Joseon Military Officer, Establishing Balhae - Chapter 313



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Episode 313

Northern Front (2)

When he arrived at the 2nd Battalion of the 88th Regiment’s camp and saw the fierce battle, Taegeon’s expression darkened suddenly. This was because he intuitively felt that the Balhae army had suffered great casualties as well.

Just a short while ago, upon receiving word that two forward positions were under attack, Tae-Geon divided the 2,000 cavalrymen of the 14th Division into two groups and sent them first to the battlefield. He, too, had been leading his entourage and rushing from the 14th Division camp to the nearby 88th Regiment position.

“Geometry! There were 103 casualties, including 21 from our unit.”

“Huh! This is…….”

Tae-Geon sighed deeply after hearing the report from Battalion Commander Son Hyeong-Un.

“You’ve made me carry such a heavy load.”

“Oh, no. I’m sorry. I’m just sorry that my actions caused great harm to the soldiers.”

“No. I had no choice but to choose this tactic. That was the problem.”

The Balhae military, which had a thorough understanding of the Later Jin army, had to worry seriously about not being able to defend the extremely long border with its limited forces. Furthermore, the enemy was the Later Jin army, which knew the geography of Manchuria like the back of its hand, was highly mobile, and each individual was considered to have the strongest fighting power.

So the chosen tactic was to defend the crossroads by battalion. Instead, they used reconnaissance and communication devices such as signal fires and hot air balloons to enable battalions of the same regiment stationed nearby to quickly respond to each other.

So while one regiment was dealing with one of the Later Jin cavalry, the rearguard, the 14th Division, or other regiments free from enemy attacks, quickly rushed to the scene and annihilated the enemy. However, the problem with this tactic was that the battalion that was supposed to face the enemy first would inevitably suffer heavy casualties.

However, the reason why this tactic was adopted was because the Balhae army was that strong. A battalion of troops could fight and hold out against one of the Eight Banners of the Later Jin Dynasty, and a regiment of troops could be confident of victory.

“Instead, the enemy lost about 3,000 troops, almost half of their number.”

“Great job. You fought really well.”

“Thank you, Kiha!”

Son Hyeong-un bowed deeply.

The 2nd Battalion also captured Later Jin prisoners, most of whom were wounded.

While Taegeon was inspecting the battlefield and fortress, a messenger from Tanghajin in the south arrived and reported that there, the 1st Battalion of the 91st Regiment fought against the Yang Hongqi forces led by Hong Taiji, the 8th son of Nurhachi, and Guo Sha Emperor (Jizhou) Hu Ruhan, and the results were similar to those of the 88th Regiment here.

“I bet the report was included in the first lyric, too?”

“Yes, Geometry!”

Military Intelligence Director Lee Mong-ryeon answered.

“How do you think Nurhachi will react?”

“They must have been very surprised. Didn’t their two banners of the proud Eight Banner Army retreat after being blocked by our battalion? They must have been very confused, having never fought a direct battle with us, Balhae.”

“Then what happened to the North?”

Taegeon was very curious about the situation around Ula Castle, which was directly under the command of the 1st Operations Command.

In fact, the main force of the Balhae army was there. The 1st and 2nd divisions were close by, and the 11th division was waiting in the Gwangyang Plain northeast of Ulla Castle. In addition, the 15th and 16th divisions, which were reserve divisions, were guarding the rear of these three active divisions. These two reserve divisions were deployed in the rear in case the Later Jin army broke through the border. However, if the entire 1st division went on the offensive, they would move together and take charge of the supply line. They could also join the attack if necessary.

The reason why the 1st Operations Command, boasting such a powerful force, could not launch an attack was because of the mobility of the Later Jin army, which could not be determined. If even one unit broke through the front line, the rear could be trampled, so at first they had no choice but to adopt a defensive strategy. In this way, they had agreed to accurately identify the location of the Later Jin army, block the first attack, and then switch to the offensive. In addition, the related tactics were to be automatically executed by the left and right armies according to the previously established plan, even without separate orders.

“Anyway, isn’t it now possible for the left wing of the first lyric to go on the offensive?”

The left wing of the 1st Operations Command consisted of the 25th and 26th Divisions, and the 14th Division of the reserve force was also scheduled to move.

“Yes. The enemy’s movements have been captured, and the first attack has been repelled, so I think we can move on to the next step. Then I will send a messenger to Changseongjin.”

Changseongjin was located north of Buheungjin, in the future Ido Songhwa River basin.

“Oh, and if the Left Army decides to move, send a messenger to the 5th Corps headquarters in Hyesan and tell them to advance directly toward Perala together with the garrison along the Yalu River. If the Left Army moves, there is no need to sit back and guard the Yalu River.”

“Yes, I will convey that.”

The unit guarding the Yalu River front of Pyeonganbu was the 18th Division of the Reserve Forces. If they crossed the Yalu River and advanced north, they would naturally target the old capital of the Later Jin, Perala. There was also a Later Jin army stationed there, equivalent to one corps.

“And send a messenger to the 2nd Division to tell them to also advance east.”

The 27th Division of the 2nd Operations Command was a unit that guarded the eastern border of Liaodong Province, that is, the Later Jin border, and was originally excluded from this attack mission. This was also to prepare for the sudden action of the Later Jin army, which had good mobility. However, if it were to switch to an offensive, Taegeon judged that it would be effective for the 27th Division to move along as well.

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The Nohosan ridge in the northern part of Gaeju.

