were stuck in the trench, unable to move as shells rained down around the trench.

Bang! Corn!

Yukinaga Konishi covered his ears with his hands and shivered as he was covered in dust and the shock wave created by the shell that landed on the ceiling.

“Is this what the Empire calls ‘giving in return for taking in return’? You crazy bastards! Do you even know how much a shell costs!”

In a chaotic situation where you can’t even tell how much time has passed, the Imperial Army’s artillery fire has weakened slightly.

As the surroundings became a little quieter, Konishi and his staff slowly got up and began to survey the surroundings.

The number of craters made by the Imperial Army’s shells was innumerable, and around these craters were scattered countless corpses of Japanese soldiers.

Konishi, who was blankly staring at the sight, muttered without realizing it.

“Is this why you said you had to go to Incheon no matter what?”

* * *

In the process of planning this operation, the staff of the Imperial Headquarters selected Jemulpo as the optimal landing site.

Both Kato Kiyomasa and Konishi Yukinaga, who were tasked with commanding the landing force, raised objections.

“Jeomulpo is too dangerous! The most powerful coastal defense positions in the empire have been built above and below Ganghwa Island!”

“you’re right!”

As Kato and Konishi said, the areas north and south of Ganghwa Island were covered with coastal defense batteries.

And that too, openly.

A nobleman from a famous country with a keen interest in military affairs once observed the number and size of gun emplacements in these batteries while cruising along the Han River.

In some ways, it was a dangerous thing that could have led to being accused of being a spy. However, the actions of the famous Hosa and Empire that carried it out were bold.

“If it was made so openly, wouldn’t it be polite to look at it and admire it?”

This was the attitude of a wealthy man of a famous country.

“Hohoho! Be amazed and tremble in fear!”

This was the imperial attitude.

And, as a result of the counting by the luxury merchant who went on a cruise along the Han River, the coastal batteries built around Ganghwa Island and the mouth of the Han River were equipped with the guns of ‘at least’ three battleships and six cruisers.

In simple terms, it was a fleet-sized artillery firepower placed in a defensive position stronger than the armor of a battleship.

The nobleman who returned to Ming told what he had seen, and the other noblemen and Ming military officials who heard this were greatly impressed.

“This is crazy!”

“You crazy guys!”

The Empire’s response to this assessment was truly bold.

“Thank you for the compliment. But then again, is what you see really everything?”

“Hey! You cannon-crazy guys!”

“As long as they don’t invade our country, whether they’re crazy or not, we have nothing to worry about. Why are you being so weird?”

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In any case, the senior staff officer of the Imperial Headquarters nodded in agreement with Kato and Konishi’s objections.

“We know that too. But if we want to end this in the short term, that’s the only answer.”

“Let’s land in Busan or Mokpo and attack! Isn’t the railroad one of the things that the imperialists will never destroy? If we take the railroad, we’ll be able to get to Seoul in no time!”

* * *

The empire’s ‘love for railways’ was famous.

Duke Jinpyeong, who received orders from Sejong and Yi Hyang, was the beginning.

The imperial railroad officials were so faithful to the will of Duke Jinpyeong, who was evaluated as “a great man who would have staged a coup d’état for the sake of railroad construction,” that they were sincere about maintaining the railroad network.

There was something they always said to the Imperial Army.

“Just touch the tracks! I’ll drag you out and use you as railroad ties!”

Every time they heard stories like this, the high-ranking members of the Imperial Army shook their heads.

“Whew~. Duke Jinpyeong raised his children poorly.”

Whenever they heard this, railroad officials would scoff.

“Huh! Do you think it’s just us? Except for the Ministry of National Defense, all other departments are descendants of Kim Jong-seo! Don’t you know how well they shoot rifles and horse rifles? Do you think they’ll just sit still if you mess with the railroad and increase their workload?”

In the old days, when developing the northeast region, Kim Jong-seo and his officials fought in as many battles as soldiers and achieved great achievements.

There was only one reason why Kim Jong-seo and the officials participated in the battle.

-When the rebellious Jurchen people interfered with administrative work.

When that happened, Kim Jong-seo and the officials all grabbed their weapons and mounted their horses.

