It Became a Symbol of the Bronze Age - Chapter 350



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Episode 350. Unprepared War (3)

Hanho said.

“The easier it is to eat rice cakes, the more careful you have to be. Gyehyeon is especially so. Gyehyeon’s castle is large and blunt. Behind it is Yeonsan, and in front is a large river. Even though it is defended by 7,000 troops, it is difficult to take such a castle. The current situation is not good either.”

There are two types of weapons that Asadal mainly uses for sieges.

Onagers and explosives.

Among these, explosives are quite scarce at this point.

It was used a lot in battles with Wol, and most of Asadal’s gunpowder depends on imports from the country of Qi. (If Kang So-baek finds out that Asadal’s gunpowder material is a sintered stone from the country of Qi, he will probably hit the ground.)

“It would be best to conserve your strength here. When it comes to sieges, the less you do, the better. The enemy’s reinforcements won’t arrive anyway.”

Chow looked puzzled by those words.

“Why can’t the enemy army come?”

***

The time when Asadal invaded.

The situation in the ward was extremely messy.

“Asadal has finally set foot in the North!”

Usually, battles in the Central Plains are divided into two parts.

The war between spring and fall, and the war between fall and spring. It is not a simple difference in time.

The two differ in the number of troops they can mobilize.

Between spring and fall, farming must be done. Therefore, it is difficult to recruit soldiers based on the unity of farming and military service.

Therefore, if a war breaks out between spring and fall, the main players in the war will be the lords and scholars living near large cities such as Imchi and Gyehyeon.

In Joseon, the term ‘scholar’ commonly referred to ‘scholars’, so they sound like civil servants, but the scholars of this era were involved in politics during normal times and in times of war.

In the first place, Joseon scholars also fought when war broke out. It is not for nothing that Confucius’s six rites include the handling of weapons such as archery.

These gentlemen drive chariots and handle cavalry (elite soldiers). Usually, one chariot leads a force of 75 cavalrymen and 25 supply men, for a total of 100 soldiers.

The cavalry of the current country is also composed of these people.

And the one who handles the chariot corps made up of these men is the great general, and the feudal lord leads the unit made up of these great generals into battle.

And during non-busy farming seasons, in addition to these, they would mobilize the people without pay through a process called ‘conscription’ to create more soldiers.

The current Zhou dynasty is often called the “Country of Ten Thousand Chariots,” meaning that it could mobilize ten thousand chariots, or one million troops.

The current total population of the Central Plains is about 20 million, so if we really gather everyone together, it might be possible. Of course… those troops won’t gather just because the Emperor of Zhou ordered them to. At least that’s what it says on paper.

What about my country then?

The state of Qi, which had taken over half of the Yan state and the Song state, had a population of over 5 million for a long time. If they were to mobilize all their forces, they could easily mobilize 500,000.

But this is only a story of when all men between the ages of 15 and 60 who can hold a spear are gathered and sent to the battlefield.

Since people are not units in the game, they cannot be mobilized like that, and above all, there is not enough time.

Looking at it this way, the maximum number of troops that my country can mobilize in the fall season is 150,000.

And now it is spring, the time for farming.

It is impossible to conscript farmers who are in the military.

So, at this point, my country’s main force, consisting of Sawa and the great generals, has about 60,000 men.

But the problem is.

Among these, the problem was the power that could be mobilized.

“We must send our main force before Gye-hyeon falls!”

“How do I send it?”

Kang So-baek asked.

“Right now, our main force is almost at the Luo and Song fronts. How can we move them to Jihyeon? If you know how, please tell me. I am very curious as well.”

If we withdraw our troops now, the territories of Song and Lu that we have worked so hard to take will be completely emptied.

Then some of the officials said:

“However, after Gyehyeon, it is Imchi. The land we had is more important than the land we took!”

“Am I saying this because I don’t know?”

Kang So-baek is good at war.

That’s why I know I can’t take out soldiers.

Then the officials said:

“If so, there are seven thousand troops in Gyehyeon now. There are still ten thousand troops in Imchi, so if we support Gyehyeon through Imchi’s troops…”

“And, behind the sergeant major, there is a sergeant major.”

This is the second problem.

The distance between Naeminbu and Imchi is a distance that can be reached on foot in 10 days. Imchi cannot be vacated carelessly.

“Isn’t there a way to withdraw some of the troops from the Lu and Song fronts? The battles there have already been won. 20,000 troops would be enough…”

“I already called. And this is the answer.”

Kang So-baek threw the bamboo slip while touching his head.

-If we leave, it is obvious that the Song Dynasty will fall into the clutches of other countries.

– I don’t know if we were prepared, but Donggwak always said, ‘Asadal will never sink,’ so we are not prepared for that either. It is impossible to withdraw the army now.

