Joseon Military Officer, Establishing Balhae - Chapter 315



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Episode 315

Battle of Haejuwi (1)

Ansan Port, Hani Island.

Heo Gyun, who returned to Ansan Port from the freshwater port of Formosa on a Samwoo Shipping ship, headed to the naval base to meet Tammy. Tammy had also returned from Hong Kong Island two days ago and was resting.

As soon as Heo Gyun met Tammy, he asked her about Hong Kong.

“What about Hong Kong?”

“It’s hot. And very humid.”

“Heh heh! Really?”

“Actually, there’s not much to say about it other than the weather. The wharf facilities have been slightly strengthened, and the construction of a naval base is still ongoing.”

“So what’s going on with the Macau blockade?”

“It’s not easy, after all. We can’t block the entry and exit of Portuguese and Spanish merchant ships, who are practically our masters. However, since the Ming merchants are only using land routes, the amount of trade must have decreased significantly.”

“Isn’t that okay?”

“I think so too. Oh, and there’s a pretty big island called Fengshan Island to the west of Hong Kong Island, which is about twice the size of Hong Kong Island. They’ve also taken over that. It’s perfect for monitoring the Pearl River Estuary off the coast of Macau. The entire island is almost like a mountainous area, so there are hardly any residents.”

“Isn’t that a huge deal? It’s a new territory added to our Southern Seas. Hahaha!”

“Is that so? We only set up a watchtower and a beacon tower?”

Fengshan Island is the ‘Lantou Island’ that belongs to the future Hong Kong. It was a name given by Tammy, taking into account the fact that the local residents call the mountain within the island ‘Fenghuang Mountain’.

“Well done. The southern territories are very useful, so I think the more we can get, the better. Well, the Ming Dynasty probably won’t give them away, but since it’s wartime, we’ll just take them.”

“Haha! Really? Then I guess I should check out the other islands around Hong Kong Island. There are a lot of them, aren’t there? Most of them are uninhabited though.”

Tae-mi smiled as she saw Heo Gyun, who had been showing increasing interest in territorial expansion since taking office as the governor of Namhaebu.

“What about the Ming navy?”

“I don’t know if they were completely destroyed or if they were hiding out of fear. I can’t see any naval battle lines or even merchant ships. I think there are no ships coming and going except for the Namban ships and small fishing boats.”

“Haha! I guess they really are afraid of our Balhae navy, perhaps because they suffered so badly in the last naval battle.”

Tammy smiled triumphantly and changed the subject.

“How about freshwater regions?”

Heo Gyun smiled brightly as if he had been waiting for Taemi to ask him.

“Ah, things went very well. With the help of the three major tribes including Ketagalan, the territory has expanded significantly.”

Except for the staff of each upper division, administrative officials, and resident troops, there were almost no Koreans who could be called settlers, so the actual owners of Damsu-hyeon were the three tribes of Ketagalan, Kulun, and Vasai. They were very satisfied with becoming part of Balhae. Not only did they drive out the Dutch forces who had been committing all sorts of evil acts, but they also received abundant goods such as food and iron farming tools in return for various farm labors, making their lives more affluent.

This policy of Balhae was not limited to Formosa. It was the result of applying a sophisticated policy of assimilation of indigenous people, which was established based on the experience accumulated through communication and exchange with indigenous people during the process of developing Hokkaido and the northern territories.

As soon as Heo Gyun heard the messenger of the Darida Kingdom that the indigenous people living outside the territory also wanted to become part of Balhae, he went to Damsu County. There, through the introduction of local residents, he met with the village chiefs and tribal chiefs of several villages living beyond the border of Damsu County and negotiated.

Heo Gyun not only recognized the ownership of land as it was, but also promised to guarantee the autonomy of tribes and villages, and induced them to surrender. As a result, the territory was greatly expanded to the southeast and southwest, including the entirety of the future Taiwan’s New Taipei City and Taoyuan City, and part of Hsinchu County.

“I surveyed the land in the southwestern part of Damsu County where the Ketagalan people live, and there was a vast plain that was incomparable to the Galan Plains of Damsu County. The Samwoo Shipping people who accompanied me were so happy that they drooled. In addition, the mountainous territory has also increased a lot, so it seems like it would be good to create tea fields on suitable land at the foot of the mountains.”

Tammy understood why Heo Gyun’s expression was bright.

“You have acquired a very valuable piece of land.”

“That’s right. It’s a land that is useful in many ways.”

Heo Gyun gave a long speech about the value of the newly acquired territory.

“Including two crops of rice, three crops a year are possible, and all southern crops such as sugarcane, tea, pyrethrum, and cinchona can be cultivated. Also, even if there is a famine due to cold damage in the north and south of our Balhae mainland, there will be no need to empty the national treasury because Formosa can produce enough rice. To that extent, the newly acquired land has a high proportion of plains and is very fertile.”

Double rice cropping is a ‘rice + rice’ method, meaning that rice is harvested twice consecutively in the same land throughout the year. Since multiple cropping is done with different varieties, it is said that triple cropping in Formosa is usually composed of ‘rice + rice + miscellaneous grains’.

“Also, other regions of the southern seas, such as the Buru Plains of the northern provinces, are places that are unlikely to be hit by cold waves, so agriculture in the southern seas will become the mainstay of Balhae.”

This is why Heo Gyun became obsessed with expanding the territory of the Southern Sea.

“There are a lot of ownerless lands?”

