It Became a Symbol of the Bronze Age - Chapter 358



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Episode 358. The Unavoidable Battle (2)

There is only one major problem in Asadal right now.

“…I have to do well in Doha.”

That you have to cross the river.

What do Churchill and Woo Jung-moon have in common?

It’s simple.

It is said that it was completely destroyed during the Doha landing operation.

Because of this, Churchill earned the notorious reputation of being called ‘Mr. Gallipoli’, and Umunjoong was ridiculed for generations as his poems mocking Eulji Mundeok were included in 21st century Korean textbooks.

It goes without saying that the Army, as its name suggests, is an earth element. Naturally, if attacked in water, it will take double damage.

If the water is only ankle-high, you can just cross the river by crossing it. However, if the water is only chest-high, you will need a bridge to cross the river.

Because an army is not just made up of soldiers. You also have to hand over the wagons for supplies, and the animals that pull the wagons. Without those, you will starve to death even if you try to cross the river.

Moreover, it is right after the rainy season. The current is fast and the depth of the water is also variable. If there is anyone who orders fording here, that person must be a spy sent by an enemy country.

Therefore, from ancient times to modern times, river crossings and landings are the most vulnerable moments for armies.

In the Art of War, whether it was Sun Tzu or Wu Tzu, it was said something like, ‘If you fight well in a siege, you can hold off an enemy three or four times your size, but when you attack an enemy crossing the river, you can easily deal with an enemy a hundred times your size.’

So, Doha is the operation that all the military must begin with the greatest concentration.

Moreover, gunpowder becomes unusable after a long time if it gets wet, so it was obvious that crossing the river with it would be even more difficult.

“First, have the cavalry of Sanyong cross the river under cover of night. When you find a suitable crossing point, please let us know.”

“It’s a good crossing point… I don’t think such a point would be common, given the high water level.”

“Still, try to find it as much as you can.”

Those who received Hanho’s instructions rode off to various places on horseback. Hanho’s expression crumpled.

“The only fortunate thing is that the other person’s illness is mild.”

“The enemy uses heavy pikemen. They probably won’t be able to come quickly.”

“Yeah, that’s right…”

That is Asadal’s only hope. If the enemies are already waiting at Asadal’s crossing point, Asadal will have his head ripped off in no time.

A few days later.

“I saw about six places.”

“Which of the six is ​​the most difficult?”

“Why are you looking for a more difficult spot?”

“Well… I’m sure the other person knows the best spot.”

It’s a bit of psychological warfare.

***

The ‘sixth best crossing point’ they had found was between the upper and middle reaches of the Jesu River.

“Compared to the surrounding areas, the water here is shallow. I think it’s because there were rocks on the bottom due to the recent landslide caused by the monsoon rains. Also, since it’s near the mountains, it’s good for hiding troops.”

The rainy season was generally poisonous to Asadal, but it was not completely poisonous. Thanks to the landslides caused by the rainy season blocking part of the river, Asadal was able to find a pretty good crossing point.

“But since it’s a hastily built place, the current isn’t steady and the water is deep. If you step wrong, you’ll be swept away.”

“It’s okay. It’s better than being attacked by the enemy. Besides… if it’s too good of a point, the enemy will know about it, so it’s better to have a point that’s a little lacking. Our soldiers are good with shovels and axes, so even a mediocre crossing point can be polished up and made into something ‘good.’”

Hanho didn’t hesitate here.

“Gather wood and stones and prepare to cross the river.”

***

Crossing a river is not simply a matter of crossing it. It requires basic work, such as building embankments to slow the flow, checking the bottom for possible problems, and installing trees in places where feet might get stuck.

Besides, this time we had to pass the gunpowder cart, so we also needed a bridge or two.

And in Asadal, thanks to the developed cranes and mills, this work was somewhat easier.

“Hey, give me some more air!”

“Oh, really… I really like this secret thing.”

They placed a straw at the base of the tree and blew air into it. This caused the rubber-packed inner part to expand, making it easy to tip over even large trees.

