Joseon Military Officer, Establishing Balhae - Chapter 306



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Episode 306

Battle of Gaeju (3)

Balhae Army 12th Division Command Post.

Major General Park Jong-su, the commander of the 2nd Operations Command’s left army and the 12th Division, was watching the front with a tense expression at the sight of the friendly cavalry corps rushing in like a tidal wave.

“That’s a lot. How much is it?”

“There are probably about 12,000 in the western and central armies combined. I’ve checked several times, so I’m sure it’s true.”

The division commander, Ko Ryeon Jeong-ryeong, answered immediately.

The Ming U army was divided into three groups, 20,000 men each in the west and center, and 10,000 men in the east. For convenience, the Balhae army gave them the names of the west, center, and east armies.

“I know that… but when they all come out at once like that, it really looks like a lot.”

“It’s the first hurdle. We have to overcome this attack, but I’m a little worried.”

The Ming army deployed a considerable number of cavalry, just like in the previous war. They judged that cavalry was the best way to deal with the Balhae army, which had superior firepower in long-range weapons. Therefore, out of the 40,000 allied troops, the number of cavalry was as high as 15,000. In particular, since the allied forces were the main force in this war, the ratio of cavalry was bound to be much higher than that of other units.

As the Ming cavalry quickly closed the distance, the Balhae army also responded quickly.

The artillery battalion directly under the division headquarters, the artillery companies under each regimental headquarters, and the artillery platoons under the battalion headquarters were already waiting, having finished lining up each artillery. Considering that the Ming army did not yet know the exact effective range of the Balhae artillery, they positioned each artillery in an appropriate spot. The new 100mm howitzer with the longest range—a towed artillery first developed last year—was positioned halfway up the mountain or at the very rear, and the 80mm howitzer was positioned in front of it, and the 80mm mortars and 60mm mortars were positioned in front of that.

More effective gunpowder was developed, and both shells and cannons were constantly improved, so their firing ranges had increased significantly compared to before. As a result, the artillery units could move not too far, so they could take up positions before the infantry. So the Ming army command judged that the Balhae army’s camp was not yet organized after seeing only the infantry that had come out onto the plains, and boldly launched a preemptive strike.

The Ming cavalry swarmed from the west and the center, each with 6,000 cavalry, and swarmed the Balhae 12th Division troops on both sides. They intended to attack the two flanks first, and then the Balhae command and artillery units located in the rear. Then, the Ming infantry surged toward the empty Balhae front.

As a force three times greater than the 12th Division simultaneously mobilized, the tension among the Balhae soldiers reached its peak and their expressions of agitation were evident. As a result, the shouts of experienced non-commissioned officers and officers encouraging the soldiers could be heard throughout the Balhae camp.

“The 20th Division?”

Division Commander Park Jong-su asked this question and looked up at the sky without realizing it. He was asking if the communication from the observer on the hot air balloon—a note the observer wrote down and threw—had arrived. Noticing that the division commander was also somewhat nervous, Vice Commander Ko smiled and answered.

“A report came in just a little while ago. The 20th Division is also moving quickly toward the Eastern Front, and the enemy reinforcements coming from the rear are also expected to arrive at the Eastern Front soon.”

“Tch! They used a really cheap trick. Adding 30,000 troops too late.”

“Yes, that’s right. But I think the 2nd Division decided that our two divisions would be enough. And the 17th Division of the reserve forces is supporting us from behind.”

Like the commander of the Goryeon Division, he turned his head toward the hilly area behind him. It was where the 12th Division’s position had been, and now the 17th Division’s troops were stationed there.

“Well, we’ll be reaching the firing line soon, right?”

The artillery unit’s firing line was set considering the safety of friendly forces and the effective range of each artillery. Since the artillery unit was deployed accordingly, once firing began, all shells, regardless of the type of artillery, were aimed at that point.

As soon as Park Jong-su finished speaking, all of Balhae’s cannons opened fire simultaneously.

Pupupupu! Pupupu!

The loud crack of gunfire shook the plains south of Gaeju. At the same time, a sharp whistle was heard overhead. It was the distinctive sound of a mortar shell flying by.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Ming cavalry was running, keeping a distance between their horses in preparation for Balhae’s artillery fire. However, since the artillery fire range was quite wide, this countermeasure was useless. People and animals alike were helpless against the numerous fragments scattered by the explosion of various shells.

“Wow! The power of the new firearm is truly terrifying.”

The Balhae commanders shuddered when they saw the power of the 100-mimi howitzer.

All kinds of shells fell on the Ming cavalry formation, turning the ground upside down and scattering debris and dirt, but the explosion caused by the 100-mimi howitzer was clearly distinguishable. The ground was hollowed out, and the killing power was also tremendous. The killing radius of this shell was more than 20 jeongmi (meters), so a single shot could knock down more than a dozen cavalry at the same time. Moreover, the effective range was 6 jang.

When the Ming cavalry suffered from the artillery fire of the Balhae artillery units, the morale of the Balhae army rose to its peak. The percentage of Ming cavalry passing through the artillery area was less than 30%. However, they could not target them. Since they could not risk the safety of their own troops and fire at close range, the Balhae artillery units left the 30% or so cavalry that passed through to the infantry and continued to target only the cavalry that newly entered the artillery range.

The riflemen were waiting for the Ming cavalry that barely made it to the Balhae camp alive.

