Joseon Military Officer, Establishing Balhae - Chapter 307



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Episode 307

Nurhachi in agony (1)

Yangchajin was a place in the Jiangwon District of Baekdu City, a part of the Later Jin Dynasty in the future China, and was a place name created by Taegeon. It was the border area between Balhae and the Later Jin Dynasty in the direction of Baekdu Mountain, and was where the rear headquarters of the Later Jin expeditionary force was located.

Nurhachi gazed at the Pazhao River—a tributary of the Yalu River and the future Hun River—and was lost in thought. His face was sallow, due to his deep distress.

My younger brother, Shurhachi, came over and asked.

“Are you still thinking about it?”

“That’s right. I can’t think of any good tactics. Didn’t the suggestions made by the generals before all come to nothing?”

This time, Nurhachi mobilized a total of 60,000 troops. He had intended to mobilize more, but when intelligence arrived that Balhae’s forces were formidable, he deployed 20,000 troops on the rear route leading to the capital, Golminala, in preparation for an emergency. Therefore, the Balhae Ikmunsa expected 80,000 troops to participate.

Before the original expedition, the Later Jin army planned to wage a blitzkrieg in this war. They planned to make the most of the mobility of the Later Jin army, which was mainly composed of cavalry, and to go straight to the capital city of Seoul without engaging in a battle with the Balhae army deployed on the front lines. In order to do so, they had to bypass the Balhae garrisons positioned everywhere. In doing so, they had to be prepared for not only the possibility of their retreat being blocked, but also the possibility of their supplies running out in the middle.

The reason for choosing such a reckless strategy was, of course, Balhae’s terrifying firepower. However, thanks to the Ming army’s mobilization of a large army, a considerable number of Balhae troops were deployed on the Liaodong front, and when intelligence came in that the Later Jin army had to deal with approximately 50,000 Balhae troops, this strategy was adopted.

Of course, this information that the Later Jin received before the start of the war was incorrect. The Balhae Army’s 1st Operations Command, which was to deal with the Later Jin, had a whopping 5 divisions and 65,000 troops. And although Nurhachi had not yet figured it out, there were also 3 reserve divisions and about 40,000 troops stationed behind them. In other words, the Later Jin army was in a position where it had to deal with a Balhae force that was much larger than its own.

Nurhachi, who belatedly learned of the forces under the 1st Operations Command, was struggling to discard his existing strategy and devise a new one.

“You said there were enemy garrisons in Pyeonghwasa, Tanghajin, and Buheungjin?”

“Yes.”

“All the passageways are blocked.”

Pyeonghwasa was a trading city on the banks of the Yalu River, Tanghajin was the most important defensive position near Baekdu Mountain, located on the western border of Juseo-rijin, the seat of the Juseo-ri County of Inanbu, and Buheungjin was located further north, all of which were the headquarters of the regiments under the 26th Division.

“There are only command centers in those three places, and they are deployed tightly along the border in units of about 500 people. In addition, there are round balloons floating in the sky to monitor our military’s movements.”

Shurhachi’s complexion was also dull. After learning more about the border situation, his confidence had also dropped significantly.

“That’s not all. They still have 10,000 of their best troops guarding their capital?”

“Yes.”

In fact, this was the most desperate advantage for Nurhachi. Even if he finally reached Seoul after much difficulty, the 23rd Division, the division that defended the capital, would remain and guard it. This was also a fact that he found out later, and he had no confidence in quickly defeating this force.

“And there’s also an organization called the Armed Police that we didn’t know about?”

“Yes, all of their members are cavalrymen and have served in the military, so their strength is formidable. They are also said to have quite a large number stationed in the area we will pass through.”

“They may not have firearms or the latest weapons, but they are no different from elite soldiers who have matchlock guns?”

Nurhachi continued to recite the additional facts he had learned.

“Phew! That’s right.”

“The King of Later Balhae has truly made a country difficult to approach.”

Nurhachi shivered as goosebumps ran through his body.

“What about Daishan?”

Nurhachi asked about the situation of the Left Army, which was commanded by his second son, Daishan.

“I got word that they are on standby. I also got information about the Balhae Army on your border. Two divisions are guarding the north and south.”

Nurhachi was here leading his 30,000 strong army, which could be considered his main force, while Daishan was targeting the area around Ula Castle, the future Jilin City.

Because the terrain of eastern Manchuria was rugged, there were not many routes for the large army to move through. The only routes that were worth considering were the Ula Castle area where Daishan’s left army was located and the area around Baekdu Mountain. That’s why he placed 30,000 men on the left and right armies and had them wait near the border. And the 20,000 men in the center and rear army, led by his eldest son Chuying, stayed in the far rear, in Volatile, in case the Balhae army could surprise attack through Volatile River.

“What are you going to do?”

“No matter how strong the forces of the Later Balhae are, we can’t retreat like this. Aren’t our Daegeum forces elite as well?”

Nurhachi was very proud of his victory over the Mongol forces of Ligdan Khan. So he thought it was worth fighting even though he was outnumbered by the Balhae army. However, he was troubled by the variables of the capital defense division and the armed police organization.

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“There is hardly any army that can withstand the charge of our cavalry, and they are not even fortified.”

Shurhachi had long pointed out that the Balhae army did not build castles. He argued that this was advantageous to the Later Jin army, which was mainly composed of cavalry.