In fact, it is not that difficult if you have the materials, so it is at the level of self-development education after school at the middle school level. However, the effect is enormous.

‘That’s the biggest reason why Asadal was able to cross the river in a place that the enemy didn’t expect.’

If it weren’t for Asadal’s outstanding civil engineering skills, Asadal would never have been able to choose such an ambiguous crossing point.

In addition, the soldiers built a pontoon bridge by driving stakes into the riverbed, building a raft, and anchoring it to the stakes.

“I guess even a cart could pass by here.”

“This is also working well.”

“That’s right…”

Oi nodded at Gaji’s words. Perhaps because he had fun digging in front of Gyehyeon last time, he now felt more comfortable with the shovel than with the sword or the spear.

“How long will it take?”

“It seems like it’s almost done?”

While the soldiers were chatting like that.

“Over there, over there!”

A soldier pointed to the forest on the other side of the river. In that forest, smoke rose in thick, unseasonable plumes. Oi shouted.

“Wildfire? In this weather?”

“No, you idiot.”

Since he was a senior soldier, he immediately figured out the reason for the phenomenon.

“That’s a beacon.”

“A beacon… you say?”

“There were no signal fires around here, so we just set fire to the forest in a hurry!”

That saying only tells us one thing.

***

“It seems that enemy scouts have discovered our crossing area.”

“…It’s amazing that it hasn’t been discovered until now.”

The enemy sent out scouts here and there throughout this vast expanse of land, and eventually discovered the forest where Asadal’s army was stationed.

No matter how unexpected it may be, it would be more absurd to expect the other party to not know while 30,000 people are crossing the river.

“What should we do?”

“In two days, it will be easy for soldiers to cross. If the enemy’s main force is pikemen, the main force will not arrive very quickly. Let’s speed up the construction and cross quickly.”

At the words of his heart, Hanho was troubled.

There’s no point in wasting time here.

“Get the construction running as fast as possible. After that, put the elite soldiers with shields in the very front line, and then send the wooden and old batteries to set up defenses. You have to do it before the enemy arrives!”

In any case, now is the best time to cross with the least damage. If you miss this opportunity, there is no telling when you will get another chance to cross.

In the worst case scenario, we may have to wait until the fall when the waters recede. Then the enemy will have completed the defense of Jesu, and the Inner Palace will be sure to be attacked.

‘So, even if it means incurring some damage… it is best to cross when you can.’

Hanho gritted his teeth as he thought about that.

The battle was coming.

***

Kang So-baek was greatly surprised when he realized the location of the crossing of the Asadal Army.

“Is it possible to cross there…?”

Kang So-baek, of course, has a rough idea of ​​where crossing the river is possible.

That is why Kang So-baek sent scouts to those areas and deployed his troops, but Asadal attempted to cross the river in an unexpected area.

“I heard that there was a landslide a while ago and some of the tributaries of the river were blocked.”

“Even so, is that a river that can be crossed?”

“I guess it’s because Asadal’s field civil engineering is so excellent…”

This is a point that even my country was caught off guard by.

Even if you knew, it would still be a problem.

‘The location is ambiguous.’

My country’s main force, the pikemen, may be durable, but their mobility is lacking. Even if the main force rushes in right now, the pikemen will not be able to stop the enemy from crossing the river.

therefore.

‘A spearman, you know.’

Jiang So-baek immediately turned his head. There was a splendidly shining cavalry unit, and he saw five lords leading them.

Kang So-baek shouted.

“All Golden Cavalry, attack the enemy’s crossing point immediately and wipe out the enemy!”

Kang So-baek decided to gather his fast cavalry and block Asadal’s crossing. It was a battle with 2,000 cavalrymen against 25,000 enemy troops, but Kang So-baek did not think it was too much.

Doha is that dangerous.

***

There is a saying, “Songyangjiin.”

It means Songyanggong’s endless grace. At first glance, it sounds like a good thing, but it is actually a sarcastic remark.

Song Yuyeol, who was the leader of the Song Dynasty and had his hair pulled out by Jiang Xiaobai, was called ‘Song Huan Gong’ in the history of Yuan. He was a brilliant ruler and developed the Song Dynasty like crazy.

