Joseon Military Officer, Establishing Balhae - Chapter 334



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Episode 334

Jeong In-hong’s Journey (2)

A watershed (or additional range) located in the southern part of Gosan-hyeon, Yeominbu.

Gosanhyeon was a new administrative district established by the Balhae Namhaebu, located between Anbyeonhyeon and Pyeongganghyeon, and the main residential areas of this district were distributed along the northern section of the Chugaryeong structural valley.

The Joseon delegation, consisting of Jeong In-hong, Gi Ja-heon, Yi I-cheom, Ryu Yeong-gyeong, and several other attendants, took a moment to catch their breath when they reached the watershed.

Jeong In-hong got off his horse, sat down on a flat rock, and looked around.

It was still early summer, and the altitude was rather high, so the forest plants were covered with young branches and newly bloomed leaves.

“Isn’t the scenery here really beautiful?”

As the awkward silence passed, Ryu Yeong-gyeong stepped forward and spoke rudely. It was a story about a simple landscape.

“The mountains and rivers are the same, but what is fickle is the human heart. Sometimes it looks sad, and sometimes it feels beautiful.”

Jeong In-hong blurted out a word as if answering a question.

Lee Yi-cheom, who had been listening, tilted his head. Then, when he saw that Jeong In-hong’s complexion was brighter than expected, he realized what it meant.

“Phew! It really is all in vain.”

Army Deputy Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant General Kang Kyung-woo, who was listening to their conversation that was like a question and answer session, smiled faintly.

When a liaison officer from the Joseon Dynasty came to Jeonui-hyeon, located north of Gongju, to convey the intention to dispatch a diplomatic mission, Lieutenant General Kang Gyeong-woo, who happened to be in Hanyang to assist the military administration of Hanseongbu, volunteered to be their guide and accompanied them.

Lee Yi-cheom asked cautiously, watching Kang Kyung-woo’s expression.

“General Kang. When will the grain arrive in Gongju?”

“They must have already gone in and still have some left. Our 3rd Corps has ample supplies of food, so they would have delivered it right away.”

“If that’s the case, then that’s good.”

Kijaheon let out a soft sigh. It wasn’t just the military that was lacking in provisions. Even his own family was starving, so he had no choice but to beg for food from Balhae as soon as he arrived at the Jeonuihyeon government office.

“What did General Kang do before he went to Balhae?”

Jeong In-hong suddenly showed interest in Kang Kyung-woo’s personal life.

“I once held the position of a royal secretary, but then I was demoted. When the Japanese invasions of Korea broke out, I raised an army in my hometown, joined the Taewang Giha camp, and fought against the Japanese, which has led me to where I am today.”

“Well, that’s great. Then you will be included in the ranks of the founding fathers.”

“Haha! Well, that’s true. But the founding fathers of Balhae are as numerous as the stars in the night sky. Even if Giha was a former soldier, he was treated as a founding father without discrimination.”

Jeong In-hong nodded.

When he first left the princess, he had a face as heavy as lead and repeatedly expressed his miserable feelings. Especially when he stopped by Hanyang, these feelings reached their peak.

Hanyang was in a festive mood. The streets were full of energy, and instead of resenting the Balhae army that was trying to maintain public order, people showed respect. Also, unusually, Balhae newspaper reading sessions were held all over the city. As the curiosity of the residents about Balhae reached an explosive level, those who had been secretly reading newspapers came forward and read them to their acquaintances on the street, and this gradually grew in scale and developed into a formal gathering. As newspapers continued to flow in, these gatherings became regular events.

Jeong In-hong had to feel a strong sense of betrayal in Hanyang. However, that experience actually had the effect of making him let go of his last remaining attachment.

After quite some time had passed since Balhae had taken over, and when they reached Pyeonggang, where Balhaeization had already been considerably advanced, his behavior changed noticeably. Whenever he had time, he would obtain Balhae newspapers and read them, and at the railroad construction site in Pyeonggang, he would stop and ask questions about various things. He also took special time to look around the lives of the residents. Although the journey was somewhat delayed, since this was what everyone in the delegation wanted, Kang Kyung-woo had no choice but to accept their request.

The current Anpyeong Line railroad construction was progressing somewhat slower than other lines. This was because the railroad bed construction had not been done in advance. The construction of the roadbed is more difficult and takes more time than the railroad construction. That is why the Railway Administration brought in thousands of prisoners of war captured in this war and deployed them to this construction.

“But why is there no trace of that railway operation here?”

Lee Ee-cheom asked.

All the way from Pyeonggang, I saw a railroad bed built parallel to the road, but at some point it disappeared, so I asked.

“You may not believe it, but the path is beneath your feet.”

When Kang Kyung-woo pointed to his feet with his hand, everyone tilted their heads.

“Underground? What do you mean?”

“It means that a hole has been dug.”

“No! What do you mean? How can you dig a hole in this huge mountain with human power?”

Kijaheon retorted in a tone of disbelief.

“Anyway, you’ll find out later. Well, shall we go now?”

Kang Kyung-woo got up from his seat and hurried on down the road.

As the group descended the watershed, the railroad bed and the entrance to the water tunnel came into view again, just as Kang Kyung-woo had said.

“Huh! Indeed, there are oysters.”

Jeong In-hong entered the cave with a bewitched expression. The walls and ceiling of the water pipe were finished with ash (concrete) and looked quite sturdy.

“How did you make this?”

“We used a lot of gunpowder.”

“Well, gunpowder… Well, then that’s right. It’s not something that can be done with a pickaxe.”

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Jeong In-hong nodded.

The group set off again. As soon as they passed the watershed, the upper stream of the Namdaecheon River, flowing toward Anbyeon, appeared. Of course, the road and railroad beds also ran parallel to the Namdaecheon River to the northeast.