-Besides, Asadal’s army is only 30,000 strong. Gongsun Seopung has 7,000 troops in Gye-hyeon, and Gye-hyeon is impregnable. With Gongsun Seopung’s ability, he will be able to block Asadal’s advance.

The replies from numerous godfathers were roughly the same.

If we leave, the Song Dynasty will be in danger.

And there was another reason.

Those on the Song and Lu front lines… didn’t really care whether Ji Xian was eaten or not.

***

“The elite troops of my country who are in Song and Lu will never move.”

Asadal planned the operation based on this premise.

Chow asked Hanho.

“Is it to avoid losing the Lu and Song dynasties?”

“That may be one reason, but more specifically, it’s because of political reasons.”

“If it’s for political reasons…?”

“Better than me, Poongbaek.”

Hanho pointed at me.

“I guess it would be better if you explained it.”

“Whoa!”

I felt proud for the first time in a long time. I’ve often felt useless lately, but isn’t this the realm of ‘private studies’?

“…The Zhou Dynasty was basically a feudal system. Under the emperor, there were the feudal lords, the three dukes of Grand Historian, Grand Master, and Grand Treasurer, and the six ministers who were the heads of each department. The feudal lords were the administrators of the provinces.”

“Uh, uh, uh, a little slower…”

Chow looked embarrassed.

Hanho, who saw that sight, held his forehead.

“short.”

I’m a little upset.

Because I, who often felt useless these days, finally had a chance to show off my historical knowledge.

“Feudalism basically means dividing the land and living separately.”

“So, isn’t it similar to our federal system?”

“It’s different. First, in a federal system, the local people elect their regional leaders. However, in a feudal system, the king appoints the lords, and the lords appoint their chiefs.”

“…If you are appointed, shouldn’t you listen to me even more? What if I appoint someone else?”

“That’s a little different too.”

“Where are you going?”

“Feudalism does not give ‘land that exists.’”

Chow was confused by those words.

“Then, are you giving me land that doesn’t exist? How?”

“So, it’s like this. Do you see that mountain over there?”

“I can see it.”

“There are a lot of bandits over there. Go and clear them out. Then I will acknowledge that land as yours.”

This is the biggest difference between Western feudalism and Zhou-style feudalism. In Western feudalism, existing land is divided into fiefs, but in Zhou-style feudalism, one creates one’s own fief.

“…Well, it feels like this.”

“I understand.”

“In that sense, the great lords who are currently in Song and Lu… no, the feudal lords. Jiang Xiaobai has declared himself king. Anyway, they are currently developing their own territory, and they have already done some development. However, if they go back now, they will lose it all.”

The romantic days when those under them would come running as soon as the lord or king issued an order to assemble are already over 200 years away.

From the moment the King of Zhou began to play with the vassals and play with the beacon fire, the feudal order of obedience to orders ended. Now, it is basic to be cautious.

What is the most common content in Confucius’s Spring and Autumn Annals? It’s about punishing those who made an alliance for not sending reinforcements, or the high-ranking officials criticizing the feudal lords, or the reinforcements not arriving on time.

“Aha, I see what you mean.”

Chow nodded.

“If I lose Gye-hyeon, my country will suffer a loss… but if I leave Song and Lu behind to protect Gye-hyeon, I will suffer a loss?”

“That’s right. The country’s profits and losses and the individual’s profits and losses do not match.”

“How on earth… do you know this?”

Chow asked.

In fact, this is information that was not originally known.

Is it like the 21st century now, with the internet and what else?

Even in the 21st century, with the internet, we don’t know much about the political order of neighboring countries. Does anyone know how Japanese political culture works?

The political order of the Central Plains may not even be known to the Central Plains people.

You have to be at least a high-ranking official to see it turn around, and to tie it all together and come up with some kind of plan, you have to be at least a high-ranking official.

Look at Kang So-baek. He also dug his own grave by misunderstanding the political order of Asadal that was right next to him.

But I know.

“I heard it from the great teacher.”

“Are you a teacher?”

“He is from the Central Plains. His surname is Zi, his family name is Gong, his pen name is Gu, and his courtesy name is Jungni.”

“…So, a tool? This is the first time I’ve heard of it.”

Oh, you don’t know?

“A person who has studied the Zhou Dynasty… all his life.”

“Oh… is that so?”

Chow looked like he was wondering what on earth he was talking about.

It must have been difficult to understand.

Since there is nothing to study, you study your own country.

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But, what can I do if it’s true?

Among Confucius’s books, there is one called .

This is a collection of proclamations issued by the kings of the Zhou Dynasty, petitions submitted by their subjects, and royal speeches.