This is also a characteristic of the title ‘Hwan-gong’ itself. It is a title for a conquering monarch.

However, his son, Songyanggong, was different.

As you can see from the name Jehwan-gong Gang So-baek, ‘Hwan’ is a title given to someone who is good at something.

Although he was undervalued and folded in half by Duke Jeyang, Duke Nohwan was also a warlord who won the war against Duke Jehee.

And here we have to think about the word ‘sheep’.

The title of Yanggong was given to Kang Je-ah, the ‘most crazy man in the Central Plains’ who committed adultery with his younger sister, was caught by her husband, Lu Hwan-gong, and then killed Lu Hwan-gong with a cart.

An ordinary person can never be called ‘Yanggong’. To be called ‘Yanggong’, you have to do something so ridiculous, so it is actually more difficult than being called ‘Hwangong’. While Hwangong has to do something that an ordinary person ‘cannot’ do, Yanggong is a title that can be received only by doing something that an ordinary person should not do.

Then what did Songyanggong do to receive the title of Yanggong? First of all, he committed cannibalism. He boiled and ate a vassal of another country who was late to a meeting, not even his own subordinate.

But what the people of the Central Plains laugh at the most is not this cannibalism. From the perspective of the people of the Central Plains, it was natural for the Song Dynasty, a descendant of the Shang Dynasty, to engage in cannibalism. People do not make fun of things that are natural.

The things that the Zhongyuan people make fun of are different things.

During the war with the state of Chu, Song Yang-gong saw the state of Chu crossing the river. Prime Minister Mok-i said,

-The enemy is many, but our forces are few. However, if we are crossing the river, we can easily defeat them tenfold. We must strike now!

But he said.

Song Yang-gong chewed on this.

-It is against humanity to attack a difficult enemy.

…This is Song Yang-ji.

Of course, this action was foolishness itself, and Song Yang-gong was swept away by the state of Chu.

However, Kang So-baek is not that kind of person.

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“It’s the enemy!”

When the soldiers and wagons were halfway across, enemy cavalry was spotted in the distance. Fortunately, it wasn’t the main force.

If my country’s main force of 40,000 men had fought on the river, the war would have ended on the spot.

Of course, we had expected that the enemy’s main force would not arrive.

The enemy’s main force is made up of pikemen armed with long spears and thick armor, and they are so slow that they make the slow Asadal shieldmen look fast.

Hanho shouted.

“Odosu Byeongdae! Defend the Doha stronghold!”

Asadal incorporated some of the Odosu Corps into the army for this operation to cross the river.

Unlike the Army, these are basically water-based units and are specialized units that can most quickly carry out river crossings, river crossings, and landing operations in Asadal.

They crossed the river faster than anyone else and established a stronghold on the other side. Their armament itself was not that thick. Instead of a huge square shield imitating the Roman scutum, they carried a round shield.

But now, there is no one else who can be called Asadal’s ‘barrier’ except them. If they don’t buy time somehow, Asadal will be finished.

“Unfold the Yuan Ang Jin! Now!”

At that word, the cavalrymen stood in front, supported by spears, tridents, and long spears. The wooden palisades set up in all directions were not very large in size.

For now, they had at least set up a minimal defensive line. However, that alone was not enough to stop the enemy’s advance. Hanho quickly adjusted the troops crossing the river.

“First, hand over the tanks and cannons! Hand over Mokpo as well! And the cavalry… stick to the infantry and cross the river!”

As the infantry crowded the river, the current slowed down somewhat. The cavalrymen left them on the right and jumped over the river, splashing.

And in the meantime, the enemy cavalry appeared. Their entire bodies were gleaming as if they were painted in gold. They were called the Golden Cavalry in my country.

Kang So-baek’s nickname was ‘Asadal-gong’. He liked Asadal that much and studied Asadal’s things.

It’s easy to think of Fabre. He loved insects, but he also kept them, studied them, and dissected them. The same goes for Kang So-baek.