Afterwards, as the territory expanded starting from Daeseoldo, more and more officials were dispatched to the newly acquired areas.

Officials dispatched to these areas, regardless of gender, were trained in the use of muskets and mounted rifles.

The pretext was ‘self-defense’, but there was another truth circulating among the officials.

-For smooth administrative work.

And even as the empire was born and on a stable course, its officials periodically received shooting training.

Of course, it was even worse in the imperial court. It was a court where marksmanship was included in the basic education curriculum, and gathering at the shooting range to enjoy shooting was a social activity, especially for women.

Foreigners who encountered this culture, especially European scholars, were amazed and said this.

“I thought Athens was the place with the most advanced learning and technology, but it was Sparta!”

* * *

The senior staff officer let out a small sigh at Konishi and Kato’s words.

“Whew~. That’s right. I know very well that you would never touch the railroad tracks because it would be a waste of money to re-lay them. But you know what I mean. You can’t touch a railroad track, but you can easily destroy an iron horse. And…”

The senior staff member paused for a moment, looked at Kato and Konishi, and then asked a question.

“Haven’t you ever been to the Imperial capital?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Is that so?”

Oda Nobunaga called for ‘purification of the Japanese style’ and promoted ‘de-imperialization’. After that, studying abroad in the empire was prohibited in all fields except science and technology. In particular, soldiers were prohibited from going to the empire even on vacation.

The first generation to grow up in Japan free from the shadow of the empire were the Konishi and Kato generations.

Because of this, Kato and Konishi had never actually seen the empire.

After hearing Kato and Konishi’s answers, the senior staff officer explained the reason to them.

“Our Japan has many mountains, but the Empire’s homeland has even more mountains. And the mountains of moderate height are all occupied by the Imperial Army. The railroads and roads you so desire run between those mountains.”

“If you move along the coast… .”

“There is not enough time.”

“Then, if we take a deeper mountain path… .”

“I think that the place where the Imperial Army has set up camp is the last border that can be passed safely.”

“boundary?”

“If you go beyond that, you’ll either be attacked by a tiger or by a group of traitors. You don’t know that the Empire is called the ‘Land of the Tiger’, do you?”

The vast territory extending from the empire’s homeland to the north, the northeastern forests, and west to Lake Baikal was filled with all kinds of beasts. And among them, the beast that reigned as king was the tiger.

The Bonji and Bukji were also famous for their ‘ho-hwa (虎患)’, but as time passed, the cases of this compatibility almost disappeared.

This was thanks to the fact that human encroachment on tiger territory – representative examples being slash-and-burn farming and poaching – was prohibited, and when encounters occurred, the tiger army persistently pursued and wiped them out.

As this continued for nearly 100 years, a kind of boundary was created.

“So, if I summarize the situation, it’s like this.”

The staff finally explained why it was Jemulpo.

-Let’s say we land in Mokpo or Busan and advance north.

-First of all, short-term battles become impossible.

-It may seem possible to use the railroad, but the moment you get on the iron horse, you become a defenseless target.

-If you go north by road instead of rail, you will have to cross the pass several times a day. The problem is that there are Imperial Army garrisons at very ‘appropriate’ intervals.

-Every garrison is overflowing with cannons.

-If the soldiers are hit by cannons, the commander is hit by the cavalry.

-If you choose a deeper or more remote path, you will be harassed by tigers and all kinds of wild beasts.

“… So, Jemulpo is the answer. If the surprise attack on Jeju Island is successful, our Japanese naval fleet can immediately advance north and attack Jemulpo and the coastal batteries around it. Then, the army can advance as quickly as possible and capture the emperor in Seoul.”

Konishi, who was listening to the senior staff member’s explanation, asked the staff member a question.

“What if something goes wrong with the Navy and we can’t get to Jemulpo?”

“Then we should land on the nearest coast and go up to Seoul.”

“Is it impossible to withdraw and then try again?”

“Impossible. Withdrawal will lead directly to defeat. You must know why, right?”

In response to the senior staff member’s question, Konishi and Kato nodded silently.

The power of the Empire was overwhelmingly stronger than that of Japan. Everything had to be done before the Empire could come to its senses.

Because once the Empire comes to its senses, there will be no more chances.

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