It’s a kind of National Assembly minutes… Since the Zhou Dynasty fell, this is treated as one of the Four Books and Five Classics, but by modern standards, it’s just a state secret.

Even the Joseon Dynasty’s , which is similar to this, wasn’t something that anyone could read. It was something that only those in power could read.

So, in the future, we will also read .

I also read the commentary on the Sangseo.

Having read a ton of papers interpreting the political order of the Zhou Dynasty in relation to the Book of Documents, I feel like a foreigner who has read 30 years of the minutes of the Korean National Assembly.

“…I also want to meet that tool person.”

“I won’t be able to see you again.”

“He’s already gone.”

No, it’s because you died around the time he was born.

You’ll be born about 100 years from now.

Hanho said.

“There may be political reasons for that… and there may be differences in numbers.”

“That’s true too.”

Asadal’s soldiers number about 25,000.

If Asadal had brought 50,000 men, the enemy’s main force in Song would have had no choice but to react.

But 25 thousand?

It won’t feel like much of a threat.

At this point, I think they would have judged that Gye-Hyeon alone would be enough to block it.

‘No, more than that… I think you thought it would give you an excuse.’

In this situation, even if Gye-Hyeon is eaten, it is not because support did not come. It is not because the great generals of the Luo and Song fronts argued.

They did their best to block the neighboring countries and protect their own territory. So, if Gye-hyeon is defeated, it is rather because Gong-sun-seop-bong did not fulfill his role.

If it were the ancestors of Joseon, he could have just sent them away as servants for disobeying his orders.

That’s because Joseon was a bureaucracy. However, my country maintained a feudal order anyway… Even Kang So-baek would not be able to reprimand them.

“But this is only up to Gye-hyeon. If Gye-hyeon falls, then the main force of my country will move. Even if they are local lords, they will have no choice but to return when the capital Imchi is in danger.”

“And that’s not all.”

I added.

“If we capture Gye-hyeon, Kang So-baek will claim to reclaim Gye-hyeon. This means that we will be able to choose a new owner for Gye-hyeon.”

The current owner of Gyehyeon is still Gongsun Seopbong.

However, if we attack Gye-hyeon and drive out Gongsun Seop-bong, Kang So-baek will declare that he will give Gye-hyeon to the person who has made the greatest contribution.

At that level, it would be enough to divert the main forces of my country from the Song and Lu states.

Kang So-baek is probably, ironically enough.

I’d rather Asadal take over Gyehyeon as soon as possible. And do some plundering while doing it.

That way, they can either withdraw their main force or use their anger towards Asadal to conscript troops.

but.

“Gye-Hyeon does not attack. There is no need to give the enemy a reason to do so.”

Asadal had no such intention.

Some people say that Han Ho is a fierce general who loves battle. However, this is a misjudgment of Han Ho.

Hanho is more of a troublemaker than a general, and he is the type of person who doesn’t fight fights that he can avoid.

Then Chow asked.

“Then what do we do?”

“War doesn’t always end with the destruction of the enemy’s forces. Right, Poongbaek?”

“you’re right.”

I said.

“The worst strategy for victory is to destroy the enemy’s army. The most important strategy for victory is to destroy the enemy’s supply line.”

This is a quote from The Art of War.

So what is the best strategy for victory?

It’s simple.

“And the best thing is… to destroy the enemy’s cause.”

This was the goal of this battle.

Chow let out a loud noise.

“If you say it like that, I won’t understand.”

“Let me put it a little more simply. The reason the enemy’s main force is not moving right now is because we have not taken Jihyeon, which has prevented Duke Huan of Qi from creating an excuse to withdraw his main force from the Lu and Song fronts.

So, what are the options available to Kang So-baek in the current situation?

“Perhaps, we will organize additional troops.”

“Yes. It will be conscription. When the farming is over and fall comes, they will be able to conscript tens of thousands. We will stop that.”

“So you’re saying that you’re going to repel the soldiers that come by conscription?”

“No, we will stop the draft itself.”

“Huh?”

Chow said in disbelief.

“How do we stop the conscription of the Limchi here?”

“Think about it, if you just gather the troops, will they all gather?”

“…No.”

“Yes, we need a justification. Especially during the farming season like now, we need an even greater justification. But what if Asadal doesn’t give us that justification?”

“…You can’t gather the troops yourself?”

“Either you can’t collect them, or you’ll have to force yourself to collect them. The former is good, but the latter is better.”

An army that was forcibly gathered would be a rabble in the truest sense, and in the grand scheme of things, my country could explode from within.

“This war should not be a battle for the well-being of the people, but should be a land grab caused solely by the greed of Kang So-baek. We should refrain from plundering, rely on the cause, and try not to touch the people as much as possible.”