It was clear that the Golden Knights were the result of studying Asadal. And, just like Fabre, the current Kang So-baek was trying to confine and dissect Asadal.

The enemies are running like that.

The hands of the soldiers holding their shields trembled.

No matter how strong the Odosu disease is, you can’t help but feel fear when you see a horse charging at you.

Dudadadadada-!

The enemy cavalry was approaching.

Kwaaaaang-!

Clashed with the Odosu Corps.

***

With just one charge, the Odosu soldiers’ formation was hit hard. Countless soldiers had their shields pierced through. However.

“I, I held on…!”

Somehow, they managed to survive without collapsing. This was not a victory of strategy or tactics, but rather the result of the unique temperament and bravery of the Odosu soldiers, created and raised by the one-eyed god of war, Jung-soo.

“Turn back the ship, turn back the ship!”

At those words, the spears of the Odosu soldiers swung. The long spears and tridents were also present. In any case, these long weapons threw the enemy cavalry into confusion.

Hanho thought as he saw that.

‘The number of cavalry is small. This is a blessing for us.’

The number of cavalry that Kang So-baek hastily assembled was only 2,000. It was a pitiful size compared to the national power of his country.

But there was a reason for this. The Saga and the great lords of my country did not like ‘cavalry’.

The existing aristocrats, who were experts in chariots, thought that the new cavalry branch would threaten their positions. And now, those ‘chariots’ were not as fast as the cavalry, so they could not enter the battlefield.

However.

“Muzong Oyu, I have already won 10 chariots!”

In Asadal, there was a chariot led by Sanyong.

Just in time, the Sanyong chariot force led by Wu Zong Wuyu successfully crossed the river. And there was no need to give them orders.

“Knock knock knock knock knock!”

Because these guys on the prairie were programmed to attack the enemy as soon as they saw him.

They charged into the enemy lines in tanks of less than ten wins, huge blades spinning on both sides of the wheels.

Originally, chariots were a branch of the military centered around ‘archers’ rather than ‘infantry’, but now it is different. Nomads left the bows to light cavalry, and attached sickles and thorns to the wheels of chariots and used them only for assault.

Of course, it is not a very effective tactic. The scythe tank was historically easily eliminated. One of the reasons for this is now clearly revealed.

“Power, turn!”

Instead of confronting the scythe chariots, my country’s Golden Cavalry simply turned their horses around to evade them. Although they were small in number, they were trained by Jiang Xiaobai himself, so their quality was quite good.

“Huh?”

In their turns, the scythe tanks just cut through the air. This damn turning ability is the reason why the scythe tanks were eliminated from the battlefield. Basically, since they were tanks driven by multiple horses, their turning ability was poor, and with the scythe attached, if they made a wrong turn, they would end up crushing the tank next to them.

Both Darius III of the Achaemenid Dynasty and Antiochus III of the Seleucid Dynasty operated sickle chariots, but they were hit by stones and javelins and were destroyed due to their unique and crazy rotational power.

But still, it was helpful in the current situation. Even though we passed the enemy, we did disrupt the enemy formation. Hanho ordered.

“Just abandon the tank!”

This ‘abandoning tanks’ may seem like a retreat tactic, but it is actually different. This is one of Asadal’s tactics called the ‘cart bulkhead tactic’.

So, Asadal, who was crazy about fortresses, did not simply build fortresses, but also carried them around. To them, chariots were a barrier and a fortress.

“Left, block the left!”

So the wagons were placed on the left of the soldiers. The steppe cavalrymen cut the reins, let the horses run wild, and pulled out the handles to secure the wagons.

It is an application of the principle of Asadal Mokwooyuma.

In this way, the cart could block a point of about 4 to 5 meters with its body and the blades protruding from both sides, and the horses running wildly made it quite difficult for enemy cavalry to charge.

But even so, the enemy managed to rush through the cramped space.

Kkwaddudduk!

The spears of both sides broke apart. The spear of one of the Odo soldiers pierced the neck of an enemy soldier.

I couldn’t help but be happy with that sight.

