Joseon Military Officer, Establishing Balhae - Chapter 311



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Episode 311

Southern Front (3)

The king asked his subjects again.

“Where should we go now?”

“I think it would be better to go to Cheorwon.”

Lee Ee-cheom answered.

“Aren’t you fighting a war with the rebels there right now? Moreover, I know that the commander-in-chief and his generals are all on the rebels’ side.”

“That just changed. Last night, when Your Majesty was about to go to bed, urgent news came from the sergeant I had planted in the camp that the riflemen had come in late and killed most of the generals. Then, mid-level officers like Pa-chong quickly subdued the few generals who had survived and sided with the rebels, and installed a new commander.”

“It’s amazing. I can’t believe something like that happened.”

“Because those who did not know much about military affairs were wielding military power and shaking it up, all the officers and men under their command were dissatisfied. Furthermore, after experiencing the terrifying artillery attacks of the late navy, they encouraged the officers and men to charge into that pit of fire, so their anger eventually exploded.”

“Then, if the person goes to Cheorwon, will they follow him?”

“I will follow. After all, the officials are not very loyal to His Majesty.”

“Haha! How could that be loyalty to the person? It must be a strong antipathy toward the main force.”

“That’s not true. The non-officials…….”

“Okay.”

The king knew very well why many of the military officers supported the king and the Northerners, even though public opinion among the ruling yangban was worsening. The military officers, who had a clear understanding of Balhae’s military power, were afraid to fight the Balhae army no matter what. Therefore, they could not naturally agree with the line of the Westerners and Southerners, who were the main proponents of war. Furthermore, since the border was formed in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, close to the capital, the military officers’ sense of crisis could not help but be stronger.

“Let’s go. We should go and collect them.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Just as the king and his entourage were about to finish their rest and mount their horses, one of the guardsmen who was watching the net shouted loudly.

“The weightlifters have reached right in front of the hill. The number of troops has also increased.”

“Oh… It looks like they’ve gathered more troops in the meantime. I think we should hurry.”

Kijaheon urged the king.

That was when.

Tata tata tang! Tata tang!

Suddenly, a loud gunshot began to ring out from below the hill.

“What, what is it?”

“Seeing the weightlifters fall, it seems like someone is helping us. I wonder if they sent troops from Cheorwon.”

The general immediately grasped the situation and answered.

“Already in Cheorwon?”

Something completely incomprehensible had happened. Moreover, the reasoning of the ceremonial attire was hardly valid.

“We’ll figure out their true identities later, but for now, let’s get out of here first.”

Jeong In-hong urged the king again.

“Phew! Let’s go, then.”

The king and his entourage mounted their horses again and rode towards Cheorwon.

* * *

The 3rd Corps Special Forces Battalion Commander Jeong Gwon-bu, who had set up a secret base deep in Samgaksan (Bukhansan) and was in charge of supporting the spies operating in secret in Hanseongbu, received urgent news from a spy that there were signs of a rebellion in Joseon’s capital. When he also received intelligence that the Northerners were responding by gathering horses to carry the king and his party to Hyehwamun, he quickly led all 50 or so Special Forces troops out to Suyu Pass and hid there.

As expected, a rebellion occurred, and as a result, the king and his entourage, who had escaped from the capital, were seen climbing the hill. The commander of the regime briefly considered pursuing the king and his entourage. However, since his mission was to provide support for the spy agency, he could not leave his post, so he decided to just let them pass.

But soon, when troops pursuing the king appeared at the front, he was once again troubled.

“Should we just leave it? Or…….”

He asked the 1st Platoon Commander Hong I-cheong, who was standing next to him. He was a graduate of the Korea Military Academy and a very intelligent officer, so he wanted to hear his advice.

“Wouldn’t it be better to stop it? Aren’t the people who staged the rebellion on the side of the Ming Dynasty and want to fight Balhae?”

“It is beneficial for Balhae to save the King of Joseon, right?”

“yes.”

“Well, that’s true. But I don’t know if it’s right for us to interfere in other people’s business.”

“Right now, only we can make the decision and act. Even if we are questioned later, wouldn’t you accept that we helped the King of Joseon and the Northerners for the sake of the national interest? And I heard that King Giha only severely punishes his subjects who commit crimes, and is lenient on errors in judgment.”

Hong I-cheong knew very well what the battalion commander was worried about.

“That’s right. You’ve always been like that. If the national interest is your justification, then I think it’s right to do as you say.”

The government’s executive branch concluded:

“After using up all the ammunition we brought, we will retreat alive.”

“Yes, Commander.”

The special agents began firing as soon as the North Korean rebels came within effective range. Since they were all armed with the Gunheung-1 rifle, even though there were only about 50 of them, they did the work of more than 500 North Korean soldiers.

The special forces were reluctant to harm their own people, so they aimed for the horse with one mind. That alone was enough to neutralize the fighting power of the Joseon army. With the loud gunshots and the bullets raining down, and with the number of people falling off their horses, the rebels could no longer pursue and had no choice but to dismount and hide.

The regime, judging that they had bought enough time, ordered their subordinates to stop the attack, and quickly climbed up the mountain with their men and returned to the mountain. As expected of a special force specializing in mountain warfare, they quickly disappeared like smoke, leaving the tense rebels dismayed.

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After the first battle of the Pyeonggang front, which ended in vain because the North Korean army retreated to the Cheorwon border position without any engagement, the 3rd Corps command was still holding its ground while gathering information about the North Korean army camp.

“Wow, this is going to be fun.”