As soon as he arrived at the ridge where the Ming army’s defensive line had been built, Major General Park Jong-su, the commander of the 2nd Operations Command’s left army and the 12th Division, could not help but frown. Most of the Ming army’s positions had been reduced to ashes by the Balhae army’s concentrated fire, and there were too many corpses of Ming soldiers that could not be recovered.

As soon as Commander Du Song and Commander Jang Jeon were killed by Balhae snipers, the Ming friendly forces had to fight against the Balhae army that had climbed the ridge. This attack by the Balhae army was also very fierce. Since it was a mountain battle, the Geonheung 1 type rifle was once again very active, and the grenadiers who mainly used grenades did their part. Even the archers who shot arrows did the same. The shooters also faithfully carried out their mission of accepting the surrender of the Ming army who were unable to move from their positions due to the Balhae army’s offensive.

It was a fierce battle, but the Balhae army suffered little casualties. This was because they had sufficiently reduced the number of enemies through long-range attacks, and then deployed water cannons when the danger level was low.

In the end, the Ming army had no choice but to retreat north under the command of the surviving mid-level officers. Yu Jeong, who was commanding the rear forces at the Hodusan front, also had no choice but to retreat as soon as he heard the report that the army was retreating. Of course, they also had to lose quite a few men while struggling with the 20th Division troops.

“Commander. The battle results have been roughly tallied. It seems that only about 30,000 enemy troops escaped from the Nohosan and Hodusan fronts. Including the wounded, there are approximately 6,000 prisoners, and about 4,000 dead.”

It was a report from the division headquarters deputy chief of staff, Ko Ryeon.

“Where are those 30,000 troops going?”

“The scouts are chasing him, so we’ll know the results soon, but I think he went to Haejuwi.”

Haejuwi was the future Haicheng of China.

“That’s right. And we also have to consider Ujangseong Fortress, which is located to the northwest of Haejuwi.”

“Anyway, I think we should clear out the battlefield here and wait for new supplies to arrive before moving. By the time we receive the supplies, we’ll be able to clearly see where the enemy is headed.”

“Commander! The 17th Division has sent a liaison officer.”

An officer from the command center reported to Park Jong-su.

“You came at a good time. We had something to discuss anyway.”

The 17th Reserve Division was currently stationed in the mountains between Ung-ak and Gae-ju. The person who came as a liaison officer was an officer of the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Park Jong-su first planned to hand over the 6,000 prisoners to the 17th Division. That was the most urgent task. Then the 17th Division would transfer them to places like Bokju and Jinju in Liaodong Province and entrust them to the police forces stationed there to manage them.

After wrapping up the issue of prisoners, Park Jong-su brought up another topic.

“As soon as we reorganize our battle lines, our 12th and 20th divisions will descend this ridge and advance quickly, so the 17th division should provide good support from behind. First, expel all the Jurchen and Han Chinese living in Gaeju. Among them, we will also have to filter out the Koryo people.”

Gaeju was an important place that later scholars identified it as Goguryeo’s Geonanseong. It was the same during the old Balhae period. Also, since it was a place where many Balhae refugees still lived even after the fall of the country, it was inevitable that there would be quite a few Goryeo people.

There were also many immigrants who left Joseon, not only in Gaeju but also in the entire eastern region of Liaodong beyond Gaeju. As a result, it is said that there were quite a few Joseon soldiers who surrendered to the Qing and became part of the Eight Banners in actual history.

“Yes, I understand.”

“Also, please make sure that there are no problems with our supply lines.”

The part that Park Jong-su mentioned was originally something that the 17th Division was supposed to do.

“Then go back and tell them to send troops to take the prisoners.”

“Yes, Commander.”

After sending the 17th Division liaison officer, Park Jong-su called the Goryeo spirit again.

“Send messengers to Suam and Dapdong quickly to report the results of the battle, and explain my intention to advance simultaneously the next day.”

The 21st Division was deployed in Suam, and the 2nd Operations Command, the 3rd Division, and the 10th Division were deployed in the Yeonsan-gwan area, where the border fortress Dapdong was located.

“I’ve already prepared a report. If we get a report that we’ve broken through the Gaeju front, everyone will know about it.”

“I guess so.”

Now that the Battle of Gaeju has ended, the next units to be deployed were the 2nd Operations Command and the 3rd and 10th Divisions, which were waiting at the Yeonsan-gwan front line. They were planning to move to recover as soon as they broke through the Yeonsan-gwan border. They were expected to have a hard time moving through the rugged mountainous terrain, but since the Gaeju front line had been breached, the Ming army’s defense line was bound to become somewhat loose.

“Phew! I guess we’ve finally overcome the hardships.”

Park Jong-su said with a relieved expression.

“That’s true. Now that the path to the Liaodong Plains is open, the Ming side will have a lot of headaches.”

The spirit of Goryeon also answered with a smile.

“It is true that Gaeju was the most important front for both Ming and Balhae. Looking at the Liaodong Plain here, I feel it once again.”

Park Jong-su’s gaze lingered on the wide-open Yodong Plain to the north of Noho Mountain.

Gaeju was the last bastion of the Ming Dynasty that blocked Balhae’s advance into the Liaodong Plain. Of course, the Ming army also had to break through Ungaek in the southern part of Gaeju to open up a route for its advance. This was because the terrain of the Tian Shan Mountains, which can be called the backbone of the Liaodong Peninsula, was so rugged.

This was precisely the reason why Balhae placed such importance on the Battle of Gaeju. Now that the Balhae army had advanced into the Liaodong Plain, it was clear that there would be a major change in the Ming army’s camp.

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