The Odosu soldier’s chest was also pierced by the enemy cavalry. Even the soldier holding the trident behind him. Hanho shouted.

“Shoot the rock! Shoot the rock!”

Only then did the Odo soldiers remember the new weapons they had received a while ago.

They pulled out a Y-shaped pole.

Beneath it was a long string, finished with leather. Simply put, it was a slingshot.

In the history of the world, slingshots were never used on the battlefield. For the simple reason that they were discovered later than guns.

In the 19th century, when the vulcanization process made it possible to produce elastic rubber, machine guns and tanks were already in use.

But the times are a little different now. Thanks to the knowledge of the future, Asadal succeeded in developing rubber bands 2,500 years (!) earlier than the original history, and this naturally led to the slingshot, a military weapon.

“Scream!”

Peeweeing-! Peeweeing-!

The soldiers began to fire rocks with their slingshots. The effective range is about 10 meters, but it is fast enough that a skilled marksman can fire one shot every three seconds.

Of course, its destructive power is incomparable to that of other projectile weapons, such as large-mass javelins, pulley-loading crossbows, and spinning slingshots that utilize centrifugal force.

However, compared to all of those, it was light, could be fired with just a stone, and had a fast rate of fire, making it suitable as a secondary weapon.

“Shoot the rock! It’ll work.”

The enemies were struck by the pelting rocks and were thrown into confusion. They probably had no experience with such ‘fast-flying’ weapons.

But cavalry is cavalry, and they couldn’t be stopped by a stone. The Odo soldiers resisted well, but their numbers were steadily decreasing.

Around that time.

“Bang!”

A large steel shield covered the front of the Odosu soldiers. Most of Asadal’s square shields were made of wood, but there was one unit in Asadal that used a heavy shield made of ‘100% iron’.

“We held on well. Now it’s our turn!”

A slinger of the receiver division, wielding a giant bow the size of a person’s arm. They were originally mainly engaged in guerrilla warfare using shields, but they had no time to think about such things now.

In any case, they were the ‘strongest defensive unit’, and their presence was essential to protect friendly forces during the crossing. They would slam their pointed shields into the side of the tanks and aim their crossbows.

“Fire!”

Peeeeeeeeeing!

With a loud noise, the crossbows were fired.

Kwajik!

It pierced through the helmet of the one who seemed to be the enemy’s godfather. No matter how brass the armor was, it was no match for Asadal’s steel crossbow.

but.

This is also a hopeless situation.

“It’s getting pushed!”

No matter how strong the steel shield was, it was difficult to withstand the cavalry for long. After firing one or two arrows, they put down their shields and fled.

“This fucking thing!”

The enemy quickly dismounted and kicked away the shield with his foot. Asadal focused his efforts on blocking the cavalry’s approach rather than killing them, so the enemy’s casualties were still not great.

And at that moment.

Pasi-!

In the Asadal camp, sparks began to fly.

Chow shouted.

“I’m going crazy!”

At those words, the soldiers quickly took out Asadal fire and thunder from the wagon and shot them.

Phooooong-!

The gunpowder exploded with a sound, pushing the trigger, and the force of the trigger fired the cannon.

Phew!

The shells that have been fired by the time-limiter explode with a loud noise, scattering debris. In the naval battle with the Moonmen, they were hit by this and were covered in blood.

but.

“…I, the damage isn’t that great!”

“shit.”

It was as he said. The enemies advanced leisurely through the smoke. Only three or four of them fell.

Since the Moon people lived in hot regions and had light armor, they were covered in blood after being hit by this… but since their opponents were heavy cavalrymen wearing thick armor, only their arms and legs were injured after being hit by this.

‘Fuck, metal armor is a piece of shit…’

It would have been better to just shoot Asadal’s fire.

At least it would have set it on fire, so it could burn the metal armor and all.

But anyway, it was used to stop the enemy’s movements for a while. In the meantime, a new report came in.

“Old store crossing complete!”

“Load it!”

“I loaded it and crossed over!”

“Then I’ll go for it!”

Wedge!

With a loud noise, the cannon flew towards the enemy cavalry.

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