***

At Bakjae Cape, which was the exit from the fortress, numerous Asadal ships were gathered. Hanho first gave orders to his naval forces there.

“Unite Asadal’s navy. Lead the 4,000-man navy and join Naeminbu. The first target is the supplies in Naeminbu. Since Naeminbu is currently tied up with supplies due to the war, bring them as you see fit, focusing on cloves and sugar.”

“All right.”

“And then, block the rivers. It’s better for you to explain this, Foryou, than for me.”

At those words, Po-yu, the son of Po-suk-ah, stepped forward.

The breasts are now firmly attached to Asadal.

Because my country was a country that ignored its own father.

“There are many rivers between my country and Yan. The most important of them are the two rivers, the Je River (present-day Daqing River) and the Yellow River.”

“…My lord.”

Hanho’s expression became mysterious when he heard those words.

During the previous Je-Yeon War, the place where Han Ho turned his horse was right in front of Je Su. From then on, it was Je’s territory.

“…Please continue explaining.”

“Yes. Our country mainly uses the Je River and the Yellow River to carry out commerce and supplies. Even though the land of the Imchi is difficult to farm, the length of the city walls is 15,000 steps, and 40,000 households can live within it. That is why.”

…It’s not good for farming in Imchi.

Hearing that makes my head spin. If there was a land of the highest rank in Asadal, it would be considered the highest rank.

But from the perspective of the ‘North China Plain’, it seems like the land where farming is not possible. It’s like the top 1% of the rich looking at a 3 million won watch and saying, ‘Wow, this is so cheap!’

“It would be best to blockade both the Je River and the Yellow River, but it would be difficult to target both. My country has already planted stakes in the lower reaches of the Yellow River and gathered ships to blockade them.”

The Yellow River is right next to Imchi. It’s like the Han River in Seoul. Of course, they wouldn’t have left it alone.

“However, Jesu is different. That area probably wouldn’t have been able to take such measures. If Asadal’s ships were to occupy the lower reaches of Jesu at this point, they would immediately disrupt the supply line.”

“Yes, now is the right time. Besides, if we take possession of the capital, even if the enemy gathers troops, they will not be able to easily come north, and it will also have the effect of blocking information from the north.”

With the swift-moving seagulls wide open, a river crossing operation is impossible. If that is the case, the enemy will have to cross upstream instead of downstream, and that supply route will be extended by at least 15 days.

Then Geoguroo said.

“However, we have little experience fighting on rivers.”

Hanho clutched his head again.

“Time has passed so quickly. The Asadal soldiers have never fought in a river…”

Manchuria was famous for having many rivers, so the Cheonshin tribe was originally skilled at fighting on the rivers.

However, since the Asadal navy was founded, they had only fought at sea and did not know how to fight on rivers, so Hanho was at a loss.

But there was one silver lining.

“I fought a bit in the river.”

First of all, dog hands.

Gaeson is currently considered the most senior member of the Asadal military along with Chau. As a former member of the Pan tribe, Gaeson naturally has a wealth of experience fighting in the river.

“That’s fortunate. Then, Gaeson, you are the commander-in-chief of Asadal’s fleet.”

“hmm…”

Gaeson looked at the gourd and the mackerel standing next to him.

“Are you both okay?”

“Of course it’s okay!”

Neither of them seemed to have any complaints. Gaeson was a distant senior to them.

Adalaya was a merchant, not a soldier, so he could have taken command of Gaeson during the Moon War without any worries, but these people could never do that. Whether in the past or present, careers are never something that can be ignored in the military.

“Well then, good. Gaeson, you take care of it. Geoguroo and Makrae, help Gaeson.”

“I will go with you too.”

The mother said.

“The sea and the river may look similar, but they are actually very different. However, I have been living with my sister-in-law since I was young. It will help you.”

…He’s quite an active traitor.

“Instead, you must keep your promise not to harm the people of my country.”

“Asadal does not harm anyone privately.”

Hanho answered.

“Besides, we can’t do that. To be honest, it’s a bit like walking on thin ice right now. If we do anything even a little bit reckless, the lords’ eyes will roll back.”

Besides, there is no attack on the common people among Asadal’s targets.

If that happens, the people of my country will become enraged immediately, and tens of thousands of troops may gather in an instant.

As I said, this war should be a struggle between the feudal lords. The moment the common people get involved through pointless looting or arson, there will be no food or shelter.

“The battle is limited to enemy ships. If you must attack a port, you may issue an evacuation order to the people before the attack. If the people suffer damage, compensate them with the resources of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

If you do so, you will become a savior who liberated the people from the tyranny of Kang So-baek, not a traitor.”

At this, Poyu bowed her head.

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