Joseon Military Officer, Establishing Balhae - Chapter 308



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Episode 308

Nurhachi in agony (2)

When the train arrived at Cheonpo Station and Tae-geon got off the train, the station staff and military personnel lined up paid their respects to Tae-geon.

“Giha! Welcome.”

Lieutenant General Park Min, commander of the 5th Corps, was the first to greet Taegeon.

“It’s been a while. You must have worked hard.”

“Yes, Geometry!”

Park Min answered with a moved expression. Park Min was also one of the founding fathers of Balhae and a comrade who fought alongside Taegeon for a long time.

“Hmm, Baekdu Mountain is still beautiful no matter when I see it.”

Before exchanging greetings with the military officers, Taegeon first looked up at Baekdu Mountain.

Cheonpojin was a strategic point located at the eastern end of Cheonricheonpyeong, Gusunbeol. Since Cheonricheonpyeong begins here, there was no terrain blocking Baekdusan, that is, obstructing the view.

“Oh! Division Commander of the Beehive Unit.”

Another commander who approached Taegeon was the commander of the 14th Division of the Reserve Forces, the Beol-i-dae Division. He was a former chief of the Odori tribe and was also a veteran commander in the Balhae military.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, Kiha.”

The Goryeo language of Beol-i-dae was so fluent that it was hard to believe that he was from the East Sea. He was a person who had become a Goryeo person not only in language but also in values.

“Please take good care of me this time.”

“Yes, Geometry! I don’t know.”

Tae-Geon asked Park Min again.

“Didn’t it take some time to get here from Hyesan?”

“It didn’t take long for the railroad to be laid all the way to Seosura Deok.”

“If it has been laid to Seosura Deok, it will soon be connected to Hyesan.”

Seosuradeok is located in the southern part of Baekdu Mountain, near the Bibi River, and is much further south than Samjiyeon.

“The Gyeonghye Line will be completed in one or two months as scheduled.”

“What about the heavenly line?”

The Cheonbu Line was actually a line that was supposed to be included in the 3rd railway construction plan, but construction was hastily brought forward due to the war. It was being built across the northern plains of Mt. Baekdu as a line connecting Cheonpojin here and Buheungjin in Inanbu, Neoyenhyeon.

“We advanced to the southern part of Heo Si-hyeon.”

“What a pity. If we had been connected to Buheungjin by now, transporting supplies would have been much easier.”

“Still, it’s okay because the terrain of the transport route that runs through the northern plains of Mt. Baekdu is relatively flat.”

Tae-Geon entered the 14th Division headquarters barracks under the guidance of Lieutenant General Park Min.

The 14th Division was tasked with supporting the 26th Division of the 1st Operations Command, which was guarding the border between Buheungjin and Tanghajin in this war.

Taegeon planned to move with the 14th Division for the time being. Taegeon, who always left his hometown when war broke out, was once again pushing forward despite his subordinates’ dissuasion.

“You hid your troops well, right?”

Tae-Geon asked the beekeeper.

“Yes. Most of them are stationed in the northern mountainous region beyond the Tuman River. Some spies from the Later Jin Dynasty have entered the area, but we have captured them all.”

Another mission of the 14th Division was to prepare for the blitzkrieg of the Later Jin army. If the Later Jin army broke through the border and made a quick attack on Seoul, there were two routes they were expected to use.

One route was to pass through Inanjin in the north, then go along the Burugang Valley, through Myeongwoljin, Bosansa, Gwangmyeongjin, and cross Hyeondeokbu. Another route was to go through the flat northern plains of Baekdu Mountain and Cheonpojin here, and then along the Duman River. The 14th Division was placed on standby at Cheonpojin because the Later Jin army was likely to choose this route.

“What is the Later Jin army doing?”

A lieutenant-ranking liaison officer from the 26th Division answered Tae-Geon’s question on his behalf.

“I am staying in Yangchajin. I have found out that King Nurhachi of the Later Jin is also there.”

“Oh! Nurhachi has also come to his parents’ house?”