“Haha! Of course. As you know, the indigenous population is not that large anywhere in Formosa. So there is absolutely no reason to interfere with their residence. If we acknowledge their land ownership and do not interfere with their lives, there will be no room for conflict. And if we continue to coexist like that, it won’t be long before they are completely assimilated into our Balhae.”

“So, did you come to have contact with the Kingdom of Darida?”

“Yes. The border between Ketagalan and Taogas is the border.”

“I’m glad it’s been sorted out like that. It looks like Giha is going to push the kingdom forward.”

“They said that they had met the lions again to set up borders, and that they were disappointed that the southern tribes had not yet joined the kingdom.”

The southern tribes that Heo Gyun spoke of were the Hoana and the Siraya.

“If those two join forces, we can stop the expansion of British occupation territory?”

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Tammy got to the heart of the matter.

“That’s right. That’s why we, Balhae, have come here to mediate. The outlook is also bright. The hostile tribes are also very anxious after hearing rumors of the atrocities committed by the British in the south and the Spanish in the east.”

“That’s a good idea. Do you have any good solutions?”

“Giha sometimes talks about the various political systems of the world, and among them, the confederation and the federation system come to mind. Currently, Darida is a confederation of allied kingdoms system, so we should first incorporate external forces into this system. In the long term, we should also consider a federation system.”

“Your Majesty, you must be very busy. You have to worry about the affairs of the South Sea Department and the affairs of the Kingdom as well.”

Tammy said with a smile. Heo Gyun looked so happy for such a busy person.

* * *

The name of the Taoist priest of the Liaodong clan, Haejuwi, near Haeju Castle.

Haejuwi was a castle located about 60 miles northeast of Gaeju. The Balhae 12th and 20th Division troops, who arrived here after a three-day march, were deploying troops around the castle to conduct a siege.

“We received word from the 17th Division. They have withdrawn half of their troops and are heading to Ujangseong.”

Deputy Commander Go-Ryeon Jeong reported to Division Commander Jong-Su Park.

“Then it should arrive tomorrow.”

“Yes, I would expect so, considering the timing of the report.”

Ujangseong was a castle located northwest of Haejuwi, not far from the Liao River. There were small defensive positions such as Dongchangbo and Mahabbo between the Liao River and Ujangseong, so it was a place that had to be captured.

“There won’t be many enemies there, so there won’t be a problem, right?”

“With two regiments of troops, it should be easy to capture it.”

The reason for sending two regiments from the 17th Reserve Division there was also to protect the supply route, since a Ming official road was established across the Liao River via the Wujangseong Fortress.

Park Jong-su looked at Hae-ju Seong and smiled.

“There are 20,000 people in there, so it must be bustling.”

Of the 30,000 Ming troops who retreated from the Gaeju front, 10,000 were in Ujangseong and 20,000 were in Haejuseong.

“I think our troops here are excessively numerous compared to those in Ujangseong.”

Goryeon also said with a smile.

“I think so too. So, I think it would be better to destroy that castle right away and move forward quickly.”

As the deployment of the 12th and 20th Divisions was nearing completion, Park Jong-su suddenly saw a messenger riding a horse and galloping toward him from the southeast.

“A messenger is coming from the wrong direction?”

“Could it be the 21st Division?”

“I guess so.”

The 21st Division was a garrison force on the northern border of Suam. They were also facing off against Ming’s 20,000-strong central army.

The messenger who was guided to Park Jong-su began reporting on the situation in the Suam area.

“The Ming army stationed north of the Usimsan base in the northern part of Suam is moving to rescue Haeju Castle. So our 21st Division has also come out of the base and is chasing after them.”

“So when do you think the enemy will arrive here?”

“In fact, we wasted about half a day because we were deceived by them.”

“You’ve been deceived?”

“They withdrew their troops the night before yesterday. They had been using bluff tactics, such as lighting torches and raising more flags in the camp all night, so we learned of this fact half a day late.”

“If the enemy set out the night before yesterday, they will arrive soon. Even though it is a mountainous region, they must have moved quickly.”

“Then wouldn’t it be better to leave the Ming army to the 20th Division and focus on attacking Haeju Castle?”

Park Jong-su agreed with the opinion of the spirit of Goryeon. He quickly selected a messenger and had him convey this opinion to the commander of the 20th Division, and had his division fill the vacancy left by the 20th Division. As a result, each regiment naturally took charge of one gate. In addition, the cavalry of each regiment and the 12th Division headquarters troops took up positions north of Haeju Castle. This was to catch the enemy who opened the gate and retreated.

Just before the attack began, the spirit of the Goryeo Dynasty tilted its head and asked Park Jong-su.

“I don’t understand why they abandoned their positions and came down from the mountain, knowing that they would be pursued by the 20th Division of our army.”

“I understand. If we capture that fortress, what will happen to the enemy’s central forces?”

“Well, I guess I’ll be pressured from both the front and back.”

“I guess that’s why you came down here to find a way to live.”

“If this was done with the permission of the Liaodong Gyeongryak, wouldn’t there be additional measures?”

“That may be the case. In any case, we need to quickly capture that castle.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Once the troop redeployment work was completed, Park Jong-su gave the order to begin the attack.

Naturally, the Balhae army’s attack began with artillery fire. 100-mimi and 80-mimi howitzers, 80-mimi mortars, and 60-mimi mortars all began firing shells toward Haeju Castle.

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