As soon as they passed the village of Sangbangsa and their view opened up, Jeong In-hong and his party were astonished at the sight they saw.

“Oh! So this is it. They said they were laying railroad tracks.”

Jeong In-hong looked at the railroad construction site before his eyes and immediately realized what was happening. There were numerous workers, including prisoners, working together, some moving the railroad tracks while others were simultaneously working on fixing them to the sleepers.

“Ugh! When will I get to Seoul like this?”

As the Joseon delegation rushed to the scene and watched intently, Kang Kyung-woo let out a soft sigh.

* * *

The point where the Heilongjiang River and the Jingqili River (the future Zeya River) meet.

The 49th Regiment Commander of the 11th Division, Colonel Woo Young-min, asked the 1st Battalion Commander, Colonel Lee Su-yong.

“Are you sure this is it?”

“Yes. I checked with the guide and the local residents several times. This is the place. The river flowing on the right is the Jingjili River, and the one on the left is the main stream of the Heilongjiang River.”

“Then it would be a good idea to build a fort on that hillside.”

Lieutenant Woo Young-min pointed to a hilly area along the river that would be safe even if the river flooded.

“That would be good. Then go up and check.”

The two left the river and climbed up to the hilly area they had marked.

“It’s definitely better here. You can see the whole surrounding area.”

The 49th Regiment could be considered the advance unit of the 1st Corps, which would be responsible for the northern border in the future. Although the army reorganization work was still in progress, they moved early to find a place for the 1st Corps headquarters.

“I thought this place was called Aeju?”

“Yes. The origin of the name is unknown. Perhaps it was given that name by Giha.”

Aizhou is a place known as ‘Aihun’, which was known in the future as a treaty between the Qing and Russia, but the Chinese government later changed its name back to Heihe.

The Balhae Army divided the northern border into four areas according to the areas in charge of each corps. For convenience, the area between the mouth of the Liao River and the confluence of the East and West Liao Rivers was called the western border, the area between the West Liao River and Sarmoron was called the western-central area, the Great Khingan Range border was called the northwest, and the Solone Mountains border was called the northern area. The 2nd Corps was to be in charge of the western border, the 5th Corps the western-central border, the 6th Corps the northwestern border, and the 1st Corps the northern border. That is why Aeju was chosen as the location for the 1st Corps headquarters.

“There are a lot of Daurs living around here?”

“Yes. There is also a village called Orochon, but I think there are more Daur there. I believe they are descendants of the Khitans.”

“Khitan? Tsk! I don’t feel so good.”

Lieutenant Woo Yeong-min recalled the historical knowledge he had learned at the Military Academy. The northern people who destroyed the ancient Balhae and invaded Goryeo several times, and who had many ill-fated relations with the Korean people, were the Khitan. The Orochon were the indigenous people of the Awongki lineage, and the Later Jin called them Solon.

“But isn’t this place too remote? The 1st Corps commanders will have a hard time.”

“Haha! They can’t compare to us. We’ll be working further north than that.”

“I see. You said that if you go further north than 400 roses from here, you will reach Mount Solon.”

“If you look at it that way, this place is pretty far back.”

“I think it would be okay if it was just Chichigarh, where the 6th Army Corps headquarters would be located.”

Qichang was another northern stronghold, located on the banks of the Nun River, east of the Greater Khingan Mountains.

“I think the 6th Army Corps will have a long and arduous journey. We have to guard the border of Khalkha Mongol until an indigenous autonomous state is established in the Dalia region. In addition, we will be working in the Greater Khingan Mountains in the northwest.”

“Come to think of it, the 6th Corps and the 1st Corps are all the same.”

“But shouldn’t we also deploy our troops in the southern stronghold?”

The southern supply base of the 1st Corps began at Ilan, located on the banks of the Songhua River. After Ilan was Mayenjin, which was the name of a fortress located at the confluence of Mayenha and Songhua River. From there, if you go west, you will come across Ssangyongjin, and then Yunzhou. Yunzhou is the future Harbin of China. In this way, supply bases were established in various places in the south, and small post stations were also established between these fortresses.

The southern supply route of the 6th Army Corps was connected to the Liaodong region along the Nun River, and intermediate fortresses had already been established in places such as Guozhou (future Song and Yuan), Nong’an, and Yan’an (Changchun), which were strongholds of the Gorlos, a branch of the Eastern Mongolian tribe.

“The Army Headquarters will take care of that. Our corps just needs to take care of the alcohol here.”

The Balhae government recently reorganized its military system and changed the Army Headquarters and Navy Headquarters into the Army Agency and the Navy Agency, respectively.

“That’s really fortunate. But there’s still a long way to go.”

Vice Minister Lee Su-yong’s gaze turned toward the Jinggiri River. Looking at the width of the river alone, it was larger than the main stream, the Heilongjiang River, and looked even more abundant.

The Jinggiri River was a very important waterway for Balhae’s northern management. If you continue northward along this river, you will reach the Solon Mountains. Also, the water depth was deep enough to allow water transportation along the river, and the water volume was abundant. Therefore, it was expected that boats could be used during the thawing season, and the river itself could be used as a road during the freezing season.

“But can we farm here too?”

“Of course. I already confirmed this when I entered the indigenous village. I heard that they grow wheat, barley, millet, and oats. So wouldn’t it be possible to grow sesame seeds too?”

In fact, in addition to these crops, rye, which is used to make black bread, beer, and whiskey, was also grown in this area.

“Then isn’t this place also a good place for people to live?”

“But where would you go to the warm south? Even the Yoha Plain and Songnun Plain are completely empty.”

“That’s true.”

Lieutenant Woo Young-min clicked his tongue as he realized once again the vastness of the country.

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