Taegeon smiled and continued speaking.

“If we do well, we can fight face to face.”

All the commanders burst into laughter at Taegeon’s words.

“Hahaha! If it’s Kiha, I’ll be able to cut that guy down with one stroke.”

Park Min said with a smile.

“Haha! What about a sword? We live in an era where people fight with guns.”

Taegeon also smiled awkwardly and said. In fact, Taegeon’s remark was no different from the topic of conversation for all Balhae commanders. Because the power of firearms is so great, the use of traditional cold weapons is rapidly decreasing.

“Anyway, if they haven’t moved yet, there’s no need to wait here. It would be better to move tomorrow and help the 26th Division.”

Taegeon actually hoped that Nurhachi would launch a blitzkrieg. So he expected that he would be severely defeated by the 14th Division lying in ambush at Cheonpojin. However, Nurhachi was lucky, and since the Later Jin army was hesitating at Yangchajin, he decided to lift the 14th Division’s ambush.

“Yes, Geoha. I’ll get it ready quickly.”

The platoon leader answered immediately, and the 14th Division officers rushed out to deliver the order.

“By the way, I’m curious about the Liaodong area.”

Because of the distance, it took quite some time for the messenger from the Liaodong area to arrive. So Taegeon had already devised a strategy and ordered them to move accordingly. Instead, he had a liaison officer constantly send out to properly report after the fact.

“We will definitely achieve our strategic goals soon.”

“I guess so.”

Tae-Geon had a brief meeting with his commanders and then took a rest. Corps Commander Park Min took his commanders back to Hyesan, where the headquarters was located. Two divisions belonging to the Corps were also deployed to the front in the Liaodong region, so they had to hold their positions.

* * *

After completing the operation to occupy Hong Kong Island and returning to the Hani Islands, Tammy was welcomed by the Admiral of the Southern Seas, Heo Gyun.

“No? What is the governor doing here…….”

When Tammy asked in surprise, Heo Gyun burst into laughter and answered.

“The war is in full swing, and we can’t just stay in Choryang. That’s why I came here to see if there’s anything else our navy needs. Also, Formosa and Hani Islands are also areas under the control of the Southern Sea Department.”

“Haha! Welcome.”

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“How did you manage to take over Hong Kong Island?”

“Yes, thanks to you, the jurisdiction of the Southern Sea Department has expanded.”

“How is it there?”

“It’s the best place for a port. The location is also good. It’s even better because Macau is nearby.”

“Isn’t Macau also included in the blockade operation?”

“Of course we should, but it won’t be easy. Since it’s under Portuguese control, it’ll be difficult to block the passage of Portuguese ships, as well as Spanish ships that formed the United Kingdom. However, we’ll continue to try using Hong Kong Island as our base. In any case, the important thing is to minimize the amount of silver flowing into the Ming Dynasty.”

“What about Gwangju?”

“Of course, Gwangju should be completely sealed off. It is close to Hong Kong Island, so we can be deployed at any time.”

“Hmm, looking at it that way, I guess it was a good idea to get Hong Kong Island.”

“Yes, it is a really great place to manage the Nammyeonghae Sea.”

The Balhae side called the future South China Sea the ‘Nammyeong Sea’.

“Oh, right! The envoy from the Kingdom of Darida has arrived.”

“Haha! That country really sends out messengers shamelessly?”

“Because ships from Balhae often come and go, it seems they use those ships to come.”

“I guess that’s safer. But have you met him?”

“We met. Would you like to meet the princess too?”

“Yes, I will.”

At Heo Gyun’s direction, the Namhaebu official brought a young man named Atec Kauzong, an envoy from the Darida (Dadu) kingdom. He was a young general from the Papora tribe, the central tribe of this confederated kingdom.

As soon as A-Tek Ka-u-jong entered the Hanihyeon County Office, he bowed his head and greeted them. This was because he had heard from the Namhaebu official that the princess of Balhae was inside.

“Greetings. King Darida’s messenger, Atec Kawjong, greets the princess.”