“First, we need to close the distance to their capital. Even if it’s difficult to capture the capital in this war, if we close the distance, won’t we have a chance next time? Should we expand our territory as far east as possible and decide our next move after observing the results of the Battle of Liaodong?”

“That would be good. Then should I contact the left army as well?”

“Yes. We will reclaim Jusuri and Nehyeon, and the left army will reclaim all of the former Ula territory, Omoho Suru, and the land of Puhnahe Toxo.”

Nurhachi intended to target the entire Inanbu region of present-day Balhae. He decided to gain more territory in exchange for giving up on a blitzkrieg that would lead directly to the capital.

* * *

The rear army headquarters on the northern bank of the Daegyeong River, east of Gaeju.

As soon as the commander of the 1st Army of the rear army, Liu Zheng, arrived at the front line, he pushed the rear army to the eastern front. Since the western and central armies had already entered the battle, there was no room for delay.

On the eastern front, the 20th Division of the Balhae Army, which had descended from Hashima Pass and begun to move north, faced a combined force of 40,000 troops, including 10,000 friendly troops from the Ming army and 30,000 troops from the rear 1st Route Army. In terms of the size of the two sides, the situation was similar to that of the central and western fronts. The only difference was that the rear 1st Route Army had a somewhat smaller cavalry force.

Yu Jeong frowned as she heard the gunfire and explosions coming from the central western front. It was a sound that brought out the sense of anxiety engraved in her bones.

Yoo Jeong’s anxiety soon became a reality, as he witnessed the troops he had sent into the battlefield melt away under Balhae’s overwhelming firepower.

“I’m more powerful than before. And the range has increased.”

The cannons at the very rear of the rear ranks were also broken. Because the distance to the Balhae army camp was close compared to the central western front, most of the eastern army entered the effective firing range of the Balhae cannons shortly after the charge.

Yu Jeong’s unit couldn’t even properly carry out the advance order. The soldiers were already in a state of confusion as shells were falling indiscriminately. Because so many soldiers were unable to keep their bearings in the middle of the battlefield, the damage was accumulating even faster.

“Okay, General. If we continue like this, we will all be wiped out. Take action quickly.”

Commander Kang Eung-geon was already gripped by fear. This was because shells were falling even near the command post located at the rear.

“West, what about the west… huh?”

“Look at that. Aren’t they retreating too?”

The Ming western and central armies that were on the offensive lost their cavalry first. And the Ming infantry that was rushing madly toward the center of the Balhae camp were also hit hard by the Balhae cannons and riflemen’s gunfire, just like Yu Jeong’s rear. As a result, the western and central armies were unable to overcome the Balhae offensive and eventually began to retreat.

“Oh, I see.”

While Yu Jeong hesitated for a moment, the battle situation changed again. The artillery fire became quieter, and the Balhae riflemen rushed out and began firing at the Ming army, which was still in disarray.

Yu-jeong began to tremble as she saw the attack scene of the Balhae riflemen for the first time.

“Hey, what is that?”

There was no smoke like a matchlock gun. Also, the Balhae riflemen reloaded with a simple movement and started shooting again. As a result, the Ming troops were hit by a hail of bullets and fell down screaming. Some fell flat on their faces on instinct, and even more fell down after being shot in the back while hurriedly running to the rear.

At present, the supply rate of new rifles in the Balhae Army was about 30%. 200 per battalion, so including each regiment and division headquarters, approximately 4,500 were distributed to each division. Since the rifles were engraved on the barrels by hand, even though they had been produced steadily, this was the limit. In addition, as the number of newly established divisions continued to increase and the order to mobilize the reserve forces was issued, the average number of rifles per division could not be increased.

So, all the riflemen and archers who used matchlock guns in the past were given the new rifles, but the rest had to serve as grenadiers, archers, and assassins. As a result, infantry other than riflemen would have the opportunity to be active in rough terrain battles, not in firepower battles on flat ground.

“warlord!”

Kang Eung-geon woke Yu-jeong up with a loud voice.

“Oh, I understand. Give the order to retreat quickly.”

The order was quickly delivered. Then the Ming soldiers started running madly toward the north. However, not all of them could retreat safely. The unlucky soldiers were attacked by the Balhae riflemen who were pursuing them and shooting, and the Balhae cavalry that had only just now revealed itself.

However, the soldiers who crossed the Daegyeong River survived. Since there was a possibility of damage during the crossing, the Balhae army did not bother to approach the riverbank. Yu Jeong, somewhat relieved by the sight, made his next plan.

“Let’s first go back to Walnut Mountain, reorganize our battle lines there, and stop the enemy.”

“Yes, General. But our troops…….”

“The friendly forces would also give up and go into the mountains. If they were in their right mind.”

Yoo Jeong’s prediction was right on the mark. A messenger from the Allied Forces headquarters came and told him exactly what he had expected. Ming’s Allied Forces abandoned Gaeju and decided to go to Nohosan Mountain, located north of Gaeju, like Yoo Jeong’s rear forces.

On Nohosan and Hodusan, where the right and rear armies would be stationed, defensive positions had already been established. Since Gaeju was the front line, the Ming army had prepared reserve positions in various places around Gaeju. In particular, the positions on Nohosan and Hodusan were even more solid, and were almost like impregnable fortresses. If these two positions were breached, they would have to face the Balhae army in the open plains.

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