After hearing the explanation from Corps Command Information Officer Do Won-jeong, Kang Dae-gu smiled and said.

“Anyway, a 4th-rank official named Woo-hu Eo-ryun has taken command, and he and his subordinates do not want war?”

“Yes.”

The 4th rank was one step lower than the Dohobusa or Jeoljeosa, and only one step higher than Pajong, and was not a rank that could command tens of thousands of troops. In other words, all of Eoyeorin’s superiors were either killed by Balhae snipers or purged from within.

“What should I do?”

Kang Dae-gu recalled the order he had received from Tae-geon. If the enemy camp was in such disarray, he should have just pushed forward. However, Tae-geon strongly urged him to choose the option of shedding as little blood as possible. Not only was it a problem that fighting between compatriots could have enormous side effects, but managing the growing territory was also a big task. So Tae-geon kindly explained the situation and added that there was no need to rush Joseon’s absorption or annexation.

Kang Dae-gu also had the same idea. Joseon was already collapsing from within, so he thought there was no need to fight with much bloodshed. As the commander of the 3rd Army Corps, it was a conviction he had gained while guarding Joseon’s borders for a long time. As Balhae’s culture and reality spread and became known throughout Joseon, Joseon was collapsing in proportion.

“Let’s try to persuade him first. Didn’t His Majesty ask you to do the same?”

The 4th Division Commander Lee Wi said.

“Okay, let’s do that first, then see the reaction and decide.”

The adjutant came into the command post and handed over a report, saying:

“Commander. A messenger has arrived from the 24th Division.”

“It looks like there’s been another change in Kanto.”

Unlike the northern front of Gyeonggi-do, the Joseon army in the Gwandong region was in complete disarray. Far from the capital, the Joseon army’s discipline was completely lax and they had no desire to defend the border. Naturally, deserters began to appear in large numbers. The people also took advantage of this war. They rose up in large numbers as before. The soldiers also joined in. As a result, the border continued to move south. Even before the war began, the border region of Ganseong-gun had already been changed to Balhae territory.

Kang Dae-gu opened the report and smiled.

“I see. You’ve already taken over Yangyang Dohobu and are looking down on Gangneung?”

“Oh my! You’ve already taken over Yangyang?”

“That’s really incredibly fast.”

The division commanders were surprised by the rapid advance of the 24th Division and each spoke out loud.

“If this trend continues, Gangneung will soon fall into our hands. And there was no fighting, so it couldn’t get any better than this.”

Kang Dae-gu also agreed with the above opinion.

“That’s right. I think this trend will continue in the future.”

“I think His Majesty anticipated that and said there was no need to fight.”

“Right. That’s what I thought too.”

Kang Dae-gu turned his gaze towards the vast Cheorwon Plain with a smile.

“Huh? A lion is coming?”

“Oh! That’s right.”

All commanders caught the eye of a man in plain clothes and a hat riding a horse toward the Balhae camp from the Joseon army camp.

“Just bring it here.”

Kang Dae-gu decided to meet the lion himself.

The one who came as a lion was surprisingly Grand Prince Park Seung-gyeong. He was also a key figure in the Northerners who strongly advocated non-participation in the three-nation alliance and anti-war.

Kang Dae-gu recalled that memory and soon understood why Park Seung-kyung had come as a lion.

“How surprising. The Grand Prince is coming. I thought the Lord Hogun was the commander-in-chief.”

Park Seung-kyung smiled when he saw Kang Dae-gu’s surprised face.

“Haha! You know everything that happened in our Joseon army camp. No, you did it, right?”

“I won’t deny it. But why……”

“I will tell you everything. In fact, a rebellion broke out in the capital. That is why His Majesty left the capital in a hurry and came here. Your Majesty must be gathering information in his own way, so I will tell you everything without holding back.”

“Well, that happened.”

Kang Dae-gu was not particularly surprised. He had already anticipated that a rebellion would occur. In addition, when the leadership of the Cheorwon area, where the main force of the Joseon army was stationed, was replaced by the main war faction, he had already judged that the situation had completely changed.

“So, I have a suggestion for you.”

Park Seung-kyung used the expression ‘return to the country’ without hesitation. In the situation where Joseon was caught in a crisis of a flashpoint, it had no choice but to acknowledge Balhae.

“We, Joseon, will immediately withdraw from the Triple Alliance. Naturally, we will also withdraw from this war. So, how about we strengthen our position at this point?”

“Reinforcement? I only fired a few shots, and now I’m reinforced? Hahaha!”

Kang Dae-gu burst into laughter when he received the unexpected offer.

“Well, so…….”

Even to Park Seung-kyung, it was an absurd proposal. From the beginning, they should not have participated in the three-nation alliance, and they should not have participated in this war. However, they requested peace at the start of the war, which created a ridiculous situation.

“Are you asking for time to suppress the rebels?”

“Phew! That’s right.”

Park Seung-gyeong confessed his honest feelings. If Balhae and the Northerners could not be strengthened, the king and the Northerners would inevitably fall. By now, the rebels would have taken over the capital, and they would be facing the powerful Balhae army at the front.

“Understood. First, we will submit a report to King Giha. Until we receive a response, our army will not move.”

“Oh! Thank you. I hope you get the answer you want soon.”

“Haha! Don’t worry. You’ll get an answer in a few days. We’re communicating by train and ship.”

Currently, the Donghae Nambu Line railway has been connected to Anbyeon, and construction of the Anpyeong Line is underway in Anbyeon.

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