The current king Darida’s surname was Kamachat.

“Nice to meet you. But what brings you here?”

“Princess, our kingdom is under great threat from the British who have settled in the south. The resentment of the Macao and Paiwan people who have been conquered by them is reaching the heavens. So I would like to ask for your help……”

Tammy soon realized why they had come. They needed weapons.

As the Balhae merchants began to trade with the Darida Kingdom, the Darida Kingdom’s national power grew rapidly. Following Samjeong Shipping, Samwoo Shipping also entered the sugar business, and as the sugarcane and other special crops were added to the business, money began to flow into the Darida Kingdom. The kingdom began to receive not only in kind, such as fabrics and farming tools, but also in Balhae silver as payment.

As the country grew wealthy, its military power naturally grew, and it was able to secure territory beyond the borders of the Taocas and Babuja tribes, which were members of the United Kingdom. As a result, its territory more than tripled compared to before, and it grew rapidly into a country that could truly represent Formosa.

However, the British East India Company was a problem. When the Darida Kingdom heard about the way they treated the natives, they became very nervous and asked for Balhae’s help.

Heo Gyun, who had already figured out the purpose of the envoy’s visit, asked about other matters.

“That may be true in the South, but what about the North?”

“If it’s the North…….”

“What tribe lives to the north, outside your country’s territory?”

“Oh, yes. There are Ketagalans, Kuluns, and a small number of Atayals living together.”

“Why didn’t they come into your kingdom?”

“Um, that’s…….”

The messenger made a somewhat troubled expression, then quickly became serious and began to explain the situation.

“Aren’t the Ketagalan and Kulun people doing well within the Balhae territory now?”

The land of Balhae that Atec Kaujong spoke of was the Damsu-hyeon region. These indigenous people had widely spread residences not only in Damsu-hyeon but also outside of the territory.

“That’s true.”

“Unlike the brutal Dutch, Balhae’s rule was lenient, and the local people who became part of Balhae had better lives, so the Ketagalan and Kulun people outside the border wished to belong to Balhae, not our country.”

It was the first time Heo Gyun and Taemi had heard this news.

“Hahahaha! Really?”

Heo Gyun did not hide his joy.

“Then what about the east? Spain has established itself there.”

“The central mountainous region is rugged, making it difficult to travel by land to our kingdom.”

“That’s fortunate. So the problem is in the South…….”

“Yes, the Hoa Nya people who live relatively close to British territory are already feeling uneasy and have been making contact with our kingdom. Not to mention the Siraya people who live further south, right next to British territory.”

“Really? That would be enough to become a member of the kingdom.”

“Yes. In Hoyana’s case, there are those who have already become part of our kingdom.”

The Formosa indigenous tribes live on the same island and have only one thing in common: they are classified as Southeast Asians, but their time of entry into the island, bloodline, and customs are all different. There are also many tribes within the same tribe. The Hoyana tribe was the same. In fact, only a very small number of Hoyana tribes became part of the Darida Kingdom.

“But there are many differences.”

The messenger was speaking vaguely, as negotiations with the Hoa Nha tribe were running into difficulties.

“Well, you can take care of that yourself. Anyway, you came here because you needed weapons, right?”

When Tammy scratched the itchy spot first, Atech Kauzong nodded vigorously.

“Yes, that’s right, princess.”

“Then try ordering it from the Balhae merchants. Even though gunpowder weapons may be difficult, you should be able to purchase cold weapons through the merchants.”

“Oh, thank you, Princess.”

Taegeon intended to support the Darida Kingdom. Knowing this, Taemi also said that she would allow the trade of traditional weapons with her authority.

As the messenger left the room, Heo Gyun laughed heartily and said.

“I think we should go to Damsu-hyeon right away and expand our territory. We can’t just leave the natives who want to come into Balhae’s embrace alone.”

“Haha! That’s right.”

Tammy responded with a big smile.

If they accepted all of these natives, the existing freshwater territory would be expanded by nearly three times. Knowing this, the two men were very happy.

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