Tata tata tang! Tata tang!

As numerous Geonheung-1 type rifles fired, hundreds of Ming cavalrymen fell at the same time with a single volley. The riflemen continued to pull back and advance the bolts, aiming at the Ming cavalrymen they saw. Thanks to the arduous training they had undergone, the Balhae riflemen were amazingly accurate in their marksmanship. Since there was no danger of being attacked by the enemy at range, they had ample time to aim.

“Oh my! The enemy cavalry is just melting away.”

Since this was the first real battle with the new weapon, even the commander, Goryeon, shook his head as if he had not expected the weapon to display this much power.

* * *

Henry Middleton’s prediction turned out to be correct.

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The ships of the 33rd Squadron of the 3rd Fleet led by Tammy entered the Eastern Channel between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula – the future Lei Yuen Strait.

Choi Yul, the 33rd Squadron Commander, who was quickly scanning his surroundings with his telescope, tilted his head.

“This is a quiet countryside. I thought there would be something there since I heard there was a Dutch fleet base there.”

Following Taegeon’s orders, the 33rd Squadron, which was in charge of guarding the Ryukyu sea area, recently moved to Hani Islands to join this maritime blockade operation.

With the 33rd Squadron joining, Tammy has been operating the fleet by sending out two squadrons in turns for blockade operations, while one squadron rests and stands by.

“Hong Kong Island has only just been taken over, so there won’t be much going on at the Dutch base. There will probably be some makeshift wharf facilities and crude crew quarters.”

Tammy answered.

“I guess the 34th Squadron is happily attacking Cheonju right now?”

“maybe?”

Quanzhou was a port located further north than Yuehang.

The Balhae fleet returned to Ansan Port immediately after the naval battle, left the handling of prisoners to the Marine Corps, quickly finished replenishing supplies, and set sail again. They headed first to Wol Port. This was because it was a port where the retreating Ming navy fleet was likely anchored.

As expected, the Ming fleet was gathered in large numbers at Wolhang. Most of them had suffered major and minor damage in this naval battle, so they had no choice but to head to the nearest port.

As soon as the Balhae fleet arrived at the mouth of the Guryong River, they mercilessly bombarded the anchored Ming naval ships, destroying most of them. They also destroyed all the Ming government offices and military facilities along the coast.

The Balhae fleet, which had returned after attacking Wolhang, finally rested, and resumed operations when the 33rd Squadron entered Ansan Port.

The 33rd Squadron brought a Marine regiment including the commander of the battery to Tammy’s request. Thanks to this, the mission to attack Hong Kong Island naturally fell to the 33rd Squadron.

“What are you going to do with the Dutch ships?”

Choi Yul asked. He had examined in detail the condition of the five Dutch ships that were floating in the sea off Ansan Port, in rags.

“I don’t know. We’ll have to wait until the Joseon Dynasty commanders come to find out.”

“Please rewrite it if possible.”

“I thought so too, but with new ships scheduled to be introduced next year, I don’t know if it’s necessary to repair and use them.”

“A new ship?”

Not all naval officers knew about the introduction of the Balhae-type schooner, or Haerang-class long-rigged ship. Choi Yul immediately changed his mind after hearing Tammy’s explanation.

“Then why don’t we just hand it over to the private sector?”

“I think that’s the conclusion. Or… what about selling it to the Yugu Kingdom?”

“Well, I guess you mean to strengthen the Ryukyu Kingdom’s navy. That way, our burden will be reduced.”

“That’s right. I know very well that the 33rd Squadron has been through a lot.”

“Haha! Thank you for understanding.”

Choi Yul smiled.

In fact, the 33rd Squadron was overloaded with work, taking charge of not only the vast Ryukyu sea area but also the somewhat distant Daedong Islands. Therefore, selling Dutch sailing ships to the Ryukyu Kingdom was a double-edged sword. Not only would the burden on the Balhae navy be reduced, but the ships could also be sold at a high price. Ryukyu, which made a living through brokerage trade, had always wanted to have a navy like Balhae.

The 33rd Squadron passed through Kowloon Bay and finally reached its destination.

The destination was the future Victoria Harbor. The sea between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula was very calm and deep, making it one of the world’s three largest natural harbors, along with San Francisco in the United States and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

As they had similar views, the Dutch East India Company was also developing the future Victoria Harbour area as a port.

“There is no boat.”

Choi Yul said with a rather disappointed expression.

“They must have run away. But those who stayed have raised the white flag?”

The ships had fled, but the Dutch East India Company, which had a longing for Hong Kong Island, left some troops behind in the hope that they might be able to avoid revenge from the Balhae fleet. However, contrary to their expectations, the Balhae fleet entered the strait one after another, and they ended up hoisting the white flag.

“Well, do you think we can take over this island without any problems?”

“Since the relationship between Ming and us will continue to be bad in the future anyway, we have no choice but to occupy it. Even if we don’t receive it through a formal treaty, we can’t just let an enemy country like the Netherlands use this island.”

Tammy smiled faintly. This was what Taegeon had told her in the letter.

Taegeon decided to take Hong Kong Island because he needed another stepping stone for advancing into Southeast Asia. Hong Kong could not be used commercially right away because he was at war with the Ming Dynasty and it would take a long time for relations to improve, but it was sufficient as a port of call for Balhae merchant ships and a naval base.

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